Black Abyss sighed as she tapped her foot against the ground.
After all, she had to stay in this boring underground realm for at least a few more minutes, and considering what Dont had been doing behind her back…
It was a miracle she hadn't destroyed the entire Dwarven Kingdom from how angry she was…
Not because of what Dont had been doing per se. But because of 'who she was doing it with', and 'where'. It was degrading for that idiot to have slept with those two, especially with that thing… Clementine… And in Titania, of all places.
But… She furrowed her brow with a growl stuck in her throat, wanting to express her frustration for… For the unknowingness.
Why did she feel like this…? She was very angry, but in a different way… She wanted to kill those two… Normally, she would just throw them out or ignore them altogether. Maybe she would hand them over to Carmellitian or kill them without batting an eye… But she didn't just want to kill them… She wanted to make them suffer… Almost in a kind of revenge, which was not normal for her even with the changes in personality and perception she had undergone by becoming an Angel.
It was hard for her to really identify what she felt… Did she… Have… Jealousy…? Such a thing…
She gritted her teeth as she suppressed the need to hit something.
That woman… She was abusing the kindness she was giving…
She didn't want to think that Dont was a person who would use even her for her own ends, she shouldn't… She was her dear friend… Her only friend… But she couldn't not do it in this situation… That, perhaps, might be because she was an Angel. After all, an Angel is faithful to her beliefs… And Black Abyss truly believes in Dont… Or at least she did…? Was she doubting one of her sources of faith and that was giving her this feeling…?
Ugh…
Did she not realize even a hint of all the things she did for her…? And she goes and sleeps with those two…? How long had she been doing it…? How ungrateful could she be…?
Or maybe she was being too hard on her? She wasn't being possessive… Right? Dont didn't belong to her, that she could understand. And she was sure she wouldn't mind if Dont had told her she slept with such a woman during her stay in the Re-Estize capital… Right…?
Her anger increased with each question she asked herself, with all her indecision irritatingly prickling her as she felt like she was in the dark without answers. Quite annoying for someone like the Sun, who illuminates all the answers and mysteries.
Either way, when she finished things here, she would take care of it, whether with a talk with the same Shooter, or who knows what. But for now, it was better to forget about it.
She already sent the vassalage paperwork approved by the Dwarves to Bachelory, so at least she wouldn't have to deal with it. While Black Abyss had been learning a lot about administration and politics, she still had difficulties. She was an employee of an observatory on Earth, not a minister or something like that.
Dont had some experience in administration from things she studied, and since she was used to reading long and sometimes boring things, she had no problem with paperwork. Especially considering that there wasn't much else she could do. There was no point in procrastinating in the current situation, with the guild base from a game being real, with real inhabitants, and in a possible dangerous or cautious situation all the time.
Black Abyss, on the other hand, in a long talk some time ago, didn't have to worry much about it if she didn't want to… Something Black Abyss later regretted a bit for the problem of the Queen Demon's secrets… And even though it was resolved later, the Paladin now found herself forced to check those things more. Or at least, in the form of friendship and affection, to help Dont with the paperwork…
The memory of having a good time with her made Black Abyss grimace, feeling the weight in her heart for the… Irritation, practically. For the melancholy of those times that really were perhaps less than a day ago.
But outside of so much emotional diatribe and the like, after all, Black Abyss had no idea how to deal with vassalage. It would be the first time even for Dont.
Instead, the Angel had been doing other boring but more within her area of advanced capability since easily defeating the Frost Dragons.
Like conquering the Ice Giants and establishing much more territory for her new kingdom… Which still didn't exist as such.
Of course, it was in progress, and Black Abyss was only clearing the obstacles before. Anyway, the Azerlisia Mountains were a very important strategic point. Not only was it a great natural wall, but it was also full of resources, creatures, and of course, there was the Dwarven Kingdom.
Speaking of creatures, the Ice Giants weren't really a challenge. The strongest, the Chief of the Union, was at most level 65.
Of course, he was stronger than the trained soldier of Titania, but he was the leader, and as he was a Semihuman race, he was the strongest of his race, and represented the unification of the Ice Giant tribes to deal with the Frost Dragons. Still, compared to Black Abyss, the Giant was a paper tiger. So Black Abyss defeated him with a couple of blows and took control over them.
After that, thanks to the Hanzos, Bill, and others, she found some peacefully hidden Myconids in a mountain and subjugated them without resistance, being something simple that she only had to offer the option and benefits to the Tribe Chief and done. There was nothing special about them. The strongest among the Myconids would have been level 10, although they could provide unique resources, quite useful for alchemy.
Anyway, now she was back in the Dwarven Kingdom. And if her reason for being here meant anything, then at least it would be useful and not so boring.
Sighing in frustration as she finished her thoughts and examination unsuccessfully, she looked to the side, glancing at the Level 100 NPC behind her.
"Then… What are we looking at?" The Paladin asked Bulldoger.
"It's the Great Rift, My Goddess. An enormous chasm that not even the Dwarves know how deep it is. I asked out of curiosity, and I considered it important to mention it, My Goddess. And considering that you've been conquering and exploring, and the Dwarves don't have any special desires to relate much with the Great Rift, you might have some plan or desire regarding it." The armored and robust knight explained, kneeling behind Black Abyss.
