Chapter 67

The cries of his heart turned into a roar. I didn’t do anything wrong! I…! “I just wanted to live!” he yelled with every fiber of his being. He thought he would break down if he didn’t. Atsushi had always fought to protect himself. He would turn anything into a weapon to do so. What’s wrong with an insatiable hunger for survival?! “A boy will always use his claws in order to live!!” He felt the heavy deadbolt snap on the white door. Countless red spirals flashed in the collection room as the red sphere of light glistened with greater intensity. It was as if Draconia itself had come to life and was wielding its overflowing power. Hundreds—thousands—of skills were devoured by the ever-growing light until it started to even suck in Osamu Dazai’s corpse. His body floated into the air before being slowly swallowed by the light. Fyodor, who had been mirthfully observing the rampaging orb, expressed some surprise. “…You’re a greedy man, Dazai.” He squinted as he saw Dazai merge with the light. “Even in death, you still plan to see this city’s demise.” Dazai’s body melted into the red photosphere. Immediately, the light expanded throughout the room like an explosion, shattering the glass windows. Fyodor watched as the whirlpool of light-headed toward the outer world, then said to the skull in his hand: “Allow me to enlighten you, since I’m your first friend ever. Did you ever stop to consider why my skill doesn’t separate from me within this fog?” Skills would separate from their users and try to kill them if they ever came into contact with the fog. Nothing could change that. That was why the Armed Detective Agency was forced to battle against their own skills and why Dazai’s skill finally separated from him when he died. Nevertheless, Fyodor wasn’t killed by his skill. But why? Fyodor’s footsteps echoed throughout Draconia while he slowly walked across the room as if that were his answer. He stopped to pick up an apple, but when he reached for it, there was a glittering red crystal on “his” hand—a man who looked identical to Fyodor. “He” picked up the apple while Fyodor held the skull. They raised their spherical objects into the air with their backs to each other and whispered: “I am crime.” “I am punishment.” Their identical voices shook Draconia. It was as if the cold, rigid echoes ridiculed and toyed with the entire situation. “Did you know?” said Fyodor with a laugh as he held the skull aloft. “Crime and punishment are very close friends,” continued the other Fyodor, smiling as he held the apple. They faced opposite directions but felt the same thing. They could sense the red light surrounding Skull Fortress. They recited their lines alternatingly: “The boundaries will vanish.” “The room will awaken.” The red light swelled before their eyes, and they enticed it with their honeyed words. “Incarnation of death—lord of the skill-consuming fog.” “Ravage, devour, and unleash your fury as your instinct and heart desire.” Their violet eyes creased as their lips curled into a smile. A light thereupon shot out of the fortress as if it were following their commands. The boundless glow began swallowing the world in a red fog that grew exponentially by the second until it eventually took the form of a giant beast. It curled around Skull Fortress under the pale moonlight and came to life. The imposing creature consumed the moon, shrouded itself among the clouds, and scattered the fog. Even Skull Fortress appeared to be nothing more than a child’s toy in the presence of the dignified beast. Its serpentine body was covered in glittering scales and a long, majestic mane. It could surely crush a building with its reptilian-like hands. Each one of its sadistic fangs was much larger than any human. It was a rare creature equally wicked and divine. A dragon. Fyodor watched with an almost chillingly beautiful smile as the creature, which wasn’t even supposed to exist in the world of man, appeared before him. “This is neither a loss of control nor a singularity,” he said as if he were reciting an oracle. “The dragon is the true form of the chaos within each and every skill.” The dragon descended upon Yokohama and roared, making its presence known to the world.