12 Dylan – Power and Ability Unlocked

I opened up the gates to hell.

Prince Victor clenched his jaw. He closed his eyes shut and the lines on his forehead deepened as if he couldn't decide whether to skewer me like a primordial barbecue or transform into a dragon and bite my head off.

People around us began running away to safety. But what had me questioning myself was the lack of fear towards the fuming dragon. I wanted him to step forward and try to hurt me, then I'll bash his skull in and scatter the remnants of his brain out the field. It could be the primordial in me awakening or just my strong sense of justice not having his shit.

Mr. Frosty here (who was killing me with his cold gaze) might try to freeze me to death. Then again, making an enemy out of their kingdom could be far worse than being turned into a demon popsicle.

"Insolent fool." Mr. Frosty was ready to throw his icy hands—literally. "You dare challenge Prince Victor to a duel? Lest you think you can escape from this—"

"I believe I should be saying that."

Cordelia the Demon Moth made her elegant appearance. She blocked Mr. Frosty's view of me with her dull grape-colored wings. I noticed the new addition to her look was the black markings drawn on the side of her face and the slit pupils in her eyes.

"My lord has thrown down a glove," Cordelia emphasized. "It is only appropriate that slaves like us should not interfere. But may I request that you and your lord turn a blind eye? My lord is a special—"

"Blind eye?" Mr. Frosty just turned his icy arms into a broadsword. "Who do you think you are for making such a bold request?"

"Sir Myles," Prince Victor warned. He gave his slave a cold stare before he motioned his head.

Mr. Frosty—Sir Myles shifted his broadsword arms back to the way it was before and stepped back. He tried calming down, but the thick fog forming on his head failed to hide his anger.

"Sir Myles. You are no match for this dull warlock . . . but I am." Prince Victor looked at Cordelia as if drilling a hole through her soul. "However . . . is her lord more powerful than her?" He shifted his attention to me, flaunting a cocky smirk. Then I saw his fingernails—his black dragon claws—grew longer and sharper. "Or did a weak little bird fall out of his nest . . . now waiting for his instant death!"

Prince Victor launched himself towards me with his dragon claws aimed at my throat. Cordelia quickly swished her hands. She was ready to attack or block him with two dark purple orbs . . . when I stepped forward.

Cordelia panicked. She told me to move out of the way but I didn't listen. I just . . . knew that I have to unlock my super strength instead of cowering behind her like a useless lord.

What happened next was too fast for my poor brain to process. I perfectly calculated the right timing, dodged to the right, and grabbed his neck. The dragon prince looked at me with surprise. I smirked and pushed him back with all my strength, choke-slamming him to the ground.

The earth-shaking impact left a huge crater—ten meters wide.

Everyone was stunned, including Cordelia, Sir Myles, and the raven lady. They were probably thinking . . . who dared to go against the Ripper Dragon? I don't care how dangerously bad his reputation was, but I felt very satisfied teaching him a lesson.

"What . . . are you?" Prince Victor coughed out a small amount of blood. Then he looked at me with his constricted dragon pupils and clenched teeth.

"You just pissed off a Lust Primordial," I said, with a sharp tone.

The dragon prince kept his hands to himself. He showed no fear, but the look of confusion was evident on his scowling face before he smirked. "Do you know that prostitute? Many apologies. I never knew that you fancy her as much as I do. If you intend to own her, she is all yours to pleasure . . . in one condition."

I darkened my gaze. "State your condition."

"Let us resume our duel somewhere else. Winner takes the raven. Loser dies a painful death. What say you? Release me, and we shall be on our merry way."

'Don't let go.'

The demon in me spoke again. I fixed my eyes on the dragon prince's neck. I was tempted to squeeze the life out of him, but I held back.

"Lord Dylan! Please! Think about the consequences of your actions! Nothing good will come out of this!"

Cordelia called out to me, but her pleading voice was only drowned out by the demon's tempting words.

'Ignore her.'

"Lord Dylan!"

'Burn him.'

How?

'Fire. Desire it.'

Hell's purgatory and its undying, unquenchable flames dancing in the background came to mind, but that image alone was insufficient. I tried imagining a burning forest or a flamethrower, but I couldn't produce even a small flame.

The demon chuckled. 'Is that the best you can do? Allow me to help you.'

The demon enticed me and encouraged me to ignite the slumbering flames that I had kept extinguished all these years. It dug deeper into my bad memories, unearthing the pain and hurt that I had felt because of my online haters.

They made fun of my singing voice and dance moves.

They created stories from clipped videos to show people that I was a rude and disrespectful person.

They insulted me online to the point where my agency had to sue them for defamation. It came to a point where the false rumors revealed the fake friends that I once trusted.

