Chapter 265: Humanity vs. Dragons

Rinro's laughter was as chilling as the winter wind, and behind him, countless ice shards shimmered like starlight. These razor-sharp fragments hovered momentarily in the air before surging toward Hayato like a meteor shower. The frost in their wake was so intense that even the air crystallized into ice.

"Behold the difference between humans and dragons!" Rinro growled, his voice brimming with disdain and confidence.

Standing on the slope of the grassy plains, Hayato bore a crazed grin. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, showing no hint of retreat. Instead, his battle spirit burned even hotter. Gripping his twin blades tightly, he roared like a beast pushed to its limits:

"You hurt Usagi, and I'll make sure you die without a grave!!!"

The ice shards came like a torrential storm. Hayato took a decisive step forward, his footfall shattering the ground beneath him. He swung his twin blades in rapid arcs, leaving trails of searing light that collided with the incoming shards, resulting in deafening explosions. But even as he fought back, the frigid air suppressed his movements, and his stamina drained at an alarming rate. Frost crept up his legs like chains, trying to lock him in place.

"Hayato, run! Please, just run!!" Usagi's voice trembled with desperation, tears streaking down her face. She struggled to rise, but her wounds left her too weak. She could only watch in helpless agony as Hayato was swallowed by the icy storm.

"Run?" Hayato grinned maniacally. "I, Hayato, would rather die than leave my beloved Usagi behind!!!"

Just as the ice vortex was about to consume him completely, Hayato let out a thunderous roar. He crossed his twin blades and, in a violent burst, shattered the surrounding ice, turning it into a mist of snow. His breath came in ragged gasps, his body covered in wounds, but the fire in his eyes burned more fiercely than ever.

Rinro narrowed his gaze, unable to hide his disbelief and rage. A proud dragon warrior, reduced to such a state by a mere human—this was nothing short of humiliation.

Hayato lowered his head, panting, his twin blades trembling slightly in his grip, reflecting the faint moonlight. His body was drenched in blood, his tattered clothes clinging to his battered frame. And yet, those crazed, unyielding eyes sent an unsettling shiver down Rinro's spine.

"You… you dare make me look like this?" Rinro gritted his teeth, barely containing his fury.

At that moment, a distant train rumbled across the tracks, its lights briefly illuminating the plains. The fleeting glow passed over Hayato's face—and in the next instant, his figure vanished.

Rinro blinked, but quickly smirked. He knew Hayato wasn't the type to hide, nor would he resort to sneaky ambushes. Still, he remained alert, scanning his surroundings, waiting for the lunatic's next move.

"Where is he?"

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air—"whoosh!" A twin blade shot toward Rinro's face. However, against a dragon's impenetrable scales, the strike was meaningless. Rinro sneered and swatted the blade away effortlessly.

Yet the moment the weapon was deflected, Hayato spun mid-air and snatched it back, immediately launching it again in a curving trajectory toward Rinro.

Rinro scoffed, sidestepping with ease. But just as he turned his head, the second blade rebounded from an unseen angle—

"Tch, the same old tricks." Rinro muttered in annoyance, his eyes tracking the weapon's path. He calmly raised his palm and smacked it away again.

Only this time, Hayato was already there, catching the blade the moment it was deflected.

Rinro's expression darkened. At first, he thought Hayato's attacks were mindless flailing, but now, something felt… off. He tried to analyze Hayato's movements, but each time he hesitated, even for a split second, his reaction speed slowed.

And then Hayato struck.

His speed defied logic. In a blur, he lunged forward, his twin blades aimed straight for Rinro's head! Rinro's pupils contracted as he narrowly dodged the fatal blow, but then—

Crack—!

A single dragon scale shattered, splintering into the air.

Rinro's eyes widened. He reached up, touching his cheek where the scale had once been—his flawless defense was now marred by a bare, exposed patch of skin… and blood.

"You…!!" Rinro's voice trembled with fury. His dragon eyes quivered in disbelief. "What just happened? How did you—?!"

Hayato licked the blood from his lips, his voice hoarse yet exhilarated: "You think you're strong, dragon? Let's see how mighty you are once I strip you of all your scales!"

Rinro's body tensed. His clenched fists betrayed his boiling rage. He had dismissed Hayato as a mere insect, but now… now, he felt something else.

A sliver of fear.

Hayato moved like a demon, darting around Rinro in a frenzy. His twin blades never stopped, constantly thrown, retrieved, and thrown again, tracing erratic yet precise paths through the air. Each attack came at unpredictable angles. Though they failed to pierce Rinro's armor, they continuously chipped away at his patience.

Rinro's gaze turned glacial. He focused entirely on tracking Hayato's movements, determined to end this ridiculous farce. But the more he watched, the more an unsettling realization crept into his mind—Hayato's movements had a pattern, a calculated rhythm.

Just as Rinro tried to decipher it, Hayato's speed doubled—no, tripled! His movements blurred beyond recognition. Rinro felt as if time itself had slowed for him, his reactions dulled, his body sluggish.

"This… what kind of trick is this?!"

Hayato didn't answer. He just grinned wildly, his twin blades carving burning arcs in the frozen air as he lunged once more. Sparks flew as his relentless strikes clashed against Rinro's hardened scales, creating a dazzling display of fire and ice. Though the dragon's armor remained unbroken, the sheer frequency of the attacks rattled him.

Rinro roared, his dragon claws sweeping across the battlefield in an attempt to swat Hayato down. But every time he struck, Hayato had already moved, already found a new angle to attack from. It was as if Rinro was trying to swat at a phantom, his massive frame struggling to keep up with a force he couldn't grasp.

"Damn you! What is this?! Why doesn't my ice affect you?!"

Hayato said nothing, his laughter the only answer. His crimson eyes burned with wild exhilaration, his hands gripping his blades tighter as he whispered:

"A dragon that can't catch its prey… is just a joke."