< 147. There Are No Bad Dragons in the World (19) >
When it became known that Leo, the dragon widely known for seeking attention, had deviated from his usual route, none of his kin paid it much mind. In fact, few dragons were even aware of this fact.
In the heart of Hong Kong, divided by the narrow sea route roughly 1 km wide between the northern Kowloon Peninsula and the southern Hong Kong Island, Leo frequently appeared on Hong Kong Island. When he altered his trajectory and headed north, others thought it was just a whim. Given that Leo was a dragon beyond their comprehension, trying to understand his intentions was deemed pointless.
Among them, Kalliether made this observation:
"Does he want to put on a different kind of show today?"
She sighed lightly.
"Does he really want to attract attention even in these chaotic times? The psychology of wanting to be praised by non-draconic races... It only reinforces the notion that this is a type of deformity."
The latter part was something she did not realize, but it had already been conveyed to Min-jun through Road once before.
However, the feeling Min-jun had understood at that time was different from the tone she expressed now. The mocking and disdain for Leo were faint, replaced instead by a strong sense of bitterness.
Kalliether asked:
"Why is the probability so high that deformities are born among our kind?"
This was neither a rhetorical question nor a soliloquy.
Jenkins, who was listening nearby, answered:
"It's an unsolved mystery. Neither our ancestors nor theirs have been able to provide an answer."
After dismissing her subordinate who delivered the news and sinking back into thought, she said:
"The mystery needs to be solved, and the problem must be addressed. It's strange that no one is actively trying to resolve this phenomenon."
"Isn't that part of our ancient culture? With the noble blood of dragons, there is an old saying that dragons should not indulge in frivolous acts. The concept that dragon blood is not a subject for research. On Earth, it hasn't been banned by the Draconic Code, but there are few punitive measures."
Jenkins thought about it. He surmised that Jang Tae-jun had chosen Earth among many remote dimensions precisely because the regulations on dragon blood were less strict compared to other dimensions.
He probably anticipated that even if he were caught doing something with his own blood, it could be managed with some maneuvering.
However, discovering that he was researching a virus capable of infecting all dragons would be an unavoidable fate for punishment.
"But we can never solve the problem this way, can we?"
"Before solving it, many believe that discovering the problem itself is problematic."
It sounded like wordplay, but Jenkins was speaking the truth.
"The high incidence of deformities is likely a genetic issue. To resolve it, we would have to tamper with dragon DNA. I can already imagine the countless faces of high dragons recoiling at just the possibility of that. They would scream that dragons must never be subjects of modification. They believe that they are already perfect, beautiful, and noble creatures."
Even analyzing without altering the DNA would be problematic.
What if they were to identify only dragons without a risk of deformity through genetic research and then reveal that fact?
That would distort the choices around conception and childbirth.
It was an impossible situation. Dragons were not livestock. They were beings that should not be born through such selective means.
"A dragon is perfect?"
Kalliether countered his words.
"That claim can only be made after burying all those born with deformities in darkness. It's those who force the imperfect and flawed to remain hidden who make such statements. If they can't see it, it's as if it doesn't exist."
Jenkins detected a peculiar feeling from her words.
He also remembered that Kalliether's own child had been treated as a hatchling for an unusually long time even by dragon standards. No one outside the dragon kin had ever seen a hatchling, and that child was still being treated as one.
"I spoke out of turn. Let's return to the main topic."
After declaring her support for Jenkins, Kalliether was surprisingly proactive in assisting.
Today's meeting was to strategize for the upcoming election.
At the moment when the two dragons had abruptly changed the topic.
"Chairman Jenkins!"
"Lady Kalliether!"
Blair and Kalliether's attendants burst into the room simultaneously.
They brought more news about the dragon named Leo.
"What?!"
At that moment, other dragons were also receiving similar shocking news.
It was due to the path revealed when Leo completely crossed the narrow sea between Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island.
Unlike before, almost no dragon had not heard of Leo's new route. It had become critical information that many dragons' subordinates rushed to convey.