Depression and anxiety just . . . swallowed me whole during my darkest times as an idol. Do they find it enjoyable? Hurting people? Is it an achievement if a person decides to quit living? Are they going to throw a party if I die?

My frustrations and bottled-up emotions from my past triggered me. I could feel the hot temperature rise in my hand along with my desire to learn fire magic. The jet of flame made its way through my network of veins until . . . five red magic circles flickered and surrounded Prince Victor's neck.

He raised an eyebrow. "Aiming to blow off my head already? Impatient. Very well. Let's see how strong you are." He copied my move, placing five blue magic circles around my neck. "At the count of three . . ."

"One."

"Two."

Suddenly, our magic circles were canceled out.

I felt an ominous dark energy pressing down on me, like gravity itself became ten times heavier, making it impossible for people to stand and move. It was a momentary feeling, but it wasn't the same for Prince Victor. His face had turned pale and he was . . . trembling.

He was afraid.

I couldn't remove my hand wrapped around his neck when someone gently held my arm and said, "Woops! That's enough training for today, son!"

The upbeat tone in my dad's voice snapped me back to reality. I looked at him wide-eyed. "Huh? Dad?"

Everyone present in the scene instantly dropped to their knees and bowed down in his powerful presence. King Asmodeus was right in front of me—in the flesh—in his blindingly handsome primordial form. A new addition to his look was the huge bat-like wings and the shiny golden crown on his head.

Dad took my hand and gave it a few pats. He was subtly telling me to stop, and I easily obeyed. "I don't want a fried dragon for tonight's dinner. Although dragons do taste like expensive chicken . . . but not this one! You passed!"

Passed? Sometimes, I can't piece together what he intended to say. But I was beginning to understand his strange ways to turn the tide around. He was fabricating an excuse for my reckless actions. Or at least half of it was the truth.

"Ah! You there! Boy! On the ground!" My dad faced the dragon prince with a silly grin. "Please accept my deepest apologies for making you the target dragon for today! You see, my son here is a special case!" He patted my back multiple times—hard. "Can you believe it? A late bloomer after a hundred years! I'm assuming that you are aware of how special demons are given a test, correct?"

"You can stop," I politely mouthed, and swatted his hand away.

He stopped, eventually.

Prince Victor's demeanor changed. He picked himself up and knelt on the ground. No hesitation. He didn't dare to look my dad in the eyes. "No need to apologize, King Asmodeus. And . . . yes, I am aware of the Underworld's laws."

"Excellent! I rather not have you pursuing my son after this encounter. I've heard about your . . . bloody reputation. Are we clear on that?"

Prince Victor tightened his jaw. My dad narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Lucky for the dragon prince, Sir Myles had noticed his reluctance on the subject so he scurried over to him. He fell on his knees and attempted to save his stubborn ass.

"P-Please excuse the young prince's silence, King Asmodeus! It goes against his kingdom's beliefs and culture. But I assure you, he will not lay a finger on your son until the test for special demons is over. I shall relay this important message to his father.

"The Kingdom of Sheol's army has . . . a greater military power than our kingdom. We stand no chance of survival." Sir Myles gulped down a throat. "Only an ignorant and reckless fool will make an enemy out of you and your brothers combined."

Wow. Okay. I think my brain exploded just by listening to their kingdom talk. But I have to admit, I was invested.

"What a promising young man you are!" My dad chortled. "You have an excellent servant here, boy! Keep him at all costs because . . ." The happy-go-lucky smile on his face disappeared. He stared down at the dragon prince like he was an insignificant ant that he could squash at any given time. "He will keep you alive."

Prince Victor caught a glimpse of my dad's terrorizing look. He folded like a puppy with its tail in between its tiny legs. "I-I will . . . King Asmodeus."

"Excellent! Now, before I forget, could you reward that frail raven to my son? She needs immediate beautification!" He pointed at the raven lady whose skin color was beginning to fade due to blood loss. "I believe it's only fair since my son has won the first round."

"O-Of course, King Asmodeus. That slave is unowned." Prince Victor looked bitter, but he couldn't refuse. He might die at the hands of my dad.

I wanted to stick my tongue out at him. Childish, I know, but he deserved it.

"Lord Dylan?" Cordelia softly called my attention, and I whirled around. "Are you hurt? I know recovery magic." She stared at me with that concerned look on her pretty face.

I shook my head and smiled, letting her know I was fine. "Please tend to the raven's wound. She needs it more than I do."

Cordelia respectfully bowed her head before she rushed to the raven's side.

I curiously watched her cast her recovery magic on the raven's breast. The bleeding had stopped, and I heard the woman expressing her thanks for saving her life. It was my cue to approach the two ladies, but my vision suddenly blurred out their images. I held my head and blinked twice to clear my eyes.

But the world began spinning faster.

I blindly grabbed onto my dad's arm to keep myself from falling over but . . .

I blacked out.