Hello there, all fans of The Betrayed Dragon!
I know that you have probably waited long enough for this chapter, and I know that I promised to deliver this one a week ago, but a few private things happened, and I had to deal with them first. But now, it is all finished, and you can have fun with another chapter.
But – just like always – before we start, it is time for your comments.
Gravity Force – Thank you.
Leader .dbz – As I said previously, I am doing what I can to write those chapters as fast as I can. But that is not always possible. I do realize that, and I wish I could produce and release chapters sooner. Perhaps I will be able to write the events from the DxD side this year. But I am not making any promises. It all depends on how much time I will have this year and how my life will go on. Thanks for noticing the progress tho.
WolkaiserDrake – I am glad you like my idea. And I believe you will also enjoy this chapter.
PLEEZY56 – I said that many times in my AU, but I'll say it again – this is nowhere near the last arc. There is so much more I planned for this story. I am glad that you're excited about upcoming chapters. I'll do what I can do to write and deliver them as fast as I can.
Guest – Very interesting question. That depends on the power mode he is using. I can't give you the exact place or number where Issei/Verphis is when it comes to power levels, I can only compare him to the levels of his opponents he had to face in the past. In his "human mode", he barely uses any power but he can still jump to a high-level devil level. When he releases Ascalon, his power level is equal to an average ultimate-class devil, so I guess he could fight against Sairaorg wearing his balance breaker without any problems. His second release… let's call it "Raynare mode" for now… gives him a satan-level power (which means he is equal to Tannin, Grayfia, and Serafall). I would always explain that during his first transformations (check out again previous chapters). Anyway, thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
TheBAsics45 – IDK man, I've seen many dead stories with an alive fanbase, many stories with even slower update speed with very alive fanbase… And I would say they still keep getting new fans. Yes, I admit, my fanfic is not the fastest when it comes to new updates, all I can do is to make sure that every incoming chapter is at least interesting to read. But I can't say that readers have no interest in this fanfic. Maybe compared to other fanfics this story isn't as much interesting as others, but I can't complain about not having readers at all. Although thank you for your opinion and I hope you will also like the next chapters.
Kirosyamcha (chapter 2) – IDK if you went further into this story, but I will still answer your question – No, this is not alternative earth, this is indeed an alien world called Centauria. This world's location was based on the location of planet Centauri-b in the Alpha Centauri star system. I hope that this was helpful.
omnidragongod22 – Thank you for your kind words, I am glad that you like this story and how it went. The dream sequence was nothing more than a representation of his inner fears and nothing more. But the girls from the DxD team will show up but a little later in this story. I think that within a few chapters. And don't worry, I have many things prepared for them. And I as to your confusion from the arc-list… Yes, the whole thing is happening after his betrayal. I can't tell you more, because that would be a major spoiler here – but if you are interested just send me a private message with your questions and I will happily answer all of them. Anyway, thank you again for your kind words.
So, I guess it is time for the chapter. Have fun!
The Betrayed Dragon
Chapter 23
Elyne under siege
Calm before the storm. The first person to ever say or write that was a god damn genius in my eyes. Because he was right in all things possible. Whenever there is a peaceful moment, there is always something very bad incoming. And that Is possibly something that both I and the original author of that statement took from our experience.
I had so many situations like this in my life, that I took those words more seriously than some fanatics take the bible. Experience taught me already, that there is no such thing as everlasting peace. There are only small breaks before everything again starts to fall.
Some might say that this is a very morbid way to think. But those who say that, are also most likely the same people who are right now chilling in the Bahamas while a big-titted hooker is giving them a blow-job. Excuse me, but I am not going to believe those people.
Calm before the storm. That is exactly what I've felt all the time. That feeling had only intensified after our confrontation with Himitria. Something was just now right, I knew that. Something big was coming, big enough to change all of our lives forever.
And yet I would always put a smile on my face, just to pretend everything is alright. There was no need to spread panic. People should have some break from time to time, they don't have to live in constant fear… At least this is what I thought. Back when the days were still full of sunshine and happiness.
The reports were coming daily to our town. In theory, we all knew what was happening in the fronts, we all could predict what will happen in the incoming future. We all thought we were safe. That everything was alright.
Himitria Ashburn didn't try to do anything even closely related to me. She would still appear on our daily war-meetings, but she would not say a word. As far as I was aware, she was only cursed with the silence whenever she wanted to say something not nice or when she tried to manipulate the people around her. So either way, mom accidentally made her mute all the time, or she was not able to not be a manipulative spoiled bitch.
Did I care? Hell no, why would I? The less I heard from her the better for me. I finally had freedom from her, she wasn't bickering, cursing, demanding… If she would be like this since our first meeting in the capital city, I would have even say that she is a rather tolerable person to be around.
Even if she was not saying anything… I knew that deep inside she hated me and mother. Her pride was torn to shreds that day. I could tell that from the look she was sometimes giving me when she believed I wasn't noticing.
Beside silently hating me I didn't know what she was doing. She would just appear on the war-meetings and then she would return to her quarters. It was like she wasn't even interested in this city anymore. In a way, that was even good, because now people from the war-meeting group had more mobility and autonomy with making decisions about the future of our city.
About the war… It was weird. Our enemy was so much better prepared, had every possible advantage, and yet the whole war was one big draw. No one was winning or losing. And it was just too convenient for me.
And so, I patiently waited. For any change, for anything to happen. Some would say that I should not call the wolf from the forest. But I was the apex predator here. And yet I could feel someone's eyes on me as if trying to kill me. And I did not like it, not a bit.
[A dragon's instinct is never wrong. Issei, I can feel it too. Something is coming. If I were you, I would prepare for the battle. A very big one.]
/I wish I could say it's only you being paranoid… But as someone who worked on intel and had to deal with situations like this… I must admit, something is very wrong. Not only with Elyne, but with the entire war. This constant draw on the front… It looks as if someone had planned all of this. As if this entire war was someone's game… But what would be the point of playing such a game? What is the endgame?/
My inner spirit's words weren't exactly giving any hope. Both of them agreed that something is about to happen. And it started to worry me even more.
