CLICHE Chapter 597: The True Dragon (Patreon)

After returning to the university, Asahi couldn't resist the opportunity to tease Leme and Saya during the ongoing lecture. But his playful moment was interrupted by the sight of a creepy eyeball creature floating outside the window. Gyoro Gyoro, also known as Psykos, sent one of her ‘drones’ to gather information on him.

“That revolting thing,” Saya exclaimed, pointing at the uninvited voyeur in the shape of an eyeball creature. “What the fuck is it?”

Sparks manifested around her clenched fists — a vivid display of her urge to incinerate the creature which intruded upon her cherished time with her husband. The lecture room was the only thing holding back her aggressive impulses.

“Psykos’s drone,” he said, conveying his thoughts through telepathy. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

Saya huffed in exasperation. “Psykos, Gyoro Gyoro, Orochi, Monster Lord, Hero Association… I’m gonna need a thesaurus to keep up with these names!”

He chuckled at her dramatic reaction before he waved at Gyoro Gyoro. “Psykos, you’re looking a little… slimy today. Not a fan of your new looks.”

Unperturbed, the eyeball creature, Gyoro Gyoro, continued its relentless staring, prompting nothing more than a frown from Asahi. Using his Telekinesis skill, he crushed the drone. Gyoro Gyoro’s spying didn’t worry him but there was a chance Psykos could get the information on the Order of Themes through the people around him. As things currently stood, the Order of Themes needed a stronger structure and more capable heroes to have any shot at competing with the Hero Association and surviving the monsters hiding beneath City-Z.

‘Venelana and Serafall will be an excellent addition.’

(Don’t forget about your angel wives. They’d be happy to assist you.)

‘I’ll visit them tonight.’

(Oh, my love, I just got a pickup call from one of your lovers. Take a guess.)

‘Ruby. She is probably getting chased by some Demon Lord or one of the four True Dragons.’

After his wedding with Klyscha, Ruby was sent on a solo adventure in the world of Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken (That time I reincarnated as a slime) — except Klyscha raised the world power by a straight two times multiplier to provide challenge for Ruby and himself. However, his intuition told him that Ruby wasn’t engaged in any battle.

(The Dragon of Dreams is having a fun moment. Hehe, I’m recording everything to show you later.)

Klyscha’s weird obsession of recording everything in his life was known to almost everyone around her. Still, he couldn’t help but chuckle whenever it was brought up.

(I was talking about Ddraig. She is ready to leave Tiamat’s lair.)

‘My dear masochist. Haven’t seen her since the wedding.’

The masochist dragon had gone to train with Tiamat since her friend had fallen behind in terms of raw power. From begging him for training to selflessly providing training to her Dragon King friend — Ddraig’s demeanor change was nothing short of remarkable, and it was mostly due to him and Klyscha.

‘You should bring her back.’

(Umu, how about a threesome with her and me?)

‘Sounds wonderful. I’ll leave convincing to you.’

(Anything for my love. Also, about Ruby, I can sync us with Ruby’s vision. We can watch her pov live.)

Her voice was dripping with excitement, a new experiment that she was evidently eager to conduct. And Asahi, always willing to indulge his lovers’ whims, readily agreed. He cast a glance at Saya, now peacefully adrift in dreams at her desk, her fiery spirit subdued into the serenity of slumber. Moments ago, she was ready to burn down the floating eyeball, and now, she was sleeping as if she hadn’t rested for days.

(This silly lass… she gets exhausted so easily.)

“Nee-chan, I’ll be gone for some time,” he said through telepathy. “Take care of my body.”

“With my life, Aa-kun.”

Shizuka’s resolve was so tangible that it seemed she would wage a war against the world to protect him without a second thought. Entrusting his physical form in her care, he permitted his consciousness to drift into another realm.

A blanket of darkness enveloped him that soon gave way to an ethereal landscape. He found himself meandering through a lush expanse of grass that swayed within an enormous, dark cavern. Myriad luminescent particles wafted through the air, creating a haven isolated from civilization. He assumed Ruby’s perspective in her memory — a neat trick Klyscha could pull off with ease through her bonds with him and Ruby.

Ruby’s stroll was soothingly calm, yet it was not one without a goal. As she walked by the shallow pondside, the cave grew brighter from the glow of the magic crystals, which were embedded on walls and ceiling. Her journey culminated in an eyecatching spectacle: a colossal dragon at rest, its form covered in steel-black scales. Contrary to his speculation of Ruby engaging in a battle against the Demon Lords, she had, instead, discovered the cave where Veldora was sealed.

(She chased his scent all the way to the forest.)

Ruby crossed her arms and released the seal placed upon her Dragon Aura. A maelstrom of might erupted around her, causing the entire cave to tremble from the manifestation of a True Dragon’s spiritual force.

