Volume 4: Hinomaru Disturbance
Chapter 92: The Dragon’s Body
Ryu succeeded in returning to a human form after his evolution.
With that alone, a truth had been proven beyond doubt—one could transform from human to dragon, and from dragon back to human once more.
(There’s still time to spare. I might as well train a bit and get used to this dragon body.)
With that quiet resolution settling in his mind, he once again shifted, his human shape dissolving as colossal scales and wings erupted forth. In an instant, he stood once more as a dragon.
He observed himself anew.
(A single step is enough to make the entire island tremble beneath me. A colossal body capable of shaking the earth. Scales of gleaming silver, able to repel any manner of attack. Two mighty wings, four powerful limbs. Razor-sharp claws and fangs. A long tail that moves as freely as a third arm. And above all… an immeasurable, boundless well of magic.)
“Thanks to daily discipline and the refinement of my senses and nerves, controlling my magic doesn’t seem to be a problem. But… I’m still clumsy when it comes to moving this dragon body.”
Rather than attempting anything reckless, Ryu decided to begin with something simple—a light stroll.
After all, even the path of the dragon begins with a single step.
An hour later, the once-untouched solitary island bore the scars of his practice.
Forests had been plowed flat beneath his massive feet. Trees lay crushed like blades of grass. The cries of fleeing monsters echoed in terror as the ground quaked with every stride. What Ryu had considered a casual walk had been, to the island’s ecosystem, nothing short of a natural disaster.
And yet, the culprit himself wore a deeply satisfied expression.
(Good. I’ve mastered movement on the ground. Next is… the sky.)
The reason he adapted so quickly to walking—achieving near-perfect control in merely an hour—owed much to the years he had spent observing the Dragon King’s movements. He had studied every shift of muscle, every subtle transfer of weight.
However, there was one thing the Dragon King had never done within that world of endless darkness.
He had never flown.
That was where Homura’s flight experience became invaluable.
(Homura is a wyvern-type dragon, with forelegs fused into wings. I, on the other hand, am a true dragon with wings growing from my back. That difference is the only uncertainty. But riding the air currents themselves shouldn’t be much different. If I can just manage takeoff, the rest should work itself out.)
Ryu climbed to the highest point of the island.
Standing at the summit, he spread his two enormous wings. They caught the predawn wind with a thunderous rustle.
He gathered strength in his legs—
Flapped—
And leapt.
Toward the sky—
…Or so he intended.
Instead, his body arced upward for a fleeting second before gravity reclaimed him without mercy. He crashed unceremoniously into the ground below, sending up a plume of dirt and shattered rock.
『Kukuku… What a pitiful sight, you little whelp.』
For a moment, he could almost hear the Dragon King’s mocking laughter echoing through his mind.
(Damn it… Don’t underestimate me…!)
He tried again.
And again.
And again.
His wings strained, his muscles burned, the wind roared past his scales. Each failure carved frustration deeper into his pride—but he refused to yield.
By the time the eastern horizon began to pale with the coming dawn—
He was flying.
Freely.
The earth fell away beneath him. The wind became an ally rather than an obstacle. His wings beat in steady, powerful rhythms, catching invisible currents and riding them effortlessly.
(So this… is what it means to be a dragon.)
Higher and higher he climbed—above the clouds, and then beyond even them.
In airspace unseen by any human eye.
A domain permitted only to dragonkind.
There, Ryu soared.
(Since I’m already up here… I might as well head back to Hinomaru.)
At sunrise, Ryu returned to Tosa.
High above the land, he released his dragon form, scales receding as his body reshaped itself into that of a human once more.
Then he allowed himself to fall.
Freely.
He pierced through the clouds, wind roaring in his ears, the ground rushing up to meet him—
And landed lightly in the garden of his rented house.
“Whew… Finally home. That was a long night.”
(I probably won’t be transforming into a dragon again anytime soon.)
“Burururu.”
“Oh, Axel. Morning. Hm? …Wait. Aren’t you bigger than usual? And your color’s changed a bit… Your magical power’s increased too.”
“Bururu.”
“Don’t tell me—you evolved too?”
