{Present, Estate of the Carmilla Royal Faction's Eastern Gate}
—Crom Cruach—
Crom had waited a long time for the battle to end. He wanted to see how the Carmilla side would handle an Ultimate Class devil and a Dragon of the same level.
He was more than confident that the entire Eastern Front would be crushed.
'Who would've guessed?' His grin was sharp. 'A devil barely half a century old not only defeats and kills an Ultimate Class devil, but slices up the dragon too. And on top of that, he butchered over half the Tepes vampires by himself.'
Crom's eyes glinted with sadistic amusement. 'An amusing guy.'
"You are…" the devil muttered, "a dragon."
Crom wasn't in his dragon form. He stood in human shape, black and blonde hair framing his heterochromic eyes.
"That I am," Crom said calmly, still holding back his offense. "And you are quite the amusing devil yourself. To take down two Ultimate Class beings, countless vampires, all while being just an Ultimate Class…"
He knew of the Barbatos blood running in the boy—the son of a devil who had butchered more dragons than any other race. At first, he was amused that a devil was even called a dragon slayer.
But seeing the son of the deceased in front of him, he didn't doubt it anymore.
"I assume you're not here for a conversation, are you?" The devil asked with a chuckle—a certain nervous chuckle.
"That I am not," the dragon answered. "I was sent to kill everyone in here."
The devil's gaze swept the battlefield. "And that you did."
"That I did," Crom repeated. "Though I didn't expect you to survive. Not after facing so many enemies and exhausting yourself so much."
The dragon studied him, eyes sharp. "But seeing you fight, I assume you have an ability to drain the stamina or power of others."
The devil flinched for a split second—a flicker of shock confirming the suspicion. No words were needed.
"So tell me," Crom asked, "are you in any condition to fight?"
The devil blinked. "You… are asking me that?"
Crom's lips curved into a smile. "I believe you know who sent me here to fight. Right?" The devil nodded. "Then let me tell you the condition under which I agreed to fight."
The devil didn't dare look away, fully aware that Crom could erase an Ultimate Class with a single strike.
"The condition for me agreeing to fight," Crom said, "was that I would later face him—Rizevim Lucifer. And you must know the devil is on par with the strongest Satans. As a dragon, that's the greatest challenge I can hope for."
The devil's face went unreadable. "You… agreed to massacre so many individuals for a chance to fight a strong opponent?"
Crom nodded immediately. "What else is there to live for, a dragon? Most of my kind have forgotten the thrill of a tough battle and given themselves to the useless things of life—bureaucracy, politics, all that crap. Not me. I live for the primal aspect of dragons—war."
He glanced at the blood-soaked battlefield. "If it takes a few hundred… maybe hundreds of thousands… then so be it. Besides, he also promised a certain interaction with a very specific, unreachable being."
The devil's attention sharpened, but the dragon didn't explain further.
"You don't need to know about that. What matters is why I'm here—to keep my word, and to fight well." Crom pointed at the devil. "So, devil… no. I know your name. Faiser Valefar-Barbatos. Fight me. Show me why your father was called the Dragon Slayer. Show me how you manage to slaughter an Ultimate Class dragon. And show me why Rizevim sent me here instead of killing the queen of the faction."
Crom's entire body radiated draconic power, the pressure so immense that Faiser struggled just to stay upright.
"Considering you want a challenge," Faiser finally steadied himself, "you seem eager to fight me even though I'm not at my best."
Any other enemy might have scoffed, attacked, or been enraged by the provocation.
But not Crom.
"To be honest," Crom said calmly, "despite you defeating so many enemies, I didn't expect you to win here. That's why I didn't hesitate to attack. However… now that you're provoking me while knowing I can kill you without missing a beat… you've intrigued me enough that I won't kill you in your current condition."
For a split second, Faiser dared to hope that maybe Crom would postpone the fight.
However—
"Drink this." The dragon produced a vial from his pocket and threw it to Faiser, who caught it instinctively. "This should bring you back to peak condition. Not that I see any injuries."
Crom had already figured that Faiser's abilities likely aided his recovery, but the devil still looked drained.
Faiser stared at the vial for a moment.
"Don't be so suspicious," Crom laughed. "I have no reason to fight dirty."
Faiser thought briefly, then—not surprisingly—pulled open the vial and drank it in one go.
The effect was immediate. Faiser's eyes widened.
"This…" he muttered.
"It rejuvenates both body and mind," Crom explained from above, floating in the sky. "I guessed your condition was mostly mental—mental fatigue. That helped, didn't it?"
