Book 4: Chapter 78: Tapped Out
At the entrance of the cave, Lionel’s pupils narrowed into tiny pin holes as 3000 oppressive auras bore down on the Belmont Holy Land.
“Mistress Sacharro.” The voices resounded in unison, awaiting Ri’s command.
Ri was immediately heavily protected by ten saint demon generals. Even if Lionel had the mind to attack now, it would be completely futile.
All of Lionel’s plans had been predicated on Ri having little support to rely on. After all, the current Daiyu had enough to launch an attack on a Royal God Clan! Whether King Belmont was present or not was irrelevant, that didn’t change the fact that the Belmont had hundreds of saint level elders, and thousands of essence gathering experts. Not all of them were of pure Belmont blood, but how could a Royal God Clan not have protectors?
And yet, the Daiyu were able to win. Why would Lionel ever think that Ri had a chance to put up a fight? He had even gone out of his way to stealthily send a message to his wife, Evelyn, to have her come as well. If he hadn’t been afraid of King Acacia noticing something was off, or the war being tipped to far away from their favor, he would have asked the Aumens to come too.
Lionel was calm and calculating by nature. He rarely took risks. If they weren’t currently fighting a battle, there’s no question he would have called for more reinforcements.
But, regardless of how calculating you claimed to be, how could you ever consider the idea of a mere meridian formation expert having a thousand saints at his beck and call!? In fact, the number was even higher than that now. At the beginning, Dyon had a thousand lower essence gathering experts, a thousand higher, and another thousand lower saints. However, with all of the resources he had been pouring into his demon generals, and how they did nothing but train, eat and sleep all day – couple all of that with their unprecedented talent – and how could hundreds of higher essence gathering experts not have already stepped into saint hood? The number of saints Dyon had in his army was closer to 1500 as opposed to 1000!
That wasn’t even mentioning the improvement in the lower essence gathering experts.
It was simply an army of demons.
“Priority number one is to capture him.” Ri pointed toward Lionel, completely ignoring and not bothering to care for Evelyn. “The second is to subdue the Daiyu.
“Vice commanders will maintain their positions.”
Unfortunately, there hadn’t been a reason for Dyon to organize his saint demon generals into organized factions. However, because he had already chosen ten vice commanders, even if they were weaker, it was best that they continue to lead.
They were all practically a large group of brothers and sisters, there was no pettiness among them. No one batted an eye to Ri’s order as a swarm of expert organized into a perfect formation of warriors in the sky, staring down at the disorganized Daiyu and Niveus with disdain.
“You ten stay with me.” Ri said.
As soon as Ri had made priority number one clear, a mass of saint energy had locked onto Lionel’s position. Much less think of escaping, he couldn’t even move his lips.
Because he had been so sure of himself, he had revealed himself in a disadvantageous position. He had the cave entrance to his back, but to his front was Ri. He was completely cut off from the Daiyu with only Chenglei and Evelyn by his sides!
The confused gazes of the Daiyu immediately turned furious. They were a former Emperor God Clan! The pride of dragons ran through their veins regardless of the fact it was sealed within many of them. Were they really being threatened by a 15-year-old girl?!
The truth was that Ri’s position wasn’t perfect either. Because of the area they were in, she had been forced to summon many of their forces in the air. She stood on a narrow path with nine demon generals to her front, and a single to the back, maintaining a lock on Chenglei, Evelyn and Lionel.
It was clear to everyone what the Daiyu would have to do if they wanted to salvage the situation. They could ill afford to divert much attention to the enemies in the air. If they wanted to win, they would have to take the head and force the rest to submit.
Attack Ri!
**
In the space above Earth, the battle of celestials was still raging onward.
However, with each passing moment, something was shifting within Patia-Neva.
The more King Clyte rained insults down upon him and his beloved Sofia, the more his determination to make it up to his wife increased.
The heart of one’s comprehension had to be built on your own reality. The entity wasn’t lying to Dyon when he said that many had easier paths to follow, and those paths coincided with this reality and drastically changed on a person by person basis.
