Chapter 39: Gleipnir (4)
Azrail Astaroth Pov:
"Alright. I've decided…"
The Strongest Dragon King pointed her index finger towards me as the Dragon Aura around her subsided, and with a strangely charming smile, she continued.
"From now on, I'll teach you how to fight until you can bring out your full potential and give me a challenge…"
"What…?"
And here I thought things couldn't get any weirder.
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"What? You don't want to learn from me?"
Tiamat narrowed her eyes at me and tossed Hydra on the ground, only for him to let out an annoyed groan.
"That fucking hurts…"
However, that wasn't what caught my attention.
'I didn't sense anything. No movements in Tiamat's magic power or even the slightest fluctuations in her Dragon Aura...'
Somehow, the three of us found ourselves standing on the ground far away from the devastation caused by [Gravity Collapse], even though we were flying mid-air moments before.
It wasn't surprising that the Strongest Dragon King could forcefully transport me somewhere, but the fact that I couldn't sense anything did come off as a surprise.
After all, my senses were top-notch, even without counting the buff from [Gravity Detection].
"Is something wrong?" Tiamat gave me a mischievously playful smile. "You seem rather surprised…"
"You don't have to play along with her, or she'll keep messing with you…" Alice appeared next to me and turned towards the dragon. "Lady Tiamat, isn't it time you stopped picking random strangers to train them as a means of entertainment?"
"My, if it isn't Alice… I thought you wouldn't show your face here for at least half a century." Tiamat's smile widened ever so slightly. "As for him, I'll keep him here with me for a while…"
"You can't do that. Azrail has many important things to do, and entertaining your whims isn't one of them."
Alice was firm with her reply.
'If it weren't for my lifespan issues and the things I need to do within the next few years, being trained by the Strongest Dragon King isn't a bad choice... She's bound to know about many things—from forbidden magic to hidden treasures, and it'd also help me learn more about dragons and their special abilities in general…'
However, I'd still prefer the training to be on my terms because there was a place I needed to visit soon.
"To think the little girl who used to hide behind Beelzebub upon seeing me has grown enough to talk back…" Tiamat's Dragon Aura surged as she continued, and Alice frowned. "But you don't think I'll listen simply because you said so, right?"
"You behave like this whenever I come here, and then you'll ask me why I don't visit often…"
"Watch your tone, Alice."
"Don't wanna…"
Tiamat grinned at Alice's words, and moments later—
Clang!*
The two of them disappeared from their spots, reappearing mid-air as the sword in Alice's hand clashed with Tiamat's palm, which had turned into a dragon's claw with celestial blue scales on it.
Alice's sword trembled, indicating that despite her best efforts, she couldn't overpower Tiamat in raw physical strength, not even being able to make the latter budge.
Alice activated [Way of the Wind] and backed away from Tiamat, only to then raise her hand towards her opponent as a magic circle appeared in front of her.
Tiamat did the same, raising her hand and creating a magic circle at her fingertip.
"[Dragon's Breath]."
"[Hellfire]."
Funnily enough, the one who used the spell called [Dragon's Breath] wasn't the Dragon King, but Alice.
The bright orange flames from Alice's [Dragon's Breath] collided with the pale blue flames from Tiamat's [Hellfire], and—
BOOM!*
A loud explosion occurred mid-air, enveloping the entire Familiar Forest in a bright light.
'As much as I like the thought of women fighting over me, this isn't what I had in mind…'
But I wasn't much worried about it.
While Alice still maintained the barrier to contain [Gravity Collapse]'s after-effects, Tiamat protected the Familiar Forest from their battle with another barrier.
'Even though Alice didn't mention Tiamat in her lore drop, they seem to have some history beyond simple business acquaintances…'
Despite her actions, it wasn't hard to tell that Tiamat was pleased by Alice's presence, and their interactions weren't like strangers, either.
Not to mention, Alice, for some reason, was behaving like a rebellious teenager right now.
I hadn't seen her act like that ever.
'Well, I doubt any of them is going all out, so it's fine…'
From what I knew, Alice's all-out meant using [Incinerate Anthem] to fight her opponent, and as for Tiamat, her maximum should be the infamous [Outrage] of dragons.
And that was without mentioning how Alice also owned a sword embedded with Dragon Slayer Magic, something that'd be much more handy in fighting Tiamat than an ordinary magic sword.
'More importantly…'
With those thoughts in mind, I turned towards the Nine-Headed Hydra, who quietly stared at the devastation within Alice's barrier with a bland face.
"My lair is all gone… I spent over a decade building it…"
'The way he talks changed…'
Our eyes met, and I was at a loss for words after getting a proper look at the snake's face.
'What the hell is this…'
Apart from some minor differences here and there, like sharp fangs and slit, snake-like pupils, Hydra looked the spitting image of me when I was five, with short black hair and blood-red eyes.