Faiser nodded, amazed. "It did… my body feels active again."
"Then," Crom's eyes gleamed, "show me what you can do, Faiser!"
"Wha—"
Before Faiser could even react, Crom's fist smashed into his abdomen, sending him flying not just meters, but miles.
* * *
[Race: High Born Dragon]
[Grade: Satan Class (Sealed)]
Satan Class…
Not just any Satan Class—probably middle to upper Satan Class. That punch to my gut was proof enough.
"Where are you looking?"
I barely had time to react before another punch slammed into the left side of my face, hurling me even farther.
His speed was terrifying—almost impossible to keep up with.
<Blink>
I barely dodged the third attack.
Third… not fourth.
"Gah!"
The moment I blinked away, the monster shot straight to my new position, delivering a kick I tried to block with my arms.
Tried.
Fuck… he definitely cracked a bone.
"Don't disappoint me, Faiser!" he laughed. "Show me your skills! Show me the skills that killed a dragon!"
I would—I would love to—but this bastard was too fast.
Is this the difference between an Ultimate Class and a Satan Class?
<Blink>
<Blink>
<Blink>
I had no choice but to blink randomly without thinking. The moment I paused to plan, he would already be smashing a punch into my chest.
The rapid blinking was the only way I could buy time to think of a strategy—if one could even work.
"Ah, that's clever." Crom's voice praised me, weirdly friendly yet terrifying. "But don't rely on one trick for the entire fight!"
He gathered energy around his palms—energy I recognized instantly.
Dragon Aura.
"Random movements just mean I have to increase the radius of my attack!"
This—this madman!
"Dragon Aura Wave!"
The aura exploded from his palms with a clap, sending a shockwave so strong and fast that I had no safe place to blink.
[Bracelet of Imagination]
Instead of blinking, I risked using the bracelet. Luckily, being a certain distance away gave me just enough time—still within a single second—for the bracelet to form into a shield that protected me.
The shield shattered the instant it blocked the wave, reverting back to a bracelet. Once it breaks, it takes a while to reshape. And time was exactly what I didn't have.
"Slow!" the dragon yelled, slamming his fist into my back.
"Slow!" he yelled again, this time appearing in front of me and definitely knocking a few teeth loose.
No choice—I had to endure the pain. If I wanted to cast anything, I had to take the hits. The time it took me to use one skill, he could attack me three times.
[Bracelet of Imagination]
I wanted to test something, but reading my thoughts, the system immediately warned me.
[You cannot use two of the abilities at once. You have to choose between Dragon Flames, Samael's Curse, and Divinity Eater each time.]
The time it took me to listen to the system's message, I took two hits and broke three bones.
"Gah!" Blood leaked from my mouth, but finally, I managed to cast the skill.
<Samael's Curse>
The blade I formed from the bracelet immediately turned dark green, and Crom sensed it instantly.
Still, he didn't back down and came forward with a punch.
I had no choice but to take the hit this time as well.
"Ugh!"
"Gah!"
We both suffered.
"That…" His eyes widened as he saw the wound on his fist.
The moment he rushed me, I used the sword defensively. Of course, it cracked the instant Crom's fist connected.
But… it still managed to wound him.
A tiny wound, but it counted.
[The opponent has been inflicted with Samael's Curse. The opponent's offense, defense, and agility have been reduced significantly and is inflicted with severe pain.]
I… really wasn't sure about the pain part.
The dragon—the mad dragon—grinned at the wound, which had just turned greenish purple.
"You…" He seemed amused. "You are interesting. I haven't seen this cursed thing in centuries." He stared me down. "Where did you get it?"
He knew of Samael's Curse, huh? Doesn't matter.
"Everyone has secrets, don't they?" I said, trying not to lose this moment.
<Bind>
Will this—
No…
"Slowing me down twice?" He cackled. "Amusing. Very amusing!"
[Since the target is a class higher than you, Bind cannot fully restrict but only slow the individual.]
Fuck. I had never fought anyone above my class before him, had I? Even with Samael's Curse reducing his stats, he was still Satan Class.
Mad!
"Show me more!"
He shot at me with ridiculous speed—yes, even with the curse and Bind.
This time, though, I could react.
<Blink>
Barely, but I dodged. The problem was dodging and attacking at the same time.
System, can you check on Ingvild's condition?
Considering it registered her as my peerage and I was getting multiple warnings through the Asura Mark, it should sense her… right?
<Blink>
I dodged again.
