Chapter 277

Ddraig POV

I remembered when I first woke up, strapped to that brats soul. The information that flooded me were different. the memories of my wielders were something I could always see; Yet the fact that I had some manner of whiplash,something I had never been experienced before, was….interesting.

I never told the brat , but I almost drowned in the amount of memories that hit me. I don't think even he realizes how much he doesn't remember, but I still got metaphysically slapped in the face with all of his memories and was able to see the holes much clearly. It took awhile to sort everything out and realize the position I was in.

The way he took me out of Issei, it….didn't quite damage the Boosted Gear, but it wiggled some things that shouldn't have been. I was a little more 'free' in my actions than before. I could force the Boosted Gear to not allow it to grab hold of my power for Balance Breaker if I didn't want it to. I could temporarily stop the façade that was the 'Twice Critical' from becoming the True Gauntlet. The brat didn't know that he would have eventually overcome my meddling on that part either.

Though the Balance Breaker would have forever been out of reach if I didn't commit on my end.

I didn't know how to feel initially, when I realized I was stolen. It had never happened before, and I will admit my pride had taken a small hit. Even after seeing what could have been with Issei, I didn't feel particularly attached to Issei. It was like watching a movie, the emotional investment wasn't the same as if I went through everything with the little idiot.

So I watched him while I tried to understand everything that was bouncing around in his head. All those memories that didn't make sense until I realized he wasn't from my world. Reincarnation wasn't something new to me, I'd seen many powerful souls come up over the years. Not quite in the same way as the brat, but the general idea was the same.

It was the first time my new 'user' would be a reincarnation, an interesting deviation. Then I fully began to understand the ridiculousness that followed his previous life.

Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

I usually didn't care much about humans, not many burned themselves into my memory. But that man, that man had a name I would always remember.

Eventually, I decided to extend my hand, accept the Brat as my true wielder. He was…..not really in a good place when he first got me, but he slowly got better. And I admit that I slowly began to like him too.

Looking back, I have no regrets with how things turned out.

He was different from my other wielders, besides the obvious reasons. My previous wielders I often had to coach, give advice, or otherwise guide through their time as the Red Dragon Emperor. With the brat, though, I'd remained mostly quiet over the time that he's wielded me, silently watching. There was a point in his early days where he needed help, someone to talk to, or just to keep his mind occupied. But he's come a long ways, he hasn't really needed me to be a voice on his shoulder lately.

Imagine my surprise, when he said he was going to free me.

I wanted to laugh, but for some reason, I believed him.

None of my other users ever made that declaration. They relied too heavily upon my power, to free me would be to make themselves weak.

I took it as nonsense and didn't bring it up again. But he didn't relent on that front, and here I was now.

Was I free? No.

But he was making good on his promise.

It was closer than I have been in millennia.

The feeling of air hitting my face.

I could taste the fire and smoke that filled the city.

Warm.

Even with a body that wasn't mine, I could feel again.

I was alive.

The Brat did it.

I wanted to shout, to declare my return…..however, I wasn't myself currently.

No, I wasn't the Red Dragon Emperor in this moment, as much as it pained me to admit. I was weaker, much weaker than when I was 'alive' originally. I should barely be on the level of a Dragon King right now. Still...that was an achievement in of itself. And I'm sure the Brat can tweak the spell to better cast it in the future.

I wasn't even sure it would work without more testing myself.

This fake body of mine, it was strange to feel when I still had the phantom sensations of my true body. It was longer than I was used to, not quite as long as those Eastern Dragons, but still odd. I also had two sets of wings on my back that felt awkward the first couple times I flapped them.

It only took a moment for me to orientate myself as I looked up at the invaders that were coming towards me.

They looked surprised, fearful at my sudden appearance. Their charge turned into a hasty attempt at a retreat upon my appearance.

I have the appearance of an 'Evil Dragon' – Níðhöggr.

I'd met the Dragon before, as I have with most of the notable Dragons in the world. I knew its personality, it was as poisonous as its breath. I could feel the same venom that now dripped from my new mouth, and I felt an odd feeling of excitement flow through me.