Black Abyss didn't respond, and only stared fixedly into the black abyss. {Word play, jajaja, laugh.}
Even with her senses, she couldn't see a sign of a bottom.
It's probably best to call Dont or Achernar. Both had a much higher visual capacity than her.
But Dont was organizing the foundation and preparation of her new 'kingdom'... And well, Black Abyss wasn't particularly excited to see her again right now. Achernar, on the other hand, was preparing anti-spy measures in the Tob forest and in the new kingdom.
"[Create Lesser Angel: White Messenger]" She exclaimed, raising a hand forward. A circle of white geometric lines appeared, and something came out of it.
A creature made of light, covered in white robes, appeared floating above the great rift. With its small pair of bright wings, it turned towards Black Abyss.
"Descend, see what's there, and then come back." The Paladin ordered, to which a light hum like an affirmative melody sounded from the Angel, which began to descend into the great abyss, its light fading into the distance and darkness of the depth.
And although it was expected, Black Abyss began to grow impatient when the Angel didn't return.
It wasn't particularly strong, only level 10, and it didn't even have combat powers, so she didn't expect it to survive long against any minimally strong creature. But the summon had the incredible ability to avoid a lethal blow and teleport back with its summoner. Of course, as long as the attack didn't meet predetermined conditions that would ignore such ability.
"How deep is this thing?" She wondered.
She wanted to call Bill, but she remembered that she had sent him and Cristofer back to Titania to rest with the soldiers. They had already done a lot.
Somehow she managed to convince them that Bulldoger would be enough protection. Although it was true, since two offensive tanks could protect each other efficiently.
She felt the metaphysical and conceptual cord that tied her summon to her stretch and stretch, moving away into the depths.
She wasn't exactly sure of the level of distance... But those should be approximately 15 kilometers of distance between her and the summon...
And if it was correct... The Angel should be beyond the deepest point on Earth.
She scratched her head, now not very sure of what to do. Should she withdraw the Angel? Should she just leave and wait for the creature to send her a [Message]?
"Ugh. Anyway, I'm not going to investigate something deeper than the Mariana Trench..." She said, almost resigning after several minutes of waiting, seeing that the Angel continued to descend and descend.
And a [Message] request reached her.
She accepted the message, and the sensation of simply being told information seemed strange to her.
[Oh, Blessed One. I'm afraid I can't go down any further. The temperatures are starting to damage me. Should I continue anyway, oh, Blessed One?] The question more or less formed in her head.
"... No, come back. Let's start to go ba-"
...
The murky eye opened without anything seeming to change, as it was as black as the abyss, except for its pupil, being visible as a white line in the darkness.
The monster looked up, seeing the light like a white flare disturbing its sleep.
It considered its actions, and used the minimum.
…
Black Abyss blinked.
The Angel... The connection with it was abruptly cut off... A sign that it died... And at the same time...
She drew her weapons and her paranoia exploded to incredible levels.
She lost 2% of her HP.
Her beautiful dress had instantly changed to her divine armor, glaring intensely into the void of the abyss.
"There's something down there... Perhaps dangerous... No, it's dangerous..." She said with a growl, plunging her lance into the ground and a pair of her bright white angelic wings, like plasma strips imitating feathers, emerged from her back, allowing her to illuminate the great darkness of the place as the temperature increased.
Bulldoger looked at her suddenly, and stood up, summoning a huge shield of black metal tower, with a lion carved on its outer face while the edges were covered in white fur, as he clenched his other fist.
"My Goddess! If there's something threatening you, get behind me!" The Commander pleaded.
"Wait..." Black Abyss sighed, a white lance of light appeared in her hand, shining brightly. "If there's something down there, then we need to know what it is. Anything could threaten Titania. But we can't go down, we'd be in its habitat, it would have the advantage, so..." She tightened the lance in her hand and shot it in the direction where the Angel had descended previously.
Then, she took a deep breath for a moment...
"GRAAAA!" Her roar echoed throughout the place, with a deafening power and in the form of hot air.
Whether the thing down there was intelligent or not, such an act had only one purpose, she was provoking it to come out.
...
About to return to its slumber, after confirming the disappearance of the annoying light, it nibbled in a direction, and a group of insects were crushed by its jaws.
That would be enough to restore what was lost in some way.
It curled up better, hiding with its body the bright light of the eternal flames in the object that belonged to HIM.
It looked disdainfully at a skeleton on the side, and closed its eyes.
An annoying light appeared again, and it opened its eyes.
Except that the light was heading towards him...
And his 'bed' exploded in a blinding and burning flash, followed by a roar that came from far away. From above. Way above.
…
Black Abyss waited, on high alert. She called her lance back to her hand, using the second effect of her ability.
Bulldoger had already launched several defensive effects just in case and was a little behind Black Abyss, ready to stand in front of her.
Nothing happened for a moment...
Had she killed that thing with her attack? Was it a crystal cannon perhaps? Or was it a suicidal ability? Maybe the effect of a unique creature in this world that hit the summoner for some reason. Still, even though it was only 2%, now practically nullified and regenerated, it was something capable of penetrating Black Abyss's defenses. It might be true damage, as she didn't feel her defenses activate... And if that was the case, well, although it was little, it was serious.
