章節 989: Final Preparations
The days following the One-Eyed Black Dragon's outburst were some of the most troublesome Vahn had ever dealt with but, knowing he held a large part of the blame in instigating the event, he spared no expense when it came to stabilizing the populous once again. Fortunately, ever since the air raid that had originated from the Iron Hills, people had become more vigilant while the Alliance's forces had become much better prepared to deal with emergency situations. The hardest part of the whole situation was dealing with the loss of lives as, even though there were only a few people that had died as a result of the One-Eyed Black Dragon's rage, Vahn felt personally responsible for them. Though he harbored no delusions that innocent lives hadn't been lost as a result of his actions, this was the first time Vahn was forced to face the reality of the situation directly. As a result of him unnecessarily teasing the One-Eyed Black Dragon, an entity he knew to be one of the most powerful in the entire record, he now had an additional 108 deaths weighing on his conscience...
From the perspective of the people, they interpreted Vahn's actions in the aftermath of the event as those of a truly benevolent and kind Emperor. Not only did he go around to help in the rescue efforts but, whenever he learned about the loss of life that had occurred, he was visibly upset as a result. Seeing someone that held an unfathomable amount of power nearly brought to tears was a big impact on several people, especially those that were related to the victims. This only made Vahn feel worse about the situation, however, as he was unable to come forward and take responsibility directly. He couldn't take any proactive action that would cause the people to lose faith in his leadership ability as, with how young the Empire was, even small incidents could significantly impact the stability of the entire Continent...
Fortunately, though it didn't exactly make Vahn feel better about the situation, this most recent 'attack' had reawakened the fear people held towards the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Though this alone wasn't necessarily a good thing, the unity it brought about was something that could easily be taken advantage of to make real and lasting progress towards his goals. Since his coronation was still fresh on everyone's mind, so too was his promise of dealing with the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Now, the entire population of Orario had assumed an atmosphere of righteous indignation as the public consensus had them crying out for the subjugation of the One-Eyed Black Dragon. With so many people directing their focus and 'hope' towards him, Vahn found that he couldn't even sleep as a result of the incredible power that was constantly pulsing through his body...
On the eve of his sixth day as an Emperor, Vahn was seated beneath the canopy of Yggy's branches as the young High Spirit curled up in his lap with a blissful smile on her sleeping face. Contrasting this, Vahn himself had a penitent expression, accented by a touch of remorse, as he had been unable to smile much after realizing the consequences of his mistake. With the coming dawn, he would be descending into the Dungeon and, depending on the circumstances, he may very well have to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon. He hadn't peeked into the 73rd Floor after the incident but, after taking a look at the Unit Management function of his system interface, he noticed that the One-Eyed Black Dragon was now missing from his list of Subordinates. She was obviously very upset after he had slighted her and, now that the people were crying out for her death, Vahn had to seriously consider what action he would be taking during their next encounter...
As she was sensitive to negative emotions, Yggy's eyes slowly opened in response to Vahn's thoughts, causing her large emerald green eyes to look toward him with concern clearly expressed on her childish face. Vahn forced a smile in an effort to allay her concerns but it didn't quite reach his eyes as he reached out his hand to gently stroke Yggy's head. In response, Yggy grabbed his wrist with her tiny hands to prevent his actions while shifting around so that she could better face him. Then, without any words, Yggy released his hand before her body began to emanate a gentle glow as the runes on her body shimmered with emerald light. Vahn felt an incredible amount of warmth flow into his body before, moments later, the young and childish Yggy was soon replaced by a much more mature version of herself.
Since it wasn't the first time she had changed her body, Vahn wasn't too surprised by the sudden change. What did surprise him, however, was when Yggy pulled him into a gentle hug in a way that only women like Hestia and Tsubaki could manage before she began to stroke the back of his head with her hand. Vahn's nose was tickled by an aroma that smelled of honey and flowers as his ruminating mind instantly became chaotic in response to the unexpected actions of this surrogate daughter of his. Though he knew she was just trying to help him calm down, Vahn felt incredibly flustered as a mixture of emotions suddenly overwhelmed as a result of the 'too intimate' action that Yggy had obviously copied from the more mature girls in his life...