But who was the puppet-master here? Shu clan? Someone from the Darksiders faction? A third party? And why would someone orchestrate all of this? Nothing seemed to make any sense to me.
"I guess all we can do is to prepare for the worst…"
A few other days passed by. Everything seemed to be still okay, no worrying news on the horizon, the front was still stable… Every Elyne citizen was living another day without any worry.
I just came out of the temple, returning from another war-meeting. Nothing was changing. Everything seemed to be the same as always. The same reports, the same glare from Himitria, it almost seemed as if one day of my life was just looped and released to repeat itself.
While I was thinking if I am not having a déjà vu, I wandered into a marketplace. This place was always full of colors and amazing aromas of spices. Some people were also cooking typical of Elyne cuisine dishes. And because of that, whenever I was wandering into this part of the city, I'd always become hungry within a few seconds.
Places like this one were always full of life and happy people. Sometimes I would think that this place was Elyne's heart. And every people here was creating the very special soul of this city.
The capital city didn't have anything like this. I mean, they had their marketplaces, but none of them seemed to be… alive. Out there, there was only business, here – it was a part of creating a living culture of Elyne. Something I – and probably everyone here – was very proud of.
I decided to buy some groceries while I was here – our orphanage always had a place for a few more things, and with the tempo, those kids were eating… well, it was always a good idea to buy something more to our larder.
I bought a few necessary things, and some extra items that I knew would make kids happy. I was just about to return home when something completely unexpected happened.
Ka-boom!
I weird noise almost destroyed my eardrums, as if thunder just appeared next to me. A second later I turned around to look for the possible cause of the explosion. And when I noticed what was happening, I was horrified.
A cloud of fire and dust was slowly rising to the sky. People running away from the explosion as far away as they could… Or at least, they tried to run away, but something was stopping them and made them further into panic. That was a moment when I noticed something off.
Between running people, there were units of Darksiders faction. They started to kill people in the middle of the street, trying to take with them as many people as possible. It was just sickening to watch.
Soon I've dropped all my groceries and summoned my fire swords. People were in danger and I felt more than obligated to protecting them. My priority was the safety of those innocent civilians, the second objective – kill those invaders.
I decided to use the same method as invaders – chaos in shock. Judging from their attack, they expected to attack and to make as much panic and chaos as possible. They were not expecting any form of resistance. Sadly, they've found it in the form of a one pissed off dragon.
A dragon that sadly couldn't use the full extent of his power. Because if I did, I would kill all the people around me and destroy this city. I had to do it in an old fashioned way.
I grabbed the nearest invading soldier and stabbed him in his neck. I don't know if she was shocked or not, it is hard to judge their expression when they are wearing those weird, futuristic-looking armors and helms. Either way, shocked or not, all that matters is that a second later my first victim was laying dead.
Not wanting to wait for any form of reaction from the invaders, I attacked the rest of the soldiers in the market area. I had to be very careful, since all of the invaders very close to the civilians. If not for years of training with controlling my powers, fighting here would be impossible for me. That kind of battle wasn't for anyone who was a power type. A city battle was a battle of precision. Thankfully, in all my journeys around this world and after all my previous battles I learned not only how to release a great amount of power but also how to control it.
I decided to use something very precise against the invaders. Instead of fighting I decided to use the element of surprise and kill them in a way the would not expect.
I created a very small ball of plasma. It was the smallest dragon shot I have ever created. I didn't know if it would work against any of the invaders, but it was better to try than to risk hurting a civilian.
And so I released my attack. My small dragon shot was like a bullet, and so like a bullet it pierced my first target. Them, it suddenly changed its direction and charged at another warrior. And another, and another, piercing every target it touched.
The result? All the invaders just dropped dead within a few seconds. All of them had small holes in their necks going inside out. Their wounds looked as if something incredibly hot and fast just went through their necks.
The moment my enemies were killed I wanted to ask if anyone was hurt or if someone saw from where did they come. Sadly I didn't have time to even say a word when I heard a few other explosions coming from many directions.
'So it's invasion then!'
More panic and more screams could be heard all around the city. I didn't even know if someone was out there, protecting innocent civilians from any harm. All I knew, was that someone was using a shocking strategy to take our city.
At first, I wanted to run towards the closest explosion and fight off the new enemy wave. Then another thought appeared – what about my home and family? Where they safe? Was anyone out there to protect them?
And another thought – I was a member of the Elyne war council. I couldn't just fight wherever I wanted, I had to head out to the temple, give a report and take orders from the command.
I was torn apart between the responsibility, my feelings and simply a need to protect.
'Think Issei, think! Think fast! Every second you do nothing the innocent ones are dying so think!'
And so I decided to release my wings and fly as high as possible to see what was going on. It didn't take long for me to take a necessary high to see the entire city. I noticed a few more explosions and a few places where a Darksiders' shock troopers where already attacking.
To my relief, in most of those places, those shock troopers were already being countered by mercenaries from our guild by the city guards. I also took a look at the orphanage, but it seemed it was already under a barrier created by both Mom and Ahri. So, for now, they were safe from any harm.
Now I could concentrate on other areas. There were places where enemy shock troopers weren't countered because there was no one to fight them. So I decided to take care of them in the fastest and most efficient way possible.
I made another small dragon shot and sent it towards another way of shock troopers. It all worked the same as with the first wave – I directed my dragon shot to attack the nearest enemy trooper and - after a successful kill – to change direction to find another enemy trooper. And so on.
It took me less than a minute and just one small dragon shot to clear all the unprotected places from the enemy forces.
Funny thing is that it wasn't the first time I used a directed dragon shot… It was just the first time it was that precise and deadly. I learned how to guide my dragon shot long before I even came to Centauria. But it was here where I mastered how to perfectly guide my dragon shot. And that sometimes it was better to make your attack faster than just to add more power to it.
Ironically I was inspired by Sierzech to create this technique. I was amazed at how he held a perfect control over his power of destruction. How he was able to direct his attacks at will. How his attacks would respond to his will and change its direction. Since I first saw that, I wanted to be able to have such control over my own attacks.
The first time I was able to redirect my attack was during my battle again Cao Cao in Kyoto. I was able to redirect my attack so that it would completely bypass Heracles' and Jeanne's defense and destroy Cao Cao's right eye.