She began to relax when nothing happened, so she simply turned around to go back to Bulldoger's side with a slight sigh, seeing that there was no response.
But then her senses alerted her to the maximum. She turned towards the dark abyss and put her shield towards it while flapping her wings, launching herself backward.
Her shield was struck in a corner, while she managed to completely evade the gigantic dark energy blast aimed directly at her.
When it ended, a strip of light illuminated the place, revealing the hole that the attack had made in the mountain, allowing a piece of sky to be seen from inside... In succession, a powerful roar echoed from the depths. Whatever was down there, it was stronger than they thought, and it had accepted their challenge... Or it was provoked in itself...
Black Abyss landed on solid rock beside Bulldoger, who stood in front of her with his shield ready, pointing towards the gap while growling like a tiger ready to attack.
The Paladin clicked her tongue. She had to alert someone in Titania. Eyesight always had an eye on her, so she should already be spreading the word. The problem was what Dont would do or how or when she would receive the information.
The earth trembled as the roar seemed to almost collapse the cave's ceiling, while powerful footsteps echoed from the rift.
Black Abyss ignored the Enanos' screams of fear in the nearby fortress.
"What are your orders, My Goddess!?" Bulldoger looked towards Black Abyss.
"We wait. Eyesight must already be aware of the situation, I hope she contacts Dont soon. But for now, we'll handle containing this thing." The Paladin exclaimed, gripping her shield and lance tightly, feeling the blows of claws digging into the rock wall as the creature climbed rapidly.
A huge claw covered in black scales and coated in something like tar, making its scaly skin appear smoother, emerged from the rift.
The claw alone was as large as a house.
And it clung to the edges of the crevice, tearing rock as it was pushed by the monster's weight, while another claw emerged to do the same on the other side.
Black Abyss took a step back as she looked at the creature, swallowing a little as she immediately recognized the type of monster. And based on Yggdrasil... It was a nightmare for any Player.
There was no other way to call it. It was a Dragon.
Covered in tar, making its scales appear sticky and smooth like water, while its belly and neck had a gray liquid of the same texture. Two huge wings that seemed almost made of shadows, leaving shadowy trails as they flapped, lifting incredible amounts of dust and rock.
Its tail looked like a heap of sharp stones piled up at the tip, with edges covered in that gray liquid, while what should have been the Dragon's spine emitted more shadowy trails.
Its head was large jaws joined by black liquids, full of teeth as huge as white cars, stacked so finely that they looked like whale teeth if it weren't because they were more like knives while black smoke emanated from its mouth. Two long horns emerged from the back of its head, pointing backward, while its eyes were as black as the dark abyss of the crevice, with three pupils like smooth white lines flashing amidst the darkness of its being.
{Unkown For Now Darkness Dragon PNG}
Something made Black Abyss frown, as it didn't match the Dragon's appearance.
A collar made of black metal and a rope of white material, with a ring of intense fire with what seemed to be brilliant feathers of that fire along the object, was almost divine... Almost because it seemed beyond divine. The fire swirled in a gem, taking different forms and emblems that changed among them.
Returning to the Dragon itself, the light from the hole in the ceiling didn't seem to reflect on it, only showing the perfect black of its tar-covered scales.
The monster roared so powerfully that it made the earth tremble again, threatening to collapse the roof again.
"[Lion's Bravery] [Beast Power] [King's Shield]." Bulldoger growled like a tiger facing another predator as he activated some skills.
The Dragon finished its roar and then looked at the duo, ignoring the small Dwarves running from the fortress to another place, or the Dwarves' Oricaldo gate closing on the other side of the rift.
"Were you the ones who woke me from my slumber?" Its voice resonated with venom enough to kill a million elephants, with quiet contempt like a fish swimming in the abyssal depths.
It seemed to be frowning, although Black Abyss wouldn't know how to interpret a Dragon's expressions. But it was showing its teeth like a growling dog.
"And what we did? Something killed one of my Angels, I must assume it was you, cave lizard." Black Abyss said with a clear aggressive tone. She wasn't going to be intimidated by a creature of darkness. By a lizard.
She didn't pay attention to how the disdain for Dragons in general was taking root in her. Well, it wasn't disdain, but rather a feeling of superiority over them. Black Abyss didn't believe that defeating a Boss Event Dragon had inflated her ego so much... Even with the new things in this world... Well, it wasn't time to think about that.
The Dragon snorted with indignation and annoyance, looking inquisitively at the paladin. Only to sniff the air intensely and snort violently.
"You... Those objects... That smell..." It seemed to realize something. And it roared.
Only this roar was much louder than before, filled with hatred and anger.
Huge plates of earth and rock fell from the ceiling. And Black Abyss was sure that avalanches were forming outside the mountain.
The debris that tried to fall on the Paladin or the NPC were neutralized by their natural defenses against low-level projectiles.
Bulldoger stood in front of Black Abyss, with his tower shield raised high while manifesting a gauntlet mixed with a small shield in his other hand, more like the top of a tiger's head made of gold.
He could have drawn his sword, but considering Black Abyss's presence, it wasn't necessary.
The roar was such that Bulldoger needed a minimum of strength not to be pushed back by it. Which was quite remarkable considering that Bulldoger was a damn level 100 tank.
