Chapter 9: The Battle of the Giant's Mouth
Red Dragon opened his maw wide, biting down without hesitation onto the neck of the Chimera’s monstrous head. Razor-sharp fangs pierced through the creature’s armored scales and shredded its tough hide, plunging deep into the flesh. Blood sprayed in all directions. The head recoiled upward, letting out a blood-curdling scream, and the furious Fire Breath it had been unleashing abruptly ceased.
“Aaargh!” The Chimera flailed its serpentine wings wildly, struggling to gain altitude, while its massive lion’s claws slashed through the air at the hovering Red Dragon, desperate to turn the tide and escape its dire predicament.
Kai Xiusu released his grip, swiftly dodging the violent swipe with practiced agility. With a fluid motion, he tucked his wings and spiraled upward, positioning himself directly above the struggling beast.
Now the tide had turned. The Red Dragon let out a triumphant roar, then dove with predatory precision toward the Chimera’s back.
“Roar!” Compared to the grotesque, unwieldy form below, the Red Dragon’s streamlined body cut through the air with effortless grace. Trapped in mid-flight, the Chimera had no chance to evade. All it could do was frantically beat its wings, helplessly watching as the crimson dragon closed in.
“You’re mine,” Kai Xiusu growled, spreading his wings wide. His powerful claws clamped down hard on the Chimera’s wings, locking them in place.
Panic seized the beast. Its balance shattered. It flailed wildly, while its three heads snapped back in unison, biting desperately at the dragon clinging to its back, trying to dislodge the predator.
“Bull’s Strength!” The Red Dragon roared, channeling his spell into his core. Power surged through his heart, then flooded every muscle in his body. His already massive limbs bulged grotesquely, veins standing out like steel cables, steam rising from his hide.
Kai Xiusu felt his strength explode.
His claws dug deeper, crushing flesh and grinding bone, threatening to rip the Chimera’s wings apart.
“Who gave you the nerve—”
“—to fly before a true dragon?”
“Fall!” He snarled, clenching his wings shut and driving his full weight and might downward—this was not a fight. It was a crushing, decisive victory.
The once-frenzied Chimera, now utterly overwhelmed by raw power, could do nothing but surrender. There was no escape.
“Grrr… Aaaah…” The creature wobbled in the air for a moment before plummeting from over ten meters high, crashing straight into the ground with a deafening crack!
The earth trembled. Dust roared upward. Rocks shattered. A massive, shallow crater formed where it landed.
Inside the pit, the Chimera lay broken—wounded, bleeding, its wings nearly snapped. Its three heads hung low, trembling.
“Let me show you what true fire truly is.” The Red Dragon loomed over the dying beast, mouth slightly parted. Heat coiled deep within his throat, visible in the shimmering distortion of the air around his jaws.
“Submit…”
“Or die.” Kai Xiusu stared into the lion’s head, its eyes wide with terror and broken will. The words were slow, deliberate.
Though the Chimera was a brutal, savage creature, it still valued life. And as a being of draconic blood, it instinctively recognized superiority—especially in a true dragon. It had no choice.
Without hesitation, the three heads lowered in unison, exposing their vulnerable necks. A low, broken groan escaped them—submission.
“Awooo…”
In the wild, strength is law. There is no fairness, no mercy—only dominance. That was the truth of the untamed world.
“I submit… Master…” To Kai Xiusu’s surprise, the Chimera spoke in broken Dragon Tongue—simple, raw syllables, but unmistakably words.
Only then did Kai Xiusu release his grip. He turned, letting loose a torrent of fire from his maw—directly into the ground less than a meter away.
The impact was instant. The earth blackened instantly. Stone cracked and exploded in a shower of sparks. The heat was unbearable.
The Chimera shuddered, heart pounding. It had survived—but only just. It knew, with chilling certainty, that one brush with that fire would have been fatal.
Slowly, the beast dragged itself from the crater. Its wings, torn and bleeding, clung tightly to its back. Its limbs strained under its weight as it lifted itself up, three heads bowed low, eyes averted from the Red Dragon’s piercing gaze.
Kai Xiusu leapt onto the towering cliff outside the cavern, standing tall and imposing, the wind whipping through his scales. With a thunderous roar in Dragon Tongue, he declared:
“From this day forward, this place shall be mine—
Kai Xiusu’s Nest.”
His voice echoed across the land, shaking the very air. Every creature within miles—wolfmen feasting on meat, ogres looting a fallen traveler, bears snoring in their dens—could hear it. Whether they realized it or not, their world had changed.
Kai Xiusu had no doubt they would understand soon enough. And if they didn’t… well, he would make them.
He leapt down lightly, his eyes returning to the crouched Chimera, now trembling with submission.
“From now on, remember this name. Never defy me. Lead the way.”
“Yes… Master,” the beast murmured, bowing its heads, and began walking forward into the depths of the Giant’s Maw Cavern.
Inside, it was warm—faintly glowing with the presence of abundant Fire Element. The Red Dragon felt at ease, his scales shimmering in the dim light.
As they passed through the narrow, winding tunnels, Kai Xiusu noticed the scattered remains of countless creatures: the massive skull of a giant, the wing bones of a wyvern, even the horned, humanoid skulls of unknown beings.
“Cambion?” he mused. “No… more likely a Tiefling.”
The Red Dragon followed closely behind, his eyes sharp, his senses alert.
After a long, deep passage, the cavern opened into a vast chamber—spacious enough to easily accommodate a mature Red Dragon.
Remains littered the floor—leftovers from past feasts. And branching off from the main chamber were multiple smaller cave passages, like the roots of a hidden labyrinth.
Just as the Chimera passed a pile of scattered bones, it hesitated—just for a moment—then hurried on, pretending nothing was amiss.
But Kai Xiusu saw it.
He stopped, voice cold and sharp in Dragon Tongue.
“What are you hiding? What’s back there?”
“No… nothing…” The Chimera turned, whining, head bowed in feigned submission.
The Red Dragon tore through the pile of bones with a single swipe of his claw.
Beneath, a hidden entrance gaped open.
Peering down into the darkness, Kai Xiusu saw it—thousands of golden coins, shimmering faintly in the dim light.
The Chimera, a creature of dragon blood, carried the innate greed of its kind. Hoarding treasure was instinct. But to have amassed so much… that was rare, even among dragons.
“By dragon law,” Kai Xiusu stated, “I take half.”
“But if you ever lie to me again…”
“…there will be no second chance.”
“Yes… Master,” the beast whispered, its three heads hanging low.
Kai Xiusu regarded it for a long moment, then stepped into the hidden chamber—leaving the Chimera to watch in agony as the dragon devoured his prize.
One single, massive gulp—hundreds of gold coins vanished into his maw. More than half of the Chimera’s lifetime of blood and plunder, gone in an instant.
(End of Chapter)
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