[The stench is coming from both of them…]

Dustin clenched his teeth on the sharp claws digging into his body. Fortunately, the good news was that Dean’s situation was no different from his own. The dragon held the two men, each with its left and right claws, and slammed them into the ground. Then, with sharp yellow pupils rolling, it examined them closely.

Both humans were emitting the dreadful stench that the dragon despised.

[Vile humans, now resorting to cloning techniques.]

The dragon spoke with a tone that clearly expressed its dislike.

Dustin felt deeply uncomfortable. Despite insisting he wasn’t the same man, the dragon refused to listen. Even if he cuts off Dean’s head, there wasn’t enough time to reach Andra. Dustin was becoming increasingly anxious with the dragon intervening and hindering his actions.

“I told you, it’s not me!”

[Shut up! Foolish creature. Did you dare mock me with your mouth? All this time Lady Anat spared you. Did you really think I would let you live?]

The dragon roared, exposing its large and sturdy fangs. Once inside its mouth, it would be challenging to come out in one piece. Once bitten, the entire body would contort and puncture. Surviving would be difficult. Once again, Dustin realized that the dragon was a legendary being.

However, Dustin prioritized Andra’s safety over his own life.

“She’s in danger, I tell you! Let go now, I have to kill that bastard!”

[I told you to shut up! So talkative when you’re the same.]

“Ugh…!”

The dragon pressed Dustin harder against the ground with its engulfing claws. An immense strength poured down on Dustin. If he wasn’t an awakened, his bones would have already contorted, possibly leading to his death.

Dustin gritted his teeth once again. Somehow, he needed to convince the dragon to release him so he could deal with Dean and reach Andra.

[Let’s see, you’re just like that guy.]

The dragon, noticing Dean pinned under its left claw, emitted a fiery breath. Dean, who had stolen its fire and fled, was now caught. There was no way the dragon would forget a thief who had taken its fire. If it weren’t for Anat’s intervention, the dragon would have died helplessly. Losing its fire was equivalent to losing its life.

[Thief, did you think you could steal my fire and get away with it?]

“Ha, I didn’t know you’d bring up something already settled.”

[Keep talking! You’re clueless about your own mistakes! Fine, I’ll start by eating you.]

Dean’s arrogant response prompted the dragon’s yellow pupils to glitter ominously. The dragon swept its tongue over its lips. Humans weren’t a particularly tasty meal, but it wasn’t something inedible either.

The dragon widened its mouth as if it was about to swallow Dean whole. Dozens of sharp teeth gleamed menacingly. It wasn’t an appetizing sight, but Dean’s crimes were enough to warrant such punishment.

“You might regret eating me now.”

Dean opened his mouth with a shameless expression. The dragon snorted in response. The human man was just saying anything so he wouldn’t be eaten. It seemed uninterested in Dean’s weird talk.

The disgrace it suffered from the human man was enough, just having its fire taken from it.

“Do you want to see Lady Anat again? Do you happen to know where Lady Anat has gone?”

[I don’t know that? Do you think I wouldn’t know that Lady Anat is currently in Hezel? Look at you, rolling your head because you don’t want to die. Stop the nonsense and just accept your fate.]

“Hezel, do you know who’s there?”

The dragon, who had opened its mouth to swallow Dean, abruptly stopped at Dean’s continuing words. The dragon’s saliva dripped onto his face. Dean grimaced and continued speaking.

“You’d be surprised to know who’s waiting for Lady Anat there.”

[How audacious…]

“Now is not the time to hold me captive. We need to go to Lady Anat.”

[Shut up will you?!]

The dragon roared and closed its gaping mouth. It stared down at Dean with eyes gleaming with intense and sharp murderous intent, making it nearly impossible for an ordinary person to maintain composure.

However, Dean continued speaking to the dragon looking completely unconcerned.

“Aren’t you curious about the true identity of the egg you’ve been carrying since you woke up? It’s something Lady Anat absolutely needs. Instead of doing this, you should deliver it to Lady Anat right away.”

[How can I trust your words? I can’t believe the words of someone like you who betrayed Lady Anat once.]

The dragon knew the consequences of the human man’s actions after betraying Anat. Anat, who had established the human kingdom Hezel with the human man, directed all her love and attention towards Hezel. As a result, the dragons and other creatures became pushed back.

