Part 4
Yō put her all into defending herself and dodging. Initially flying around the Palace, Yō had soon realized that her expertise in flight was much inferior to her enemy. Compared to a true Gryphon and one that had a dragon horn too, there was no escape in the skies.
And so, changing her battle strategy, she landed in the structures outside the Outer walls, planning to seek shelter in the ruins to gain what precious time there is for the others.
Entering an alley-way battle, Yō who had her sensitive 5 senses pushed them to the maximum to pinpoint her enemy. Controlling her steps to tread lightly, she passed through many structures in the ruins while hiding her tracks.
I shouldn’t be that easily found in the city ruins of the Outer Walls……
There were many obstacles and few hiding places. But during the time of which Garol and the others were searching for the last fragment, she had taken it upon herself to delay her enemy as much as possible.
Graiya looked down at the city that stretched beyond the Outer wall as he started to mock Yō who had gone into hiding:
“Hah, trying to buy time? Do you think you can hide completely just like that?”
Graiya roared loudly as his Black Gryphon appearance instantly underwent a rapid transformation. The Phylogenetic Tree carved on the [Genome Tree] before his chest was revolving continuously and causing his DNA structure to undergo a major change similar to being reborn.
The sound of bones snapping under pressure and contorting echoed in the skies above and Yō couldn’t help but draw a sharp intake of breath as she observed the transformation from the shadows.
What…What in the world is that……!
Graiya no longer had those jet black wings and beak but had two more heads growing from his neck and giant jaws to match. The final transformation was that of a Giant Hound. Graiya who had undergone a complete transformation, that left no trace of his former look, was now a Cerberus looking creature that had landed on the ground of the Outer city.
And with a sniff with those three noses, Graiya stared pointedly at the old building that Yō was hiding in---
“….so there you are!”
Gaping the huge jaws, the dragon horn glittered as it whipped up a blazing hot sandstorm that travelled towards Yō.
Yō stumbled as she ran out of the old building and escaped into the skies with her flight.
“Foolish girl! Did you forget that we Gryphons do not need to have Wings to fly?”
“Uu……!”
Graiya’s strong limbs stepped onto the air with much force and immediately closed the distance to take a bite at Yō. The sharp fangs barely missed its mark and Yō managed to dodge it successfully.
However, the enemy was a three headed hound. The huge jaws of the hound once again closed in on Yō with a fast follow up attack, seeming intent on crunching her bones. And just one brush against those fangs that were snapping at her in a tri-continuous manner was enough to make a gash on Yō’s leg, causing bright red droplets of blood to spurt from the wound.
Reaching the conclusion that she would be a goner if she didn’t put some distance between them, Yō gave a kick at the nose of the Hound and using the momentum to make a rapid descent. Yet, the maneuver wasn’t perfectly executed and Yō partially descended due to the butting of the Hound’s nose on her leg, causing her to grimace in pain as she landed awkwardly.
“Itai……!”[51]
But it wasn’t time for her to be focused on the pain yet. Yō immediately got up, planning to escape into the ruins, but found her way barred by a Graiya who had resumed his Gryphon appearance once more.
As Yō prepared herself for battle, Graiya looked at Yō in surprise.
“……?”
“……I don’t get it. Why are you not using your [Genome Tree] to transform? Even if the result wouldn’t have changed a bit, you might at least be able to defend a little longer.”
“……Transform?” Yō panted as she replied with a question.
Seeming to have realized something unimaginable about his opponent, Graiya squinted his eyes.
“Ojou-chan, could it be that you do not know anything about your Gift?”
“Eh?”
“The [Genome Tree] is a Gift that can create a Genome Weapon[52]. The possessor will definitely transform into a mutant beast by sampling data on the other races through physical contact……Could it be that you are using it without knowing what it is?”
Yō held her breath as she clutched her pendant that her father had given to her.
“Physical contact……Sampling…..?”
“That’s right. The strong attack that you threw at me earlier originated from the strength of the Titans. You should still be able to recall right? The battle with the Titans when they attacked [Underwood] a few days ago, you must have come into contact with them.”
Hearing that, Yō felt as though her heart had stopped for a while.
Needless to say, Yō definitely remembered the time that she was knocked away by the Titan in battle but never did she think that with just that physical contact, she would have obtained a new Gift.
……No, before that, shouldn’t the Gift’s power originate from the proof of being close to that other race---?
“….Hng. How sad. Little girl, it would seem that you didn’t even know that your father had created a monster out of you.”
“Shut up---!”
Momentarily forgetting her pain and with her boiling rage in her, she took a step forward to launch a flying kick at Graiya’s lower jaw. The kick off from the ground was strong enough to cause a depression in the ground.