Leo was heading towards the Kai Tak Dimensional Leap Terminal.
"Why is he heading there?"
They pondered but no one immediately moved into action.
"The Hong Kong terminal is a facility with 100% of the shares owned by the Commission."
"The nearby airport is owned by the city's lord. Raymond must have already been informed of this."
Moreover, Leo was Raymond's son. Taking that fact into account, the dragons were observing the situation without intervening.
Even as Leo issued a command for introductions within the terminal.
=I'll say it again. Everyone, get out of the terminal! Unless you want to die!=
Leo's telepathic command penetrated the minds of everyone present.
The thunder dragon, cloaked in blazing lightning and having crossed the sea, had issued the order before even reaching the terminal.
It was nighttime, and there were no incoming or outgoing leapships from outer space to Hong Kong. With no passengers, most staff had left, and only security personnel remained in the darkened terminal area.
Although the facility and land were owned by the Commission, the managing entity was a terrestrial company, and the workers were Earthlings. They had no intention of fighting against a dragon demanding they flee out of anger and malice. Their work ethic did not include the virtue of fighting dragons. They were not so loyal to their employer as to risk their lives.
Thus, the security guards fled without exception.
Sizzle! Crackle!
Zzzzzt!
Sparks flew from between antler-like horns, and the lightning that emerged crackled across the scales, intensifying its power. The lightning surrounding him grew thicker and shone more intensely.
The dragon looked down. Since he had warned them in advance, the terminal was empty when he arrived.
Leo had never fought with all his strength against anyone in his life. He had no chance to do so as a hatchling, and even as an adult, he had interacted with only a few dragons. He had always been the one to concede during draconic disputes (usually about treasure ownership or insisting on not being wrong). He found the passionate nature of dragons' desires and battle instincts unpleasant.
So, today, Leo unleashed lightning with all his might for the first time.
Thunderous roar!
The result was something that shocked even him.
From above the Kai Tak Dimensional Leap Terminal, a cascade of blue light poured down.
Hong Kong citizens had never seen lightning of such magnitude before.
"Ahhh!"
"...Oh my God!"
Lightning struck the terminal site continuously and relentlessly.
The Commission had prepared a defense barrier against terrorism, but it was designed for plausible threats. Dragons were always an unrealistic threat, even to the Commission, which had assured that dragons' mouths would be muzzled with money after the war.
The artificial island began to shake.
Explosions followed, and buildings and land shattered and collapsed. The terrifying heat accompanied by lightning created a storm, raging across the land.
Leo felt both exhilaration and revulsion from the destruction he had caused. It was an unimaginable sight for a dragon of his age. If non-draconic beings had seen it up close, they would have been blinded by the blinding flashes. Of course, their bodies would have been scorched before their sight was lost.
Thunder!
Boom! Thunderous roar!
Wild light spread from the terminal's center.
It was the moment when the temporary grave of the Dragon Lord was exposed to the most brilliant spotlight.
The actions of Leo caused shock among everyone: the terminal staff who were evacuating, the airport staff working nearby, other dragons remaining in Hong Kong, ordinary citizens, Min-jun, and Kentius.
However, there were people experiencing a terror far more horrific than the combined shock of everyone else.
At this very moment, it was the pilots, crew members, and passengers aboard flight KE681.
"Out of control! Out of control!"
The captain tried to stay calm, but the call-out was nearly a scream.
The aircraft was shaking violently from side to side like a small boat on a stormy sea. Altitude was rapidly decreasing, and the flight path was unstable.
The plane was crashing.
All instruments were malfunctioning. There had been signs of trouble when the control tower instructed KE681 to return. The captain insisted on landing, but the control tower was adamant.
At that moment, a torrent of lightning poured down from the terminal right next to the airport.
"Damn it! Gear up! Gear…!"
In an instant, the instruments stopped working, and the control systems failed to respond properly. The lightning might have affected the equipment. Or perhaps the magic stone, which had replaced aviation fuel decades ago, was no longer delivering power due to the massive external magical interference.
Whatever the truth, the captain no longer cared.
