“Eun-Bi.”
Voltecino softly called out her Companion’s name.

  “I’m sorry, Cino. I know I was wrong.”
However, Ko Eun-Bi didn’t look back and only continued to look forward.

  “You…”
“I’ll take my comeuppance after it’s all over, after the duel. For now, just trust me and wait.”
Voltecino had a lot to say, but she decided to hold back.

  Just like Ko Eun-Bi said, now wasn’t the time to nag. Now was the time for her to keep an eye on her Companion who was catching her breath after being thrashed by an enemy stronger than any other she had ever faced before.

  Voltecino took a step back and quietly looked at her Companion.

  The fighting spirit that had been exuding wildly in all directions from her was back under control, and her breath that had been out of control from her agitation was also stable again. 

  “Give it your all from the beginning. He’s not the kind of person you should conserve your power with.”
Ko Eun-Bi didn’t respond. She seemed to have momentarily forgotten her surroundings, completely immersed in the fight.

  However, unlike her who was focused on the fight, the Dragon’s contractor didn’t change much.

  His naturally relaxed arms, and his two legs standing lightly on the ground, except for his expression being somewhat stiff, his appearance wasn’t someone who was about to participate in a fight.

  He had the relaxed atmosphere of the strong oozing out of his body.

  She hated to admit it, but there was definitely a gap between the Dragon’s contractor and her Companion, and that gap was much bigger than Voltecino had expected. 

  Ko Eun-Bi must have finally realized that fact as well because she no longer seemed to rush in at any moment, instead, she was carefully aiming for an opportunity.

  For the first time since this had all started, satisfaction appeared on Voltecino’s face that had been stiff the entire time. 

  The young wolf pup had grown enough to catch prey much larger than herself.

  Whether the wolf pup had been that way from the beginning or whether her growth was because of being in front of the powerful enemy called the Dragon’s Contractor, Voltecino did not. The only thing that could be said was that the wolf’s growth was admirable. 

  Now, winning or losing didn’t matter at all. Whether they won or lost, Ko Eun-Bi would grow once more.

  “But still, I wish we won if possible.”
Voltecino stared at the Dragon who stood behind her contractor. Perhaps the Dragon felt her gaze because she looked straight at Voltecino. 

  “Hunting doesn’t necessarily mean that the hunter must be bigger and stronger than his prey to be successful.”
The stoic Dragon Lord’s expression changed at the blatant provocation. However, the change wasn’t what Voltecino expected. 

  Her jewel-like eyes were bright and then curved up into half-moons as her tightly closed lips rose.

  The Dragon Lord was definitely smiling.

  “Lycanthropy.”
Before Voltecino could figure out the meaning behind that smile, Ko Eun-Bi activated the unique ability of a Beast Knight who had defeated countless powerful enemies. 

  Crraccck.

  With the uncomfortable sound of her bones shattering, Ko Eun-Bi’s body changed in an instant.

  Her seven-meter tall body was covered with bluish coarse hair, her deformed long arms had sharp claws sprouting from the ends, her yellow eyes were like those of a beast, and with fangs exposed from the long protruding snout, the human Ko Eun-Bi no longer existed. 

  Aooooooh.

  The howl of a predator resounded throughout the world, it was enough to make anyone who heard it freeze.

  “Guess I’ll have to match the weight class.”
Even with the powerful werewolf in front of him, the Dragon’s contractor didn’t show any signs of surprise.

  “Drakanade.”
He quietly recited a short incantation.

  Gooooooo.

  A golden light rose around him. The pillar of light soared upwards as if to reach the sky and inside that dazzling flash of light, the Dragon’s contractor became a dragonian.

  The moment she saw the completely changed form of the Dragon’s contractor, Voltecino’s face turned pale as if she had seen a ghost.

  “The War Dragon!”
Staring at the giant being that overshadowed the giant werewolf, Voltecino shrieked.

  “The War Dragon shouldn’t exist any longer!”
It was the most vicious and valiant dragon that lived solely to fight. That was it was known to be the clan to have been the first to be annihilated in the last war against Chaos, but now, had appeared in the world after more than a thousand years.