Some had talent so overwhelming that ignoring the easier paths to tread more difficult and desirable path was possible. Some were willing to sacrifice hardship and pain to forge ahead in a path with greater ease. However, there was no question that following your own heart made you the strongest version of yourself – and usually also did so on a much smoother path.
This was the kind of enlightenment that Patia-Neva was currently undergoing. He had forged this path before, all he needed to do was rebuild his foundation and he could skyrocket upwards.
He could think of nothing else than spending the rest of is life making up for his evils. He didn’t want forgiveness, nor did he want sympathy, he only wanted the opportunity to work himself to the bone to give his wife and daughter the lives they deserved.
On Earth, within the arena the world tournament had one been taking place in, a heated war was still taking place.
After Dyon was taken away, the lull in battles was shattered which was what allowed the Niveus to slip away in the chaos.
The Planet Nix members had closed themselves off, using darkness type treasures to enclose their area to lie in wait for Dyon. They had a feeling that the source they had come to this universe to look for would be found much easier with his help. The only problem was whether or not he would survive…
As for the Shruti, they were long gone. Not a single trace of their existence in this universe remained. In fact, Planet Mino, the body they claimed to come from, seemed to be uplifted from a dream life state. However, all memories of this mysterious Shruti clan disappeared as well…
Behind the warring lines drawn by the Ragnor, the auxiliary clans were in a heated discussion, completely protected by the Ragnor warriors as well as a good amount of slaves. Who else would they be fighting so adamantly if not the Pakals?
“What use is there in any of you if you can’t do your job?!” Matriarch Ipsum raged. She had been in a terrible mood all week. After Dyon humiliated her granddaughter, how could she not feel this way? In fact, Iris had still not woken up from her coma – plus, even if she did, she would likely be crippled for life unless they took drastic measures!
She was currently screaming at a calm looking old man with long, flowing white hair and a moustache so white that it was almost transparent as it waved in front of his long robes.
This person was none of the Saeclum clan Patriarch – a clan of soul cultivation experts that were experts in utilizing the long lost Elvin technique to see the future… Although it ultimately cost their lives.
“I am fully aware that esteemed Patriarch Ragnor brought us two auxiliary clans to this universe for a reason, however, how many of my fellow clansman have died during this time? We have already divined this day’s absolute victory, what else could you possibly want from us other than simple scouting support?”
Matriarch Ipsum’s face twisted with anger, “You also said that we wouldn’t taste defeat! How is losing a celestial level ally not defeat?!”
The old man’s brow furrowed at this.
After witnessing Dyon cause a celestial to fall into desperate straights, even he too questioned himself. But, how could a technique that required their lives to utilize be so easily proven wrong? There were too many interpretations possible to assume that not tasting defeat meant not losing powerful allies.
“All that matters is that the end premonition is clear. Victory for us. We never claimed to understand the inner workings of how we would achieve this victory.
“It’s best that you focus on the reason the Ipsum clan is here for in the first place.” Patriarch Saeclum replied calmly.
“Hmph, you don’t need to worry about that. With every death that accumulates, they’ll only dig their own graves deeper!”
**
The battle between Dyon and the two celestials was also reaching a fever pitch.
Maybe it was for pride, or to save face, but Patriarch Ragnor and Elder Daiyu never seemed to use any real techniques. They limited themselves to simple wills and utilizing their superior cultivation to pressure Dyon.
This was also likely because they were wary of what treasures Dyon might still be hiding, in addition to the fact that if they killed Dyon, all of their work would have been meaningless. Since Dyon’s soul had yet to reach the celestial level, and they didn’t have access to the methods give to Dyon by his grand teacher, it was impossible for them to save his soul if he died.
However, the pressure placed on a meridian formation expert when facing off against even one celestial would be stifling to the point of despair, let alone two!
Dyon’s stamina was rapidly draining as he was forced to push his 6th sense and Asura’s Imperial Eye to their utmost to even be capable of reading Patriarch Ragnor’s movements.
If it wasn’t for the Aurora Steps that hung above his head, the sovereign roars of Elder Daiyu in addition to his claws would have long since torn Dyon to shreds.
With so many years of battle experience between the two of them, when they decided to be cautious, the consequences for Dyon could be imagined. He was like an animal caught in a trap. They simply were simply waiting until his stamina couldn’t hold out any longer before they made their move.
