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Roy wasn't very good at close-quarters combat unless he was using a sword.
But he wasn't planning to fight seriously anyway.
He easily dodged Ilulu's attacks, then swiftly slapped her flame pouch.
Slap!
The sound echoed through the subspace as a red mark appeared on her pale skin.
"Damn it!" Although Ilulu wasn't particularly modest, being slapped was still humiliating.
She lunged at Roy again, but he simply slapped her flame pouch again.
Having been defeated by Tohru earlier that day, Ilulu hadn't fully recovered yet.
That's why Roy could easily toy with her.
He dodged her attacks while landing a few slaps of his own.
Ilulu was getting frustrated.
"Damn Devil, stop dodging!" she yelled, panting.
"Only an idiot wouldn't dodge. Alright, I'm done playing with you, little brat. See ya," Roy said with a chuckle, deciding not to bully her too much.
....
They returned to the street.
"Pervert!" Ilulu shouted as Roy turned to leave, glaring at him and rubbing her sore flame pouch.
"Hey, don't say that!" Roy exclaimed, embarrassed by the stares from the surrounding people.
"You're only helping Tohru because you want her body, aren't you?" Ilulu accused, as if she had seen through him.
"How about helping me instead? If you help me defeat Tohru, I'll let you do whatever you want to me," she offered with a sly grin, pressing her ample bosom against him.
"Your... assets are quite impressive. But I won't help you defeat Tohru. She's my wife," Roy replied, unfazed by her seductive offer, though he couldn't help but be impressed by her... size. Up close, it was even larger than he had imagined.
"Wife?" Ilulu tilted her head, confused.
"Yes," Roy confirmed with a nod.
"Hmm..." Ilulu pondered his words for a moment, then declared, "If you help me, I'll become your wife too."
Roy was taken aback. Did she even know what a "wife" was?
"...." He shook his head and turned to leave.
"Wait..." But Ilulu wouldn't give up. She followed him.
....
Roy decided to take her to a food street.
Ilulu's mouth watered as she smelled the delicious aromas.
"Want some?" Roy asked with a smile.
"I-I would never eat human food," Ilulu retorted, crossing her arms and turning away with a stubborn expression.
Roy chuckled.
He bought some grilled skewers from a stall.
"Want to try some?" he asked, holding the skewers before her.
Ilulu's eyes followed the skewers, and she finally couldn't resist. She took a bite, swallowing the meat and even the skewer.
Roy stared at her in surprise.
'She's quite the glutton,' he thought.
"Delicious!" Ilulu exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the remaining skewers.
"Here, these are all for you," Roy said, handing her the rest of the meat.
Ilulu devoured them without hesitation.
"You probably don't have any friends here, do you, Ilulu? Order whatever you want. It's my treat," Roy offered.
"Hmph! I don't need friends. You can't bribe me with a few skewers," Ilulu retorted, though she continued to accept the food he offered.
Roy shook his head. He knew that Ilulu, whose parents had been killed by humans when she was young, wouldn't trust others easily.
...
After exploring the food street, Roy took Ilulu to a park.
"I can't accept it.." Ilulu suddenly declared.
"Huh?" Roy looked at her curiously.
"How can a Devil be friends with humans? And Tohru too... Being with humans will only bring pain due to your differences," Ilulu explained, munching on a grilled squid skewer. "That pain will turn into hatred, and eventually, humans will be destroyed."
"Oh? You seem to understand quite a bit," Roy commented, surprised by her insightful words.
"You're just fascinated by novelty."
"Well, that's true," Roy admitted with a chuckle.
"See? You agree with me." Ilulu was pleased.
"But we won't be staying in the human world forever. It's just temporary," Roy explained.
"Eh?" Ilulu was confused.
She had just argued that Dragons and Devils would develop hatred for humans if they stayed in the human world for too long.
After all, living among humans meant forming bonds with them.
And if those human friends were hurt or killed by other humans, it would naturally lead to resentment and hatred.
In extreme cases, it could even lead to the destruction of the human world.
So, Ilulu's concerns weren't entirely unfounded.
But Roy and the others weren't planning to stay here permanently.
Roy would eventually return to the Underworld, where there were no humans, only Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels.
