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Chapter 58: Nikita's Inevitability

The Dragon of Calamity, Nikita Cynthia, was in a state of utter bewilderment.

Standing before her was a boy.

Hannon Irey.

He had gone so far as to disguise himself as Hania Rapiddaia.

But why?

Amid her confusion, Nikita’s expression turned puzzled.

Hannon was a good junior to her.

He silently helped her when she used to handle everything on her own.

He was witty, making conversations with him enjoyable.

To be honest, out of all the people she’d spoken to recently, Hannon was the most fun to talk to.

Conversations with him felt easy, and his unexpected remarks often made her burst out laughing.

At times, he was overly mischievous, but even that carried a sense of affection.

Hannon seemed to know Nikita uncomfortably well.

So much so that she sometimes wondered if he was someone she already knew, simply in disguise.

Although that suspicion lingered in her mind, she didn’t dislike Hannon.

Nikita had low self-esteem.

Her life had always been colored by rejection.

Even her parents didn’t expect much from her.

Yet she persevered, climbing the ladder step by step.

Hannon recognized her efforts and consistently praised her.

Perhaps because of this, her self-esteem had significantly improved recently.

So much so that she occasionally thought, "Maybe I’m doing okay."

Thanks to him, she began to dislike hearing things like “She’s nothing special except for her looks.”

She avoided mirrors less often and, lately, even smiled at her reflection sometimes.

Hannon was someone who lifted her up in ways no one else had.

For that reason, she didn’t want to show him her ugly side.

The version of herself consumed by vengeance, recklessly throwing everything away to kill someone—

If Hannon saw that, he would surely be disappointed.

She felt ashamed.

She wanted to hide somewhere immediately.

She didn’t want him to witness this.

And so, she had sent word for him not to follow her into the depths of the Demon Dungeon.

Yet Hannon, relentless as ever, had pursued her and now stood before her eyes.

Clang!

Hannon’s knife-hand strike came flying at Nikita.

What had he done to himself?

Even Nikita, imbued with the power of an ancient dragon, was startled by the intense heat radiating from him.

The heat emanating from his hands was scorching.

And his gaze, locked onto hers, burned just as fiercely.

Nikita instinctively realized—

Hannon had set himself ablaze, figuratively and literally.

He couldn’t possibly sustain this for long.

“Senior, Nikita.”

Hannon’s strikes came incessantly.

His movements, once crude, were now shockingly precise.

How much had he practiced to refine his skills to this extent?

“Will you still not meet my eyes?”

Nikita flinched.

She couldn’t look Hannon in the eye.

It had been that way for a long time.

Ever since Nia Cynthia died,

Nikita hadn’t met anyone’s gaze.

And after deciding to avenge Nia,

her eyes saw nothing but vengeance.

But Hannon constantly sought to meet her eyes.

He smiled at her, spoke to her, and treated her kindly.

Nikita avoided him and closed her eyes.

‘How selfish am I?’

She felt disgusted with herself.

Ignoring the care someone showed her,

she focused only on her own feelings.

Even now, it was the same.

Not wanting to show Hannon this side of herself,

she avoided and turned away from him as he confronted her head-on.

But deep down, the flames of vengeance still burned uncontrollably within her.

It was as if someone whispered in her ear—

Are you incapable of even carrying out a simple revenge?

It was as though the voice taunted her endlessly.

This was a curse.

Ever since she touched the ancient dragon’s magic, she couldn’t escape it.

Her desire for vengeance was now beyond her control.

Nikita’s sword slashed again.

A storm of frost surged from her blade, sweeping through the surroundings.

Hannon pushed through it and charged at her once more.

Sword and hand clashed.

Their eyes met again through the flurry.

His crimson eyes burned fiercely like flames.

Hannon was always unpredictable.

This time, too, he must have sensed something was amiss and chased her down to this point.

Perhaps because of that, she wanted to ask.

Clang!

Nikita deflected Hannon’s strike, leaving footprints on the icy ground.

“…Did the third princess put you up to this?”

Hannon was Iris’s cousin.

It was natural to wonder if he was doing this to protect Iris.

But even as she asked, Nikita knew—

Hannon’s eyes weren’t looking at Iris.

“No.”

As expected, Hannon denied it.

And his denial cut deep into Nikita’s heart.

“I’m doing this because I want to stop you, Senior Nikita.”

Nikita’s eyes trembled.

“Why… on earth…”

Hannon had burned himself out to stand before her.

She couldn’t understand why he was doing this.

No matter how she looked at it, there seemed to be no reason for Hannon to get involved.

Then Hannon exhaled deeply, his knife-hand poised once more.

“Didn’t I tell you when we first met?”

That day on the bridge connecting the martial arts wing to the main building…

She remembered.

“Even before entering the academy, I admired your path, Senior Nikita Cynthia.”

The words that he respected her.

Though she hadn’t fully believed him,

she couldn’t forget the earnest gaze Hannon had given her.

“Because of respect?”

Was that really all it was?

“For something as trivial as that…”

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The flames burning on Hannon's body grew even fiercer.

“Isn't that reason enough?”

Hannon forced a faint smile, his lips curling upward with difficulty.

It seemed the blazing heat was becoming unbearable for him.

"…I am not someone worthy of respect."

