C7

Let's dive into Chapter 7 of Scarlet Dragon King. The flames of creation and the whispers of madness have already touched Eric—but now, something colder comes. Older still. Inevitable.

This is where Death enters.

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Scarlet Dragon King – Chapter 7: The Final Lover

It was raining in Kuoh.

Not a storm. Not a drizzle.

A soft, steady rain that fell without sound. No thunder. No wind.

Just the gentle descent of stillness.

Eric stood alone on the rooftop of Kuoh Academy, eyes cast toward the horizon. The rain slid down his skin, ignoring the usual barrier his aura gave off. It was... different.

Each drop felt like a heartbeat stopping.

"She's here," he whispered.

Behind him, the door creaked open. Rias stepped through, but paused when she felt it.

The silence. The weight. The overwhelming sense of something watching—not with malice… but with finality.

"What is this?" she asked quietly.

Eric didn't turn. "The end. She walks like a poem no one dares finish."

And then she appeared.

Not from the sky.

Not from flame.

From nowhere.

She was simply there—at the edge of the rooftop, sitting atop the railing like a wraith in black silk.

Death.

A woman draped in shadows, pale skin glowing faintly beneath her dark hood. Her eyes weren't empty—they held the truth. Not cruelty. Not vengeance.

Just certainty.

She looked young. Ageless. Infinite. Her presence didn't demand attention—it erased the need for it.

Rias took a step back.

Eric? He stepped forward.

"I knew you'd come," he said.

Death tilted her head, her voice soft and surreal. "I come for all things. Even those who burn brighter than fate."

"Then why didn't you take me long ago?" he asked.

She stood in a single motion, hovering just inches from the rooftop floor. The rain stopped touching her. The world bent around her silence.

"Because you refused to die," she said. "And I found that... beautiful."

Eric's fists clenched. "So you watched."

"I watched you defy destruction. Deny destiny. Dance with divinity," she replied, her voice like moonlight. "You are not beyond me, Eric Aivor. But you are not beneath me, either."

She floated toward him, her eyes locked to his soul.

"You are a flame that does not flicker," she whispered. "And I... I am drawn to the fire."

Rias tried to step between them.

But Death raised a hand—and time froze around her.

Only Eric could move. Only Eric could speak.

She reached out, brushing a hand against his chest.

"I am not here to end you," she said. "I am here to walk with you. Until the very end of all things."

Eric stared into her eyes—seeing galaxies decay, stars collapse, civilizations vanish.

And within it all... her.

Always watching. Always waiting.

Now, finally choosing.

"You're one of them," he said. "One of the ten."

Death smiled—just once. "I always was."

And for the first time in eternity, the Reaper took a step toward life.