Chapter 137: Like a Dragon

"...Hmmm... I think we’re getting there, Nioh! I can feel something strange about this mountain!" Nio says to Nioh as they both dig a hole through the middle of a mountain.

It’s been a few days since the two of them "deepened" their relationship in an intimate way, and it really did bring them slightly closer thanks to their shared goal of killing Typhon.

Naturally, as a consequence, Nio also feels much better about herself. By accepting both that she’s truly a girl and nothing will change that, and that she’s a monster, a considerable weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

But while for Nio, all the sex they had meant nothing more than something done for pleasure and so she could have the chance to lose her virginity, for Nioh it meant several different things, both emotionally and biologically.

"...Sure... it’s good that we’re getting there soon, I guess... hopefully it’s the entrance to the next floor, right?" Nioh says while staring at Nio’s ass.

"..." Nio had no way of knowing, but sleeping with Nioh was a terrible idea, as bad as handing herself over to Typhon on a silver platter. After all, Nioh isn’t human, and Nio has no idea what it means to have been intimate with Nioh.

"Where are the flames? It’s getting cold in here and you were supposed to handle that, Nioh," Nio complains as she melts the path ahead. They’ve walked several kilometers through this long tunnel they made, and the teamwork consisted of Nio digging with magic while Nioh just kept the environment warm.

"Ah... I’ll deal with it now..." Nioh releases a bit of flame from her mouth, keeping the temperature warm, but without taking her eyes off Nio’s body.

’I feel strange feeling this about a body that’s a copy of my own...’ Nioh stretches her tail completely back until it makes several popping sounds. A dragon’s tail extends from the base of the spine and also has a structure like vertebrae. The movement made all of Nioh’s vertebrae pop in a linear sequence.

"..." Even without understanding it mentally, Nio’s body does the same, responding to Nioh, who blushes in embarrassment. For dragons, the tail is an important means of communication. Many dragons don’t speak to each other depending on the occasion; they only use their tails.

What Nioh just did is simply flirting. Dragons extend their tails completely back until the bones pop, and if another dragon does the same, the flirtation is accepted.

Obviously Nio doesn’t know this, but dragons don’t need to think much. Their bodies tend to follow what is accepted by them, so Nio, who is totally fine with Nioh, ends up accepting the flirtation. The fact that they had sex means that, to both of their bodies, "something is happening between us" — while to Nio it doesn’t mean much.

’Why is this damn girl flirting with me?’ But Nioh didn’t want to receive a response. She wanted to end this with a quick "rejection." All Nio had to do was not respond.

’The body is honest. It’s based on what we truly feel... s-she feels something for me?’

"..." Nioh does another flirtation with her tail, producing a louder pop. Nio’s tail does the same, accepting it. But of course, the noise draws attention.

"What the hell are you doing, Nioh? Stop with that popping noise, it’s unpleasant, it’s like bones breaking," Nio complains, not liking the sound of both their bones popping.

"Th-then stop responding, idiot," Nioh mutters in dissatisfaction, but with a flushed face.

"..." Nioh taps her tail against the ground a few times. Nio doesn’t notice, but her body relaxes softly and her muscles become less tense.

What Nioh did is like an "I’m here." Dragons tap their tails weakly against the ground a few times, emitting a slightly heavy sound as an "indicator" that they’re in the area — a way of saying they don’t want to fight and are open to interaction.

Even though Nio has no idea, this is something tied to the dragon body itself, so Nio doesn’t need to understand. Her body already knows what it means.

"..." Nioh tries to flirt again for the third time, but Nio turns around and kicks Nioh in the face when she hears the popping, making Nioh let out a pained sound.

"...I told you to stop with that sound, it makes me uncomfortable. Seriously, why are you doing this?" Despite that, Nio’s body responds by doing the same, and when Nio turns around to continue what she was doing, Nioh climbs onto her body.

"..." Nioh’s tail intertwines with Nio’s while Nioh wraps her arms in a tight embrace around Nio’s ribs, forcing Nio’s wings to open and curve downward.

"...Are you needy or something, you demon? Stop getting in the way." Even though Nio complains, her body accepts the flirtation’s advance.

If the flirtation is accepted three times, the one who started it climbs on top of the one who accepted, intertwining their tails and sharing their scent — which is what Nioh does.

Nio just ignores her and keeps digging through the ice, until the ice gives way to a frozen cavern with several twisted stone structures.

"Look, Nioh!! It’s there!! We found the door! We’re finally getting out of this damn frozen floor!!" Nio gets excited, running toward a small, completely dark hole. It floats in the middle of the frozen cavern, serving as the gate on this floor. There are several of these holes scattered around, but all very far from each other.

’The first was a point in the sky, the second a giant crack, and the third is like a hole... I wonder what the next door will be like.’ Nio can’t look back because Nioh’s horns are in the way.

"Look, if you’re going to stay on top of me, stay quiet, got it?! I don’t know what the hell got into you, but we have to take advantage of this!! I expected Typhon would find us before we left the third floor."

"But now we’re going to the fourth floor!! It’s a huge advantage. No matter how strong Typhon is, she’ll have trouble with this floor full of ice!! So let’s get to the fourth floor already!! And on the fourth floor we can try to gain even more of an advantage!!" Nio says in a cheerful tone.

"...Yeah..." Nioh just murmurs against her back, staying quiet.

"...You’re not getting off?"

"Carry me, please."

"Haa... fine, Nioh... I’m only doing this because I don’t want to waste time fighting... let’s go already! Every second counts!! I hope the fourth floor isn’t too bad. If the environment is better, we’ll be able to take our time and plan." In this frozen environment, Nio and Nioh couldn’t stay in one place for long.

So they hadn’t had time to talk about Typhon or a strategy to face her. So now, in Nio’s view, the chance is perfect.

"...3...2...1..." Nio runs and jumps through the door with Nioh clinging to her back, successfully completing their escape from the third floor of hell.