20. Siren's Song
In the Age of Great Voyages of Golde, there exists a legend.
It is said that in the depths of the sea, a colossal beast named Leviathan slumbers.
Leviathan is immense, even Golde's largest ships are like toys before it, easily destroyed.
And upon Leviathan's body are scales no weapon can shake, its fangs capable of tearing apart all life, even the mightiest of beings.
When it awakens, its rage sweeps across the ocean, reigning like a sea god, killing all that defy it.
Yet, no one has ever seen Leviathan.
Like the legends of the Golden Country, people believe Leviathan to be a mere fantasy, not to be taken as real.
But now, before Xia Yi, lies the living legend.
She understands why her dragon instincts have been screaming at her to flee.
And Sera too senses the immense danger.
Leviathan is the heart of the Black Tide, these half-dragon monsters perhaps merely scouts.
Under normal circumstances, these half-dragon monsters alone could easily destroy any city in Golde.
It's more accurate to say, the value of these scouts is already quite high, it would be a miracle if this nation could resist.
But today is different, the scouts did not enter Seaside City, but were repelled.
And so…
Leviathan has been roused.
Its mere appearance has already caused a tsunami, the towering waves threatening to engulf Seaside City.
But Sera, as a royal maid, will not stand by and watch her princess be endangered, she flies high above, her dragon eyes shining with light.
She's getting serious.
The red dragon opens its massive maw, gathering scorching dragon breath.
Instead of releasing it immediately, she compresses her dragon breath, layer upon layer, continuously stacking together.
Xia Yi, seeing Sera's actions, is very worried.
This is playing with fire!
If so many layers of dragon breath are compressed like this, should it go out of control, it will backfire, and Sera will be incinerated by her own flames in an instant, leaving no bones behind.
Elite dragon guards would never dare such a feat.
Yet, Sera dares.
She compresses many layers of dragon breath to the limit, facing the sky-covering tsunami, releasing a massive curtain of fire.
The flames seem to cover the whole world, the night is lit up, the rain curtain evaporates into steam under the high temperature, the world turns into a white expanse.
The curtain of fire meets Leviathan's tsunami.
Boom!!
Fire and water merge, causing a powerful shockwave, the hot wind boiling the sea once more.
The half-dragon monsters' corpses dissolve in the blast.
Even not on the front lines, Xia Yi has to raise an ice magic shield to resist the aftermath, also covering Albert with a layer.
The clash of flame and water lasts a full half-minute before quieting down.
The first clash between the red dragon and Leviathan ends in a draw.
Sera's flames burn away the tsunami, protecting Seaside City.
"…Amazing," Xia Yi can't help but exclaim.
"Huff… Huff…"
Sera flaps her wings, hovering in the sky, clearly fatigued from the grand spell, having expended much.
"Sera? Are you alright!!"
…
Hearing the voice of the little princess, Sera looks towards the beach.
Indeed, the Princess is strong, unharmed.
She ponders.
The situation has indeed spiraled out of control.
Who could have expected a Legendary Beast here?
Alone, she is hard-pressed to fight against the legend.
Continuing the battle, the Princess will surely be drawn in.
As a royal maid, she must fulfill her duty, to act in defense of the royal family, protecting the Silver Dragon Princess Xia Yi, Sera's greatest mission.
The red dragon's gaze is firm, without saying much to Xia Yi, she flies towards Leviathan.
She will become the royal bulwark.
"Sera! Sera!!"
Seeing this, Xia Yi is truly anxious.
"Sera, come back! It's too dangerous alone, let's fight together! I have the Holy Sword!"
But Sera doesn't heed Xia Yi's command.
In her haste, she even considers using her true dragon form to chase after Sera.
But reason stops her.
As a Human Sword Saint, she knows the burden in battle will be cumbersome.
She has experienced this as a Sword Saint, protecting the weak in the face of a formidable enemy, nearly perishing in that battle.
Now, flying over, she would become a target for Leviathan, and her true dragon form is…
"Damn it!"
Xia Yi's eyes are filled with unwillingness.
The red dragon reaches Leviathan's domain, entangling in combat.
Even as a mature dragon like Sera, she appears diminutive in comparison to Leviathan's vastness.
How immense is this creature?
Xia Yi can't even spot where Leviathan's head is.
Before the Legendary Beast, even dragons can start to use their agility to their advantage, Sera dodging and weaving while spewing flames onto Leviathan's body.
This act thoroughly enrages Leviathan.
It seems Sera is doing this deliberately, drawing the beast's ire and leading it away from Seaside City, deeper into the ocean.
The red dragon and Leviathan grow smaller in Xia Yi's view.
"…No, this won't do, I must follow, keeping a safe distance, not to trouble Sera!"
Xia Yi decides to pursue.
As she prepares to use her true dragon form, she hears laughter.
A girl stands in the sea, smiling at her.
Xia Yi immediately recognizes her.
It's the mysterious girl she saw on her first night in Seaside City.
This time, the girl doesn't flee, standing before Xia Yi, so clearly visible.
The girl's hair covers her entire body, very long, falling into the water, her face beautiful and enchanting, her lower half like a fish without legs, most notably her arms, wing-like but clearly not designed for flight.
Siren.
The word flashes through Xia Yi's mind, but she has no time to ponder, she must chase after Sera.
The siren seems intent on keeping Xia Yi here, opening her mouth, her throat ready to sing, a melody so enchanting and intoxicating.
At such close range, the moment Xia Yi hears the song, her vision blurs, and she feels herself falling into the sea.
It's the Sea Dream.
The little princess is enveloped by the warm waters, listening to the ethereal song, sinking into the deep sea.
…
…
…
"Little Silver Dragon, wake up, if you don't, I might just start nibbling on you~"
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