Chapter 26- The Dragon Within (Darkness Dragon Secret Art: Dark Dragon Take Over II)
All Riku could feel the rushing of his own power around him as the ball of rage seemed to explode within him, amplified a hundred times now that the restrain was gone. He felt a desire to destroy and survive, just as he had in at the Tower of Heaven, but something had changed. He opened his eyes to see he was surrounded by his own magical energy, but he could also see through it. In fact, he felt as if every nerve and every sense was heightened to a degree he'd never felt before. He could see a strange sheet of ether-nano in the air and on the trees. It looked delicious and he knew, without knowing how, that this was the dark energy side of all magic that existed in all things. He could eat it, he was sure. He could feel more than see his transformation. He held up his hands, finding they had expanded into dragon-like claws, black scales running all the way to the tips of the sharp nails. He could feel something sprouted from his back and glancing there he could see almost feather like dark wings. They were just like Acnologia's, but smaller to fit Riku's human size!
Despite this shocking transformation, he felt... good, like he'd never been stronger or more focused. He felt suddenly in tune with the whole space from one mountain to the next, maybe even beyond if he tried. This was what Dark Dragon Take Over was suppose to be! He didn't have time to dwell on it further, he realized. He wasn't the only one changing. Through his magical senses, Riku could feel Emperor Spriggan's magic shifting as well- the irises of his eyes becoming red with a black ring around the pupil. There was an immense power radiating from him just as Riku's own energy rushed back into him.
Emperor Spriggan rushed towards Riku, moving so fast that it seemed as if he'd teleported. Riku followed his movements with his eyes, readying himself for the attack. Emperor Spriggan formed a black orb in his hand and Riku's eyes widened. This ball didn't have any dark energy. What kind of magic was this? Riku leaped away, wings pulling him up awkwardly just as Emperor Spriggan threw the orb at the spot Riku had been. It hit the nearby tree instead. In an instant the tree had withered and died, leaves browning and falling away in decay.
Holy Shit, Riku thought, but he didn't have time to plan. He had to move. More death orbs were being thrown at him at a speed that was barely matched by Riku's new form. He flipped in the air, landing in the spot Emperor Spriggan had occupied before, panting heavily. He had to get out of the defensive and into offense!
Emperor Spriggan swiped both of his arms in a circular motion until the bottom of his hands met. The hand on top had the index and middle fingers pointing upwards, while the other hand had the little and index fingers pointing downwards. A dark aura suddenly surrounded him, a huge vertical column shooting out. Then, he turned it towards Riku. The black column rushed towards him and Riku leaped to the right before rushing towards the emperor. He ignored the sound of the explosion of dark column meeting the mountain's face.
Now it was his turn to strike!
They met in the center of the area, kicks and punches moving rapidly between the two before sending them both backwards from the force. They regained their footing, then rushed at one another again with the same result. Riku could feel himself losing magic, panting as he gazed around the clearing. There was dark energy everywhere, but none in enough supply to give him any sort of power-up. Emperor Spriggan gathered flame-like dark matter in his palm and sent them setting out towards Riku, whose eyes widened. These were different than the two attacks before. In each of the three balls of dark flames he could see the dark energy.
Riku dodged all three attacks. Then, to the surprise of Emperor Spriggan (and Riku himself, if he was being honest), Riku rushed to each of the flame like spots and shoved the magic into his mouth. The first one burned his tongue a little before melting like a popsicle against the roof of his mouth. It tasted mossy- almost like a very nice whiskey Mystogan had gifted him once for his Guild Day. The other two had the same flavor, but without the burnt tongue.
Riku felt his power restored and rushed forward, calling out his attacks in succession. "Dark dragon slayer roar! Dark dragon slayer claw! Dark dragon slayer darkness blast!"
The attacks were twenty times stronger than they had been before his transformation, and they piled onto one another, increasing the ferocity that snowballed into Emperor Spriggan, hitting him all at once (and scorching the pathway and plants that still remained near him).
Riku clenched his jaw as he tried to sense Emperor Spriggan's magic. Had he won? Was it over? How much longer could he maintain this takeover?
As the dust cleared. Riku could see Emperor Spriggan's form lying on the ground. His magic returning to how it had been before the fight began.
"I concede," Emperor Spriggan called, sitting up and smiling graciously at Riku. Riku dropped to his knees, feeling his own magic give way as he changed back into his usual form. Glancing over again, he saw Emperor Spriggan stand and dust himself off before starting his approach.
He doesn't have a scratch on him, Riku realized.
"I am rarely impressed, son of Acnologia," Emperor Spriggan said as Riku pushed himself up shakily. "But I am pleasantly surprised by your fulfillment of Master Rikyu's promises to me. Perhaps you and your friends may stand a chance of ending the deadly reign of the King of Dragons."
"Thanks," Riku said, moving towards the path they'd taken to arrive in the clearing. He really wanted his sword and the lack of injuries on Emperor Spriggan was making all of Riku's warning senses go off unpleasantly. Emperor Spriggan fell into step next to him as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
"I think some healing tea is in order," Emperor Spriggan commented. "And then we can discuss some business."
"Business," Riku asked, throwing a side glance to Emperor Spriggan as they descended the stairs. Emperor Spriggan reached into his tunic and shuffled about as if looking for something. Finally he pulled out two letters. Even in the dim light of the passageway, Riku could see Erza's spidery writing across the envelopes.
"Where'd you get these," growled Riku, snatching them from the Emperor and rushing to the nearby torch for light. He tore them open, scanning the pages, but he was too tired and the pathway too dim. He needed a better light to read them.
"We'll talk over tea," Emperor Spriggan repeated, continuing his walk calmly down the pathway. Riku watched him until he faded into the darkness and out of sight. All of Riku's senses were practically screaming that something about this Emperor Spriggan was not right.
This chapter is a tad shorter than the others, but I hope you still enjoyed. Don't forget to review!