"YOU ARE...! YOU ARE PLAYERS! RRRRAAAAGH!" It roared again as its voice came out with hatred. And as it roared, a sphere of black energy appeared in front of its mouth.
The Dragon opened its jaws, and aimed towards the level 100 duo, with the dark sphere swirling like an orb of unstable energy.
"[Spear of the Saintess]!" Black Abyss shouted, thrusting her lance in the direction of one of the Dragon's legs, causing a golden image of her lance to extend, hitting the leg and hooking it, then with great force pulling it, causing the Dragon to fall as it shot the dark sphere, missing the shot due to Black Abyss's action.
The shot hit the ceiling, disintegrating it and letting in more sunlight due to the hole it was making in the mountain.
"You're a Player too!?" The Paladin growled at it, also confused.
After all, the Dragon race wasn't one that could be used in Yggdrasil. The closest to it was being Lizardman, Dragonoid, or similar. And only Dragonoid allowed a draconic form as an ultimate ability. But that thing didn't come up here with the intention of holding back, so it wouldn't make sense for it, as a Dragonoid, to have used its ultimate.
"If that's the case, there's no need to fight... My guild is still intact, we can accep-" She was interrupted then.
"SHUT UP, FILTHY SCUM!" It roared with hatred as it stood back up. "[WILD MAGIC: DARK WORLD]!"
Black Abyss blinked as the sunlit underground cave disappeared, plunging into endless darkness all around.
Only she, Bulldoger, and the gray and white colors of the Dragon, with its collar of fire also standing out in that world of darkness, were visible.
"ROAAAARGH!" The roar echoed as the Dragon vanished, putting Black Abyss on high alert.
"My Goddess! [Sentinel Target Focus]!" Bulldoger roared.
A massive claw was barely discernible in the slightest amidst the darkness, emerging from the absolute blackness and striking towards Bulldoger, who raised his shield high and blocked the blow head-on.
He was a tank like Black Abyss. An offensive one, but a tank nonetheless. Even Dont's strongest attack couldn't kill him outright if he defended himself.
Black Abyss's warrior instincts urged her to raise her shield to her right, blocking a powerful tail swipe that failed to move her due to her divine equipment.
"[Great Faith Debt]!" A shockwave emanated from Black Abyss, striking the Dragon's tail, which in an instant became visible due to the golden aura that enveloped it, being immobilized by the skill.
The muffled roar, sounding like turbulent waters invisible in the darkness, made the dark ground they stood on tremble.
The Dragon emerged from the ground, covered in the golden aura that made it visible, its jaws open towards Bulldoger.
"[Great Wall]!" The NPC roared, a large wall manifesting in blue light in front of the Commander's shield.
The Dragon closed its jaws against the wall, which resisted for a moment before shattering into pieces and disappearing, halting the Dragon's advance.
"[Beast Charge]!" With his shield in front, Bulldoger was propelled by an external force, hurtling towards the Dragon like a train, causing it to roar as it took the charge full-on in its chest, pushing it several meters as the golden aura began to flicker, indicating the end of the secondary effect of Black Abyss's skill. "My Goddess! Don't stray too far!"
The Paladin nodded, using half of her daily invocations on Temple Guardians, level 50 Angels with defensive capabilities that surrounded her and Bulldoger.
The creature wasn't visible, so she positioned herself behind Bulldoger, guarding his blind spot.
"FILTHY CREATURES! YOU DARE INVADE MY HOME! ATTACK ME! AND THEN YOU SIMPLY WANT ME TO JOIN YOU! YOU ARE TRASH!" The Dragon's furious roar echoed in the dark dimension as it charged another breath of pure darkness towards the duo. Its eyes, teeth, belly, and collar betrayed it amidst the darkness.
Facing it head-on, Black Abyss aimed her shield, putting great strength into it to withstand the attack, while Bulldoger turned in the same direction.
"[Letal Defense] [Retribution Bless]" The Paladin murmured, being covered in various lights.
"[Great Blast Shield] [Big Spartan Resistance]!" Bulldoger also used skills, while a huge golden shield appeared in front of both, with dozens of small round shields surrounding the golden shield and Bulldoger's.
The Angels were commanded to raise defenses behind Bulldoger's shield in case that wasn't enough.
The powerful breath of darkness struck Bulldoger's summoned shield, cracking it as the surrounding round shields glowed.
The shield disappeared as the breath also ended.
"AGH! JUST DIE!" The Dragon roared, submerging itself in darkness again as it lost the golden aura that had surrounded it.
"It's strong!" Bulldoger growled, torn between excitement and concern for Black Abyss. "BUT IT'S ALSO A COWARD! A DIRTY COWARD WHO DARES TO ATTACK THE SUPREME! COME OUT AND FIGHT LIKE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO, NAMELESS COWARD!" He goaded the Dragon.
Black Abyss appreciated his attitude a little, as provoking the enemy was always welcome, while Bulldoger's personality felt very welcoming to her.
"ROOOAAARG! DON'T YOU DARE INSULT ME!" The Dragon appeared behind Bulldoger. "[WILD MAGIC: ABYSS MAW]!" It roared the skill that Black Abyss didn't recognize at all.
With caution, she grabbed one of the Angels by the foot and threw it to interrupt the attack.