Fortunately, Yggy quickly picked up on the fact that she had exacerbated the situation as her body quickly shrank back to normal, her mature features replaced by her child-like proportions as she looked up at him with an apologetic expression. Vahn was able to calm down his tumultuous emotions rather quickly when he saw this, causing his smile to turn genuine as he gently pulled Yggy into his embrace and said, "Thank you for trying to help, Yggy, but I'm okay. Besides, I'm already plenty happy with your adorable child-form...sorry for making you worry..." This time, Yggy was unable to prevent him from rubbing her head and, as a result, a pacified smile slowly spread across her still-concerned face. It didn't take long for the ridiculously powerful High Spirit to completely submit under his touch as, even though she did not require it, Yggy was gently snoring mere moments after he had embraced her...
Seeing his 'daughter' fall back into a peaceful slumber, Vahn's smile slowly faded away before he turned his head towards the vast canopy above and, once again, began his rumination. In a way, he was started to empathize more with his Emperor-self from the Divination as, now that he had just small taste of the 'responsibility' he had acquired, Vahn knew it couldn't have been easy to shoulder such burdens over the course of a decade. Fortunately, unlike his counterpart, he had never even tried to sever the ties between him and his extended family. No matter how difficult things got, Vahn knew he could always rely on his loved ones for a momentary reprieve. There was even a chance that, in the far future, he would be able to surrender the mantle of Emperor to another before living a truly peaceful life, surrounded by the smiling faces of everyone he shared mutual love and affection with...
With that thought in mind, Vahn placed the sleeping figure of Yggy into a small nook on the inside of her trunk that served as a place where others could rest. Though it was a bit surreal, placing a Tree Spirit to sleep inside of itself, Vahn didn't put too much thought into it before he slowly made his way towards the rendezvous point near Spero Village. His main body would be staying behind, as there were now endless duties that would require his presence, while he would be using his avatar to subjugate the Dungeon in its entirety. He didn't know how long it would take but, depending on the circumstances, Vahn was prepared to forcibly break through to the 99th Floor. It would ultimately depend on how the One-Eyed Black Dragon behaved and whether or not the girls wanted to advance forward in a more 'genuine' way. After all, the Dungeon seemed to have been designed with the purpose of helping people rapidly increase their strength, testing their willpower in the hopes of helping mortals rise to godhood.
Vahn was tempted to test to the veracity of his hypothesis and, with girls like Jeanne and Terra at his side, there was a fair chance he would be able to see someone else reach Tier 4 before him. Though Terra was still a ways away from reaching that point, Vahn knew what kinds of enemies she would have to face in the deepest Floors of the Dungeon and there was a fair chance she would be able to make rapid progress in her currently stagnant power. With an entity like the One-Eyed Black Dragon constantly pressuring her, there was no way Terra would simply be content with her current strength, pacifist or no. As for those like Fenrir and Helen, Vahn didn't believe the latter would be able to move forward with her current mentality while Fenrir, even without reaching Tier 4, could very well conquer the entire Dungeon if she began to ravenously devour every enemy she encountered...
As if in response to his thoughts, Vahn felt a presence enter into the area of his domain before, less than a millisecond later, Fenrir had appeared with her arms wrapped around his body from behind. She was currently in her 'fluffy' state and, even though Vahn couldn't feel the fur through his clothes, her tight embrace felt particularly 'plush' as a result of the densely packed midnight blue fur. Though he couldn't see her face from his current vantage, Vahn knew that Fenrir had probably been worrying about him but, for fear of disturbing his mental state, forced herself to stay away. Since she had crossed his mind, however, Fenrir took that as a sign that he had 'needed' her, causing the faithful Vanargandr to immediately rush to his side.
Vahn felt extremely gratified to have such a reliable subordinate at his side, even though their relationship had long progressed beyond the simple relationship between a Master and his Subordinate. He tapped the back of her paw to get her to release him from her embrace before turning around to face the scarlet-eyed Vanargandr as he smiled and said, "Let's go, Fenrir..." As he had extended his hand while speaking, Fenrir had quickly linked the digits of her paw between Vahn's fingers, allowing her plush paw pads to press against the palm of his hand. This always brought an even bigger smile to Vahn's face as he had long-since developed an appreciation for the squishy pink bumps of tender flesh. As a result, Vahn found himself naturally shifting into his pseudo-Vanargandr form as the two of them quietly walked toward their destination in no particular hurry.
