Chapter 36: The Familiar Forest
Alright, this is the actual last chapter for Volume 1—trust.
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A month had gone by since the Supremacy War had ended in a rather anticlimactic fashion, the decision amongst the top brass including Zekram and Sirzechs being not to pursue the fallen since the "main goal" of annexing the entirety of the Underworld had been achieved. Their focus being diverted to seeing what more technology they could salvage from Valkorion and Krovos and building up the young talents among the Blindfold Devil's generation as much as possible.
Avalon had already had the prosthetic arm Eurus had destroyed during their battle replaced by Ajuka, allowing him to be two-handed once more. However, his request for the Satan to spend time finding a way to fix his hairdo situation had been denied as expected.
The Church and Heaven were naturally still on full-alert, continuing to build up their forces just as much in anticipation of them trying to make some sort of move on the human world.
Most of the Exorcist population had been ordered to work even harder on searching for humans who had contracted devils, or general devil activity in the human world. Albeit, notable devils that had been operating in the human world such as Cleria Belial, the cousin of the Rating Game Emperor Diehauser Belial had already been recalled once the war had begun as per Diehauser's request.
However, with the possibility of fallen now possibly roaming the human world the church couldn't clamp down as hard on devil activity as they wanted to—still on the prowl for any sign of the heavily weakened Grigori, which required them to spread their forces to a certain extent. Grigori's masking technology made them quite difficult to track after all, but getting rid of them once and for all after they had endured such heavy losses was too appetizing a prospect for the church to simply give up on.
Especially for those lower down the pecking order hungry for a chance to gain some renown and reputation, despite what their virtues suggested—the church certainly wasn't a place void of greed and lust for power.
But that was the least of Avalon's worries for the time-being, until he was actually appointed as Great King he wouldn't have any say in how they approached Heaven or Grigori if they ever crossed paths again.
"You don't need to glare at her so much, you're on the same side now—remember?" Avalon chided Adaloth who was standing in the same room as him and Eurus, the Rook and Queen having been called together by their King for some reason. I knew she'd get the cold shoulder, but I didn't think Adaloth would watch her like a hawk for a month straight. Doesn't it get tiring? Even I'm not supervising her that hard.
She huffed, "I'm not glaring."
"You definitely are," Eurus insisted—slumping her shoulders as Adaloth's eyes were fixated on her like miniature cameras. Shooting a pleading look at Avalon in hopes that he would do something, you and your sister are nothing alike, it's true that I think about killing you every now and then. However, that doesn't mean she has to stare at me like I'm thinking about it all the time! "Why did you even call us here? I was busy getting a massage from one of the servants," as much as she hated to admit it, Eurus absolutely relished in the level of luxury she was experiencing at the Bael Clan's estate. Which Avalon didn't mind letting her enjoy as long as she behaved herself.
I'm afraid you'll just have to get used to it, Avalon sighed inwardly, having a pretty good idea that the reason for Adaloth's vigilance was a result of Eurus being a woman rather than the threat her strength and intent posed.
Even though Eurus and Avalon made the odd lewd remark to one another, said entirely in jest every now and then, absolutely nothing romantic had sparked between the two.
However, Adaloth's jealousy cared very little for what was real or not in favour of her own perception.
From her perspective, Avalon simply had a fetish for black-haired older women. The validity of that statement being something Avalon decided to neither confirm nor deny.
"You and Adaloth haven't received your familiars yet, so Zekram decided to secure us a trip to the Familiar Forest."
Zekram had already ensured that Lars and Esdeath received their familiars before they departed for Mortis near the end of the war, which is why the two of them weren't present at the moment.
The Bishop had obtained a peculiar familiar in the shape of a snake that had a resonance-type ability, one that allowed Lars to achieve greater control of his spatial manipulation through linking himself with the creature—enabling him to weave more complex constructs and formations when making use of it.
The Pawn on the other hand had opted for a spider familiar with a sensor/reconnaissance-type ability that made up for her—well, lack of sensory ability. Even though reaching Avalon's level especially through a familiar was borderline unachievable, something was always better than nothing.
She wasn't really lacking in her physical abilities, or control over her ice magic, so there weren't any other enticing options that appealed to her all that much. Granted, Esdeath being Esdeath originally wanted to go after the resident Dragon King—but had been forbidden from doing so by both Avalon and Adaloth since she wasn't strong enough to not get obliterated in a single strike.