  [You are not wrong. The War Dragon clan had definitely been wiped out in the war against Chaos.]

  The Dragon’s voice entered her confused mind.

  “So how?!”
[During those insignificant days when he had fallen onto this world and had no powers, he had surprisingly chosen to survive in this world through endless fights.]

  Voltecino stared at the Dragon Lord. The Dragon Lord continued to smile at her. 

  [It wouldn’t have been strange if he died at any moment. His enemies have always been stronger and always one step ahead of him.]

  Whinee.

  Overwhelmed by the War Dragon’s force, the wolf let out a whine. Until a while ago, the wolf had been a vicious force that stood above all the beasts of the world, but now, that was gone.

  [But he brought all of them to their knees and survived.]

  “Krrrrrrr.”
The corner of the War Dragon’s mouth rose. As if looking at an easy prey, it was a cruel smile. 

  [And he went looking for other fights to run headlong into. It was almost as if he believed that if he stopped fighting, he would cease to exist.

  The wolf bared its teeth and growled.

  [One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand battles. And ten thousand victories.]

  But that growl was more like a whine from a frightened dog than the roar of a beast.

  [That is the value and belief he has proven to this world.]

  The War Dragon took a step forward.

  [He is already the War Dragon himself.]

  The wolf stepped back.

  [You said ‘hunting?’]

  Voltecino couldn’t respond to the Dragon Lord’s question.

  [He does not know how to hunt.]

  At that moment, the wolf, who had been pushed by Kim Seon-Hyeok’s momentum, fitfully stomped. The wolf instantly arrived in front of the War Dragon’s nose, then swiped with her bright blue nails.

  [The only thing he learned.]

  The War Dragon’s scales on his chest fell off. Blood splattered in all directions. 

  [Was to fight until he was bloody, and to win and survive.]

  Grab.

  The War Dragon grabbed the hand that dug into his chest as he grinned cruelly.

  “Ahh…”
Voltecino looked at her Companion with a half-dumbfounded look on her face. 

  With her wrist captured, she tried attacking with her strong jaw, but it didn’t work on the War Dragon. 

  Bang!

  With a dull sound, the dragon’s fist struck the wolf’s head. The wolf lost her center and tried to retreat quickly, but the War Dragon had no intention of letting go of the wolf’s wrist.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  It wasn’t an extremely powerful or destructive attack. The War Dragon was pummeling the wolf with the lowest and most basic of attacks.

  But even with just that, the wolf couldn’t pull herself together and began to stumble.

  Finally, to take the initiative, the wolf started gathering a blue energy in the back of her teeth. But before she could release the energy she gathered, the War Dragon’s rough hand grabbed the wolf’s jaw.

  Baaang!

  The destructive energy that couldn’t be expelled from the forcefully closed mouth exploded inside. Blood dripped down the wolf’s jaw. Fragments of broken and crushed molars dripped down as well.

  Krrrr.

  But even at that point, the wolf didn’t give up. While the War Dragon grabbed her chin, her hands had become free, and now, she used them to attack the War Dragon’s body. 

  The hard scales shattered in an instant. Flesh and blood fell where the scale had fallen.

  Bang!

  The War Dragon didn’t mind his body being tattered into rags. As if his only mission was to destroy his enemy, he continued to strike on the wolf’s head.

  Yelp!

  The wolf fiercely resisted. But it was in vain. 

  As time went on, the wolf’s movements began to slow down. At one point, the nails that had been fiercely swiping at the War Dragon soon became limp 

  Grrrrrr.

  The War Dragon grabbed the wolf’s head. By then, the wolf had already broken both her hands and a leg.

  Crack.

  The War Dragon violently shook her limp body and then slammed the wolf down. Then, he got on top of her and pressed her head down, and pounded on her. 

  Grrrr.

  Even in that situation, the wolf didn’t lose her viciousness, but that didn’t last long.

  Yelp!

  The ferocious roar suddenly turned into a yelp of pain, and the eyes of the wild beast that had been gleaming with a fighting spirit and murderous intent became that of a frightened herbivore. 

  “Eun-Bi!”
Finally unable to keep watching, Voltecino was just about to jump into the duel.

  [Without my permission.]

