Abyssal Sovereignty

It was as if the scene of the dragons overwhelming the young girl just moments ago was nothing more than a dream. In a display of sheer power, the girl had single-handedly and effortlessly annihilated the entire dragon horde.

One dragon found itself being dragged along the ground, its neck firmly gripped by the girl's hand, which possessed strength a hundredfold greater than its own. Another dragon was seized by the tail and swung around like a shot put play. A third dragon, which had tried to escape by flying out of the lake, was swiftly knocked back down by a barrage of incoming dragons and an overwhelming deluge of magic.

In the end, the battle concluded with the girl's total and unequivocal victory.

"…Come out."

The girl turned her gaze toward a nearby rock. From behind it, a little green-haired girl—none other than the young green dragon who had first fought her—bounced out, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I didn’t expect you to be not only a master of close combat but also a powerful mage!" The little girl’s eyes gleamed as she took step after step closer to the young woman.

During the battle, the girl had not only used her fists and feet but also cast magic spells. Unlike before, when her incantations were repeatedly interrupted, this time her magic had been vast in number and appeared to be cast instantly.

In truth, her earlier struggle to cast spells had been a ruse, a mere distraction. She had been secretly accumulating various enhancement spells and then unleashed them all at once, drastically boosting her physical capabilities. Most types of magic, except for the most complex and difficult, were almost instantaneous for her now.

However, she had noticed something peculiar. She had prepared herself for the potential backlash of overexertion due to the excessive enhancements, yet aside from some fatigue, she felt no other adverse effects. Her blood vessels had not ruptured, and her internal organs remained unharmed.

'Could it be that my body is gradually getting used to it?'

Pondering this, the girl decided to test her current limits when she had some free time.

"I’ve been thinking," the little green-haired girl continued, her expression turning serious. "Why is it that despite our massive size, we dragons are no match for someone as small as you? Then, I figured it out!

Purity, right?"

"Huh?"

Ignoring the girl's confusion—or perhaps unaware of it, as her expression hardly changed—the little dragon girl continued her explanation.

"Though we dragons are enormous, our purity gets diluted, like adding water to a glass of wine. But you, big sister, have always had this petite form, so your purity remains undiluted, maybe even growing stronger. That’s why you’re undoubtedly stronger than us!"

The little dragon girl clenched her tiny fists, her resolve unwavering.

"I’m going to stay in this form too and increase my purity!"

"…"

The girl found herself more and more puzzled. Just as she was about to say something…

"Did the girl with the pink hair teach you about 'purity'?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, she did."

[ That's right! It was me again! ]

The girl could almost visualize a mischievous pink-haired fox girl in her mind, winking with one eye, sticking out her tongue, and placing a hand with only her middle and ring fingers bent on her head in an adorable pose.

"Ugh…"

At that moment, the dragons who had been knocked out earlier began to stir, slowly regaining consciousness.

"What just happened…? Gah!"

The dragons, who had been brimming with fury earlier, now reacted like frightened animals, crying out the moment they laid eyes on the girl.

"Don’t you dare harm the children! Come at me instead! No matter what you do, I won’t surrender!"

"Grr! Just kill me!"

'…This misunderstanding is getting worse and worse.'

"You idiots!"

The little green dragon girl rushed forward, her tiny fist slamming into the nearest dragon’s head with unexpected force. The impact was so intense that nearly half of its head was driven into the ground.

"I wasn’t forced into anything! I did this willingly!"

"What!? What did you drug her with?!"

"Are you even listening!?"

Another punch landed, this time burying the entire head of the unfortunate dragon into the ground.

…

"I see now. We’re truly sorry for the misunderstanding."

After a brief explanation, the dragons finally understood the reason for the little green-haired girl’s disheveled appearance.

"To think that while we weren’t paying attention, she managed to instill such ideas into the children…"

It was evident that the dragons harbored deep resentment toward a certain sly pink-haired fox, but they knew there was little they could do. They simply lacked the strength to confront her.

"But I think it’s wonderful. It helped me understand the importance of 'purity,' after all."

"…"

The dragons exchanged glances. Looking at the little dragon who stubbornly remained in her childlike form, they couldn’t shake the feeling that she might be beyond saving.

Damn it, they would have to find a way to avenge this one day!

Yet, what they didn’t realize was that they, too, were gradually being influenced. The existence of Misako had been around far longer than they had.

"Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Veridith."

The green-haired little dragon—Veridith—introduced herself to the girl, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"…My name… I’ve forgotten it."

Sensing her gaze, the girl didn’t want to disappoint her, but she genuinely couldn’t remember her name. Even the inner demon, who seemed to remember everything, refused to reveal it to her.

"Is that so? It’s okay."

Veridith didn’t seem disheartened. In dragon society, many dragons didn’t have names. This wasn’t the first time she’d encountered such a situation. She only had a name because of her extraordinary talents, and the intelligent dragon who had raised her knew the importance of giving her one.

"So, what brought you here?" one of the dragons finally asked, having realized it was time to address the most crucial question. As guardians of this Dragon Valley, they needed to know if the girl’s presence posed any threat. If it did, they would sacrifice their lives to protect the valley, even if they couldn’t defeat her.

"I’m here to meet the strongest one among you, the one Misako told me about."

"…That might be a bit difficult."

Though the dragons remained in their dragon forms, their troubled expressions were unmistakable.

"The one you seek has become something of a legend to us. While we know she resides at the center of Dragon Valley, it’s extremely difficult to meet her. To be honest, we’re not sure how much help we can offer."

"I understand. I’ll find her on my own."

"…Very well. If you’re someone Mi… er, Lady Misako knows, then I suppose there’s no danger."

Despite her troublemaking tendencies, Misako had her limits and wouldn’t do anything excessively harmful. The dragons were only displeased with her antics but still respected her.

"Follow us. Veridith, you too. I’ll have another dragon take over your duties for now."

The dragons led the girl and Veridith toward the inner reaches of Dragon Valley.