They prayed for Anat to return to them, but Hezel, built with the stolen fire and magic from the gods, was not easily accessible to other creatures.

Although the dragon, who shared a part of god’s authority, could enter Hezel anytime and meet Anat, it couldn’t bring itself to ask Anat to come back. The dragon saw Anat happy with the human man while observing Hezel, and it wished for her happiness to last forever.

[If it weren’t for you…]

However, the problem always lay with the human man.

Since he stole the fire and fled, the primordial god had a disdain for the human man whom Anat praised and protected. It wasn’t easy to harm him because Anat supported and sheltered him. Nevertheless, the primordial god always wanted to bring her daughter back to her.

However, the god couldn’t directly intervene in the world. It was a rule set by the primordial god herself and one that no god could violate.

Thus, a saddened primordial god was approached by one of her daughters, who conveyed a piece of information. She told her that Anat, by descending and using her wisdom to help humans, founding Hezel, had already broken the rules. So, they were also allowed to intervene in the world. The daughter gently comforted the primordial god.

Thus, the primordial god allowed her daughter to intervene in Hezel. Unable to simply separate the human man, whom Anat was in love with, the primordial god devised a clever plan. She commanded that a trial be imposed on the human man, ensuring that Anat could never return to the human man.

Upon hearing this command, her daughter, Nera, the god of greed and conflict, readily nodded.

The dragon wanted to inform Anat about this revelation. Anat, it’s dangerous! Nera will separate you from the human man… Huh?

However, the dragon soon changed its mind. Wait a moment. Isn’t it a good thing if that human man is separated from Anat? Anat will return to normal, and she won’t be involved in governing Hezel, the kingdom of humans, anymore!

So, despite knowing this fact, the dragon kept quiet. However, the dragon overlooked how significant the impact of the human man’s departure would be on Anat.

[You ruined Lady Anat! Despite receiving grace, you betrayed Lady Anat! Daring to bring down a great god to the level of a human!]

“….”

[You even dare to mention Anat now? Shameless! I should have torn you apart ages ago!]

The human man, who underwent Nera’s trial, couldn’t overcome his greed, leading to conflicts with Anat. Eventually, he began to destroy Anat. Under the word ‘love’ he mercilessly wielded god.

In this process, it was inevitable that Anat’s heart was torn apart, and the god’s life force was extinguished. The god, who genuinely gave love once, was rendered utterly powerless against the one he had loved.

Despite calling it a trial, the dragon, who initially thought that the human man’s love for Anat would diminish due to greed and power, was astonished to witness the man persistently obsessing over Anat, as if a screw was loose somewhere.

The love the human man had for Anat was insanity. It was so extreme that it led him to bring down a god to the level of a human. Whether such love could be called love is uncertain.

[Because of you, Lady Anat suffered unimaginable pain! If you knew what Lady Anat went through, you wouldn’t be able to blabber like this!]

As Anat deteriorated, the primordial god could no longer endure the anger. There was no reason to endure it.

The primordial god imposed a great punishment on Hezel and the human man. Not only did Hezel was annihilated in an instant, but the primordial god also made the humans repeat the same mistakes and regret it.

Furthermore, the main culprit, the human man, was plunged into eternal darkness. In the pitch-black abyss, where nothing was visible, he endlessly suffered, living with the torment inflicted upon him. It was the divine retribution imposed on the human man.

Suddenly, the world plunged into darkness. The dragon lost consciousness, and when it woke up, it was accompanied by a single egg.

“…So?”

At that moment, Dean, who had been silently listening to the dragon’s accusations, spoke up. The man’s red eyes were chillingly calm. He didn’t even blink in response to the dragon’s condemnation.

“Is it really all my fault? Can you be sure that everything happened solely because of me?”

[You’re still talking!]

The dragon, unable to contain himself, tightly crushed Dean’s body. A resounding crunch echoed as the man’s bones were compressed. However, Dean didn’t show the slightest change in his expression.

Despite the immense pain he must be enduring, he was no different from before. Enraged, the dragon grabbed him even tighter and slammed him forcefully onto the ground.

[This is all useless. I’ll definitely kill you today!]

The dragon opened its mouth wide.

__