The Angel should be able to completely nullify the attack at the cost of its life thanks to its abilities.
The paladin blinked as the Angel was simply pierced by the Dragon's teeth without resistance, disappearing into motes of light, before the Dragon opened its jaws towards Bulldoger again.
He roared defiantly, using [King's Savage Authority] and [Byakko's Warcry] as he raised his shield.
Black Abyss didn't want to take any chances, as if even the level 50 Angel's skill, which should have even absorbed a [Ganymedes] from Miia without collateral damage, had failed against the Dragon...
She quickly jumped to the Dragon's side, catching its attention with [Celestial Defy], causing it to almost jump towards her, affected by the debuff and causing great panic in Bulldoger, but then the Paladin unleashed a skill.
"[Attraction Field]!" A golden area appeared on the ground, attracting the Dragon towards it and leaving it somewhat off balance due to its size.
The black Dragon roared as it tried to regain its footing to attack the paladin.
"[Great Faith Debt]!" The shockwave appeared again and hit the Dragon, leaving it immobile for what she now knew were 2 seconds of immobilization. "[Spear of the Saintess]!" The Paladin aimed her lance at one of the Dragon's legs, firing its golden image that hooked onto it, causing damage and pulling it, making the creature fall to the ground, but the control had ended.
Or so the Dragon believed.
Black Abyss struck her shield against the golden attraction field, which shattered and formed another control effect over the Dragon.
The Paladin then aimed her shield at the creature. "[Divine Charge]!" Her shield glowed and she launched herself towards the creature, hitting it directly in the stomach.
"[Darkness Protection]!" The Dragon roared at that moment, with a kind of shadow covering it and receiving the full impact...
Black Abyss clicked her tongue as she saw her attack being negated.
The Dragon then struck her with its tail, taking advantage of the situation.
The Paladin didn't move, but she felt the damage. It wasn't insignificant, unfortunately.
"[Beast Rage] [Boost Claws] [Rip & Tear]!" Bulldoger roared as he charged at the Dragon's back with anger, earning a roar from the dark enemy as its scales were torn by Bulldoger's armored claws.
Its black and sticky blood spurted out as the bleeding and cutting damage was enhanced.
"[Dark Explosion]!" The Dragon roared, causing a wave of darkness to surge from it, pushing Bulldoger off its back and hitting Black Abyss, who placed her shield in front.
The paladin clicked her tongue again. The attack wasn't physical, and it was strong enough to bypass part of her 'block' and damage her, being especially efficient due to the elemental opposition.
(This thing... Tch. It must be approximately level 90 or higher with this power...) She complained. Feeling relieved that the damage received from the darkness was regenerating. An advantage she had against dark beings at least.
The Angels she summoned almost died from the residual darkness damage, surviving thanks to their high resistance, which spoke well of them.
"Tch... Damn lizard..." She complained again as she jumped backward, avoiding a claw from the Dragon.
...
"So the birds have returned...?" The unmatched Queen of Titania asked the Light Elf, though in such a neutral and monotone tone that the Elf seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
"Y-Yes, my queen... With the other Druids, we have been restoring the ecosystem and the environment. We used some animal records brought from Re-Estize to more or less understand which creatures were here and make an estimate of their role in the food chain..." Wanda Wonderful explained somewhat nervously.
Normally, she would enjoy how her mistresses, both Lady Dont and Lady Black Abyss, would eat her up with their eyes a bit. She was a bit of an exhibitionist by nature. That's how she was created, and that's how her clothes were. But with the current state of Queen Dont... Obviously, it wasn't the time to emphasize her curves.
"Mm... Well, I suppose that's good." She dismissed some questions, and sighed with a somewhat dead look. "Keep up the good work, Wanda." She approached the Elf and gave her a pat on her silver hair.
"A-Ah! Y-Yes, my queen!" She blushed like a tomato while trembling slightly, bowing and quickly moving away while covering her face.
The Shooter ignored the words that surely didn't come from Wanda, and surely weren't things like, 'Lady Dont touched me~,' or 'I won't wash my hair again~.'
"Ejem. Of course." She internally shook her head as she looked away.
She wanted to smile at the sight of the architectural wonder she was seeing... But she couldn't due to her mood. Still, the view was incredible.
A fortress city almost entirely made of marble. From the houses to the temples, institutions, and more, with the castle made of quartz and precious metals unimportant to Titania outside of aesthetics. Platinum, silver, and the like.
Definitely a castle worthy of Gods. Even if Titania was infinitely better. After all, a wall of this marble, while enchanted and all that, didn't have even a tenth of the durability and resistance of Titania's walls.
Sure, the aesthetics would suit Black Abyss more, but Dont wouldn't be the 'queen' of this new kingdom anyway, but someone else to whom the aesthetics fit like a glove.
She went over the plan in her head, sighing again as she massaged her temples.
Currently, she could afford to be alone for a few moments because Eyesight was monitoring her 24/7, and there were enough entities here, including Achernar, so nothing could enter or leave without the knowledge of the Queen of Titania.
She looked away, trying to distract herself with something, avoiding seeing from the corner of her eye the black ray as night shooting up from afar.
