Chapter 282

Chapter 264: Black Dragon

With these thoughts in mind, Jed quickened his pace, chasing forward at a faster speed. The distance between him and Gregor had narrowed to a dangerously close proximity, which startled Little Fox, who was lying on Gregor’s back and looking back.

At that moment, a heavy and ancient long howl echoed in the sky before them.

“—!!”

Long, solemn, and distant… The profound echo of the ancient howl reverberated among the giant trees of the forest. In that instant, both Gregor and Jed were momentarily stunned, while Little Fox, upon hearing the sound, was filled with wild joy.

‘It has finally arrived!’

The three of them, galloping across the grass in the forest, turned their gazes in unison towards the direction of the howl, looking into the deep darkness between the giant trees. They saw the silhouette of a massive figure gradually emerging from the dark ahead.

The imposing shadow, dark as the night, loomed in front of them, its broad black wings stirring the air of the Dream Realm as it propelled its gigantic body out from the gloom.

With horns, sharp claws, and scales heavy as rock, the fearsome and majestic black dragon soared towards them. Witnessing this unprecedented sight, Gregor and Jed felt their hearts leap into their throats.

‘A dragon! What nonsense! There’s actually a dragon! There are dragons in the Dream Realm!’

‘Is this… the source of the fear that the Dream Beings dread?’

Upon seeing the appearance of the black dragon, an instinctual fear immediately surged in Gregor and Jed’s hearts. Realizing they had encountered the source of fear for the Dream Beings in this area, they quickly came to a halt and ran in the opposite direction, turning the scene into Jed in the lead, with Gregor and Little Fox following behind.

However, running was no match for flying. After a casual flap of its wings, the black dragon swiftly caught up with the fleeing group and dove down.

As the black dragon swooped down, the wind pressure from its massive wings violently blasted across the grassy forest floor, sending the escaping Gregor and Jed tumbling. Little Fox was also thrown off Gregor’s back, and with a whimper, tumbled for several rolls before landing far away.

At that moment, accompanied by a tremor on the ground, the black dragon landed, raising its neck and staring silently at the scene before it. It watched as the two black dogs, blown to the ground, struggled to stand, gazing up at the black dragon, which was looking down at them with a terrifying glare.

Faced with the nearly twenty-meter-long giant figure, the two black dogs, each just over a meter long, immediately lowered their bodies. Having witnessed the speed of the black dragon and aware that they could not escape, they momentarily hesitated, afraid that any misstep might provoke it.

‘A dragon… Among the Dream Beings… there’s actually a dragon!? Is this the reason why the Dream Beings in this area are being driven away? Are they all hiding from the dragon?’

Dazedly standing in place, Gregor thought to himself. He never imagined he would see a legendary creature like a dragon with his own eyes. The largest Dream Being he had seen before was merely a Dream Deer, and the most fantastical was Flandy’s winged hunting dog’s mimicry.

Gregor had heard from James that there were high-ranking creatures in the Bureau that could mimic high-grade fantasy creatures like the Winged Three-Headed Dog, and he had also heard of the griffin as a rare fantasy form among Dream Beings, but he had never heard of a dragon.

On the other side, Jed was overwhelmed with shock, his mind racing to think of a solution for the current situation.

‘d*mn… I initially wanted to utilize the forbidden area to set a trap… I didn’t expect to run into the reason behind the forbidden area… there’s actually a dragon?! I can’t act recklessly now. The fact that this dragon hasn’t attacked right away means it doesn’t have hostility for the time being. I must think of a way to escape.’

Jed thought to himself, and just then, the black dragon surveyed the scene before it, opened its mouth, and spoke slowly in a voice that was ancient, deep, yet somewhat vague.

“Was that howl just now… emitted by you?”

The giant dragon’s thunderous voice echoed in Jed and Gregor’s ears. Hearing this, the two of them froze, simultaneously realizing an important fact.

This dragon can talk! It possesses intelligence!

Upon realizing this, an idea flashed through Jed’s mind. He quickly ran in front of the black dragon, bent down, and spoke in a deeply respectful voice.

“Yes, esteemed giant dragon, I took the liberty of using such a howl to summon you, to notify you that someone has intruded into your territory!”

As he spoke, Jed glanced over at Gregor, and upon hearing Jed’s words, Gregor was startled once more.

‘This guy… is actually blaming the villain first?!’

“Esteemed giant dragon! I was originally hunting alongside this guy, and we were patrolling on the edge of your magnificent territory. Unexpectedly, he suddenly became audacious and sought to step into your territory for treasure. After my warnings fell on deaf ears, he proceeded inside, and I meant to stop him.”

With a humble and submissive attitude, Jed spoke to the black giant dragon. He was clear on an important piece of information: the forbidden area of this forest region had not changed since its formation, meaning that the beings residing here would not venture out of the forbidden zone.

What does this imply? It implies that the powerful beings capable of striking fear into other Dream Beings possess territorial awareness. Beings with territorial awareness will not easily leave their territory and will not permit other beings to invade.

At that moment, Jed seized upon this point, believing he had grasped the mindset of the territorial being, and thus accused and slandered Gregor to clear himself of blame.

Indeed, after hearing Jed’s words, the black dragon shifted its focus to Gregor, its crimson pupils locking onto him directly. Feeling this intense gaze, Gregor’s heart began to race, and he immediately spoke.

“Esteemed dragon, please don’t listen to his nonsense! We are both members of the An Yin Bureau in the real world, and we were originally hunting outside your territory. It was he who led me into your territory, intending to attack me when the other comrades could not detect it!”

Gregor raised his voice forcefully, and on the other side, Jed immediately interjected.

“Don’t listen to him, esteemed dragon! This guy is trying to sweet-talk you, but despite his mouthful of lies, he is ultimately my companion. Please give me a chance to take him back, and we absolutely won’t trespass into your territory again!”

After Jed spoke, he continued to observe the giant dragon before him. He noticed that it was still focused on Gregor at a distance, remaining utterly still. Under the gaze of the dragon, Gregor felt tremendous pressure.

‘It’s working… The dragon is starting to suspect that kid!’

Seeing this, Jed felt a surge of relief, and just as he prepared to embellish his story further, he saw the giant dragon’s gaze shift towards him.

This time, the look in its eyes carried a true sense of chilling murderous intent.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Jed wanted to say something, but he did not have the opportunity. A spiked tail swooshed toward him, swiftly sweeping him off his feet. Before he could utter a word, he was pierced through by the spikes, and his entire body was torn apart by the immense force in an instant.

As Jed’s body was torn apart, his eyes widened in shock and confusion. He could not understand why the dragon had suddenly turned its hostility towards him.

“Why…”

Just as Jed disappeared amidst his astonishment and doubt, the dragon’s mimicry of Dorothy expressed in her heart…

‘Why? Because that dog you mentioned is my brother…’