Fenrir was quiet nearly the entire trip, having decided it was best to simply enjoy the moment in silence, but that changed rather quickly when the sound of fluttering wings could be heard from the surroundings. Some of the Harpy-Xenos that had been patrolling the area had caught sight of Vahn and, completely lacking the ability to read the atmosphere, the three nearly naked Xenos quickly swooped down to greet him. As a result of their flexibility and the need for a full range of motion during flight, they dressed much like members of the Amazoness race, wearing mere scraps of clothing to cover their increasingly humanoid features. They also had a complete disregard for personal space so, without dallying at all, Vahn found himself quickly surrounded by the three girls as they clung to his arms, each expecting a bit of pampering in return for their 'hard work' in patrolling so early in the morning...
After separating from the group of Harpies near the rendezvous point, Vahn gave a wry smile to the pouting Fenrir as the latter stared daggers towards the retreating Xenos. One of them had nearly fallen from the sky as a result of Fenrir's bloodlust, causing the other two to laugh and snicker at their companion, even as they deftly caught her out of the air. It wasn't until Vahn plopped his hand down on Fenrir's head that the 'offending' Xenos was able to recover, causing the latter to stare back confusedly before resuming her morning patrol duties. As for Fenrir, she had a small frown on her face as her expression become increasingly complicated before she lightly muttered, "Dumb birds..." under her breath.
Vahn pretended not to hear Fenrir's remark and simply smiled as he ruffled her hair and said, "Come now, the others are already waiting for us." Before Fenrir could respond, Vahn picked her up into a bridal carry and proceeded towards the three rather large auras that had congregated near the teleportation ward nearby. In response to the sudden 'benefit', Fenrir buried her head into Vahn's chest and began to breathe rather audibly through her nose while tightly hugging his neck. This kind of intimacy was something Vahn had long grown immune to so he didn't pay it any mind as he greeted several respectful Xenos before finally arriving at the chamber where Terra was seated across from Jeanne and Helen, a hint of derision on her face that quickly morphed into a smile as she turned her attention to Vahn and said, "Good morning, Master~."
Knowing that Terra had never been fond of Helen, Vahn chose not to pry into the matter as he gave a small nod before saying, "Good morning, Terra. I'm surprised that Alexa didn't follow along with you." Though she would never be able to enter into the Dungeon without his consent, Vahn had expected Alexa to make another last-minute attempt to convince him to allow her to follow along. In response to this, Terra issued a peal of sonorous laughter before explaining, "She has actually been spending a lot of time within some of the prototype Space-Time orbs I've been working on. Ever since that 'roar' sent a ripple through the city, Alexa's competitiveness has been stirred up...fufufufu~."
Though Alexa had never shown any signs of wanting to 'overthrow' her mother, she simply couldn't allow a second True Dragon to be more powerful than her. Now that she knew that the One-Eyed Black Dragon was much stronger than she was, Alexa was determined to grow much stronger as a result. There were several reasons for this but the biggest was simply the result of a True Dragon's 'pride' as, without being able to recognize Vahn as her 'King', Alexa needed to shift her focus to pacify other aspects of her base instincts. With the exception of Terra, who she knew would never actually be a 'threat', Alexa would never allow another True Dragon to be more powerful than she was, at least for a long period of time...
Imagining his daughter curled up with a Space-Time orb as she diligently studied magic with her mother's memory fragment, Vahn couldn't help but issue a small yet concerned smile. He knew he had complicated Alexa's life a great deal as a result of decisions he had made so, while he was glad she was so focused on a new goal, part of him was worried she would deviate down a dangerous path if she continued to seek power at such an 'early' age. Not only would it make the matter of her finding a mate more difficult, as she would likely need to look towards other records just to find someone her equal, but Vahn was worried that Alexa's 'pride' would only grow as her strength increased. Though she wasn't currently hostile towards Terra, it didn't seem like True Dragons had the same feelings of love and attachment that he had grown to 'expect' from sentient races...
