Chapter 44: Challenging The Colours of Chaos Karma
After lunch, I decided it was best to put Gasper to bed. I didn't think of it earlier, but the little guy's sleep schedule was also nocturnal, as he never shared the daytime schedule of Rias and his fellow peerage members, which means I'll have to start easing his biological clock into a diurnal schedule.
It's necessary in order for him to actually be able to socialize with his peers once he's got his Sacred Gear under control.
For now, Thora and I cleared out one of the many guest rooms in our villa and transported the coffin from Gasper's old room into it.
Obviously, I'd prefer for him to sleep in an actual bed, but she advised me that getting him to switch from that was going to be, at the very least, a thousand times harder than changing his sleep schedule.
Gasper's basically become a flat-out claustrophile. If I were to leave him alone in a space that was even remotely open, he'd feel like he was being watched 24/7. And surprise, surprise, I'm not interested in making him endure a schizo episode.
He also keeps a doll alongside him at all times when he goes to sleep, which, frankly, might be the most adorable thing I have ever seen, and has strengthened my looming urge to adopt him.
We made sure to give him his laptop as well so he can continue managing all his ongoing contracts, which will come in handy towards getting him a promotion from Low-Class to Middle-Class.
As a matter of fact, Gasper's closer than the rest of his peers to becoming eligible for the Middle-Class exam since his contracts, by far, are the most profitable amongst them.
As expected of my favoria- I mean, my student whom I'm only slightly more favorable towards.
Yes, only slightly.
"How did it go?" Thora stepped out of Gasper's room after ensuring everything was in order with her fellow Dhampir, looking at me as if I were a daycare attendant responsible for her child.
If she were the Mom, we'd probably make pretty good foster parents for him, wouldn't we? I pondered before quickly recomposing myself.
"You were right, my draconic blood let him activate and deactivate Forbidden Balor View of his own volition, though the effect was only temporary." Seeing Gasper's look of unparalleled relief once he unfroze time was quite the reward in and of itself.
"It'll take time, effort, and repetitive training before that control becomes a permanent part of him," she nodded affirmatively. "But Gasper's a bright child, he'll get there eventually, I'm sure of it."
"I couldn't have said it better myself." I knew it was just a matter of time, but unfortunately, the amount of time we had at our disposal before Riser made his appearance was uncertain. "Speaking of draconic blood," my tone grew solemn as I reached into my kimono and withdrew an item I had been carefully keeping with me ever since I received it.
A vial, containing a viscous, glowing, celestial blue liquid within.
The blood of the Strongest Dragon King, the Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat, which I had received from Serafall in exchange for my agreement to become Kuoh Town's Guardian.
Thora's eyes widened in immediate unease and recognition, the look on her face making it clear to me that she knew what I was suggesting.
"Young Lord… are you certain now is a suitable time?"
I could tell that she wanted nothing more than to dissuade me, knowing full well what kind of a risk I'd be taking.
However, she knew me well enough to realize that attempting to do so was pointless and that I had already made up my mind. Despite our shared awareness that it could end disastrously for me.
I was attempting to achieve something only a true, genuine, thoroughbred fool would.
I was trying to break into the realm where the seemingly unmatchable forces of nature that are my parents stand, in the shortest amount of time possible. Before everything with the word Buné attached to it goes up in flames.
In order to do that, I must take risks like these, there's no way around it. I think Serafall might've realized that somehow, or at least understood the extent of my drive, and that's what led her to even give me Tiamat's blood in the first place.
Then again, it could've just been plain enticement and nothing more, it's not like anyone really understands the inner workings of us Bunés besides those who bear the name.
"Honestly, I'm not sure," I admitted with a note of hesitancy. "Yet, some part of me thinks I should do it anyway. Even though there's a chance it'll all go wrong."
It didn't matter how minor the misstep was, as long as I made one, that'd be it for me. The end. Finito. Kaput. I'd be swallowed by Tiamat's blood, and all my work up till now would be for nothing.
Stagnation truly is quite an attractive thing for a Buné, isn't it? Just don't try to reach for more power, and your chances of living a long life would rise drastically.
But I can't afford to do that, especially when the presence of Martha's cells is helping me fight against deviation, a privilege exclusive to me, and me alone.
"I've told you this before, Young Lord, but you need to learn to have more confidence in yourself. You determined yourself through your awakening ceremony, and there's no reason you won't do the same with this." She offered me a forced smile that was doing its utmost to hide an ocean of distress and trepidation on my behalf.
I truly am a lucky man, aren't I?
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," I replied with about the same level of dry enthusiasm, letting out a sigh shortly after. "I hate to ask, but would you mind watching over me while I'm taking the trial? You know, just in case I—"
"Of course," she was quick to interrupt, clearly uninterested in hearing me finish that sentence. "You needn't even ask."
"Thanks," I gave her a curt, appreciative nod.
I tapped the centre of my robe where Sylvie was coiled up around my torso, signalling for her to pop her head out from between my scarf.
"Massster?"
"Sylvie, I need you to watch over Gasper while Thora's doing the same for me. Just in case his drinking my blood results in some sort of delayed reaction, everything seems fine so far, but I'd rather not take any risks."
"Very well," she slithered onto the floor, finding a place to curl up near Gasper's bedroom door.
"Much obliged," I returned my attention to Thora. "Shall we?"
