"...?"
Mira Aure's coaxing, honeyed voice made Kurose Akira glance at her blankly—but since all he could see was her lower body, his gaze snapped away just as quickly.
Better not stare too long into the abyss of a dragon and lose his mind.
"Is this still not enough? If I use more force, I'm worried I might hurt you," Kurose Akira asked.
"I'm a dragon~ how could a tiny human like you possibly hu—ngh!~"
Before she could finish, Kurose Akira suddenly tightened his grip, pinching down harder.
The sensation hit like lightning. Mira Aure clenched her teeth instantly, a low, restrained moan slipping out.
Her soft dragon tail coiled around his waist in reflex, tightening abruptly as threads of blue current crackled along it.
Kurose Akira frowned. He hadn't expected such an intense reaction.
The tail wrapped around him kept tightening, releasing intermittent surges of electricity that made even him feel uncomfortable.
"Relax a little!"
He smacked her rear lightly, trying to calm her down.
She was the one who told him to use more force—yet the moment he did, things turned into this mess!
"You didn't even warn me before using brute force!"
Mira Aure complained, finally loosening her tail. Only then did Kurose Akira let out a breath of relief.
"Phew…"
He wiped the sweat from his brow with his free hand, then muttered, "So what exactly is this swelling between your scales? Could it be—"
"Don't humans get pimples too?!" Mira Aure blurted out before he could finish.
"Pimples?"
Kurose Akira froze.
Dragons get pimples?
Wait a second.
She was over ten thousand years old, wasn't she?
What kind of "pimples" would that even be?!
"I doubt this is anything like a pimple. It's probably something else."
As he spoke, Kurose Akira tried pulling up her status panel.
[Mira Aure (Mythical)]Level: 99 (?/?)Race: Blue DragonStrength: ? / Agility: ? / Magic: ? / Constitution: ?Growth: 15+5 (Gain 15+5 to all attributes per level)Skills: (Expand)Traits: [Blue Dragon] [Life Lightning] [?] [?]Status: [Life Dissolution]
[Life Dissolution: Mira Aure's Life Law has not been awakened for a long time and has lost its vitality. (You may use various methods to awaken the Life Law.)]
"Life Dissolution…"
Kurose Akira studied the status thoughtfully.
So all he needed to do was awaken her dormant Life Law to remove this condition.
But… how?
He spoke up, "This definitely isn't a pimple."
"Then what is it?" Mira Aure asked curiously.
"It's the result of your Life Law remaining dormant for too long," he explained, withdrawing his hand slightly before continuing, "Is there any way I can help you awaken it? As long as it's something I can do."
"Oh? Child, are you a doctor now?" Mira Aure chuckled teasingly.
"If you want me to be, I can be," he replied flatly. "Now tell me—what's the method?"
"Let me think…"
After a long pause, she asked, "Do you have a Life Lotus?"
"What's that?"
"A flower that only grows on the corpse of a demigod. It contains the vitality of a demigod—should be enough to awaken the Life Law," she explained.
"…No."
"Then a divine life spell beyond forbidden-tier could also stimulate it."
"No! Can't you suggest something more realistic?" Kurose Akira sighed in frustration. He didn't have any of that!
"If you have none of those, then how could it possibly—"
Mira Aure chuckled, but suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Her odd reaction caught his attention. "What's wrong?"
"…Well…"
After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.
"With your current strength, there is one method that could help awaken my Life Law… but it might cost you quite a bit."
"Stop beating around the bush. Just say it," Kurose Akira said firmly.
He hadn't come here to back out.
"Hehe~ your words, not mine~"
She giggled, then continued, "I need a large amount of your life magic. If you use that immense vitality of yours to impact my body, there's a chance it could awaken my Life Law."
"My life magic…?"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly.
He had a bad feeling about what she meant.
"Can't be helped~ it's the only thing you can do at your level," Mira Aure said with a smile. "And honestly, you're the only human I've ever seen with such abundant life magic."
"You're sure this method works?" he asked, his expression complicated.
"Of course. This is a mental world—it won't affect your real body," she added. "So~ as long as it doesn't kill you, go all out!"
"???"
Kurose Akira's brows twisted into a knot at that analogy.
"…Fine. I'll transfer my life magic to you."
He raised his hands, green light blooming in his palms as immense life energy gathered and flowed between them.
"That little? Who do you think that's enough for?" Mira Aure scoffed. "I need the kind of life magic you give to succubi—not this."
"…There's a difference?"
"Of course there is~" she said, her tail swaying excitedly. "What you're generating now is barely one percent of the 'holy outburst.' At that rate, it'd take years to awaken my Life Law."
"Years…"
Kurose Akira immediately dispersed the energy.
There was no way he'd waste years here.
"Hehehe~ don't worry," Mira Aure said with a grin. "I won't force you into reproductive activities like a succubus would."
"…So it's all pain and no reward?" he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Nothing."
