The day for our spar has come.
I looked up the sky whilst pondering about something.
After the meeting, I met Velda, and he told me something I never expected.
Veldanava: 「Hey Sariel, I wanted to talk to you about something.」
Veldanava says this with an excited expression.
I wonder what could possibly happen to get him this excited.
Did he get a girlfriend? Oh man... lucky.
Sariel: 「Hm? Sure, go ahead.」
I looked at him, curious about what he was about to say next.
He visited me in my forest, so I decided to lay down on the grass.
Veldanava: 「Hehehe. I am now a big brother.」
A big brother? What the hell does that even mean?
A big.... brothe-
Sariel: 「Ayo, what the fuck!!」
He's a big brother now!!?
Does that mean another dragon has been born?
But how? Did he create it? Wait, that weird aura I sensed a few days ago.
Could that be the new dragon?
It seemed to still be struggling to contain its aura.
The aura also seems to be very powerful and..... cold?
Sariel: 「Could it be that another dragon was born? I kinda sensed a strange aura sometime ago.」
Veldanava: 「Yes. It's another dragon with an affinity towards ice.」
Is that so? That would explain the reason why its aura was sorta freezing.
I hope it's not another one of those idiots that get born only to start thrashing around like brainless cows.
If that happens, even if it was a sibling of Velda here, I would just kill it.
Besides, he's the same dude that gave me this stressful job.
Sariel: 「You know, if the dragon decides to be a dear and starts going on a rampage, I'll not hesitate to show it who's boss.」
I gotta tell him before he starts whining about how heartless I am.
Veldanava: 「Eh? Trust me. She's quite mature.」
Then there's no need to worry. Though I'm quite curious about this dragon.
I'll take it as the dragons in this world are way stronger and special compared to the dragons I see in mangas and animes.
I'm sure that his sibling will also be stronger than your regular dragon.
Sariel: 「Yo. Do you mind if I meet this sibling of yours?」
I asked him whilst staring into the sky.
The atmosphere was warm, making it quite the scene for me.
Veldanava: 「Sure thing. I actually came to drag you to meet her.」
He teleported us to a strange location. I don't recognise this place.
I then saw a dragon, sleeping peacefully on the ground.
It was a white dragon with blue white horns on the head.
It had spikes sprouting out from its body. From the neck down to the tail.
A golden hair band adorning its hair.
The dragon was at least the size of an average car, if I must say.
It seems to be a young dragon.
Sariel: 「Hey Velda, what's its name?」
I asked, curious about the dragon's name.
Veldanava: 「Hm? Now that I think about it, I haven't given it a name yet. I think I'll name it now.」
Hmm, he hasn't named it yet.
Sariel: 「You wouldn't mind if I named the dragon, would you? 」
Veldanava: 「Oi! Do you want to steal the only one related to me!?
You already stole Norana and Lunax away. Aren't you satisfied yet!?」
Huh? I stole them from him? He should know that they decided to come and bully me. I did nothing.
Sariel: 「If you take good care of your subordinates, then you would know what they did to me.」
I said this with an irritated expression on my face.
He seems to understand what I mean as he looked away from me in shame.
Veldanava: 「Fine, fine. BUT, you have to make her name start with a "Vel" like mine.
You do know that you might die naming her as her magiculesl pool is way bigger than yours, right?」
——— Hmm. Hey Sage-san, do you think it's safe to do so? ———
「Answer. I have found a way to solve the problem caused by your low magicule pool.」
——— Oh really? Tell me about
it. ———
「By utilising the soul corridor existing between you and your subordinates, I can draw out some magicules from them for you.
Since you have millions of demons under you, it will not burden them as the amount of magicules that will be taken from them will be very minute.」
——— Oh, I was worried at first, but that's actually a very good and safe technique. ———
——— You really thought the details out. ———
「Heh.」
——— .... Did you just- ———
「It was just an auditory illusion.」
——— Ah yes. Perhaps it was—like hell it was!! ———
*Sigh*
Sariel: 「Yeah, don't worry.」
I decided to name the dragon "Velzard."
It starts with a "vel" and seems nice for a girl's name.
He seemed kinda pleased with the name, so it's a win for me.
The dragon also grew in size a little.
I heard from Sage-san that after naming her, my magicule capacity increased.