"After you," she smiled, following me outdoors to the backyard where my greenhouse was located. A place that was truly starting to shape up to be a garden worthy of my standards, and one day, perhaps that of Martha's. My feelings for the woman aside, the forest she curated is undeniably a marvel to behold.
I doubt location is much of a variable when it comes to strengthening my draconic factor, considering that my awakening ceremony was conducted in a near pitch-black cave after all, however, being around flora like this offers me peace of mind. I don't think it'd hurt to choose a place I feel more relaxed in.
I sat down on a patch of grass, making myself nice and comfortable.
Round 2, here I come. I steeled my resolve, taking a deep breath before uncorking the vial and feeling my heart begin to vehemently palpitate. Over time, it had become easier for me to suppress the smell's enticing effect while the cork was on, yet only seconds after inhaling its exposed odour, I could feel my fingers begin to tremble, and my breath sharpen.
The sensation… was indescribable. It was doing more than just tugging at the instincts of my body, it was tugging at my very soul itself. Pulling at something that dwelled deep inside me and beckoning me to indulge.
I wonder, am I only feeling this way now because it's the first time I'm smelling it post-awakening? Or is it because I resolved myself to claim its power?
Whatever the case, there's no reason for me to dawdle any longer.
I raised the vial to my lips, inhaled sharply, and gulped down the entirety of its contents in one, swift motion.
===
"Do you recall the story of Icarus?"
Huh?
Before I could feel any kind of physical reaction whatsoever, I had already arrived in my mindscape. The land was floored by a vast, wide array of decomposed leaves, and basked in majesty by the presence of a tree that towered higher than my eyes could ever hope to perceive, as if it were piercing the very heavens themselves. And despite it being a part of my own psyche, the feeling of overwhelming significance and weakness I experienced as I stood before it still hadn't faded. Not even a little.
Well, in a strange way, I don't mind the feeling. It's almost like it serves as a reminder to me to never forget that no matter how far I tread, there'll always be more ground to cover. It's both humbling and motivating.
"What?" I blurted aloud, lowering my gaze to face my "dragon" who was crouching in the middle of the leafy field with his back turned. I had been so enamoured in my own thoughts that I completely forgot what he just said.
"Icarus," he repeated, his tone now mildly irritated. "Son of the inventor Daedalus, who received a pair of wings made from feathers and wax—"
"—and flew too close to the sun, only for his wings to melt and his body to plummet into the sea." I finished his sentence. "Yes, I'm familiar."
"You're missing a part," he breathed a deep exhale, standing up and finally deciding to look me in the eye. "Before Icarus got too close, Daedalus tried to warn him not to do so."
I scoffed, one didn't need to be a genius to comprehend what he was saying.
He was calling me reckless.
"True, but he also warned him not to fly too low either," I replied in confidence.
"This is what you call flying low? Challenging the blood of the Strongest Dragon King?" He snorted, crossing his arms with an amused smirk on his face. "It looks like your lunacy has only grown since our last meeting."
"First of all, only my fiancée's allowed to call me crazy," I huffed. "Second of all, isn't your trying to caution me now of all times, a bit moot? If you had something to say, you probably should've said it before I ingested the blood."
He shook his head. "No, it isn't my place to tell what you can or can't do outside of this space, the risks you take are chosen by you, and you alone. My job is simply to see if you're worthy of living up to your thirst for power once you've committed to it, nothing more."
I let out a low hum. "Sounds like a dull existence."
"Oh, Alduin," he chuckled. "Being your dragon has exposed me to a great many emotions, but believe me when I tell you boredom isn't one of them. Not even remotely."
"In that case, you're most welcome for the entertainment," I quipped while performing a playful bow. My demeanour stiffened shortly after. "Now then, isn't it about time we began my next trial?"
"Mm, impatient as ever, I see," he pursed his lips together. "This trial won't be anything like what you experienced during your awakening ceremony, words won't have any effect, nor will it be a matter of simply surviving or winning one's approval through any show of courage or determination."
I knitted my brows, sensing the gravity of his words.
"There's only one victory condition. You must attain an unconditional, unquestionable win over your opponent." His eyes sharpened like daggers, staring a hole through my face.
"Opponent?" I matched the intensity of his glare. "You make it sound like you're not the one I'm fighting."
"That's because you aren't," he confirmed. "You'll be fighting a version of me, or more specifically, a version that's attempting to become a part of me composed of the cells you just ingested."
Oi, oi, oi. He's not suggesting what I think he is, is he?
"Oh, but I am," he continued with a devilish grin while reading my mind. "It is her power you seek, therefore it's only natural that it's her test you face. You'll be fighting Tiamat, my dear Buné."
Ah.
I see.
It appears I might be screwed here.
Like, royally, colossally, unfathomably screwed.
"Of course, that version of me doesn't actually possess Tiamat's full strength, if that were the case, this wouldn't be a trial, it'd just be a glorified execution."
Immediately, a vein bulged out of my forehead. Why the fuck is he only bringing that up now!? I nearly just had a heart attack! I was almost ready to start writing down my will for Lucifer's sake!
