CHAPTER 384: VACATION ORGY...

Nyx, the Red Death Dragon, burst from the portal with a roar that shook the very foundations of the coastal district. Even in his adolescent form, he was a sight to behold—scales that seemed to be forged from living flame, wings that cast shadows across the beach, and eyes that burned with the fury of volcanic cores.

The beachgoers who had been fleeing in terror suddenly stopped, paralyzed by a different kind of fear. Nyx’s fear aura washed over the area like a physical force, and confused murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"What manner of beast is that?"

"I’ve never seen anything like it..."

"The power... I can feel it in my bones..."

But Nyx had no interest in the humans cowering on the beach. His attention was entirely focused on the serpent that had dared to threaten his bond-brother’s territory. Without hesitation, the dragon folded his wings and dove.

The impact when Nyx struck the water was like a volcanic explosion. Steam rose in massive clouds as his superheated body met the ocean, and the Drakonis Serpent suddenly found itself facing an opponent that was not only large, but infinitely more dangerous.

The battle was swift and decisive. The serpent attempted to coil around Nyx, but the dragon’s molten core ability made such contact impossible—the creature’s flesh began to sizzle and burn wherever it touched dragon-scale. When the serpent tried to retreat to deeper water, Nyx released a magma bomb breath attack that turned the surrounding ocean into a boiling cauldron.

The serpent’s death roar echoed across the coast, a sound of pain and defeat that sent shivers through everyone who heard it. As the massive body began to sink beneath the waves, Nyx dove once more, emerging moments later with something clutched in his claws.

He landed on the beach with surprising gentleness for such a massive creature, dropping a beast core the size of Noah’s head at his bond-brother’s feet. The core pulsed with internal light, clearly containing enormous amounts of energy.

’[Red Death KILL CONFIRMED]’

’[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 2,847 XP]’

’[BEAST CORE ACQUIRED: komodo Drakonis Serpent Core - Category 4]’

’[SPECIAL REWARD: Leviathan Hunter Title]’

Noah picked up the core, feeling its weight and power, and stored it in his void storage. Nyx watched the process with satisfaction before turning his burning gaze toward the crowd of humans who were slowly recovering from their shock.

The dragon’s message was clear: the threat was ended, the territory was secure. With a final nod toward Noah, Nyx spread his wings and immediately got covered in a red mist, returning to the dimensional space where he waited between summons.

The silence that followed was profound. Then, gradually, the beach began to come alive again. But the mood had changed completely. Instead of fear or wariness, Noah found himself surrounded by people who looked at him with something approaching awe.

"That was incredible!" shouted a young man who looked to be about Noah’s age. "I’ve never seen anything like that!"

"You’re a summoner!" exclaimed a girl with bright blue hair. "A real dragon summoner!"

’A real dragon summoner?’ he thought for a second. These people weren’t entirely aloof to what Nyx was or that he’d been the one to summon the dragon. It was almost like some of them knew these kind of things were possible.

Soon Noah was surrounded by a crowd of young people, all talking at once, all eager to know more about him and his abilities. Sophie watched from nearby, smiling at how quickly Noah had gone from being a terrifying force of nature to being the most popular person on the beach.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a whirlwind of activity.

Noah found himself the center of attention wherever he went, with people asking to hear about his other summons, his adventures with the EDF, and whether he could show them more of his abilities. He graciously declined the last request—summoning Nyx had been necessary to save lives, but he wasn’t about to turn his bond-brothers into entertainment.

As the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of gold and red that rivaled Nyx’s scales, Noah and Sophie found themselves sitting together on the sand, watching the waves roll gently onto the shore. The day’s excitement had left them both feeling strangely peaceful.

"Thank you," Sophie said quietly, her head resting on Noah’s shoulder.

"For what?"

"For letting me see this side of you. The part that isn’t the SSS-ranked soldier or humanity’s greatest weapon. Just... Noah."

He squeezed her hand gently. "Thank you for showing me that this part of me exists."

They might have stayed there until full dark, content to watch the stars begin to appear in the alien sky, but they were interrupted by the approach of five young people who had been part of the crowd earlier. There were two boys and three girls, all around their age, all with the kind of easy confidence that came from lives lived without the constant threat of war.

"Hey, Noah! Sophie!" called out a girl with blue hair, whose name they’d learned was Kira. "We’re heading to a party, and we’d love for you to come along."

Her companion, a tall boy with an easy smile named Jax, nodded enthusiastically. "It’s going to be epic. Great music, amazing food, and definitely some people you’ll want to meet."

