Show Me Your Stats!

Due to the intense earthquake, cracks split open across the ruins, and the magical devices Ayra had installed were destroyed. The moment the magic weakened, the dragon instantly broke free from the illusion. Ayra let out a reflexive sigh. It was the moment all her long-prepared plans came crashing down.

The backlash of such a massive spell collapsing struck Ayra as the caster as well. The color drained from her face, and a sharp dizziness hit her. While barely holding back the churning in her stomach, Janus stood and turned to face her.

Having suffered under that brutal illusion for so long, the dragon looked more furious than she had ever seen. Even from a fair distance away, the grinding of his teeth was loud and clear. His crimson pupils contracted into black dots, seething with murderous intent.

"A mere human dares to—"

At that single phrase, Ayra's heart dropped. Ever since meeting Janus, he had never looked at her with such open hostility. As he stepped forward, Ayra instinctively took a step back. The quake had stopped, but aftershocks continued to shake her footing.

His eyes, staring at her without blinking, as if even blinking before had just been mimicry of humans.

"No... you're not just a mere human, are you."

Janus let out a deranged giggle and slowly ran a hand down his own body. He looked down in wonder at his unscathed flesh, then took another step closer to Ayra. She almost tripped stepping back but realized there was no point in retreating and forced herself to stay rooted.

"I’ve never been this pissed off before. Incredible, really. Truly."

Finally closing the distance, Janus reached out. When his hot fingers touched her cheek, Ayra flinched. His fingers traced down from her lips, pressing his thumb against them, then slid down her neck like a serpent. Goosebumps erupted everywhere he touched.

"How should I repay you for this, hmm...?"

His red eyes gleamed with a chilling glow as he muttered. His hardened fingers pressed against her, looking like they could snap her neck at any moment. He traced the pulse thudding beneath her skin—then let go.

Even in this state of obvious fury, Janus still displayed a superhuman level of self-restraint, treating his lover with a certain courtesy. That fact, oddly enough, grated on Ayra. He must’ve thought her so insignificant that she wasn’t even worth lashing out at.

"I won the bet, right? So, where should I go? Sobletz? Bolni?"

Janus’s mouth twisted into a smug, crooked grin. Ayra’s gaze wavered. Pebble brought up a system alert—and its contents...

"I’ll go wait there. Once I’m done, I’ll come find you. Look forward to it."

[EMERGENCY ALERT! The Territory Collapse Countdown has changed. D-1]

Wait—what? It’s already down to one day?! She had been prepared for the possibility since the moment she lured Janus here, but her mind still went blank in a flash.

"Wait, Janus!"

She reflexively dashed forward to block his path. Janus turned to face her, and the look in his eyes was chilling. That inhuman gaze of desire slowly swept down her body.

"The bet’s over, and you’re still this fearless, huh?"

He bared his teeth in a wide grin. Deliberately biting his tongue between sharp teeth, red blood dripped out. With a growl like an animal, he licked up the flowing blood and his eyes gleamed ominously.

"I won’t stop you if you attack... but wouldn’t it be smarter # Nоvеlight # to wait until I’ve blown off some steam and tired myself out first? I’m pretty worked up right now, so it’s gonna get rough."

Ayra clenched her teeth. Should she have just let Naulam be destroyed?

No, no. Even if it was a small village—if Janus went rampaging through Solar’s settlements one by one, the collateral damage could lead to failing the main quest. And even beyond that—Ayra, as the lord of this land, couldn’t stand by and watch innocent citizens be slaughtered.

"Janus."

She called his name, but he showed no intention of listening. Watching his back as he turned away to leave the lake ruins, Ayra called again, "Janus." Gritting her teeth, she tucked the large magical amplifier back into her coat and pulled out another device instead—a small, black metal cube fitted with an ejection port.

"Before I leave Solar, there’s something I want to say."

Janus, who had been walking away without a care, suddenly halted at her next words.

"...Let’s break up."

After a short silence, he turned back. His eyes met hers as if asking, “Are you serious?” Ayra met his gaze steadily and repeated,

"It’s over. Let’s break up."

The moment she said it, goosebumps rippled across her skin. Was he harboring killing intent now that they weren’t lovers anymore? Janus’s face was expressionless—she couldn’t read a thing. Her heart thudded, but she pressed it down and waited for his answer.

Soon, Janus shrugged nonchalantly and answered calmly.

"...Fine. If that’s what you really want."

