Landing in this isekai is a total surprise. Even after reading a ton of novels and anime of this genre, I never actually thought I'd end up here.

  Never have I asked for this chance, nor did I want to be the main character!

  All I wanted was a peaceful afterlife, chilling with my family and friends for eternity!

  Even though I'm super unwilling, being the happy-go-lucky type I am, I kinda just roll with this whole adventure thing.

  But my goal has always been just to return to the afterlife. This world can sort out its own issues. I'm just a passerby.

  My ideal scenario is to travel around, enjoy the scenery, without a care in the world, while I search for a way home.

  Unfortunately, it looks like this isn’t exactly a slice-of-life isekai. This world isn’t all fun and games.

  When I saw Bailey’s torn cloth, and the atrocity in that room, an invisible flame burns within me.

  I can’t just ignore something like that, because I'm still an emotional, empathetic, and biased human being.

  The world back in my past life also had its share of brutal stuff.

  The bottom half scrambles and struggles just to survive, while the top ten percent live the dream.

  The poor are invisible, and those of us in the middle class get bombarded with fear and lies to keep us fighting each other, while the rich laughs.

  Living in a society like that taught me one thing: never be a hero.

  I lived a pretty normal and happy life, which means being a little more defensive and forgiving, and definitely staying out of trouble.

  Of course, if trouble does come, I'm not afraid to protect the people I care about. Luckily, those times were few and far between.

  With so many whales roaming the world, krill like us can only hide and pray—pray we don't accidentally swim into a whale's mouth.

  My whole strategy of living happily and invisibly with my family, keeping a low profile, worked back then.

  Bailey isn’t the bravest, nor is he the strongest, but he has the courage to be kind to strangers, something I never really had.

  He trusted me, a total stranger he just met. Many might say he's naive, but to me, his act of kindness gives me warmth when I am completely lost and alone in this world.

  Syner… I have no idea what it means, nor do I care.

  All I know is this person made me a comforting meal, gave me trust and friendship when I most needed it, shared the underground adventure with me, and risked his own safety multiple times for mine.

  He is my friend! My first, and so far, only friend in this crazy new world!

  People like Caesar, they can do whatever they want, kindness or cruelty, they decide on a whim.

  They never suffer the consequences of their actions like the rest of us. While the powerless like Bailey walk on thin ice, one wrong step and the bottomless abyss awaits them.

  My morality, however flawed, refuses to allow a wonderful person like Bailey to endure so much pain.

  While people like Caesar, who believe human lives are disposable, walk free from any consequences!

  Having decided Caesar’s fate, a wave of conflicting emotions washes over me.

  I realize I’m no longer just a passerby. I guess holding Lawrence hostage kinda sealed that deal.

  I’m getting dragged into this world’s mess. Just like a ton of those isekai protagonists, I, a regular human with a god’s power, am about to become the center of attention in all these conflicts.

  Gotta be careful here—one wrong move, and I could become the very thing I hate: the hero turning into the dragon.

  My focus snaps back to the present. Trapped in this forcefield cage, I grab a couple of Adamantine bars from my pocket and start scraping them against the scales on my arm, like lighting matchsticks.

  My hair flares with iridescent light, brushing against the gold bars in my hand as it loses its orangey sheen.

  The dense aura I felt before surges back. With my iridescent hair now completely under control, I'm thinking fast.

  Sea serpent form is out; I need something bigger, more destructive, and, crucially, mobile on land.

  Rexy’s form might work, but since I didn’t get much of her memories, controlling a four-legged body naturally is… challenging, to put it mildly.

  Inspiration strikes. A flashback to some anime from my past life. Of course! Why didn’t I think of this before?

  I hold out my palm, and Rexy clambers onto it. "We're going to level this mansion," I whisper to her, undoing her leash. "But keep Caesar alive."

  She starts to grow, and as she expands, I picture a suit of armor engulfing her. This isn't just about protecting her; it's about maximizing the chaos.

  With full control of my hair, my thoughts have real power now. A simple decision sets off a chain reaction, flowing through every strand, animating them.

