From “kirin-dragon” to “kairenga,” from a hybrid between a kirin and dragon, to becoming the first species of an entirely new true dragonkin. The description probably could describe Neill’s entire mindset switch.

  Instead of seeing herself as a kirin-dragon mutation who shunned her draconic appearance due to how “hideous” it looked, she fully embraced her dragon side, to the point that she was flaunting her wings, tail, and teeth to the audience. Her humanoid side was still as showy and beautiful as always, reminding me how much she loved her human-dragonewt form, since it made humans look at her in awe, but that didn’t diminish how proud and regal she looked.

  From her rank B height, which was barely taller than a one-floor house, she grew to around 1900cm (62 ft 3 inches) tall. I hadn’t checked my recent height, but I knew my dragon form wasn’t 1861cm anymore, having grown up after my coma just like my humanoid form. Still, for a rank A true dragonkin adult, Neill was assuredly small for her rank.

  I could see the dragonkin, levianewts, elves, and wyverns watching her in stunned awe, though the true dragonkin amongst us quickly got over their surprise. To the giants, Neill's height change probably didn’t matter to them, since the average rank A was double her height and size.

  They could insult her size, sure, but appearance-wise, it was impossible. Neill’s rank B form was already truly gorgeous to look at, but my sister always hated how “chimeric” it looked. Her upper torso was more similar to a slim drake with wings, while her behind was that of a horse. You could already see the Chinese “longma” inspiration, but her rank A pushed those features even further and fused everything into one cohesive body.

  Instead of only a muscular drake-like upper body, Neill’s entire build had adopted that hefty body type, though you could still see her kirin origins with her, ahem, big behind. Another big change was that her front legs were hooved just like her hind feet now, only that they both had claws, probably to help her make sudden turns, spread her dragon veins, and to leave gashes behind whenever she kicked somebody.

  Considering how martial arts-focused Neill was, I would have questioned this evolution choice if it wasn’t for the fact that, unlike her humanoid form, her true form had not six, but eight limbs, just like Eltharion and Nong’s side of the family! Two pairs of wings could be seen on her back, with the upper pair being far larger, its webbings extending from her shoulder blades down to her thighs, while the lower pair was shorter, but they were similar to those of Eltharion and Kramps.

  In other words, she could cross them like normal arms, creating that “cape” that those two black dragons loved doing. Ha, considering how similar they looked, you couldn’t even argue that Neill didn’t have Eltharion’s blood in her… though, she was a mutated monster, so maybe I was just putting meaning into something that didn’t matter.

  All that mattered was that Neill’s dragon form got even more beautiful, and she knew it well. This small true dragonkin was looking “down” at all the dragonkin sitting on the floating platforms.

  [“Registered?”] Neill spoke through [Telepathy]. [“No, Empress-Mother. Let the challengers come whenever they wish! This might not be a true tournament, but outside of one, I haven’t lost a single one when I stepped onto Altrust! Come on, you geckos, I know you all have something to say to me, so just come down already! You see me running in the spotlight? Stay in the shadows and lower your tails to me, Fargryneill Qilinus Gueillxar, second daughter of Emperor Eltharion Kargryxmor! Bow down to your princess, Kargryx and Loatryx!”]

  [“Fargryneill, you—”] Gaistrus tried to stop her, but the fire, lava, lightning, and wind dragons roared at her provocation.

  Ah, so those are the flights and wakes who tormented her during her youth, I concluded, as it seemed like they were angrier than the other elemental dragons. Most looked slightly perturbed, but none of them showed a similar anger as the aforementioned dragons. Bullies would remain bullies, and Neill was adamant about showing them her growth.

  Without warning, one of the fire dragons dove into the arena as Mom perfectly opened and closed the ice barrier to let the challenger in. Landing on the platform, the lanky dragon peered down at Neill, showing the exact height difference I was afraid of.