Unfortunately, the speed at which they had been defeated by Eurus back then didn't give either of them a chance to actually make use of their familiars—not that it would've made much of a difference.
Avalon obviously didn't have a familiar because of his contract with Tomoe, but the Youkai's ability to grow with him and the strength he had enabled Avalon to access during his fight with Eurus had proven to him that the deal was well worth it.
"I already have enough summons, I don't need a familiar." Eurus yawned, clearly uninterested in the trip.
"True, the normal familiars you can find in the forest would probably add little to nothing to your arsenal. However, there are two creatures there that are anything but normal—probably capable of contending with the dragon you used against me." Avalon smiled, knowing that strength was an irresistible lure for her. "And coincidentally enough, two people are going to find their familiars today."
"Oh? That's a bold claim." Eurus folded her arms and smouldered. The fact that Avalon had actually gone up against her dragon gave his statement a lot more weight than it would've had on its lonesome, but she still wasn't completely sold.
Avalon held up two fingers, "The Dragon King Tiamat and the immortal Nine-Headed Hydra, until now not a single devil has managed to contract either of them. However, you two might be able to change that aged fact."
Eurus scoffed, "Immortal? I find that hard to believe."
He shrugged, "If you don't believe it then why not go confirm it for yourself? It's supposed to be capable of regenerating its body no matter where or how you wound it."
"Maybe I will, but that Dragon King has also certainly piqued my interest. I thought Tannin was the only dragon of that level residing in the Underworld."
Tannin, also known as the "Blaze Meteor Dragon" was a Dragon King before he agreed to be reincarnated by Mephisto Pheles in order to secure the only piece of territory in the Underworld where Dragon Apples grown—a food source that a specific race of dragons under Tannin's care needed in order to survive.
Of course, such an iconic figure was known by practically everyone in the Underworld.
"Tannin's certainly more active with his standing as an Ultimate-Class Devil, but he's retired from the Rating Games now to look after his species so you probably won't ever cross paths with him. Tiamat on the other hand is still a Dragon King, and someone you could meet right now if you come with."
Adaloth narrowed her eyes, the prospect of having such a powerful creature completely under her own command undoubtedly enticing her. "How do you plan on deciding who goes after what?" She posed a good question.
"That's simple," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin, placing it on his thumb. "We'll play heads or tails, whoever wins gets the first pick." Only Avalon would settle such an important matter in such a childish fashion.
Adaloth and Eurus exchanged a glance of second-hand embarrassment.
"Adaloth, heads or tails?"
"Hold on, how come she gets to pick first?" Eurus scowled.
"She's your senior, of course she gets to pick first." He smiled, earning a miffed groan from his Rook in turn.
"Heads."
"Alright then, Eurus will be tails." Avalon flicked the coin almost all the way up to the ceiling, taking advantage of the chance to show off his impeccable coordination before catching the coin and covering it with his other hand. "Oh! Would you look at that!" He didn't need to take his blindfold off to know which it had landed on since he could tell which side of the coin was facing up from texture alone.
It had landed on heads.
"I want Tiamat," Adaloth decided without hesitation. He could've decided which side it landed on with his motor skills—I wonder if he made it favour me on purpose? Notwithstanding, I hear the Hydra's temperament is overtly violent, such a creature won't be as good a tool for me as one with a more rational frame of mind.
"You're just jealous I have a dragon and you don't," Eurus huffed. "If I find out that the Hydra's just a big sham, I'll make you pay severely." She stared a hole through Avalon's head.
"Don't worry, I assure you they're both plenty strong in their own right." He held out a seal with a tree insignia in the middle of it, "Now then—let us be off!" He tore it in half, causing a teleportation circle to appear below them and whisk the trio away to their destination.
After being developed in a flash of blinding light, they found themselves gathered in an open clearing surrounded by a dense thicket of foliage—the sky above them being illuminated in a reddened hue and the sound of all sorts of creatures scootering around them in either fear or curiosity assaulting their eardrums.
Just in their general vicinity, Avalon could sense hundreds of critters lurking around them, none of them even remotely strong enough to pose any threat to their safety whatsoever. Zekram said that we were supposed to meet someone called the "Familiar Master" here, I'm guessing the guy approaching us is him?