Ilulu's argument didn't apply to him.
...
Seeing Ilulu's silence, Roy stood up. "Well then, I should be going now."
Ilulu reached out to stop him, but the words caught in her throat.
She watched as Roy left the park, feeling a pang of loneliness.
After all these years, Roy was the first person who had talked to her so openly and treated her with kindness.
"I've found you, Ilulu, the Chaos Dragon," a cold voice suddenly said.
Ilulu turned and saw a man with two horns standing before her.
"So the Harmonizers have come for me," she said, her eyes filled with hostility.
"I am Clemene, from the Harmony faction. You're going to die. Remember my name when you're judged in the afterlife. It'll be a great honor," Clemene sneered.
"Damn it..." Ilulu glared at him, then turned to run.
At her full strength, she could easily crush this opponent.
But she was injured and no match for this Dragon.
She had no choice but to flee.
However, in her weakened state, she couldn't escape.
Clemene chased after her relentlessly, like a cat toying with a mouse.
He intended to finish her off when she was exhausted.
They ran through the streets, ending up in a deserted alley.
Ilulu, her strength depleted, collapsed.
"Chaos Dragon, you will die by my hand! Hahaha!" Clemene cackled, his face contorted with malice.
"Is that so? I was going to say the same to you. You will die by my hand," a voice declared from behind him.
"Who's there?" Clemene turned around, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Roy?!" Ilulu, seeing Roy, burst into tears of relief.
Roy knelt beside her, gently wiping away her tears. "Don't cry, Ilulu. I'm here now. No one can hurt you."
Ilulu's tears flowed even more freely.
"Roy! Waaah!" She threw her arms around him, overcome with emotion.
"There, there, Ilulu, don't cry," Roy comforted her, patting her back.
Just then, he heard a whooshing sound behind him.
It was Clemene, launching a sneak attack.
Roy saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye.
"Mahapadma!"
Time froze.
Only Roy could move.
He picked up Ilulu, turned around, and smirked at Clemene, who was inches away from him.
He then appeared behind Clemene.
Snap!
Time resumed.
Clemene found that his target had vanished.
He looked around but couldn't find Roy.
"I'm behind you," Roy said calmly, his hand resting on Clemene's shoulder.
Clemene's body stiffened.
He tried to move, but he couldn't.
"Absolute Zero."
Ice spread from Roy's hand, encasing Clemene's lower body.
It quickly reached his neck.
"Please spare me! I won't do it again!" Clemene pleaded.
But the ice didn't stop. It reached his mouth, silencing him.
Crack!
Clemene's frozen body shattered into countless ice crystals.
"It's alright now, Ilulu," Roy said, patting her back.
"Don't leave me again!" Ilulu clung to him, her eyes filled with fear.
Roy's departure earlier had left her feeling incredibly lonely.
After all, he was the first person in years who had talked to her so openly and treated her with kindness.
"I won't leave you. Come home with me," Roy said gently.
"Okay!" Ilulu nodded, tears streaming down her face.
"You can make lots of friends when we get home," Roy said, taking her hand and leading her away.
Ilulu was lonely. She had once had human friends, but then they had been killed by other humans.
She was a pitiful dragon.
"Really?" Ilulu looked at him with hope in her eyes.
"Of course." Roy nodded with a smile.
...
Back at the apartment...
"Roy, you're finally back!" Tohru exclaimed, rushing to greet him.
"Honestly, if you hadn't come back soon, Tohru would have gone out to find you," Lucoa added with a playful glare.
"Roy, who is she?" Kanna asked, tugging at his sleeve and pointing at the girl behind him.
Tohru and the others also noticed Ilulu.
"Ilulu?"
"Why are you here?"
Tohru and Elma glared at Ilulu with hostility.
"Relax, I brought her back with me," Roy said calmly, patting their heads.
They calmed down.
"Why did you bring Ilulu back, Roy?" Tohru asked, confused.
Ilulu was their enemy.
"Let me explain." Roy chuckled and told them about Ilulu's past and her encounter with Clemene.
Hearing about her tragic past and near-death experience, Tohru and the others felt sympathy for Ilulu.
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