  Day one of the festival was Neill’s homecoming, but day two was her “debutante” as a rank A. The tournament acted not only as a way for her to showcase her power, but it was also there to help the returning dragon find their place in the hierarchy and, maybe, find a mate. This show of power allowed the returnee to find subordinates and with whom to ally themselves. Since courtship among the dragonkin was often done through battle, it was also an “interview” for your potential partner.

  “Well, as long as she’s a fledgling as well,” Uriahn commented next to me.

  Interrupted by the shoutcaster’s announcement, I couldn’t confront him about his father. Maybe I should have spoken up about it now, but I was fully invested in Neill’s battle now. I wanted to see her win and beat the shit out of the people who tormented her before she left the dragon empire!

  “You’re supposed to register as a challenger, though. She just jumped up the queue,” I replied, having lost interest in finding the truth about him.

  He shook his head, eyes still glued to the arena. “It’s not as egregious. Registering yourself as a challenger is a simple formality for this tournament. It’s to keep a sense of grace and peace, since this tournament is supposed to give the returnee a moment to shine. It’s entertainment for the elder scales, in other words. However, an adult challenging a fledgling will be seen as an embarrassment.”

  “It would also provoke the parents to come to their child’s defense,” Shay added.

  Uriahn nodded, though he was grasping his head as if it was painful to continue speaking. “Right. That could escalate into two parent pairs fighting each other, or even spark a whole clan war. Thankfully, we have the full attention of the six empresses and His Majesty today, so it probably won’t descend into that kind of madness. It’s far more common when it’s done in isolation within our nests. Hosting this tournament in a Loatryxian city is uncommon as well; usually, there is less fanfare, and they hold the battles in some random wilderness.”

  “The benefit of being the child of somebody important, like the imperial family or a dragon ruler’s,” Vifi replied, but nobody reacted to it. We were all too curious how much stronger Neill had gotten, even to the point that she was provoking an older rank A to fight her.

  At least, I thought her opponent was older.

  “Halianhak! It’s been a while… I see you’re the first to actually take the taunt,” Neill’s voice was barely audible. She was mumbling under her breath, neighing and growling.

  The fire dragoness started circling Neill with a mouth about to bellow out fire. Neill, though, barely moved, only scratching the ground with her claws.

  The fire dragon, Halianhak, stomped the ground and spread her wings out, blowing a gust at Neill as sparks started to appear inside the wind blasts. [“Has dominating lesser beings given you a false sense of confidence, little horse? Fine. That’s the case for everybody. Everyone deserves a little fun before they face reality, no? Merely surviving a pilgrimage doesn’t mean much when adults like Sacred Nest’s children exist.”]

  [“What? Are you trying to haze me here? Sorry, but last time I checked, I was born in a clan of pretty monstrous beings. Even my ‘gecko’ of an older brother can probably turn you inside and out, Halianhak… you don’t need to say shit. Just lower your tail and bow your head, and we can avoid—”]

  [“The humans taught you how to speak like a true dragonkin!”] Halianhak said as she spewed a bellow of flames at Neill before the shoutcaster could even finish his announcement, starting the battle. [“Yet, we dragons do not speak! We show the worth of ourselves through our dragon breaths!”]

  Fast! I thought, as I saw—

  “The iconic dragon vein technique of Clan Gueillxar cannot only be used to break through mana barriers and spells, but its most common usage was to guide the footsteps of the kirins like a river! They gallop through the skies and ski through land and water, and the effectiveness of the technique shows through Princess Fargryneill’s incredible evasion abilities!”

  … Oi, I am the narrator of my sister’s moment of glory, okay? I don’t need you telling me what I already know! Yet, I withheld this comment as the shoutcaster was just doing his job. To think he could speak faster than I could think. I thought I should cheat and activate [Split Soul Autonomy]’s thought acceleration, but Hikari quickly chastised me for being petty. Oh, well, let the shoutcaster shoutcast.

  “No matter how hot or fast those flames are, the speed at which our princess is moving is astounding. Transitioning from her kirin legs to those Kargryxmor wings allows her incredible maneuverability! She is making a fool of the older fledgling!” the shoutcaster commented.