"I don't think so."

"I'm not the person you imagine me to be."

"That's okay. For as much as you don't recognize, I'll recognize on your behalf."

"I…"

Nikita clenched her fists as if swallowing her frustration.

"I…"

She couldn't continue her words.

Tears that flowed down her cheeks froze into icy crystals due to the cold, scattering into the air.

Scales emerged even more prominently on her skin.

The dragon’s magic had deeply infiltrated her body, now spiraling out of control.

The dragon opened its mouth.

To consume Nikita entirely, it froze her consciousness.

Nikita felt her awareness slipping away.

No matter how she tried to hold on, the threads of consciousness kept slipping through her fingers.

This can't happen.

If it goes on like this, Hannon will be in danger.

Nikita desperately tried to hold onto her mind, but her consciousness stubbornly refused to stay.

She bit down hard on her emerging fangs until they nearly shattered.

Her body trembled violently.

Despite this, the storm of cold grew even stronger.

"Run…away… Hannon…"

Nikita wanted to tell Hannon to escape.

This was her sin.

He had no reason to be in danger.

But even her lips were no longer under her control.

"When this is over, there's something I must tell you. And I need to apologize to you."

In her fading consciousness, Hannon spoke with a smile.

"So, wait for me."

As she looked at his smile, Nikita briefly recalled someone.

A man who once harbored feelings for her.

Though his poor judgment led to less-than-ideal outcomes,

his smile had remained in her memory.

She thought Hannon’s smile resembled his.

And with that thought, Nikita was ultimately swallowed by the dragon’s magic.

* * *

The heat of the flames made it hard to breathe.

But the cold piercing through the heat was even more chilling.

Before me, Nikita had completely succumbed to the dragon’s magic and transformed into dragonkin.

The dragon’s magic had instinctively realized.

The heat I bore could incinerate it.

As a result, the dragon’s magic accelerated the transformation into a dragonkin.

In the game, Nikita’s death would have been inevitable, an unchangeable part of the story.

No matter what Lucas did, there was no way for him to save her.

But now, this world is reality.

Lucas doesn’t have the knowledge to stop the dragon’s magic.

I, however, have that knowledge.

‘The day I decided to save Nia, my path was already chosen.’

I am the one who leads the world towards its true narrative.

But no matter what, I cannot follow the same footsteps as Lucas.

So, while adhering to the narrative,

I will create the most ideal version of it that I desire.

‘I will save Nikita.’

With that decision, I took a deep breath.

The moment Nikita fully becomes a dragonkin,

the sinister presence will reach out to seize her body.

Even now, I can feel the demon dungeon writhing.

A clear sign that it covets Nikita.

‘Over my dead body.’

Don’t even think about it.

I have no intention of giving her up.

Whoooooosh!

In that instant, a piercing cold wind swept through.

Simultaneously, Nikita’s eyes flared with a terrifying gleam.

She’s coming.

The moment I realized this, Nikita’s figure vanished.

As my heat-filled right hand extended, a sharp clash resonated.

Clang!

The freezing air turned the space around us into frost, and ice crystals formed.

Beyond the edge of my hand, I saw Nikita, exuding a menacing aura.

Her reason was gone.

Now, she existed solely as a dragonkin driven to kill.

At that moment, Nikita’s mouth opened wide.

The instant I saw it, I instinctively turned my head.

Flash!

A dazzling beam of light streaked across my vision.

An icy ray grazed my hair, freezing parts of it.

Through the narrow gap, Nikita’s right knee shot toward my side.

I brought my left elbow down to block her knee while stepping back.

Gathering heat in my right hand, I immediately launched a punch toward her chest.

Boom!

Nikita’s sword intercepted my fist, creating a shockwave as heat and cold collided explosively.

The powerful explosion left my ears ringing.

But even amidst the chaos, Nikita’s sword danced toward me.

Her swordsmanship, honed into instinct, poured out without hesitation.

A slash from the left, a strike from above—

the clash of blades and hilts, the positioning of her gaze and footwork.

I didn’t miss a single detail as my eyes tracked her relentlessly.

My reflexes pushed to their absolute limit.

A single lapse would mean a fatal injury.

Knowing this, I fought her with everything I had.

And then, at some point,

Nikita’s movements began to slow.

But so did mine.

My body, too, was clearly growing sluggish.

It wasn’t due to exhaustion.

‘At last, it’s beginning.’

The signs were becoming visible.

The dragon’s magic inside Nikita was faltering.

‘No, that’s not it.’

Not the dragon’s magic.

Deep within Nikita,

something far older had begun to show its confusion.

It must have realized by now.

Even it was now in danger.

A strained smile crept onto my lips.

Inside the cold magic,

lies the remnants of the dragon that cursed the Cynthia Marquis family for generations—

the true cause of Nikita’s lack of talent her entire life.

The dragon’s remnant.

This was the real reason Lucas couldn’t save Nikita.

And the vile curse that could only be removed by engaging with the dragon’s magic.

This is the inescapable fate entwined with Nikita.

Thus, I prepared the only move that could disrupt that fate.

“So, you’re finally starting to panic.”

I let out a strained breath and revealed a mocking grin.

Within the depths of the cold magic,

at last, the flames began to spread, consuming even the remnants of the dragon.

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