Patriarch Ragnor no longer dared to get close to Dyon, but his arcs of red lightning constantly bombarded the celestial barrier Dyon used his puppet to put up. He was clearly holding back his power to force Dyon to pour more into repairing the shield. If he blasted all the way through, Dyon would simply die.
Even if Dyon was hundreds of times as fast, he wouldn’t be able to dodge Patriarch Ragnor’s lightning will. His face could only continuously drain itself of color as he tapped into his soul strength again and again.
“How pathetic.” Dyon sneered through gritted teeth. “Two celestials using such tactics again a sixteen-year-old boy. Your ancestors must be looking down with proud eyes.”
The relaxed expression on Patriarch Ragnor’s face had long since disappeared. He too found this to be too shameful, but the fear of his soul nearly collapsing was weighing on his mind.
Because the Ragnors often used disgusting means to improve their cultivation – so as to avoid tribulation lightning – much of Patriarch Ragnor’s cultivation was artificial. As such, he hadn’t progressed naturally, which resulted in his soul being much weaker than those who achieved his cultivation by normal means. In fact, Dyon highly doubted that Patriarch Ragnor was truly a peak celestial. He was more accurately of some lower cultivation, but capable of outputting the power of a peak celestial. Those two descriptions were much different, and one was clearly much more impressive than the other.
Elder Daiyu roared, sending another column of fire toward Dyon.
Gritting his teeth, Dyon controlled the Aurora Steps to once again block, shifting his puppet to quickly attack Elder Daiyu at his seemingly vulnerable massive chin.
Dyon disappeared in a wave of flames and under the dragon’s long snaking body, attacking without mercy.
However, Elder Daiyu had seen this tactic one too many times.
With a swipe of his ferocious claws, Dyon’s barrier threatened to collapse as he was sent flying away along with his puppet… Right toward Patriarch Ragnor!
Blood flew from Dyon’s mouth as he pushed himself to repair the barrier.
He had to force himself to stay focused. The Aurora Steps that had been blocking Elder Daiyu, whipped toward himself. If he lost the only method of keeping Patriarch Ragnor at bay, the consequences were clear.
Even within the celestial energy barrier, the force of being snapped about at speeds only possible by celestials was disorienting and jarring. Dyon felt his body nearly shearing apart as space around him threatened to shatter completely.
Dyon was forced to bring the barrier as close to his body as possible. If he lost control of his body and slammed against it, he would die from the very thing meant to protect him!
Patriarch Ragnor immediately noticed Dyon’s desperate attempt to keep him in check with the aurora steps. However, as a celestial expert, his battle sense was nearly unparalleled. He knew very well how taxing it was for Dyon to use that treasure, and, even if he did, he would be leaving himself open for Elder Daiyu!
Reaching this conclusion, he no longer hesitated.
An arm of domineering lightning reached toward Dyon’s flying figure. It was clear to anyone with half a thought that a barrier created by a mere 4th stage celestial would completely shatter under this oppressive power.
Even to Dyon, this arm was nothing but a blur, careening through space. To make matters worse, Elder Daiyu’s blow was too fierce for Dyon to change direction quickly.
Dyon quickly sent out hundreds of tiny teleportation arrays, hoping one would make it through the pincers of these two celestials.
However, a strange glint flashed in Elder Daiyu’s large reptilian eyes. His jaws opened, but there was no domineering fire blast. There was only a deafening rage that shook Dyon to his very soul!
The world around them trembled, causing Dyon’s arrays to immediately shatter with no chance on survival.
In that moment, Dyon became clear on the power of celestials. He hadn’t witnessed his world burn when Matriarch Niveus released her final attack. But right now, he was seeing this first hand!
Dyon lost control of not only his arrays, but his ability to use all wills. If his soul wasn’t as powerful as it was, he would have lost consciousness as soon as the sound entered his ears.
‘Hmph.’ An ancient voice entered Dyon’s ears, dispelling all of the ill effects and pressure. Unfortunately, that didn’t change the fact that he had lost control of all of the surrounding space. He even felt his connection with the Aurora Steps severed for an instant, drastically slowing its speed! ‘Such a weak dragon soul dares to roar at me?!’