"Welcome to the Familiar Forest! Blindfold Devil and his compatriots!" A cheerful, energetic voice called out to them, one that belonged to an aged figure dressed in a positively outlandish outfit, even more so than Avalon's Levi-tan pajamas.
He had long auburn hair tied into a ponytail with a ribbon that had been slipped through a backwards dark-blue baseball cap, giving him the signature appearance of an older man clearly trying to fit in with the youth. His attire was continued by a white tank top, yellow backpack, and fingerless gloves.
Why do I have a feeling this guy isn't allowed within a hundred feet of a kindergarten? Even Avalon found himself caught off guard, "Would you happen to be Zatouji?"
"Indeed! Zatouji is the name! And catching familiars is my game! Ya' heard?" He struck a pose, leaving the three of them at a complete loss for words. He cleared his throat, "Anyhow—I'll be acting as your guide for today, is there anything particular you're looking for today? Even if you only have a general idea of the familiar you want to find, I should be able to find you something suitable."
"We're looking for Tiamat and the Nine-Headed Hydra, I imagine you have a good idea of where they are?"
Zatouji gasped, "Oh my! Going for the top-prize are we? I like it! I like it! A devil ought to have the prize-winning spirit if they want to succeed!" His demeanor softened, "However, while I do in fact know where to find Tiamit. The Hydra might be a bit of an issue."
"Why's that?"
"Unlike Tiamat, the Hydra is exceptionally mobile. It's almost always on the move save for the rare instances where it's asleep, and the poison mist it leaves behind in its trail makes it fairly difficult to track since inhaling the miasma is pretty much a guaranteed death sentence."
"I see, that could be quite the problem." Avalon hummed, tapping his chin. "Do you at least know its general vicinity?"
"Its last reported location was towards the south of the forest, where most of the reptilian familiars reside. But what do you plan on doing about the poison?" From the way Avalon spoke, Zatouji interpreted that he planned on looking for the creature himself.
"I have a way to keep myself protected," he looked to Eurus. "What about you?"
Cygnus—The Swan, stardust gathered around Eurus, coming together to form the shape of a swan that stood right beside her. "It's a healing summon, it should be able to do the job." She smiled proudly, using the moment to flaunt a little. I'm nothing like that one-trick pony over there, she side-eyed Adaloth.
"Great, me and Eurus will go hunting for the Hydra then. Could you guide Adaloth to where Tiamat is for me?"
Adaloth quickly raised her eyebrow, shooting a disapproving glare at Avalon. "Wait a minute, why are you going with her?"
He tilted his head, "To help look for the Hydra obviously, sensing is kind of my speciality after all." He also didn't want to just be sitting around doing nothing while they went off and fought their targets—so looking for the Hydra was a convenient excuse for him to get some exercise in. "You're both strong so I doubt it'll take either of you long to obtain them," he waved her off, motioning for Eurus to follow him towards the south as Zatouji had informed them.
If I waited any longer than that, then things might've gotten dicey. He breathed an internal sigh, spreading his senses across the vast forest in hopes of finding the toxic presence he was searching for.
Eurus observed him as they were walking side by side, deciding now would be a good chance to make conversation. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"
"What do you mean?" He wore a clueless expression.
"It's just that you two act a lot more—familiar with one another than I imagined." She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him for any trace of falsehood or ingenuity. For her to act so openly jealous, there has to be something going on between you two worth uncovering.
"Is that so? I don't really think that's the case, maybe it's just a cultural difference between devils and fallen angels." His tone and posture remained calm and composed, but Eurus's scrunched face expressed that she wasn't fully buying it.
"I don't think it has anything to do with culture, you saw how she reacted just then didn't you? You can't tell me there was no deeper meaning to it," she leaned closer to him, her eyes burning miniature slits into the side of his face.
He pursed his lips, "Deeper meaning? Could you elaborate?"
Eurus halted, grabbing him by the arm and bringing her mouth right up to his ear. "She's in love with you isn't she?" She whispered in a sultry voice.
"Love?" He chuckled, "I think you just misread her hatred for you as a preference for me, even if there's no romance between us she's still my sister at the end of the day—can you blame her for not wanting someone who attacked me and my peerage around me?"
"You're still on about that? It was a month ago, let it rest." All she did was throw a javelin through Esdeath's abdomen, why did he have to make such a big deal out of it? It's strange, I have a hunch you're at the very least weaving truths and lies together—but it's hard to tell from your words alone.
