Chapter 7: How Many Ways Can You Use Judah?

(Merry Christmas Everyone! A surprise Christmas gift! Bam! Huge drop of chapters!)

What does it feel like to ride a centaur?

This question had first crossed my mind while playing Heroes of Might and Magic. Now, as the adorable Theresa perched atop a centaur's back, I finally understood the sensation...

My rear was about to split open from discomfort...

Despite the pain, riding proved far easier and quicker than flying solo. Before long, we arrived at the canyon leading to the Great Jura Forest.

From her seat astride the centaur, Theresa wrapped her arms around its upper body as she gazed upon the vast chasm before them. She noticed an absence of any demonic creatures; instead, there seemed to be a palpable pressure—a presence likely belonging to the legendary dragon might.

Naturally, this posed no issue for Theresa herself. However, the centaur beneath her felt apprehensive, reluctant to advance further due to fear. Yet bound by the vampire contract, it slowly ventured into the canyon nonetheless.

"Where's the dragon?" Theresa asked, peering up into the canyon above her. "I don't see anything."

"That giant dragon has always remained within this canyon," the centaur replied fearfully. "It couldn't possibly have left."

Suddenly, Theresa heard a hissing sound—the centaur had wet himself in terror.

"You useless creature," she snapped, her expression darkening at the scent. "As one of my kin, you're utterly inadequate."

"I'm just an ordinary centaur," he whimpered, nearly on the verge of tears. "How dare I challenge a giant dragon to battle?"

"Well then, enough is enough!" Theresa exclaimed impatiently. "Go back by yourself!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Theresa unfurled her wings from her back. With a single leap off the centaur's shoulders, she soared into the air with a powerful beat of those wings.

"T-then, Lord... take care!" The centaur turned tail without another word, fleeing twice as fast as when he'd brought Theresa here—his departure swift and unceremonious.

"What a spineless coward..." Theresa muttered under her breath, watching him go.

Shaking her head with a mix of exasperation and resignation, Theresa decided to ignore the centaur's advice altogether. After all, she had far superior transportation now—none other than the mighty dragon itself.

Theresa soared above the valley, scanning its entirety from aloft but still failed to spot any sign of the beast.

"Big lizard," she called out after some thought, "come play with me already!"

Her voice echoed through the canyon walls, yet no dragon emerged in response.

Could it be that the dragon isn't here? But how could that be...?

Descending onto the rim of the gorge, Theresa slung the prototype Hand of Tyr over her shoulder—a stark contrast to Yae Sakura's struggle earlier. With ease bordering on casualness, Theresa lifted the colossal cannon as effortlessly as one might pick up a pen. Despite standing at merely 145 centimeters tall, her strength was truly remarkable.

Picking up the cannon, she aimed at the valley...

And began to channel power...

With a thunderous roar,

A portion of the cliffside collapsed instantly.

-

"..."

A roar echoed through the air—a dragon's cry.

"Who dares to disturb the slumber of the mighty Klawiyaschik...?" A colossal creature over thirty meters long appeared before them.

(TL Note: Now that's a mouthful for a name...)

It was a black dragon—an epitome of darkness and power.

"A named monster... And not just any monster, but a dragon."

In this world, the divide between named and nameless monsters was more than a mere distinction—it was an insurmountable chasm. To be named was to transcend one's origins, to shatter the boundaries of ordinary existence. A goblin elder bestowed with a name didn't just grow stronger; they ascended, becoming a goblin hero, a figure of legend. A mere ghost, upon receiving a name, evolved into a greater ghost a being of higher intellect and mystical prowess.

The creature standing before them was no ordinary dragon. Its aura was suffused with an unmistakable power, a resonance that came only from one who had been named. To bear a name was to bear the weight of destiny, the blessing of evolution—and the curse of a target painted upon one's back. This dragon was no mere beast of scales and fury. It was a force, an existence elevated beyond mortal comprehension.

This was a dragon with a name, a creature whose very presence could reshape the balance of power.

But that made things even better.

"Hey, big lizard," she called out, tilting her head adorably as she gazed at the black dragon. "Interested in becoming my mount?"

"You dare awaken the almighty Klawiyaschik from his rest?" The dragon roared indignantly, its wings flapping with such force that several massive tornadoes whipped up instantly, hurtling towards Theresa amidst swirling debris."

"As a black dragon, you're playing with wind now?" Theresa remarked, retracting her Cannon and instead summoning two blood-red short swords from thin air—the Blood Embrace.

Activating Night of Fright, time itself seemed to fracture around her. Observing the seemingly motionless dragon and the approaching whirlwinds, Theresa seized the brief respite to fly swiftly towards the black dragon.

Just as she reached close enough, the effect of Night of Fright expired, allowing Theresa to land precisely on the back of the colossal beast.

"Taste my Tainted Blades!"

Two crimson short swords pierced directly into the black dragon's body.

The black dragon boasted formidable defenses and was even immune to magic. Yet... these two short swords were forged from Blood Embrace—a substance that effortlessly penetrated its scaled armor.

To understand what Blood Embrace entailed:

It was inspired by "Oath of Judah," meticulously crafted by Bishop Otto. This weapon was forged within a massive cruciform made of soulium—the rarest metal in the Honkai world, akin to adamantium in Marvel Comics—and embedded with three cores from Emperor-class Honkai Beasts...

In essence, this Blood Embrace blade represented a combination of vast quantities of soulium coupled with three Emperor-class Honkai Beast cores.

Such a Blood Embrace far surpassed ten Thereseas in value alone! After all, each Theresa was merely cultivated using the genes of a single Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

Therefore... Blood Embrace > Theresa.

Theresa = Extremely expensive sword launcher.

A perfect answer.

Two blood-red short swords pierced the black dragon's body, eliciting a agonized scream from it. These phantom blades of Blood Embrace inflicted a cascade of negative effects—unstoppable bleeding, weakening, and more—all at once.

"How dare you injure me! I'll kill you for this!" The pain drove the black dragon into a fury. With a series of strange cries, fire rain began to fall from the sky above.

Could this be the legendary Dragon Speech magic?

Theresa pulled out her short swords, transforming them back into crosses.

Theresa withdrew her short swords, transforming them back into crosses. "Do you know the various uses of Oath of Judah?" she asked casually as the Blood Embrace in her hands morphed into enormous axes, each towering three or four meters high.

"Entomb!"

With that command, Theresa leaped into the air, hurling the massive axe downward with all her might.

Skill: Entomb

Deals 320% or more physical damage to enemies.

The single blow sent the black dragon plummeting straight down into the depths of a nearby ravine.

"The versatility of Oath of Judah... far exceeds your imagination, doesn't it?"

-

As she approached the black dragon's body, Theresa saw that its internal organs had been crushed out by her blow—a testament to her immense strength. With both her innate power and the enhancements from Stigmata and Blood Embrace, such devastation was hardly surprising.

"The blood of a dragon... I wonder if it would be any different..."

Ever since becoming Luna Kindred, drinking blood seemed almost natural to her.

But as she looked at the dragon's neck covered in scales, the adorable vampire princess realized she probably couldn't bite through...

No wait, she realized with a jolt of memory—my genes come from an imperial-class Honkai Impact beast.

Should I give it a try?

Hmm...

Approaching the dragon's neck, Theresa prepared to bite down when suddenly, the black dragon opened its massive jaws and turned towards her in a swift counterattack.

[Mist Form]

In a panic, Theresa quickly vaporized her body, allowing the dragon's assault to pass harmlessly through her ethereal form.

Upon solidifying once more, Theresa clutched her chest, exclaiming, "That was close! I almost didn't make it."