The Brat's good at acting, I guess I can play a role too.

I opened my jaw, my jagged teeth baring to the world, and I truly roared for the first time in many – many years.

And It felt good.

Fear struck in their eyes, their mounts recoiled with terror. Even those dog-monster things they had running by their sides whimpered.

Oh yes, I missed this.

But what I missed more than anything as my wings stretched out fully and sliced through the air, and my body was lifted off the ground.

I missed flying.

How cute, they were trying to run away.

Once I remembered how to do it, I flapped my wings with the strongest force I could muster, and my body shot towards the sky. I think Wilhelm said something when he was younger – I have wings, therefore I can fly.

Dragons weren't much different in that regard.

I let out another roar as I ascended to the sky. I wanted them to know that I was coming even when half of them had their backs turned to me.

The first were the unlucky ones that were pushed out of the way. My claws tore into their body, their armor did nothing to stop me.

Some tried, their blades slashed against my scales when I dove into their group. My defense wasn't as strong as before, but even still, they failed to draw any blood.

"MY TEETH ARE SPEARS" I let out another roar as I clamped down on a handful of these Fae, my elongated body swiping away another dozen. "MY CLAWS ARE SWORDS!" I crunched down on a horse and its rider, who let out a blood curdling wail. It had different things on its armor, so I think he was important.

I was going to have way too much fun with this.

"I AM NÍÐHÖGGR." I took a deep breath as I felt my breath gather to a precipice and let it loose.

At this moment, I was not fire, I did not burn away souls. Annoyingly, I was closer to that White bastard.

My noxious breath burst out, corroding everything in its path, melting and dissolving the unlucky ones to be on the receiving end of my ire.

All around me, these Fae began to dissolve and melt within my breath. Those on the edges did not escape, rather they collapsed clutching at decaying skin and hacked up blood and bits of organs.

It wasn't my fire, but it was still very destructive.

Níðhöggr had eaten the roots of the world tree, the parts closest to Niflheim. His nature had changed from what he originally was, his breath had turned toxic and poisonous. His scales turned an inky black and he became deformed with jagged teeth and protruding spikes.

Though one thing that didn't change was his vicious nature.

He was named an Evil Dragon for a reason.

Something these Fae were about to find out.

***

Wilhelm POV

I watched as Ddriag took to the skies, the ones who came for me scrambled to run away at the sudden dragon that popped up.

They continue for a few moments, probably thinking it was a spell or something. But pack mentality was a hell of a thing. It only took a couple of them to get scared and try to run before their ranks broke and they tried to flee back to their companions at the Gate.

Watching Ddraig tear into their numbers was satisfying.

And I couldn't hold back a smile when he decided to quote Tolkien of all things.

I looked down at the Gauntlet on my arm, and furrowed my brow. It was black, the color matching Ddraig's current state.

An odd occurrence, but not something unexplainable. Ddraig was still linked to the Boosted Gear, we merely tricked the thing into letting him out for a period. As soon as the spell wore off, he would be pulled back in. Unfortunately, the Boosted Gear was created with several fail safes that stopped Ddraig from simply escaping.

It still felt weird not having him here with me, but I quickly shook off the feeling. I could guess that I couldn't call upon the Boosted Gear's abilities, considering the source of them was currently handing a group of Fae their collective ass.

Well, I wanted to warp the battlefield away from the ground, and Ddriag was doing a good job of that. Yasaka's forces were still sweeping the city, doing what they could.

Looking up, Nurarihyon's people and Yasaka herself were still embroiled in battle against the main brunt of the Wild Hunt.

I wasted no time, my wings burst out of my back and Lightning imbued my limbs. With a crackle of thunder, I shot to the sky to assist.

I didn't need to keep the Dragon Staff out, so I put it away and retrieved my trusty Mirage, my other Blades floated around me as slammed into their outer line.

They turned around with a shout of surprise as I crashed in, grabbing the first by the head, and tossed him forward, knocking a bunch off their horses.

My Swords began swinging and lashing out, though not every attack was met flesh.

