Primordial Awakening: Rise of the Legendary Dragon God

After Kael announced that he wasn't a human, silence followed.

Not the fragile kind—but the brittle and dangerous kind, stretching tight enough to snap.

Seraphina's lips pressed into a thin line. For a moment, she said nothing.

Then her jaw tightened. Slowly, deliberately, she closed her eyes, breath steadying as if she were restraining something sharp and unpleasant rising from within.

When she opened them again, her gaze was hard.

"Then what are you?" She asked. "What race?"

Kael didn't answer immediately.

He shook his head once, a small and tired motion.

"Didn't you understand the first time?" He said flatly.

"I already told you—I'm not human." His eyes narrowed. "And I don't see why I should tell you anything else when I still don't know what your real objective is."

Seraphina frowned. "I already told you—"

"You told me what you'd do if I were human," Kael cut in, his voice sharp. "But what if I'm not?" His gaze bored into hers. "You never said what you'd do then."

Another silence fell.

Thicker this time.

And then—

Laughter.

Ragged. Furious.

"Looks like we're being ignored again," Caelis spat, pushing himself upright, mana flaring violently as the last traces of pain burned away. "Should we remind him who he's dealing with?"

Caelia's eyes gleamed as her own power surged. "Gladly."

Magic circles bloomed into existence once more—crimson and black sigils screaming as mana poured into them.

Kael, who just now realized that the barrier that was covering him and Seraphina had somehow extended far enough to cover the twins as well.

It was invisible, so it made sense that he didn't notice it.

However, since this barrier wasn't strong, he ignored it.

He merely turned toward the twins, letting out a long, weary sigh.

"Do you two never learn your lesson?" He muttered.

He raised his hand.

The ground answered.

Roots twisted beneath the stone, coiling and compressing—two massive fists forming in an instant, surging upward with the same overwhelming force as before—

—Only for a razor-thin beam of white light to slice past them.

The laser-like ray sheared clean through the root-fists, detonating them mid-air in an explosion of splintered wood and mana.

That beam went ahead and even shattered the invisible barrier around them.

The one who shot it was Seraphina, clear from how her hand was extended.

Her expression was unreadable, but her decision was based on what she had discovered.

She wanted to take Kael with her, but now that he had revealed that he wasn't a human, she couldn't let him attack the twins, even if she didn't like them.

Because now, it wasn't a trifle between future colleagues but between potential enemies.

And it was then that the twins moved.

Their spells were completed and charged enough to launch, and as Kael noticed that—

"Too late!" Caelis laughed.

"Burn!" Caelia added.

Their attacks detonated forward—crimson and black energies crashing together as they slammed straight into Kael.

BOOM!

The impact was catastrophic.

Light swallowed him whole.

The shockwave blasted outward, ripping through the street, hurling dust, smoke, and debris into the air.

Evethra and the others were forced back several meters, coats snapping, mana flaring instinctively to brace themselves.

When the light faded, only smoke remained.

Thick. Rolling.

The twins laughed.

Loudly.

"Did you really think," Caelis sneered, "that she would side with you after that?"

Caelia crossed her arms, her eyes gleaming. "You're not human. That makes you an enemy." Her smile sharpened. "And an anomaly like you is better erased than left alone."

Behind the smoke, Evethra's fingers curled tight. Lyra's ears flattened slightly. Alenia's eyes narrowed.

But none of them rushed forward.

They didn't need to.

If Kael could stop attacks like that while shielding an entire town—

—Then this wouldn't even be close.

Even Seraphina knew that.

The smoke shifted.

A low, light crimson glow shone through the haze.

Then a voice echoed out, calm and unhurried, directed squarely at Seraphina.

"So," Kael said, "is this your answer?"

No response came.

The smoke parted.

Kael stepped forward.

Black scales covered his arms, overlapping smoothly like polished obsidian, a faint reddish membrane shimmering between them as if lit from beneath by molten embers.

Power rolled off him—not wild or explosive—but dense, ancient, and controlled.

He glanced down at his own arm, then scoffed softly.

"I guess that's a yes."

He shook his head slowly. "They say the more beautiful a woman is, the darker her heart."

His golden eyes flicked back to Seraphina. "I guess it's true, as you are thinking of killing someone who hasn't even harmed you."

A sharp pressure formed behind him.

Three separate glares.

Kael froze.

Then raised both hands immediately, turning halfway back with a sheepish sigh.

"Of course," he added quickly, "that excludes you girls." A small grin tugged at his lips. "You're special. You're my girls."

The tension snapped—for just a second.

Evethra blinked, then smiled faintly. Lyra relaxed, ears lifting. Alenia huffed softly, shaking her head.

Seraphina, however, stared.

Her eyes were wide.

Because she felt it.

Something the others didn't.

She was sure that the twins were already concluding that Kael was a lizard-type demi-human or perhaps some rare hybrid.

But they were wrong.