Shaking his head to clear away such negative thoughts, Vahn turned his attention to Jeanne and Helen as he gave a polite nod and said, "Good morning, Jeanne, Helen. Have you finished your preparations...?" Vahn made a point of saying Helen's name last, causing the silvery-haired maiden to squint her eyes slightly as a result while Jeanne gave a respectful bow and replied, "My Lord, with the equipment you have provided, we were able to complete our preparations without issue...!" Since Jeanne held such an important position, she not only had equipment that had been personally forged by Hephaestus but, if you were to look beyond the armored collar of her silver breastplate, you would find a pristine white choker that also served as an interspatial storage device.
Vahn gave another small nod in response to Jeanne's overly polite response before changing into his own Adventurer garb for the first time in what felt like ages. Though the equipment was now almost entirely comprised of A and S-Rank items, Vahn's overall appearance hadn't changed much from the time he had proactively ventured into the Dungeon. He still had the habit of wearing shin guards over a pair of black trousers while his forearms were covered in layered metallic gauntlets. As for his tunic, it was woven with several layers of Cadmus hide, each having a network of mana-circuits interwoven into the dyed-black fabric.
The biggest change to his outfit, which was designed for ease of movement and unarmed combat, was the inclusion of several ornate accessories while his waist was fitted with a very 'peculiar' belt. This was one of Ina's inventions and, though Vahn could easily store things within his Inventory, his brilliant daughter had come up with a method that would allow a small number of physical objects to be stored within an interspatial artifact that could be 'propelled' outward with a simple thought. Vahn had promised to field-test the item in the past and, now that he would be venturing into the Dungeon's deepest depths, it was a good opportunity to see just how powerful Ina's creation could truly become...
With his own preparations completed, Vahn gave a cursory glance at everyone to 'inspect' their own equipment before giving a firm and satisfied nod. Though Terra chose to simply wear the dress he had gifted her long ago, as she was of a similar mentality to Eva, everyone else was fitted with equipment that smaller Kingdoms might literally wage war to obtain. This was especially true for Jeanne and Fenrir as, with the exception of a few A-Rank accessories, they were both wearing a full assortment of S-Rank equipment. For Fenrir, this meant she was wearing the [Aegis Mk. 7] set of equipment while Jeanne, being one of the only 'heavy' knights Vahn had ever encountered was wearing full-body armor, complete with a helmet that she was currently holding under her arm. He found it somewhat ironic that someone that was practically indestructible would wear so much armor but, as Jeanne seemed more comfortable when fully covered, he didn't make any comments about it...
After looking over Fenrir and Jeanne, Vahn's eyes glanced over Helen's figure for a short moment before he locked eyes with the stone-faced demigoddess. Their gazes matched only briefly, however, before Vahn lightly shook his head and walked over toward the 'key' of the teleportation ward. Helen was attired in the same equipment that she had arrived with, having refused any offers to have other equipment produced for her. Though her long white gown was still an S-Rank magic robe, Vahn knew it lacked the functionality that many of the equipment produced in the Manor possessed. After all, Hephaestus was 'literally' the greatest blacksmith in both Heaven and the Mortal World so it was simply foolish to refuse the offer for basically free equipment...
As if she could read his mind, Jeanne gave her friend a wry smile before staring towards Vahn's back and saying, "Don't worry about Helen, Vahn. I'll do my best to protect her..." In response to this, Vahn just gave a small and dismissive nod while Helen, reading too much into what her friend had said, gained a slightly distant look in her eyes. Her mind wandered to create scenes of Vahn and Jeanne meeting in secret, coming up with a plan that had eluded her ears. Though she trusted Jeanne completely, Helen knew that her friend had changed a lot over the past few months that they had been staying within the Manor. As a result, though she didn't allow it to show on her face, Helen suddenly felt incredibly lonely, believing that her only friend may have betrayed her...
Sensing the fluctuations in Jeanne's aura, Vahn shook his head in mild exasperation as he finished powering the teleportation ward. Then, after a brilliant light flared within the room, five of the most powerful people in the world had vanished from their previous locations. Later historical accounts would mark this event, which took place without public knowledge, as the pivotal moment in which Vahn's reign as Emperor truly began...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is a big baby','Fenrir is still the Goodest girl','Helen's delusions might as well be an Innate at this point...')