Axel nodded repeatedly.
Evolution was not something reserved for humans alone.
Monsters evolved as well.
A goblin, for example, might progress from Goblin → Hobgoblin → Goblin Soldier (or Goblin Wizard) → Boss Goblin → Goblin King. Most goblins would live and die as ordinary goblins. Occasionally, one might evolve into a hobgoblin. Beyond that was exceedingly rare. A Goblin King might appear only once every few years among countless tribes.
Of course, there were species—such as dragons—that possessed no further evolutionary paths.
“But does a Senrima even have an evolution?” Ryu muttered.
“Bururu…”
As far as Ryu knew, there was no higher form beyond Senrima.
Yet Axel had clearly evolved.
Which meant—
“The current Axel is likely an entirely new species. Congratulations.”
“Burururu.”
Originally black, his coat had deepened into a profound obsidian hue, as though darkness itself clung to him. His body had grown larger, more muscular, and the magical energy radiating from him had noticeably intensified.
“I’ll have the Adventurers’ Guild register you next time. Let’s see… How about ‘Obsidian Horse’?”
“Bururu.”
Incidentally, the reason for Axel’s evolution lay with his master, Ryu.
Both of them understood this without needing to speak it aloud.
For monsters, evolution was never something to mourn.
It was life itself advancing.
To evolve was to continue living.
Axel was no exception.
Later, as Ryu and Axel lazily basked in the sunlight in the garden, Esther and the others awoke.
“The fact that you’re here… does that mean… you succeeded?” Esther asked, eyes wide.
“Yeah. Thanks to you.”
“W-Well… I-It was, of course, thanks to me,” she declared, her long ears trembling with barely contained excitement.
She must have been overjoyed.
Such an awkward little elf.
“Gyau!”
(Lord Ryu!!!!)
“Homura, thanks to you too. Observing your flight helped me a lot.”
“Gyau.”
(Oh, no, not at all… It was nothing!)
Soon after, Ryoma emerged.
“You’ve grown even more monstrous, have you not? Between you and Axel’s changes, there is much to discuss—but first, congratulations.”
“It was pretty dangerous, though.”
Ryoma’s face paled slightly.
“I-Is that so…?”
“Yeah. But you’ll be fine, Ryoma. Definitely.”
“I feel somewhat reassured.”
Ryu gently stroked Axel’s obsidian mane.
“Oh, and Axel evolved into a new species too. Let’s talk about that.”
“So that explains the color and size… For now, let me touch him,” Esther declared before diving at Axel and luxuriating in his newly evolved fur.
“A new species… The world remains full of mysteries,” Ryoma murmured.
“Gyau.”
(I’m jealous. I want to evolve too…)
Together, they celebrated Axel’s evolution.
“Oh, by the way, my body’s back to normal now. Just so you know.”
The scales were gone. His left eye had returned to that of an ordinary human.
“Oh ho~? Then I shall observe you thoroughly later,” Esther said with a mischievous glint.
“So you’re parting ways with the eyepatch and gloves, then?” Ryoma asked.
“No, I’m keeping the gloves.”
“…Any particular reason?”
“My little sister gave them to me.”
“Ah… I see…”
Ryoma suddenly recalled Esther once whispering, “Ryu is a dangerously devoted siscon.”
A few minutes later—
“Somehow… I feel like my body’s in better shape than usual,” Esther muttered.
“Now that you mention it, I was thinking the same,” Ryoma added.
“Gyau!”
(Actually, me too! So it’s not just my imagination, right?!)
There was only one plausible explanation.
“What?” Ryu asked, noticing their stares.
The three of them gazed at him intently.
“This might be that blessing of the Dragon God,” Esther said quietly.
“So the legend was true,” Ryoma breathed.
“Gyau.”
(All hail the Dragon God.)
The details would likely become clear in time.
In the end, they spent the day celebrating—touring sweet shops for good fortune, indulging in desserts until they could barely move, and enjoying a lively feast well into the night.
(Alright… Time to give it my all again starting tomorrow.)
Ryu lay down and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, at last, he would meet Itagaki Taisuke face to face.