The keyword is capacity, not amount. Hence, I'm slowly filling it. But it takes an extremely long time to do so.
◇◇◇
Norana: 「It's time to start.」
Ah, right. The spar with these two.
Sariel: 「Alright. Please take it easy on me.」
I don't think I'll survive this without injury.
Lunax: 「Don't worry, we'll go easy on you.」
Alright. Let's do this.
——— Sage-san, you're with me, right? ———
「Answer. Yes.」
That's reassuring.
Sariel: 「Alright. Ready when you are.」
As soon as I said that, I sensed a sword reaching my neck at lightspeed (not really).
——— THE HELL MAN!! ———
I would've been dead if not for Sage-san helping out.
She activated my 『Space-Time Manipulation』 and performed 『Instantaneous Movement』to dodge that attack.
——— Sage-san! You had my back there. Thanks a lot!! ———
「Notice. Leave the rest to me.」
——— Yes! I'll definitely do
that. ———
Alright then.
I appeared behind the culprit and attacked with my fist.
It seems that Lunax was the one who made that attack.
She blocked it with her blade.
——— Ouch! That stings. ———
I withdrew my hand, only to be met with a kick to the face from Norana.
I was sent back metres away from them, about to crash on a tree when-
Lunax: 「『Judgement Ray: Myriad Disintegration』!」
I've seen that attack already.
But this one is different. Multiple magic circles surrounded me, releasing a holy light capable of erasing magicules.
She saw how I devoured her attack the last time we fought, so she created an all-round attack from it. That's really cool of her.
I used my subskill 『Space-Time Manipulation』to sever the space around me whilst creating a
barrier, further strengthening it by using 『Ultimate Authority』.
As a result, the attack got nullified.
Norana: 「You've got some interesting abilities, Sariel.」
——— Shit! I totally forgot about her. ———
She came at me, although not as fast as Lunax, but it wasn't slow either.
Norana: 「Let's test your swordsmanship next.」
She drew out her sword and attacked my back.
Using 『Material Creation』, I quickly created a low mythic grade sword and blocked her attacks.
We clashed repeatedly, and our attacks created sparks of light that lit up the atmosphere.
She aimed for my leg to unbalance me, but I jumped backward.
Lunax appeared behind me and used her own blade to slash at my back.
I tried to use my sword to block the attack, but it broke.
The attack connected, and I was sent flying backward again.
The attack did severe damage to my soul.
——— Sage-san, what was that!? ———
「Answer... Analysis blocked.」
Shit!
I cursed internally. The power of an ultimate skill is really annoying.
——— Is it possible to evolve my skills into ultimate skills?
「Answer. It is possible. But it will have an effect on your soul.
It is already miraculous that you are capable of possessing multiple unique skills without any strain on your soul.」
Great, just great.
*Sigh*
I stood up, feeling the effect of the attack on my soul. I questioned myself
——— Do they want to kill me? ———
「Negative. No killing intent detected.」
This must be an effect of her ultimate skill.
I felt the aftereffects of the soul attack fade away.
——— Hm? What's going on? ———
「Answer. The subskill 『Ultra-Speed Soul Regeneration』is healing the effect.」
That's reassuring. I thought it was gonna be permanent.
「Notice. The effect would have been much greater if not for the resistance skill『Spiritual Attack Resistance』.」
Well, it looks like they want me to go all out. I thought this was a fucking spar session. Damn it!
Sariel: 「You guys wanted to test me, didn't you.」
Norana: 「My~. You are quite the sharp one. Yes. Sorry for using such an unorthodoxed method.」
Lunax: 「Sorry...」
It looks like they were just looking out for me in their own weird way.
They knew that I never liked fighting, so they decided to make me prepared for the incoming fight.
Sariel: 「*Sigh*. It's alright. But you sure you wanna see me serious?」
Norana: 「Heh. I've been waiting for you to say that.
In that case.
——— Sage-san, takeover! ———
「Activating the subskill 『Auto-battle Mode』… successful」
With Sage-san taking over, my eyes change from golden colour to blood red.
My composure and demeanor changed instantly, marking a shift in the battle flow.
◇◇◇
After Sariel gave the order, noticeable changes took place immediately.
His face, which was previously wearing a distressed expression, immediately became emotionless.
His golden pupils changed crimson red.
The air around him changed, and to them, his danger-level skyrocketed.
