Only I Awaken The Forbidden SSS-Rank Dragons

Sitting atop a mountain of ash, a young man with pitch-black hair, deep scars etched across his face, and eyes that shimmered like the depths of the abyss glanced around at the carnage he had caused.

He slowly rose to his feet, a calm smile curling at the corners of his lips, then leaped high into the air.

The moment his body lifted off the ground, as though summoned by some unseen force, a colossal creature swooped down from the heavens and caught him within its immense wings.

In the blink of an eye, he was mounted atop a flying dragon, its vast body blotting out the sky above.

"Dad, isn't the destruction a little too much?" Veldora called out from behind as she soared beside them. She glanced at the smoking ruins of the building below, sighed softly, and spoke again with worry in her voice.

Aleron's cold gaze fell upon the crumbled remains of the Genesis Coil branch below. His tone was sharp and decisive as he replied.

"The destruction is only just beginning."

Hearing this, Veldora fell silent, her wings beating slowly as she absorbed his words.

"Don't think too much about it, sister. Dad is doing this for the greater good," Ashkar said firmly, his voice filled with trust in Aleron. The great dragon hovered nearby, watching over his siblings.

Veldora let out a heavy sigh. The greater good? What sort of justice could possibly justify the deaths of so many people, the loss of so many lives?

She had no answers. She could not challenge her brother or her father. She was, after all, just a young dragon.

"The location of the next Genesis Coil branch should not be far away," Aleron said calmly. "Let us head there. Tomorrow we leave the Origin World. By then, we should take as much revenge as possible."

"Yes, Dad," the dragon replied with burning conviction, then added, "I am sure that by the time we return, we will be strong enough to destroy the main Genesis Coil."

Aleron gave a firm nod and turned his gaze toward the distant stars that glittered far beyond the veil of atmosphere.

Six days had passed since Aleron began his campaign of destruction against the Genesis Coil. Twenty branches had fallen under his wrath, and the next one would mark the twenty-first.

Within this brief period, the Genesis Coil had suffered heavy losses. Many of their long-term research projects had been obliterated.

Yet Aleron showed no care. And though the world waited with bated breath for the moment he would be caught, the Genesis Coil made no move to stop him.

Their silence was unnatural. Too complete. It was so unnerving that the world had begun to whisper rumors, each more unsettling than the last.

But with no solid evidence, people could only stand back and watch helplessly as each day brought the destruction of another branch.

Time slipped by. Soon, Aleron arrived at a snowy mountain range, a frozen expanse cloaked in silence. Snow drifted lazily through the air like feathers from the sky, blanketing the jagged cliffs and valleys.

As the biting cold pressed against his skin, Aleron narrowed his eyes. He hated the cold. Memories of pain and torment stirred within him, remnants of past trauma.

Collecting himself, he patted the dragon beneath him.

"Burn everything down."

Though this Genesis Coil branch was far larger than anything they had encountered so far, to Ashkar, the Dragon of Wrath, it was no more than a candle waiting to be snuffed out.

Responding to Aleron's command, Ashkar flapped his enormous wings and surged forward, the wind howling beneath his mighty form.

Below them, buildings stretched for tens of meters. Countless figures in white robes moved hurriedly about. Some dragged cages containing people, beasts, abominations, and other grotesque beings. Others forced along prisoners who stumbled and screamed, their minds clearly shattered.

Guards stood watch, eyes scanning every inch of the compound, scribbling notes, and ensuring all procedures remained undisturbed.

Aleron's eyes narrowed as he noticed a series of reinforced buildings deeper within the complex.

"That's where the higher-ups are," he thought silently.

He placed his mask on his face, its dark metal surface reflecting the icy light of the sun, and gave Ashkar the silent command.

In an instant, they descended upon the branch.

A thunderous roar shattered the air. The once orderly compound erupted into chaos as the temperature spiked dramatically.

Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, a tidal wave of flames poured down from the heavens.

Screams echoed across the valley. Some looked up in confusion, dazed by the blinding light hurtling toward them.

"What is that?" someone muttered, trembling.

They had no time to react. The flames swallowed them whole, giving them not even a chance to scream in full. In mere moments, over a hundred Genesis Coil members perished.

Ashkar roared again, beating his wings and soaring toward another section of the compound. With a thunderous breath, he unleashed another storm of searing fire.

Those who had heard the recent news immediately realized the grim truth.

Aleron, the masked phantom, had arrived.

Panic spread like wildfire.

But not everyone was afraid. Some looked at Aleron with reverence, their eyes wide with awe and tears.

"Savior!"

"The messiah is here!"

"Hail the messiah!"

"Hail the messiah!"

The chant began with a single gaunt young man, his body no more than bones wrapped in skin. Soon, the entire group of prisoners joined him.

The sound caught Aleron's attention.

He looked down and saw faces that reminded him of his own past. Lost, broken, desperate.

What Aleron did not know was that the viral videos had reached even these tormented subjects. The whispers in the darkness had told them of a masked phantom who brought death to the Genesis Coil.

At first, they had thought it a cruel joke. Then they saw the truth. The one who had once been like them had returned.

Once devoid of hope, they now prayed that their messiah would grant them release.

They knew that everywhere Aleron went, he left only dust in his wake. That was exactly what they longed for.

After enduring endless torture, they no longer wished to live. They only hoped that the man in the sky would grant them the one thing they had been denied.

Death.

The Genesis Coil had sealed off every path to it. Even suicide was forbidden. Their lives were no longer their own.

"Hail the messiah," one of them whispered with a trembling smile, and the others echoed it with haunting fervor as they gazed up at the dragon and the masked man above.

Aleron stood motionless. A strange emotion stirred in his chest as he stared down at them.

Veldora felt it too. She glanced at her father.

"Dad, can we just…"

"Ashkar, burn them all. Reduce everything to ashes," Aleron said coldly, cutting her off.

Veldora's words faltered. Ashkar was stunned. He turned his head slightly, seeking confirmation, but found only silence in Aleron's gaze.

He obeyed.

Opening his mouth, the Dragon of Wrath released a torrent of blinding flames, searing the snow-white ground below.

In an instant, the prisoners were gone, their cries lost in the roar of fire. Yet, even from their scattered ashes, their voices still seemed to echo faintly.

"Hail the messiah."

"Hail the messiah."

"Hail the messiah."

Aleron slowly closed his eyes, trying to still the storm in his heart.

He had recognized the look in their eyes.

Because once, he had worn the same expression.