  A powerful energy pressed her down.

  [No one will be able to intervene in this duel.]

  Now turned into a giant wolf, Voltecino tried to ignore the Dragon’s words, but she couldn’t jump in.

  [If you move even one step from that spot. I will regard our agreement as non-existent and life and death will be decided.]

  Yelp! Yelp! Whine-yelp!

  Meanwhile, the wolf’s wails continued without stopping. 

  ***

  After sending the members of the clan to another place, Darun and the cavalry finally returned to the camp and looked around as they searched for Kim Seon-Hyeok and their war chief.

  It wasn’t difficult to find them.

  Even if they wanted to ignore her, the platinum-colored Dragon shone so brilliantly in the dark that they couldn’t.

  “The Messenger of the Sky returned to her original form?”
When he saw that the giant wolf had lowered her posture in front of the Dragon and was exposing her fangs, Darun’s complexion turned pale. 

  “Did something go wrong with the fight that the negotiations and everything else was destroyed…”
The camp’s atmosphere was bloody enough for them to think that.

  “Uhhh, shouldn’t we leave? If we stay here, they won’t even be able to find our bones.”
The appearance of the blue flames flowing off the Messenger of the Sky’s envoy and the dragon surrounded by an aura was as majestic and overwhelming as if they were watching a scene from a legend.

  Perhaps that was why.

  Yelp! Whine-yelp!

  But the strange noise resounding through the campground was particularly piercing, probably because that sound didn’t match the atmosphere of the place at all.

  “Darun, this…”
“Doesn’t it sound like a dog’s being beaten?”
The cavalrymen swiveled their heads, searching for the source of the sound.

  “There!”
A man with unusually sharp eyes noticed a shadow moving in the dark and stretched a finger to point at it. 

  “What’s that?”
Staring intensely, Darun followed the finger and then he frowned.

  “Huh?”
He was staring so intently into the dark that the veins of his eyes visibly rose. When he finally recognized the shadow’s identity, he tilted his head.

  “That’s definitely Seon-Hyeok who transformed into the Drakanade or something…”
Darun stared at Kim Seon-Hyeok for a long time before looking back in surprise. 

  “That… can’t be, right?”
“No, can’t be. I doubt it.”
As if they had seen something they shouldn’t have, the other men also looked dumbfounded.

  “That……I think that’s our war chief?”
Beneath the giant monster that Kim Seon-Hyeok had turned into, there was another monster equally bizarre in appearance. However, the appearance of the monster had nothing to do with the Messenger of the Sky that they worshipped like a god. 

  “I, I think it is.”
Although she had been beaten to a pulp and there wasn’t a single bit of divinity to be found around it, Darun and the cavalrymen knew that the monster was the war chief they had been looking for. 

  By the time they realized it, the sounds of a dog being beaten had already ceased.

  ***

  By the end of the brutal beating, Ko Eun-Bi finally lost consciousness. It was truly miserable to see her shaking as if all the bones in her body had been broken and shattered, but Kim Seon-Hyeok looked calm as if he had no regrets for what he had done.  

  It was probably because he knew better than anyone else how resilient the proxies were.

  Tak.

  Voltecino had been waiting for the duel to end as soon as possible. When it did, she came and licked her ragged companion. For some reason, it was a sincere action that reminded him of a mother wolf caring for her cubs. 

  [You could have finished it much sooner!]

  When her completely shattered bones fused together to some extent and the wounds on her body had healed, the Blue Wolf spoke in a resentful voice. 

  Now that she had revealed her true form, her presence was completely different from when she was a human. However, Kim Seon-Hyeok remained calm even as he received the resentment of the Transcendental Being.

  “If I didn’t end it properly, then she would have only become spiteful.”
He said it so matter of factly that Voltecino forgot what she was going to say and could only stare at him blankly.

  “Don’t be too resentful. I didn’t do it because I liked it and she’s the one who started it in the first place.”
Seeing Voltecino like that, Kim Seon-Hyeok continued to speak brazenly. However, the expression on his face made him look refreshed as if all the stress that had accumulated had blown away.

  Apparently, the War Dragon that Edda had talked about was a being who had to relieve his stress by fighting.