The second time was when I combined my body with Great Red's body to save the underworld. When I was fighting against Jabberwocky.
And now I was very close to perfection. Right now I was able to transform dragon shot into a self-directing bullet. And I didn't have to use any great amounts of my power to do that – all I had to do was to give my dragon bullet as much speed as possible. After all, force equals mass multiplied by acceleration.
Ladies and Gentleman, in other words, Isaac Newton's Second Law of Motion in battle conditions.
Yet I still felt that I could push this new ability of mine even further, to create something equally – or even more powerful and terrifying – to the power of destruction Sierzech possessed. Something that will bring dread to all my enemies.
But that was something I could think about later. Now I had to protect my city from invasion.
When I was sure that all the enemies in the unprotected parts of the city were killed, I flew to our HQ, to receive orders or to gain some pieces of information about our current situation. Something was not right. The Darksiders should not be able to hide such an army and come this close to our city. Someone had to notice something.
And yet they attacked without any warning signs. It just happened. That was possible only under one condition. One that I never wanted to take seriously. At least not here.
Someone made sure that our city won't get any warnings about the incoming invasion. Someone was working for our enemies. In other words – we had a traitor within our ranks.
And deep inside I already knew who was this traitor. Or at least I had high hopes it was her.
When I finally arrived, our HQ was practically in chaos. Many scouts with intel about the enemy, some people were trying to contact other cities to call for reinforcement, others were trying to contact everyone in the city to know if someone was out there fighting for the city. There were also present Temple Master Gor Na Kosh, Berion, Angar and of course – Himitria Ashburn. They were all standing around a big table with maps of our city on them.
Most of the people present there tried to take control of the chaos inside. But it seemed to be impossible…
"How is that possible that we were not informed?!"
"Where are their main forces?"
"Does anyone knows what is going on? Where are the Darksiders right now? Which parts of the city were taken?"
Chaos indeed. Even our tacticians were screaming at everyone, trying to get anything useful out of them. And that was the moment I felt that my knowledge will be useful.
"The first attack started on the Marketplace. Then there was also the city library and the great granary. In other places, some of our soldiers are already trying to push back the invading forces."
At first, all of them looked at me as if I was an alien of some sort… Well, I technically was an alien, but, back to the point. I just give them the very first confirmed intel today, so their shock was something I could understand.
"They also seemed to use a typical drop-shock tactic. The city is right now attacked by shock troopers to make as much chaos within our ranks as possible. The main forces are just arriving. The question is – where are they hiding right now?" I continued with a as calm voice as possible. More panic was not something they needed right now.
"Wait a minute Verphis." Started Angar with a frown on his face. "That wouldn't be possible. Our allies, scouts, literally anyone would warn us about the incoming army. This is not possible for an army to just appear out of thin air… not unless…" It would seem that Angar came to the same conclusion as I did. Soon, his frown was replaced with a furious face. "We have a traitor!"
It was almost magical how chaotic cries soon were silenced when the word "traitor" came out of Angar's mouth. For a minute no one seemed to even move a muscle. All the room was just too shocked to say anything.
Everyone except for Himitra Ashburn.
She wasn't shocked at all. She had a small smirk on her face as if she was trying to say 'I knew it!'. No, there was much more. Her eyes were telling me everything. She not only knew what was going to happen but also how and when. In other words – she was the rat, the traitor.
"Would you like to confess something, miss Ashburn?" As soon as I said that, all the eyes in HQ turned to her, waiting for her response. But she didn't say a word. She was silent. Her silence was only adding more pressure to the air around us.
"You damn wench! It was you!"Angar brought out his sword and pointed it at Himitria. Some people did the same and they decided to surround her with swords, axes and other deadly weapons. The tension was getting bigger with every second.
And yet, our princess still refused to talk. Something was completely wrong. The only thing she did was just to point at her throat as if she was trying to say that she had lost the ability to speak.
'That is not right. Mom's curse should only mute her whenever she was trying to say something very bad. It shouldn't do anything more…'
/My guess is that she is trying to use this entire situation to her advantage. She will most likely try to blame your mom for her inability to prevent invasion./
If what Raynare said was true… I couldn't believe it… No, I could… This blue-haired monster was capable of doing everything just to make someone suffer. She didn't care about anyone, she could leave countless dead bodies behind just to achieve her goal. She was the worst monster I have ever seen in my entire life.
She was literally a demon.
And right now, just by being near this abomination, I felt my fury rising with every second. I was on the verge of an explosion. All I wanted to do right now was to unleash hell upon her. And so, not minding any form of human instincts left in me, I grabbed her throat, lifting her painfully.
"Confess, you filthy whore! Confess what were you hiding from us!"
My almost-roar shocked everyone. My voice barely sounded like something that would come out of a human. All the people around me were too afraid to do anything. But the level of dread in them was nowhere near as high as in the victim I was holding.
Right now, her eyes seemed to barely hold to her skull. She seemed to be looking at the personification of her all worst nightmares. What she didn't know, was that her nightmare was just about to begin.
"You don't want to talk to us? Fine. Then you will confess to your worst fears!" I yelled as I threw her towards the nearest wall. She screamed from pain when her back had painfully touched the stone wall of our temple.
[Issei… You're not going to…?]
/Issei, you promised your mother that you won't do it ever again!/
My inner spirits had already predicted what I was going to do. But I didn't listen to them. My fury took me way beyond a point when I would listen to anyone. Right now, what mattered was the safety of all Elyne citizens, and most importantly – the safety of my family. For them, I was ready to go as deep into darkness as I had to.
And so I did what was necessary. I tapped into this dark ability I possessed. I reached out into the darkness and felt everything. Fear, pain, misery… I could feel it all around me. And then I focused on her fears and nightmares. I sensed them and I reached out to them, to take them out.
"Confess to your fears Himitria, if you want to live more than a few more seconds, confess!" This time my voice was even more dreadful to hear. At that moment, to Himitria I was a living personification of all her fears, phobias and nightmare. She was crying like a small baby, shivering from fear with her knees hugging her chest. She was very close to falling into insanity.