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章節 990: Collision
Though the purpose of this particular expedition was for Vahn to reach the lowest Floor of the Dungeon, he once again found himself in a situation where he was watching others battle instead of taking up the vanguard himself. Jeanne and Fenrir had both wanted to lead the way, the former saying she would 'protect everyone' while the latter simply wanted to test the limits of her own power. As a result, Vahn stood with Terra and Helen flanking him as Fenrir dashed about, tearing apart any monsters unfortunate enough to cross her path. Other than Ais and Mikoto, she was the fastest amongst the girls that resided within the Manor and, with her claws that could 'literally' cut through just about anything, most monsters didn't even know how they died before they had turned into fine particulates of purple dust.
While Fenrir was cutting loose without inhibitions, Jeanne combat style was markedly different than the rather wild and chaotic movements of Vahn's most loyal subordinate. Though her own speed was remarkable in its own right, Jeanne fought in a manner very reminiscent of Tina and Milan. She used her shield to easily deflect every attack that came her way, knocking monsters ten times her size off balance before her sword deftly cut through each and every one of them. Even when facing against one of the colossal Adamantoise Turtles, a monster that easily weighed over 300,000kg, Jeanne simply stood her ground as the titanic black creature smashed into her kite shield. Though the charge sent out a large shockwave, Jeanne wasn't even pushed back a single centimeter before shifting her weight to bisect the massive monster's head in a single decisive blow.
With Fenrir and Jeanne taking the vanguard position, Vahn found himself holding onto his [Khryselakatos] with a loose hold, enjoying the 'performance' without dropping his guard. As for Terra, she had never been fond of fighting so she was perfectly content just absentmindedly looking around the area. She would periodically make small comments about the ongoing battles and, whenever they would stop to take a small rest, Vahn would find himself being wrapped up by her wings as Fenrir curled up in his lap to replenish her energy reserves. During moments like this, Helen would sit a short distance away from the group as Jeanne, ever the faithful knight, stood with her sword and shield at the ready. Throughout the entire seven-hour journey thus far, Helen hadn't uttered so much as a word as she mechanically followed along with the group...
Vahn knew that Helen was waiting for him to ask, or perhaps outright tell, her what to do but, after dealing with her delusions for the last couple of months, Vahn had grown somewhat tired of her behavior. Though he wanted to help break her away from the fate she clung to like a life vessel, there was nothing he could do without outright showing her that she was wrong. Everything he said to her seemed to be misconstrued within her mind and, even when it felt like he had made some progress in breaking through her shell, follow-up visits would prove this was false. During the time when he wasn't around, Helen would twist his words to have a completely different meaning and, even though she would sometimes appear to be genuinely considering what he said, she would revert back to her 'default' self the moment you looked away. Even their short stop at the peculiar statue holding a mirror, a place Vahn was certain held some significance to Helen, didn't seem to catch her interest too much and, other than glancing into the face of the statue for a short period of time, Helen didn't even make a single inquiry for the mirror...
Sensing her Master's wayward thoughts, Fenrir rolled over in Vahn's lap so that she could look up into his face with a questioning look of her own. Vahn returned a small smile to her in response before lightly pinching her rather adorable nose as he said, "We'll be heading into the 73rd Floor pretty soon so make sure you are properly prepared. I have no idea how the One-Eyed Black Dragon will react when we enter into her 'territory' once again..." Though she hadn't taken any action after her previous outburst, Vahn knew there was no way the One-Eyed Black Dragon would simply let the matter lay. Even if there had been a small chance she would have done so, assuming he had come by alone, matters would undoubtedly inflate when she encountered Terra. Vahn fully expected the two to fight for dominance and, depending on the circumstances, he would immediately side with Terra to guarantee that no harm would befall her.
Though he hadn't addressed his words towards her, Helen decided to use this as an opportunity to make her presence known, her elegant voice resounding through the corridor as she plainly asked, "Will you kill it...?" As someone who had experienced the 'tremor' caused by the One-Eyed Black Dragon's outburst, Helen was aware of the danger posed by a creature that possessed such a large degree of power. She was curious to know if, now that the One-Eyed Black Dragon had become an 'inconvenience' to Vahn, whether or not he would simply remove it from the equation entirely. Being fully aware of how Helen's thought process seemed to work, Vahn released a small sigh through his nose before responding, "The One-Eyed Black Dragon within the Dungeon is simply the avatar it uses to maintain a connection with the Dungeon. Killing it would either result in it sending a second avatar or, in the worst-case scenario, bringing its main body back to the Continent. Though I could probably stop its rampage, I'd rather not deal with a colossal True Dragon that has nearly reached godhood unless it becomes absolutely necessary..."
