[18] : Dragon God Red Emperor (II)

Draconic Deus.

Earth.

Pacific Ocean.

[***]

All Aiden could see were millions of thin rays of energy surrounding him from all directions.

Great Red, remembering that his previous attacks hadn't been very effective and weren't enough to overwhelm Aiden, increased the number of attacks at least a thousandfold.

It didn't look like a simple attack; it was more like a rain of destruction falling at the speed of sound.

Aiden watched, almost in slow motion, as the energy rays approached him, shining with an overwhelming intensity.

Calmly, he extended his right hand.

The enormous key appeared in his hands, and he gripped it firmly.

"¡[Michael: Segva]!"

With a single motion, Aiden sealed the energy within a 10-kilometer radius, momentarily halting the rain of destruction.

However, even as those millions of rays were sealed, more continued to fall.

Great Red hovered in the air, launching energy rays like an endless turret.

—Boom! Earthquake!

Aiden changed his course, dodging the attacks but causing tsunamis and tidal waves in the surroundings.

Though the rays were as thin as needles, they were still the attacks of a being known as the strongest in the world.

Each shot carried enough power to destroy entire islands.

Yet, not a single one managed to touch Aiden.

"ROOOAARRR!!"

Seeing that it wasn't enough, Great Red increased the density and quantity of rays several times over.

"—!!!" Aiden held his breath.

The millions of energy rays from the Red Dragon God Emperor no longer came at Aiden in a straight line as before.

Now they pressed around him, forming a barrier so dense that not even an insect could pass through, converging in unison.

Aiden knew he couldn't dodge this attack coming from all directions.

Therefore...

A book appeared floating before him, and a pen materialized in his hand.

"[Principle of causality interference: Deviate]"

That was what Aiden wrote in [Rasiel] in less than a second, and fate changed.

What seemed impossible happened: Aiden dodged all the energy rays.

He manipulated fate, creating possibilities where none existed.

The energy rays veered off course as if guided by an invisible force.

Then, Great Red, using his power over dreams, focused his breath with a clear thought: This attack must hit.

—Boom!

A giant ray of energy headed toward Aiden.

In response, Aiden let out a whisper as his Reiryoku exploded.

"[Raphael: …]"

The chains, the enormous spear, and the metallic wings on Aiden's back shone with power, altering the atmosphere.

The clouds dispersed, and moments later, all that power fused...

Before Aiden, a gigantic crossbow appeared, aimed at the incoming energy ray.

An arrow of pure wind, radiating terrifying power, was ready to fire.

"¡[El Yuvurn]!"

—Boom!

The arrow, faster than sound, struck the Great Red's breath directly, unleashing a mushroom-shaped explosion that cracked the barrier and sowed panic among the supernatural beings watching.

The arrow and the breath collided in a titanic clash, fighting for dominance.

—Crash! Crack! Crack!

The arrow and the energy ray shone intensely as the sky filled with thunder.

The clouds roared, and the tide rose so high that the water seemed like a massive wall crashing against the barrier, which cracked under the pressure of the battle...

Amid the chaos, Aiden, calm and composed, moved his hands.

With precision and determination, he began writing in the book that altered fate.

"[Principle of Causality Interfere: Pierce!]"

The world seemed to shift at that instant.

The arrow pierced through the dragon's attack.

—Bang!

The body of the Great Red was punctured, leaving a massive hole through it.

The arrow, having exhausted its energy, dissolved into the air, but the sheer force of the wind pushed the dragon's colossal body even further.

With a thunderous crash that shook the skies, its corpse fell into the ocean.

—Bang!

The scene left all the supernatural beings watching stunned.

From that moment, Aiden became even more feared.

'Did you kill it?' Nia asked from within his soul.

'The power of the daughters of the hurricane was enough to send it to the other world!' proclaimed Kaguya arrogantly, earning a collective eye roll from the others.

'I don't think the so-called strongest being in the world would die just like that,' Kurumi interjected, doubting that the battle was truly over.

'But isn't it dead…?' asked Tohka innocently, pointing to the Great Red's corpse lying in the ocean after being pierced by [Raphael].

'Well... Muku doesn't think it's dead. It's probably immortal or something, since it's literally made of dreams,' commented Mukuro, causing the others to nod in agreement.

'Yeah... I don't see any blood on that corpse either,' Natsumi added, visibly annoyed.

'It's lucky the barrier didn't break; otherwise, the world would've suffered a bit, or the supernatural world would've been exposed to humans,' Origami noted analytically.

"Hmm, this barrier serves as protection and also creates an illusion that prevents conventional satellites from seeing what happens inside," Aiden explained, receiving nods from the girls.

"Although supernatural beings can perfectly see what's happening in here…" Aiden continued, internally grateful he had donned a helmet to hide his face.

As they talked, the Great Red's corpse suddenly vanished.

Barely seconds later, it reappeared in the sky, prompting both Aiden and the girls to purse their lips in clear annoyance.

"Hey, seriously, Dragon-san, can we stop? I don't think you can kill me, and I can escape at any moment. I'm not an invader; I think you already know that. I lowered my defenses on purpose so you could observe parts of my dreams. I'm not interested in harming the world in the slightest… so, can we stop?" Aiden spoke calmly, and despite the distance, the Great Red heard him perfectly.

"ROOOAAARRR!!" the dragon roared in response.

"You don't want to lose? You already know I'm not evil, and you'll leave me alone after we fight? Your pride as a dragon wants to prove you're the strongest?" Aiden interpreted the Great Red's roar and sighed, speechless.

'Dragons and their pride are so annoying,' Kotori remarked disdainfully.