They immediately grabbed their weapons out of instinct, scrutinising him thoroughly.
Yet, they didn't find anything wrong with him apart from the change in eye colour, aura, and facial expression.
Norana took the initiative to attack first.
Her blade shone with holy light that cast away darkness, approaching his neck as he stood there.
In a flash, Sariel (Wise Sage) blocked the attack.
Lunax: 「His fighting style has changed...」
She pondered on how different he was compared to his previous self before running to assist Norana.
Norana aimed her sword downwards at Sariel's head, to which he dodged while kicking her away.
She dashed back at him, but time seemed to have slowed down as she felt a blow to her solar plexus.
She was sent flying upwards. The effect of the punch was bigger than it looked as she had difficulty healing herself.
Lunax was preparing a magic attack during their clash.
Once Norana was sent away, she unleashed her attack.
Lunax: 「『Heavenly Break: Exorcising Light』!!」
Ten huge magic circles appeared above Sariel (Wise Sage).
They all released holy light, each capable of destroying mythic grade weapons with ease.
The magic was supported by Lunax's ultimate skill.
[1]Light Monarch: Hyperion.
Using the 『Heat and Light Domination』of Hyperion, the magic attack got elevated to a new realm of power.
She also seized control over space to prevent him from escaping.
Seeing all this, Sariel (Wise Sage) raised both of his hands.
He used both 『Gluttony』and 『Soul Lord』to absorb the incoming attack whilst enhancing it with 『Ultimate Authority』.
Seeing that her attack failed, Lunax frowned in dissatisfaction.
She took her blade and appeared in front of him to start attacking.
He also readied his blade and blocked the attack sent to his abdomen.
He pushed her back with a powerful force, strong enough crush steel.
On a normal day, she would've been sent flying, but after a thorough manipulation of the world's laws, she nullified the existing force with the aid of gravitational force.
It was a feat achieved by activating the authority (power) given to the nine angels of origin.
A power engraved into their very souls, allowing them to influence the laws of the world with power comparable to ultimate skills.
She could manipulate the world's laws to a potent degree due to her administrative authority.
Activating magic instantaneously becomes an easy feat with this soul-engraved power.
Just by willing it, the laws could be altered depending on the desired effect.
It was a terrifying power.
After pushing her back, Sariel (Wise Sage) used his blade to attack her by stabbing towards her direction thousandfold.
Contrary to his expectations, every single attack was parried with excellent swings.
Lunax blocked all of his attacks and counterattacked.
Linux: 「『Illumination』.」
The ground below Sariel (Wise Sage) radiated intense light filled with intense spiritron interference waves to disrupt all actions.
It was the ultimate art.
The bright white light blinded him temporarily, preventing him from making further actions.
With the spiritron interference waves, it was impossible to use perception-based abilities unless they could see through infons.
It was an art comparable to ultimate skills.
One masterfully crafted to hold a target without the need of seals or overly complicated magic.
Linux: 「『Divinity Sword Art: Heavenly Demolition』.」
With a swift motion, Lunax unleashed a deadly attack that appeared on each side of his neck.
Even if he blocked one, the other would end him.
Each of the attacks carried a force that required full strength to block it.
With the speed of the attack, simple dodging wouldn't do.
He released his 『Demon Lord's Haki』, further amplifying it by using 『Ultimate Authority』 to repelled the attack.
An intense and terrifying aura assaulted Lunax.
She was stunned.
Lunax was stunned by the intense aura and jumped away from him.
Norana: 「You forgot about me already!? Here's your punishment!
『Divine Punishment: Heavenly Prison』.」
After activating her holy magic, golden chains appeared below Sariel (Wise Sage) and tightly wrapped around him, rendering him temporarily immobile.
It was a spiritron seal, capable of binding the very soul to cease all actions.
Norana: 「Go for it, Lunax!!」
Lunax: 「Hm! 『Divinity Sword Art: Planetary Demolition』!!!」
She lifted her blade up, charging it with holy energy until it ran rampant.
An art filled with the intention to end all evil beings.
It was a holy light that returned all corrupted energy to their original state.
With this process came the annihilation of all life.
The process would break down energy and purify them, and any life-form that underwent this process was prone to collapse.
The energy compounded into the sword was released, and it sent out a blast that reached heaven.
