Chapter 88: Could you stop attacking me?

"Is that... a dragon?"

The man stood completely still as he watched Noir. His eyes slowly scanned the young black dragon’s body, lingering on its dark scales, its folded wings, and, finally, its red pupils.

For a few seconds, he seemed unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

Noir watched him in silence.

The stranger had appeared in the middle of the Silent Stones, a place where his draconic senses had detected nothing out of the ordinary. He was covered in dirt; his clothes were torn, and he looked as if he had been lost for several days.

But he had walked out of the darkness.

And Noir didn’t know who he was.

That was enough.

Without saying a single word, the young dragon moved.

His hind legs sank slightly into the ground before he propelled himself forward. The ground exploded beneath his claws, and his body closed the distance between them in an instant.

The man’s eyes widened.

Noir appeared right in front of him. His claws shot straight for the man’s neck.

But the man moved; it was so swift that even Noir took a fraction of a second to process it.

The young dragon’s claws sliced through the air and struck the ground.

The ground split open from the impact, and several rock fragments flew in all directions. Noir landed immediately and spun on his paws, searching for the stranger.

The man was standing several meters behind him, staring at him; he didn’t seem surprised or frightened... which was strange.

That made Noir narrow his eyes; the stranger’s speed was extreme, which only heightened his confusion and suspicion.

The man slowly raised a hand and said in a nervous tone:

"Wait a moment..."

Noir attacked again. This time he didn’t run straight at him, but vanished into the shadows, using his [Shadow Movement] ability.

The stranger frowned and turned just in time to dodge a claw that whizzed past his face, missing by just a few centimeters. Noir continued to move around him, using the darkness between the monoliths to attack from different angles.

The man stepped back.

He dodged a claw.

Then another.

Noir spun around and lashed out with his tail, but the stranger leaned back at an absurd speed.

The tail swept past his face.

The wind caused by the blow made his hair whip violently.

"You really don’t want to talk, do you?"

Noir didn’t answer. His red pupils remained fixed on him.

The man sighed.

"I suppose that answers my question."

Noir spread his wings.

The man opened his eyes slightly.

The young dragon leaped. Its body soared several meters before plummeting straight toward him. Its black claws glinted in the light of the campfire as they sliced through the air.

The man stepped aside.

BOOM!

Noir slammed into the ground. But before he could regain his balance, a shadow appeared in front of him.

The man.

The young dragon opened his eyes, and a fist struck him in the face.

CRASH!

Noir was sent flying. His body plowed through several flowers before his claws dug into the ground. He slowly raised his head, feeling a slight pain in his jaw.

The blow had been hard.

Very strong.

The young dragon stood motionless for a few seconds. Then... a smile began to spread across his face.

The man watched him.

"Ah."

Noir slowly stood up.

The stranger tilted his head.

"That doesn’t look like a good sign."

The young dragon attacked again. This time, he used all his speed.

The man vanished from his position just as Noir reached him. The young dragon spun around immediately, but the stranger was already behind him.

A blow rained down on his back.

Noir spread his wings.

The man struck one of them.

BANG!

The black scales absorbed part of the impact, but Noir used the momentum to spin around. His claws sliced through the air.

The man stumbled backward.

Noir attacked again.

Over the next few seconds, both of them moved constantly among the monoliths. Noir attacked with his claws, wings, and tail, while the stranger blocked, dodged, and counterattacked with a skill the young dragon had never seen before.

Every one of the man’s movements was precise.

He didn’t waste mana. He didn’t make any unnecessary moves. And, strangest of all... he seemed accustomed to fighting creatures much larger than himself.

Noir lunged with one claw toward the man’s head.

The man ducked.

The young dragon spun around immediately and attacked with the other claw.

The stranger blocked the blow.

CLANG!

The sound echoed off the enormous rocks.

Noir opened his eyes.

The man’s arm had blocked his claws.

"Wow."

Noir attacked again.

The stranger took a step back.

Then another.

Noir kept pressing him. His claws struck again and again, forcing the man to retreat. The stranger blocked some attacks and dodged others by just a few centimeters.

However, Noir began to notice something.