If someone saw us together, they'd mistake us for brothers.
'Did Father visit the Familiar Forest often? No. That can't be since Hydra's been around for more than even our race—Forget it...'
That wasn't important.
"Look at what you've done, bastard…" Hydra glared at me with a strangely disgusted and frustrated expression, which seemed out of place on his childish face. "Not only did you destroy the entirety of my body, but now, I can't even access most of my strength until I heal completely…"
"From what I can tell, your body has healed already…"
Not only was Hydra's body in perfect condition, there weren't any wounds on his body, either.
"I've only healed enough to take on this human form. My original body is still regenerating continuously..."
'I see, so that's how it is…'
Hydra's regenerative speed was enough to heal his human form within seconds, but his completely obliterated original body would require more time.
Then again, considering how much mass his original form had, it made sense.
"How weak are you exactly?"
Hydra's expression worsened at those words, and he growled. "Even weaker than a High-Class Devil…"
'Let's try that now when he's weak…'
A rather intriguing idea appeared in my mind, and with those thoughts in mind, I asked.
"And how long will it take to heal your original body?"
"At least a few weeks. If it were only a single head, it would've healed immediately, but the more heads I lose, the more time it takes to heal…"
"That means you don't have your strength right now?"
"Didn't I say that already—!" Hydra paused mid-sentence when he noticed my expression, unintentionally taking a step. "Hey… Why are you grinning? I said I won't be your familiar. Now leave…"
Those words only made my grin widen. "I won't be so sure about that…"
"Hey, stop… Stay away!"
"Now, now, don't be like that. Let's get along..."
"Let go of me…! I'll bite you!"
"Go ahead. I've already taken the antidote to your poison."
"N-No….!!!!"
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"They're still at it, huh…"
I leaned back on the chair, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bucket on my lap before bringing it to my mouth.
Following that, I gulped the cold drink from the cup that levitated in front of me, leisurely looking up in the purple sky.
"Oh. That's a new one…"
Thousands of meters above the Familiar Forest, Alice and Tiamat were still fighting against each other; from close-range combat to long-range magic battles, they fought in every possible method.
I also saw many fascinating spells from the two of them, making sure to copy everything I could and store the data to develop some personal custom spells later.
"You've grown a lot, Alice. I also learned some new tricks while resting here, so I'll test them on you…"
Tiamat's Dragon Aura surged, and she raised her hand forward, creating thousands of arrows made out of darkness aimed at her opponent.
'Damn. Tiamat's proficiency in [Darkness Magic] is surprisingly high, and she can even use [Shadow Construction]…'
It was the first time I met someone who used [Darkness Magic] other than myself. After all, most people I knew or experimented on had darkness manipulation as their inherent ability, like Dhampir and Vampires, rather than a skill they learned.
'And to construct so many arrows without burden. As expected of a dragon king, her magic power reserves are massive…'
Alice also condensed her demonic power, and her grip around the hilt of her sword tightened before the thousands of pitch-black arrows charged towards her.
"I'd be careful if I were you…" Tiamat raised her forearm, and with a small smile, she elegantly snapped her fingers. "[Reverse]."
As her words finished, half of the arrows made of darkness instantly transformed into light arrows, which not only granted them an increase in speed and lethality but also an inherent advantage against a Devil like Alice.
'She finally used it…'
While it was rare, a handful of Dragons had developed their custom abilities aside from their basic ones. No one knew how that phenomenon occurred, but there was no doubt it was legit.
Some examples would include the Red Dragon Emperor's 'Boost' and 'Transfer,' White Dragon Emperor's 'Divide' and 'Absorption,' and Prison Dragon Vritra's 'Absorption' and 'Transfer.'
Naturally, as the strongest of the Five Great Dragon Kings, Tiamat was no exception.
She could forcefully reverse the characteristics of supernatural powers and items, whether they belonged to her or not, causing an inverse effect.
But despite it being such a fantastic skill, not many people were aware of [Reverse] these days because Tiamat hadn't used it in a long time.
The only reason I knew was because Grigori had been researching that ability for a while now, trying to replicate it through a spell called [Reversal]—something I learned from the memories of a dead Fallen Angel.
However, much to my regret, the Fallen Angel wasn't someone who had the spell formation of [Reversal].
'The magic frequency shifted from darkness to light without even the slightest bit of delay. Even though I knew about it, seeing it myself is much better…'
'And the proficiency and potency of Light produced is as good as the [Darkness Magic] she used…'
'Wait. If I could somehow use [Reverse] on my [Darkness Magic] in the future, wouldn't the potency of the [Light] created from it be even higher than an Angel's [Light Power]…'
'Not to mention the thought of creating [Holy Power] by reversing [Demonic Power]…'
Holy Power used by the Biblical God and Demonic Power created by Lucifer existed on opposite frequencies.