"If I did that, I wouldn't be able to relish that look of immense panic on your face, now would I?" He enjoyed the privilege of being able to read my mind once more, with a very, very punchable look on his face. "Also, I wouldn't take that as a cue to relax if I were you. Even if she's not the real deal, she's more than capable of putting you on the ropes. Honestly, I'd go as far as to say she's more than you can handle at the moment, but you went ahead and decided to challenge her anyway. So here we are."
"Sheesh, you could at least try to hide the disappointment in your voice, you almost sound like Sebastian." I groaned, rubbing my nape. "Anyhow, I'm assuming this is just a straight-up life-or-death battle?"
"Mhm. Either she consumes you, or you consume her. There are no other possible outcomes."
"Alright then," I replied with a firm nod, knowing full well he had no reason to lie to me. "Send her at me," I cracked my neck from side to side, wiping any semblance of smugness off my face in preparation to face the Chaos Karma Dragon's trial.
"Very well," a fierce gale picked up, strong enough to cause even my rigid locks to sway as the leaves around my dragon's feet kicked up and began to swirl around him like a miniature tornado, hiding his figure from me. "For both our sakes, I hope you're as strong as you think you are. Child of the moon."
Next time we meet, I really ought to ask him why he keeps calling me that. I mean, I know why, at least I think I know. It's about the lake, isn't it? But there's something off-putting about the way he says it. Like he knows something I don't.
Oh well, those are worries for future me, current me has a Dragon King to worry about. Or would it be more apt to call her a Dragon Queen?
"I'm not one for comedy," a low, unamused feminine voice spoke from within the leafy whirlwind. "However, even I can't help but be appalled at how laughable this all is. I mean, to think a mere hatchling would muster up the courage to try and claim my strength, have my years of solitude truly eroded all the reverence my name once carried? It almost makes me want to weep."
The gale started to ease up, and with it, the leaves finally began to settle. And to my surprise, they revealed a shockingly humanoid figure.
Standing a few feet in front of me was a fair-skinned woman with long, straight, light-blue cascading hair that pooled around her ankles. Her eyes were an odd bright pink shade, not too dissimilar from Gasper's, and her pupils were even more bizarre, consisting of white, diagonal crosses.
Huh, the fact that she appeared in her human form aside, I was expecting them to be more reptilian in design, like mine.
Her ears were pointed, also like Gasper's, albeit slightly longer. And atop her head rested a pair of exceedingly, almost overwhelmingly large ram-shaped horns. They were jade in colour, with hints of black and gold etched into them.
I mean for fuck's sake, they look like they weighed double her, no, scratch that, triple!
That aside, she really is quite the looker, assuming that this is what the real Tiamat looks like.
She's also pretty well endowed too. I couldn't help but leer a little as my eyes drifted down towards her chesticles. They're probably about as big as Roygun's, or perhaps a little bigger?
Cough cough.
But I digress, I'm here to fight, not attempt a mating ritual.
"If it's any solace, I'm technically not underestimating you as much as you think I am since this isn't your true power." I shrugged. Despite my playful attitude, I was already starting to realize just how much of a threat she posed.
Even though she was just standing there, unmoving. The mere sight of her frowning at me was enough to instill me with a primal sense of fear, a kind even more fierce than what I felt when I sparred against Sebastian.
She genuinely wanted to kill me, her bloodlust currently silent, but palpable, nonetheless. Her frown wasn't a mere frown, it was a display of the disgust she felt when she looked at me. A sign that me attempting to covet her strength, had wounded a part of her draconic psyche, only those with a death wish dared to aggrieve.
Her pride.
"Cracking jokes, are we?" She sneered, her gaze lowering to where my hands were for some reason. "What a pathetic attempt to hide the fact that you're trembling with fear like the squirmy little brat you are."
I tracked her stare, only to be met with the harrowing reality that my fingers were, in fact, trembling.
Fuck, that can't be a good sign. The fight hasn't even begun yet.
I let out a nervous chuckle. "Cut me some slack, will ya? A hatchling like me needs a little bit of time to work up his confidence." While talking, I started to circulate my Ki in a meditative rhythm, the same one I had taught Shirone, to help me ease my nerves.
"Unfortunately for you, time isn't a luxury you can afford," she snickered. The hairs on the back of my neck and arm began to rise, sensing Tiamat's quickly rising hostility. "Oh well, let's just get this over with quickly, shall we? I'd rather not force myself to play with you any longer than I have to."
I could feel the temperature in my mindscape begin to plummet, step after step, Tiamat gradually began to pace towards me, the chilling sensation worsening with each foot of ground she covered.
Alright, I need to calm down and observe. The beginning of a fight is the most decisive moment, if I can seize the initiative, my chances of winning will soar dramatically.
Carefully, I observed her posture. Noticing that her fists were balled, and her arm muscles were tensed.
I see, she intends to confront me in close quarters. That's good, hand-to-hand's my strong point.
Instead of waiting for her to make the first move, I planted my feet forward, strengthening my lower body with Touki before launching myself at her with all the speed, momentum, and ferocity I could muster.
All the while, I kept my gaze neutral. It's been made abundantly clear to me that she's a top-level opponent thanks to my dragon's words of caution and my foreboding instincts. If I direct my focus on any one area of her body, she'll notice. And I'll just be giving her a free opportunity to counterattack.
Of course, this also meant the attack I launched on her would be somewhat… random. I mean, I can't throw an offensive on her in both a targeted and untargeted manner, that'd require the ability to retrain two completely separate trains of thought at the same time. Last I checked, I still only had one head.