But I wasn't done there. I added a little pain to her nightmare, just to be sure she will make the right decision and tell us what we needed.
"I… I knew about the incoming invasion from the beginning… I ordered scouts to bring reports straight to me… So that I could destroy them… Then… I would blame Verphis' mother for the curse she placed on me… I'd say that I wasn't able to give any orders to prevent invasion. People would hate Imati… She would banish her… I would have my revenge on Verphis… I knew about the invasion… I knew exactly how they were going to attack. First – spread chaos in the city, then the main army would attack city gates… Then… the last hidden division… would attack… the Orphanage… That was the deal!"
Her voice was cracking with every word she was trying to say. Tears were falling off her eyes like waterfalls. Her whole body was shaking and her heart was beating so fast, that has seemed it wants to just escape from her chest. I knew, that if I'd push her just a little further she would die from a heart attack.
But right now we had different problems. Our city was invaded, and this whore could still hold inside that pity imitation of the brain some valuable information. Such as – with whom she made the deal about this whole invasion? Who was the master puppet of this entire war?
"Send people to the main gate. I will need as many people as possible to defend that point. And send some people to Orphanage isle. Order them to look for any enemy activity. Make sure they will be able to hold that place until I arrive."
As soon as I gave my first order in this invasion, I unleashed my wings and flew to the sky. The Ascalon was already on my back, ready to unleash my fury. I knew this wasn't a time to hold control over my powers. I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to control them in any way.
Before I headed towards the city gate, I decided to fly above the temple, to confirm a certain theory of mine. I knew that shock troopers had to gain the advantage of high ground to execute their plans. And the only place they could do that was above our temple. From there they would be able to create such an attack.
And soon I have found the evidence I needed. Above our temple, there were a few dozen soldiers, ready to be deployed to spread further chaos. They would get ejected and then they would land in our city in completely random places, to do as much damage as possible.
"Playtime's over."
I stretched my arms and concentrated on a fire appearing on both of my hands. I knew it would not take much to kill them. It would be a very swift death. Not like they deserve anything fast.
Barely a second after I released two big fireballs from my hands, an enormous explosion appeared above our temple. It was my first gift of hope to our defending forces. There will be no more enemy shock troopers in our city. Now we can face the main invading force.
As soon as I gazed upon the city gate, I noticed the incoming army. It was the biggest army I have ever seen in my life. Not even back on Earth, I would have to face so many enemies at once. But no matter how many enemy warriors I will have to face and kill, it won't stop me. I won't give this city to my enemies. I will defend it. And then, I will make Himitria pay for all the war crimes she committed against this city.
I started to fly towards incoming warriors. To gain more speed I decided to add more speed by releasing fire from my hands and feet, transforming myself into a living comet. Soon, a bright fire burned all around me while I broke through the sound barrier. Not even a second later I found myself above the center of the marching army. Time suddenly seemed to flow dozens of times slower to me. It was a sign to me – now it was a perfect moment to unleash my power.
"EXPLOSION!"
I didn't just hit the ground like a meteor. Yes, if I'd do that, it would be very effective. But I also knew about one very nice fact that would help me create even bigger devastation.
You see, the ground has very interesting properties. One of them is that the ground can absorb energy from impacts, from thunderbolts and even from explosions. That is why, on sixth of august 1945, when Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, American scientists decided to make sure that the bomb will explode five hundred meters above the ground, to make sure that all the energy from the atomic bomb will do what was is it supposed to do – to destroy.
And so did I decided to use the same method during my attack. Of course, I did it on a much lower level and on a much lower high. Even if I was powerful, my power level was nowhere near an atomic bomb level. That is why I released all my energy ten times lower than the "Little boy".
A sudden cry of thousands of soldiers came to my ears just to be soon replaced by the silence. At first, everything around me was made of nothing more but a dragon fire. Then, when my crimson flames had died out, I heard and felt on my skin how the air was soon coming back to the place where I've been.
For a while, when I finally landed on the ground, I was standing alone on the scorched earth. Within a few hundred meters around me, there was no living soul. Not even skeletons remained. Only ashes.
If I was forced to compare myself to an atomic blast right now, I'd say I produced the equivalent of the "Davy Crockett" – the smallest atomic bomb created by the US army. Not much, but then again, how considering the fact that all during the invasion warriors would often march near each other… I'll leave the imagination to you.
It took a few minutes for the enemy warriors to realize what just happened. To realize and overcome their fears. After all, a very powerful enemy just appeared within their ranks, devastating the whole invasion. If they wanted to proceed with their plans of taking over Elyne, they had to eliminate me first.
Those who were already behind me decided to continue their charge towards the city. The rest of them – those before me and nearby me decided to charge at me. Their war cries soon filled my ears like an avalanche. And soon, enemy soldiers and their great machines of war shortened the distance between me.
[Don't control yourself in this battle Issei. The sooner you unleash your anger the better. Just stop holding yourself and fight like a dragon!]
/As much as I'd like to disagree with Ddraig, this time he is right. In this battle, you will have to release everything you have. Now it is the best time./
Both of my spirits answered to my soundless question. There were no doubts anymore. It was time to show how much the Dragon of Centauria had grown. Now it is time to release its might.
And so I called for my power from the inside. Soon I felt my power rising above anything I ever knew. Not even back in the DxD days, when I still had my Boosted Gear, I could bring out such a might. It was way beyond Cardinal Crimson Promotion.
I felt so much stronger. Now I felt the might of a dragon inside me. And now it was time for the rest of the world to learn the same.
And so I charged forward, while my appearance started to change. My hair had blackened, my eyes changed its color to violet, my Ascalon also changed to more Grimm and malevolent looking sword, with a dragon skull, a metal dragon-like teeth on the blade and black chain on its end.
The battle had begun. Soon I was surrounded by countless enemies. They were charging like water trying to feel up a hole. I grabbed the black chain coming from the end of Ascalon and started swinging it all around me, just like a certain white-skinned maniac from "Bleach". And I must admit, it was very effective.