One governed phenomena such as divine blessings, miracles, and mercy, while the other only focused on materialising the user's desires.
'That'd give me one hell of an advantage against beings like Devils, Vampires, Youkai, and Monsters…'
'The advantages only increase if I can convert someone's Light Power into Darkness and absorb their attacks…'
I carefully observed the battle as Alice kept slashing through the countless arrows of light and darkness with her swords, ensuring that none would hit her body.
"Amazing…" Tiamat smiled at the blonde's marvellous display of swordsmanship, crossing her arms. "You managed to destroy each one of those arrows without failure…"
The swords in Alice's hands vanished before she activated [Way of the Wind], disappearing from her position and reappearing in front of me.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"Of course…" Tiamat appeared on the opposite side. "I'd expect nothing less from our little Alice…"
"I told you not to call me that…"
"Your behaviour saddens me, Alice. Even I have feelings…" The Dragon King's smile widened, and she briefly glanced at me as she continued. "I won't mind if you still behaved like you did back in the day, so don't be too hard on yourself to act like a grown-up…"
Taking the hint, I interrupted their conversation. "Back in the day?"
"Yes… Alice would come running towards me with tears after being scared by some monster in the Familiar Forest. She used to be so lovely, calling me 'Big Sis Tia' and all…"
Alice's face turned red at those words. "Lady Tiamat, please don't talk about that in front of Azrail…!"
"Then…" The smile on Tiamat's face remained unchanged. "Call me 'Big Sis Tia' like old times, and I might consider it."
"Gah…"
Since there was no reply from Alice except for a low growl, I turned towards her. "By the way, how do you two know each other?"
"You haven't even told your student about me? How inconsiderate, Alice. I thought you'd at least tell him where most of his teachings came from…"
"Wait a minute…" I exchanged glances between Alice and Tiamat. "Then, she is…"
"My teacher…" Alice finally spilled the beans, letting out a small sigh. "She's the one who taught me hand-to-hand combat, magic, swordsmanship, and everything I know in general…"
"Wasn't Ajuka the one who taught you magic, though?"
"That's only true for the advanced spells I learned in his laboratory. My Lord isn't a good teacher since most things come naturally to him. Even though he 'taught' me, I mostly learned everything other than how to control my sacred gear by myself…"
'Now that I think about it, Alice didn't mention Ajuka teaching her anything besides how to control [Incinerate Anthem] in her childhood…'
I was the one who assumed he taught her to fill in the gaps in her backstory.
"So he knows about [Incinerate Anthem]…"
Tiamat looked at me from the corner of her eyes, and Alice nodded.
"Some things happened, but that's not important right now…"
"You're right…" Both Tiamat and Alice looked next to me with rather weird expressions. "So, what are you doing with him?"
On my right was Hydra, being held down to the ground on all fours by hands stretching out of my shadow.
While the other hands held him in place, one hand was continuously spanking his bare cheeks at a speed of twenty spanks per second for the past half an hour.
Thanks to the [Sound Barrier] surrounding him, whatever he shouted inside didn't make it outside to disturb our conversation.
"Asserting dominance."
It was Hydra's pre-familiar training. After all, the snake was notoriously considered the most 'evil' familiar, so he had to be disciplined before being tamed.
It'd make me look bad if he started to doubt the hierarchy after regaining his strength, so he needed to learn that now.
Tiamat and Alice gave me somewhat weird looks, and with a small smile, I turned towards Hydra.
"How about it now? Are you willing to make a familiar contract with me?"
For a split second, the [Sound Barrier] around Hydra fluctuated, and—
"I'll kill you, bastard! Release me this—!"
I reactivated the barrier before the snake could finish his words.
"It seems like I have no other choice…"
A sixth hand emerged from my shadow, increasing the speed of Hydra's spanking to forty spanks per second.
"You seriously..."
Alice seemed like she had given up on me while Tiamat giggled to herself.
"That's a rather unique method for taming a familiar, I won't lie."
'I wonder how they'd react if they knew that the original plan was to toss Hydra into an enormous mixer grinder until he became obedient…'
Well, it was still a backup plan in case the spanking wasn't enough to tame the snake completely, but there was no point in telling that to someone.
"On that note..." Tiamat turned towards Alice, gaining the latter's attention. "How much have you taught him?"
"Most of the basics… Why do you ask?"
"Since I'll teach him from now on, I need to know what his current level is."
"I said you can't do that…!"
"Why? Is it because of his depleted life force?"
Alice paused at Tiamat's words, and her eyes widened slightly.
'She figured that out without even making physical contact with me… Then again, I'd expect nothing less from a dragon who has existed since before the times that a long-lived species like devils consider ancient….'