The man was holding back from killing him. Every time he had the chance to strike back directly, he stopped himself. He could have aimed for his eyes; he could have tried to pierce his wings. He could even have struck him in the neck.

But he didn’t. Noir narrowed his eyes.

’Why?’

The man seized that moment.

His leg struck the ground.

BOOM!

Noir opened his eyes.

The stranger appeared in front of him.

A fist struck him squarely in the chest.

The young dragon was sent flying several meters and crashed into a monolith.

CRAAAAASH!

Several cracks appeared in the stone.

Arlene opened her eyes.

"Noir!"

But the young dragon had already gotten back to his feet.

He shook his head slightly. His scales had absorbed most of the blow, though he now realized that the stranger was no mere lost traveler.

Noir smiled.

"Interesting."

The man stood still.

For several seconds, they stared at each other.

The little demon princess stood behind Arlene, hugging her tightly. Uki had bared his teeth and remained on high alert as the golden sphere floated above them, watching the battle intently.

The man slowly looked around and then turned his gaze back to the young dragon.

"Can we talk now?"

Noir vanished.

The man closed his eyes.

"I figured as much."

The young dragon appeared behind him, and its claws came down in a powerful strike—one capable of killing even a monster if it made contact.

The stranger spun around and, with the slightest effort, blocked the blow, while a breeze stirred behind him from the impact of the attack.

But Noir had already anticipated his move; a moment earlier, he’d noticed that the man was handling mana with the utmost finesse, blocking each of his attacks—it felt as if he were doing so with his bare hands.

The black tail sliced through the air.

The man tried to dodge it.

He didn’t make it in time.

BOOM!

The blow sent him crashing straight into one of the enormous stones.

The monolith shook.

Noir wasted no time.

He opened his mouth.

Mana began to gather.

The man raised his head.

A massive amount of energy began to build up in front of the young dragon’s snout, and flames burst forth.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Fire swept through the spot where the man had been standing. A massive explosion lit up the Silent Stones.

Arlene shielded the little demon behind her, while Uki took several steps back. The golden sphere spun rapidly around Noir as a massive cloud of smoke engulfed the battlefield.

The young dragon remained motionless; his senses were spread wide; he still couldn’t sense anything—not even the mysterious man. Was this a unique condition specific to that place?

A figure slowly emerged from the dark cloud as if nothing had happened; only his clothes were partially burned, while his hair fluttered in the wind. But as more smoke billowed out, a few minor wounds became visible.

But! He survived a direct hit from a dragon’s breath!

Noir opened his eyes.

The man sighed as he examined his own wounds.

"That hurt."

The young dragon remained silent.

The man looked up.

"Can we..."

Noir vanished again.

The stranger closed his eyes.

"...talk?"

Noir appeared in front of him.

The man raised his arm.

His claws came down.

CLANG!

The stranger blocked the attack.

But Noir wasn’t done; he spread his wings, spun around, and lashed out with his tail. The man jumped, anticipating where the blow was headed, but that was exactly what Noir wanted.

The shadows at the man’s feet shifted. The stranger opened his eyes.

Noir appeared behind him. His claws pierced through the darkness.

The man tried to turn... but it was already too late.

SLASH!

For a moment... Everything fell completely silent.

The man’s body remained motionless until his head slowly fell, rolling across the grass and leaving a long trail of blood, while blood from his neck covered his entire body.

Noir landed several meters further ahead.

Arlene froze completely.

The little demon opened her eyes.

Uki stopped growling.

The golden sphere also remained still.

Noir looked at the body and tilted his head.

’Was that too easy?’

Then... the man’s eyes opened.

Noir froze.

He slowly looked up and then down at his own body; his eyes scanned the area until they landed on the young dragon. He let out a long sigh:

"Ahh... So you’ve beheaded me."

For several seconds, no one said a word.

Noir looked at the head.

Then at the body.

Then he looked back at the head. It took his brain several seconds to process what he was seeing.

Finally, the man spoke again.

"And, please..."

Noir narrowed his eyes.

The man’s head smiled slightly.

"Could you stop attacking me?"