Reincarnated as a Dragon – The path of the Dragon God

“Is he dead?” Yula asked as she peered at the literal thunder inferno.

Chloe, who had shed her armour skin, immediately shot her a glare. “Shut your trap. You cannot ask such a question. Do you want to jinx this?”

“I’m just being real here, Chloe.” Yula shrugged. “I think it’s more of a jinx if we just turn away and simply hope for the best. What do you think, Henry?”

“Of course, he’ll agree with you,” Chloe grumbled with her arms crossed.

“I do agree with Yula but not for superstitious reasons. Given the feats our friend is capable of, I don’t believe this is the end of him.”

“He’s still alive?” Chloe stared at the massive blaze that was crackling with lightning. “How can it survive… something like that?”

“I don’t feel his presence but I don’t doubt his tenacity. In fact, I’ll be more surprised if this is all it takes to kill him.”

Yula sighed. “So… how do we kill him for good?”

“That’s something only she would know but I can’t reach her here.”

“Her? Who’s her?” Chloe asked.

“Nadea,” Yula answered.

“The Dragon God? You are going to invoke a god?”

“I won’t put it like that. It’s more of a… phone call? ”

“Are you saying Henry can just talk to a god as if he’s just picking up a phone and calling a friend?”

“If you put it like that, it does sound overly simplified.”

“The very essence of my life is thanks to her intervention,” Henry said. “I have a part of her in me, which is why I’m able to establish communication with her without any convoluted preparations, or so I assume that is the reason.”

“...That doesn’t sound like something you should be telling just anyone.”

“I agree.” Henry smiled. “I won’t tell any of these to just anyone.”

“...I see…” Chloe muttered in response.

Yula was tittering on the side while looking at the two’s exchange. “And she's fallen. How sly of you, Henry.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “Don’t make it sound like I’m out here fishing for girls.”

“Don’t be shy now, Henry.” Yula giggled. “You already have me and Sarynn. Rayne is mellowing out and I know you are very close with the Priestess of the Lavans and a few others from the Augru Clan and the Kivu Tribe.”

“Ah…”

“I’m fine with it and so is Sarynn, so don’t hold back on our account, Henry. All we ask for you in return is that you will give us all your equal attention and love.”

Henry smiled wryly. “I’m really fortunate to have you as my bride, Yula.”

“I know,” Yula said, snickering.

“Wait, what? You have side chicks?” Chloe exclaimed. “And your wife here doesn’t mind?”

“I do mind, Chloe, but just not in a negative way.”

Chloe frowned. “How are you not bothered by it?”

Yula shrugged. “What’s there to be bothered by? At the end of the day, he’ll come back to me and seek my embrace.”

“And what if he doesn’t come back?”

“I would have this doubt if our souls weren’t connected, literally. This is what it means to be a woman, a bride, of a true dragon.”

Chloe turned her frowning gaze to Henry.

Henry still had his wry smile as he also shrugged. “That’s just how it is, Chloe.”

“This is not normal.”

“Which part of all these is normal?”

“I suppose you’re right…” Chloe sighed, lowering her head. “Does this mean I have a chance?” she muttered under her breath.

Henry was intrigued to hear her musing but he didn’t question her about it since it would be boorish if he did. “Well, break’s over. The fire’s dying down. We’ll know soon whether our friend survived or not.”

As Henry pointed out, the thundering inferno was waning. In a few more minutes, the blaze completely disappeared, leaving behind only ashes, cinders, and a charred corpse of a boy.

“Whoa… he’s toast,” Yula muttered.

Then, the arms of the charred corpse moved.

“Or not?”

The charred corpse pushed itself onto its feet as the scorched parts came falling off the body like trees in the autumn, revealing an unscathed skin and flesh underneath.

“How is this fair?” Chloe scoffed in disbelief.

“It’s not supposed to be,” Henry answered.

“Now what?” Yula asked.

The boy chuckled with a croaky voice.

