Chapter 28 : The Lawsuit (3)

Blue Dragon Bacalion was the eldest son of the great lord of the Blue Clan—a dragon hailed as the next successor to the throne.

Born with a golden spoon in his mouth and blessed with extraordinary talent to match, his life—no, his dragon life—was a glittering red carpet rolled out before him. An infuriatingly perfect prodigy, the kind that made others grit their teeth just by existing.

Perhaps that’s why, out of all his many siblings, Bacalion received the most affection, attention, and expectations—not just from his parents but from the entire Blue Clan. As a result, his pride and ego grew day by day, reaching dizzying heights.

At the time, he had no idea. He couldn’t even begin to imagine.

That the arrogance he had unknowingly nurtured would one day drag him down into the abyss.

Blinded by his own fame and skill, he grew overconfident. And in the end, he fell—spectacularly.

He’d been so consumed by anger that he hadn’t even properly checked who his opponent was before launching into a fight that had a predetermined outcome.

──And so, Bacalion, now disgraced, had locked himself up in his lair to spend some peaceful time in self-reflection. Ever since Olivia had beat him to a pulp.

Then, one day, his mother paid a surprise visit, wanting to lift her son’s spirits without prior notice.

That was the moment everything went wrong.

What could’ve ended with just one solid punch turned into a catastrophe.

“!? M-My son!!? Your… your face—what happened to your face!?”

“Mom!? What are you doing here!?”

His jaw was sunken, his snout twisted out of shape, and his horn—broken clean off.

Silin, Bakalion’s mother and wife to the Blue Dragon Lord, froze as she stared at her one and only son. Her eyes widened in horror.

This wasn’t the kind of injury one got from tripping or bumping into something.

There was only one being capable of physically harming a dragon—another dragon.

“Which godforsaken little sh*t laid their filthy claws on my beautiful son’s face?!”

Silin, who doted on Bacalion more than any of her children, was on the verge of exploding. Her son had been assaulted—by some unknown dragon, no less—and came back with a face that looked like a botched plastic surgery job. What kind of mother wouldn’t be furious?

She sobbed and gently cupped his swollen eyelid.

“Oh, oh my poor handsome boy… how could they do this to your perfect face…?! You don’t look like a dragon anymore, you look like a… like a drake…!! Hrrk… sob…”

“…Mom, I didn’t even get hit there.”

Silin flinched, then shrieked.

“T-The shock must’ve spread to your whole face! Oh my sweet child, how much did it hurt, my baby…!”

Bacalion pulled a sour expression.

“This isn’t the time for tears. Tell me who did it. Who dared lay a claw on the heir of the Blue Clan? Tell me their name! I’ll hunt that bastard down and—!”

“Lady Olivia.”

“──…do absolutely nothing to her! Haha, let’s think of other, less fatal ways, dear!”

Even if the opponent was strong, backing down like cowards would mean letting the Blue Clan’s honor be trampled. That was unacceptable.

Especially when the attacker was none other than the Black Dragon—long-time nemesis of the Blue Clan. This wasn’t just about personal pride anymore. It was about legacy.

They couldn’t lie down and play dead. Even if they were to lose, they had to at least try. That was the way of dragons.

Silin reported everything to her husband, the Blue Dragon Lord, Leviathan. He too, was furious.

“WHAT’S THAT BASTARD’S NAME?! I’LL SUMMON A THUNDERSTORM RIGHT NOW AND BLAST HIS HEAD OFF—!”

“It was Lady Olivia, dear.”

“──…and I won’t, obviously. But we’ll take this to court! Petition the Ancient Dragon Lord! Rally the entire clan!”

Justice. By the book.

“N-No!! Mom! Dad! Please, cancel the lawsuit!! Do you want the Blue Dragons to go extinct!?”

“Don’t worry, my son! The wise Ancient Dragon Lord will see the truth and grant us justice!”

“Yes, you just stand there and look pitiful, that’s all. Show him your bruises.”

“NO, I’M TELLING YOU—I’M GOING TO DIE!!!”

Despite Bacalion’s desperate pleas, the unstoppable fury of his parents trampled over reason. Before he knew it, the lawsuit had already been filed.

“Sh*t… Sh*t…!! F**king hell!!!”

Bacalion was on the brink of madness. He even briefly considered offering his parents as sacrifice and running away—a blasphemous thought.

***

The day of the trial.

Deep within the lair of the Ancient Dragon Lord, in a vast clearing, a small group of blue-haired people had gathered at the edge.

At the center sat a towering Black Dragon—at least twenty times larger than Bacalion. In his right hand, he held a peculiar, brown-hued hammer.

Soon, a tall, blue-haired man approached and placed a hand over his heart before bowing slightly to the dragon.

“I greet you, Ancient Dragon Lord.”

“[Leviathan, is it? It’s been a while.]”

Though the Blue and Black Dragons were sworn enemies, this was a matter of law. Lord and vassal. Personal grudges had no place here.

“Please, Lord, I ask only for a fair trial.”

He emphasized fair, his voice laced with subtle hostility.

Everyone knew Olivia was the Ancient Dragon Lord’s only daughter. Leviathan wasn’t going to let emotions sway the judgment.

In truth, he was dying to shout: “How the hell did you raise your daughter?!”

“[I’ll do my best.]”

To an outsider, the response might have sounded rude, but Leviathan simply nodded and took his seat.

Aquila rested his chin on one claw and swallowed the rest of his thought.

‘──What I mean is, I’ll do my best to stop my daughter from massacring you all.’

Just then, Aquila narrowed his crimson eyes and looked toward the entrance.

“[…………She’s here.]”

BOOM!!!!!

A thunderous explosion, like a volcano erupting, echoed throughout the clearing.

It was the long-awaited arrival of the defendant.

In an instant, two figures appeared in the center of the clearing.

“[…Ahem! Defendant, please take your seat──]”

“You f*cking bastards!!!”

Aquila had tried to lighten the mood with a polite cough, intending to speak to Olivia—

“Those motherf*cking sons of b*tches dared to serve me a lawsuit!!!!!???”

Yeah, good luck with that.

Clutching the white-haired boy tightly in her arms, her blood-red eyes blazing with fury, she roared.

“You f*ckers!!! You’re all getting your damn reverse scales ripped out today—every single one of them, you f*cking sons of b*tches!!!!!! F*CK!!!!!!”

Shiver—

Overwhelming.

Pure, unfiltered domination.

A suffocating presence that only a true apex predator could emit.

The sheer killing intent and wrath of the black dragon—so immense it was beyond comprehension—froze every dragon present in place.

Even her own father.

Only the chilling sensation crawling up their spines reminded them they were still alive.

Dante slowly closed his eyes and thought of the one word that summed up the situation.

She slayed.