Soon a vortex of heavy wind and blood was dancing around me in the most deadly choreography. Whoever was caught in such a deadly dance was soon cut into million pieces. There was no mercy here. There was only the deadliest dance of all dances known to any living being. A dance of death.
A danse macabre.
But every dance has to end one day. And so I had to end my beautiful yet dealy show. It was time for my grand finale of this act. I summoned my dragon fire and covered Ascalon with it. Soon, my vortex of wind transformed into a vortex od dark fire. Then I caught my sword and stabbed it to the ground.
My great creation soon changed from a vortex into a tsunami of fire.
And so, another wave was evaporated into nothing more than ashes. But this time I didn't wait for more of them to come closer. I took the initiative and once again charged at them.
I used my super-speed to appear near them. I didn't give them any room for defense. Fast and deadly strikes mixed with my inhuman strength – for them I had to be a beast or a war machine. Which is funny, if you recall the fact that the Darksiders have this weird obsession with making their bodies more mechanical than organic.
So in other words, I was a war machine for war machines. Funny indeed.
And so they came, soldiers, war machines and so on. They all fired their weapons at me, with just one obvious intent – to obliterate me out of their world. But who said I would ever make their easy?
Gore acrobatics – that is what many outside viewers would describe what I was doing. And in a way, they would not be that much wrong. I was jumping from one enemy to another, killing them as fast and as many as possible. Not wasting any moment. I even fired a few meteors just to create even more damage to the already damaged invading force. But that was still not enough.
How many of them have already fallen from my hand today? Hundreds? Thousands? Did it matter at all? Would I be any better if I knew how many people I just slaughtered to protect what I hold dear?
Soon, I've heard a war cry coming from the city – our warriors and soldiers had finally defeated the shock troopers in our city and now were charging at invaders' main forces.
'Finally! I thought for a second I will have to fight here all alone!'
Ddraig seemed to be very amused by my reaction.
[Would it be that bad? I mean, as of now, you're doing a great job at defending Elyne all by yourself. In my opinion, you would be able to win this all by yourself without any problems.]
/You're just too much into a blood-thirsty battle Ddraig!/
[And look who is saying this! A sadistic ex-fallen angel!]
I just chuckled at them. Even in a serious moment like this, they were able to have their little battle of words and opinions. But that was something I learned to appreciate after many years.
Elyne's war cries were becoming louder and were much closer. Our army was progressing. Good. I knew that soon they will join me here, and I will finally have some breathing room. Not like I needed one, but it was always better to fight alongside your allies than all by yourself.
And when I thought that all seemed to be going into good direction… I suddenly felt a tingling in my mind. Someone was trying to contact me through telepathy. Instantly I recognize who was attempting to do that – it was Shadow, my familiar.
~Issei-nyan! They are here! They are attacking our island! We can't hold on much longer! Please, you must return and save us!~
Time seemed to stop for me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew that our little island was a target. A hidden division as Himitria has called it. But I thought that the reinforcement sent there was more than enough to protect my family from anyone who would dare to enter our little paradise.
And now, they were begging for help. And I was here, alone, against all those enemies.
'No… I must save them!'
I once again looked at the never-ending legions of invaders. I couldn't just leave. If those warriors would suddenly join the invaders that were now being pushed off by our defenders, our forces would have a big problem.
'Decisions, decisions, decision… Why everything so important is suddenly just dropped at me?'
"Berion!" I called my friend through my portable communicator. I was risking many lives of our soldiers, but I couldn't just leave my family. "The orphanage can't hold much longer! I must go there! Will you be able to hold more enemies for a while?"
The answer came a few seconds later.
"Go. You already did a good job. Safe your family. We will be able to hold on the main forces for a while."
I nearly smiled when I heard that I was clear to go. Now all I had to do back off. But that was a moment when I noticed one big problem.
When I tried to fly away, their fire just intensified. Whatever I would try to do, to just fly off to where I was needed right now, they would do everything to again pin me down to the ground. And then, they just circled me, attacking me in one massive attack.
At one point, they even knocked me down. I tried to get up, to regain my position, but that was just impossible. They were doing all they could to make sure I won't be able to do anything.
My defensive was breaking. I knew that sooner or later they will break through my last protective layer of energy and my dragon skin. I was preparing to feel thousands of sharp objects going through my flesh and bones in the most painful ways.
~Issei-nyan, were are you? We won't be able able to hold them for long!~ I have heard my familiar calling me in despair. And here I was, helpless and powerless. Even with my second seal released I was not strong enough.
'Mom… Ahri… Shadow… I am sorry… I… I won't be able to save you… I am so-'
[Partner… Do you wish to get more power?]
Ddraig voice sunk me into my subconsciousness. I was standing before the welsh dragon, just like all those years ago when I met him for the first time. And just like then, I was powerless, begin for a second chance and more power.
Even with all the power, I have gained over all those years… It was still not enough. Even with all my effort, I was just not good enough. I was failing my own family. I wished… I wished I could do something to save them… I wished… for
[Do you wish for more power Issei?]
Power? Yes… I wished for power. For power to protect what I held dear. Power to survive. Power to defeat my enemies.
"I… wish… to have more… power… To protect what I love…"
Ddraig looked at me with a harsh glare. It was somehow similar to a glare that the teacher would give a student that had disappointed him. What I did wrong? What I did say wrong?
[Issei... Who are you? What are you? A kid wishing for a new toy? Or a Dragon wanting more power?]
Who I was… What I wanted… Why would Ddraig ask such questions during my last battle were beyond me. For a moment, I couldn't comprehend what he was trying to achieve with this.
And then I understood.
"I am a Dragon… I want more power to protect what I love!" This time my voice was full of confidence and… rage. I was full of rage. Someone was trying to take away what I held dear. That was… That was something I could not just let go. "I… I want more power! Power to obliterate all those who are trying to destroy what I love!"
Ddraig's now was smiling proudly. He was proud of me. It took me a while to understand what he was trying to say.
[Then what are you waiting for Issei? If you want more power, then take it! It is your power, so take what belongs to you and show those fools what does it mean to feel a dragon's wrath! Take it and scream to the heavens!]
"BOOSTED GEAR!"
[BOOST!]