It was exactly the reaction she’d expected—but it still stung. Ayra bit her lip. She hadn’t expected him to beg her not to leave—but she hadn’t expected him to be this indifferent either. Still, she quickly snapped back to reality.

It didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was the city Janus would soon return to destroy.

The emergency shelters Ayra had just started enchanting were still incomplete. But doing nothing wasn’t an option, so she had left instructions: once she gave the signal, the evacuation of the territory’s people would begin. The firework she’d launched from the ruins—that was the signal. By now, her loyal and capable retainers should be guiding the people to safety.

Would the citizens follow the instructions without chaos? Had confusion broken out? While worries swirled in her head, Ayra had only one task—to stall for time, even if it saved just one more person.

She called out again to Janus’s retreating back, just after announcing their breakup:

"Hey... if you do end up finding your fated partner someday..."

Her quiet voice stirred a much stronger reaction than when she said they should break up. Janus frowned and turned around. Ayra smiled faintly, tossing one of the cubes she held into the air.

"Do you really think it’ll work out?"

"What?"

Now fully facing her, Janus twitched his brow. Ayra knew full well she was provoking the dragon—and not just poking his reverse scale, but ripping it clean off. Still, her words flowed without hesitation. Another cube rose into the air, glowing faintly.

"Ordinary people, you know... they don’t usually fall for someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

"Selfish. Fickle. Insufferable. And a sadistic psychopathic butcher."

"Oh? That so?"

Outwardly, Janus didn’t look particularly angry. Soon, five cubes floated into the air and slowly orbited Ayra. As she infused them with magic, they glowed like stars against the dark night sky.

"And if it does work out, then that person must be just as insane and broken as you are."

She said it with spite, her tone biting. Oddly enough, it felt like spitting in her own face—but she ignored the feeling. Cold sweat trickled down her nape beneath her hood. Raising the back of her hand, she summoned Pebble—poof—it popped out and floated up.

Janus’s gaze, fixed on Ayra, shifted to Pebble. The spirit floated down and slipped into the earth. Janus stabbed the ground with his sword, but of course, nothing came up. Only Ayra could tell—the spirit had fused into her body through the soles of her feet.

"...What is that?"

Artificial spirits had barely any physical presence, but Janus seemed to have sensed something. He lifted his right foot and lowered it again. As if he didn’t care about looking insane, Janus casually stabbed his own foot with his sword and asked,

"Ayra... What the hell did you do this time?"

"Would it even matter? You’re not a mage—would you understand even if I told you?"

Ayra deliberately answered with arrogant provocation. Janus’s lips twitched. As Ayra infused the remaining two cubes with magic, she continued.

"You’re going to wipe out my territory? Kill all those people just to find your so-called partner?"

Her gray eyes flared with brilliant blue. Straining to forcibly draw together the dispersed magic from the failed labyrinth, veins popped along her neck and forehead.

"If that’s your plan, then you should kill me right here. If I survive, I’ll hunt down your fated partner and kill them myself. Even if you’re a dragon, you won’t enjoy life so much if the one you searched for so desperately is gone."

The cubes orbiting her rose higher and spread their trajectory. Seven cubes now glittered in the sky like stars.

"Even if I can’t kill you, I can kill a human."

Ayra thought, if she were to die here fighting a dragon, that wouldn’t be such a terrible end. She had entrusted all her records on Janus’s behavior to an external merchant guild—if she died, her knowledge would still be passed to the Labyrinth. Why wasn’t she more afraid? Was it because she had already died once—or because her opponent was a dragon?

"I didn’t know you were so eager to die."

Janus chuckled softly, drawing his sword with a metallic whisper. His eyes glowed darkly between strands of disheveled red hair.

"I’ve been holding back, you know. But now that we’re not lovers anymore... I’ve got no reason to."

As he lightly swung his sword, it didn’t even touch the ground—but boom, a long scar was gouged into the earth. Ayra had no idea how he’d done it. Watching him warily, she saw him slash the ground again and speak.

"Alright, Ayra. Out of respect for our former relationship, I’ll give you three minutes. Attack me, hide, run—whatever you want."

"Wow, a whole three minutes? How generous."

She scoffed, but in truth, she was grateful for even that much. She just hoped to exploit the dragon’s arrogance to buy a little more time. As Ayra vanished into the shadows, the glowing cubes overhead blinked out.

Janus, wearing a bored expression, lifted his right foot again—the one where Pebble had gone in. Suddenly, he twisted his body to the side. Almost simultaneously, a red arc streaked down from the night sky, striking the spot where he had just been. The earth scorched and smoke billowed upward.