However, randomness isn't always a bad thing when used correctly, it offers the advantage of unpredictability.
The instant I was in range, I brought my body to a grinding halt, still carrying an impressive amount of momentum with me, which I channelled into my right leg, and used to throw a wild, all-or-nothing kick at her torso. The area where I had the lowest chance of missing, and the one that was hardest for her to evade an attack from.
"You just think you're so smart, don't you?" She jeered.
Somehow, someway, a split-second before my foot connected with her ribcage, Tiamat's position changed.
Her entire, fucking, body was now on the other side of my leg. Opposite from where my kick was directed, leaving me swinging at naught but empty air as if she had never even been there in the first place.
I don't understand! Did she just teleport? I didn't sense any sort of magical fluctuation whatsoever while I was charging her, there isn't any magical circle here either to facilitate the jump.
Could she have simply initiated the teleportation faster than my senses could perceive? Or did she use some method to block my ability to detect the initiation in its entirety?
"I'll admit, I do find that look of utter, sheer dismay on your face quite pleasing, you overzealous little hatchling." She took full advantage of my open guard, pummelling her sole into my left kneecap and bringing me down onto one leg. "Like I said, I'll end this quickly."
With a spiteful glare on her face, she followed up by slugging her knuckles across my face with enough force for the sound of bone cracking to be heard, specifically that of my nose, which I could feel begin to swell as a trail of blood trickled out of my nostrils.
And before I could even process the pain from the blow below, she slugged me again, and again, and again. Exposing me to the raw, unadulterated hatred that my attempt to gain her power had given her.
Stay conscious! Stay conscious! Stay conscious! Stay conscious! Stay conscious! Don't pass out! You can't pass out! If you do, it's all over! I screamed repeatedly in my head, my vision a foggy blur as I soldiered through the throbbing pain that worsened with each strike she unleashed.
"Honestly, what were you hoping to achieve here? Did you truly think a mere brat incapable of exchanging even a single blow with me could be worthy of my power? What a joke." She reached forward and effortlessly picked me up by the throat, pressing her fingers together to shape her hand like a spear in preparation for a killing blow. "Good riddance, Alduin Sallos Buné."
She arched her arm backwards, ready to skewer her hand through my chest at a moment's notice.
But I wasn't about to let it end that easily, or pathetically. I was still conscious, though barely, it meant I could still fight, and that was reason enough to keep going. Even if I had lost the initiative I was trying to gain, and quite frankly, felt a little outclassed.
I still had an advantage.
This was my terrain, my mindscape. Woven from leaves, trunks, and roots. All of which were susceptible to my Wood Manipulation, it didn't do me much good during my awakening ceremony since my dragon could use the same abilities as me, but that wasn't the case for Tiamat.
Mere seconds before she was about to finish me, violent, earthquake-like tremors began to spread through the ground. Catching her slightly off-guard and disrupting her footing only a little, her fingers still firmly clasped around my throat.
However, in a battle such as this, even the smallest openings could make all the difference. And in this instance, it was enough for me to inject a burst of Touki into my fist and throw a right hook at her forearm. Forcing her to let go of me out of reflex.
I didn't hesitate to distance myself from her, neglecting to heal myself with my Dryadic Blessing on purpose. Instead, I clasped my hands together and crouched down, allowing the tremors that were coursing through the soil to reach their apex.
"Sea of Trees Erosion," I intoned, causing a set of behemothic underground roots the size of Rias' schoolhouse to spurt out of the soil and bolt towards Tiamat, intending to consume her like the tentacles of a colossal squid.
This technique was most certainly a large-scale, high-power one, but it was also heavily situational. It didn't involve me creating my own wood, instead, I manipulated wood that already existed in the terrain around me. Which meant in urban areas or places that didn't have an insane amount of timber present, the power the technique was capable of exerting was practically non-existent.
It was only truly worth using in an area like Martha's private forest reserve, assuming the woman herself wasn't there to completely shut your technique down. Or a place like my mindscape, where there just so happened to be an endlessly reaching tree that possessed roots of insane proportions.
I watched with narrowed eyes and sharpened instincts as the roots tangled around her form, closing in and threatening to crush her figure into a fine paste.
Of course, I knew it'd never be that easy.
"How truly childish," a voice indistinguishable from a growl bellowed from within the entanglement. "You can't accept your own powerlessness, so you decide to flail and thrash your arms around like a screaming toddler throwing a tantrum."
A sea of deep-blue, celestial flames burst from the epicentre of the roots, incinerating all the bark in sight and revealing Tiamat's still standing figure, with no visible wounds other than a faint, hardly noticeable amount of bruising across the surface of her skin.
So that's her Draconic Breath, its power is definitely a notch above mine, despite this being a weaker version of her. It's good that I figured that out sooner rather than later, lest I end up recklessly trying to clash with her.
But that's not the only thing that caught my attention.
I wonder, why didn't she choose to simply teleport away from my Sea of Trees Erosion instead of burning it all down? I was still a little stunned from her blows, and I just sacrificed a huge chunk of my stamina to even pull off the spell in the first place.
Even if I were to assume teleporting was more energy-consuming than using Draconic Breath for her, it still doesn't change the fact that evading would've given her a stellar opportunity to attack me. Maybe even finish me off outright.