Now that Kael had materialized his scales, Seraphina could feel it more clearly than ever.

Kael's presence wasn't bestial. He wasn't a demihuman.

His presence was ancient.

Old beyond bloodlines. Beyond races.

One impossible thought surfaced in her mind—

—And she crushed it instantly.

'No. Impossible. They are extinct.'

Her jaw tightened.

Meanwhile, Evethra and the others noticed something else.

Kael was smiling.

Yeah, sure, it was the smile they were used to seeing, and even his tone had returned to normal.

But for some reason, he seemed more dangerous now.

Because they knew he wasn't happy.

No matter what kind of good news he were to hear, he wouldn't be happy.

After all, many things had happened today.

So, only one conclusion remained, and that was that Kael was getting serious.

For the first time, he was planning.

Pretending to be relaxed.

Because he always says, 'You need to fool your friends to fool your enemies.'

Kael turned back toward Seraphina.

But before he could speak—

Every head snapped upward.

Kael.

Evethra.

Alenia.

Druvarn.

Aldric.

The twins.

Seraphina.

They all felt the presence of more people.

It was heavy.

And it was from above the barrier.

A heartbeat later, Vaelen, Lyra, and Darian followed their gazes upward and saw them.

Three silhouettes stood in the sky beyond the dome, barely visible against the clouds.

Not descending.

Not attacking.

Just observing.

Or at least that's what it seemed to those who couldn't see clearly.

Kael, however, gritted his teeth, his smile still present.

"…Man," he murmured, his golden eyes gleaming, "can this day get any worse?"

He exhaled through his teeth and turned back toward Seraphina, the smile on his face thin and strained.

"We take this outside," he said calmly. "Now."

His gaze flicked briefly toward the streets behind him—the houses, the people hiding inside. "Anything else, and this town becomes collateral."

Seraphina didn't answer immediately.

Her eyes shifted, measuring the surroundings, the civilians she could sense huddled behind walls and barriers.

'Staying here is advantageous,' she thought. 'Hostages. Leverage. Pressure.'

Kael was an anomaly, so taking precautions was necessary.

After all, even if he was powerful, there was no way he could protect everyone at once.

So, staying here would make negotiations… simpler.

Before she could voice anything—

The twins scoffed.

"Outside?" Caelis barked with a harsh laugh. "Why would we do that?"

Caelia's grin twisted. "Better to erase the problem at the root. Kill everyone here. Fewer enemies in the future."

As their words landed, the air snapped.

Evethra's mana flared blood-red. Lyra stiffened, teeth bared. Alenia's hand moved instinctively to her staff.

Kael turned.

The smile vanished.

"I—"

Space folded.

He disappeared.

Not a flash. Not a sound.

One instant, he stood before Seraphina, and the next, he was right in front of the twins.

Before Seraphina could even blink, Kael's hands closed around their throats.

The impact cracked the stone beneath their feet.

He finished his sentence, voice low and absolute.

"—wasn't asking."

Caelis and Caelia choked as their feet lifted off the ground, eyes bulging as Kael's grip tightened—not crushing, not yet—but unyielding. Power seeped from him like pressure from the deep ocean.

Seraphina reacted instantly.

A flawless white magic circle ignited behind her, vast and intricate, mana screaming as it gathered into a focused point of annihilation.

Kael didn't even look back.

He shook his head once.

"If I were you," he said evenly, "I'd think before acting."

The twins struggled, nails clawing uselessly at his wrists.

"Even if I can't save everyone," Kael continued, tightening his grip just enough to make the twins gasp, "I can kill them before your attack lands."

Seraphina froze.

Her spell wavered.

Kael glanced sideways at her, his golden eyes sharp. "I'm serious. I can break their necks and teleport away, and you'll hit nothing but air."

His lips curved faintly. "You won't catch me."

The white magic circle trembled.

He went on, voice steady, relentless. "So tell me—does your organization value two SS-rankers less than the lives of the people in this town?"

The question hung heavy.

The twins' faces were turning red now. Panic crept into their eyes.

"And if I run," Kael added softly, "I'll kill them while doing it."

His gaze hardened. "You'll return empty-handed. No anomaly. Two elites dead."

Seraphina's jaw clenched.

Her magic faltered again.

Kael leaned in slightly, his shadow swallowing the twins. "Or," he said, "you listen to me. We leave. Everyone lives."

Seconds passed.

The wind stirred dust along the street.

Finally—

The magic circle behind Seraphina dissolved.

Slowly.

She lowered her hand.

Kael felt the shift immediately.

'Good,' he thought in relief.

He loosened his grip just enough for the twins to breathe—but not enough to escape.

"Wise choice," he muttered.

Above them, the silhouettes in the sky remained still.

Watching.

And Kael tightened his hold again, eyes lifting slightly.

'Yeah, you bastards,' he thought grimly. 'I'm coming for you as well.'