  Surprisingly, despite being a dragonewt, he was badmouthing a true dragon. Though considering his brown scales, he probably was an earth dragonkin from Quake Nest. Considering how Shay and Beth became more abrasive in front of true dragonkin who were “unworthy of respect” due to their time serving under Mom, maybe this “idolization” change also applied to dragonewts? Yorshka was another good example of somebody less fanatic.

  Regardless, his commentary was correct. It seemed her rank A form didn’t lose the uniqueness of her past form’s maneuverability. As a rank B, Neill could make sharper corners due to her drake-like front legs, while being able to maintain her gallop somewhat with her hind legs. With the evolution giving her a full set of four kirin legs, I thought her corner movements would have been reduced, but that was why she had her new winged arms.

  Folding her front legs and putting them closer to her torso, Neill’s back would straighten up a bit as her winged arms slammed the ground. Emulating the same movements she would do as a rank B, Neill could swerve around the fire breath before taking to the skies with her dragon veins.

  The moment the veins started to form, the roots took shape. Her mana spread on the ground and into the air, hardening anything they touched, while becoming literal lightning poles as they started to shoot mana blasts at Halianhak similar to [Arcana Pulse]. Since the attacks were made from pure mana, elemental resistances didn’t matter. Wisdom and [Draconic Barrier] were her only possible defensive options.

  However, Neill’s dragon veins technique was anti-mage in essence. With the manipulation of mana through those veins, Neill could redirect spells, similar to how she parried her mother’s [Arcane Pulse: Maxima] during the first day.

  While Halianhak relied on her barrier and floating scales to protect herself, Neill stomped the ground with [Air Walk] and accelerated herself with [Wind Blast], catching the dragon off-guard for a moment. The latter could still react, probably due to her skills and natural agility, but Neill had her own tricks.

  Kicking with her hind legs, like an actual horse, Neill sent a stream of dragon veins towards the fire dragon as she jerked her body back. The mana exploded forward, slamming into Halianhak’s face like a hammer.

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  “Her mana barrier is flickering!” the shoutcaster shouted. “I can see cracks on her scales! Princess Fargryneill landed the first hit!”

  “Whoooo!” The audience roared in excitement.

  “Haliandrak is 58 years old and is a level 37 rank B,” Uriahn stated. “It doesn’t matter how much you tormented a Kargryxmor in their youth. The moment they return from their pilgrimage, all of them are rank A, at least.”

  A fact this fire dragon had grossly underestimated.

  Rhekk, being 47 years old, had also underestimated me when I awoke from my coma. His level didn’t matter. All normal rank B were no match for me, and even if Neill was a freshly evolved rank A, the same rule applied to her, as well. While the dragons who returned from their pilgrimage after reaching rank B rested on their laurels, Neill and I underwent our fair share of trials and tribulations during a single year.

  Now this was bullying.

  [“The match has concluded,”] Gaistrus announced, prompting the shoutcaster to repeat what she said, causing the already excited crowd to cheer even louder, clapping in celebration of Neill’s first victory.

  Outside of a few [Arcana Pulse], Neill merely relied on basic physical attacks and dragon vein utilization. There was no need for her to use her new [Fuera Arcana] or even a [Freikugel]. From a competitive standpoint, this match was too easy. The moment that kick shattered through Haliandrak’s barrier, Neill led the battle’s tempo until the fire dragon’s head lay on the ground with the majority of her scales and carapace broken.

  She embarrassed the dragon by breaking all her precious scales. That was the entertainment from this match. It was such a landslide victory that it was fun, especially for those invested in Neill’s victory like me.

  “Yes!” I shook my fist as Neill neighed, while two holy drakes helped the injured out.

  Man, if only Rita or Renee were here! I wished, wondering where those two were, considering they should be watching their friend’s battle. Then again, they could be watching everything somewhere else, like with the Gueillxar members on one of the floating platforms. I could imagine Yuilengreill inviting the two just to gush about her daughter to the latter’s best friends.

