Advent of the Three Calamities

Bang—

A powerful surge of pressure erupted from above, making my hair and clothes ripple.

But that was really all there was to it.

Staring up above, I didn't feel particularly suffocated by the pressure emitted from above.

In fact… I almost felt as though I was on even grounds with them.

'But just here.'

This was merely the mental space of the wyvern-like creature that Delilah was trying to tame.

"Raaawrg—!!"

As I gazed ahead, the creature seemed genuinely frightened of Delilah. She stood tall, her back straight, the black coat billowing behind her as she calmly slipped her hands into her pockets and stared ahead in silence.

She appeared utterly unfazed by the creature, her intense gaze locking with it without a hint of fluster.

It was as if she was looking at a small animal.

"She's trying to tame it through fear."

Suddenly, a voice reached my ears. When I looked down, I saw a black cat, its eyes fixed on the spot where Delilah stood.

As it quietly stared in her direction, Pebble proceeded to shake its head.

"…Taming it through fear won't work."

"Oh?"

This was new to me.

In hindsight, I wasn't fully aware of how acquiring a Will worked. If it was simply through domination, there'd be many more people with Wills.

After all, one still needed to destroy the Will hidden within the bone in order for them to acquire it.

In that case, it made sense for the 'domination' method to not work.

"The best approach is to lure its Will to follow you through an exchange. Just like you did with that foolish owl—and with me."

"Is that so?"

This made sense.

"Some Wills would rather die than be forced to—"

Bang!

A deafening explosion rippled through the air, scattering chunks of ice in all directions as a blanket of snow quickly engulfed my sight.

I raised my arm to shield my eyes, stepping back to get a better view of what was unfolding. As the snow settled, I spotted Delilah, standing firmly atop the wyvern's head.

When did she...

"Surrender."

Her gaze was cold, nearly as cold as the surroundings, while the wyvern glared back at her, its defiance unmistakable from where I stood as its eyes were raised to look straight at her.

"Surrender to me, beast."

Delilah's leg pressed down harder on the wyvern's muzzle, and the defiance in its eyes became even more evident.

"Wait, stop!"

I quickly interrupted things before they could become worse.

"….?"

As Delilah turned her head, her large crystal eyes blinked as they met mine. The way she looked at me now was starkly different from how she had just moments before, throwing me off with the sudden contrast.

"Keum…"

I quickly recovered with a cough and started to explain to her what Pebble had told me.

"You can't tame a Will through fear and domination. You have to make a deal with them. Taming through force never works. It's highly likely the creature will never accept it."

"…Is that so?"

With a slight tilt of her head, Delilah looked momentarily surprised before her gaze shifted downward to the wyvern.

Then, as her eyes met with the monster, she raised her foot.

"Uh!? What are you doing?"

I immediately grew startled by her actions and moved towards her, stopping her just at the nick of time.

"What?"

"What do you mean what? You're just looking to kill it at this point."

"…I am."

"But weren't you trying to create a will?"

"Yes, before."

"Then…?"

Delilah looked down, her gaze meeting the wyverns, which glared at her with obvious scorn. At that moment, I understood.

'Indeed, from the way things look, it does seem very improbable for her to strike a deal with it.'

The hatred and rage the monster had for her was quite clear to see. Its innate pride also prevented it from forming a Will with Delilah.

As things stood, it seemed like she had no other choice but to destroy it. At the very least, she was going to get a good bone.

"Ah, what a pity."

I no longer saw the need to stop her and stepped to the side.

Noticing that I understood, Delilah lifted her foot once more, ready to end its suffering. Just as she was about to strike, a figure suddenly materialized in front of the wyvern.

"….?"

Delilah stopped once more, her large eyes blinking as Pebble stood before the wyvern.

She then immediately turned to look at me, her gaze seeming to say, 'You're seeing what I'm seeing? It's a cat…'

"The cat is with me."

It was only when I clarified things that she seemed to get the message.

She pulled her foot back and watched Pebble with an expression of rare interest. Her pupils seemed to dilate slightly as her lips tightened.

I blinked my eyes and alternated my gaze between Pebble and Delilah.

Wait…

'Why does she seem so interested? It can't be that...'

Looking down at her hands, I saw one of her fingers twitch.

Now way…

"Submit to the female woman."

Pebble's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Surprised, I turned to look at the cat, its gaze fixed on the wyvern with an unusual intensity.

It almost seemed to be trying to command the wyvern.

That sight…

'It feels off.'

Not only was Pebble far weaker than the wyvern, but its size was also tiny in comparison. The wyvern dwarfed Delilah, let alone Pebble who was nothing but a small cat.