A familiar cry I didn't hear in some many years fealed my ears. And soon new amounts of power flew through me. I felt more powerful than ever before in my life. It was a completely new feeling. I felt I could stand against the gods.
And with this newfound power, I pushed away all the enemies. Just one burst of power was more than enough to evaporate everyone within one hundred meters around me. It was as if I was constantly releasing 'meteor' in my second form.
And yet, even this wasn't enough to scare away the enemies from me. They started to charge with even bigger fury at me as if at this point my existence became a heresy to them. Soon, they released everything the could at me, every soldier, every machine, even behemoth-like robots. Everything was literally aiming and shooting at me.
Again, instead of flying away, I was pinned down. Even my newly unleashed form was not good enough.
But with this form, I could use something that would soon give me an advantage.
"Boost!"
[Boost!]
Another wave of power flew through my body, and soon temperature around me resembled the one from an active volcano. So in other words – those who didn't have any protection from the heat were soon started to meltdown.
As if in act of desperation, all the energy attacks combined into one in the last attempt to obliterate me from existence. At that moment it was me or them. I had to boost one more time.
"Boost!"
[Boost!]
With my third boost, I finally gained enough power to completely overcome my enemies. Even their combined attacks were just not good enough to stop me. I slowly started to push forward, and with every next step, I was walking faster and faster. And even a plasma-like beam wasn't enough to stop me.
Soon, their attack lost all its energy and just died out. They all noticed that they could no longer overpower me. I was their end.
Out of blue, I decided to spread my wings. I jumped as high as I could and started to fly away to the sky. With every second I was higher and higher. Soon all clouds had disappeared and the sky started to become darker. My flames were disappearing with every meter I gained. Soon, the temperature was so cold that I could feel my face freezing and turning into ice. And later, I started to have problems with breathing. That was the right moment.
[Partner, what are you trying to do?] Ddraig asked me with a slightly amused tone. Perhaps he knew what I have planned for my enemies.
"To burn them all."
Ddraig started to laugh maniacally. I could assume that he loved what I planned for my enemies and just couldn't help himself but to start laugh.
Meanwhile, Raynare was just confused.
/I don't get it. What you're trying to do? You have almost left the atmosphere, you won't be able to create a single spark, and you will run out of the air before you create a magical attack. I completely don't know what you were thinking…/ And then Raynare noticed one very interesting thing – I was falling back to Centauria, gaining more and more speed with every incoming second. And soon – because of the friction between me and the atmosphere, hellish flames appeared all around me. /YOU CRAZY BASTARD! THIS IS SUICIDE! STOP THIS! STOOOOOOOOP!/
Raynare was screaming like an afraid little girl, while Ddraig was still laughing. I only chuckled. I loved my inner due in moments like this. And I don't know what I would do without those two arguing in my head.
Soon, for the outside viewers, I looked exactly the same as any falling star. And soon I've felt as if I broke through something. I could hear anything breaking at all, but I knew what it was – I just broke through a sound barrier.
There was something magical at this moment. When the gravity was pulling me down towards the ground, how I could feel how my velocity was raising. It seemed to be unreal. And yet, here I was, falling like a meteor.
"Ddraig, one more boost please." I said while I closed my eyes and smiled for a second.
[With pleasure.]
[BOOST!]
Another flow of energy, working like adrenaline in my body. And I knew it – that was the right moment. I came as close to the surface of my world as I could. Then I changed my direction and with all that force around my body, I flew towards the remains of the invading army. I just went through them, burning them alive and turning them into ashes. They couldn't do anything. I was too fast and too powerful.
I didn't stop there. I continued flying towards my home, hoping I was not too late to save it. And when I was just about to enter my island, something stopped me with a powerful force. Whatever it was, crashing into this was as crushing into a solid wall. And yet – despite the pain I felt from my crash, I continued to push the barrier as hard as I could.
I wished with all my heart for the barrier to break. I wished so hard that I was able to penetrate the barrier and help my family. I wished so hard and then…
[PENETRATE!]
Ddraig's voice came out again from my boosted gear. But this time, it wasn't something I've ever heard coming from my sacred gear in the past. It was something new, a completely new ability of mine.
And not even a second later, I just went through the barrier, as if it did not exist in the first place.
There was nothing more to stop me. I was flying with full speed, to deliver a pure vengeance upon those who dared to lift a fist against my family…
The attack was completely unexpected.
First, we've heard explosions all around the city. Someone was attacking Elyne in the most chaotic way possible. At that moment Imati called us home, with a fearful expression. We were all afraid that something was happening.
Then one kid saw an incoming army marching down to the city. It was the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. Hundreds of thousands of warriors, marching down with their weapons and machines of war, assured of their soon-to-be victory.
I've felt Nali hugging me from fear. She was crying and shaking, like all of us. We all felt helpless.
"Lirenkus, I am scared."
And so was I. I hugged her back, but I knew that she knew. I was also afraid.
Soon we were hiding in the orphanage's basement. We didn't know what was happening in the city. Did it fall? Was someone still trying to defend it? Was someone alive out there? And the question that was most important for most of us – was Issei still alive?
Shadow was assuring us that Issei was alive, that he was out there, fighting. But it still was not enough to calm us down. Especially not to Imati and Ahri. They were waiting for Issei to return here.
Soon Shadow gave us grave news – this entire invasion was orchestrated by Himitria Ashburn – the same blue-haired princess for whom Issei was forced to work in the Capital City and who was currently the main ruler of this city. She did this to make Issei suffer.
When we've heard that news, both Imati, and Ahri erupted with rage. It wasn't something I could ever expect from them since they were always so nice and carrying to us. And yet, here I was, watching two goddesses enraged.
And then the worst happened. The doors to our basement were torn apart and soon invading warriors came in. Our screams were filling the room. Soon we were all taken away from the basement and placed in the garden.
At that moment Shadow, Imati and Ahri decided to attack. Invaders were completely surprised by that, but they answered with fire nevertheless. Then, from the other side, they were attacked by a small group of warriors from the city. Even I – whenever someone would come to close to us – would attack them with my blue flames.
But even this was not good enough. There were just too many invaders to win. Soon we were being surrounded by the enemies. We had nowhere to run.