Noah looked at Sophie questioningly. "What do you think? Are you up for more adventure?"

Sophie smiled and nudged him with her elbow. "You should go have fun. You’ve earned it after today."

"Actually," interrupted one of the other girls, a petite brunette named Zara, "Sophie’s totally invited too. No way we’re breaking up the dream couple."

The third girl, whose silver hair seemed to shimmer in the fading light, laughed. "Besides, after what we saw today, we’re definitely not letting the dragon summoner out of our sight. I’m Lysa, by the way."

The final member of their group, a boy with darker skin and an infectious grin, extended his hand to Noah. "And I’m Tor. Come on, what do you say? One night of fun before you go back to saving the universe?"

Noah and Sophie exchanged looks, then burst out laughing at the same time.

"Alright," Noah said, standing and brushing sand from his clothes. "Let’s go see what a Raiju Prime party looks like."

They walked back to a park where there were several transports. Sera and Vorten wanted to come along but Sophie reassured them they’d find their way back home. It wasn’t like she could get lost with Noah being the link to the team. Reluctantly, the two allowed them go on to their adventure.

They finally got to the space their new friends had kept their transport vessel.

The transport was sleek and spacious, clearly designed for groups of young people who wanted to travel in style. As they lifted off from the beach, the city spread out below them in a tapestry of lights and flowing energy. The conversation flowed as easily as the transport’s movement through the evening air.

"So you’re really from Earth?" Kira asked, her eyes wide with fascination. "What’s it like?"

Sophie and Noah found themselves in the strange position of trying to describe their home planet to other humans who had never seen it. They talked about blue skies and white clouds, about cities that sprawled horizontally instead of reaching toward the stars, about weather patterns and seasons and the way rain felt against your skin.

"It sounds so... different," Tor mused. "More chaotic, maybe? Here everything is so ordered, so connected to the planet’s energy systems."

"Chaotic is definitely one way to describe it," Noah said with a laugh. "Especially lately, with the Harbinger war."

The mood in the transport sobered slightly. Even on Raiju Prime, news of humanity’s struggle against the Harbingers had reached them.

"Is it really as bad as the reports say?" Lysa asked quietly. "I mean we haven’t had an attack since I was born so I wouldn’t know,"

Sophie and Noah exchanged looks. How did you explain to people who had lived their entire lives in safety what it was like to fight for humanity’s survival on a daily basis?

"It’s... challenging," Sophie said finally. "But we have good people fighting. People who believe in something worth protecting."

"Like the people on this beach today," Noah added. "When that serpent attacked, everyone worked together to get people to safety. That’s what gives me hope, no matter how bad things get."

The conversation gradually shifted to lighter topics as they traveled through the night sky. Their new friends were curious about EDF training, about space travel, about what it was like to visit other worlds. Noah and Sophie did their best to satisfy their curiosity while keeping the darker aspects of their experiences to themselves. These young people lived in a world where the greatest excitement was riding kelari at the beach—they didn’t need to hear about the horrors of war.

When they finally began to descend toward their destination, Noah could see it was a building unlike any he’d encountered on Raiju Prime. Instead of the flowing, organic architecture that characterized most of the planet’s structures, this building was all sharp angles and bold geometric shapes, its surfaces covered in patterns that pulsed with light bulbs. If anything, it looked like a club and the only one he’d been to in his life was where he met Sophie, the Rave.

"Here we are," Jax announced as the transport settled onto a landing pad that jutted out from the building’s side like a metallic flower petal.

They disembarked and walked toward the building’s entrance, their footsteps echoing on the metallic flooring. The sound of music was already audible, but it was unlike anything Noah had heard before—electronic and organic at the same time.

As they approached the entrance, Noah noticed other young people arriving from various directions, all dressed in the kind of stylish clothing that suggested this was indeed something special. The energy in the air was electric, filled with anticipation and excitement.

Kira pressed her hand against a scanner beside the entrance, and the doors slid open with a soft hiss. Sound washed over them like a physical force—not overwhelming, but rich and immersive in a way that made Noah’s bones vibrate in harmony with the beat.

"Welcome," Zara said with a grin, "to the most exclusive party on Raiju Prime."

They stepped through the doorway together, and Noah felt his jaw drop. Sophie’s hand found his arm, her own eyes wide with disbelief.

Neither of them could quite believe what they were seeing.

"An orgy?..." Sophie said with half a smile of surprise and something else Noah couldn’t tell when he looked at her.