The anger in the Dragon King’s voice was nearly overpowered by his overbearing arrogance. To him, Elder Daiyu’s Black Jade form might as well have not been a dragon at all. And yet it dared to be so arrogant in front of him, the Dragon King?!
Dyon didn’t have much time to think about it. In the time it took for all of this to happen, he had flown a far distance and now he was only a body length away from Patriarch Ragnor!
‘I need you!’ Dyon grit his teeth. He had never used the Dragon King’s weapon like this, but if his information was correct, it should work.
The truth was that the defenses of the Puppet were far superior to its offensive capabilities. Even if ten Patriarch Ragnors attacked it simultaneously, he wouldn’t be able to destroy it. But, the problem was that Dyon was sitting on its head! Regardless of the defenses of the puppet, it wasn’t as though Dyon was inside of it!
The Scythe in Dyon’s hand immediately morphed to his command, covering his entire back in a domineering scaled armor. In an instant, Dyon was covered from head to toe in a blazing knight’s armor so dark that it reflected no light whatsoever.
Not even a fraction of a second later, Patriarch Ragnor’s hand slammed through the barrier. He was certain that if he grasped hold of Dyon, seal or not, he would be able to lock him down. But, the truth was different than was he expected. His celestial energy wasn’t able to pierce through Dyon’s armor at all!
Patriarch Ragnor frowned, but settled down after realizing he still had Dyon’s neck in his hand. What did it matter now?
Dyon coughed violently, his inner organs nearly jarring loose from the abrupt stop in his momentum.
He was tired beyond belief. The battle had only be going for maybe five minutes, and yet he had used nearly everything, only to still be so helpless.
Patriarch Ragnor immediately moved to cripple Dyon. No matter how determined this child was, as long as he no longer hand arms or legs, what would anything matter anymore? They could then take their time to properly extract Dyon’s soul.
A light chuckle escaped Patriarch Ragnor’s lips, “All that just to lose in 5 minutes.”
Dyon felt a grip on his arm as it was lightly held up. “Should I take your left arm first? Or your right?”
The puppet beneath Dyon’s feet spun with a vicious speed and endless killing intent. The green grass beneath it feet were burnt to oblivious under the torque, completely incapable of withstanding its movement.
However, Patriarch Ragnor didn’t seem to care. In fact, this movement seemed incomparably slow to him.
With a sneer, he watched the twin swords swing toward his side, not moving an inch.
Just when it seemed like the puppet was about to slam into him, he moved with speed Dyon only sensed as a blur. With a swift jerk of Dyon’s arm, he used it to block!
A blood curdling roar escaped Dyon’s lips. Everything had happened much too quickly for him to stop his puppet’s motion. Patriarch Ragnor’s movements were already difficult enough for him to follow, let alone dealing with such a subtle and small movement.
Dyon felt the bones of his left arm shatter almost completely.
However, this only caused Patriarch Ragnor to frown… Because the armor that coated Dyon didn’t have so much as a scratch on it! It took the full force of a celestial without even a white mark! If Dyon’s body wasn’t so weak, he would have been completely undamaged!
Dyon’s ragged breaths filled the silent atmosphere as his arm hung limply to his side.
Elder Daiyu watched Patriarch Ragnor tighten his grip on Dyon’s neck from a distance. He had relaxed because he thought there was no way Dyon could survive this. As long as Patriarch Ragnor caused Dyon to pass out, the Aurora Steps would mean nothing. But, who knew Dyon’s armor would be so domineering?!
Patriarch Ragnor immediately knew that no matter how hard he pulled on Dyon’s arm, he wouldn’t be able to rip it off. His only option was to bludgeon Dyon and shatter his bones, it would take more time, but it was possible!
However, just as that thought process completed, a domineering aura swept over Patriarch Ragnor causing his eyes to widen.
‘The steps!’ Patriarch Ragnor immediately released Dyon’s neck, careening backwards to avoid having his soul slammed into again. By the time he realized it was simply a feint, he was too far to regret his actions.
Dyon coughed as his fell onto the head of his celestial puppet, cradling his shattered arm.