"Sure, as long as you do the same for this strange delusion you've cooked up." Seeing as he was wearing blindfolded, there wasn't much for her to interpret from his facial expression either.
He doesn't hesitate to reply, is that because of sheer confidence? Or rehearsal? I can't figure that out either. She threw her arms up and sighed, "As you wish—Your Majesty," she replied sarcastically.
They ventured down south for roughly half an hour, Avalon abruptly stopping in his tracks as he felt a faint prickling sensation on the surface of his skin. The Hydra's poison is said to be deadly to devils, we must be close. "There's a dense cluster of miasma nearby, it's potent enough to make me think that it was freshly deployed by the Hydra. You should be careful when you're fighting it, now that you're part-devil you're also susceptible to it."
"I don't need you to remind me," her swan spread its wings, developing her in a light-blue aura that would protect her skin and respiratory system from the Hydra's poison. Good girl, she gave her avian companion a headpat.
Avalon did the same through using his Touki, and honed his senses in on the miasma in hopes of picking up on the presence of its source. There you are! And as he had hoped, a sentient being chalk full of energy and malice had found its way onto his radar. "Follow me."
Avalon increased his speed, but made sure not to go overboard so Eurus could keep up as they darted through the foliage—coming across the corpses of familiars that were either unfortunate enough to be deemed food for the Hydra, or simply had been unintentionally caught the miasma's area of effect. The smell of death and rot growing more and more potent while they traveled, polluting their nostrils like an unbearable odor.
They weren't kidding about this thing being hostile, some of these familiars look like they were simply hunted for sport. I wonder how this forest's ecosystem is able to thrive with such a beast rampaging around? The breeding speed of these familiars must be ballistic. Avalon's area of expertise in his past life was psychology, not zoology, so if he wanted to know more he'd have to ask someone more well-learned on the subject like Zatouji. Although, interacting with the strange man wasn't necessarily the most appealing prospect.
And eventually—they arrived at an open clearing, the air around them stained a murky purple as a result of the Hydra's miasma, and blood from the carcasses of slaughtered familiars dying the soil a reddish-brown.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
"That's a Hydra alright," Eurus blew an impressed whistle, stumbling across the gargantuan figure of dark-green four legged creature—hunched down on the ground with nine serpentine heads with bright-yellow slit eyes, all lowered and munching on the corpse of a large boar familiar.
Its singular tail swayed behind it, the length of it truly adding to the immortal beast's intimidation factor. Its large, razor-sharp jagged teeth on full display alongside its forked tongue while it continued to gobble down on its prey—seemingly unbothered by Avalon and Eurus's presence.
"Ready?" Avalon asked her.
"Yeah, this shouldn't take long."
"Try not to get too overconfident—poison types can always catch you by surprise," he crouched down and picked up a pebble, tossing it in his hand up and down before arching his arm back like a baseball pitcher.
Clack!
"Ah?" The Hydra raised two of its heads upon feeling the small piece of rubble hit its temple, its reptilian pupils contracting as they locked onto Eurus and Avalon. "Who just did that?" It's voice somehow managed to sound awfully imposing in spite of its low, raspy tone.
"She did it!" Avalon pointed at her without hesitation. I didn't know the Hydra was verbal—however I should've expected as much from a creature of this level.
"You would dare interrupt my meal? You must have a death wish girl," the creature snickered, eyeing Eurus up like another one of its meals.
"You're insufferable," she looked at Avalon with a blank expression.
"What's the harm? You were going to fight him anyway, or her—I can't tell." Avalon disappeared in a split-second, deciding to not get involved and watch the fight from afar instead.
"Ignoring me are you? How arrogant," the rest of the Hydra's heads all perked up—staring her down with a furious glint in their eyes. "State your intention," it demanded an answer from her, but the fallen angel still didn't seem interested in taking the creature seriously.
"Apparently making you into my servant would be beneficial to me, so I'm here to do that." She replied nonchalantly, sizing the Hydra up as if she were comparing it to her dragon. Let's see how immortal you really are, Orion—The Hunter. She conjured up nine stardust daggers around her, each of them whirring with fierce intensity as they aimed themselves at the Hydra's necks. "Make sure you put up a good fight, if you prove to be useless then I'll probably just kill you outright."
