The piles of stones turned into burning rubble, the stream into a field strewn with corpses, the blue birds into bloodstained arrows, the villagers’ joyful chatter into the roars of battle… Even the sky lost its clarity, veiled in a layer of blood mist more disorienting than the crimson hue vampires cherished.
Leia realized the ground beneath her feet was scorching hot.
“To actually feel temperature… I see. In Xuefei’s dream, my powers aren’t being replicated. So…”
Xuefei didn’t perceive Leia as something outside the dream—or rather, Little Dragon Girl hadn’t yet realized that her dream was all illusion, unlike the true reality where Leia existed.
Now came the main event, the very reason Leia was here.
Xuefei suddenly began to struggle, trying to wrench herself free from Leia’s arms, but Leia gave her no such opportunity.
“Xuefei, calm down. You have to stay calm. Remember what I told you? Don’t open your eyes—no matter what~”
“I remember, but it’s dangerous here. Really dangerous. We’re outside the forest. This is where they kill us. We have to get out of here!”
“I told you that won’t happen. Just trust me.”
“So many… so many arrows…”
Xuefei was fully immersed in the scene Leia had guided her into.
The arrows flew from their strings, enhanced by the magicians’ spells, forming a near-perfect encirclement without blind spots.
Any ordinary person would perish in that hail of arrows, joining the ranks of those pitiful corpses.
Just like Leia now. She knew that if Xuefei believed she was doomed to die, then in this dream there was no space for her survival. Dodging the arrows wouldn’t change a thing.
The same logic applied to Xuefei herself. If she died here, the trauma to her mind could be even worse, undoing everything Leia had accomplished.
There was no turning back now.
Leia clutched Xuefei close and spun once, facing the direction from which the arrows rained down…
“Cough cough…”
“Leia? Leia, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Keep your eyes closed… Does this scene feel profound to you, Little Xuefei?”
Roars echoed in her ears. Leia wasn’t sure if Xuefei could even hear her.
Moments later, the trembling in her arms said it all.
She was cuter than a chick begging for food, though she couldn’t see it herself. A sinner who had forsaken herself, selfish yet powerless in her guilt—this little one was the epitome of adorable vulnerability. Her current softness and charm were the raw, honest image of this strong yet fragile little dragon.
There was nothing wrong with it. Even as a girl—no, especially as a girl—she deserved to be cherished and spoiled.
She never should have been chosen by those accursed gods to be a hero. She never should have shouldered that burden. She’d done her absolute best. Even if she’d crossed time and space to abandon her heroic duties, no one’s fate would have changed.
No…
Almost no solitary human could survive the trials of an S-level world.
Leia still didn’t understand why the arrogant gods offered so little support to S-level worlds, instead banking on the hero’s own growth.
Of course, the Leia of today had a different answer…
Xuefei’s quivering voice captured that tragic reality perfectly:
“I don’t know. I really don’t know. I’m so scared… so scared…”
“Xuefei, this pain, this depth—I can feel it too~”
“…Mmm.”
The soldiers bellowed behind her. Leia was grateful Xuefei didn’t believe she was going to die. Those arrows pierced her back; even her dragon scales offered no protection now, bending to the dream’s will. This form of dream-sharing had no tie to reality, but the agony was as real as ever.
It had been ages since Leia last felt the sting of arrows, though it was nothing compared to devouring the evil dragon’s obsession.
She sank to the ground, and Xuefei followed her movements, nestling into her lap. Her little belly brushed lightly against Leia’s black-stockinged legs, and finally, her dragon tail coiled possessively around Leia’s thigh.
“Now, try thinking of something warm and comforting instead—something less intense.”
“Come on, hold my hand.”
Leia extended her hand. Amid her panic, Xuefei laced their fingers together, never once lifting her head from the soft warmth of Leia’s chest.
“Do you feel it? My warmth… and the thing on my ring finger?”
“What’s that?”