His energy was threatening to collapse, only being held together by a faint string of will power.
He almost didn’t understand why he felt so lethargic… Until his attention turned to the armor that covered him completely…
The Dragon King’s weapon had given off the airs of a transcendent weapon from the very first moments he had met it. But now? It was without a doubt emanating the energy of a supreme level weapon…
Unfortunately… Dyon’s stamina couldn’t afford that kind of drain…
Under normal circumstances, Dyon could make use of even transcendent level weapons without much of a drain. However, this wasn’t because transcendent weapons were easy to use. More accurately, it was because beings below the celestial stage couldn’t use transcendent level weapons to their greatest degree.
There was no question that using a transcendent level weapon was better than using a grandmaster or lesser weapon. However, what was important to note was that this was mostly because of the quality of the weapon as opposed to anything else. For example, pouring a set amount of energy into a master weapon will always have better effects than pouring that same amount of energy into a common level weapon.
This was why using transcendent level weapons wasn’t taxing – because you could always choose how much energy you used…. Usually.
The important point to note here was that this was only the case for attack category weapons. Essentially, any category of weapons where you take the initiative to do something with the treasure. The problem was that defensive treasures were completely different. Yes, a transcendent defensive treasure would be far better at defending than a grandmaster defensive treasure. However, the difference lied in how much impact they could withstand.
If a grandmaster level weapon took the full brunt force of a 4th stage celestial like Dyon just had, it would have shattered on contact because it simply can’t withstand that level of damage. But, a supreme level treasure could! The problem was that to do so, it had to take energy away from Dyon in order to support itself!
Dyon’s Dragon King weapon had shattered one of its seal on its own in order to climb to the supreme level and block the attack that threatened Dyon’s arm. But, it only dared to take enough energy to block a percentage of the attack, causing the rest to shatter the bones in Dyon’s arm. If it had taken enough to block the attack entirely, Dyon would have lost consciousness immediately!
Only the highest levels of defensive treasures, powered by the best of cores, could defend without the need for its user’s energy. However, in Dyon’s experience, the only thing he had come across capable of doing such a thing were his Aurora Steps.
There were two main paths to weapon smithing. One was the common path, and the other was a legendary path. Those with blacksmithing talent were as rare as those with array alchemy talent considering they were two professions built on the soul and the use of an aurora. And yet, even in that rare population, it was even rarer to find those with talent capable of following the legendary path.
The common path was a path all of Dyon’s weapons followed – except for the 33 heavens weapons. It was a path that necessitated the user to use their own energy to make use of the weapon. The legendary path was one that could rely on the power of the heavens to power the weapon. The weapons of the 33 heavens followed a pseudo legendary path. Part of their functions relied on the user, while other parts relied on the heavens.
In modern times, forging legendary path treasures was very rare – and even when they occurred, they would be lower level treasures on the master or grandmaster level. However, there were many who found a means of imitating this path by making use of ‘cores’. These cores would replace the heavens by providing energy that made it seem like the user didn’t need to make use of their own energy. However, the requirements for this core increased exponentially with along with the quality of the weapon. Finding a core capable of powering the Dragon King’s weapon would be more difficult than finding another weapon of the 33 heavens.
The truth was that there would be practically no better core to use than the Dragon King’s faith seed. However, why would the Dragon King have followed that path of weapon construction? After all, in the past, he would have wanted his faith seed free so that he could take control of the minds of those who dared to use him as a weapon. And with the Dragon King no longer corporal in this world, the number of weapon smiths capable of modifying a weapon of a grade even Dyon couldn’t measure might be 0!
It should be noted that creating a legendary path weapon would be as difficult as becoming a transcendent… Even if it was a mere practitioner level weapon.
The fact that the 33 most powerful weapons in the cosmos, were only of the pseudo legendary path should tell all.
With each ascending weapon level, from commoner, to practitioner, to master and so on, the level of skill needed to create a weapon that followed the legendary path continued to transcend to more and more impossible levels. It wouldn’t be surprising if a weapon smith that had forged transcendent level weapons before to have a common level weapon of the legendary path be their most prized possession.
