[17] : Dragon God Red Emperor (I)

Draconic Deus.

Earth.

Pacific Ocean.

[***]

Aiden couldn't believe what Kaguya had just said had come true.

Although all the major powers knew that the Great Red protected the world from invaders, Kaguya was unaware of this and, without thinking, raised a flag by saying:

"There's no way that dragon would pay attention to us, right?"

Not even a minute after her words, there it was—the Great Red.

The Red Dragon Emperor God, staring at them through the dimensional rift.

Aiden and the girls were speechless.

But what could they do?

Most likely, they'd have to fight, but they weren't going to make the first move.

They didn't know much about this dragon—maybe, if it just observed them for a while, it would leave and decide not to bother them.

Who knows?

Maybe they could even become friends.

In Elicia, Aiden and the girls had already encountered several dragons, although most of them had been killed due to their arrogance and attacks on civilization.

Dragons in that world were as annoying as those crystal creatures.

Aiden hoped this dragon wouldn't be as troublesome.

Its giant body was still partially in the rift, but that didn't stop them from seeing it.

Its size was colossal…

"About 100 meters, give or take?" Natsumi murmured, her face twisting in surprise, as she had never seen such a massive dragon before.

The power radiating from this being was overwhelming.

"Kaguya, did you really have to speak and raise a flag? Seriously?" Tohka, though in shock, laughed at the situation, knowing she was only teasing Kaguya.

"Hey, it's not my fault! How was I supposed to know about this? And what kind of dragon protects the world from invaders? Comparing me to those creatures is an insult to my beautiful self!"

Kaguya glared at Tohka, who kept mocking her, unable to help thinking these idiots didn't worry about anything, even in such a tense situation.

"It won't attack us… will it?" Yoshino, the blue-haired loli, blinked nervously and hid behind Aiden.

The dragon's power, one of the strongest beings in the world, was no joke.

"Yoshino-chan, you don't have to be afraid," Miku said, trying to calm her. "We can always escape to another world, fight, or simply negotiate with this dragon."

"That's right, Yoshino-chan. You don't have to be scared," added Yoshinon, the small puppet, as it consoled her.

Aiden patted the loli's head and then looked at the girls, who were cautiously observing the Great Red.

He, too, glanced at the dragon, silently watching them.

Suddenly, the dragon thrust its enormous head through the rift in the sky, and Aiden couldn't help but wonder if satellites in space would detect this anomaly above the Pacific Ocean.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, the Great Red's body emitted a powerful aura, and moments later, a massive barrier woven with its own power enveloped the area within a 40-kilometer radius.

"Tch~" Aiden heard the girls click their tongues in annoyance.

This action by the Great Red made it clear that they would most likely have to fight.

The Great Red, indeed, used its power over dreams to probe the surface thoughts of Aiden and the girls, who were struggling against its influence.

The dreams it saw confirmed what it already suspected: these… humans?… were invaders from another reality.

Although it didn't know their motives, it didn't care.

They were probably here with the intention of invading, like so many others before them.

The Great Red had already turned away many invaders with its mere presence, yet there were still cases where some dared to challenge it, and it had long grown accustomed to destroying them to prevent any invasion.

It thought these humans? would be the same as the others, so it didn't hesitate and acted.

It opened its massive mouth, gathering a blinding light—the magical power of the strongest being in the world accumulating within, ready to unleash a breath attack capable of destroying several islands.

It was confident that would suffice.

Aiden and the girls felt the atmosphere tremble.

They grew serious, knowing the situation had just escalated quickly.

The girls disappeared into Aiden's soul so he could use all his power without restrictions.

Moreover, Aiden sensed some 'gazes' he didn't like, so he ordered them to hide.

He didn't want their faces to be known too soon—they hadn't even settled in this world yet.

"This lizard doesn't seem willing to talk, or maybe it thinks we're invaders. And since it's so used to dealing with our 'kind,' it doesn't even consider that we're not here to cause trouble," Aiden muttered as magical power and Reiryoku began to gather around him.

"[Eloah Tzabaoth]"

The astral armor appeared, imposing and radiant, fully covering Aiden.

To conceal his face from the curious 'gazes,' a black helmet materialized over his head, covering it completely.

A white halo with black edges resembling a crown of thorns appeared above him.

His knightly armor was a deep black, with dark purple fabrics flowing as if they were part of his being.

"I wonder if this barrier you placed will withstand our fight, oh protector of the world," Aiden said to the Great Red, who was still charging its breath with the intent to release it.

The atmosphere trembled, and the ocean waves churned under its power.

The Great Red ignored him, and that alone was enough to irritate Aiden.

"[Metatron]."

Hundreds of cannons, shaped like white and gold feathers, appeared around Aiden, with a massive amount of Reiryoku concentrating at their tips.

"You don't expect me to just let you attack me, do you?"

"[Shemesh]!"

—Bang! Bang! Bang!

A blinding flash covered the entire area, and thousands of beams of light, with power enough to destroy islands, were launched at the Great Red at incredible speed.

—Boom!

The Great Red had not anticipated such an attack, and the magical energy accumulated in its mouth exploded along with the beams of light that struck its body.

—Bang!

Aiden didn't stop and continued firing, testing how resilient this dragon was.

He didn't believe his attacks would cause much harm; he was merely testing the waters.

"ROOOAAAR!!"

Aiden didn't have to wait long for a response.

The Great Red's roar was so powerful that the sea and sky split.

Several dimensional rifts opened in the sky around Aiden, and dragon breaths began raining down on him at a dizzying speed.

—Explosion!

Massive detonations erupted across the sea as Aiden flew at high speed, dodging the beams of energy coming at him from all directions.

