Beating This Big Little Girl Someday Looked Tough, Too

Although Agatha had already said there was a Bamokangla underwater, the others remained skeptical.

Even a juvenile Bamokangla was at least fourth-ring rank.

A bunch of hatchlings like them would be serving themselves up on a platter. Even Agatha would be no match.

Hatchlings were still only hatchlings, after all.

Seeing the big red dragon head toward the bank, White Chubby took a step forward too.

She had barely taken that step before she found herself stuck. Looking back, she saw Green Chubby holding her tail.

"Hm-da?"

"Behave. From now on, you're staying beside me."

"Hm-da~"

Her round dragon head bobbed, and White Chubby obediently lay down, her sparkling slit pupils fixed on Chaos.

Listening to Green Chubby = getting food.

Looking at her, Chaos reached out a claw and stroked her round white head, then returned his attention to the scarlet figure walking toward the riverbank.

[Shuffle~]

Agatha moved slowly. As she approached the bank one step at a time, she gradually lowered her body.

Her scarlet pupils had already narrowed into a state of heightened alertness, leaving only fine slits.

At the riverbank, Agatha crouched low and slowly brought her head toward the water.

[Splash!]

Without any warning, a thick black tentacle shot out of the tranquil water.

Prepared for it, Agatha tilted her head aside. The tentacle's ambush swept past her Red Dragon head without hitting.

Having dodged the attack, Agatha immediately retaliated.

Her scarlet jaws opened, and her sharp, snow-white teeth easily pierced the tentacle's rough black skin. Dark green fluid spilled out at once.

With the tentacle clenched in her jaws, a savage gleam rose in her scarlet eyes. The next moment, she violently jerked her Red Dragon head.

Sheer brute force tore the tentacle apart, exposing tender pink flesh still connected by thin strands.

The severed tentacle withdrew underwater.

The next moment, bubbles rose across the calm water, making it churn.

[Blub, blub, blub!]

Having landed her blow, Agatha backed away a few steps, but not all the way-only five or six meters. Her scarlet slit pupils calmly watched the now-churning water in a blatant challenge.

She knew the Bamokangla underwater could certainly sense her position.

So...

[Sploosh!]

Ten tentacles shot out of the water, fast as lightning. Fanning out around Agatha, they sealed off every escape route in an instant.

But she had never intended to retreat.

Her jaws opened, and scarlet dragon breath surged out.

Flames instantly engulfed two tentacles.

The two tentacles covered by her dragon breath immediately went limp and fell to the ground. Scarlet flames clung to them, burning relentlessly and threatening to spread farther.

The two tentacles withdrew into the water, but the flames coating them did not go out.

Soon, two severed tentacles burning with scarlet flames floated to the surface.

[Crack!]

A crack split the stone beneath her claws. The barely visible muscles on her Red Dragon limbs bulged as she exerted her strength.

Instead of retreating, Agatha advanced.

Pushing off with her hind claws, she instantly ripped through two tentacles with her foreclaws, then opened her Dragon Jaws, bit down on another, and tore hard.

[Rip~!]

In a single exchange, the Bamokangla lost three tentacles.

[Shuffle!]

After severing three tentacles, Agatha leaped backward. A second later, five tentacles drove like piling stakes into the rocky ground where she had just stood.

Before the tentacles could pull free, Agatha raised a claw and swept it across them. Flesh churned, and three severed tentacles dropped to the ground.

[Splash~!]

All the severed tentacle stumps withdrew into the water.

The constantly bubbling surface gradually grew calm again.

Clearly, the underwater Bamokangla had decided to behave.

Agatha stood at the water's edge for about a minute. Once she was certain the Bamokangla would not attack again, she turned around, still holding a tentacle over five meters long in her jaws.

Stamina burst, sharp dragon claws, strength enhancement, reaction enhancement, destructive dragon breath.

There were four talents he could identify alone.

Holy crap. What was this fully armored, agility-based assassin swinging a greatsword?

This big little girl really was getting more and more ferocious.

After watching the whole encounter, Chaos had decidedly mixed feelings.

The good news was that the big little girl was strong. On land, at least, she could fight a Bamokangla head-on. When they used the Water Snake Formation later, they would not have to fear the Bamokangla lashing out in desperation. He felt a little safer now.

The bad news was also that the big little girl was strong. His goal of defeating her just once seemed to have slipped a little farther out of reach.

In fact, Chaos was not the only one with mixed feelings. The twelve hatchlings were in much the same state.

Hatchlings: (ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!

Wait, Agatha was this strong?

Then what had all their earlier provocations amounted to?

[Thud~]

A violently torn-off tentacle landed heavily in front of Chaos.

"Eat!"

The savagery from the battle that had just ended had yet to fully fade from the big little girl's scarlet eyes.

He obediently bobbed his head.

Chaos quietly lowered his head and began gnawing. He did not forget White Chubby, either.

"White Chubby, come eat with me."

He beckoned to White Chubby with a claw.

White Chubby, lying on the ground, did not dare get up. She watched Agatha cautiously.

Agatha glanced at the White Hatchling without saying anything, then turned toward the remaining hatchlings.

Having confirmed Agatha's attitude, White Chubby slowly edged up beside Chaos. The instant she bit into the fragrant tentacle meat, her sparkling white pupils widened.

Agatha paid no attention to the two eating dragons, instead sweeping her gaze over the group of hatchlings.

Every hatchling her gaze passed over obediently lowered their head and lay flat on the ground.

Among Chromatic Dragons, this posture signified submission after a beating.

"Go bring all the food over," Agatha said.

No hatchling dared object at a time like this.

The twelve hatchlings rushed forward together, quickly gathering the seven remaining tentacles on the beach in the middle of the riverbank.

There was food now, but no dragon dared eat.

"Eat."

Leaving them with that word, Agatha beat her wings and flew toward the two pieces of tentacle meat floating on the water, still burning with scarlet flames.

Ignoring the flames, she reached out her claws and scooped up both pieces.

The burning scarlet flames did not spread onto Agatha.

As she neared the middle of the riverbank, Agatha released the tentacle meat from her claws.

[Scrape!]

The two pieces of tentacle meat struck the ground heavily and slid some distance.

As he gnawed, Chaos watched the big little girl land beside him.

She simply brushed her claw over the tentacle meat, and all the scarlet flames covering it flowed along her Red Dragon claw and vanished into it, as though answering some summons.

His emerald pupils narrowed slightly. Sure enough, the big little girl did not wield ordinary destructive dragon breath.

Ordinary destructive dragon breath generally ceased to be under a dragon's control the moment it left their mouth. The flames would keep burning until they consumed all the life force of whatever they covered. Taking them back directly, as the big little girl had done, was absolutely impossible.

A sudden sense of helplessness rose in his heart. Beating this big little girl someday looked tough, too.