Even Delilah seemed to find the situation weird, but more than that, her mouth squeezed even more.

She really seemed to want to pet Pebble.

"It would be in your best interest to submit to the female human. You've already felt her power. There is no shame in yielding to the strong."

"Mph—!"

The wyvern snorted hot air from its nostrils, its gaze dripping with mockery as it locked eyes with Pebble.

"…Small and weak cat, who are you to tell me to submit?"

For the first time since the beginning, the wyvern spoke, its voice deep and crisp. The contempt and arrogance in its tone were unmistakable.

"I would rather be destroyed than submit to the female human."

Its vertical pupil shifted toward Delilah, its gaze laced with mockery.

"…She may be strong, but I come from the proud bloodline of dragons. My future is limitless, while hers is bound. I see no reason to submit to someone of inferior blood—"

"You seem very proud of your bloodline, little bird."

"Bird..?"

The wyvern shifted its gaze away from Delilah, directing it back to Pebble, who met its stare with judgmental eyes.

It almost felt like it was looking down on it.

'No, Pebble really is looking down on it…'

I had seen that gaze many times in the past.

"Isn't that what you are? A bird that wishes to be a dragon?"

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Rumble—

The surroundings quaked as the wyvern struggled to rise. Its body was bruised and broken, yet in its fury, it managed to push itself upright despite the pain.

"What... did you say?"

A massive shadow loomed over us as the wyvern rose, its towering form looking down at the small cat, who remained completely unfazed.

"...I called you a little bird with the dreams of being a dragon."

Standing next to Delilah, I saw her look with interest. Judging from her body language, she was ready to attack at any second.

On the other hand, I was a little surprised by Pebble's actions.

Pebble was certainly bold, but I'd never seen it act this way before. Could it be tied to its dragon bloodline? Perhaps Pebble naturally held itself above the wyvern-like creature, seeing its bloodline as inferior to its own.

It was just a guess, but that guess proved true shortly after.

"Cat, I may be injured, but this is enough to destroy you."

The wyvern's deep, resonant voice rumbled through the air as it flapped its wings, releasing a powerful surge of pressure. All of it focused on Pebble who blinked its large eyes, seeming completely unfazed.

At least, on the outside.

I could tell it was hardly keeping up its facade.

'I guess it's good that Delilah battered it beforehand. Otherwise...'

An image of Pebble being crushed beneath the wyvern's massive foot flashed through my mind. No, I shouldn't laugh at this... Why did the image seem so funny?

Bang!

A sudden explosion jolted me, followed by another shadow looming over the area. I snapped my head up in surprise and saw a colossal figure materialize before me. Its massive rocky wings unfurled, and its frame quickly grew larger than the wyverns.

"Rooooar—!"

It wasn't long before Pebble let out a deafening roar, its stone-like scales inversing as its immense form started to dominate the surroundings, exuding an aura of sheer dominance.

Everything seemed to come to a standstill then as I felt a certain gaze from my side.

When I turned my head, I was surprised to see Delilah staring at me with her mouth hanging open in an 'o' shape. She looked surprised.

'No, before that...'

Since when was Delilah this expressive?

I hadn't really put much thought into it in the past, but Delilah was starting to become more and more expressive. The usual her would've normally reacted with a simple glance before looking disinterested.

And yet...

"Little bird."

Pebble's voice suddenly echoed through the air, now deeper and more commanding than ever, causing the wyvern to take an instinctive step back in surprise.

"...I am what you might consider a dragon. You, on the other hand, are just a feeble bird trying to become what I am. Your arrogance is unfounded."

Pebble's eyes narrowed.

"If even I choose to become a Will, with what arrogance can you say that you don't want to?"

"I..."

"Shut up."

Pebble cut through the wyvern's voice before it could even let out its words.

"I have no interest in your excuses. Your pride holds no weight against mine. Your lineage is insignificant compared to my own. Your lifespan is but a mere joke when compared to mine. Surpassing your strength is nothing more than a trivial task for me."

The more Pebble spoke, the more restless the wyvern seemed to become.

I could see the wyvern growing more and more restless. Indeed, Pebble wasn't holding back at all. It was completely and utterly aiming to shatter its pride.

But why was Pebble doing this?

Was its goal to get it angry? Why would—

"There's nothing about you that is comparable to mine. Nothing but..."

Pebble suddenly stopped, its gaze falling on Delilah. Though it didn't say anything else, its message was clear.

Yes, it was clear.

"...."

I opened and closed my mouth before clenching my teeth.

"Oy, bastard."