Dyon, of course, knew all of this. This was why he wasn’t surprised when his arm shattered despite the domineering nature of his armor. Because of how amazing the Dragon King weapon was, it could negate much of the celestial level cultivation. But, Dyon would still have to withstand peak saint power with his own body!
That would be even more devastating for him if it was Patriarch Ragnor attacked him personally because his cultivation was far superior to his puppet…
‘Just how many seals are there on you?’ Dyon thought. He could feel that although the Dragon King had shattered a seal to become a supreme level weapon in that instant, he still had more seals to go…
‘If I undid those seals now, you would directly pass out. However, I’ll help you out a bit because that arrogant little lizard in the air has succeeded in angering me.’ The ancient voice boomed in Dyon’s mind as he slowly stood.
Suddenly, a formless pressure that caused Dyon’s eyes to contract covered battle field.
Elder Daiyu’s eyes widened as he trembled. His blood became chaotic. “Impossible!”
Even Patriarch Ragnor couldn’t believe what he feeling right now. It was much weaker than it would be if a true celestial released it… But, this was a rudimentary domain!?
‘No… This is…’ Elder Daiyu continued to tremble. His blood was boiling to the extent that he couldn’t stand to stay in his beast form anymore. He had to grit his teeth to endure because without this form, he was far too susceptible to damage!
The reason why Matriarch Niveus died in a single strike, yet he hadn’t, was precisely because he had a robust body provided by being a draconic blood.
One might begin to wonder just how the Dragon King swept over the cosmos after reviving himself again and again. After all, often time, those who took the bodies of would be weak compared to the peak most experts of the time.
Even if you said the Dragon King simply had superior comprehension, that wasn’t enough of an explanation. Why? Because comprehension is one thing, but being able to utilize it is a completely separate matter. For example, even if you mastered an intent, if you reincarnated into the body of a foundation stage expert, you’d be asking to die if you used it. Only the body of an essence gatherer, or someone with a body comparably strong, can withstand the use of an intent.
This same logic applied for most things those of higher cultivation had access to.
The truth of the matter was found in the ability the Dragon King just released. The very same ability that Elder Daiyu had used to seize control of the surrounding space and disallow the use of opposing wills and arrays. A domain exclusive to the mighty dragon race. The Dragon Soul!
A Dragon Soul wasn’t an actual soul. Instead, it was a domineering domain caused by projecting out their unparalleled bloodline, imposing a suppression on all things in their range. The only reason it was called a Dragon Soul was because it embodied the very essence of what it meant to be a dragon. Arrogance without bounds! A philosophy that sank into their very bones and proliferated throughout all of their legacies.
When the Dragon King overtook a body, he had no problems unleashing this power in its entirety because he would no longer be bound by the laws that made him a weapon. However, as he was a weapon now and he had purposefully not forged himself toward the legendary path, he could only output power based on what Dyon could handle.
It was clear that his supreme stage form was too much for Dyon considering how he collapsed after blocking that attack. Therefore, the Dragon King reverted to a transcendent level, placing his domain to the rudimentary level.
However, this was massively beneficial to Dyon! The laws within hundreds of meters of him suddenly became tens of times for difficult for his enemies to use. And the added bonus was a direct suppression toward Elder Daiyu for being of inferior bloodline potency!
Dyon chuckled bitterly, ‘You could have done this earlier you know. Do you like seeing your master struggle?’
The Dragon King didn’t respond. It was impossible for him to disobey Dyon’s orders in his weapon form, but taking the initiative to help was something he didn’t have to do because that required the sentience of his soul to come into play. He himself was still confused about why Dyon was able to wield him without resistance, however, words could not express how pissed off his main body was in the transcended plane. If the true Dragon King ever met Dyon, he’d incinerate him on the spot.
If Dyon knew this, he’d only be able to shake his head helplessly. Now he had three transcendents he needed to avoid. He had to make sure Kukan and Amethyst never found out he had their primordial yins, and he had to make sure the Dragon King never found him. Fantastic.
An arc of lightning careened toward Dyon. Evidently Patriarch Ragnor wanted to test out this aura of Dyon’s.