Yet, she didn't.
That's definitely something to pay attention to. I don't see any way for me to win this battle without figuring out how she pulled that trick off.
"There's that insufferable analytical gaze of yours again," she scorned, the venom in her voice palpable. "Somehow, you've managed to delude yourself into thinking there's any chance of you emerging from this as the victor. I don't even want to imagine the mental gymnastics you had to do to reach that conclusion."
"You're awfully talkative for someone so sure about themself," I replied while pondering my next move. Hoping to make use of her chatty nature to get some much-needed planning time. "Don't tell me the Great Dragon King's starting to get nervous?"
She let out a brief, amused exhale. "There's no use in acting tough when your face is a bleeding mess, hatchling. It's unseemly. Especially when we both know the only reason you mustered up the courage to speak to me in such a way is because you're stalling for time."
Fuck.
"You're trying to figure out how I evaded your kick at the beginning, aren't you?" She folded her hands behind her back, approaching me at walking pace with unparalleled confidence written all over her demeanour. "Well, I for one am certainly not going to give you any hints, but you're welcome to try if you're that desperate. At least it'll make squashing you slightly entertaining."
Strange, despite her words, she doesn't strike me as one to knowingly waste time like this. She was fairly adamant on finishing me off quickly, even going so far as to aim for a killing blow the first chance she got.
So why is she choosing to simply stroll towards me like thi—!
"Boo," in the blink of an eye, Tiamat had appeared directly in front of me. Her facial expression morphed into a sick, satisfied grin as her foot cracked against my chin, rattling my skull in an attempt to render me unconscious.
She teleported again!
I couldn't afford to waste time thinking, with her insane brute strength, even a flicker of hesitation would be enough for her to decimate me. Like Sebastian had taught me, hesitation was defeat.
I clenched my teeth as tightly as I could, biting through the pain and twisting my hips in conjunction with my left arm to deliver a sharp, precise Touki-infused jab to her chin, hoping to return the favour.
Thwack!
And while my fist did indeed connect with her, it didn't land where I had intended to, instead, I somehow ended up striking her cheek. Despite my being certain that my aim had been 100% accurate.
This doesn't make any sense! I couldn't simply have missed! She was right in front of me for fuck's sake! It was point-blank range!
She must've done something! I know she did, I can feel it in my bones.
"Looks like you still haven't figured it out, what a shame." She smirked, plunging her hand into my abdomen and beginning to tear through my flesh, exposing me to an unbearable degree of searing, agonizing pain as her fingers managed to get within millimetres of my intestines.
I managed to keep my organs intact by the skin of my teeth by quickly clasping both hands around her wrist and pushing back with a combination of brute strength and careful Senjutsu deployment, following up by conjuring a set of flexible, wooden tendrils and wrapping them around her forearm for added measure.
"Goodness, looking at you struggle truly is quite the treat, if this weren't a test, I'd probably allow you to fight a little longer just to savour the sight some more." She chuckled as she started to lean forward, increasing the amount of pressure she was applying to me and causing me to feel my strength begin to wane.
Shit, it's only a matter of time before I collapse under her superior physical strength. I might be able to reinforce myself with Touki, but with my pre-existing injuries, and the fact that a waterfall of blood is currently gushing out of my core, which I'm going to need to heal soon lest I want to pass out from the haemorrhaging, it's clear to me that Senjutsu isn't going to be of much help here.
Not to mention that Tiamat's going to throw her other hand at me any second now.
I need to act, now, there's got to be something I can do. Anything.
I steeled myself, fighting through the pain harder than ever as I called upon the only spell I believed capable of giving me the breathing room I desperately needed.
A spell that I had minimal experience with, one I hadn't been formally taught either by Sebastian or Martha. I had only read about it in my tutoring lessons with Thora, when we were focused on House Buné's history, and given it a few flimsy attempts after my awakening ceremony.
Nonetheless, I can't think of anything better, so I'm going to give it a shot anyway.
Partial Dragonification.
Black scales began to coat the surface of my right arm, starting from the boundary between my shoulder and bicep and spreading down towards my hand. Instantaneously, I could feel my muscles bulge to the point where they were on the verge of bursting through my skin. Followed by the phalanx in my fingers beginning to excruciatingly crunch and elongate, morphing into a clawed shape as my nails sharpened.
Unlike full Dragonification, Partial Dragonification involved only turning one of your body parts draconic, rather than your entire being.
On paper, it sounded like an awfully simple technique for a Buné to use post-awakening. If you could transform your entire body into a dragon, then doing so for only one part of it should be easy as pie, right?
Wrong.
The goal of Partial Dragonification, as the name suggests, is only to call upon a part of Dragonification's true power. After all, not only was the latter extremely draining on one's stamina and sanity, but the transformation period itself took a long time. If I were to use it amid my battle with Tiamat, I wouldn't just be handing her an opening, I'd be offering up my head on a silver platter.
In order to properly activate the technique, I essentially had to play an ultra-high stakes game of tug-of-war. The initial activation process was the same as Dragonification, but the second it began, you needed to not only divert the draconic energy surging through your body to your desired location, but you needed to start suppressing the activation itself. Holding it back from throwing you into a full Dragonification against your will, and at the same time, you couldn't hold it back too much since the draconic energy would become too weak to achieve any kind of Dragonification at all.