  My hair extends, twisting and twirling, wrapping around Rexy as she grows, expanding, pushing against the glowing shields. Forcing them apart… Until…

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Boom!

  An explosive force levels the top floor of the mansion. Under the dark, cloudy sky, a cloud of dust and debris billows out, briefly obscuring a gigantic shadowy figure.

  While everyone recovers from a state of shock, I sit on Rexy’s back to recharge my Qi for the ensuing battle.

  To my surprise, my iridescent hair can even sense and absorb Qi, which makes regaining it almost instant.

  If this were an anime, epic BGM would definitely be playing right now…

  With my orb of Qi completely full again, the massive dinosaur-lizard now stands fully encased in iridescent scale armor.

  Razor-sharp claws protrude from her front limbs. Rexy is armed to the teeth—or rather, to the tongue!

  Comfortably perched on Rexy’s back, I look down at Caesar, whose eyes are wide with terror.

  His guards are scattered across what’s left of the mansion’s upper floor, which has now become its roof.

  “No… no, this can’t be! You… you’re not real! An illusion!” Caesar repeats, his voice cracking.

  Instantly, Caesar’s Mech-suit thickens, arming him from head to toe. “Enough! All the likes of you shou…”

  “Wreck him,” I interrupt Caesar’s cliché remarks.

  Rexy instantly shoots out her long tongue, wraps it around Caesar’s ankles, and smashes him on the floor, then on another part of the floor, then back to this floor part, then back to the other part…

  Caesar lies wasted in the rubble of the smashed floors, eyes completely blank.

  Rexy stares down at Caesar with a dismissive glance, as if saying, “Puny creature…”

  “Bring him to me, please,” I say, pointing at Caesar.

  Rexy tries to hoist Caesar up to me by the ankle, but his Mech-suit morphs again, slipping his ankles free of Rexy’s tongue.

  Guards drop from the sky, instantly snatching Caesar off the roof.

  "Fire! Fire!" Screams erupt, and dozens of red energy beams converge on us.

  "Arrgr?" Rexy gives me a confused look, tilting her massive head. The energy beams dissipate harmlessly against her iridescent armor.

  "Don't worry, these scales will protect you from anything," I say, patting Rexy on the head. "Now, lay waste to this place."

  If anything does manage to get through, though I highly doubt it… well, I'll perish with you. We can still be besties in the afterlife.

  Rexy bounces with excitement, clearly ready for some serious destruction. The guards below watch in terror.

  "Fire the rail guns!" Caesar yells, having regained consciousness. A blinding flash of electrical force slams into Rexy, making us stumble sideways.

  A dozen more shots follow, each one creating a small explosion against her armor.

  While I'm in this form, my senses are further enhanced by Qi. I have the whole dome under surveillance.

  And I sense Lawrence scrambling into a vehicle, attempting a hasty getaway. A wall of guards provides cover for his retreat.

  Can’t have that. If word gets out too fast, I won’t have the chance to save Bailey.

  "Rexy, go get him!" I direct. Rexy leaps from the roof, sending a rumbling shockwave across the dome.

  She barrels through the guards’ shields like they’re made of tissue paper.

  One swift swipe of her claw transforms Lawrence’s vehicle into a mangled mess of scrap metal, sending him tumbling out onto the lawn.

  "N-no! Wait! I… I didn't mean it! I'll… I'll give you anything!” he whimpers, scrambling backward on his hands and feet.

  I ignore his pleas, my attention shifting back to the guards, who are now frantically trying to raise more shields.

  Rexy’s tail cracks through the air, shattering the newly erected shields like cheap ceramics. The guards go tumbling across the lawn in a disorganized heap.

  As Rexy deals with the guards, my senses still lock onto Caesar, but I also notice another anomaly. There is a large hollow space deep underneath the lawn.

  Before I can charge at Caesar to capture him, a blistering alarm sounds in the dome. The dome quickly becomes encased by metal.

  While all the guards scramble to the sides, one of them grabs Lawrence and drags him along.

  The ground shakes, and the lawn splits into two. A Mecha, around 10 meters tall, blasts to the surface.