"... At least this is going well... B-... Black Abyss brought those Frost Dragons and is training them to serve as 'commercial aircraft' or tourist attractions... She even brought Ice Giants and Myconids..." She murmured to herself, at least somewhat relieved that she didn't have to deal with the paperwork of organizing the new acquisitions.
She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, causing her not to notice the black ray rising up into the sky from afar again.
Snapping out of her stupor, she snapped her fingers, and a lanky creature made of shadows emerged from her own shadow, with two horns sprouting from its metaphysical head.
"Umu... I see. The little princess agrees with our plan, I understand." Dont spoke to the Shadow Devil, who nodded, before whispering something to her.
The Queen of Titania hummed lightly, without enthusiasm, nodding with a slight grunt.
"Alright then. I want you to go back to her and tell her that we accept her terms. Keeping a blonde alive shouldn't be so difficult." She shrugged. Frowning and feeling bad remembering the 'blonde'...
The Shadow Devil nodded silently before submerging back into the darkness, disappearing from view.
The Demon felt a [Message] request, and she accepted it, ready to hear whatever nonsense came from the other side.
(Your Majesty! Lady Black Abyss and Bulldoger disappeared with a black Dragon a few seconds ago! I can't find them! There's only a small black sphere where they were fighting! I-I can't-!)
(Take me there. Put Titania on high alert. Prepare Bachelory and Alucard to appear when I give the order. Have your subordinates evacuate everyone in this area.) Dont responded instantly once her mind analyzed the first part, ordering with a serious and cold voice.
She couldn't help but release her [Aura of the Demon Queen II] accidentally, turning the grass beneath her into sharp red blades.
(Y-Yes!) The small Gorgon replied instantly, trembling on the other side of the channel as she opened a [Gate] in front of Dont to go to the place known as 'The Great Rift' by the Dwarves.
"Achernar, return to Titania. I'll call you if you're needed." She ordered towards the NPC, and entered.
She... Dont regretted what she tried to do a few days ago with those former humans... And she was... Very depressed about being at odds with Black Abyss... Again...
Therefore... Now... At least she would make sure to show her how much she really cares about her... Even if she didn't know if it would be enough...
Even if she's going alone to the battlefield... Even if Dont is a glass cannon who will die from about two hits as soon as she enters... She'll do it for her...
She didn't believe in the power of friendship, but in her own power. And she knew that, no matter what, Black Abyss was what mattered most to her.
…
"¡[DARK CHAOS]!" The dark Dragon roared as the strange wave of darkness advanced in black explosions that destroyed the shield summoned by Bulldoger.
"¡[Star of Absolution]!" Black Abyss shouted loudly, aiming her lance at the Dragon, unleashing a powerful light that shot towards it, hitting it squarely and causing huge dark gases to emanate from the impact site amid roars of pain, leaving behind a large burn.
And although the combat had begun with both sides testing each other, they were now more than trying to kill each other. They no longer underestimated each other in any sense. Everyone present knew that the other was Level 100 without a doubt.
"¡[Tigris Instant Slash]!" Bulldoger roared as his claws cut the Dragon's side at an incredible speed, causing it to roar and lash out with a tail swipe.
The dark aura now constantly surrounding the Dragon caused Bulldoger to take more damage, but he did not retreat.
Black Abyss clicked her tongue.
She had been fighting this thing for several minutes... Almost half an hour maybe... 30 minutes of endurance between Bulldoger and her, using skills, defense, and HP.
Her HP was only at 56%, while with a question to Bulldoger, his was at 60%. He had less HP, but a higher regeneration rate.
And the Dragon... Well, she couldn't estimate the damage.
This was an evenly matched battle.
A creature specialized in attack and stealth, surely, against two tanks. But the former was also very resistant, preventing the tanks from causing him much damage.
Black Abyss's specialty was defense and CC above all, with high offensive capability, although her ability to deal divine and light damage seemed useful against the creature of darkness.
On the other hand, Bulldoger had more defense, but greater attack power in terms of skills overall, being the main cause of damage in a combo with Black Abyss and her CC. Of course, in comparative terms, both Black Abyss and Bulldoger had the same level of physical damage, but Bulldoger was a being focused purely on the physical realm, while Black Abyss was distributed a little more in the magical realm.
But the Dragon kept casting buffs and strange things that not even Black Abyss's skills could remove, or things that pierced through the duo's defenses.
The Paladin jumped back, preventing the spears of darkness from piercing her from the ground.
Right. There was also the disadvantage of the terrain.
They were in this Dragon's domain.
And Black Abyss had already used all her daily summons of mid-level Angels...
Bulldoger stood up, practically ignoring the damage and growling like a tiger facing another.
"STAY DOWN! [VOID HELL]!"
Before the strange ability, Bulldoger stepped back a few steps while growling, and shadows ethereally pierced all over the body of the Beast Knight, pushing him down with a powerful gravitational effect.
Black Abyss saw him tense up as he clenched his fists. But like a Level 100 being with incredible resistances, he stood up with a leap towards the Dragon with his tower shield in one hand.
The beast snorted irritably as it spun to strike Bulldoger with its tail from the opposite side.
The tail was stopped by Black Abyss's shield as she thrust her lance into it, using it as support to jump onto the great tail, running along the back of the large Dragon.
"¡[Great Faith Debt]!" She released the skill again, containing all the creature's movements as she jumped towards its neck, delivering a great slash with her blade, burning it with the divine energy she possessed.