In short, it was a complex game of balance. I'm pretty sure the only reason I'm able to use it all despite my lack of training is because my Sallos cells are helping me control my draconic abilities.
Not that I care, I'm really not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
With my right arm now fully coated in a scaly sheet of armour and strengthened to its absolute apex, I found myself capable of resisting the Dragon King's vast physical prowess.
"Tch!" She wore a fiery scowl as my nails dug into her wrist like oversized needles, forcing her to relinquish her hold lest she wanted me to sever her hand right off. I felt her bloodlust surge as her death stare intensified. I knew full well that she was going to try to launch a barrage on me far more brutal than the last, but I refused to waver.
After all, I had a pretty good idea where she'd aim her next attack.
I withheld the urge to smirk as I watched Tiamat reel her foot backwards, her eyes laser-focused on a particular area of my body.
My abdomen, which was still profusely bleeding, thanks to her trying to gouge my bowels out a second ago. I hadn't had a chance to heal it with my Dryadic Blessing yet, since we were still trading blows and all. Sure, my innate draconic regeneration was impressive, but it wasn't a miracle worker.
Regardless, the fact that I know her next move is a huge advantage. The second she moves in for the kick, I'll counter by grappling her heel with my left hand, and I'll use my right draconic one to tear her limb clean off.
Well, I say that, but it'll probably be messy.
Exactly as expected, her foot began to move, my vision and instincts both confirming without a shadow of a doubt that her trajectory was set towards my stomach. I prepped my left hand, ready to act at a moment's notice.
Bam!
And then the unthinkable happened.
I felt the impact hit… my chest. The force sent me tumbling backwards, leaving a trail of blood originating from my bleeding core in my wake as I rolled into the distance. My thoughts in complete, utter disarray. I was so baffled by what just transpired that the gut-wrenching pain I was experiencing had been reduced to a mere afterthought.
I'm not going crazy… am I? I know I saw it! I know I did! I watched her foot move, I watched it reach within a literal, fucking, millimetre of my abdomen. My vision, my instincts, my training, they were all correct! They had to be!
Yet… at the last second, no, the last millisecond, her foot managed to appear in front of my chest like it was never even aimed at my abdomen in the first place.
It's almost like I'm…
Like I'm…
Seeing things?
Oh.
Oh.
The second that thought entered my mind, I slammed my right arm forward and raked my claws against the soil to bring my body to a grinding halt. And immediately channelled my Dryadic Blessing to mend the gaping wound in my core.
SHIT, how could I have been so blind? So idiotic? So narrow-minded? I'm ashamed to have even suggested that her power was related to teleportation at all. Maybe I let my assumptions stretch simply because of her status as the Strongest Dragon King, but that doesn't excuse my foolishness.
The answer was staring me dead in the eye this whole time.
She's a fucking illusionist.
At the start, I didn't miss because she moved out of the way, I missed because she wasn't even there in the first place. The same goes for her strikes, I didn't fail to read them because they suddenly changed trajectory. I failed because I couldn't see their original trajectory at all.
"You're one shrewd dragon, aren't you?" For the first time during this battle, I finally experienced a sense of clarity.
"Hm?" Tiamat paused, taking a moment to observe my drastic shift in demeanour. "Ah, you finally figured it out. Well done, little hatchling. Would you like me to pat your head as a reward?" She mocked while slow clapping.
"You're awfully calm for someone who just had their trick exposed," I struggled to decipher whether she was just putting up a tough front or was genuinely unbothered by my discovery.
"What do I have to fear? Knowing an illusion exists and knowing how to break said illusion are two completely different things." She shrugged, her posture oozing nothing but smug confidence. "Even with your Senjutsu active, you still couldn't snap out of them. If anyone should be nervous, it's you."
Damnit, she's right. I've been using my Ki Sense from the very beginning, but I still got caught in her illusions regardless. Tch, if only I had Sylvie with me, she'd make this fight a thousand times easier for me.
C'mon, Alduin, think. Knowing that she can create illusions isn't enough, since I can't counter them with Senjutsu alone, I need to know what type of illusions she's creating.
It's definitely not a barrier-type, I doubt she had the time to deploy one, considering how quickly this fight's been progressing, and besides, barrier-type illusions are typically a lot more aggressive. The kind that'd have you seeing a hundred different afterimages of your opponent all at once. There's no way I'd still be standing if she had activated something of that magnitude.
It can't be one that's activated on contact either, since she deployed before I had even made my first move.
It has to be something more subtle, but also potent enough to completely bypass my Senjutsu.
How frustrating.
"There you go again with that calculating look on your face," she exhaled deeply. "Isn't it about time you learned your lesson? You can't beat me, Alduin, not now, not ever. I mean, just look at you, your face is an even bigger mess than before, and your stomach nearly just got a free realignment courtesy of yours truly. Just how long do you think you can keep this up for?"
"I can do this all day," I chuckled, channelling my inner Captain America for a second.
"Charming," she rolled her eyes in amusement. "Alright then, if you're so intent on subjecting yourself to this humiliation, then I'm more than happy to oblige."
This isn't the true Tiamat I'm fighting against, it's an inferior copy, or so my dragon says. There's a good chance that her illusion ability has some kind of weak point I can exploit, even at my level. If I can just last a little longer, I'm sure I can find out what it is.