The display of Dragon Aura naturally roused Veldora, his immense form stirring. An initial tremor of what appeared to be fear rippled through him, only calming after a closer look at the visitor.

“You… are not Velgrynd.” Veldora’s voice directly echoed in Ruby’s mind. “Ahh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Silly me. Why would my hot headed sister seek me here? That being said, I truly did not expect my first guest to be one of my kin, and release such fearsome Dragon Aura. You aren’t a Spiritual Lifeform, yet your Dragon Aura resembles mine and my siblings — a True Dragon’s Aura coming from a Demi-Material Lifeform. I can’t appraise you even. How utterly fascinating of a being you are.”

Veldora's eyes sparkled with genuine intrigue as he studied Ruby. In soul and powers, she was close to the True Dragons of this world, as all Dragon Gods were avatars of nature in one sense or the other. However, Ruby’s flesh body separated her from other True Dragons, who were complete Spiritual Lifeforms — being of pure willpower and energy.

“It’s as if your flesh is halting your evolution into a True Dragonewt. Let me tell you something useful about being a Spiritual Lifeform. We never die. As long as our energy exists, we’ll not die. Even when killed by extremely powerful skills, we’ll be born somewhere in the world. Do not hesitate in abandoning your material body. Perhaps one day you’ll evolve into a Divine Dragon. Though, I must say even they pale in comparison to a True Dragon’s power!”

Ruby's grin widened as she stifled her aura. “So, I'm guessing you're one of these unbeatable True Dragons?”

“Indeed,” Veldora boasted as he towered over her. “I am of the True Dragon race—one of only four in the world, both unique and the most perfect of my kind. You will hereby know me as Veldora, the Storm Dragon!”

“Doesn’t change the fact you’re sealed far from humanity. You suffer a fate far worse than the birds trapped in cages.”

Veldora’s head drooped, a hint of gloom in his golden eyes. But he quickly perked up, laughing heartily. “I underestimated my opponent slightly. I eventually began fighting with, shall we say, more urgency, but… well, it was rather too late by then. Forget about that. Why don't you give a little introduction about yourself, Little One?”

“Little One? You have some nerve to belittle I, the Dragon of Dragons, the Glorious Red Dragon God of Dreams, the True Red Dragon God Emperor.”

Asahi couldn't help but chuckle at their banter, finding their squabble oddly endearing — like two kids arguing over whose favorite superhero was stronger.

“True Red Dragon God Emperor? You’re quite arrogant to hold yourself above all four True Dragons.”

“To be frank, I held those titles in my universe,” Ruby said. “Here, I’m nobody.”

Being prideful and fearless, Ruby was never going to hide her origins, and she did not need to. The concept of ‘otherworlders’ was known by almost everyone in this world. A group of thirty strong magicians could conduct the summoning ceremony over the course of three days. The otherworlders had left footprints all over the history of this world.

Veldora’s eyes widened. “You’re a visitor from another world. Indeed, your physiology and Dragon Aura do make sense now. However, I’m curious about your motivation for traveling here?”

“What do dragons love the most?”

“Hoarding treasures, terrorizing cities… and asserting the dominance of our species.”

“Dumbass. It’s achieving perfection and reaching the pinnacle, our rightful place.”

“Perfection? In our species, Big Brother is the closest to perfection…” Veldora placed his claw on his chin, recalling distant memories. “The first True Dragon, the most powerful of us all, was the Star King Dragon Veldanava.”

“Was? A pity that he passed away. He could've been a great challenge. Hold on a second, Veldora-chan. Didn’t you say spiritual beings will always reincarnate? Shouldn’t your brother be out there?”

Ruby’s eyes gleamed as she considered trading blows with Veldanava and evolving past her limits.

Veldora shook his massive head, a note of solemnity in his voice. “No dragon has emerged since Veldanava's passing. It’s as if... he desired it so. His mate Lucia must have caused him grief.”

“Oi, isn’t it soon to sing tragic backstories?” Ruby laughed. “What’s more, we haven’t decided how you’ll address me after I break that damn seal of yours?”

“It’s—”

Asahi's gaze followed Ruby's agile form, a blur as she darted forward and launched a flurry of punches, each wrapped in her Dragon Aura, against the dome barrier imprisoning Veldora. Her physical prowess was impressive, among the top warriors even in this world, but any physical attack was futile against the Unique Skill ‘Infinite Prison.’

Veldora tried to convince Ruby, but she remained steadfast, recklessly attacking the Prison.

‘Klyscha, send my body here.’

(Gotchu.)

***

So that will be the next world after One Punch Man. I'mma try to raise the pace from now to focus on the action there.