  My mom did it to Saori, sooo…

  “Sokranust, Preatrudros, Levasteain—see what happened to Haliandrak!” Neill suddenly roared. “Come down here and lower your tail. Offer me your scales, or I will find you after this tournament is over!”

  … Sis?

  A moment hasn’t passed since the fire dragon was pulled out of the arena, and Neill was already provoking her next challenger. No, actually, considering how she named three names, was she planning on fighting all three of them at once?

  As if to confirm my suspicions, the lava, wind, and lightning dragonkin roared once again, with one of each side jumping off their platforms, prompting three fire dragon to follow them. However, before any of them could land on the arena, a giant wall shot from the earth to prevent them from proceeding any further.

  “One.” Gaistrus’s voice boomed through the open theatre, causing both air and earth to shake with her voice. The audience had to cover their ears with their hands, while the ones closest to the arena were pushed into their seats from the air pressure.

  The floating platforms started to shake, but they were instantly stabilized as the wind dragonkin on each one cast [Air Shield] to protect the floating islands. Neill and those she provoked were safe as well, either from Mom’s ice barrier or Gaistrus’s earth wall, respectively.

  [“It’s fine! Let them all in! We’re already skipping the entire challenger queue, so why not expedite things? Two, three, six? It doesn’t matter, for they stand before a Kargryxmor! They will understand that their pride is worthless before us, Empress-Mother!”] Neill petitioned, drawing the attention of Gaistrus.

  [“Six? This tournament is supposed to promote yourself, not spiral it into a chaotic battlefield. Fargryneill, seven combatants are not easy to manage. You are supposed to fight, yes, but not push each other towards an early grave.”]

  [“Don’t worry. I’ll control myself.”]

  [“That is not the—”]

  [“Let her do as she pleases.”] A man’s voice boomed inside our heads. The same voice that stirred the pot on the first day, and the only other authority, outside of the other empresses, who could overrule the second empress’s words.

  Eltharion had given his permission.

  Hearing this, Gaistrus let out a deep sigh as the audience exploded into cheers again as they shouted, “Emperor Eltharion! Emperor Eltharion!” The giant earth wall was pulled down, allowing all six fledglings to join the arena. However, before any of them could speak, Neill stomped the ground as her fur and scales started to glow neon-purple.

  Her back and wings were set aflame while streaks of mana appeared from her limbs, causing lightning to discharge around her. The arena’s ground started to break apart, slowly levitating up into a flying platform built upon a tree of dragon veins.

  This fight was over. Neill had just entered [Battle Frenzy (Major)] and activated her Territory.

  [“Don’t hold back, my challengers and suitors. You wish to see how much I have grown? Then just jump into the fray. Last person standing wins it all and gets to have the final match against my brother, Prince Ryranakus!”] Neill announced, now handing an invitation to the dragonkin who had registered to fight her.

  I didn’t even need to watch to tell this would become a slaughter. Neill might be able to hold back, but this tournament junkie was fully immersed in her battle fervor.

  “Anyways, let’s get some more food,” Vifi announced as she stood up, having eaten all the pastries I bought for her. She shared my opinion. “Hey, Donut, show me that one Marsh Nest eatery you visited with your siblings. If it’s that good, then you have to show me.”

  “Eh, why not?” I agreed, prompting Shay and Beth to join us as well.

  “Pardon me.” Unsurprisingly, Uriahn did the same. “Would it be too presumptuous of me to join?”

  “… You should understand that I know your real identity, right?”

  “You would be a fool if you couldn’t figure it out when I gave you so many tips already. Though considering how the ice dragonkin are talking about you, especially those around your nest’s stall, I think the ‘entrepreneur from another dimension’ wouldn’t be too dull to understand why I was sent here,” he answered, just as bluntly as always.

  I frowned, but I couldn’t be angry at him. Considering what Sacred Nest’s dragon ruler had done for me, I couldn’t just reject his son’s request like an antisocial. “Well, we might as well talk about it on the way. Come on. Hope you got a belly.”