She disappeared once more in what felt like a fraction of a second, and I could tell by our merging shadows on the ground that she was now behind me.
But this time, I wasn't worried. Even though I didn't know how to prevent myself from getting trapped in her illusions yet, I had a better understanding of how to defend myself.
Her fist bolted towards my spine, but I didn't bother trying to guard against the attack head-on. Instead, I slapped my palms together and created a Wooden Dome around my figure.
There was no use trying to confront her with my fists, if I tried to block her, she'd just use her illusions to mask where she was targeting again. Which is why I chose to guard my entire body instead, so that it won't matter where she tries to hit.
Bang!
A rumbling shockwave spread throughout the dome once Tiamat's knuckles clashed against its hardened exterior, and while I could feel the defensive structure's composition begin to crack, it had served its purpose by enduring one of her blows.
Before her next strike arrived, I spread my fingers outward and ordered the dome to impale, causing dozens upon dozens of wooden spikes to jolt out of its wooden surface and thrust in all directions, each spike containing hardly a centimetre of space between them to ensure it hit the Dragon King, regardless of where her true position was.
Shick!
As expected, I could hear Tiamat let out a stifled grunt as one of the wooden spikes tore into her flesh—
Hold on a minute.
Hearing?
My eyes bulged, a flash of realization hitting me.
My Ki Sense was telling me that she was in front of my dome, but the sound of her getting hit came from behind.
Oh shit!
I hadn't really noticed it earlier when my thoughts were a mess because of how easily she was managing to overwhelm me, but I vaguely remember hearing the faint rustling of leaves around me even when there was a significant amount of distance between us. Like something was moving near me, something invisible.
In reality, that was just Tiamat moving into position while I was trapped under her illusion! Her speed also exceeds mine, which makes the sound hard to notice, as she probably only needs a step or two to close even meters of distance, but for my level of hearing, even the faintest noise should be sufficient.
Haha! I understand it now, I know what the limitation of this inferior Tiamat is.
Her illusions are not absolute.
They're able to directly affect my senses without her moving so much as a muscle, and for someone with ordinary senses, I imagine that'd be one of the most terrifying powers they could face.
But not for me.
Because she can't manipulate all of my senses, at least not all at once. So far, she's managed to trick my vision and my Ki Sense, despite not possessing any Senjutsu prowess herself, which seems like bullshit to me, however, she does seem to be aware of the fact I'm using Senjutsu.
It's possible that understanding how it works is enough for her to manipulate Ki, I mean, Tiamat's old as they come, more so than even Sebastian and Martha. Maybe it's not that outlandish that she's managed to pull off such a thing with her wealth of experience and knowledge.
Oh well, at least now I know what to do.
I can finally go on the offensive.
I dispelled the dome, observing the sight of blood spilling out of an open wound from Tiamat's forearm and torso with a satisfied grin on my face. It's about time I made her shed some in return.
"That must hurt," I snickered. "Though I imagine the pain of a little hatchling pulling a fast one on you is far worse."
I knew that my fists alone wouldn't do as much damage as I needed them to do, even if I did get a fairly solid strike in, so I opted to create a wooden spear, which I clasped firmly in my right hand. Partial Dragonification still active.
"Hmph, you can't figure out how to deal with my illusions, so you decided to throw out an attack in all directions, hoping you'd get lucky." She ran her tongue across the wound on her forearm, her saliva seemingly containing some sort of healing enzyme that accelerated her regeneration.
Huh, I wonder if I can do that as well?
"It worked, didn't it?" I chuckled, planting the tip of my spear into the ground and resting my draconic arm atop its hilt. I was purposefully trying to appear as overconfident as possible, while being careful not to overdo my act to prevent Tiamat from noticing.
"Do you really think mere child's play will work on me more than once?" She lifted a brow, casting a look of suspicion my way that almost plastered a look of visible nervousness on my face.
Fortunately for me, Sebastian had grounded an admittedly handy little concept into my mind known as emotional control. Still, it kinda stings to give that old fart any credit at all.
"Maybe, maybe not," I kept my answer neutral so as not to warrant any further wariness from her. "Why don't you come and find out?"
I twirled my spear around my shoulders and assumed my fighting stance, discretely shifting my posture to leave a small part on the left side of my torso unguarded. An area near my stomach, which Tiamat knew for a fact was one of my weak spots, thanks to her earlier attempt to tear right through me.
It was an awfully minuscule, hardly noticeable gap in my defence. One so inconsequential that even an experienced fighter wouldn't think twice about, and one an experienced opponent wouldn't bother targeting, if they even noticed it at all.
But Tiamat would, I knew she would, I know full well how perceptive she is regarding my stance from her earlier, lightning-quick, insanely precise blows. Each of which severely damaged my defence and posture.
Additionally, I only left the opening while I was performing my cocky flair with my wooden spear. Making it appear completely accidental, and naught but a product of my own overconfidence. Hopefully preventing Tiamat from noticing something was up.
As for why I bothered to do such a thing in the first place?
I can read Tiamat's positioning through sound, yes, but I cannot do the same when she goes for a swing. Sure, I could attempt to read the movement of her limbs through listening to the wind around them, but by the time I figure out where she's aiming, it'll be too late.