In an instant, Dyon’s arm guard grew into a scythe, giving him a pleasant surprise. He could maintain his armor and use a weapon at the same time!
Death qi graced his curved blade as he leaped backward, trying to parry the lightning off to the side.
But, that was when something astonishing happened… The lightning disintegrated on contact!
Before this, Dyon’s death intent, despite being at the second level, could do nothing against Patriarch Ragnor’s lightning will despite being the superior will. This was because Patriarch Ragnor’s lightning was at the 7th intent level!
But this rudimentary domain… It made it fall to the 4th level! A supreme law could without a doubt make up for a 2-level difference if it was compared to a normal elemental intent.
Dyon’s eyes widened with shock, ‘A 3 stage drop?!’ A flash of hope lit in Dyon’s eyes. ‘I can take out Elder Daiyu if my stamina can keep up!’
There was no doubt that the strain on Dyon’s soul had increased even further. In fact, he felt like collapsing where he stood. But, whenever thoughts like that crossed his mind, a deep seeded hatred would take over and black flames would burn them to ashes.
These were the people who destroyed his home. These were the people who caused the death of his parents. These were the people trying to take him away from his friends… His wives… He wouldn’t stand for it!
Dyon’s eyes flashed as he sent the Aurora Steps flying toward Patriarch Ragnor’s stunned figure. Without a shred of hesitation, he spurred his puppet forward. He had to take advantage of this rudimentary domain while he could.
Elder Daiyu’s Dragon Soul could only last the time it took to finish a single roar. Dyon might have even less time than that!
This was life or death. If he couldn’t take out at least one of them, there would be no hope.
However, Dyon knew his weakness. Despite having a puppet the level of a celestial expert, it couldn’t use wills on the level of a celestial expert. After all, it was a puppet!
Usually, it was nigh impossible to use the puppet’s full attack power and use wills powerful enough to make a difference in its attack strength. But, if Dyon didn’t go all out now, it would all mean nothing!
Elder Daiyu’s body trembled under the domain, still trying to control the flow of his blood. It was almost like he didn’t notice Dyon careening toward him at speeds only possible for a stage 4 celestial.
The twin swords of Dyon’s puppets roared to life. One was coated with a blazing white flame, emanating unmatched purity, wanting nothing more than to cleanse everything in its path. The other came coated with a corrosive black flame, dancing with death qi.
Patriarch Ragnor wanted to blast the aurora steps away, thinking it was yet another faint. And yet, he was wrong! When Dyon decided to do something, he would do so without reserve. He was really holding nothing back in this attack!
A blazing soul pressure descended from the skies, trampling on Patriarch Ragnor and causing him to scream out in pain as he felt his soul sheering apart.
The puppet’s twin swords slammed together, causing light and dark to swirl around each other vigorously. A blazing tornado of domineering flames charged toward Elder Daiyu relentlessly.
Blood seeped from Dyon lips as all color drained from his face immediately.
“DEVOUR!” He roared.
An explosion of epic proportion bombarded the massive body of Elder Daiyu…
An explosion so large that it blanketed everything in an opaque white heat…
Even Dyon himself had yet to fully understand exactly what the flames that flickered in his manifestation meant. However, what he did know was that somehow… His white flames far surpassed his celestial will in terms of purity!
If it wasn’t for these white flames, Dyon very well might be dead.
A couple months ago, when Ri had first placed the soul tome on his chest, effectively cleansing his soul of the Ipsum family crystalline will, his body was still in a very tough position. Maybe if he had had the supreme law version of celestial will, he would have been safe. But, at the time, it was obvious that that wasn’t a possibility – in fact, Dyon still didn’t know that such a thing was possible.
However, Dyon’s saving grace was the fact that his soul had broken into saint levels that very day! Because of that, his manifestation had unlocked the image of a white flame.
At first, he wasn’t sure what it was exactly. But, he got a sense that it just might help him. And in the end, he was right!
Over the course of that time, Dyon learned something else. Although his white and black flames were powerful on their own, they seemed to reach a next level of power when combined with wills that matched their affinity.
His white flames with his celestial will.
His black flames with his death will.
