27. End of the distant dream.
[A/N: How was the FIGHT SCENE? Give me your FEEDBACK after reading the chapter!]
Kouske's POV
In the realm of my slumber, a surreal dreamscape unfolded—a grotesque theater of divine confrontation. The cosmic stage was set, and in the spotlight stood two formidable entities: Indra, the celestial king, and Vritra, the draconic force of destruction.
A smirk adorned Indra's countenance as he wielded his divine weapon, Vajra—an artifact pulsating with electrifying power. With a mere flick of Vajra, an electric charge surged through the air, extending its reach to the farthest horizons.
Vritra, consumed by madness, charged toward him with reckless abandon, her draconic form a tempest of fury. Yet, Indra met her onslaught with a scoff, blocking her frenzied attempt to bite him with his bare hands. With an effortless display of physical strength, he flung the dragon king across the sea, a testament to his supremacy.
Undeterred by her injuries, Vritra unleashed her cursed black flames—a malevolent dance that threatened both body and soul. Indra, recognizing the peril, deftly dodged the ethereal flames, aware that the curse within held the potential to afflict even a deity of his stature.
Vritra, undeterred, unleashed a barrage of arcane techniques—absorption line, shadow prison, and delete field—a desperate attempt to subdue and imprison the godly adversary. The air crackled with the clash of their powers as Vritra sought to drain Indra's vast energy for her own regeneration.
Yet, Indra, the embodiment of celestial might, shattered the shadow prison, breaking free from the draconic restraints. With unparalleled speed, he lunged at Vritra, his fist connecting with her form, leaving a jagged cut on the right side of her mouth.
In retaliation, Vritra unleashed a torrent of cursed flames. Indra, attempting to evade, found his left arm ensnared in the infernal blaze. Despite the searing pain, he retaliated, electrocuting Vritra with Vajra. The acrid scent of burning flesh permeated the air as part of her draconic form succumbed to the divine lightning.
He tried to take distance but Vriitra wrapped him with her tail and brought her close to her mouth to bite off his head or limbs.
But Indra used his divine weapon and electrocuted her. As the lightning flashed, part of her flesh had charred off and was falling from her body. There was a strong scent of leather being tanned over a flame in the air.
Vritra quickly regained her balance. She again struck absorption line on his body and started draining him to heal. She also used black blaze flare to burn him. But every time he would barely dodge, leaving only a few scratches.
But the others on the battlefield couldn't dodge her flames. Many had already flown out of their range when the fight started but some were unlucky enough to not make it. They were burned to death, friends and foes alike.
The fight went on for a while. But it was clear for anyone to see that Vritra was on the losing side. Soon Vritra was heavily wounded. On the other hand, Indra had only a few burn marks on his body along with a fully burnt left hand.
In a climactic moment, Indra started gathering a huge amount of his divine aura on Vajra. After charging it for a while he blasted a huge bolt of lightning towards Vritra which would surely end her life. Before dying, she saw with great pain as Indra started indiscriminately killing off the other dragons on the battlefield with his bolts of lightning and godly aura, leaving only the gods alive.
Then everything turned black for her.
Suddenly, I jolted awake, drenched in sweat, my breaths erratic. The surreal nightmare lingered in my consciousness, a vivid experience of impending demise, seared into my waking thoughts.
Lavinia, attuned to my distress, awoke beside me, concern etched across her features.
[Kouske! Breathe slowly!] said Clarice.
"Ko-kun! What happened? Are you okay??" Lavinia inquired.
"Don't worry kid. It was just a dream."
"You didn't die. So try to relax and breathe slowly." Vritra said.
'But it felt so real. I felt like I was dying. Was that how you died?'
"Hmm. You saw something embarrassing. That bastard was just toying with me from the start!" Vritra replied angrily.
At this point, Lavinia got up from the bed and brought some water for him to drink.
"Are you okay? Should I call an ambulance? " Lavinia asked anxiously with fear on her face.
"There's no need to. I'm fine. Just had a bad dream. That's all." Kouske replied.
"Are you sure you are fine?" she still inquired.
"Don't worry child. He's fine. I can guarantee it." Vritra spoke from the wings.
Hearing Vritra Lavinia relaxed a little bit.
"I've strong natural regeneration, you know. So you don't have to worry so much. But if you were ever to get hurt use the potions we keep. They would be much more helpful than the doctors or the hospitals." Kouske reminded her.
"Oh, right! I actually forgot about them as we don't need to use them much." Lavinia replied.
It was still early in the morning. So after a while, they went back to sleep. Lavinia was hugging him very tightly in her sleep.
"Do you remember me using my powers?" Vritra asked.
"Nn. They were all more powerful and natural than ever."
"Yes. Remember that feeling. It will help you advance in your power."
"Nn."
*
*
*
In the morning, Lavinia was still worried. So she made him skip training and school.
He spent his time remembering his time in Vritra's body as he manipulated blaze black flares.
It felt more natural to him than before. The fire's intensity also increased.
Asagi naturally came to inquire why he didn't come to practice. He just replied he was taking a break.
"Are you fine? Are you ill or something?" Asagi asked worried.
"Asagi-chan~. Are you worried about me?" Kouske asked with a smirk.
Asagi became embarrassed as she refuted him immediately.
"Hmph! Who would be worried for a bastard like you?! Seeing as you can continue to act like an insufferable bastard like this, you must be fine." Asagi replied with a pout.
But then again she asked the same question.
"Are you really okay? Should I ask Papa to look for a doctor, just in case..?"
"Hahaha. Don't worry I'm as fine as I could ever be. You know I have a strong regeneration." Kouske replied with a smile on his face.
"Nn. Take care. Don't make too much trouble for Lavinia-san." she said as she alone went on her way to school.
Lavinia also didn't want to go to school so as to not leave him alone. Even though he said he was fine Lavinia didn't yield. He was genuinely happy for Lavinia's care for him. But he immediately got worried when she entered the kitchen.
"I was just heating the leftover food from last night!" she pouted as she found out about it.
"Hahaha." he could only smile wryly at that.
[Author's Note: What did you think of the chapter? Feel free to share your thoughts, leave a review, and even drop some power stones. Add it to your collection if you enjoyed it. I'm open to constructive critiques that help me improve and grow as a writer, so don't hesitate to provide feedback. Thank you for reading!
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