This lot were surprisingly strong.

My Swords were more than once deflected or parried, not that I dwelt on it. Such simplistic maneuvers on my part were no cause for concern when blocked.

"TYUF BNAM URUL." I turned to see one shouting, holding his sword up, challenging me.

I raised an eyebrow as it looked like he was challenging me to a duel and the others around me backed away.

I held Mirage up, beckoning him.

He rode fast, his steed leaving flaming steps in the air as he charged, his large sword held up as he went to slash at me.

Spell Circles swirled around my sword, the Kaleidoscope surged around me, the colors exploding out. "ETHER CANNON!" I swung forward.

One of my strongest spells erupted at the focal point, eviscerating the supposed 'challenger' and cleaved through the group until a wide path had been made in the sea of Horses and Fae.

Unsurprisingly, this didn't deter the remainder in the slightest.

"Fus!" I bellowed out, blowing away a few dozen while more surrounded me. Their numbers were annoying even if they were individually not my match.

Mirage pierced through the shoulder of one, only for him to grab hold of the blade as others attempted to run me through.

I snapped my fingers, summoning forth my lightning. "Lightning Arrows." I actualized the spell as they closed in and the spell crackled and shot off, exploding right in their faces.

They cast their own strange magics as I ripped my blade free and moved to the side. It felt sort of like curses, but more...natural? I don't know if that was the proper word. My Aura was sturdy enough that most effects of this level wouldn't take hold, but it was certainly something to look into at a later date.

"Strun Ba Qo!" I shouted again, forcing the Clouds in the sky to bend to my will. A thunderclap shook the area as Lightning began to dance amongst the heavens.

I held my hand out, forcing the Lightning to further answer my call as it shot downwards around me, clearing the annoying flies.

I grabbed hold of the bolt of lightning, shaping it and molding it to my desire. Reeling my hand back, I managed to get it how I wanted. "Lightning Spear." I threw it forward.

Another line was cleared out as the spell crackled, lighting whipping out at every angle, the spear made of my lightning turned everything it touched to ashes.

Breathing out, I stopped the lightning from continuing to fall. We were above the city, it wouldn't do good to let it fall indiscriminately, not to mention I had allies adrift in this ocean of foes.

Instead, I clenched my fist, and rain began to pour from the sky.

"Will!" I turned to see Yasaka land on a horse rider right near me, sending him hurtling to the ground. I didn't know what method she was using to stay air born, but it was pretty good.

"You okay?" I asked between swings of my Sword, decapitating another arrogant fella who thought to charge me alone.

"Define –" Yasaka growled, punching forward as her Touki molded itself following her movement and erupted outwards, causing a couple Fae to buckle and deform under the pressure, basically reduced to paste. "—Okay." She finished with a grunt.

"These guys are fucking relentless." My Swords returned to my side after I swung them out again.

"The Old man is fighting their leader, apparently. I let him have it by himself." Yasaka raised her hand up, and swiped her claw downwards, a massive phantasmal visage followed suit, clearing a good chunk of space infront of us.

"Yqul Frout Vol terol!" A Rider came blazing forward towards Yasaka. "I will mount your tails on my wall!" He shouted again in a language we could understand.

Though, all it served was to anger me. The Lightning beneath my feet crackled and I disappeared from my spot, turning into not but a streak of light as I landed on the back of his horse, Mirage moving towards his neck.

Surprisingly, he jerked around and deflected the blow, jumping off his horse as the animal fell over itself, losing its 'flying' momentum and fell to the ground.

I flicked my wrist, producing a couple Talismans, and threw them at the Rider. They turned into shooting stars, accelerating towards him with blinding speed.

His blade glowed green as he brought it up to block, my Talismans colliding and caused a cascade of energy.

I slid behind him as his blade tore through the paper spells, this time he couldn't react as my blade cleaved through his midsection, his body losing altitude immediately as he fell to the ground as well.

Yasaka dragged another towards me, kicking and wailing with her hand gripped tight around its neck. I heard a 'crunch' as the person stopped struggling and went limp.

