"…Help you? How exactly am I supposed to do that?"
Kurose Akira frowned, genuinely puzzled as to how he was meant to assist Mira Orei.
"You'll understand once you come to my world," Mira Orei replied with a gentle, elegant smile. "It's… a bit difficult to explain right now."
After a brief moment of thought, Akira nodded. "Alright. I'll agree to it."
"Hahaha~ Good~"
Mira Orei let out a delighted laugh, her tone laced with a strange, almost teasing excitement—like a lonely, restless woman finally finding something to look forward to.
"But~ the process might be a little painful. You'll have to endure it."
"Huh?"
Before Akira could even ask what kind of "painful process" she meant—
A streak of blue lightning suddenly gathered at his brow.
In the next instant, it transformed into a roaring thunder dragon, surging forward and crashing toward the space phantom beast sealed inside the massive crystal sphere.
"What is that?!"
"A dragon?"
"The power of laws?!"
"..."
The girls were all stunned by the sudden manifestation of the lightning dragon. None of them had ever seen Akira wield such power before. Even Lucia and the Elf Queen—both demigods—were visibly shaken.
"This… that's Mira Orei's power!?"
Only Mare Rhein recognized it immediately.
The Life Lightning.
As someone who had once stood in opposition to Mira Orei, Mare Rhein was more familiar with that power than anyone present. She had always harbored hostility toward the Life Dragon—had even sworn to take revenge one day.
And yet…
The moment she truly faced the Life Lightning, her body trembled ever so slightly—an instinctive fear she couldn't suppress.
"Damn you, Mira…"
Mare Rhein clenched her teeth, her crimson eyes fixed tightly on Akira as he controlled the lightning dragon.
Once they got back to the guild… she would definitely demand an explanation!
Meanwhile, Akira himself was enduring the baptism of lightning.
The blue thunder dragon roared as it engulfed the crystal sphere, its electricity forming a bridge between him and the space phantom beast—slowly transferring the beast's spatial law into his body.
"Tch—this hurts!"
Akira gritted his teeth.
Under the influence of the spatial law, cracks began to spread across his body like shattered glass. At times, space itself warped around him—only to snap back into place with each flicker of lightning.
Even so, the pain of his body "breaking apart" was unbearable, twisting his expression into one of clear agony.
"Mr. Akira!"
Ivsha stepped forward anxiously, wanting to share his burden—but the moment she approached, a barrier of blue lightning surged up, blocking her path.
"I'm fine!" Akira forced out through clenched teeth, trying to reassure her.
Though the pain was intense, he trusted that Mira Orei wouldn't let it threaten his life.
"But…"
Viora and the others were filled with worry. Watching him suffer like this—there was no way they could remain indifferent.
"There's nothing to worry about. It's just a side effect of Life Lightning. It won't endanger him."
Mare Rhein, however, took a completely different stance, calmly explaining the nature of the lightning filling the air.
"Life Lightning?"
The term was unfamiliar to most of the girls. Nearly all of them were under a hundred years old—they had never even heard of such a thing.
Even Lucia had no knowledge of it. Only Tinas seemed to recognize the concept.
"Life Lightning is the law-based power of the Life Dragon," Tinas added softly. "Its counterpart would be Miss Mare Rhein's aura of destruction."
"I see…"
Only then did the others gain a basic understanding.
"Tch… I wonder just how far he's gotten with that damned dragon," Mare Rhein muttered under her breath. "She's even willing to lend him Life Lightning…"
Still, recalling Akira's promise, she forced herself to believe—
Everything he was doing… was for the sake of their agreement.
"But Master looks like he's in so much pain… Is there anything we can do to help him?"
Viora's voice trembled with concern. She simply couldn't stand by and watch.
"You want to help him? Easy~" Mare Rhein said with a grin. "Just step into the lightning and share the burden. It'll ease his pain."
"Really?"
Before she could finish—
Viora's eyes lit up, and without hesitation, she leapt into the sea of lightning.
"Ah—!"