  “Food is one of the true delights of living, so, yes, I am quite famished.”

  As we walked outside the theatre, Neill’s crazed laugh echoed through the entire place, while the draconic roars became ever louder. Yet, even these loud voices would be drowned out as Neill’s dragon veins and mana techniques took over the battle in the arena.

  Taking flight, with me helping Vifi fly with [Unheiliger Engel], we quickly landed in the temporary food plaza built just for today, mingling amongst the crowd as I led today’s foodie tour.

  “Mhmm, the cheesiness is absolutely scrumptious!” I slammed my tail on the ground in excitement as I took my first bite from a cheese-covered pork kebab placed inside some tazlokwheat bread. It felt like I was eating German D?ner with how generous they were with the veggies and garlic sauce.

  “Okay, you were right! Even in hard bread, this is to die for!” Vifi cheered as she devoured her entire portion like a starving dog. “This might sound a bit ungrateful, but getting all this food really made deserting worth it.”

  “You really shouldn’t say that…” Shay sighed as he ate his “skorryhot kebab” while cleaning his sister’s mouth, with the latter joining Vifi as her eating frenzy partner. “You’re doing all of this with a purpose, so don’t diminish the worth of your perseverance.”

  “I know, I know, but, urgh, you don’t know how much I wanted to say that when I had my first proper bread. Eating donuts for the first time reminded me how absolutely worthless our culinary progression is.”

  “You’re exaggerating,” I chimed in, prompting Vifi to shrug.

  “Outside of the homes of the nobles and rich, I mean. The street food and ‘desperate time dishes’ are of lower quality compared to what you can find here or in Ankor-Nazta. Marsh Nest and Quake Nest can create such simple, but mouthwatering food. Makes me wish we demonkin could live here. We wouldn’t even have to continue the war with the humans, but it’s a bit too naive to think that way.”

  Heh, you’re thinking more with your belly than your head, Vifi. But that’s fine.

  “The idea might apply to some, but a good number of your kind would continue the battle, similarly to the humans,” Uriahn suddenly interjected. “It is interesting to see a non-gluttony act so voraciously with their food.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? Eating and enjoying food isn’t something abnormal. You dragonkin do this all the time. I mean, look around you,” Vifi said, gesturing to the crowd of people smacking their lips and indulging themselves in the many foods offered in this place. “Instead of looking so dour, maybe eat that kebab bread with some more gusto?”

  “I will enjoy things with time. Even when we reach physical immortality with rank S, to spend your time with meaning and purpose is how your soul can sustain the passage of millennia. If there is one thing the elder scales have taught me, then it is that the end does not matter. What you do until the time comes is what matters. Whether that be gathering knowledge or doing something to change the world; that is what makes living so precious, no?” Uriahn answered.

  “Pretty random philosophical moment, but the idea is sound,” I stated. “Though Vifi has a point as well, while you evaded it. What is it to you on how she should be acting?”

  “Nothing too serious, if it came out as offensive. The few wrath demonkin I met on my pilgrimage never acted so carefree as your friend here.”

  “Soldiers?”

  “Refugees. You should know how wrath demonkin normally look like humans, right?” he answered.

  “Then they were holding back their emotions. Though that’s entirely impossible. The moment you feel fear, and most of those who try to escape Bole’Taria do, they will expose themselves because every wrath demonkin has to take on an elemental alignment, whether they like it or not. Kids are more likely to slip through the cracks, but without an adult around, most will have a hard time trying to survive in human lands,” Vifi added. “You know much.”

  He smiled with a slight frown. “I had the ‘pleasure’ of traveling further south of the empire. Traveling as a wandering priest helps, but not during wartime. Folschreck’s conscription also includes adventurers, even if they are learned priests. Even while looking like an elf, some random conscriptor dragged me into the crowd and forced me to come with them, unless I wanted to get executed. The fact they had a member of the imperial knights with them made fleeing that much harder…”

  “… So you saw the ‘results?’”