"How exactly are you walking on air?" I ignored the falling body again.

"The Old Man's doing." She flicked her hand, blood flying off. "The mist around us isn't just for show." She explained.

And yeah, I could see a small layer of fog or mist that was beneath her feet and that of any other allies I saw in the area.

Interesting.

She got up next to me, as there were still plenty of enemies around us.

"Are you going to transform?" I asked.

She pursed her lips, staring at the ones immediately infront of us. "No." She finally said. "If you didn't summon a Dragon, maybe I would have. But he's serving the same purpose I would be doing if I transformed."

Yeah, Ddraig was causing quite a bit of chaos as he rampaged through their formations. I guess it was better for Yasaka not to be a bigger target when there were plenty of enemies that could take a hit or two of mine without immediately crumbling.

"Regroup with the others?" I offered after losing sight of anyone else but Yasaka.

"Yes….." She let out a long breath, looking a little tired. "I don't want to get too separated, we're already heavily outnumbered and I worry for the others."

***

Carrying Yasaka in my arms, I landed next to a familiar face, setting her down.

"Brother!" Aotabō shouted upon seeing us. He was wreathed in his own cursed flames, punching a Fae rider through the chest as the curses set upon it.

The Fae screamed in agony as it was consumed.

I looked around as Yasaka joined the fray again. I wouldn't need to overly worry about her, she could certainly take care of herself.

I blinked in confusion as I watched the Pig Youkai from before. The one who... well, he wielded a large glaive in a single hand and a massive tower shield in the other as he charged forward, swiping and bashing his way into the enemy groups.

Followed by an obscene amount of 'oinking' with each heavy movement.

Everything wasn't as good as it seemed though. Not every member were as strong as these ones up front. I could see quite a few who were sporting wounds and a few that didn't look to be breathing anymore.

I took the Staff of Magnus out again and held it to the sky, the Runes simmering around me. "The Breath of Magic – Vanaheim." I called out, creating the specialized Magic Circle that operated similarly to my Five Elements Mutal Generation. Though there was one distinction, it was meant to reshape and change spells that came across it as well. However, it was still a work in progress, but it would be enough for this.

I cast the strongest Healing Spell I knew – "Greater Healing."

The Golden Light connected with my Vanaheim spell. The single target spell morphed and designated all my allies as its target. The familiar healing rain that was used back at the Pendragon Castle came down once more.

Even if my widespread destructive magics would have been hampered by allies within the fold, it didn't mean I was without means.

There was a noticeable shift on the battlefield.

Funnily enough, it was Zhu Bajie who started it. "RAAAAAAH!" He let out a battle cry as he slammed his shield at the nearest Fae and held his glaive up. "VENGEANCE!"

"VENGEANCE!"

"VENGEANCE!"

"VENGEANCE!"

A renewed vigor surrounded them as they began pushing back with my healing enveloping them. They were already fighting with a viciousness that could only come from fury. Their home was burning and the ones responsible were right infront of their eyes.

There was an almost maddened look in their eyes as they charged forward.

"These guys…" I shook my head at their recklessness. May as well keep going. "Ebony Flesh!" I cast once more, covering everyone here in the familiar Ebony-like ethereal armor.

I joined in, making sure to keep everyone around me alive. If an ally looked like he was about to get hit, I would fire off a spell, or cast a healing spell. It got to the point where the Wild Hunt noticed me and started trying to avoid everyone else to take me out.

Well, it made sense, target the healers first.

I was about to show them why that was a poor decision when something came barreling down from further above us, crashing into a few of the Fae riders.

"Honorless cur." A rough, yet melodious, voice range out from the source of the sudden intrusion. It was the leader of the Wild hunt, he pushed away his companions as he got to his feet, basically dusting himself off.

"You want to talk about honor?!" Nurarihyon appeared above us, a look of rage on his face accompanying the slowly healing wounds and blood on his body. The faint shimmer of his own Ebony Armor flashed slightly.

Guess he had been in range of my spells.