"ROOOOOAAAAAR! ENOUGH! [WILD MAGIC: BREAK CHAINS]!" The dark Dragon roared, with a silver aura appearing around its body for a moment, before it struck a paw towards the ground, causing countless spears of darkness to emerge from the 'ground'.
Bulldoger placed his shield against the ground, avoiding the damage as the spears lifted him, and Black Abyss only flapped her wings to fly over the attack the Dragon had already made before.
But a roar from the creature caused the spears to separate from the ground and begin to fly in all directions, turning the air into a deadly trap.
Black Abyss threw her lance towards Bulldoger, who caught it, being taken by it to the ground, where simply by holding his shield up he could defend himself without spending his skills.
Still, the spears in the air then aimed towards Black Abyss, shooting towards her.
…
Dont crossed [Gate] with her combat team in tow.
Her rifle was loaded with level 10 ammunition imbued with divine and explosive elements, intended to heal Black Abyss and deal greater damage to a Black Dragon. That's what Eyesight described as the enemy.
Upon appearing in the dusty ruins of what used to be the surface of the Great Rift, Dont surveyed her surroundings and found the 'object in question'.
A black sphere the size of a basketball floating amidst the devastation.
"[Demon Queen Body: Wings]." She commanded, causing her 'official wings' to sprout from her back – three pairs of wings with black blades edged in red, and with symbols resembling grayish-white halos floating behind them. Dont flapped them.
Her level of seriousness was something few had seen in this world.
She ascended and approached the sphere.
She had a buff from Eyesight that would allow her to withstand a surprise attack with a 50% reduction in damage, so she waited another second, ready to launch an instant counterattack. Nothing.
She furrowed her brow and clicked her tongue.
She should retreat and use weaker units to distract any enemies...
But...
Black Abyss was in danger. So she was willing to risk her life.
She stared intently at the black sphere. She couldn't see anything... But she could select targets. There were three targets within the sphere... No, wait, four? Did the sphere count as a target?
... She shouldn't delay any longer... But... What to do?
Dont blinked.
She felt a healing effect surrounding her, although it healed nothing. And an 'extra HP shield' was added to her HP bar.
... She recognized that effect... It was one of Black Abyss's ultimate abilities. Something the Paladin wouldn't use for just any reason.
Ignoring all precautions, Dont grabbed the sphere with one hand.
And she was absorbed by the darkness.
…
"¡[WILD MAGIC: GREAT DARKNESS LIMBO]"
The darkness of the black dimension writhed as Black Abyss stood between the dark 'entrails' that compressed her and Bulldoger.
The damage didn't affect her for 1 more second, healing the NPC who had been ordered to stay on guard.
However, after that second, the effect ended, and she had to activate a daily use ability that reduced the damage to avoid suffering so much from the attack she was containing.
The darkness continued to twist, forcing Black Abyss to retreat as the damage began to accumulate.
She could see Bulldoger on guard, blocking the damage that the darkness was hurling at him.
"AJAJAJAJA! THAT'S IT! DIE! YOU FILTHY PLAYERS! DIE AS ALL OF YOUR KIND SHOULD BE DOING!" The giant black Dragon laughed maniacally, as after almost 1 hour, he was finally pushing back the duo.
"¡[Lion's Guard]!" Bulldoger roared, further reducing the damage he was receiving while efficiently blocking the darkness.
Black Abyss clicked her tongue as she saw how the darkness barely receded with her [Divine Presence V], although the damage was lesser while she had it active. She had tested it.
And yet... They were losing.
Her Mana was running out by this point, and she had used several of her daily limit abilities.
She even used one of her trump cards to heal Bulldoger and give him the chance to survive longer.
Even so, she still had one Ultimate left and... Of course... There was still that... But she stared at the Dragon intently, more specifically at the flaming collar it had...
"We have to take it off... That collar, it has something... I don't know, but... I feel it..." A hunch, nothing more than that, but she felt it in all its splendor. It was an instinct. A response revealed by the bright sunlight.
"Yes!" Bulldoger nodded as he pushed back the darkness with a thrust of his shield. He would obey his Goddess's command. Such was his duty. "¡[Prey Killing]!" He roared, causing a blood-like aura to emanate from him and push back the darkness.
The Dragon was about to unleash a breath... But it felt something. Something that shouldn't happen.
It looked to the side with its dark and white eyes and used its mastery over the dimension of darkness.
…
Dont blinked as the dark world welcomed her.
Using her incredibly sharp senses, she saw a huge dark and gray Dragon in the distance, alongside Bulldoger and Black Abyss on one side.
The Dragon looked at her and disappeared.
Only for its presence to be felt beside her.
"¡[Hellfire Skin]!" She quickly shouted, her body surrounded by black embers, before a claw struck her.
An explosion of black fire blocked the claw as Dont used an ability to move behind the Dragon.
She aimed her rifle and fired without hesitation.
The divine bullet hit the Dragon's back squarely, causing a white cross to explode with enough force to destroy mountains on the creature's back.
The dark being roared in pain as it writhed, causing spears of darkness to emerge from the 'ground' toward Dont.
The Queen of Titania used the same ability as before to appear behind Black Abyss from a distance, avoiding the attack.