Suddenly, a very powerful and noisy sound could be heard in the heavens. None of us knew what was happening. Even the invaders were confused. And the sounds became louder and louder as if whatever was making it, was coming closer.
And then we saw it.
At first, it looked like a meteor coming too close to us. Then, it was obvious that it wasn't a meteor, but someone covered in flames.
Suddenly, a mysterious person stopped right above us. Defying all laws of gravity, floating above us like a miniature star. And then, the person inside the star unleashed his wings and with them –massive pillars of flames, flying towards all the invaders.
The flames didn't harm us nor they destroy anything on the island. The only thing they have targeted were our enemies, obliterating them from existence.
And then we could see who was our mysterious savior.
Well, maybe not that mysterious since most of us were able to recognize our hero. It was no one other than Issei.
And yet he had a new look. Or perhaps it was his new form?
He looked different, that's for sure. He still had the same black hair, so obviously known to appear whenever he was releasing his second form – but right now, his black hair had flame-like endings. And that would be all of the non-shocking changes.
His entire body seemed to glow with eternal flames. Through those flames, his skin seemed to sometimes disappear… or perhaps melt away, just to reapper on his bones seconds later? Anyway, it was a pretty scary thing for anyone to see, especially if you could see half of his face just disappeared in the flames, showing his skull.
On his back, he was carrying his sword – Ascalon. But this time it looked different. I knew that whenever he was releasing more power his sword would transform and look different, but this time, from a large bastard sword, Ascalon became a Japanese No-dachi sword. It was fully black with red, glowing veins on its black metal. The only thing that remained from the previous look, was s black chain hanging from the end of the hilt.
On his arms and legs, the fire seemed to create a semi-liquid, semi-plasma like armor. While the legs had a normal armor design… let's just say, similar to what he was wearing in his old balance breaker armor, his arms were different. There, blood-like flames created protecting sleeves, in the shape of dragon heads. They even seemed to have their own eyes – green for the left arm and violet for the right arm.
From the dragons' mouths, his hands were displayed, still glowing from the flames around them.
And lastly – his eyes. In this form, they were green. They looked almost as if they were made of jade, with a cat-lie… no, dragon-like pupils in them.
After a minute, he landed on the ground. He was standing between us, but his eyes seemed to say that his mind was somewhere else. And then, just as suddenly he came, he collapsed, while returning to his normal "human" form.
Before he could hit the ground, Ahri caught him, and let him lay on her chest.
None of us knew what to say, so we stayed there, in complete silence, until Imati called us back home…
My darling was exhausted. And I could understand that. He was fighting all alone in this wretched battle. Now he was soundly sleeping on my chest.
I smiled at him. He was always very cute when he was sleeping. He looked like a little child snuggling to the nearest source of warmth. And I love every second of it. I loved how cute he was.
He deserved to rest. To have a peaceful sleep after all those hours of fighting.
And he even unlocked his new form. I was so proud of him. He was becoming more and more powerful every day. And yet, I was also worried. Because those who had great power were destined to have many enemies and to fight many battles…
No… my darling will not share this fate. He won't fight in any useless battle. He will stay here, in my arms, where he belongs. He will be safe with me. I will make sure of that.
After the battle, I took him to his… no, to our room and put him on our bed. He had a few wounds on his body. Someone hurt him… And yet, despite all his wounds he continued to fight, to save us all… He was always so brave, he always cared. And that is why he would get hurt so many times…
I held him as close as I could on our bed. I tried to use all my powers to heal his wounds. How he was able to push so far with all those wounds was beyond me. But I never liked when he was hurt. It would be better if he could just stay in my arms.
Sadly, fate seemed to have a completely different plan for him. But perhaps… Maybe I will be able to change it? Maybe, if I will make sure that nothing stands against him, perhaps I will be able to make sure that our future is safe? Perhaps then he won't have to be forced to participate in the events of the outside world?
Perhaps then he will forever stay with me.
Yes… That was something I should do… To ensure his fate. A fate where he will be safe and happy with me.
As I laid with him, I started to slowly caress his face. He immediately reacted – even while still being asleep – instinctively. He snuggled to my chest, like a lost puppy snuggling to his new mommy.
I could not be happier. His instinct knew, that I was his safe haven. He knew that with me he is safe, that nothing bad will happen to him as long as he is with me. He wanted to be with me, to feel my warmth, to hear my heart-beat. It was calming him down.
"I love you my sweet puppy. You belong to me. And I will do everything I can to make sure you stay safe. Soon you will forget about the outside world. There will be nothing more important than me and our family. The outside world will never take you away from me. So come to me my puppy. Come to my warmth, and fully embrace it."
As I quietly whispered to his ears, he responded and obeyed. He snuggled as close as he could. So there was nothing more for me to do than to hug him back and create a protective cocoon from my tails around us. And then we both have fallen asleep.
When I woke up again, it was deep night. Most people were still sleeping, but I woke up. I felt in my heart that I should do something this night. Something for our future.
I looked at Issei. He was still sleeping calmly. And he will probably still will, to the very late morning – after all, he still needed to replenish his energy.
But I… I knew something had to be done. But what? What could have put me into a state of such an alert?
And then I recalled… Before those monsters attacked, Shadow had mentioned something she would have heard from Issei's mind. Something about Himitria… How this entire invasion was her fault. How all of this could be avoided.
'So it's all her fault. The entire invasion. Attack on our home!'
That was it. My hate for this blue-haired creature was too strong to contain it. She was too dangerous to be left alive. She had to be dealt with.
'She caused too much pain for my Issei… She needs to disappear…'
I knew what had to be done. She had done too much evil to my puppy. And now she was going to pay for sins.
I unwrapped myself from my beloved, as quietly and delicately as I could. For a second I was afraid that my darling is going to wake up because as soon as I left him, he started moving in our bed. So I bent down to him and whispered to his ear.
"Don't worry puppy, I will soon be back. There's nothing to be afraid of, Ahri will soon come back to you."
As soon as he heard my voice, he calmed down. It was just too cute to see. But for now, I had a very important job to do.
