Awakening

A rose of blood, or so the books would often depict the image before Velvet's eyes. Yet she felt it was disgusting and horrifying. The thick scent of iron and a sweet aroma flowed with his blood, spraying her body.Hundreds of sharp icicles grew from the ground, impaling Asmodeus. The deadly ice penetrated his arms, chest, legs and neck, holding his body in the air motionless.

'Heh?!' Velvet's mind became stunned—the moment the dragon's magic erupted, she slipped, avoiding a blade of ice aimed at her throat. A thin stream of blood the width of a string dripped down her neck, showing how close it came to killing her.

However, the moment before the magic struck, a powerful hand pushed her back. Her eyes narrowed, looking at the extended hand now stabbed from all directions by ice.

"A...Asmodeus? You're joking as usual, right...?"