Ancient Dragon in Arknights

In fact, Nesario forgot to look for a messenger service—the letter he had written was still in his pocket.

Isn't this perfect? ​​Buy coffee beans, pack them—and then it's time to find the office of the Messenger of the World.

Messengers of Nations – an organization established two decades ago at the initiative of Pope Lateran, whose purpose is to strengthen ties between nations.

Among messengers, the messengers of all nations are the most respected. During peacetime, they deliver private messages, natural disaster warnings, city routes, and other information just like ordinary messengers. However, when danger strikes, the messengers of all nations become the ones who face the danger head-on, dealing with Originium disasters, wars, unpredictable calamities, and so on. These tasks sometimes infringe upon the interests of ambitious individuals and sometimes require venturing deep into dangerous territory. Every delivery is a struggle for life.

Nesario greatly admires this group of people; they are important maintainers.

Of course—it's really expensive to have messengers from all over the world deliver private messages!

Their price is about three times that of a regular messenger!

However—there's a reason why it's expensive.

Although ordinary messengers are also regulated by credit agencies, they are powerless in the face of true power.

Unlike other messengers, they will not pry into their employers' privacy or betray their interests—all of this is guaranteed by the Lateran Justice Institute.

Although the message Neltharion delivered wasn't a classified document, he was simply unaccustomed to the efficiency of ordinary messengers; he had "experienced" delivering a message to the other side of a planet in seconds, and he found it hard to accept Terra's current predicament.

"Huh? That figure just now?"

Nesario caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure on the street, with messy dark blonde hair and slightly disheveled features—though her racial characteristics made her look like a film.

But Nesario's senses did not perceive this message.

Chapter Six: Aslan?

Vina, someone is following you.

"?"

The girl, concealing her identity, silently quickened her pace and walked into the surging crowd.

This street is a famous night market, and it gets very crowded at this time of year.

If the other party doesn't have excellent tracking skills, they'll be completely outmaneuvered within a hundred meters; this happens occasionally, sometimes by unknown spies, sometimes by informants from rival gangs. Vina's identity is far too complicated; countless people look forward to her, countless people curse her—this kind of thing is commonplace.

Nesario, who was chasing behind, saw his target quickly disappear into the crowd. He knew this was no coincidence; the other party had obviously spotted him.

The other party is just a rather unique existence, but at present, Nesario has neither conflict nor enmity with her, so there is naturally no need to hold on to it.

But if that's the case, then the entire city of Lentinium has nothing to do with Nesario; he's just a foreign student studying abroad, and even if Lentinium is occupied, it has nothing to do with him.

This way of thinking is wrong. Humans are born naked, with no connection other than blood ties; moreover, Neltharion doesn't even have a blood connection.

He needs to keep moving forward, making new friends and defeating new enemies—he needs to give meaning to his own life.

Unique creatures are often found in the eye of the storm. Londinium is vast, but only this one creature can give Neltharion that unique feeling.

Close your eyes; complete visual blockage enhances the sensitivity of other senses—we've found it!

The aroma of sunshine mingled with the tangy scent of lollipops, creating a unique flavor that clashed with the surroundings and couldn't be masked even by artificial flavorings and seasonings.

Nesario abandoned visual tracking and resorted to a more sophisticated method.

A unique Vaivan weaves through the crowd, drawing attention to everyone who sees him because his racial features are so striking.

Even in the crowded throng, people automatically kept their distance from him, which relieved his stress. After all, he occupied the space of two people, and that big tail was the only trouble he had.

The scent shifted somewhere in the street, and she headed toward a dark alleyway—in bustling Lentinium, there was such an alleyway; years of unclaimed junk piled up there, and the streetlights were long broken and no one had repaired them.

"Slums..."

Such a special talent actually comes from the slums? Could he be some kind of chosen one, born of humble origins but burdened with a royal mandate?

The truth will be revealed once we investigate.

Nesario didn't believe there was any great danger in the slums. He walked into the alley and moved very quickly with no one stopping him.

Before long, Nesario caught up with his opponent.

Her dark golden hair was unkempt, yet it possessed a kind of messy beauty; her fair face was covered in dust, probably from the alley she had just walked through, but even so, it was clear that the owner of this face was a beautiful young lady. Unfortunately, her expression was extremely serious at the moment, and her sharp hostility was directed straight at Nesario without any attempt to conceal it.

He wore a white tank top under a leather jacket, the logo on the tank top distorted by his large chest; he wore only red denim shorts on his lower body, revealing full and powerful legs that exuded a healthy beauty.

What attracted Nesario's attention most was the lady's racial characteristics: her tail and ears, which were different from those of ordinary film, and—the sense of urgency that was like facing a lion.

"who are you?"

The cold, clear voice was very pleasant to hear; Nesario even recognized it somewhat, but he was certain that the two had never met before.

Shouldn't you state your name before asking others?

"There's no need for that when facing an enemy."

The special "Film" closed her eyes and shook her head. Her slightly messy hair swayed gently with the movement, as lively as the mane of a wild beast.

Vina opened her eyes—and her eyes were now filled with aggression.

Vina, be careful. This guy is a Drak, and you can't withstand his flames.

"Draco? We'll have to try to find out."