"MY CITY IS ON FIRE!" Nurarihyon bellowed out, disappearing from the spot he was in and appearing infront of the leader, sword already swinging as the Fae brought his own up to block it as best he could. The ringing of steel caught the attention of the battlefield as the leader was sent hurling back once more.

"MY PEOPLE ARE BEING DRAGGED AWAY AND KILLED LIKE ANIMALS." Nurarihyon's blade tilted sideways as he thrust it forward, slipping through the Wild hunt Leader's guard, piercing into his lower stomach.

The Leader reeled for a moment, before bringing his sword overhead and slashed down, a burst of greenish energy discharging at the spot, only for Nurarihyon to disappear again.

I blinked, seeing him not far away from me, taking a few steps over, wiping a little bit of new blood from his shoulder.

He apparently got nicked.

"Thanks, kid." He spoke up, glancing at me. "My body is too old for crap like this, but that healing was timely. Let me show you something good that I stole from that monkey." He stretched his back. "Can only do this for a second or two."

His Touki and his Youjutsu enveloped him until his body was completely hidden and his presence shifted. Even the Fae leader looked on guard, not even paying attention to the blood seeping from his wound.

Suddenly, that same sword of his slashed outwards, dispersing the energy. Nurarihyon was there, but different. He was taller, his wrinkles were gone, and he had a full head of black hair.

He was young.

"That feels good." Even his voice sounded gentler.

"This doesn't –" The Fae Leader spoke up but was abruptly cut of, just as his arm was.

We all watched in surprise as Nurarihyon's sword was extended from behind him, a small line of blood flying through the air along with the severed arm.

"Phew…" Nurarihyon breathed out, again back near us and he was old again, breathing heavily. "That should do it."

What a scary old man.

Did he hide himself from Old Age for a moment?

Nurarihyon was in worse shape than he let on, I could tell that much. It would be bad if he appeared weak in a situation like this, so he stood tall even with blood seeping through his clothes. "Surrender!" He declared, holding his blade up towards the Fae Leader.

The Leader fell to his knees, clutching his missing arm as the blood poured out. He looked around and I followed his gaze.

He could see the writing on the wall. We were pushing his people back at this point, and I was providing a constant source of support in healing and defensive spells. Not to mention my own destructive spells that landed when they grouped too much together.

And Ddraig was apparently having the time of his life on their flank, smashing through their back lines and they were having difficulty holding him off.

"I Surrend –" The Fae Leader was about to speak until the portal they came from shuddered.

A deathly chill poured out that even made the hairs on my neck stand on end.

Something began to emerge, a large hand that cast a shadow over the battlefield.

A female hand by the looks of it, molded from a chilling frost and weaved out of shadows. The Wild Hunt began to dissipate into a cold air.

No, that wasn't right, they were being taken away.

"My Queen!?" The Fae Leader blurted out as half his body turned to that same frigid air.

"You think you can just leave?!" I growled out upon realizing what was happening. I didn't' know the mechanism which she was using, and I had no time to contemplate Fae magic. But I had a method that should stop it regardless.

With my wings at my back, I flew upwards towards the 'hand' hovering in the sky. Mirage was gripped tight between my fingers and I pulled on the Kaleidoscope.

A myriad of possibilities encased my sword.

Raising it high, I slashed through the hand.

My physical attack did nothing.

My attack through space did nothing.

My attack outside the Timeline did nothing.

I went through dozens of different scenarios until something clicked. Whatever this was, it existed in a similar nature as a Servant when they Astralize. Finally, my sword sliced right through it.

A shrill voice rang forth, grating on everyone's ears. Like a thousand razors trying to slice through steel.

The hand dispersed quickly as the source was cut off, and it seems like the portal was forcibly shut off due to the hand's actions.

While a good chunk of the Wild hunt were recalled, there were still several hundred that were left, along with their leader.

Ddraig chose that perfect moment to slam down upon what looked like another higher-up in their hierarchy. He let out a miasmic roar, glaring at all others around.

They began dropping their weapons.

Nurarihyon looked at me with a thankful expression and I nodded to him as he raised his sword up.

"VICTORY!" He shouted as his people followed suit.

***

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