Since he shared the blame for the recent deaths caused by the One-Eyed Black Dragon, Vahn knew it would be an extremely selfish decision to slay her in response. Ultimately, however, it would be up to the One-Eyed Black Dragon herself whether or not their battle would escalate to the point where she would have to be put down. Vahn knew that the One-Eyed Black Dragon, while possessing an extremely pure Darkness Elemental Affinity, wasn't actually an 'evil' tyrant that simply slaughtered everything in its path. Most of her actions were in response to external stimuli and, though she was undoubtedly a very dangerous existence, Vahn couldn't outright use the existence of something as justification for whether or not it should be allowed to live. This was especially the case as, if she had been left alone, the odds of the One-Eyed Black Dragon going out of her way to kill 'lesser' creatures was close to zero percent. Her biggest fault was that she simply didn't care about any existence that she deemed inconsequential to her own, a trait that was loosely shared by almost every True Dragon...
In response to Vahn's words, Helen just stared into his eyes for a few seconds before turning her head away with a thoughtful glint in her eyes. Vahn couldn't help but wonder how her mind would twist what he said to suit her own perspective as he lightly shook his head while stroking Fenrir's. In a way, Helen was infinitely more troublesome than the One-Eyed Black Dragon but, much like the latter, Vahn knew he could have avoided the trouble entirely if he chose to. The simple truth of the matter, however, was that he had a weakness for people that seemed 'broken' in a way as, even though their situation was entirely different, Vahn was reminded of his past self when looking at them...
Deciding it was time to face the consequences of his slight against the One-Eyed Black Dragon, Vahn ran his thumbs along the inside of Fenrir's ears, causing her body to tremble lightly, before he released a small sigh and said, "Okay, it's time to go..." He then helped Fenrir rise to her feet while Terra removed her wing from around his shoulders and gently levitated back to her own. She had been closely observing the interactions between Helen and Vahn with slightly squinted eyes but, now that she knew they would be facing the One-Eyed Black Dragon, Terra's expression had become uncharacteristically serious as she flicked her tail and said, "Master, please allow me to teach that little brat a proper lesson..."
Sensing the peculiar bloodlust contained within Terra's words, Vahn raised his brow lightly in response before giving a small nod. He knew that, just as the One-Eyed Black Dragon would be unable to tolerate Terra's presence, the latter felt much the same way. Until one of them had established dominance over the other, it would be impossible for two powerful True Dragons to coexist together. Since Terra should, theoretically, even be able to fend off the One-Eyed Black Dragon's main body, Vahn knew she would undoubtedly come out on top in the coming fight. The real question was whether or not the One-Eyed Black Dragon would accept her loss or, unable to accept losing with her avatar, bring her main body to contend against Terra. If she chose the latter course of action, Vahn knew he would need to intercept and, more than likely, strike her down permanently...
Without delaying any further, the group quickly made their way down the long spiraling staircase that connected the 72nd and 73rd Floors. At these depths, there was nearly a full kilometer's distance that needed to be descended before you would finally reach the next Floor, not that it took the group very long. The only thing that slowed them down was the fact that, each successive step caused an even greater pressure to descend upon everyone present, causing Vahn's expression to turn slightly melancholic before a face of determination masked his hesitation. It was obvious that the One-Eyed Black Dragon was still angry with him and, now that they had entered into her territory, it was only a matter of time before things escalated to violence.
Almost immediately as that thought crossed his mind, Vahn could sense the pressure in the air increase exponentially as the 'intent' contained within seemed to consolidate around Terra. In response to this, Terra flared out her wings with a cold expression on her face as a powerful and domineering aura radiated out to contend against the tyrannical pressure emitted by the One-Eyed Black Dragon. As if a bomb had been set off, a loud rupture emerged within the surrounding void that sent a massive shockwave away from Terra's location, forcing back even Vahn with the residual energy. Terra never really let all of her energy bear down on others, as she was simply too powerful to go 'all-out' against even girls like Fenrir, so this was Vahn's first time 'feeling' just how strong she had become...
