Northern Side of Blood-Borne Valley

The northern side of Blood-Borne Valley was always exposed to the outer world. Because of that, one of the strongest demon dragon generals — Drem — guarded it alone.

Inside a large cave at the edge of the valley, Drem slept in his human form, lying peacefully with his arms folded.

"ZZZZzzzzzzz…"

"Zzzzzzzzzzzz…"

"SIR DREM! SIR DREM!" A loud shout echoed through the cave entrance.

Blink.

Drem's eyes opened at once. Without hesitation, he lifted his hand — and a massive, glowing red spear came flying toward him, landing perfectly in his grasp.

Grab.

"Who dares to come to my cave at this hour?" Drem's deep voice rumbled through the cave as he stood up. His body grew larger, scales covered his skin, and wings stretched wide — he had taken his dragon form.

Each step he took shook the cave floor.

When he reached the entrance, he saw a young dragon waiting, his eyes filled with fear.

"What happened?" Drem asked sharply.

"S-Sir… we've been invaded. M-My father and three uncles were killed near Jillian Mountain," the young dragon said, trembling.

Drem's hand clenched around his spear. The weapon grew in size to match his huge form.

"How many are there? And which tribe?" he asked, his tone cold and serious.

"It's a Morgan, sir… the daughter of Berthdolt's daughter," the young dragon replied nervously.

"That girl…" Drem muttered, his eyes narrowing. "I knew she'd come back one day. She always carried the smell of vengeance. How many Morgans are with her that so many of us are dead already?"

"O-One, sir," the young dragon answered in a shaky voice.

At that moment, Drem's fury exploded. His claws dug deep into the ground, cracking the stone beneath. Without saying another word, he leapt into the sky, smashing a huge piece of the cave entrance as he took off.

THUD.

---

Southern Side of the Valley

Far on the other side, the night wind howled across the valley floor.

Anon walked forward calmly, the tip of an unlit cigar hanging between his lips. His expression carried a cold, dangerous smirk. Behind him followed Mira, her face full of anger.

Ahead of them stood ten demonic dragons on the ground, each gripping a massive spear. Twenty more circled above them in the sky.

"Can you really take on so many dragons? Do you need any help?" Mira asked seriously, glancing at Anon.

"Keep your little paws to yourself for now, luv," Anon said with a slight grin, hands buried in his pockets as he kept walking toward the dragons.

"P-Paws?" Mira blinked, looking down at her hands with a mix of confusion and annoyance.

Anon stopped just a few steps away from the group. None of the dragons moved — many of them looked unsure, some even afraid.

"Hello, everyone," Anon said casually. "Sorry for disturbing your sleep. You see… I don't have a light for this cigar."

He smiled faintly.

"I'll say this only once, so listen carefully. I'm going to kill every single one of you — no matter where you run or hide. But if one of you steps forward right now and lights this cigar for me… that dragon can walk away alive."

He paused for a moment, eyes glinting purple under the moonlight.

"You have three seconds."

The dragons glanced at each other, their grips tightening on their weapons. Silence spread between them.

Then, one voice broke the quiet.

"I-I'll do it…"

Anon's gaze shifted to a young female dragon who stepped forward, slowly changing into her human form — completely naked, her body trembling from fear.

She stopped in front of Anon, hesitated for a second, then leaned in and blew gently on the cigar.

Fwoosh.

The tip of the cigar lit up.

Anon took a deep breath.

Puff.

"Shhhhhhh…" He exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, watching it swirl into the air.

"C-Can I go now?" the girl asked softly.

Anon didn't say anything. He simply raised his hand and motioned for her to leave.

The girl turned and ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back. Once she was far enough, her body turned back into her dragon form, and she flew away into the darkness.

"You're really letting her go?" Mira asked, clearly surprised.

"Of course," Anon replied calmly. "She followed the rules and earned her right to live. I don't go back on my words."

He bit down on the cigar again, his eyes glowing a brighter purple.

"But the rest of them are still here."

"ATTACK HIM!" one of the dragons roared.

He threw his massive spear straight at Anon with full force.

SWISH.

Anon didn't even flinch. He slowly raised his hand and formed it into a fist.

The mana around the flying spear tightened in an instant — so fast and so hard that the weapon shattered into nothing but dust before it could reach him.

Shhhhhhhh…

The other dragons froze, their expressions turning grim and tense.

"I can kill all of you in the same way," Anon said slowly. "And in three hundred fifteen other ways as well…" He took another puff.

*Puff*

"SHHHHH.... But do you know which one I'll use? The one I like the most." Anon spoke with an evil smile as he let out another cloud of smoke.

He looked into the eyes of one dragon — and activated his skill.

<Hypnosis>

For a moment, the dragon's eyes shined bright purple.

"Give me some warm-up," Anon ordered, his voice calm but filled with malice.

The dragon's throat started glowing — then suddenly his mouth clamped shut. He tried to open his mouth, but before he could—

Mira's eyes widened. "What the—"

BOOOOOOOM.

His head exploded with a loud blast. His body fell lifelessly to the ground.

Anon didn't even look at her. He stared at the remaining dragons, his purple eyes glowing brighter.

"Now… you and you, do the same. You two on the left, blow up each other's heads. The rest of you… kill each other."

The dragons' eyes all flashed purple for a second — then they began to move.

Without hesitation, they followed the command. Some turned their spears on their own comrades, others on themselves. Wings tore, claws sliced, blood splashed across the valley floor.

Anon watched silently as his smile grew wider. The purple glow in his eyes deepened. He slowly lifted his hand, the air around him bending and darkening as he whispered the name of another skill.

<Necromancy>

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—

The valley trembled violently. Cracks spread through the earth, and dark energy pulsed from beneath the soil like a living heartbeat. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"W-What is happening?" Mira asked, her voice shaking as she struggled to keep her balance. The ground beneath her feet felt alive — as if something massive was crawling its way up from the depths of the underworld.

Anon didn't even look at her. He placed the cigar back between his lips and smiled calmly.

"I need a place to sit and watch this, luv."

A moment later, the ground split open with a deafening roar.

BOOM!

A gigantic skeleton — the remains of an ancient dragon — burst out from below, its bones covered in dark mist and faint purple light. The creature's empty eye sockets glowed dimly as it raised its bony neck high into the air.

Then, slowly and with unnatural grace, the skeletal dragon lowered its head before Anon. It pressed its skull against the ground, the bones groaning and scraping as it opened its massive jaws.

Clank—Clank—Clank—Clank!

The sharp teeth began to twist and shift, moving like they are alive. In seconds, they reshaped themselves into a wide, jagged throne — made entirely of the dragon's fangs.

Anon exhaled smoke through his nose, then stepped forward without hesitation.

"Hah… that's better," he said, settling onto the throne with a satisfied smile. The bone creaked under his weight, yet it held steady.

Mira stood frozen in place, unable to speak. Her eyes trembled as she stared at the sight before her.

She couldn't even begin to measure how powerful Anon truly was. Every time she thought she'd seen the limit of his strength, he shattered it effortlessly..