Without waiting for Alice to reply, Tiamat turned towards me with a smile. "How about it? Not only will you be trained under the Chaos Karma Dragon, but I'll also help heal your lifespan. A pretty good deal, right?"
There was no doubt that it was an enticing deal—one where I had nothing to lose.
Not only would I be trained by the same person who trained Alice, but she'd also heal my lifespan without me doing anything.
However…
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
After experiencing death once already, I wanted much more than simply healing my life force.
"Why?"
"As Alice said, I have some important things to do…" I smiled at the Dragon King, and she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "However, if you can wait for some time, I'll be more than happy to learn from the Chaos Karma Dragon herself…"
"How long?"
I raised my right hand forward. "Five years."
"Hmm…" Tiamat stared at me with a serene expression for a few seconds, only to then let out a heartfelt laugh. "He's a lot better than you were at his age, Alice. Back then, you didn't even have the guts to talk back even in Beelzebub's presence, much less state your mind like this…"
"You were in your original form back then. What was I supposed to do but hide behind the only adult available?"
"While that may be true…" Tiamat's smile didn't change as she continued while looking into my eyes. "I highly doubt his reaction would change even if I were in my original form. Isn't that right?"
Our conversation continued for around half an hour, and for the most part, it solely focused on Alice's embarrassing childhood memories.
By then, Hydra also agreed to form a familiar contract with me after receiving a little over seventy thousand spanks.
"In the name of Azrail Astaroth, I command thee to accept this pact and dedicate his blood, flesh, and soul to serving me until death do us part."
A magic circle appeared under the defeated Hydra's body, and moments later, the 'familiar contract' between us became effective.
"Hold on…" Alice exchanged glances between me and the magic circle on the ground. "The chant is different from the usual, and even the spell formation seems altered..."
From Tiamat's gaze, it wasn't hard to tell that she was curious about it, too.
"I only modified the original contract a bit."
It was a side quest I did while working on another spell inside my consciousness.
A magic circle appeared next to me, revealing the specifics of the contract between Hydra and I.
"Rather than a familiar contract, isn't this more of a slave contract?"
"Considering how notoriously evil Nine-Headed Hydra is, this is the least amount of precautions…" With a smile, I turned towards the unconscious Hydra at my feet. "And I have a lot of things for him to do…"
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[Darkness Magic Research Laboratory.]
"Master…"
The moment Elmenhilde's eyes landed on me, the strength in her legs disappeared, and she fell to her knees.
"I thought something had happened because even though the laboratories survived, I never heard anything from you…"
Through [Sound Magic], I could tell how she was genuinely relieved upon noticing that nothing happened to me.
'It worked...'
While fighting for my life against Lyra, I ordered Great Sage to do something in case I managed to survive that encounter.
The contents of the order were simple.
{Great Sage, in case Elmenhilde is inside the laboratories when I survive, don't stop the self-destruction protocol until the last second and let her escape through a 'pre-determined' [Transportation Magic Circle] that I created for her 'in advance'…}
I had already implanted the idea that she was important to me in Elmenhilde's head over the last few months, and now, the fact that I created an escape route for her in case of emergencies would let her know how much I cared for her.
Ever since the accident, Great Sage and I had monitored her through the cameras in my laboratories and the Karnstein Castle, and her development was in line with what I wanted it to be.
While I wasn't around, Elmenhilde became extremely anxious and nervous.
It was only for three weeks, but she had already experienced both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
Psychological symptoms were from not having me around to order her, while physical symptoms were from not drinking my blood for over a week.
Thanks to that, her mental state was at its weakest right now.
'It wouldn't be a stretch to say that she's entirely dependent on me now—both mentally and physically…'
That thought made me smile a little.
Currently, Elmenhilde most likely believed that I cared for her enough to set her free if something happened to me.
However, if I hadn't survived, she would've perished with me and the laboratories.
But she had no reason to know that.
"Elmen…"
I crouched in front of Elmenhilde, and my right hand gently caressed her cheek.
"Since you worked so hard on the previous experiment, I'll let you drink as much blood as you want directly from my body as a reward…"
The vampire's eyes slowly widened in ecstasy, and they had tears building up in them as a smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you, Master…"
Looking at her expression, I couldn't help but smile a little.
'The process of breaking down Elmenhilde with fear and power has finished…'
Now, what remained was to build her back up into someone who willingly devoted her entire existence to me with some kindness, compassion, and love.
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Words: 3,686
Total words: 1,54,286
A/N:
If the power stones reach 400 before this week ends, I'll upload a chapter tomorrow, too. (Fic is falling in ranks and views, help)
I'll upload the character sheets and upload Mc's status in some chapters after the power development happens.
Life update: Better than before, not completely healed. I'll let a meme explain my current situation.