She gasped, biting her lip as the current surged through her. Instinctively, she activated her Nature Domain, trying to soften the impact of the lightning.
"Hey! You—!"
Mare Rhein was about to pull her out—
But then she froze.
Viora's domain… was actually mitigating the pain?
Not only that—it seemed to be accelerating the transfer of the spatial law.
"This domain…?"
Mare Rhein's expression turned incredulous. She had never believed that Viora's domain could surpass her own—or Mira Orei's.
And yet, the scene before her suggested otherwise.
"Huh? It… doesn't hurt anymore?"
Akira opened his eyes in confusion. The lightning was still raging—but the pain had completely vanished.
Then he heard Viora's gentle voice beside him.
"Master, are you feeling better? Does it still hurt?"
"Viora?"
Seeing her enveloped in her Nature Domain, Akira immediately understood.
But what caught his attention even more—
Tiny, colorful flowers had bloomed atop her head.
They only made her pure, adorable appearance even more striking.
"Thanks."
Smiling, Akira reached out and gently stroked her antlers.
The soft touch drew a blissful smile from Viora. Her four slender legs kicked lightly in excitement, unable to contain her joy.
A moment later, Akira refocused on the space phantom beast.
Through Mira Orei's Life Lightning, its spatial law had been completely transferred into his soul.
The once plump, rounded body of the beast shriveled instantly, collapsing into a withered corpse.
And as the final strand of spatial law entered him—
A notification appeared before his eyes:
[Obtained Ultra-Rare Player Trait — "Master of Spatial Governance"!]
"…?"
Akira froze for a second, then frowned.
His law power… turned into a trait?
And what the hell was this "Master of Spatial Governance"?
[Master of Spatial Governance: Your learning speed for spatial magic increases by 10000%! You are immune to all spatial magic effects! Gain Secret Art — Spatial Ring!]
"Ten thousand percent?"
Even Akira couldn't hide his surprise.
A five-digit percentage bonus—this was the first time he'd ever seen something like that.
And more importantly—
The Secret Art.
Unlike regular magic, Secret Arts operated on an entirely separate system. Their effects might not always seem overwhelming, but their priority in resolution was absolute—
Even higher than forbidden magic.
Just as Akira was still processing the implications of his new power—
A portal suddenly opened behind him.
A man stepped out.
He wore casual clothing, his long hair messy, giving him the air of a disheveled artist.
"Damn it! Who are you people? What are you doing here?!"
The moment he saw Akira and the others, fury and panic erupted across his face.
"So you're their guild leader?"
Akira turned to face him.
To him, a man who used his own guild members as fuel for a ritual—
Was no different from an animal.
But the man ignored him entirely. The instant he saw the destroyed spatial device, his rage exploded.
"My art! You bastards! You've ruined everything!"
"Kill him."
Akira didn't bother wasting words.
Even though Mare Rhein was still irritated about his connection with Mira Orei, the moment she received the command—
She acted without hesitation.
A blazing breath of dragonfire, filled with her fury, surged toward the man.
But just as it was about to hit—
A pitch-black serpent tail suddenly emerged from the portal.
With a single sweep, it extinguished the dragon breath effortlessly—then lashed out at Mare Rhein.
"What the hell?!"
She immediately retreated, dodging the attack and firing another blast—
But the moment it touched the tail, it vanished… as if swallowed by an abyss.
"Fall back!"
Akira shouted instantly.
Mare Rhein didn't hesitate—she withdrew and returned to his side.
At that very moment—
The serpent tail coiled around the enemy guild leader, dragging him back into the portal.
Then—
They vanished.
Silence fell.
Everyone's gaze converged on the same spot.
Tension gripped the air. Even the Elf Queen and Lucia were already prepared to act at a moment's notice.
"What… was that?"
Fuli and Floro's faces were pale with fear. From that tail, they had sensed nothing but absolute death.
"If I'm not mistaken… the one who saved him just now was the Undead Sovereign."
Akira spoke calmly.
According to the Elf Queen, the Undead Sovereign was a serpent-like being.
And that tail…
Was proof enough.
