Lord of Caldera

The Hydra sneered at the mangled prey lying before it. Today had been a filthy day—a rival dragon had dared to intrude on its territory, and while the Hydra had shredded the intruder into pieces, its rage remained unquenched. To make matters worse, a peculiar, unsettling aura emanated from the prey it had intended to devour.

However, upon closer inspection, that feeling of unease melted away.

Sniff, sniff.

The Hydra's nine heads inhaled the prey's scent, picking up a hint of something sweet amidst the unpleasant odor. Instinctively, it knew—this was nourishment. It had encountered this sweet smell a few times before, and each time it consumed such prey, it had evolved, growing larger and stronger.

Hissss.

All nine reptilian heads grinned. Such fortune! This scent was stronger and richer than anything it had encountered before. The sweetness radiated from deep within the prey's chest, where a heartbeat pulsed with tantalizing energy.

Chomp.

Five heads opened their mouths simultaneously. Prey like this required careful handling. Too rough, and much of the precious nourishment would be lost. The Hydra planned to tear off the limbs and decapitate it first, then swallow the body whole, allowing the heart to digest slowly inside. This would ensure that none of its nutrition was wasted. As the Hydra cautiously approached, ready to prepare its precious meal—

Slash!

The Hydra squinted. Something had flashed before its eyes. Confused, it scanned the area with its nine heads and quickly realized a disturbing fact: one of its heads was missing. The neck was so cleanly severed that it hadn't even felt pain.

Thud.

Shrieeek!

The severed head hit the ground as the Hydra wailed in agony. A burning pain surged through the stump of the neck.

Hiss! Hiss!

Who had done this? What creature had struck it? Yet, there was no predator in sight. Instead, a faint whisper reached its ears.

"A dragon, hmm?"

…!

All of the Hydra's heads turned toward the voice. It was coming from the mangled prey it had discarded. In the prey's hand was a thin, sharp blade. Had it used that to slice its head off? The prey dared to attack?

Roar!

Eight of the Hydra's heads screamed in fury. This was the same prey that had been unable to put up a fight earlier. The Hydra would crush it again. Yet, just as it prepared to lunge, it hesitated.

"Different species or not, a dragon is a dragon."

Hiss…

The prey muttered softly, its eyes gleaming. An instinctive chill ran down the Hydra's spine, and all its heads recoiled. Something was wrong. Was this the same prey from moments ago? No. This wasn't the aura of prey—it was the presence of a predator. A dragon-slaying predator.

"In that case…" the figure murmured, holding the blade with a deadly calm.

"…let dragons die."

Slash!

Hiss! Hiss!

Since Sylas had regained consciousness, the battle played out as it had before—relentless attacks by a fierce predator, with the other forced to dodge endlessly. But only one thing had changed: the roles of predator and prey were now completely reversed.

Roar!

"Enough with the noise."

One of the Hydra's heads lunged at a vulnerable spot, attempting a surprise attack from Sylas's blind side. Without looking, he swung his blade in its direction.

Slash!

Another head erupted in a fountain of blood, the vertical cut nearly splitting it in two. Though the Hydra's regenerative powers managed to reattach it, any closer, and it would have been severed entirely.

Tremble.

Despite the fear creeping up its spine, the Hydra continued its assault, though not by choice. Every time the creature swung that thin blade, it left deep, dangerous wounds, even when little force was used. If the predator managed to land a full-powered strike, it wouldn't just lose another head—its body could be cleaved in half.

Slash!

Hiss! Hiss!

"Are you incapable of learning, or do you enjoy the pain?" Sylas scoffed as he cut down the attacking heads one after another. The Hydra's pupils narrowed with rage, seemingly stung by the mockery.

But the Hydra had a plan. If it could keep this up, the prey would eventually tire. Then, in its weakened state, it could be cornered and killed.

An hour passed.

Slash!

The Hydra let out a high-pitched shriek and withdrew. How? Why? Why wasn't this creature exhausted? Any other beast would have collapsed by now from sheer fatigue. Sylas caught the look in the Hydra's eyes and smirked.

"Looks like you're the one who's exhausted. Having trouble regenerating?"

Hisss…

Even as he finished speaking, a wound on one of the Hydra's heads failed to close, tearing open instead. At that moment, an intense hunger and weakness flooded the Hydra's body. Lacking both nourishment and stamina, the creature's face finally betrayed a hint of fear.

Hiss, hiss…

"Finally feeling a bit of fear? Too late for that now."

A chilling smile formed on Sylas's lips as he watched the Hydra. Realizing the dire situation, the Hydra shifted one of its remaining heads to scan for an escape route. It still had a single teleportation left—an ability it had possessed since birth, allowing it to move within its line of sight up to three times a day. Having already used it once in the fight with the Flame Dragon and once more to reach this lair, it had just one use remaining. It needed to flee from the terrifying creature before it!

"Not so fast."

Slash!

Shrieeeek!

But Sylas was quicker. With a deft swing, his sword took another of the Hydra's heads. Only now did the Hydra realize the truth—it hadn't been fending off Sylas's best attacks this entire time. No, Sylas had been toying with it, observing its desperate attempts like a predator watching a struggling insect.

"That's more like it. This is what it means to be a dragon."

My… my master… the enchanted sword murmured in shock, questioning whether the person wielding it could truly be its master. Sylas seemed almost possessed.

Without glancing down, Sylas muttered, "Silence. I'm enjoying myself. A tool should not speak."

Yes… yes, my master…

"All a sword needs to do is serve its wielder," he said, lifting the blade, "just like this." Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

What… what are you doing…? Aghh!