Chloe flinched. “Oh god… Even his laugh is eerie and unsettling.”

“I am… immortal…” said the boy. “I can go at this… all day…but… can you?”

“Drop the act,” Henry snorted. “Your tenacity is unquestionable but your immortality, on the other hand, is spurious. I knew and met an immortal and you are not a fragment of what she is, not even the tenth of that fragment.”

“Believe… what you will…”

“Oh, I will do that. Worry not.” As soon as Henry finished his words, he shot a Firebolt.

Panic spread across the boy’s face as he quickly raised a wall of hardened flesh to block the Firebolt. The flimsy solid wall was barely enough to absorb the flaming missile-like projectile. The explosion that followed threw the boy a few yards across the rugged ground.

Henry immediately unleashed another Firebolt at the boy.

Rifts appeared on the right and left sides of the boy, and out sprang two humanoid ghoulish creatures with claws as big as their heads. The two sliced the Firebolt into half, neutralising it.

“This is bullshit,” Chloe grouched. “Just where did those two come from?”

“The boy most probably has a reserve of summons for contingencies. As I said, he still has a lot under his sleeve.”

“Don’t worry, Henry. Chloe and I will handle whatever the silly boy summoned out of his holes, won’t we, Chloe?”

“Not like there’s any other better choices.”

“You just focus on the brat himself, okay, Henry?”

“Sounds good, love,” Henry said and charged at the boy as his limbs glowed a striking vermilion.

The two ghouls moved into Henry’s path but they were swatted aside by Yula’s shadows. Before they could get back on their feet, Chloe was already upon them with her armour skin donned.

She brandished her wrist blades and lunged for their necks. She took the head of one but the other was able to parry her blow and she went stumbling backwards.

“What the fuck!?” Chloe cursed, taken aback by its strength. “This thing’s strong!”

The ghoul seized this chance and pounced on her. However, spikes of darkness erupted from Chloe’s shadow, skewering the unsuspecting ghoul.

Before it could understand what happened, Chloe promptly decapitated the ghoul.

Meanwhile, on Henry’s side, he was drawing close to the boy, only metres away. But then, he felt the space shifting.

“Fucker’s trying to escape!”

A rift appeared behind the boy and dry shrivelled hands emerged from the tear, dragging the boy into it.

“Your ass is mine!” Henry roared, casting Gravity on the boy.

However, much to his disappointment, it was dispelled for whatever reasons.

“Grade A bullshit!” he screamed and unleashed Jetstream Breath, but the arms protected the boy.

Henry thrust out his limb once he was within reach but a pair of gigantic arms got in his way as the boy was completely pulled into the rift. Then, the rift snapped shut, severing the two gigantic arms that had done their parts.

The gigantic arms floundered and jittered for a while before they stopped moving and began crumbling into dust.

Following the disintegration of the gigantic arms, the two ghouls met the same fate soon after.

“Jesus…” Chloe heaved. “What fuck were those… arms?”

“Who knows?” Henry shook his shoulders. “Maybe it’s something like a Kraken? But instead of tentacles, it’s just arms.”

“I do not need that picture in my head.”

“The boy escaped?” Yula asked.

“...Unfortunately so,” Henry admitted.

“We failed?”

“I suppose.”

“Failed or not, can we get out of here first?” Chloe asked.

Before Henry could answer, the endless darkness around them started to crumble as if they were inside a glass dome all along. Lights spilt onto them after the darkness had all crumbled away.

“We’re back?” Chloe gasped, looking around. They were now outside the house, on the street of the cul-de-sac.

“Henry, did you—?”

“No, it wasn’t me,” Henry answered. Since they were not back in the overworld, he quickly assumed his human form.

“It was me,” came the voice of a red-haired girl, who appeared in front of them out of thin air, dressed in a plain white gown that went until her knees.

“Nadea,” Henry muttered.

“Hello, Henry. It’s been a long time since we have talked like this, haven’t we?”