  Caesar seizes the opportunity and dives into the Mecha.

  This massive Mecha and the shell surrounding the dome seem to be made of the same material as the walls of Caesar’s torture chamber. My senses can’t pierce it.

  Rexy takes a swipe at it with her claw, sparks flying, but it only leaves a scratch. The Mecha repairs itself almost instantly.

  Okay, Caesar’s definitely leveled the playing field a bit.

  The Mecha is surprisingly agile for its size. It dashes forward, trying to body slam us, but Rexy meets it head-on. We managed to push it back a few meters.

  The Mecha regains its balance quickly and counters with a swing kick aimed at Rexy’s head. Rexy’s tongue shoots out, wraps around the Mech’s leg, and bam—knocks it off balance.

  But before we can pick it up by the legs again, the leg melts, escaping Rexy’s grasp, and then… reforms.

  That makes me realize what the Mecha is probably made of: nano-bots. Trillions of them.

  That explains the healing and the melting leg. Tech in this isekai is…surreal.

  A massive sword pops out of the ground, and the Mecha grabs it, swinging a wide arc at us.

  Rexy’s tongue whips out, blocking the blow. Her tongue is like a sentient whip, changing direction mid-air, aiming straight for the Mech’s face.

  It leaves a mark, which, of course, quickly repairs itself.

  Without missing a beat, the Mecha chops down on us with the sword. Naturally, the invincible armor holds, but the sheer weight of the blow still slams us into the ground.

  Rexy roars, her tongue lashing out, wrapping around the Mecha's arm, and she throws the Mecha into the air. Simultaneously, she nudges the massive sword aside.

  The Mech executes a backflip, landing on its feet. Before we can react, a gun pops out of the ground—seriously, this lawn has an armory hidden underneath it!

  If this fight drags on, it's not looking good for us. I need a decisive blow, and I need it now.

  The Mech takes aim and unleashes a barrage of explosives. They don't hurt us, but the shockwaves send us tumbling in different directions.

  Rexy keeps dodging and weaving, taking swipes at the Mech's arms, legs, and joints. Unfortunately, they're ineffective.

  Rexy continues a series of dodges, while taking swipes at the Mech’s arms, legs and joints. Which isn’t effective.

  The Mech grabs a third weapon. This one looks different. Instead of targeting us, it points the weapon skyward and fires.

  A blinding flash follows, and then a massive net unfurls above us. Rockets propel the net downwards, trapping us beneath it. Each rope digs deep into the ground, trying to anchor us in place.

  "Hahahaha!" Caesar's chuckle echoes through the dome. "Finally! I..."

  "Rexy, the sword!" I interrupt Caesar's premature victory celebration. Rexy grabs the sword with her tongue and, with a swift side-swipe aimed at us, slices the net apart. The sword, naturally, does nothing to us.

  Caesar's laugh, coming from within the Mech, has finally given me a lock on his position. I lean close to Rexy's ear and whisper the plan for our decisive move. She nods, quick and understanding.

  Rexy whips her tongue and flings the sword at the Mecha, aiming for its chest. It swiftly dodges, and that split-second distraction is all Rexy needs.

  She makes a massive leap forward, wraps her tongue around the Mecha, and launches it into the air again!

  As the Mecha plummets, Rexy targets its left chest and fires her tongue like a fleshy bullet. I channel almost all my remaining Qi through the flame within, focusing it to the very tip of my hair, which is wrapped around Rexy's tongue.

  The moment Rexy's tongue makes contact, I unleash all that Qi at once. KABOOM! A massive explosion rips open the Mecha's chest, exposing Caesar within. Fear floods his face.

  Rexy’s tongue instantly wraps around Caesar, yanking him out of the Mech. As Caesar flies towards me, my senses pinpoint the device controlling the nanobots.

  When he's right in front of me, before he can even twitch, I unleash a flurry of six punches.

  Crack, Crack, Crack, Crack!

  One punch for each of his four limbs, snapping them like twigs.

  Crack, Crack!

  The other two punches land squarely on his shoulders and chest, crushing the Mecha suit controls.