"You're after my servitude?" It snickered, "You certainly wouldn't be the first—!"
The daggers short forth in unison, severing all nine of the Hydra's heads at once as Eurus watched on patiently—waiting to see if the Hydra would really regrow them all or not. Don't tell me he really did scam me with a trash familiar?
Flesh started to rebuild itself from the base of the laceration, recreating the Hydra's heads that all wore expressions paralyzed with fear. Not the fear of death, but the fear of its opponent's strength.
"So you really can regenerate, maybe you'll have some use after all." Eurus decided to wait patiently to see what the Hydra would fire at her, eager to witness her future familiar's abilities first hand.
"You—what did you just do to me?" It asked in a shaky tone of voice, its eyes incapable of registering the speed of Eurus's projectiles.
"I cut you obviously, now quit dawdling and hit me with something. I don't want to spend all day in this dump."
With a deep sense of uncertainty now plaguing it, the Hydra slowly reeled two of its heads back, one of them charging up a dark purple smog in their maw, and the other a red-hot ball of fire. "You'll sorely regret taking me lightly," it started by breathing out its fire first, aiming towards the ground instead of directly at Eurus for some reason. The smog soon followed, thickening the miasma around them even further in an effort to make her succumb to its effect.
I see, it's using the smoke produced from the fire in conjunction with the miasma to go all in on attacking my respiratory system. How pitiful, I must've frightened it to the point where it doesn't even want to think about fighting me head on. She motioned to her swan, her feathery companion perching itself on the back of her shoulders and increasing the strength of its healing factor to keep Eurus protected. That's not a problem, I'll just bring the fight to it instead.
Eurus vanished from the Hydra's vision, the serpentine beast being sent into an immediate panic as all nine of its heads started to pan around it, desperate to find where she had gone. "Running will only delay your demise for so long."
"Why would I run from something weaker than me?" Her voice sounded from the Hydra's back, the creature turning all of its heads to face her—in absolute awe of just how fast she was in comparison to what its eyes were capable of tracking. Orion—The Hunter, a machete appeared in her hand which she used to sever all nine of its heads once again.
"Cut me all you want, you're destined to lose this war of attrition no matter how many tricks you keep up your sleeve." The Hydra grinned, confident that it would simply outlast Eurus's energy reserves with its immortal body.
"These cuts are hurting you though aren't they? Even if I can't actually kill you—I'll just cut you enough to the point where your sanity caves in." She cut the Hydra again, making sure to expend minimal energy in doing so in order to mitigate the risk of burning out mid-fight. Keeping her swan active throughout the entirety of the battle was paramount to winning.
I guess there's nothing more to see here, Avalon sighed, watching the battle from a distant tree branch. I'll go look at how Adaloth's battle is going, maybe it'll be more interesting. Confident that Eurus had already figured out what she needed to do, Avalon departed in hopes that his Queen would stave off his boredom.
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"Is this the place?" Adaloth asked Zatouji, observing the pseudo-border they had arrived at. Even though there wasn't anything physically blocking their path, the coloration of the forest had a thin line spanning across that separated the reddened side they were on from the deep blue that awaited them in the distance.
The Familiar Master nodded, a gut-wrenching sensation sitting within his gut just from being near the separated area. "Everything beyond this point is strictly the Dragon King's territory—we believe the passive leakage of her energy is what caused this side of the forest to become discolored."
"I don't see any familiars wandering over there," she observed the stark lack of life on the other side in comparison to where she was standing. "Were they killed by the energy?"
"No, it's a known law amongst the familiars that you're not allowed to enter Tiamat's territory without her explicit permission." Zatouji marveled at the fact that Adaloth didn't seem to even be a little nervous, Tiamiat was a being said to wield Satan-Class strength after all.
"And how will I find Tiamat once I step inside?"
He chuckled nervously, "I don't think you'll have to worry about that—she'll probably come for you once she detects that you entered her territory without permission."
"Alright," she raised her foot, interested in whether Zatouji would follow her through or not.
"Wait up!" A familiar voice called out to her, causing her to turn around with a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.
And as fate would have it, that hope was indeed answered. "Avalon? What are you doing here? Where's Eurus?"
