The First Dragon God-Chapter 72: Consequences

Leo didn’t understand what just happened.

One moment, he had Ryan pinned to the ground, rage burning in his chest as he prepared to end it all.

The next, Ves had appeared like a ghost, her movements swift as she sank her **teeth into Ryan’s neck, drawing blood.

And now, Ryan lay on the ground, clutching his neck, his fingers pressing against the wound as if he could somehow stop the inevitable.

Leo stared, his mind struggling to process what he had just witnessed. The battlefield, once filled with snarls and growls, had fallen eerily silent, save for the sound of Ryan’s ragged breathing and the soft rustle of wind carrying the scent of blood and decay.

Ryan’s eyes met Leo’s, and for the first time, Leo saw something unfamiliar in them—fear and confusion.

It mirrored the emotions swirling in Leo’s chest.

His gaze drifted upward to Ves, who stood over Ryan, her shoulders rising and falling with each labored breath.

Blood smeared her lips, a stark contrast against her pale skin. Her expression was calm, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing the blood further before offering Leo a small, tired smile.

"Ms. Ves… why?" Leo’s voice trembled, laced with confusion and disbelief. "Why did you…?"

Ves took a slow step toward him, her gaze steady despite the storm of emotions brewing behind her eyes.

"You’re too young to start getting people’s blood on your hands," she said softly, her voice gentle but firm. "Especially not the blood of an animal like him."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with meaning.

Leo’s jaw clenched. "I was ready to do it. He deserved—"

"I know," Ves interrupted, her tone unwavering. "But that’s not a burden you should carry. Not yet."

She took another step closer, her eyes never leaving his. "I’m supposed to be the adult here. I’m supposed to protect you from… from things like this."

Her voice wavered for a moment, and she let out a shaky breath. "So I decided to do what I should have done from the beginning."

Leo didn’t know what to say. His chest felt tight, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Should he be relieved? Grateful? Angry? He didn’t know.

His gaze drifted back to Ryan, who still lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. The color had already begun to drain from his face, his skin turning ashen, as if the blood in his veins was being siphoned away.

Ryan’s fingers trembled as he pressed them against his neck, his breaths coming in short, panicked gasps.

"What… what did you do to me?" Ryan’s voice was barely a whisper, his eyes darting between Ves and Leo.

The confusion in his gaze deepened, mingling with a growing sense of dread.

Leo felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the transformation unfold.

Ryan’s skin turned paler by the second, the veins beneath the surface becoming more pronounced, like dark rivers weaving through a barren landscape. His eyes glazed over, the once-sharp gaze clouding with milky white film.

His movements grew jerky and unnatural, his limbs twitching as if he no longer had control over them.

Leo’s stomach churned at the sight. "Ms. Ves… what’s happening to him?"

Ves’s gaze hardened. "He’s turning."

Ryan’s eyes widened in horror and realisation. "Turning? No… no, this can’t—"

Ryan’s fingers trembled as he clawed at his neck, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "No… not me. I’m supposed to win. I’m supposed to survive—" His voice cracked, fading into a guttural snarl as his humanity slipped away.

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His words were cut off by a sharp gasp, his body convulsing as if something inside him was breaking. He let out a low, guttural snarl, his hands clawing at the ground as his body twisted and writhed.

Leo took a step back, heart pounding in his chest.

The sound of bones cracking and muscles shifting filled the air, accompanied by Ryan’s guttural groans.

Ryan’s transformation was horrific.

His skin, now ghostly pale, stretched tightly over his bones, giving him a gaunt, skeletal appearance. His eyes rolled back in his head, leaving only white orbs staring into nothingness.

His mouth opened wide in a silent scream, revealing teeth that seemed sharper, more animalistic.

And then he stopped.

For a moment, there was silence.

Ryan’s body stilled, his head lolling to the side. The air grew heavy, the tension thick enough to cut with a blade.

Leo held his breath, waiting… watching.

Suddenly, Ryan’s body jerked upright, moving with unnatural speed. His limbs twisted, and his head snapped back, his dead eyes locking on Leo.

A snarl escaped his lips, low and feral.

Leo raised Nightshade, preparing to defend himself.

But Ryan didn’t attack.

Instead, he dropped to his knees, his hands trembling as he clutched his head. His movements grew erratic, his body rocking back and forth.

Without warning, Ryan slammed his head into the ground.

The impact echoed through the battlefield.

Again.

And again.

The sickening sound of bone and decayed flesh meeting stone reverberated through the air as Ryan repeatedly smashed his head into the ground, each strike more forceful than the last.

The stench of rot intensified, mingling with the metallic scent of blood. Ryan’s skin cracked as it stretched over his bones, the sound like dry parchment tearing, with blood pooled beneath him, staining the earth.

Leo’s grip on Nightshade tightened, his heart hammering in his chest. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to stop it.

"Why is he…?" Leo’s voice trailed off, unable to form the question.

"He’s fighting it," Ves said softly. "He’s trying to hold on to what little humanity he has left."

Her gaze softened, filled with a sadness that cut deep. "But it won’t last."

Ryan let out one final, guttural growl before his body collapsed. His head rested against the blood-soaked ground, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Leo lowered Nightshade, his hands trembling. The weight of everything that had just happened pressed down on him, suffocating.

"Ms. Ves…" His voice was barely a whisper. "Did we… did we do the right thing?"

Ves stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There are no right answers in a world like this. We do what we have to, to survive."

Leo nodded slowly, but the weight in his chest didn’t lift.

Ryan’s body lay still, the blood pooling beneath him a stark reminder of the choices they had made.

And the consequences they would have to live with.