Zémira did not accept Arlongue's decision, fearing needlessly losing him.
Arlongue replied, determined:
"I want to fully participate in this battle and become more powerful, Zémira. Don't worry, I will always live, because I will be Erasa and Erasa will be me!"
Lilith confirmed in a confident tone:
"Exactly…"
But Zémira remained reluctant. She shook her head repeatedly, her voice trembling:
"I don't want it to happen like this…"
Suddenly, Erasa appeared behind Zémira, gently placing her hand on her head to reassure her:
"Don't worry… I promise you Arlongue and I will become one. That way, you will always be by his side, believe me. And Arlongue loves you very much; he won't make foolish decisions that could take him away from you anymore!"
In tears, Zémira exclaimed:
"I don't want Arlongue to face Lord Galaad… He is too dangerous, too cruel!"
Erasa wiped her tears, adding softly:
"Listen, Zémira, Arlongue and I make you a promise… We will not lose this fight, if it really happens!"
Wiping her own tears, Zémira asked hopefully:
"Is that true? Arlongue?"
Arlongue gave her a reassuring smile:
"Yes… it's true."
GAaron intervened, amused:
"They're not even fused yet and they're already perfectly in sync, it seems!"
Lilith then cleared her throat discreetly to get everyone's attention and declared:
"Very well, Arlongue, Erasa, it's time!"
Arlongue straightened up as Erasa suddenly unleashed her purple aura, darkening the air and triggering a powerful wind. The aura enveloped Arlongue who, in an instant, transformed into a skeleton, then into dust absorbed by Erasa. Nothing remained of him…
Focused, eyes closed, Erasa explored her soul without limits in search of Arlongue's. In a trance, she projected a miniature form of herself inside her own body, which found Arlongue's soul, grabbed it, and placed it against her chest, closing her eyes. Erasa's body then channeled all the information from Arlongue's soul as well as the concepts governed by demons [Love, ferocity, anger, joy…].
Indeed, demons can manipulate feelings, desires, thoughts, choices, and dreams of an individual by acting directly on the fundamental concepts and laws structuring body, soul, mind, and history. Great demons can even reach the very concept of being and transcend it.
Thanks to the information drawn from Arlongue's soul, Erasa was able to charm his story. This miniature form became spiritual and fused with Erasa's soul, sticking Arlongue's soul to hers. Erasa's story altered its own logic to attract Arlongue's. With Lilith's help, the histories of the two beings rose to the level of being, triggering an additional state.
Suddenly, a brilliant light burst from Erasa's eyes, and a luminous sphere, like a water bubble, enveloped her, measuring over eight meters in diameter. Lilith extended her right hand toward the sphere and infused extra power into Erasa and Arlongue. Their beings metamorphosed into one, blurring all individual information to become a single entity. Erasa's essence fused with Arlongue's: they were now one.
GAaron, watching, activated a counter marking the end of the harvest. The counter displayed:
"Resistance to physical attacks multiplied, speed multiplied, author of being ability acquired, voracity acquired, consciousness of being acquired…"
Then the following information appeared:
[Hyper demon Erasa and the terror dragon Arlongue fuse into {giant demon dragons}
Race {Unique}, classified as a new species
Threat level {Divine}, capable of ending the lives of gods of certain levels
Existence level {extra}: The demon dragon has become self-aware and reached a higher existence level than itself and possesses the immortality of great demons!!
Fused Great Demon Physiology, Fused Divine Dragon Physiology, {Acquisition of Blessings and Praises of Lower States}, Transcendence Level {Low - Medium}]
Zémira, amazed by the multicolored spectacle, felt her aura leave her body for no apparent reason. Lilith, noticing this, extended her left hand toward Zémira who immediately fainted.
Refocusing on Erasa, Lilith observed the counter displaying:
"[Powers granted to subjects are now unlimited… countless… stop the harvest!!! … stop the harvest!!! … stop the harvest!!! …]"
GAaron panicked seeing the counter go haywire and addressed Lilith directly:
"Mother, shouldn't we follow what the counter indicates?"
Lilith shook her head, slightly annoyed:
"No… I hadn't taken into account what this counter would say!"
The sky darkened rapidly and a storm formed, a consequence of Erasa's rising power.
The counter kept warning:
"Stop the harvest!!! … stop the harvest!!! … stop the harvest!!! … harrrrrrrrrgggggg…"
Then suddenly, the counter exploded. The sphere surrounding Erasa burst as well, freeing the sky and instantly dissipating the storm.
Lilith, with a slightly disappointed look, declared:
"There… it's over. I didn't expect so few to face so much."
Erasa floated in the air, nude, surrounded by a golden aura like blazing flames. She slowly descended to the ground and opened her eyes, immediately stopping the aura.
GAaron exclaimed:
"Wow… Erasa has become a superior hyper demon, she's not the same as before."
Erasa looked at her right hand, which she extended before her, speaking in a calm, gentle voice:
"Thank you, mother, for making me stronger… Now I really feel the difference between who I was and who I am today… I feel like I can walk on everything and nothing."
Instantly, clothes appeared on her new body.
Lilith giggled:
"Hehe… Now, with Arlongue, you're neither man nor woman. Do you prefer we use 'he' or 'she' to refer to you?"
Erasa replied indifferently:
"It doesn't matter… It's still me."
It wasn't just Erasa's power that had changed, but also her personality. She seemed more mature, thoughtful, and experienced thanks to the wisdom of the dragon Arlongue.
Lilith noted in her register:
"Noted, my prince."
GAaron found Erasa a bit arrogant and added to put things in perspective:
"Don't get a big head… You're still inferior to me. Hahaha!"
Erasa ignored him, not responding. She looked at herself for a moment then declared:
"Hmm… My demon form is Erasa, my demon form is Arlongue. I will choose Erasa Arlongue as my new name!"
GAaron was puzzled by this change. How could such a weak being behave like this? Was it the influence of the dragon Arlongue?
He then said:
"Hmm… Well, you can go back to your human world now!"
Erasa looked at Zémira lying on the ground and asked:
"What happened to Zémira? I hope she's okay…"
Lilith replied:
"She's sleeping, but I discovered a little secret… a gift Zémira has: the absolute power of the four-leaf clover, which grants absolute luck to the one she loves. With this ability, she can guarantee a 100% victory in combat and inflict the opposite effect on her enemy. It's very useful, I will teach her how to awaken it!"
Erasa opened her eyes wide:
"Wow, really? And I didn't even know!"
Lilith laughed mockingly:
"You can tell Arlongue's memories are now yours too… She awakened this skill thanks to the strong emotions from before, during your fusion. This gift, surely present for hundreds of years, has finally awakened. I will give you the keys to master it easily… You can go!"
Erasa nodded:
"Understood, mother!"
She opened a portal, entered it, and it disappeared.
Lilith turned to GAaron:
"You see, GAaron? Things are only going to get more interesting."
GAaron responded with a sadistic smile:
"Yeah!"