"Eurus has her fight handled, there's nothing more to see over there—so I thought I'd come see the Dragon King with you." Seeing Eurus's dragon was fairly impressive, but seeing a real life Dragon King was a completely different ballpark, and something most would never get to experience. He'd be an idiot to pass up the chance. "I can go back if you want though, I don't want to disturb your battle."
"No, it's fine." She withheld her smile, you always come back to me in the end. "Let's go," she grabbed him by the hand and let him past the border.
"That was fast," Avalon said aloud the second they entered the blue-stained area of the forest. She picked up on our presence the second we stepped through, but there wasn't any detection barrier set up. He observed the coloration of the forest around him, is it because she's connected to the residue of her energy? His ears had picked up on Zatouji and Adaloth's conversation a moment ago. Impressive.
Adaloth clicked her tongue, her gaze darkening. Why did she have to respond so quickly? She could've given us at least a little time alone. The sound of gargantuan wings flapping above could be heard by every living being in sight, those who had taken residence near the border immediately turning tail to flee. Not interested in being caught in the crossfire of whoever among them had been stupid enough to trespass on Tiamat's ground.
"Children just never seem to learn," a commanding voice spoke from above—belonging to the overwhelming figure of a behemothic western dragon with celestial blue scales, the size of which seemed to exceed that of the entire Gremory Household. The natural pressure exuding from it crashing down on everything below, daring any sentient life around it to raise their head.
"I scold them again and again, but somehow they're intelligence remains stagnant as ever." The dragon started to circle around Avalon and Adaloth's position, glaring at them with its sharp reptilian eyes that held nothing but contempt within them. "Is an old woman's wish to be left to her own devices simply too much to ask?" Its wings folded into its back as the creature dived down like a falcon, crashing into the earth and leaving a gargantuan-sized crater in its weak, obliterating any of the foliage that had once surrounded them.
So this is a Dragon King! Avalon grinned, witnessing the legendary creature's majesty in full. Sorry Eurus, I think you did actually get the shorter end of the stick. That Hydra can't even begin to compare to this! His fingers twitched, part of him wishing that his and Adaloth's position were reversed.
This was Tiamat—The Chaos Karma Dragon in the flesh.
"Well? What do you want? If you're bold enough to trespass, I might as well give you the chance to say your piece before I kill you." Tiamat shook her head, flinging the dirt and soil off her scales and exhaling from her nostrils, the air blowing their hair back.
Her strength is supposed to be Satan-Class, which me and Adaloth match as Incomplete Super Devils. However, the experience difference is going to be a huge difference. Not to mention that Adaloth doesn't have a whole lot of variety, Avalon refused to respond, more focused on gauging Tiamat's strength.
"Would you quit staring and say something? I'm not interested in taking a cripple for a mate if that's what you came here for." She stared Avalon down, but he was simply too enamored by her to even notice that she had insulted him.
"I'm here to make you my familiar," Adaloth stepped in front of Avalon, not a fan of the way he was eyeing her. Maybe it isn't the hair? But just the age difference he likes? I wonder if I should tell him my true age then? She suddenly felt a little more motivated to take down Tiamat.
"Another one? I should've guessed," Tiamat narrowed her eyes, her focus completely shifting to Adaloth. "Although—you don't seem as feeble as most, maybe you'll serve as a good opportunity to stretch my wings." She started to shapeshift, turning into a beautiful mature woman with long pale-blue hair, and dark blue reptilian eyes, a cold atmosphere radiating around her. Not intent on giving Adaloth a free advantage by making herself an easy target.
I guess that's my cue to skedaddle, he put his hand on Adaloth's shoulder before leaving. "Make sure you don't lose, I'm pretty tempted to snag her for myself at the moment."
And that motivation only grew fiercer, her face contorting into a deep scowl as she paced toward Tiamat. Everyone just has to be a homewrecker nowadays! She cracked her knuckles, forgetting her original goal of making Tiamat her servant for a second in favour of killing her on the spot. I already have to deal with one ancient hag, I refuse to put up with another!
"You seem familiar for some reason," Tiamat scrutinized her, her voice no longer as overwhelming as it was in her draconic form. The Dragon King's attention focused solely on Adaloth's hair, I think I also recognize the Demonic Power flowing through her. "No matter, now isn't the time for casual conversation."
Tiamat felt the ground beneath her start to tremble, pieces of soil and rubble skipping up and down as she felt a rumble resound from the earth into her feet. That's some destructive power she's got—! A valley split beneath her before she could finish her thought, the dragon quickly spreading her wings and going airborne to prevent herself from falling into it.
