Chapter 325: Between a Dragon and a Hard Place

Axel felt a bit surprised.

After all, from the silhouette alone, he felt convinced that the other party was a dragon. Just like Fafnir and Bellachrona. Even their presences felt pretty similar.

"As expected, you figured it out." The man spoke as he came even closer.

Close enough that not only his silhouette, but his entire figure could be seen. Clad with yellow and white sparks from the surrounding energy.

With a closer look, he was unmistakably a dragon morphed to take humanoid form. Though not as perfect as Bellachrona’s transformation... Most likely intentional, keeping what made him a dragon as a statement. A deliberate choice to remain partially monstrous.

His face looked old, but handsome in a severe, weathered sort of way. His purple and white hair, combined with a white circle beard, made him look quite high class. Like someone who had lived long enough that dignity had simply become a habit.

His body was covered with what used to be a good set of navy blue suit. But now that his body was exuding those long, sharp protrusions that felt wrong to be called scales, it was in tatters. What remained of the fabric clung to him almost apologetically.

"I am Divron, the Avatar of Lightning."

He introduced himself as he landed on top of the barrier.

His feet, upon making contact, spread a powerful wave of electricity from where he stood, up to the bottom of the barrier, reaching the earth below acting as a ground.

Of course, Axel got hit by it, but he didn’t even flinch. Almost as if he didn’t feel anything at all.

Next, Axel took a step forward, introducing himself. "I am Axel Walker, the King of Axevaria Kingdom." He stated. "...And if things go south, the one who will kill you."

"Kill me?" The old man, Divron, laughed. "That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard in years."

"We’ll know if it’s a joke or not later, anyway."

Axel remained calm and composed the entire time. His energy surged slowly, canceling out the powerful aura that Divron exuded.

Upon realizing what he was doing, the dragon man’s smile slowly changed to a scowl.

"Alright then. What have you come here for, old man?"

Seeing that he now held the upper hand in their exchange, Axel didn’t miss a beat and asked. His confident smirk further irritated the man, making the sparks around his body turn brighter, bolder.

"I’m sure you know." He said. "Trismus Weapon Solutions sent me here to make you pay up."

"Pay up? What are you talking about?"

Axel shrugged, playing the fool.

His carefree act irked the old man, but he continued as if he hadn’t heard him say anything. "You are guilty of stealing a recipe scroll from the company. Including interest, it’s 10 Quintillion Colts."

"Sorry, but you got the wrong guy." Axel shook his head, confident and unbending. "I didn’t steal anything, so I don’t need to pay for anything. You can prove me otherwise, but I bet you can’t."

"I see. So you have no plans to own up to your sins?"

"It’s not my sin in the first place."

The talk was reaching a climax, making the air between them thick with bloodlust.

The aura from both sides had reached its peak, pushing against each other like two walls neither willing to give way. What was curious was that, even though Axel hadn’t really stepped into god territory yet, he was able to completely offset Divron’s aura.

This fact not only felt like a slap to the dragon’s face—it proved that Axel was no pushover. The kind of proof that couldn’t be argued with or dismissed.

Bloodlust thick enough to be visible began to cover the two of them.

Though instead of breaking into a fight, Divron grinned.

"...?"

Axel was confused upon seeing this.

After all, he thought they were just about to fight to the death. But then the old dragon just started grinning, his eyes drifting to look below the barrier.

"...Not owning up to your sins, huh? Then, what about the fact that you’re keeping two of our dragon clan members as captives?"

"...!"

Axel gasped.

Him owning Fafnir and Bellachrona was an undeniable truth. And with the contracts applied to them, it was essentially a slave binding they were subjected to. No matter how willingly either of them had entered it, the label wouldn’t change in the eyes of their clan.

To make matters worse, the two dragons were clearly visible down below, curled up near the interdimensional teleporter like oversized pets. Even if Axel tried to refute it, the proof was literally right before their eyes.

The problem, however, was still unfolding.

Divron continued.

"Axel Walker. You are guilty of enslaving members of our race! If you don’t release those two, and pay up 500 Quintillion, then be prepared to face our entire clan at once!"

Axel felt bitter for once.

In this situation, he would be forced to return the two dragons and pay fines on top of it. Otherwise, he would make an enemy of the entire dragon clan.

That, of course, was dangerous.

The Dragon Clan had many gods within their ranks, after all. There were even a few high-ranking god-level dragons among them.

It wasn’t the kind of enemy that could be whittled down one ship at a time.

The current Axevaria Kingdom was woefully underprepared for a war of races—and Divron standing here in front of him was, at best, a preview of what that war would look like.

This meant his choices were narrowed down to one.

"Fenrir...!"

Despite being a few kilometers below, she didn’t miss his voice. Following his command without a word, Fenrir moved. She activated her ability, opening her mouth wide, then taking a big bite of reality itself—a technique that had swallowed things far more stubborn than an old dragon.

SNAP!

But to Axel’s surprise, Divron actually managed to dodge the attack! He twisted sideways with a speed that looked wrong for something that size, the jaws of reality closing on nothing but air.

"You think I’d fall for tricks?" He crackled. "No way!"

The next moment, a powerful surge of energy gathered on Divron’s body—lightning, concentrated and roaring. His limbs glowed as if he’d turned into a light bulb, and the energy within his body spiked a hundred times over in an instant.

"Take this...!"

And with a single punch, he sent all of it straight toward his enemy.

Axel!