Chapter 302: A Hunger

Chapter 302: A Hunger

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--- Mild Gore and Brutality Warning ---

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Mid Evening - Mid Winter : Atlas, Bahamut

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*Rrrrrumble* The deep rumble of a fireball over a kilometer wide, reaching temperatures rivaling the center of a burning star, surrounded me in an instant; the roar of the blazing plasma blotting out the noises of my surroundings and its blinding light rendering my vision useless.

Yet, while most dragons wouldn't even be able to react before the blaze melted their scales and incinerated their flesh, I felt as if a layer of frost had formed around me. -Of all the people you could have mimicked...- Slowly looking up into the sky, I could somehow feel the gaze of a being in the distance. -You must have a death wish.-

*vwoop* Encompassing myself in a gate, I threw myself through the void before returning with a pocket of antimatter and hydrogen swirling in my breath gland.

*vwoop* The instant I returned, I was almost a dozen kilometers in the air over the academy, right behind a cloudy, feminine figure.

A god. -Had you not been so shameless, I might have given you a chance.-

Opening my mouth before the gate could dissipate, a deep black cloud finally showed itself. A breath of the void so dense that the universe's most violent reaction wasn't even visible until it had already consumed the sky. *crackle-BRRRRRRM*

In an instant, the bright blue sky, lit by the momentary creation of a star, was consumed by the void in an unfathomable mass of darkness before releasing a flash of light so violent that it was visible nearly a thousand kilometers away.

But somehow, although I couldn't describe how I could feel it, her faint presence had yet to vanish. -Where is she...-

Trying to heighten that odd sensation, I completely relinquished control of my aura and stripped the rest of my senses down to their most basic forms. *VWOOOM* And sure enough, I found her almost instantly. -There you are!- Looking past my unfurled wings, I met eyes with a young woman, still somewhat mimicking Mother's figure.

She disappeared before I could even react, and simultaneously, my senses started to blur as if they were contaminated by noise.

But now I had a new sense I could follow. -Trying to run?!-

Chasing after the presence, I hurled myself through the void before reappearing over a vast ocean.

But this time, the instant the gate began dissipating, I felt a sudden pressure followed by a searing pain in my neck and was launched to the ground.

*SPLA-CRRACK* I hit the water like a rocky mountaintop, turning its surface into a field of ice before shattering and vaporizing it simultaneously.

-Tch...- Quickly regaining control of my aura, I instantly noticed the huge gash exposing a cracked vertebrae at the base of my neck.

It was a very shallow wound, especially if I could treat it immediately.

But unfortunately, I wasn't even given time to breathe.

*ZIP-CRACK* Barely managing to react in time, I jolted my head to the side and narrowly dodged a small object traveling faster than I could even calculate. -WHAT THE FUCK?!- *crackle*

*sizzle-BANG* Creating and using antimatter as fast as I could, I launched myself out from beneath the blast of air, plunging the area into the depths before looking up at the goddess with dilated pupils. "You should have run when you had the chance."

*vwoop* Disappearing into the void, I did a few prompt repairs on my neck before exiting the void several kilometers above where I was. -I won't give you time to breathe anymore.-

*vwoop* The instant the gate stopped expanding, I forcefully dissipated the gate and opened my mouth. *sizzle-crackle*

But before the reaction could even start, she disappeared. -Shit, she's fast...- And before I could even find where she moved to, my instincts threw me to the side. *ZIP-crackle* Although it just grazed me, it blew off my scales and flesh like it was made of jelly before turning it all into a dark, bloody mist.

At least, that's what I thought.

*vwoop* Momentarily hopping through the void, I reappeared in the skies over Atlas, inside a tall, dark cloud.

But when I descended toward the ground, expecting to find a field of molten rock, a voice amplified by magic met my ears.

"Citizens of Atlas! How can we stand by in the face of such brazen actions?" Poniriá's voice rang out, passion and fury evident in her tone.

-Ah, she already started her speech?-

"To think those dogs known as the Ancient Fenrir would attempt to destroy our city!"

I froze instantly.

"Thank heavens for our valiant professors, the very pillars of Atlas, stood tall and defended our legacy!" Poniriá continued, "Their bravery has saved the beacon of draconic knowledge, still standing tall just as it did after the Great War!"

Her words met my mind like a spark meets lighter fluid.

"Our city, our traditions, and our future generations depend on our unity and resilience. We cannot let these threats deter us from our path forward. Let us come together and unite in the face of adversity! The Chalastís family will lead this revolution from the front! We will be at the forefront of guiding Bahamut to a brighter fu-"

*BAAANG* Clearing out the clouds with antimatter, I found myself over the central spire of the academy, its roof only partially melted, with Poniriá wrapping herself around it.

My stare was cold, and the air around me was even colder. -So it wasn't just a rouge goddess taking advantage of the situation...-

Her silence following the clouds clearing spoke a thousand words, but eventually, she looked up at me. "Look who it is! The culprit! The dragon who-" *WHAM-CRACKLE-CRUUUNCH*

Not giving her a chance to run her mouth, I drove her through the roof of the spire and through almost a dozen floors before suddenly stopping in the spire's central pillar.

My claws sliced through her scales and broke through her ribs with ease. *CRACKLE*

But rather than wincing, she smiled. "I must truly commend your strength. It's no wonder the Fenrir made you their apostle," Her eyes widened with craze, "but this time, you are out of your league."

*FWIP-CRRRRACK* Jolting my head to the side, a second cloudy figure, this time with the figure of a man, zipped past me, gouging the edge of Poniriá's neck and destroying a colossal section of the academy's spire in a single swift attack. *CRUMBLE*

It was an attack on par with Tyr, and as the spire started to collapse, several full-size ancients exposed themselves and stared at me like a pack of hungry wolves.

It was the professors, but somehow, rather than feeling like prey, I felt like a predator. I felt hungry.

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