He became a perfect balance of yin and yang the very day his soul burst to the saint level. Because of that, he had even been able to combine wills with greater ease! During his fight with Saru, he seemed to be able to reach 3rd and 4th level fusions he had never reached before! Somehow, Dyon was able to replicate the effects of Evelyn’s Eternity’s Balance, without needing her primordial yin or having the constitution himself!
The path toward understanding one’s manifestation was a long and arduous one. It’s one of the main reason Unique Type Techniques were only used by the poor or absolute geniuses in the Elvin Kingdom. However, it seemed the more Dyon learned about his manifestation, the more in awe he became!
Without a prior reference, Dyon’s flames were likely the first of their kind in the entire universe. Flames borne of the talents of billions of people…
Dyon called them…
Origin Flames!
Elder Daiyu’s roars of agony filled the once tranquil inner world.
The combination of an ultimate cleanser matched with ultimate erosion can be imagined. Both wanted to erase, and both were backed by the powerful swing of a 4th stage celestial! Couple that with the fact that Elder Daiyu had been trembling under the Dragon King’s rudimentary domain and the results could be imagined!
Pools of dense crimson showered the land as Elder Daiyu lost his ability to maintain his bestial form.
Under the blinding cacophonic booms, his large body disappeared in a wave of flames.
“AAAGGGHHH,” Dyon grabbed his chest with one hand, grasping at his head with another. He felt as though his entire body was threatening to collapse on him.
His soul tore under the strain he put it under, causing the pressure that had been holding down Patriarch Ragnor to immediately dissipate. Even worse, it was no longer possible for Dyon to maintain the Dragon King weapon’s armor form. Nor could he maintain the rudimentary domain anymore. Except for the puppet he had been forced to cut his connection from and the Aurora Steps that were currently flying back to his position, Dyon had nothing!
Without him controlling the puppet, it was a mere saint level puppet. And, without his soul stamina, the aurora steps were just a glorified shield…
Dyon couldn’t believe the excruciating pain he was under. He was someone that had endured his entire body being broken down and reformed. He was someone who had spent 2 months having his organs eaten away at by an artificial will. And yet it was this pain that made him want to never have to feel again!
This was the first time Dyon had forcibly fused such high-level wills. Death qi was a supreme law! By every bit of logic, fusing it with something else should be completely impossible! In fact, many supreme laws are already the fusion of many wills. Void will, for example, fuses space with various destructive and darkness type wills. So, imagine what level a will would reach if you were fusing an already formed supreme law, with another will that was a mere inch away from becoming a supreme law!
The kind of strain on the soul that placed couldn’t be questioned… And yet Dyon went and did this all while using a weapon of the 33 heavens and while controlling his celestial level puppet. How he was still conscious was a testament to his mental fortitude and the stress his soul could undergo. However, truth be told, had Dyon not added devour with the last bit of his strength to replenish his soul at least in part, him maintaining his consciousness might have been nothing more than a dream.
In the distance, Patriarch Ragnor lifted his head up to look at the scene before him. The deep shock was evident on his face, but when he saw Dyon writhing on the ground, he relaxed knowing that this was all coming to an end soon.
There was no doubt that Elder Daiyu was heavily injured by that last blow. However, Dyon clearly took a heavy blow too!
Dyon was in so much pain that he completely ignored the fact the bones in his left arm had been shattered previously, instead using it to grasp onto his own head so tightly that blood ran down from his nails. He didn’t know where it hurt. It just felt like every fiber of his being was in pain!
Patriarch Ragnor stood, dusting the dirt from his knees. “To think a child would push me so far…”
His lips could only twitch as the dust settled around Elder Daiyu. The mighty black jade dragon… Had lost an entire arm! In fact, that wasn’t enough to describe what had happened. If not for the vigorous life force of Dragons and their robust healing capabilities, Elder Daiyu would likely be finished. Not only was his arm gone, a large portion of his shoulder and rib cage were completely mangled.
However, after coughing up mouths full of blood, he slowly stood before forcefully sealing his veins and arteries to stop the bleeding.
In all this time, neither the stamina of Patriarch Ragnor nor Elder Daiyu had taken even the slightest bit of a hit. They could go on for days if need be.
But Dyon?… He was tapped out entirely…
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