Reawakening: Primordial Dragon with Limitless Mana-Chapter 50: We meet again

The entire battlefield was soaked in chaos.

The soldiers who had come to escort the Sage to the summit were now locked in a deadly struggle against high-ranking dragons. Blood painted the ground, and flames danced across the horizon.

Elder-rank dragons typically required four to five elite warriors just to survive against. If not for Hades’s newfound abilities—awakened through his draconic side—and the progress he had made thanks to the system, there was no way he could’ve slain one with only Rinne at his side.

Everywhere he looked, the world was burning.

And the tides of war were clearly favoring the dragons.

If he didn’t act soon, it wouldn’t be long before he and Rinne were the only ones left... hunted and cornered.

They were crouched under a slab of collapsed stone pressed against a ruined wall, using the hollow beneath it to catch their breath. It wasn’t ideal, but for now, it shielded them.

They had already taken down two solitary-ranked dragons after the Elder-ranked one, but the cost had been steep.

While Hades could still return to the fight, Rinne was running on fumes.

She had sustained injuries in the battle, and her mana had been nearly drained protecting the soldiers they had come across during their retreat. She hadn’t hesitated—but now, it showed.

"Rinne..." Hades turned to her, voice low but urgent. "I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you cast an invisibility barrier around us? I think now’s our best chance to escape."

Half of the dragons had already been slain. The skies weren’t swarming with Elder-ranked threats anymore, and the solitary-ranked wouldn’t be able to pierce through Rinne’s barrier.

She nodded slowly, her breathing heavy. "I can... but after that, I won’t be of much use."

Hades gave a firm nod, reassuring. "That’s fine. Once we’re inside the forest, I’ll get you to safety."

If he ran at full speed, he could reach the nearest town within a few hours. And deep inside the forest, even sky-dwelling monsters would struggle to track them.

They had to take this chance.

"Are you ready?" Hades asked, offering her his hand.

Rinne took a few more shallow breaths before placing her hand in his.

The moment she did, they emerged from their hiding place—and vanished.

Rinne, even in her weakened state, managed to weave a flawless invisibility barrier, hiding them entirely from the battlefield’s eyes.

But inside, the Saintess felt a sting of disappointment.

Her true mana capacity was far beyond what she had just used. She knew it. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to unleash her full power.

Not around Hades.

Not yet.

Because deep down, she feared what might happen if he ever discovered the truth—what she truly was, and what she truly carried.

So, for now... she kept it buried.

And did whatever she could.

They moved swiftly through the shattered outskirts of town, the forest line just a breath away.

Freedom was so close.

But then—

"Agh!"

Rinne stumbled with a sharp cry. The shimmering veil around them shattered like glass, the invisibility barrier collapsing in an instant.

She dropped to her knees, clutching her side, and her vision blurred into darkness.

"Rinne!" Hades turned sharply, reaching for her—but then he felt it too.

A pressure. A presence.

One that didn’t belong here.

His gut twisted, a deep, primal fear rising from within. His legs weakened, knees threatening to buckle.

And then he looked up.

"...!!"

His eyes widened in shock.

Descending through the air, wings outstretched in a display of raw majesty and menace, was a flame-breathing dragon. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Not just any dragon.

That dragon.

The very same Duke-ranked monster he had encountered during the quest—the one that had forced him to confront the brutal difference between humans and dragons.

The one that took his friend from him.

Its wings beat with thunderous force, shaking the earth beneath. It descended slowly, almost lazily—as if confident there was no longer any need to rush.

And just before its claws could touch the ground, its body began to shift.

Bones cracked. Flesh tore and reformed.

Scales receded into skin as the dragon began to morph.

What stood before Hades now was no beast—but a man. Or at least, something close.

Seven feet tall. Muscles coiled like steel beneath pale, gleaming skin. Long black hair flowed down his back, and from his head sprouted jagged, horn-like ridges. His eyes burned red like live coals, and his smile revealed long, cruel canines.

A long tail flicked behind him, slashing the air with eerie grace.

And his aura—it pressed down on the world like a mountain of fire. Suffocating. Ancient. Unrelenting.

Hades instinctively staggered back.

He had grown stronger.

But this... this wasn’t someone he was ready to face.

Not yet.

"Such a small world," the dragon-man spoke, his deep voice rumbling like a distant avalanche. The smile curling his lips was anything but friendly—sharp, knowing, and cruel. "I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And look at this—what a coincidence... finding you here."

Hades tensed, his fists clenching as he tried to keep a straight face. He couldn’t show fear. Not again.

"Why the sudden curiosity in me?" he asked, his voice steady but edged with caution.

The dragon let out a low, amused chuckle. "You really need to ask me that?" His gaze darkened, the amusement in his voice curdling into something more dangerous. "Shouldn’t it be obvious?"

He took a step forward, and with a flicker of heat behind his eyes, murmured,

"I saw something in you that day... something terrifying. And that’s the only reason you’re still alive."

Before Hades could even blink, the space between them vanished.

A flash of movement. A blur of heat and strength.

And then—his feet were off the ground.

The dragon had him by the throat.

"Ghh—!"

Hades gritted his teeth, struggling against the iron grip crushing his windpipe. His legs kicked in the air, hands clawing at the monster’s arm, but it was like trying to move a mountain.

"Had—akh!"

Rinne cried out, attempting to raise a barrier with trembling hands. But just as the spell circle began to form, a violent wave of pressure exploded from the dragon’s body.

It struck her chest like a battering ram.

Her chant shattered. Her body flew back through the air, slamming into the cold stone pavement with a sickening thud.

"Rinne!"

Hades tried to scream, but the crushing grip silenced his voice. His vision began to blur at the edges, rage and fear mixing in his chest.

And still, the dragon smiled.

Bringing Hades’s face closer to his, the dragon asked, "Tell me honestly...have you been marked by a dragon?"

Hades gritted his teeth before muttering, "Go to hell!"

The dragon smirked, "It would be fun...breaking your ego, human. And once I am done with you, I will reach that being protecting you before executing them."

The taste of fear was bitter.

And the dragon was going to overwrite that memory with something more sweet.

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.