The moment Flora's hand dropped, both fighters moved.Not forward, but Into stance.Jabber's feet slid apart on the rough stone floor, his knees bending slightly, his hands coming up in a loose guard. His weight settled low and centered, like he was preparing to either attack or defend at a moment's notice.Across from him, Roderick's transformation was more dramatic.His right foot stepped back, creating a wide, stable base. His left hand extended forward, palm open, fingers loose. His right hand pulled back near his hip, already starting to gather a faint orange glow.It was a textbook combat stance,the kind drilled into every soldier until it became muscle memory.And then... nothing.They just stood there.Staring.Jabber's dark eyes locked onto Roderick's face, unblinking, unwavering. Reading. Calculating.Roderick stared back with that same predatory smile, like he was waiting for a mouse to make the first move so he could pounce.Five seconds passed.Ten.The only sound was the

A pause.‘The one who's strong is just the dragon sealed inside me.’The response came immediately, and it wasn't his own voice.‘No.’The dragon's voice was deep. Resonant. Like rocks grinding together deep underground.‘I am not the one who is strong here.’Jabber would have laughed if he had the energy. ‘Right. Sure. That's why every time I've actually won a fight, it's been because you took over.’‘I am strong.’ The dragon continued, ignoring the bitterness in Jabber's mental tone. ‘...because I have a strong vessel.’A beat.‘The vessel is strong, Jabber.’Another pause.‘You are strong.’The words settled into Jabber's consciousness like stones dropping into still water.‘I'm strong.’ He repeated, tasting the words. Testing them.Then the doubt crept back in.‘But why can't I control my full power?’The question came out desperate, frustrated. ‘Why can't I fight well? Why do I always…’‘Because you lack stamina.’The dragon's interruption was matter-of-fact. Blunt.‘And I c

He went flying backward, his trajectory carrying him in a perfect arc across the mine.CRACK.His back hit the wall,the same wall Jabber had hit earlier,with enough force to send a spiderweb of cracks radiating outward from the impact point.Dust exploded into the air and then Roderick fell,just like Jabber had. Forward and face-first.Hitting the ground with a dull, heavy thump.He didn't move.The mine went completely silent except for the settling of dust and the faint crackle of dying flames.Jabber stood in the center of the clearing, his hands still raised, purple flame still swirling faintly around his fingers.He lowered his arms slowly.And then, in a tone absolutely dripping with sarcasm, he said:"Now THIS match is over."The words had barely left his mouth when two bodies slammed into him from either side.….."JABBER!" Flora hit him from the left, her arms wrapping around his shoulders."JABBER!" Mira hit him from the right, her hug more of a tackle.Both of them were t

Asta stood frozen in the hallway.His feet might as well have been carved from stone. His eyes were still wide, staring at the empty corner where the boy had disappeared, his brain trying to catch up with what the Emperor Dragon had just said.‘Third vessel.’The words echoed in his head.His lips moved, forming words that only existed in his mind, in that private space where he and the dragon could communicate.‘What do you mean he's the third vessel?’The dragon didn't respond immediately and that hesitation,that pause,sent a chill down Asta's spine.‘Are there... Are there OTHER vessels out there?’More silence and Longer this time.And then, finally, the Emperor Dragon's voice rumbled through his consciousness. Heavy. Reluctant.‘Yes.’A single word, but it carried the weight of a confession.Asta's breath hitched.‘Yes? That's it? Just 'yes'?’The dragon's sigh was like distant thunder.‘There are six vessels.’ It said slowly, each word carefully measured. ‘Scattered throughout

Old Man Kael's face had gone pale.The color had drained from his weathered features, leaving him looking older somehow. More fragile.His hands were still frozen on the desk, one hovering over the dropped pen, the other gripping the edge of a document hard enough that his knuckles had gone white."How..." He swallowed, his throat working visibly."How were you able to know?"The question came out strangled. Desperate.Asta shifted his weight from foot to foot, suddenly feeling awkward under the intensity of the old man's stare."Uhmm..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just... I saw him. The third vessel. In the corridor. He was with his two squad mates and they walked right past us."The silence that followed was brief but loaded.Then Old Man Kael's reaction exploded out of him in a rapid-fire burst of words that dripped with sarcasm and disbelief."Third vessel?!" His voice cracked slightly on the last syllable. "You SAW him? You're SURE? You're absolutely, one hundred perce