I plunged through the hole, ears twitching as a wave of sweet, intoxicating scents filled the air. Just before impact, I unleashed a burst of fire downward, the blast cushioning my fall. I hit the ground rolling, minimizing the shock to my body, and rose with a predator's grace.
The world shimmered with my heightened senses. Scents painted the air like colors, each belonging to the monsters lurking nearby. Yet Aeola's fragrance stood out—sharp, familiar, urgent. I followed it.
My path led to a vast chasm. From its depths, slime-dragons surged upward, grotesque bodies glistening as they spewed streams of fire. Their shrieks echoed like war horns.
Sword in hand, I moved. Flames licked the air, but I twisted, deflected, struck. One dragon's fire caught me off guard; instinctively, I tried to swallow it, but its heat was far beyond the werelycan's. My throat seared, agony burning like molten iron. I staggered, clutching my neck.
That hurts…
Pain slowed me, but survival sharpened my reflexes. I dodged a snapping maw, slashed its side, and watched it collapse. Another lunged—its claws raked the air—but I severed its hand, slime-blood spraying. Disgust churned in my stomach, yet I pressed on, slicing its throat in a single upward strike.
More came. Fatigue gnawed at me as their swarm closed in. Fear clawed at my chest, but the thought of Aeola twisted that fear into hunger—hunger to survive, hunger to protect.
The ring on my finger flared. My eyes sparked, then dimmed, as Gluttony seized control. My body moved without my will, a frenzy of violence unleashed. Dragons fell one after another, crushed, torn, devoured. When the last beast writhed beneath my heel, I snapped its neck and fed until strength returned.
The glow faded. Control returned. I stood among corpses, staring into the abyss below.
A long drop… maybe the bodies will break my fall.
I hurled them down, then descended, rolling onto the mound of carcasses. Rising, I inhaled—and froze. The most delicious scent I had ever encountered drifted toward me. My stomach growled, but my eyes recoiled.
From the shadows emerged a dragon unlike the rest. Its body was rotting, maggots writhing across its scales. Yet its eyes burned with ancient malice.
"No… it cannot be!" the creature rasped. "The one who defeated me—the Sin of Gluttony. Haven's most hated defier… Haven's Blasphemer."
Its trembling shook the parasites from its flesh. My ego surged, but then—her voice.
"Natsuki… is that you?" Aeola's words pierced the chaos. I turned, nodded. She blushed, and my grin widened.
Confidence surged. I raised my sword. "I think it's about time we fought, don't you?"
The dragon roared, its decayed wings unfurling. Dark runes flared across its body. With a guttural chant, it cast a spell—chains of shadow lashed out, binding Aeola. She cried out, her body convulsing as the magic sealed her transformations.
Her perspective bled into mine—fear, frustration, helplessness. She strained against the bonds, every heartbeat a reminder that she was powerless. If he falls… I'm lost too.
Rage ignited within me. I charged.
The dragon spat lime-green fire, flames that corroded stone. I dodged, slashing at its side, but slime-blood hissed against my blade, eating away at the steel. It countered with a spell—gravity itself bent, dragging me to my knees. My muscles screamed as I fought to rise.
Aeola's voice trembled, desperate. "Natsuki… don't let it win!"
The ring pulsed again. Gluttony surged, but this time I resisted, forcing control to remain mine. My eyes glowed—not the ring's, but my own will.
I leapt, driving my sword into its chest. The dragon shrieked, hurling me back with a wave of force. My ribs cracked against stone. Pain blurred my vision, but I rose, blood dripping from my mouth.
It lunged, maw wide, chanting another spell. I rolled beneath it, slashing its throat. Maggots spilled, writhing in slime. Still it fought, claws raking my side.
Aeola's perspective flickered again—her panic rising as she felt the chains tighten, her breath shallow, her hope fading. Please… don't leave me here.
Desperation fueled me. I seized its neck, forcing its head down, and with a roar, plunged my blade deep into its skull. The runes shattered. Aeola's chains dissolved.
The dragon convulsed, then collapsed, its body crumbling to the floor in a thunderous thud. Silence fell.
Breathing hard, I stood over its corpse. Aeola rushed to me, tears streaking her face, and gave me a tight hug that almost made me forget the pain burning through my body.
"You did it…" she whispered, voice trembling with relief.
I wiped the slime from my blade, smirking despite the agony. "Barely."