[Ingvild Leviathan: Current Condition: Injured, Unconscious]
Fuck! I couldn't teleport her here to help me fight.
What about Bova?
[Bova Tannin: Current Condition: Injured, Barely Conscious]
Fuck me…
And focusing on that, I got hit because I didn't blink in time.
"I might have to use a bit more aura," he laughed.
This madman—he laughed. Despite Samael's Curse and Bind, he didn't seem bothered.
<Sever>
As I guessed, Sever wasn't very useful.
"Woah!" Crom sounded as amused as a child. "Was that the Barbatos ability your father used to kill dragons?"
No, he wasn't sliced in half. The cut was only an inch and a half deep.
[Since the target is a class higher than you, Sever can only injure the target.]
I… I'm going to survive this, right?
Does running away count as surviving?
[Using Traverse to run away does not count as surviving.]
Fuck you!
"Since you're going all out—"
This doesn't sound good.
[Bracelet of Imagination]
<Samael's Curse>
"—I should go harder too!"
"Crescent Circle Aura."
Terrifying.
That was the only way to describe him.
<Bind>
<Sever>
Horror.
The cuts healed instantly as a golden aura surrounded his body, making his skin glow and his body seem sturdier than before.
[Crescent Circle Aura increases every offense, defense, and speed by multiple phases. Tread with care.]
There was a reason the system was being so cooperative.
I could very much die here.
"Show me more, Faiser!"
This madman's speed almost returned to the level he had before Samael's Curse. I had no choice but to use the blade again, hoping it would slow him down.
He, however, was quicker and smarter. He changed direction mid-air with a kick and swung at me from the side—dodging the blade.
I had to use a skill I rarely touched. Mostly because there were very few opportunities to use it.
<Transit>
The blade disappeared from my hand, and his eyes flickered with curiosity.
As smart as the move was, I still got hit by the punch he threw. I felt a few ribs crack. Thankfully, it wasn't all for nothing.
The blade I used Transit on appeared right next to him and grazed him.
"Ugh!"
He definitely felt the pain.
Unfortunately, that was all he felt.
[Effects of Samael's Curse do not stack. Effects can only be applied if the previous ones run out.]
I was… screwed, wasn't I?
But fuck this and the system—I'm not giving up.
"Crescent Claws!"
The aura around his hands morphed into claws—sharp, deadly, and menacing.
"The pain is nice," he laughed. "You should enjoy it too!"
Yeah, no.
<Blink>
"Quick," he roared, "but not enough!"
I tried blinking, but he appeared in front of me just as fast.
I had to let the bracelet break again to protect myself and hurriedly blinked several meters away.
Would Temporal work to revert him to the time before he activated his aura?
[Considering the difference in class, it is not possible.]
Then what can I use?
Sure, Penetration could leave a few wounds, but his aura healed him just as fast!
As I tried to think of a way to survive, he made it twice as difficult.
"Moonlight Cleansing!"
The same skill that erased all my troops shot from the blood moon toward me. My heart dropped as I blinked.
There wasn't just one ray—there were dozens.
I knew I was fucked.
And now, it seemed worse.
"Going so far—"
And yet, in my wildest dreams, I would never have expected to hear that voice here.
"—against a young devil not even a hundredth of your age, Crom?"
The rays stopped as a massive figure cloaked the moon.
Crom's eyes widened.
For a second, he looked shocked, somewhat pained, but most importantly—excited.
"Tannin!" the dragon roared. "Gahaha! Who would have guessed the Blaze Meteor would appear!"
Fuck it. It doesn't matter.
I have to survive.
Tannin is an Ultimate Class. As good as it seems, both of us combined still won't be enough.
Think! Think! Think!
"It's my lucky day today, Tannin!"
Crom ignored me and rushed at Tannin.
I hoped to see backup with the Satans, but he was alone.
This won't do. I have to act.
The moment Tannin bought me cannot be wasted. Only if I had Ingvild—
Wait.
An idea hit me, and my eyes widened.
Can the item I got earlier, Mirror Mould… be used to create the Longinus Nereid Kyrie?
[Nereid Kyrie is a High Tier Longinus without a physical form.]
I expected a flat rejection.
But lady luck hadn't given up entirely.
[However, as a Longinus it can still be moulded—with restrictions. The Longinus will be limited to one chosen ability from the myriad of abilities. After one use, the mould will break.]
Break than nothing, right?
Better than nothing!
Find whatever the fuck ability helps weaken Crom, and transform!
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{A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters + Other Stories. }
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