He shrugged it off. Right now, all he wanted was to resolve her [Life Dissolution].
As for everything else…
He'd already conquered hundreds of succubi. One more dragon hardly made a difference.
"But there's one thing I must say first," Mira Aure suddenly warned.
"Go on."
"You must not let your life magic touch my Life Lock. If you do, I'll fight you to the death!"
Her tone turned deadly serious—it clearly mattered more than her life itself.
"What is a Life Lock?"
Kurose Akira looked puzzled.
"In human terms… it's that fragile membrane," she explained.
"…?"
He frowned.
"Then how am I supposed to inject the life magic?"
"Use another place~" she replied casually.
"…"
Kurose Akira fell silent.
Right now, all he could see was her lower body—and he had to avoid damaging that "Life Lock."
Which meant the usable option was…
"Alright, enough joking~" Mira Aure quickly added when she noticed his silence. "Actually, you just need to channel your life magic—hm? Wait!"
Before she could finish, she suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Because she could clearly feel—
Two fingers had slipped into—
"What are you doing!?" she cried out in panic.
"Measuring. What if it doesn't fit?" Kurose Akira replied calmly.
At the same time, his focus sharpened—studying the structure. It did seem slightly different from a human's…
His behavior completely broke Mira Aure's composure.
She never imagined he'd be this… straightforward.
"Hahaha~ didn't you hear what I was saying? Actually, you just need to—"
Too late.
He lifted her tail, examining things more closely, hesitation flickering in his mind.
First of all, he wasn't a pervert.
And second… he really wasn't a pervert.
"I've already tested things on Lucia. A half-dragon's structure shouldn't be that different from a human's—just with a tail added," he muttered.
Completely oblivious to her trembling.
"Hey, hey, hey! Can you let me finish a sentence!?" Mira Aure kicked at him with her right leg.
As if by fate, the strike tore open his pants, exposing a dazzling brilliance.
"You're even more impatient than me. That eager for me to 'bloom' for you?" Kurose Akira smirked, grabbing her leg.
Even in her half-dragon form, her legs retained patches of blue scales—but their long, elegant shape carried a unique allure.
It piqued his interest.
His right hand gripped her ankle, while his left index finger traced lightly across the sole of her foot.
The ticklish sensation shot through her entire body.
Mira Aure shuddered violently, faint sparks dancing at the tip of her tail.
"Y-you—you! Just… listen to me first!"
Her words came out broken, unable to form a complete sentence.
Meanwhile, Kurose Akira remained absorbed in her feet—running his fingers over the smooth, scale-lined surface.
The scales covered only about a third of her foot, mostly along the top—like a natural pair of armored boots, enhancing its beauty.
"Being sealed here this long… do you even bathe?" he asked curiously.
There was no unpleasant odor—on the contrary, she carried a faint, wild fragrance unique to dragons.
"How could I bathe like this!" she snapped. "That's not the point! Can you focus?!"
"Alright, alright, I get it!"
He let go of her foot impatiently.
"Look at you—so desperate for my life magic."
"You—!"
She was about to snap—
Then suddenly froze, pupils dilating in shock.
And then—
"Ahhh!"
Her tail lashed out, striking his face.
"What are you doing?!"
"Pull it out! Quickly!"
Panic filled her voice.
She could clearly feel a blazing holy light threatening her most sensitive area!
"Calm down. We've barely started," Kurose Akira said, grabbing her tail again with one hand while controlling the holy light with the other.
Though he was shorter than her legs, the earlier stimulation had nearly made her collapse.
And now, with everything aligned—
He made the first move.
"You—you…"
As the holy light advanced bit by bit, her voice grew weaker, as if forcibly muted.
Her resistance faded—only the trembling of her legs remained.
"..."
Kurose Akira himself felt an unfamiliar pressure—like falling into an abyss.
It puzzled him.
Even Nata, the red dragon, hadn't made him feel this kind of overwhelming depth.
So why was Mira Aure different?
Was this… the power of a demigod-tier dragon?
His lips curled into a faint smile as his hand pressed against her hip.
"I'm starting. I'll make sure you're satisfied."
Mira Aure: "???"
"!"
"Wait—!"
"Ugh—!"
(And thus begins a journey of life… ten thousand words omitted…)
…
"Are you certain, Yuluxi?"
Inside the Elven Palace, Yuluxi knelt on one knee before the Elf Queen, reporting her latest findings.
"I'm certain, Your Majesty."
Her tone was resolute, though her eyes held a trace of complicated emotion.
"…Very well. I understand."
The Elf Queen nodded slightly, dismissing her.
Once Yuluxi left, the Queen's expression darkened instantly—countless worries clouding her stunning face with a hint of sorrow.
After a moment of thought, she rose and opened a portal.
Before stepping through, her lips parted softly:
"What is the Medusa Queen planning… to seal the path to godhood, even at the cost of the entire serpentfolk race…?"