With Jeanne protecting Helen, Vahn and Fenrir created footholds in the air while Space around Terra continued to fluctuate and fracture in response to the two powerful auras. Terra's horns had grown slightly longer while the runic patterns on her arms and legs were glimmering with an emerald green light. Her nails had extended to form claws as her tail, instead of snaking low to the ground, protruded outwards to maintain her balance as she leaned forward slightly with both wings extended. It was a version of Terra that Vahn had never seen before as, instead of a teasing and intelligent light contained within her captivating blue eyes, Terra's pupils had turned into long slits as a cold light reflected across them.
From within one of the cracks created in the very fabric of Space, a small black claw tore through the void as it veered towards a location nestled between Terra's breasts. Vahn knew this was where her 'reverse scale' was located so he couldn't help but take in a sharp breath since he knew how vicious such an attack was for a True Dragon. Terra was also very aware of this and, even though the One-Eyed Black Dragon's speed had slightly startled her, she simply snorted through her nose before curling in her wing to defend against the strike. Though this would have been a terrible idea under most circumstances, as any entity capable of manipulating Time and Space generally couldn't be blocked, Terra didn't have to worry about such 'insignificant' details as a layer of dense magical energy covered her wing.
The One-Eyed Black Dragon was slightly surprised by the fact that the 'whelp' before it was able to defend against its attack but, before it was able to make sense of the energy Terra had made use of, the latter flared her wing to push the One-Eyed Black Dragon back before extending her palms outward. The runes on Terra's arms began to glow with increasing intensity as a grey mist gathered around her claws before erupting outwards to form a pillar of light. Even though it was the first time the One-Eyed Black Dragon had seen such an attack, her instincts told her she needed to evade the attack at all costs. As a result, the One-Eyed Black Dragon literally pulled the fabric of Space to cover her body as the near-lightspeed attack slammed into the nebulous membrane that was tearing apart the surroundings with increasing intensity...
With her attack being scattered around indiscriminately, causing large swaths of the Dungeon to immediately turn to ashen grey stone, Terra released another snort before bringing her palms together in a prayer gesture. The One-Eyed Black Dragon, believing this was a chance to counterattack, ignored the tingling feeling in the areas that had been hit by Terra's magic as she condensed her own magical energy to form 'electricity' similar to Vahn's in his Qinglong form. Everywhere the bands of energy passed, Space in that area would be violently distorted, indicating that the lightning was formed, not of electrical current, but the amalgamation of pure Space Elemental energy.
Knowing the 'danger' that Terra possed, the One-Eyed Black Dragon didn't hesitate at all to release the condensed bolts of Space energy, ignoring the fact that Vahn's cold eyes had locked onto her every action. Fortunately, Terra wasn't so easily caught off guard a second time so, as the phenomenal energy tore towards her, several layers of magical barriers instantly emerged to protect her body. Since she had known of the One-Eyed Black Dragon's affinities before the fight had begun, Terra had created a magical formula that allowed her to deflect Space elemental energy instead of simply trying to defend against it. As a result, the lightning bounded off of the barriers before tearing through the Dungeon as if the super-dense bedrock was nothing more than an illusion. Terra had formed multiple barriers, just in case, but, seeing that the One-Eyed Black Dragon had only destroyed two, a mocking look plastered itself upon her face as she intoned, "Ara, Ara, Ara~?"
Hearing Terra's 'Activation Key', Vahn's previously serious expression broke as his left brow began to twitch in response to the rather 'casual' utterance from Terra's lips. Fortunately, she quickly followed up by adorning a serious expression as she loudly chanted, "Gaze into Eternity! See the passage of History before thine Eyes! Let Nature reclaim all things within its Motherly embrace! Pillar of Eternity, Gaia's Grace, Heaven's Pillar~!" Following Terra's chant, the Space around the One-Eyed Black Dragon gained a misty white hue as the latter gared menacingly at Terra and exclaimed, "You want to contend against me in dominion over Space and Time, you whelp!?"
Though she didn't understand what Terra's magic was supposed to do, the One-Eyed Black Dragon could sense the familiar energy contained within and couldn't help but feel indignant as a result of her fellow True Dragon's 'audacity'. When she was about to tear through the surrounding Space to attack, however, the One-Eyed Black Dragon received a surprise that overshadowed anything she had ever experienced in her long life. As she brought her claws up to rip apart the fabric of Space, she noticed that her previously glossy black scales had become a muted grey color that began to flake at the edges. Her eyes widened to form complete circles as, even though her instincts weren't alerting her to any danger, the One-Eyed Black Dragon was certain being trapped within the peculiar white space was extremely dangerous.