I decided to enter my spiritual form. In this form, for most people, I look like nothing more than a blue flame. And with that, I will be able to infiltrate our little princess' home without alerting anyone.
Not bound by any physical law, I flew away towards the city. Our beautiful Elyne was asleep after the battle. No one was celebrating, no one was happy. Everyone was just tired – and that was something I understood perfectly. Our city had barely survived the invasion. People were just too tired to celebrate. Then again, was there anything to celebrate? As far as everyone knew, the war was not over. A new attack could happen at any moment.
And so, I floated around the city, wandering around empty streets, looking at sleeping people, while slowly coming closer to the place of my destination.
After a few minutes, I have finally found the nest of our little monster. She obviously had to take for herself everything best from our city. Well, maybe not everything – after all, my Issei will never be hers.
When I entered her room, I could feel something unusual. It was a smell of fear. It wasn't a fresh one, but I was pretty sure she had a panic attack today. What could make her feel such fear? I couldn't tell, but then again, I didn't care.
I turned back to my physical self, standing on Himitria's bed, right above her chest. I couldn't help but look at her with disgust and hate on my face. She dared to touch something that wasn't hers. She dared to hurt my darling. She didn't deserve any mercy.
"Wake up, Himitria Ashburn. We have to talk!"
My loud voice woke her up rather violently. She was scared, but as soon as she noticed me, she did everything she could to cover her fear.
"You!" She nearly yelled while she tried to replace her fear with a fake rage. "How dare you to come into my chambers?! You will die for such a sin, you dirty whore!" I could only laugh at her empty threats. She still believed she had any chances against me.
I noticed that she tried to slide between my legs. I let her do that – I was still too amused by how stupid she was. And as soon as she jumped off the bed, she tried to run away through the main door.
"Not so fast…" I said with an amused expression, as I snapped my fingers. And soon, the entire room was surrounded in blue flames. "After all, you have nowhere to run…"
Himitria in the last second backed off from the door. She was sweating – but was it from fear, or perhaps from the heat of my flames?
"WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOU DEMON?!"
That made me angry. Me? A demon? Perhaps she should look into the mirror, then she would find a demon! She was the monster here! I was his Goddess! And I was protecting my beloved from her clutches!
"I came here because you need to pay…" I said in a low tone, as I was slowly closing the distance between myself and Ashburn princess.
"Pay for what? I am Himitria Ashburn! I rule this city! You all should pay me with all you have! My power here is absolute! Do you hear that you Shu's whore?! For what you did, I will make sure that Shu will turn you into a cattle! You and that other whore from the orphanage. And I will make Verphis watch as both you whores completely lose your mind! YOU HEAR ME YOU DIRTY ANIMAL?!"
I couldn't stand her anymore. Her and all those pathetic screams coming from her throat. I decided to end her for good.
I used one of my tails to grab her throat and I started to suffocate her. She tried to fight me off, but she was literally the example of 'all bark no bite' maxim.
And I looked at her for a second, with all the hate I had. I wanted her to beg for mercy. I wanted her to scream for forgiveness. But she wouldn't get it from me. Not after all what she did to my family. Not after what she did to MY ISSEI.
I grabbed her jaw and forced it to fully open. Then, with my second hand, I created a small ball of bright blue flame. I could see it her eyes – the begging for mercy. She was now powerless against me. She had no control over anything. She was on my mercy. And like I said earlier – I had none for her.
I put my little flame into her mouth and then forced her to swallow it. Soon my flame found his way into her stomach and started to do his job. She was being cooked from the inside. My job was done.
I released her from my grip and watched her for a while. Himitria placed both her hands on her belly and soon her entire face was expressing one thing – a pure agony. She tried to scream, but whenever she tried to breath out, blue flames would come out of her throat. And whenever she tried to breathe in… The same blue flames would go into her lungs.
I turned away and again transformed myself into a blue flame. There was no need for me to stay here any longer. My darling was awaiting me, so I knew I had to hurry up. And so I left her room, while my flames in her room just slowly died out.
When I came back to my room, I noticed that my beloved was squirming on the bed again. He missed me. He couldn't even sleep without me. So I laid down near him and started to whisper to him.
"Don't worry puppy, your Ahri is with you. You're safe with me. Come puppy, come to my arms. With me, you're always safe…" As soon as I said that, Issei snuggled to me, and all I could do was to hug him back.
As we laid on our bed, I made a protective cocoon from my tails around us. Now, we were completely safe. There was nothing that could break us apart.
"I love you Issei. Now and forever. You are my little puppy. And you will forever be safe and happy in my arms…"
And so, I joined my beloved in the dreamland…
And that is it. Did you like it?
So, Ddraig is back, Elyne was under attack, Himitria is finally taken out of the picture… So many things happened within this chapter! But I must admit, I had so much fun writing this one. I've been waiting for a long time to write about Booster Gear's new form. And here it is!
I wonder if you will recognize what was my inspiration for the Booster Gear's new look. I will give you a hint – I based the idea on two things. Both very popular. You will guess it, probably.
Another interesting thing – WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE END OF THIS ARC! I assume that within two chapters I will finally end this story arc and the story will move on to another. And oh boy, I can't wait to write the next story-arcs! I can only hope that you will love them.
And – to remind you – this is the official list of arcs:
1. Prologue – completed.
2. Memories of Centauria – completed.
3. Downfall – in progress, slowly coming to an end.
4. Fade to Black – What happened on the DxD side.
5. Secret War – Verphis returns to the DxD World, very Similar to DxD Ex (hint hint).
6. Game of Shadows – after the Betrayal.
7. Dragon May Cry.
8. The Tragedy of Monsters.
9. Game Over/The Beginning.
Anyway... I want to thank you all for reading this story. All those 120 766 viewers. I want to thank you for 343 favorites, 357 followers and 91 comments. You guys are awesome. And I love you.
And remember about the poll – it will be open to the very end of this story-arc.
Anyway… I think that's it. Remember about your safety and about washing your hands – CoViD-19 is dangerous so stay safe.
So... Read, follow, comment. It will be nice for me. I like reading your comments. And I like answering to them. It gives me a lot of fun.
I guess this is goodbye for now.
See ya in the next chapter!