But taking off into flight in the trajectory of the kick, Graiya flew into the skies while giving a warning out of pity---
“Even if you live on, you will continue to suffer from the awakening mutant beast that is in you. Well, there you go. A little chip off the mountain in knowledge about the Gift that your father has created. And that will also be the last present I have for you before you say Goodbye to this world!”
Flames emitted from Graiya’s Dragon Horn started to cloak his body and the figure clad in flames started to contort and transform into a monster that possessed a huge body. The black Gryphon appearance was no more to be seen---Amidst the storm of flames, a black dragon with thick arms and legs stood in his place with a dragon horn growing from its head.
“Gryphon becoming a Dragon…….!”
“This is just part of the powers that your father had created with this Gift. And this is the true might of [Genome Tree]!”
Graiya who had transformed into a Wyvern opened his jaws to gather flames in his mouth which he fired in a sweeping motion at the entire Outer City, scorching the regions to crisp and black ashes while whipping up a wind through the rapid heating of air that started to buffet the area like the formation of a hurricane. A fiery hurricane.
With a devastating power that could destroy the entire Palace grounds, it formed a storm of fire and wind in the region.
Yō could only cloak herself in a veil of her own whirlwinds to save herself as she could find no opening in the attack for her to escape.
Damn……!
However, this defense was just like a paper in the winds. Yō who was enclosed by the Raging Fire storm whirlwinds could not even raise a hand to retaliate and was easily flung back together with chunks of debris from the ruins.
With heat that seemed to deplete all oxygen levels in the area, it was already a miracle for her to be able to keep her limbs attached.
And though she knew that it was necessary to escape as soon as she can, Yō found herself unable to command her body to do so.
My limbs……can’t move……
A throbbing soreness from her badly battered body and the wound that seared as if it were ablaze, it all compounded to her pain as she suffered from her injuries that made her feel as though death was closing in on her. And she knew that she wasn’t in the condition to search for a hiding place anymore.
Graiya soon landed before Yō, shaking his head while looking at her sorry state.
“If you didn’t put up that much of a struggle, you would have died a little easier. Struggling all the way to the point of death is really very unsightly you know, Ojou-chan.”
“Well it sounds about right when you put it that way.”
Though it might sound like a joking reply, it actually was all that Yō could do. For her strength was draining quickly out of her due to her numbed limbs and the burns that covered her body that sapped at her with all its pain combined.
Her current self could be liken to a prey lying on the ground haplessly. Being looked down upon by others was just something that couldn’t be helped anymore and as Yō thought of that, she began to laugh bitterly.
Graiya looked at her with pity as he closed in slowly while gathering another mouth of flames in his jaws. Just then---
A small shadow came between the two of them.
“Leave…Leave Yō-san alone!”
The flowery adornments shook before Yō’s eyes as Kirino, who had tailed Yō’s movements in the sky from the ground, stood between the two of them.
Graiya fixed his angry stare at Kirino:
“Move aside you little brat.”
“No, I won’t! Yō-sama is one of [Underwood]’s benefactors! If my…my benefactor is to be in trouble, how can I cower aside in fear! My…Our pride isn’t that low to do that sort of thing!”
“Kiri…Kirino...!”
Kirino’s eyes were filled with tears but the words that she shouted were filled with her determination.
Graiya’s enormous eyes glinted with a dangerous light as he gave a harrumph as he intimidated Kirino by standing taller.
“Our? Your [Underwood]’s going to be destroyed by tonight. As long as the huge dragon goes berserk, it wouldn’t even last a second. What pride are you counting on huh? Move aside now!”
His intimidation caused Kirino to shiver in fear but despite her young age, her heart was strong and supported with a reason that she would not back down on. Kirino fought against her senses as she stared back at the Black Dragon to shout out her resolve:
“If…If that is so, that’s more reason for me to stand in your way! Being a part of [Underwood], if my Community were to be annihilated, our lives will just continue to that very moment! So, until that very last moment, I will serve the morality and justice that I believe in to protect the benefactor of my Community!”
With a voice that quivered on the verge of crying, she shouted out words that were morally justifiable even if words seemed to give out on her. And it would seem that the conversation had come to an end.
Graiya squinted as he appraised Kirino---
“……Well, just hug that sense of pride and disappear together then---!”
“Ugh…Kirino……!”
Yō ran over after recovering from her numbness and shock to stand before Kirino. It was a desperate attempt but she didn’t have any other plans. To save Kirino, she could only use her own body as the human shield and so she stood before Kirino.
Without any other place to run to and without any more time to escape.
Graiya gave an earth shaking roar while spewing a wave of heat towards them.
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