All this power descended on him as she swung her blade down, and the attack met the earth.
The aftereffect was disastrous.
The earth was split apart, and everything in the vicinity was destroyed.
Intense white light radiations were released, and magicules were being purified at a terrifying rate.
It was pure destruction in the name of absolute purification of all life.
Lunax flapped her wings hard enough to disperse the debris of dust that lingered in the air.
Lunax: 「Did we go too far?」
She questioned herself as she sensed no life in the place where her attack landed.
Norana: 「I don't think he can escape my seal. I think we went too far.」
Norana had a worried expression on her face as she looked at Lunax.
???: 「You guys really know how to hold back, do you?」
A cool voice was heard.
Norana: 「Hehehe. Sorry. I give up.」
Lunax: 「Just how did you... forget it. Sorry about that... 」
They both turned their heads round to meet a blade pointed at their neck each.
One of them emitted a calm and warm aura whilst the other emitted a deadly and ominous aura that could send shivers down one's spine.
Sariel: 「You honestly scared me with that last attack.」
He said this with an exasperated expression on his face. After a few seconds, he just sighed.
Norana: 「You are really amazing, you know? How do you do it?」
Linux: 「It was nice sparring with you.」
She said this with a beautiful smile that made Sariel very embarrassed.
Sariel: 「Yeah, you too.」
Norana looks at both of them with a knowing smirk.
They were all smiling when they all received a thought communication message.
——— Iverage has arrived, and I need you guys to come here as soon as possible. ———
They received a message from Veldanava.
Sariel: 「It's time already, huh? I thought he said it would take a week to arrive. Well, goodbye.」
Lunax: 「You're not coming? Okay then. Bye.」
Norana: 「I hope we meet again soon, Sariel. See ya later.」
They teleported themselves out of the Jura Forest.
Sariel: 「So the dragon's name is Iverage, huh?」
Sariel, who could no longer take it, collapsed to the ground
Sariel: 「Women are scary…」
With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes as he decided to rest.
◇◇◇
In a dimension separate from the world, there are nine individuals discussing amongst themselves.
These individuals were none other than the 9 primordial angels.
They were discussing the plan set at bay for their fight against the dragon that was approaching the cardinal world.
Feldway: 「We'll use Norana's seal to hold it for a while whilst the rest of us strike it.
This will weaken it enough for Veldanava-sama to seal it permanently.
As much as I would like to kill the dragon personally, our Lord said that he would not kill it as it is possible that it would gain sentience in some year's time.」
Although it wasn't expressed, there was clear irritation in his voice.
Norana: 「In that case, let's head out to deal with the dragon.」
Norana, being obvlivious to his irritation, declared and started to move out.
They sent a message to Veldanava, telling him they were ready to be sent to intercept the invader.
Veldanava: 「You guys should be very careful.
Iverage is a mysterious creature whose origin is unknown.
He is a dragon beyond the concept of creation.
The being you're going to face can wipe you all out in an instant, so be act reckless.」
After his short warning, he sent them to a different dimension.
Veldanava: 「*Sigh*. I wonder how weak I'll be after I seal it. That being… I really need to do something about it. It's the result of my carelessness, isn't it? My own self…」
It was the desire of God.
Veldanava wanted the dragon approaching them to gain sentience after he sealed it.
In truth, he would be able to kill it, but that would decrease his power significantly.
Not only that, but it wouldn't be sensible to kill one's own self.
Besides, he had more to do than just interfering with everything in the world.
If his subordinates got to know this, they would prevent him from doing other things necessary for future development.
That is more likely with Sariel.
As he has lost all the people he cherishes, he wouldn't want to lose another person.
Hence, he decided to leave some of the work to his subordinates.
Veldanava: 「I wish you all luck—is all I can say now.」
◇◇◇
In another dimension, the nine angels of origin were looking at their invader.
A dragon so large that it made no sense. Large black scales covered all the parts of its body, radiating foreign energy.
Its eyes glowed with a dark golden light, filled with evil intent.
The World-Destroying Dragon Iverage had arrived.
Word count = 2820
—————————————————————————————————
[1] Light Monarch: Hyperion
[Subskills]
1. Thought Acceleration
2. Analytical Appraisal
3. Universal Perception
4. All of Creation
5. Heat and Light Domination
6. Lightspeed Action
7. Space-Time Manipulation