“The ring you gave me. Our wedding ring.”
“…”
The golden band gleamed in the blood-red sunset, flames rising slowly from the horizon as the world became a sea of fire.
“We… got married?”
“That’s right. And I gave you one in return. By the way, I really love mine~”
A ring appeared on Xuefei’s ring finger.
Feeling the unusual warm touch on her hand, she could no longer hear the roaring blaze of the battlefield.
Leia spoke softly. “Do you want to see what a wedding ring looks like?”
“I… a wedding ring? Yes, I really want to see it. I want to see what your ring looks like, Leia. I can feel it already. It feels like…”
“Then look.”
“But you said I can’t open my eyes.”
“It’s fine. I allow it. You can just look at the ring, okay?”
“Okay… alright…”
Xuefei released one hand.
She placed it in the space between herself and Leia, brushing against Leia’s belly. Her head dipped slightly as she gently opened her eyes.
This way, seeing just the one ring posed no problem at all.
“So pretty. Your dress is beautiful too, Leia…”
“Isn’t it? Do you know what it’s made of?”
“Diamonds?” Xuefei guessed. She quickly closed her eyes again, but in that fleeting moment, she noticed the blood pooling around Leia’s feet.
“You’re hurt!”
“It’s nothing. Trust me, I’ll be fine~”
“Mm…”
Xuefei nodded.
“Now, open your eyes. It’s time to take you away from this world~”
“Finally?”
“Yes. Just one last step. I want you to open your eyes for it.”
It was only opening her eyes, after all.
She had already managed it moments ago.
But what had become of this world? Beyond the people themselves, what horrors had unfolded?
Leia rose to her feet, supporting Xuefei’s limp waist. She noticed the large wet stain spreading across her chest—identical to the times Xuefei had clung to her before, sobbing her heart out.
Then Xuefei reluctantly released her hold on Leia’s body. As her eyes fluttered open, all she could see was the flower cradled in Leia’s palm—a shimmering bloom.
The battlefield around them still raged on, blood seeping steadily from Leia’s back.
But Xuefei’s gaze was fixed entirely on Leia’s smile and that flower… no, it was more like a flower crown.
“This is…?”
“Now, place your hand in mine.”
Leia offered no explanation.
It was the gesture of a gentleman inviting her to dance.
Xuefei clutched her chest with one hand. She laid her left—the one bearing the wedding ring—upon the flower crown in Leia’s grasp.
“Like this?”
“Exactly. Just as we agreed.”
Suddenly, the scene shattered.
It was like a high-speed stone shattering a glass window, yet not abrupt at all—somehow entirely expected.
In that instant, Xuefei smiled, a mix of relief and pain.
Like light rising over the horizon, her silver hair whipped across Leia’s face.
The world plunged into pitch blackness. The two of them stood in opposite corners, gazing at one another.
Their dragon tails remained entwined like a spiral, refusing to part.
The pain and warmth stirred her memories, piecing together the complete picture of who she was.
“Yes, I remember it all now, Leia…”
“The village where we lived, the wars we endured, the… thousands of years we spent together, sharing every hardship. Even if the ending wasn’t a happy one.”
“Thank you. Again.”
Leia smiled too, though exhaustion weighed heavier on her features.
“Don’t celebrate too soon. You’re still in your subconscious phase. I could still rewrite your mind, turn you into my breeding machine~”
She teased.
She expected Xuefei to fire back with some playful retort.
Instead, she received an embrace—and Xuefei even tackled her to the ground!
“Huh?” Leia’s eyes widened.
“Whatever you do to me now, Leia, I’m willing,” Xuefei said, utterly earnest.
Clearly, in this dream world, Leia had maxed out her affection.
Leia laughed. “Then I won’t hold back~”
“Regret or not, I’ve made up my mind. I deserve some ‘reward’ at least.”
“Give me a few more children. I want to see you as the perfect wife and mother, Xuefei. That’s not asking too much, is it?”