More dimensional rifts opened as the attacks continued, but Aiden wasn't idle: he summoned more [Metatron] cannons and kept bombarding the dragon.

"ROOOOAAAR!!"

The Great Red roared in fury upon seeing its attacks fail to land, while Aiden's did.

With a growl, more energy rays rained from the sky onto Aiden, who clicked his tongue in response.

—Boom!

A massive wave surged from the impact of the explosions, and Aiden sped through it, dodging the water touching his body while murmuring:

"[Zafkiel]."

—Ding Dong.

The enormous clock appeared behind him, like an extension of his body, following him as he dodged the attacks.

—Impact!

An energy beam struck his back, shattering the astral armor.

"Tch!"

The armor quickly regenerated, but a blood-red shadow appeared in his right hand.

In an instant, a gun materialized in his hand. He aimed it at his temple and murmured as he pulled the trigger:

"[Zafkiel: Aleph]!"

—Bang!

The first bullet fired, amplifying his speed to an inhuman level, breaking the sound barrier multiple times, as Aiden launched into an attack with devastating velocity.

"[Metatron: Mal'akh]!"

Two of the cannons surrounding Aiden shot toward him, merging into a pair of thrusters made of pure energy that attached to his back.

—Blast!

The energy thrusters propelled him toward the Great Red at speeds far exceeding the sound barrier, sending him straight at the beast while the dragon's energy rays grazed his body repeatedly, despite the incredible speed he moved with.

But in the blink of an eye, Aiden appeared right in front of the Great Red's head and...

"[Sandalphon: Halvanhelev]!"

A colossal purple energy sword appeared in his hands, its massive size resonating with power.

Aiden swung it swiftly, tracing an arc of destructive light that struck the dragon's forehead.

—Boom! Slash!

A large gash opened on the Great Red's forehead, and the sword's blow, as fast as sound multiplied several times, pushed the dragon back toward the dimensional rift.

"[Metatron: Artelif]!"

The hundred cannons flew skyward at great speed, forming a circular formation in unison.

Their barrels aimed at the same point, merging into a single massive cannon.

A vast amount of light gathered, and as a broad white beam, the shot was fired at the rift where the Great Red had been flung.

—Boom!

The waters and clouds parted in all directions, leaving only a straight line.

Aiden watched as the dimensional rift closed just in time to prevent the destructive beam from reaching the dragon.

—Boom!

The beam struck the barrier, cracking it like glass.

"How unfair..."

Aiden remained calm, observing the situation.

He could go into the dimensional rift and face the dragon there, but... wasn't that its territory?

Better to stay here; he was more comfortable anyway.

Aiden summoned [Gabriel], and a musical keyboard appeared beside him.

"♫~~"

The melodies resonated in the air, amplifying his stats.

He waited a few seconds in silence, looking in a particular direction.

The curious eyes observing the battle shuddered upon realizing that Aiden was looking at them.

His imposing figure, hidden under black armor and with a crown-shaped halo above his head, made him even more intimidating.

Some averted their gaze, unwilling to become the target of a monster capable of trading blows with one of the most powerful beings in the world.

Others, however, couldn't help but continue staring brazenly.

A deranged demon (Rizevim) wondered why the Great Red, the Dragon God Emperor, had come here to face a mere "human." After all, that dragon was only interested in wandering through the dimensional gap.

Meanwhile, the leader of the fallen angels (Azazel) observed Aiden's armaments with interest, wondering if they were new [Longinus].

—Crack!

A thunderous noise shattered the stillness, and Aiden looked back at the sky.

The full form of the Great Red appeared in all its glory, the wound on its forehead now gone, and its magical power surged, making the entire world tremble.

Fortunately, the barrier held... otherwise, the consequences for the world would have been catastrophic.

"ROOOAAAR!!"

The dragon roared, a declaration of war that Aiden clearly understood: now, it was fighting for real.

"The one who should be angry is me, you stupid dragon! I'm not an invader, and I have no intention of harming this world!"

Aiden shouted, making the Great Red roar even louder. But the dragon wouldn't back down.

"Tch! Dragons and their damned pride..." Aiden couldn't help but complain. If this being wanted to fight seriously, he wasn't going to disappoint.

"I hope your precious barrier holds... otherwise, there will be many disasters in your beloved world..." Aiden said, watching the Great Red grimace.

The dragon had read Aiden's dreams and realized he wasn't an invader but rather a hero. Yet, its dragon pride wouldn't allow it to surrender so easily.

"ROOOAAARR!!"

The second round began.

[***]

End of Chapter.

(•_•)

A/N:

I uploaded a bonus chapter explaining the power levels in this fanfic.

It's not exact, but it should give you an idea.

Also, please avoid annoying comments like:

"The spirits could one-shot all of DxD."

Yes, you're right; I also watched Date A Live, but this isn't Date A Live.

Not even the girls are the "same" as in the series, as they were born differently.

What I mean is, yes, the girls are powerful, and Aiden is too, but there are characters who can stand against them, either because I boosted the power levels in the DxD universe or for other reasons.

This fanfic follows DxD's storyline, but there may be some differences I added because it's a fanfic, and I'm writing it for fun.

If Aiden were the strongest character, the story I have planned would be so short it would end in... 20 chapters?

I also want Aiden to build a faction or something similar, recruiting characters from DanMachi, Akame ga Kill, or another anime I like.

I'm not sure how I'll do it, but my point is: don't complain about the DxD universe not being able to withstand an attack from the Date A Live spirits.

To those readers who leave simple messages like "Thanks for the chapter,"

and to those who give me their power stones, I sincerely thank you for your support.

Even though I write as a hobby, it makes me happy to know someone enjoys what I create.

Anyway, thank you for reading! ~

*