From the perspective of everyone outside of Terra's 'barrier', they saw the One-Eyed Black Dragon turn into an untraceable blur before she shot out of the barrier with impossible speed. Even the One-Eyed Black Dragon seemed to have been caught off guard by her own momentum, causing her to smash into the Dungeon's walls, resulting in a massive shockwave that caused large sections of the surrounding ceiling to collapse inward. In response to this, Terra raised her hand, sending a pulse of green energy into the surroundings that caused massive trees to begin sprouting from every exposed surface, stopping the collapse and filling the previously barren area with greenery. The once dark Dungeon was now filled with an abundance of plantlife as Terra released a tired sigh and turned her attention back to the gaping hole that had been created by the One-Eyed Black Dragon's charge. As for why her speed had been elevated to such an extreme, it was due to the fact that the 'barrier' Terra had created was accelerating the flow of time around the One-Eyed Black Dragon's body, specifically targetting her limbs and wings.
Though everyone, Terra included, had expected the One-Eyed Black Dragon to immediately return to the fight, it wasn't until nearly a full minute later that the large pile of rubble began to stir. Some of the stones weighed thousands of kilograms but, as if their weight was completely negligible, they were moved aside like pebbles by the small figure that crawled its way out of the pile of debris. Upon seeing the figure in its full glory, Vahn could hear Jeanne take in a sharp breath while his own mind was having trouble processing what he was witnessing. Though the One-Eyed Black Dragon's basic features were exactly the same, proof that the transformation of a True Dragon was dependent on how they 'wanted' to be seen, her scales were now a muted grey in color, covered in small cracks, while her left arm was now completely missing...
With her one good eye, the One-Eyed Black Dragon glared back at Terra as if she had met her most hated enemy as she icily stated, "That pup was right...I have been in this isolated place for far too long. It seems that, in my absence, other True Dragons have been able to rise to prominence..." Holding up the stub of her left arm, the One-Eyed Black Dragon stared at the fragmented pieces of her own scales as a peculiar energy began to form around the area, causing Terra's eyes to widen this time as she quickly began to chant, "Basilisk, Lizard with Eight Legs and Evil Eyes-" She only managed to finish part of her chant, however, by the time the One-Eyed Black Dragon had completely disappeared from sight before reappearing in the void next to Terra's left side. There was a vicious look in her eye as, almost as if time had reversed, the One-Eyed Black Dragon's arm began growing back with an exceptional speed as it tore through the air, seemingly intent to cut off Terra's in retribution...
Terra was, by no means, fast. Though her reaction time allowed her to keep up with the movements of even the fastest girls within the Manor, she relied on her powerful defensive abilities to deal with attacks, not her ability to respond to the. This attack by the One-Eyed Black Dragon was completely outside of her perception and, even though her defensive magic was still in effect, it was powerless against the peculiar energy that had formed around the vicious Black Dragon's claw as it tore towards her extended left arm. Just as it was about to cleave through Terra's tender flesh, however, an oppressive force descended upon the One-Eyed Black Dragon, dwarfing the momentous force that had been created when she had previously clashed auras against Terra. It was almost like comparing a single raindrop to a small basin of water, an analogy that didn't seem to match the situation but, when taking into consideration the outcome, was remarkably close to the truth...
Unable to complete her attack, the One-Eyed Black Dragon was pressed into the Dungeon's Floor and, as if she was nothing more than a nail in the hands of a Master Artisan, she found herself planted into the durable bedrock as she was continuously forced downward by the irresistible pressure. It wasn't until she had been launched into the confine of the 74th Floor that the pressure subsided a little, allowing the One-Eyed Black Dragon's body to smash into the ground as she began to tremble slightly in response to the phenomenal power that she had just been subjected to. Though she wasn't injured in the slightest, her body felt as if it was filled with liquid metal that was burning her insides as she looked up into the sky to see Vahn, tearing through the void with his own azure claws, looking down on her...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Jeanne OP','Terra Vs. One-Eyed Black Dragon','The Emperor Descends...')
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