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A voice echoed through Khrx’s watch as his call went through. “Khrx? Where are you? What happened?”
“I’m in reality,” Khrx said. “There’s—”
“I’m coming! Stay right there!” The call ended, and a second later, Anaheim tore off her VR drive. “Khrx!” She flew forward and tackled Khrx to the ground before snuggling him to her chest. He struggled to break free and gasped for air as he escaped her embrace. How was she so strong!? This was reality! He had the strength of a dragon!
“Why are you so excited?” Khrx asked, furrowing his brow at the hero’s descendent, who sat up and composed herself.
Anaheim’s face turned red, and she scratched her head. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I really wanted to see you after hearing your voice again. There was something … different about it.”
“Eh?” Khrx blinked. Could it be the result of increasing his charm to 61? When he had 50 charm, that AI-Helper did say he was the most adorable creature ever. Now that he had 61, wasn’t he 20% more adorable? What did that make him? Super adorable? Even his voice could charm people. Maybe he should learn how to sing.
“H-hero,” one of the developers said, still shaken from Khrx’s roar. He was an elf with pointy ears, a sharp nose, and large blue eyes. “That dra—no, child…, uh. Can I talk to you for a second, hero?”
Anaheim furrowed her brow. “If you have something to say, you can say it in front of Khrx.”
“Then I’ll be frank,” the developer said, biting his lower lip. “Is he a dragon?”
Anaheim rolled her eyes. “Would a dragon take the form of a beastkin child? They’re noble creatures, too prideful to take on a less imposing form.”
Hey. Khrx’s expression darkened. Wasn’t she insulting him?
“But that roar earlier,” the developer said, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
“Tigers roar,” Anaheim said with a nod. “I don’t see any issue.”
“T-that’s—”
“Whoa!” Theda’s voice pierced the room, causing everyone to turn towards her. She was standing by the window, her torso outside. She was pointing at the sky. “What’s that? And those!? They’re so pretty!”
“What’s what?” Khrx asked, ignoring Anaheim’s confused expression. He climbed up Theda’s back and clung onto her shoulders to prevent himself from falling. The goddess pointed at the sky.
“Those white things,” Theda said, the pitch of her voice increasing.
“The clouds?”
“No! I know what clouds are! The twinkling things behind them! And that giant white ball. What are they?”
“The stars and the moon?”
Theda’s eyes glistened. “So they’re called stars and the moon. The moon’s the big one?”
Khrx nodded.
“It’s so pretty,” Theda murmured. Her face hardened as she nodded. “I’m going to take it.”
“Huh?”
Theda stretched out her hand, reaching towards the moon. Khrx’s eyes widened as his mana was siphoned out of him, entering Theda through his palms. A shadowy mist emerged from Theda’s fingers, forming the shape of a claw. It flew towards the sky, rending the clouds in its path. Theda raised an eyebrow. “How far away is it?”
Khrx tried to pull himself away, but his body wouldn’t move. His palms were glued to Theda’s shoulders, the mana in his body mixing into hers. Shouts and yelps filled the night as shadows disappeared from their owners, crawling up the building to gather around Theda. The building’s shadow contorted as well, slithering up to her like a snake, leaving behind a well-lit alley despite the fact it was night. As if the sun was directly overhead, all the shadows in the city had vanished, gathered in Theda’s palm. The shadowy hand grew larger and larger despite the fact it was heading further and further away. A few satellites were knocked out of their orbits while others were completely destroyed.
“What the hell…?” Anaheim asked, her eyes bulging. She dashed towards the window beside Theda and peered outside. The developers beside her had similar reactions as they crowded around a third window.
More and more shadows gathered around Theda until all of South Rokea was lit up like day. Then, the shadowy claw grasped the moon. Theda made a yanking motion before pursing her lips. “It’s not moving. If I can’t bring it here, then I’ll claim it as my own.” The shadowy claw on the moon spread outwards like a droplet of ink hitting a bowl of water. The moon turned completely black, disappearing from the night sky. Theda beamed as Khrx’s mana finally stilled, and the shadows returned to their proper places, returning South Rokea to night. “New territory acquired! It was a lot bigger than I thought.”
Anaheim’s jaw dropped, and she rubbed her eyes. “Dude. You can’t just take the moon! Wait! Besides that, who the hell are you!?”
Theda stepped away from the window and pulled Khrx off her back, hugging him near her stomach instead. Her expression turned as cold as ice as she faced Anaheim. Her voice lowered, the bubbly personality disappearing in an instant. “Who are you to address me, the god of the underworld, so rudely?”
“Khrx? Who is she?” Anaheim asked. “You have to watch out for strange women. It’s dangerous to be so cute.”
Khrx’s face turned black. She knew he was a dragon, damn it! He wasn’t actually a child! “This is Theda, the god of the underworld.” He paused before adding. “From [Resolution].”
“T-Theda?” the elfin developer asked, his eyes widening. “That’s impossible! Wait! Don’t tell me she entered the shell? Where’s the shell!?” A shell built for housing A.I. had been delivered to Anaheim’s department while the developers were monitoring Khrx. They had placed it in a corner and forgotten about it. “Even with a shell, she shouldn’t be able to create her own mana!”
Khrx rubbed his stomach. So that’s why he was drained. Covering the moon in shadows used up a lot of his mana, making him sleepy and hungry. Did Anaheim have anything to eat?
“So noisy,” Theda said, glowering at the developers. “Do you think anyone can just freely say my name? Shut your face.” She waved her hand and the developers fell to the ground, eyes white, froth bubbling from their mouths. Khrx’s stomach growled from the sudden loss of mana.
“You!” Anaheim said, pointing at Theda. A glowing white sword sprouted from her palm. “As a hero, it’s my duty to defeat someone like you.”
“Oh?” Theda raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seen thousands of heroes. They’re no different from an ordinary person once they’re dead.”
Anaheim snorted and charged forwards, swinging her sword. It flashed like a lightning bolt, crashing towards Theda. Theda raised one hand, creating a black shield that stopped the sword, even swallowing the sound of collision. Khrx’s stomach growled even louder.
Anaheim narrowed her eyes and clapped her hands. Seven glowing swords sprang out of the ground and hovered around Theda in a circle. “Pierce!”
The swords flew forward, stabbing into Theda’s torso as if she were a pincushion. The goddess of the underworld smiled before melting into a puddle of shadows, reforming a foot away while taking Khrx with her. Khrx’s stomach rumbled like thunder.
Anaheim exhaled as the seven swords disappeared. “I don’t believe I can’t hurt you. Heavenly—”
Khrx roared, causing the floor to tremble and the walls to shake. The windows shattered, and the nearby buildings shook as well, their windows breaking into tiny crystalline fragments. “I’m hungry! Stop fighting!” He looked up at Anaheim with an aggrieved expression, his tail swishing from side to side. His ears were pressed flat against his head, and his lips were pouted. His posture was similar to a child who just had his lollipop taken away from him, and Anaheim couldn’t help but let out a tiny whimper.
“Okay, okay. We’ll stop fighting,” Anaheim said, the sword in her hand disappeared. She crouched by Khrx, ignoring Theda’s baffled expression. “What do you want to eat?”
typo:
entering Theda through his palms.
either
-> entering Theda from his palms.
or
-> entering Theda through her palms.