“Whew, good. Otherwise I might’ve lost it and gone up to smack you.”
Like he’d heard a joke worth tasting, the Dragon King’s pupils narrowed to blade-thin slits. Claws slid from his forelimbs like knives from sheaths. His tongue flicked over fangs, and his aura spiked, a mountain cresting in an instant.
“You said you were going to beat me?”
His question met Ling’s blank stare, fogged with confusion before thought caught up. “Huh? When did I say that?”
Whoosh—!!
Before the last word fell, the Dragon King’s talons swiped as if teleporting, a dark blur carving air.
Ling popped into a clean backstep, wind under her heels. She snagged a still-stunned Alicia and slipped to safety, leaving the strike to bite dust.
She set Alicia down a little farther off, irritation pricking like nettles. If she hadn’t reacted, she’d have been carved up right there.
“Hey! Big guy, why the sudden hit out of nowhere?”
The Dragon King licked a claw, a predator’s habit dressed like a grin. “Oh? You said you’d rough me up, so I just struck first.”
“But I said I’d do that only if your surname was [Jiutoulong].”
“Then I’ll swap reasons. Hmmm… the Dragon King’s dignity can’t be trampled. How’s that?”
Ling shot him a look steeped in disdain, cool as river shade. So much for ‘the stronger, the broader the heart.’ This one nursed grudges and wore shamelessness like armor. And fine—maybe she wasn’t one to talk about grudges, either.
“Tsk. Whatever. If it’s a fight you want, I just happen to feel like testing the power of my grass-cutting Scythe today.”
She pulled a Scythe from her [four-dimensional back], gears ticking soft as crickets. The blade popped free—freshly cleaned, no flesh clinging. Pure silver caught the sun, a razor of light with an eager edge.
Seeing the little one ready, the Dragon King’s mouth curled higher, storm brewing behind a smile. His foreclaws raked the dirt in impatient strokes, gouging lines like plow furrows.
Then, like he’d remembered something, he lifted his head and studied Ling with a hunter’s interest. “Hey, little one, wanna make a bet?”
“What’s the bet?”
“You came here to do something, didn’t you?”
Ling nodded, a simple yes, like tapping a drum once. “Yeah.”
“Simple wager. I win, you leave all your valuables and go. I lose, I help you to the fullest. Deal?”
“No problem.”
The terms smelled practical. It kept both sides alive—an unspoken promise to pull blades short. If someone “accidentally” died, nobody would profit.
“Find someone to give us the signal?”
Good idea—two charges at once had spice. The Dragon King clearly agreed; his wings thumped, and his bulk lifted like a shadowed cliff taking flight.
An elder black dragon settled between them, scales dull as charcoal, ancient eyes like banked coals. He threaded a mental line to Ling and the Dragon King, a bell cord in the mind rather than the air.
“Please wait—”
The words chimed in Ling’s head, as odd as counting with rain drops. She didn’t mind. The Dragon King was still prepping; fine by her—as long as the cue was clear.
“Please wait—”
Ling’s body dipped into a coiled crouch, breath tight as bowstring. Her small hands spun the Scythe’s gears; the blade bent into a crescent, serrations rolling inward like teeth turning on a wheel. From a distance, the Scythe lost its shape—looked more like an axe hungry for work.
“You may begin—!!”
As the elder’s voice fell, Ling’s lips bloomed into a sweet, unhinged smile, sugar over steel. “It said we can start!”
She didn’t waste air. She kicked off, legs springing like a catapult, body arcing high.
The Dragon King stayed still, a mountain waiting for lightning. If he wanted to pose, Ling wouldn’t shout some hot-blooded line. Her rule was simple: if you want to act cool, I’ll beat you till you can’t.
She gripped the Scythe’s haft with both hands and raised it overhead, the outer arc flickering with a violet sheen, a blade that looked ready to cut the world.
Her eyes narrowed, lock fixed on the Dragon King’s brow. She packed every ounce of strength into her arms—brutal, ruthless, pure intent.
She rode gravity down and swung, a falling moon turned into a strike.
——[Full Throttle]！！！！