“Wait, Nadea?” Chloe exclaimed. “This girl is Nadea? The Dragon God?”

“Pleased to finally meet you, Chloe. Yes, I am Nadea, the Dragon God. I am Henry’s Divine Guardian.”

“Divine Guardian?” Henry raised an eyebrow. “First time I’m hearing about this.”

“Don’t sweat the small details now, Henry,” Nadea brushed Henry’s complaint off, snickering.

“S-should I kneel or something?” Chloe asked Yula in a whisper.

“You should,” Yula answered with a solemn look.

Chloe swallowed a lump in her throat and dropped to her knees with her gaze lowered.

“What a cordial girl,” Nadea tittered. “I appreciate it but you don’t need to kneel before me. I need no such deference.”

Chloe’s eyes widened at Nadea’s words before contorting into a scowl as she veered her gaze to Yula.

“Oops,” Yula muttered, turning her face away.

“What lovely ladies you have procured for yourself, Henry.”

“Just get on with what you’re here for,” Henry said. “I’m tired. So quit stalling now.”

“Very well, then, Henry.” Nadea smiled as she rested a hand on his shoulder. “Congratulations, Henry. You have saved worlds from their imminent demise.”

Henry blinked. “Congratulations?” Utterly dumbfounded, he could only stare blankly at Nadea.

“Yes, congratulations.”

“But I didn’t manage to apprehend or eliminate the target.”

“True, you did not, but you have neutralised the threat. You have wounded him severely which is why I was able to pull you out of their damned dimension. Forgive me for not being able to intervene sooner.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“You don’t look happy, Henry. You should be happy. Or are you sulking over my absence in the fight?”

“Like hell, I would be bitter over something like that. No. I’m unhappy because how can I be? The boy’s still out there.”

“Huh… So, the defier’s a boy this time around.”

Henry raised an eyebrow. “This time around? Are you saying this is not the first time? And what’s a nomad?”

“...I suppose you do deserve to know given how much you have helped me, but…” Nadea glanced behind Henry, at Yula and Chloe.

“I trust them,” Henry said.

“If you say so.” Nadea shrugged. “It will be on you if they let this piece of information slip.”

“I trust them,” Henry repeated.

Yula was giggling while Chloe was turning her face away, hiding her blush from Henry.

“Alright then. Now, listen closely. Since time immemorial, there is always something out there that opposes a certain thing. Water douses fire. Light dispels shadow. It’s the same thing for us gods. We have our natural enemies too. Beings like the defiers are at the top of the list.”

“What are the defiers?”

“Beings who are born with the ability or power to defy gods. They are not gods themselves but they possess the means to harm or kill one.”

“Let me guess, the gods hunt them down every time one of these defiers is born?”

“I wish that was the case. We wouldn’t be having all these problems if that were true. If the defiers never use their powers, we will never know that they are one. One thing that makes defiers so dangerous is that most of them tend to get drunk on their powers and use them without inhibition, such as this one.”

“It still doesn’t change the fact that he got away. We’re back to square one.”

“Nonsense, Henry. The defier is hurt, badly at that. His wounds were severe enough that he had to retract the corruption and influence that he had spread across worlds just to recuperate.”

“I didn't see any wounds on him when he made his escape.”

“I’m referring to the damage to his soul.”

“All I did was just charred him to cinders.”

“And by all logic, he shouldn’t have been dead but he’s not, because he had used his soul as collateral. He escaped the clutches of death by sacrificing a piece of his soul. Even if he managed to recover, he won’t be able to wreak havoc like before. Moreover, the gods will be prepared the next time. In other words, you did well, Henry.”

Hearing Nadea’s words, Henry did feel a lot better. If things ended differently, and for the worse, he doubted he would be able to have a good night's sleep knowing such an individual was still at large.

“Now then, a reward is in order for a job well done,” Nadea said.

Henry beamed at those words.