Nesario then noticed that Vina wasn't empty-handed; she had pulled out a large hammer from somewhere.

This thing might be a bit slow, but its attack power is absolutely top-notch. If Neltharion takes a hit from it, he'll probably be in pain for quite a while.

"They didn't say anything and just started attacking?"

To be honest, the immense power Nesario gained from childhood makes him fearless in any one-on-one fight. He naturally knows the saying that there are always stronger beings out there, but such beings are clearly beyond his current reach.

If you're just a "Film" living in a slum... there's no pressure at all.

Vina launched an attack, her rounded thighs suddenly tensing, and the well-trained muscle curves showed that she was definitely not weak.

But how could Nesario be afraid? He moved faster and more swiftly than Vina, and the floor tiles beneath his feet shattered from the force of his movements.

In the blink of an eye, the two were face to face—this speed was beyond Vina's expectations. Her power was not yet fully charged, but Nesario was already close to her.

Hammers are not suitable for close-quarters combat; striking from a suitable distance is the most suitable fighting method.

Vina immediately abandoned her attack and switched to defense. Nesario's powerful punch was blocked by the hammer handle.

Judging from the immense power emanating from her hand, Vina realized the gap between herself and her enemy; Gawain was right.

'But I can't just play defense all the time!'

Vina's counterattack was fierce. When she retracted her hammer, she changed her grip, raising the position of her hand—although this would hinder her power, it would improve her close-range combat.

Boom!

A hammer slammed into an empty box, shattering the fragile wooden crate; Nesario dodged the blow, followed by a tail whip.

He is not a four-legged beast, so he cannot use the same tail-whipping method as the Odogaron—that creature moves on all fours with a stable center of gravity and great strength; Neltharion, with his human body, can only use this moment of turning or sideways to whip his tail.

But it must be said that the effect is very significant.

There are races in Terra that fight with their tails, but they are very few in number. Therefore, most Terrans do not use tail-based fighting techniques and naturally lack experience in fighting them.

*Thud*—The keratinized tail lashed out at Vina's abdomen, a blow that was no different from being punched.

Chapter Seven: Oh no! I've become a remnant!?

Vina has a high level of physical endurance; pain and impact are not enough to bring her down. On the contrary, Nesario's unique fighting style makes her fighting nerves even more taut.

'This guy is incredibly fast, but his tail doesn't move much... It's so big that it can both help him maintain his center of gravity and affect his balance. This is my chance!'

Vina's analysis was correct. Neltharion would keep his tail in a direction that aligned with his body during combat to achieve a more stable center of gravity; however, if he were to twitch his tail haphazardly—imagine it's like a person's belt being hooked—it would be a waste of energy and would affect his balance.

Vina attacked again, but this time she was clearly holding back. She wanted to force Nesario back and then attack his tail while he dodged.

Seeing Vina's deliberately restrained steps and arms, how could Nesario not understand her thoughts?

Back when he was a kid, the reason he lost to Saria was basically because of his tail—as long as Saria stepped on it, Nesario couldn't create distance, and turning around would become extremely inconvenient. He would then be used as a punching bag and beaten into a pulp.

Neltharion played along, dodging to the side again, but his tail was indeed a beat too slow. Vina seized the opportunity to bring down her hammer, but Neltharion's heel was faster. He easily kicked Vina's lower body, instantly dissipating most of her momentum.

'Why? This guy should be unable to stand still.'

Nesario just dodged to the side, which was a big move. If he had kicked during that process, he would have lost his balance.

Vina staggered to the side and observed carefully—Nesario's body was leaning slightly backward, and his tail was firmly pressed against the ground.

This guy used his "third leg" to step on the ground!

"Although my tail is always a beat slower because of my size, it brings many conveniences. It can be used for tail whip attacks, maintaining balance, and as a cushion, among other things."

"Draco... your strength is indeed far superior to mine. But, you can't kill me in a short time."

"?"

'What is this silly girl saying? Draco? Do I look a lot like Draco? I'll make a note of this. Also, I can't kill her...heh.'

Looking back at the previous few encounters, Nesario was completely toying with his opponent.

Vina's combat experience is limited to street brawls; what could such rudimentary skills teach her? While Neltharion has also received professional training, he is his own mentor. Dragons' fighting abilities are ingrained in their DNA. If he wanted to kill Vina, he would use his claws from the very beginning.

"This is no joke. I never said I was going to kill you."

"Then what is your purpose in tracking me? There's no need to go to such lengths to monitor me."

"I just glanced at you in the crowd—you're very special, you exude a unique aura. Can you explain this to me?"

"..."

He sensed me. This is abnormal; even Draco wouldn't have such keen intuition.

"Look, here we go again. What could this be? The unknown Miss Aslan?"

"Tsk..."

Judging from the subtle changes in her expression, he had guessed correctly; the girl in front of him was indeed an Aslan—a member of the Victorian royal family.

But why in a slum?

Victoria, the last king, was publicly executed more than a decade ago. He was an absolute tyrant, and it is said that he was still trying to justify his greed on his deathbed.

And so many years have passed, yet no new king has ever emerged.

Draco died because he had no heir, but what happened to Athrun?

"...If I leave now, can you pretend you've never seen me?"