Chapter 172: The Dragon's Scales

Chapter 172: The Dragon's Scales The Dragon’s Scales

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“............Looks delicious.”

With those words, the murderous aura Emi had been indiscriminately emanating until then converged entirely on Oka in one concentrated burst!

(Ugh!)

Inadvertently letting out a groan at its ferocity, Oka took several steps back!

Her heart pounded loudly as cold sweat trickled endlessly!

Oka clearly, vividly felt the emotion woven into Emi’s murderous aura.

It was elation.

The elation of a predator confronted with the massive flesh that was Oka!

She had not been targeted with such an emotion since her fledgling days as a small hatchling.

It had truly been hundreds of years.

As such, when assailed by that murderous aura, Oka had completely forgotten how she had managed to survive such situations back then.

(Insolent......Insolent, isn’t it!? A puny human daring to challenge me, Okachan!)

Oka grew enraged!

Suppressing her fear with anger, instead of fleeing like when she was a fledgling, she chose to fight.

It was because her long years living as the village guardian dragon, the experiences of being revered by the villagers, had nurtured a tremendous sense of pride that was now severely wounded!

Dragons were meant to be massive, powerful, wise, revered beings.

Yet to be told “Looks delicious” in the face of such a dragon!

It went beyond mere disrespect!!

She could not forgive this!!!

(【Scale Bullets】!!)

Oka raised countless scales and, using magically generated wind, began firing them at Emi.

Though around the size of human fingernails, a dragon’s scales naturally differed in make from a fish’s.

Their sturdiness allowed overlapping them to forge armor, and fired at tremendous velocities, they held the power to slice through trees and pierce rock.

Gagagagagagagah!!!

The scales gouged the surrounding rock, producing deafening sounds!

(Ahaha! This will finish it!)

Convinced of her impending victory, Oka smiled.

......However!

“......I’ve already gotten used to that!!”

With that shout, Emi began deftly catching each scale fired at her with astonishing handspeed, her arms blurring as she snatched them up!

(Eeeeeeeehh!?)

Oka inadvertently opened her eyes wide in shock.

Moreover, Emi would periodically bring the scales accumulated in her palms to her mouth, greedily crunching them down!

While her scales would regrow, Oka did not have an infinite supply.

If they proved ineffective, firing them was a waste.

Oka halted her 【Scale Bullets】 barrage for the moment, watching to see Emi’s next move.

Dismounting from the rock wall, Emi took a fighting stance with fists raised, yet her cheeks were stuffed full of Oka’s scales like a hamster as she chewed them, crunching sounds echoing across the rocky area.

After a few seconds of silence punctuated only by that munching, Emi swallowed the scales with an audible gulp before remarking:

“Like cornflakes. Fairly tasty.”

A taste review!!!

(Just what is this thing!? What the hell is this thing!!)

It was then that Oka began feeling renewed dread toward this bizarre young girl.

In her fledgling days traveling everywhere as her master’s contracted beast, her adolescence dedicated to harsh training after her master’s passing, and her time as Yamaok Village’s guardian dragon......

Oka had encountered all sorts of humans over her long life.

Yet the humans Oka had met, the humans Oka knew, would never attempt to devour a dragon with their own bare flesh and blood.

Remaining unfazed after taking a 【Dragon Tail】 was already strange enough, but eating her 【Scale Bullets】 like snacks with relish was utterly absurd.

Was that thing really even human?

No, it could not be.

It was......a monster donning human skin!!

(【Dragon Mist】!!!)

The very moment she reached that realization, following the warning bells of her instincts, Oka expelled a pinkish mist from her mouth at full force!