"But if we keep fighting, the barrier will—" Aiden began, but didn't finish the sentence.

The Great Red repaired the barrier and reinforced it even further, leaving everyone stunned.

'Pffft~' Nia couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"ROOOAAARRR!" roared the Great Red.

"So now you'll fight more seriously, and earlier you were just warming up? Because that sounds like the excuses kids use when they lose!" Aiden complained sarcastically.

"ROOOAAARRR!" the dragon roared even louder.

"That it's not an excuse, and it's the absolute truth? That if you fought seriously, the world would be destroyed? Well, that might not be a lie… but right now, you sound like a kid! Hahaha~!" Aiden laughed shamelessly, and for a brief moment, the Great Red seemed embarrassed.

"ROOOAAARRR!" the dragon roared once more, regaining its composure.

"That after fighting me, you'll heal me and let me live peacefully in this world like I wanted? Ahh… fine… but please leave me alone afterward," Aiden said with a sigh, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"ROOOAAARRR!" the dragon insisted with a roar that made the air tremble.

'Why do I feel like this dragon just wants to repair his reputation after Darling beat him in front of so many supernatural beings watching?' Miku commented from Aiden's soul.

'Well, dragons are like that, I guess. They were the same in Elicia: always wanting to be the strongest and prove to the world they were at the top of the food chain. They were so stupid,' Kotori opined with evident disdain, earning a few curious glances from the other girls within Aiden's soul.

'Kotori-san, do you hate dragons?' Yoshino asked, intrigued by the intensity of her comment.

'Well… I guess?' Kotori responded hesitantly. They seemed irritating to her, but she wasn't sure it rose to the level of hatred.

"ROOAAARRR!" roared the Great Red, causing Aiden to look at him and nod.

"Alright, I'll use all my power, but reinforce the barrier. It might break," Aiden reminded him, prompting the Great Red to strengthen the barrier immediately.

'Are you going to use that, Nushi-sama?' Mukuro asked, to which Aiden nodded with determination.

"Yes… I'm counting on you and Miku to bring me back to normal, alright?" Aiden replied before closing his eyes.

'Yes,' Mukuro and Miku answered in unison.

Aiden focused on the ability that would make him more powerful, as the dragon had requested.

He had no intention of losing, so he would fight with all his might.

"It's time…" (Jikan da)

"Awaken…" (Okiro)

"[Demon King]" (Maō)

Suddenly, Aiden's Reiryoku, which had previously been full of 'pure' power, began to fill with negative emotions.

A dark, black aura, like a tornado, started swirling around him and then shot into the sky, shaking most of the beings watching.

[The skill: Reverse Spirit has been activated]

[The Demon Kings have broken their seals]

[Entering reverse mode…]

[Angels Michael and Gabriel excluded by the user's command]

[Reverse mode activated]

—Explosion! Flash!

The aura surrounding Aiden vanished abruptly, taking a large portion of the sea beneath his feet with it.

The clouds scattered in all directions, with him at the epicenter, revealing his new appearance to the world.

His armor, previously completely black with purple fabric, had now changed to a gray-silver tone with black accents.

The halo on his head, shaped like a crown with thorns, which used to be white with black outlines, was now its opposite: black with white outlines.

Aiden's Reiryoku, once 'pure,' now overflowed with 'evil.'

Finally, he opened his eyes and spoke coldly.

"I don't like using this power. It makes me cold, violent, and these negative emotions inside me are disgusting… but I also don't want to lose. So you'd better leave me alone after this fight."

With a wave of his hand, a sword resembling a silver saber appeared in his right hand, while a pistol materialized in his left.

"[Lucifugus]."

A massive silver clock, with wings resembling those of demons on its upper part, emerged behind him, radiating a bright blue light.

The space around him began to distort.

[*]

A girl floated in the distance, watching intently as the fierce battle between Aiden and the Great Red unfolded.

Her appearance could only be described as beautiful.

She wore an elegant gothic dress, her long black hair cascading like a shadow over her shoulders, and her eyes were as dark as the night.

"Maybe this person can defeat Baka-Red and fulfill my wish," she murmured softly.

The girl, whose figure radiated a mysterious air, wanted only one thing: to regain the home that had been taken from her.

For some reason she didn't understand, the dragon she now observed from afar had been the one to take it.

"My silence… I will reclaim it," she said firmly, clenching her fists slightly. "Baka-Red should find another house instead of stealing mine."

She pouted, breaking the typically neutral expression on her face, almost as if her anger couldn't fully surpass her naturally gentle nature.

At that moment, all she wanted was for Aiden to defeat the house-invading dragon that had stolen her peace.

[***]

End of the Chapter.

(•_•)

A/N:

I love Ophis.

Anyway, in the next chapter, he'll be limited to using only [Lucifugus], the counterpart of [Zafkiel], and [Beelzebub], which is the counterpart of [Rasiel].

This is because many supernatural beings, like Shiva and other gods with Clairvoyance, are watching the battle and can see global events.

Also, the Great Red has no intention of killing him, so he doesn't really have to go all out.

Why show all his trump cards then?

As for the other [Demon Kings], not much was shown about them in the light novel or anime.

The only ones who truly inverted in the novel were Tohka, who used [Nahemah], the counterpart of [Sandalphon]; Origami, who wielded [Satan], the counterpart of [Metatron]; and the other two, whose users were the White Queen, Nia, and Wescott.

Wescott also used the counterparts of [Ain Soph Aur], [Ain Soph], and [Ain].

The rest of the [Demon Kings] don't have much presence, so I'll have to give them abilities myself, or just make them stronger than the [Angels].

Anyway, thanks for reading~!

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[Image of Lucifugus] ←

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