That's why this setup is necessary, I need to be able to predict her next move in time and seize the opportunity to end our battle right then and there. I cannot endure another blow, nor do I have the stamina to prolong this battle for an additional exchange. Plain and simple.
Tiamat is winning, and even if I miraculously manage to hold out a bit longer, once she knows that I've changed strategies, she's bound to readjust, and then I'll be destroyed.
This next exchange will be the last, regardless of whether I emerge the victor or the defeated.
Heh, to think I'm being pushed this far by an inferior imitation.
I really am weak, aren't I?
However, it's because of my weakness that I'm pushing myself to do this. I seek to rid myself of that disease, and that's a path that doesn't come easy, I know that. I've known that, my dragon warned me about that.
Which is why I'll knowingly continue, regardless of whether that path consumes me or ends up being consumed by me.
Tiamat's bloodthirsty gaze sharpened.
"Have it your way then."
She lowered her hips towards the floor, and like a loaded gun, she shot towards me with immense speed.
I knew her movements were false, made clear to me by the faint, but audible sound of the litter on my mindscape's floor quickly progressing to my left. Exactly where I was hoping for the noise to be.
I didn't dare to look elsewhere, keeping 100% of my vision focused on nothing but Tiamat's speeding figure, and that alone. I even performed a sign with my left hand to make her think I was going to defend every part of my figure like before.
"This is as far as you'll go, hatchling." She stopped in front of me, her fist "raised" and her eyes "focused" on my face.
And finally, seconds before she was about to "hit" me there, I allowed the cockiest, most smug, self-satisfied smile I had ever worn throughout both of my lifetimes to appear on my face.
"I could say the same thing, King of Chaos Karma."
A burst of Touki erupted out of my being, wildly flaring up around my body and taking the form of a supercharged aura that threatened to destroy my internal organs if I didn't tone it down within a matter of seconds.
I thrusted at the "empty air" around the left side of my torso, the exact spot where I had purposefully left an opening. My draconic hand surged with every fibre of Ki, technique, and brute, draconic strength it could muster. Causing my spear to move out faster than the cracking whip.
Spurt!
"W-what…?"
Lo and behold, the wooden tip of my spear found itself piercing the flesh of Tiamat's tightened fist, digging all the way towards her elbow and prying the wound on her forearm that had only just sealed open, even further than before.
I wasted no time on words, performing a swift, horizontal slash and lopping her arm clean off, and immediately capitalizing on her crippled posture and my brimming brute strength to shift my spear and stab it deep into her chest, stopping only once I felt my spear tear through her beating heart, and come out the other end of her torso.
After stumbling around briefly with a look of complete, utter disbelief. She fell onto her back, her gaze now focused on the endlessly stretching sky contained within my mindscape.
And while it was incredibly, almost disgustingly dishonourable of me. I threw my spear into her chest, piercing it once more.
I had to be sure that what I was seeing wasn't an illusion, and that I had indeed defeated her for good.
"Hah…" A bout of weak, dry laughter escaped her bloodied lips as she coughed out one chunk of blood after the other. "Would you… look at that? Maybe those horns aren't wasted on you… after all…"
"I hope so, I plan on keeping them for a long time." Confident that the threat she posed had vanished, I allowed myself to finally relax, dispelling both my Touki and Partial Dragonification before collapsing onto the ground butt-first, exposing myself to a wave of exhaustion unlike anything I had ever experienced before. "Honestly, I've always thought mine were a little extra, but yours are just plain excessive in every sense of the word."
"Oh… is that so? In my opinion… the bigger the better…" She laughed a little more despite it clearly paining her. "You know… hatchling… you should visit my true self sometime soon… maybe she'll teach you a thing or two… once she notices you possess her power, if you can impress her that is…"
"Yeah, uh, I think I'll pass since, first of all, I barely managed to survive an encounter with this version of yourself. And second of all, you're fucking terrifying, you know that?" I had already made a mental note to myself that if I ever encounter the real Tiamat, I'm going to turn tail
"Haha… you say that hatchling… but it'd do you good to remember that… the strong… are always drawn to one another… no matter the era…" With those parting words of caution, her body started to crumble and reduced itself to numerous floating strands of celestial blue energy. All of which proceeded to float towards me and enter my figure through the pores on my skin, filling me fresh, rejuvenating wave of draconic energy, the most potent I had ever felt.
But that wasn't all.
I also ended up receiving an ability.
The illusion ability belonging to Tiamat, the very one she had used to manipulate my senses.
It was an insane boon to obtain, considering what it was capable of, but after the struggle I just went through, I think it's a reward well-earned. Although it's still incomplete, since I believe it's supposed to be capable of controlling all five of a target's senses, and at the moment is only capable of manipulating two at a time.
That makes sense since the version of Tiamat I fought was also incomplete. I suppose I'll have to figure out a way to improve it later. But for now, I'm more than satisfied with what I've received.
Heh, perhaps I'll call the ability Partial Hypnosis, I think it's pretty fitting if you ask me.
"Indeed, it is," the voice of my dragon called out to me as he materialized back into my mindscape.
I looked him square in the eye with a firm smile on my face.
"I won."
"That you did," he admitted, attempting to, but failing to hide the pride in his voice.
Who would've thought that my dragon could be such a tsundere?
———
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