More importantly, its strength had far exceeded his expectations.
It might truly rival the Elf Queen herself.
"Mm~ Your guess is correct."
Tinas nodded slightly.
"But that wasn't the Sovereign's true body—most likely just a part of it."
"A part? What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," she explained. "That was only a single tail. It's very likely the Undead Sovereign has dismembered its own body into multiple pieces."
"Why would it do that?"
"I don't know," she admitted with a shake of her head. "But now that the ritual device has been destroyed, let's leave this place."
"…Alright."
…
Soon after, Akira led everyone back to the guild.
The first thing he did upon returning was report everything to the Elf Queen in the Elven Kingdom—the crisis averted, and the appearance of the Undead Sovereign.
A reply came quickly:
[I have already been informed. Thank you, Guild Leader Kurose Akira, for your assistance. Once again, the Elven Kingdom has been spared disaster.]
"She's being polite…"
Akira let out a long breath and sank into the sofa.
Glancing over, he saw Lucia and the others chatting animatedly with Tinas—still clearly amazed by her joining the guild.
Taking advantage of the downtime, Akira began experimenting with his newly acquired Secret Art—Spatial Ring.
"…Strange."
He focused, attempting to activate it—
But failed. Again and again.
"If your guild is bound by a special law, then unless you break through its limitations, you won't be able to use spatial law within it."
Mira Orei's voice echoed in his ear.
"I see…"
Akira nodded, gaining a new understanding.
"If you want to test it, come to my world~" she continued. "And don't forget—you promised to help me~"
After a brief pause, he replied, "Alright."
The moment the words left his mouth—
His consciousness was dragged into the sealed space.
And once again—
He was greeted by Mira Orei's massive… backside.
"So~ what will it be first?" she asked with a playful smile, her tail swaying lazily. "Helping me… or testing your spatial power?"
"If helping you improves your mood, will you teach me how to use spatial law?"
Akira countered.
"Of course~" she replied with a soft laugh. "Even if my grasp of spatial magic is only 'basic,' it's still far better than that vampire's."
"…?"
Akira raised a brow. So she knew spatial magic too?
"Don't look so surprised," Mira Orei said, cutting off his thoughts. "I'm a Life Dragon. I enjoy learning all kinds of knowledge—not like a certain Destruction Dragon who only hoards treasure."
"…What do you need me to do?"
Akira asked, looking up at her.
"There are a few scales on my back… I don't know if it's parasites or something, but they itch so badly~"
"…In a place like this? Parasites?" Akira frowned. "You're a dragon. Your aura alone should annihilate weaker lifeforms."
"You don't need to ask so many questions~ Just tell me—are you helping or not?" she replied with a teasing smile.
"…Fine. Show me which one."
"That one~ on my back~"
"Wait—can you shrink a bit? You're way too big like this."
"Alright, alright~ just a moment."
Her body quickly shrank down to a humanoid draconic form.
Even then, she still stood over three meters tall—her long legs alone towering above Akira.
Compared to her, he looked almost like a boy.
"…Can't you get any smaller?"
"If I shrink more, your fingers won't reach between my scales~"
"…Fair enough."
Akira stepped closer, examining the area she indicated.
Sure enough—
One of the scales was faintly reddened, as if the flesh beneath it was inflamed.
"I'm going in."
He warned, placing his fingers against the scale.
"Ah—!"
At the slightest touch, Mira Orei's legs trembled.
"Does it hurt that much?"
Akira immediately pulled back.
"A little… but it's fine. Go on."
"…If it gets too much, tell me."
Carefully, he slid his fingers between the scales.
"Ah—!"
The sensation made her entire body shudder violently, nearly numbing his hand.
But then—
He felt something beneath the scale.
A raised, fleshy lump.
"…What is this? Necrotic tissue?" he asked.
"Just scratch it~ don't ask so much!"
"…Alright."
He began to gently scratch the swollen area.
And the moment he did—
Mira Orei let out a long, trembling sigh.
"Ah~ that feels amazing… child, could you press a little harder?"
…
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