"What a wasteful show of power," she scoffed, confident that Adaloth was just an immature brat trying to show off. However, Adaloth's wasteful show of power hadn't reached its conclusion just yet. Shit! That was just the first part of the attack! Like a broken reservoir, a torrent of her Power of Destruction shot up from the valley she had created, shooting up all the way to the tinted sky of the Familiar Forest and clashing with the blue hue Tiamat's energy had created.
Tiamat held both her hands out, her draconic aura erupting from her being to guard herself from the revered Clan Trait—shocking Adaloth to the very core as she witnessed some fend off her attack for the first time in her life. It's a good thing I picked heads, it was also the first time she had a reason to actually be invested in a battle.
"Now I remember," Tiamat huffed, wiping the sweat off her brow. "You're related to the new Lucifer aren't you?" Even though Tiamat was undeniably powerful, she had no delusions about being capable of defeating Sirzechs. The fear of what she had experienced when she challenged him to a battle out of mere curiosity still fresh in her mind.
"I thought now wasn't the time for casual conversation?" Adaloth raised her brow, making the shape of a claw with her hand and slowly clamping her fingers down in preparation for the next attack. Her eyes gleamed with crimson intensity as spheres chalk full of her Clan Trait started to appear en masse around Tiamat's position, each of them being overcharged on purpose in hopes of producing a catastrophic explosion.
However, Tiamat noticed that something was off. A good portion of these spheres are nowhere near me, what's the point of that? She's just needlessly wasting energy—I doubt it's because she's just that much of a show off. She thought for a moment, she's clearly young, could it be that she's unable to fully control the overwhelming amount of power she carries? That'd explain a lot about the way she's fighting.
She could tell that the blast radius Adaloth was about to create would make it impossible for her to dodge everything—however, her endurance didn't require her to do so. She was confident in her ability to withstand a good portion of the damage, a luxury everyone who had faced Adaloth up till now hadn't been able to enjoy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tiamat made a beeline for Adaloth, tanking two of the explosions head on with smoke rising off her skin, the Dragon King clenching her teeth and fighting through the pain as she neared the flabbergasted Adaloth. As I thought, she's a complete greenhorn—even if she's fought before I doubt those fights were much of a challenge. Her battle instincts are weak!
She slugged Adaloth in the gut, charging up her first with draconic energy before letting it repulse out of her first and send her hurling through the treeline with her spine crashing against multiple pillars of bark.
Tiamat had exposed Adaloth to yet another sensation she hadn't experienced since reincarnating—physical pain.
"Jarring isn't it?" Adaloth heard Avalon's voice from behind her, arching her head backwards and being greeted with the sight of him sitting cross-legged beside her while she was laid down in the dirt. "I've experienced it with Armaros and Eurus, but this is the first time you're being pushed to the edge."
A vein bulged out of her forehead, "You manipulated the coin toss."
"Manipulated? That's ridiculous, how was I even supposed to know you'd pick Tiamat?" He shrugged, not a shred of sincerity on his face. "Although, fighting her will be a good learning experience for you—you'll never realize your true potential by fighting people who you can snap out of existence with the wave of your hand."
"You're calling me weak?"
"No, you're just weaker than you should be at the moment. I just want my Queen to be as strong as possible, there's nothing wrong with that is there?" He smiled, both of them knowing that he was enjoying watching her receive a beating. "It's not set in stone that you'll lose either, you should enjoy this fight to your heart's content. Even if you do lose, I'll swoop in to get you out of there."
"After I obliterate this hag, I'm going to beat you senseless Avalon—I just hope you know that." The crimson glint in her eyes grew stronger, her desire to beat both her opponent and her brother being at an all time high.
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Alright now Volume 1 is actually over! I promise! I just wanted to include one last event for the fun of it, and also because I think Adaloth needs some training.
Oh, and there's a 4 and a half year timeskip incoming.
I did say I wasn't going to keep him a child forever, and now that volume 1 is over I guess it's time for me to deliver on that promise!
Leave your comments and suggestions below as per usual.
Go support me on p*treon if you want to read ahead! Up to 15 Advance Chapters are available as of now! (p*treon/Accel14)
I also have a Discord for character images/giveways! (wNzT9AEsaz)