She saw Black Abyss struggling with the darkness and quickly changed the configuration of her weapon, firing towards her.
The intense explosion of light hit Black Abyss directly, pushing the darkness away from her, although it didn't extend far enough to hit Bulldoger.
"Black Abyss!" She shouted in a mixture of relief, surprise, and other emotions towards her as she sharpened her senses in case the Dragon tried another trick.
"Tch…" The Paladin clicked her tongue, then sighed, composing herself and looking at Dont, who noticed the cuts on the Paladin's skin, although she wasn't bleeding. "I'm not going to explain anything, we need to remove the collar. I don't know what it does, and he hasn't used it either, but it must be important." She said to the newly arrived Shooter.
"Collar? Oh, right…" Dont looked at the Dragon writhing in divine pain before shaking itself and looking directly at the group. She recognized the collar, which had some kind of fiery thing shining. "Umu… Heal yourself with a couple of potions and your [Divine Presence V]. I'll keep it busy…"
"Hmp…" Black Abyss let out a sigh, taking a few steps back, not leaving a defensive position but starting to search her inventory, pulling out a large red potion…
Dont felt a little bad about her response... but she shook off the feeling. It wasn't the time for it.
"Bulldoger, stay on the defensive and silent. Boost your healing with [Greater Wild Survivor] if you still have uses left." Dont ordered.
The Commander couldn't do anything to protest and remained with his shield up as he waited for his natural regeneration to heal his depleted HP. He had no uses of that ability left, as he had used them up after that Dragon used incredibly strong unknown abilities, so he only had his normal regeneration left.
Dont looked at the Dragon, and it wasn't where she had left it.
"Umu… So the little lizard wants to play." She growled, very annoyed. "Why don't you show yourself so I can appreciate my prey?" She taunted.
It seemed to work a bit when a claw emerged from the darkness towards her.
Dont used her ability [Step Back] to return to where she had shot the Dragon, then used another ability to appear behind it.
She felt like she was underwater as she noticed Black Abyss and Bulldoger as two vaguely visible masses above her…
She was below the ground.
"Fu~ Some alone time then~?" She asked the Dragon, deciding to put on an act of cheekiness and haughtiness, putting her conflicting emotions about Black Abyss on the back burner due to the moment.
The black Dragon didn't hesitate to roar amid the 'water' and release a breath of darkness.
Dont quickly moved out of the path of the attack with a flutter, fortunately avoiding hitting her companions by collateral.
"Why don't you tell me your name~? I'd hate to remember such an impressive opponent as 'Black Dragon' and nothing more~"
"Tch! Dare you attack me without knowing who I am!? Typical of you, Emperor Dragon's trash…" It hissed venomously, practically spewing poison from its mouth. Metaphorically speaking.
"Well. I assure you we had no idea there was a Black Dragon around here. If that were the case, we would have sent an extermination team to kill you days ago~" Dont taunted, earning a growl from the Dragon.
"Grr… Tremble in fear, damned Player! For I am the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord! Cakonyiius Malavernus!" It shouted from within the liquid darkness.
It would probably be harming Black Abyss if she were submerged, but Dont had natural resistances to darkness as a Demon, and even more as a high-level one.
"Mm~? Very long and difficult. Is it okay if I call you Cako~?" She taunted again, showing a wide and playful smile. But inwardly, Dont remained incredibly cautious.
She had heard and received reports of the Dragon Lords. The Councilors of the Argland Council, and the founder of the Draconic Kingdom… But never of this one.
It was a threat that had put Black Abyss and Bulldoger against the ropes… They were two offensive tanks, with great damage resistance and regeneration capabilities.
And considering the very short time that had passed, this thing had to have incredible damage to put them like this. The two of them should be able to last for hours without getting exhausted between them.
Bulldoger was built to deliver incredible counterattacks and burst damage before defending himself, and with Black Abyss's divine damage and others, they should have more or less matched his level of damage against a Dark Dragon, as well as resisted a great deal of time between the two. This creature… Was strong.
Surviving against Black Abyss one on one was already surprising. Surviving with a Titania Commander, Bulldoger, and the Paladin at the same time, was a sign of how dangerous this Dragon was.
Silently, she used her [Demon Eyes] to see an approximation of the target's HP. Its HP was around level 50. So it must be very weak.
She frowned as she saw its HP quickly rise from level 50 to level 54.
(I see. So that's how it lasted so long against those two… Either it has an incredibly high regeneration rate, or this place is healing it, or it has a regeneration ability, or it's that collar… Hm… I can think of several more possibilities… But those seem the most obvious…)
Neither Black Abyss nor Bulldoger could have seen the Lord Dragon's HP, so they hadn't detected the problem.
She considered all the information she could gather from these few moments as she watched the Dragon charge at her.
She used an ability to appear behind the Dragon and shot it with tier 8 fire damage.
The tar covering the Dragon seemed to quickly spread the fire before being suffocated by the lack of enough oxygen in this liquid darkness.
'Cako' shot another breath of darkness, and Dont used another ability to retreat in her instant movement, returning to where she had been before.
Anyway. She already knew what she had to do.
So she sighed as she prepared for battle alongside two tired tanks.
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Name: Bulldoger
Creators: MichiXMichi
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