  “Are you talking about what they do when they find a demonkin refugee? Thinking they are a spy when it’s likelier that they just want to flee and find a better life? Plenty. Small rundown shack. Two adventurers and their child are hiding away so one of them can recover from an injury. Wandered too close to the border. Immediately killed before we marched to a nearby human village to torch the fields and take whatever can be eaten, before any able men and women were conscripted, leaving the elderly and young to fend for themselves as they were forced to flee into the Evida desert since their homes were destroyed. Just because of one random adventurer pair trying to make their fortunes.”

  “‘Fortune seekers.’ Bole’Taria does not treat our adventurers any better than street rats. Better be a rat inside a walled city than wandering around, trying to seek your fortune with all the dangers outside. Whether it’s better to leave the kid behind in an orphanage or take them with them is something not even the gods can say with confidence.”

  “Makes you almost want to sleep and forget what had happened.”

  “Can’t do that if you want to live.”

  The two suddenly looked each other in the eyes before they both nodded. Vifi’s hostility towards Uriahn vanished just like that. How the heck did those two hit it off that quickly?

  “W-well, in any case,” I interrupted to change the atmosphere. “Just to confirm, you are Dragon Ruler Galilidrak’s son, right?”

  “Uriahn Yngvaldr. Yes.”

  “Why were you sent to meet me? So directly, at least. You could have invited me to your clan’s mansion, but instead, we’re meeting in a casual setting.” I then pointed to a more secluded area, as it felt like the talk would get heavy soon.

  Uriahn nodded, accepting my proposal. While we walked and ate, he continued, “What I said about my father was the truth. He is currently meeting with your nest’s dragon ruler for an alliance to support you, using the recent leviathan attack as a reason, probably. Meanwhile, my uncle was left here to represent our clan. I recently woke up from hibernation, and I was told to meet you… my future partner.”

  … Are you fucking kidding me? He’s a damn suitor?

  ‘Scream a bit louder for our sake: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?’ Hikari yelled.

  “You skink!” Shay and Beth shouted, almost wanting to punch the holy dragon, before I stopped them by raising my hand.

  Keeping myself composed, since he was essentially the son of the “king” of Sacred Nest, I breathed out deeply before I asked, “How old are you?”

  Yet, Uriahn chuckled. “How very human of you to ask that. Were you equally as short-lived in your old world as the humans in ours? 74, but to us dragons, our age gap barely means anything. Reproduction amongst us true dragonkin is extremely low, to the point your firstborn could be over 500 years old, while your youngest hasn’t reached adulthood yet.”

  He’s using Sieg and Rhekk as the example.

  “In other words, we are of an appropriate age group. Though you have to reach 100 first before we can start anything, though.”

  Hearing his reasoning made me want to pinch myself to see if this was a nightmare or something, giving Shay and Beth the time to move in front of me, blocking my sight of Uriahn. “Sorry, but my common sense is still quite underdeveloped, but I think I would rather enjoy a boyfriend who is around 18. Not to mention, I’m still a whelpling. Are you seriously trying to flirt with a—per dragon common sense—kid?”

  “No? Have I shown any interest at all?” Uriahn answered, causing me to tilt my head. “I do like your scent—I can see why my cousin mentioned the Light Elemental Emperor—but, as you said, you are still a child. That is why I was blunt from the start. I’ve no interest in you, yet my clan has given me orders. I am simply spending time with you to appease the spies around.”

  “Okay, cool?” Tension started to fade from my chest. “Though that will only make things more complicated.”

  “Not necessarily. A holy dragon trying to make an imperial member their partner is severely looked down upon, due to a small historical detail. Sure, I might have spies, but so do you, no?” Uriahn then turned around as two dragonewts suddenly approached us.

  One had ice-blue scales, while the other had flames coming out of his mouth. They stood before us, growling with the same hostility as Shay and Beth.

  “Rhekk? Kylu? … Oh, Goddess.”

  I might have been a bit too preoccupied with eating to notice the people on my trail.

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