The aircraft's flight path was completely out of control.
"We're down! We're down!"
The control tower did not respond. The communication system was down.
"······!"
The captain clenched his teeth, seemingly resigned to the situation. The plane was in the middle of a sharp turn when the lightning struck. The sudden incident left the maneuver incomplete. As a result, the plane was crashing not onto the runway or the sea, but straight into the heart of Hong Kong.
It felt like his mind was on fire. The captain thought he needed to avoid the worst-case scenario. The crash was inevitable, but minimizing casualties was a priority.
He desperately held onto the unresponsive control stick, trying to steer the plane towards the sea.
But it wasn't working.
The captain was drenched in sweat. The co-pilot, though trying to remain calm, had trembling hands. The sounds of passengers screaming could be heard beyond the cockpit door. The cabin was shaking, and the view outside was constantly swaying. Through the spinning window, the city with countless stars, like an overturned sky, was visible.
"No, this can't be right!"
It was at that moment the captain felt a sudden shift.
"······.!"
Something changed.
The change was so sudden that neither the captain nor the co-pilot could immediately comprehend it.
The screams of the passengers outside the cockpit stopped. An eerie sense of unreality filled everyone on the plane.
"···What is this?"
An incomprehensible scene unfolded outside the window.
All movement of objects below had ceased. The cityscape that had been approaching now stopped expanding and remained at a fixed distance.
"What's happening?"
The aircraft was frozen in place.
Considering the speed of the crash, this phenomenon was only possible after a long deceleration. Being 'stuck' in mid-air like this would usually result in the plane breaking apart from immense recoil.
The captain observed outside urgently, constantly turning his head to secure his visual.
At that moment, the co-pilot saw something.
"Gasp, sir?!"
The captain turned his head and saw what the co-pilot had seen.
He made eye contact with someone.
"···Huh?"
It was a large eye embedded in the center of a bronze-colored island.
Moments later, the captain realized that what he thought was an island was actually a creature. Long tentacles extended from it, reaching behind the aircraft where the crew's sight could not.
What kind of situation was the plane in now? Imagining it was easy.
And at that moment, the citizens of Hong Kong were witnessing the scene the captain could only imagine.
They had seen her days earlier, but they never imagined they would reunite like this.
A colossal tentacled creature, having overturned the sky, extended a relatively thin appendage, wrapping around the crashing aircraft.
No one wondered why the passenger plane hadn't been destroyed or how such a massive creature appeared in an empty void.
They could only be horrified.
=What on earth...=
Most of them were also unaware.
The massive eye in the midst of the tentacles was blazing with immense fury.
=What is the meaning of this!=
The enraged mental waves of the tentacled creature echoed throughout the sky.
The princess of Endellion looked down at the Hong Kong cityscape, which was on the verge of disaster. She carefully set the plane down at the airport before it could crash. To the citizens, it looked like a tilted building moving resiliently across the sky.
During this process, the princess briefly recalled an incongruous memory. It was from a time when she nearly shot down a spaceship, which humans had used to escape, perceiving it as a 'bug'. It was during the early days of her imprisonment, a little over a hundred years ago. That time had clearly changed a part of her. Even after returning to her main body, Del instinctively extended her tentacles to save the passenger plane, rather than using telekinesis. It indicated the urgency of the situation.
Shaking off the reminiscence, the tentacled creature once again focused its immense rage on the dragon. The terminal was in shambles, but the crucial teleportation guide device remained intact. It was protected by an impenetrable barrier, unless a horde of high dragons arrived.
But everything else...
=The destruction of the committee's private property will be met with appropriate punishment…!=
Before she could finish her sentence, Leo spoke.
The eyes of the tentacled monster and the dragon met.
In that moment, Del thought the young dragon seemed very exhausted. And she felt a sense that there was something close to madness in those eyes.
The dragon declared.
"I surrender."
"Isn't that... completely insane?"
At that moment, Min-jun was in shock watching the scene unfold.
< 147. There Are No Bad Dragons in the World (19) > End