[Kuzan's POV]
I made my way over to the so-called 'dungeon.'
Of course, I had figured out their plans long ago, when I first read Isabel's memories.
'To bait a nation to act as your exterminator, brilliant!'
Unfortunately, their careful planning and schemes were flushed down the drain as soon as I decided to make the 'dungeon' my next 'project.'
'I'm looking forward to what they'll do...' I had laid down the trap; now all that was left was to see if they bit.
I had given them a chance by leaving Garfield in Isabel's care, but it was for them to take.
'Will they let their fear get the better of them and proceed with their original plan, or will they use it as motivation to not do something stupid?'
Regardless, I knew I would soon be in a world of fun.
'But first,' I wiped the saliva that had unknowingly started to flow out of my mouth, 'it's time to enjoy this meal.'
'[Martial Mirage]'
[Narrator's POV]
The ground quaked under the image that this mere boy conjured up. The trees wrestled as they were pulled from the ground to make space for his body.
It was not of a devil, seeking to devour your soul, and neither was it of Buddha seeking to save it.
It was something new, something different... something that caused the Basilisk Queen to come out of her hibernation to defend her 'meal.'
"Swishhhh..." it hissed as it emerged from the entrance of the cave, with its gigantic body following soon after.
Despite its rapid speed, it still took several seconds for it to completely evacuate the cave, as it was simply too massive, at least twice the size of a Serpent King.
"HISSSSS!" It let out a war cry before jumping onto its enemy.
To it, it looked like an even larger snake that had entered into its domain.
[Narrator's POV]
There's an old saying, popular in East Asian folklore, about how a snake, after a great period of growth, finally finishes its metamorphosis...
And becomes a dragon.
"Awooooo!" The beasts of the forest howled in unison in both fear and defeat, as they ran farther and farther away from the center of the forest, for they knew that a fight between two Kings was about to take place.
The Queen took the initiative, moving first, snapping its powerful and venomous jaws into its opponent.
The serpent expected to at least be able to crack through its enemy's scales, if not completely immobilize them with its venom.
But it only grew confused, as its body simply 'passed through' its enemy, as if it were a ghost.
Instead, it smashed its jaws into a tree, which ripped in two easily, with its position causing it to dissolve into a puddle of sludge soon after due to its venom.
It peaked its head up high, reaching much higher than the surrounding trees, which was a statement considering that most of the forest's trees were at least 20 meters tall.
Unfortunately, it only grew more nervous, still not being able to track its enemy, as he had simply...
Disappeared.
It was only after the Queen heard some unfamiliar sounds from inside her cave that she realized...
She had been tricked.
[A few moments ago...]
[Kuzan's POV]
'[Flash]'
I had also determined long before coming here how I would 'go about' this fight.
My first goal had always been strength, with my passion for having fun following soon after.
'However, only a fool enters into a battle unprepared.'
Although I was sure that I would somehow be able to kill the snake without its strength, it was an unnecessary handicap.
I had long gotten past that state of holding myself to their standards, as my desire for strength even outweighs my desire for a death match.
'Only a fool enters into a fight when not at their best.'
It was too delicious of a meal to forgo and wait any longer, and if it meant having to trick that pesky little snake into slithering away out of its cave...
'then so be it.'
I rushed past the stony walls surrounding me, as I made my way closer to the source of my happiness.
I was quick, as I knew I only had mere moments before the Basilisk Queen learned of my deception.
'I have no time left to spare...'
"Haaa, haaaa," I panted for the first time in a long time after acquiring that unicorn's genes that worked perfectly to enhance my stamina.
But pushing my body to its limits to reach my destination had been worth it...
My eyes gazed upon the magnificent trophy of the Dryads that they had kept locked away and hidden deep underground in the deepest part of the cave system.
It was a room of gigantic proportions, as if specifically carved to meet its 'occupant's' dimensions, which lay perfectly still in the middle of the expanse.
Although the creature was long dead, I could see it clearly, its strength that I could only dream of possessing in my previous world.
'It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen...' However, despite my wonder, I could not afford to waste time.
Thus, I simply climbed its gigantic body and shoved my hand into one of its gigantic eyeballs, causing it to become draped in blood.
Words could not describe the ecstasy that I felt in my heart. The dream that I had carried within me across three different planes of existence, and even after death, was finally so close to complete...
'I've achieved it.'
[Processing Sample...]
My blood boiled.
'Natural strength.'
[Purification of Sample Initiated]
My hair combusted into flakes.
'Pure strength.'
Until finally...
[Assimilating Gene Sequence to Host]
'Inhuman strength.'
My heart stopped its beat.
[Stubborn's POV]
"Chechecheche..." a low sound could be heard breaking the tranquility of the camp, frightening the many soldiers on guard.
"What's wrong, Stubborn? Is something the matter with the Goldfang?" the Prince asked with worry, having taken especially good care of the 'present' given to us by the Dryads as it would be a gift to his dear sister.
"I'll go check, my liege," I got off my horse and checked the roof of our carriage, which the beast had made its home.
My eyebrows rose at its behavior, as I finally understood what it was doing,
'It's laughing?'
[Unknown POV]
"Is something the matter, my Queen?"
I had seen her growing up since young, to become what she is today.
Thus, I knew that face.
"How bad is it?"
It only appeared once, when she realized her father's impending death.
"Is there anything we can do?"
I could see her gritting her teeth, until blood started tapering off her face.
"Tell me, Al—"
"A calamity is upon us, Lastrange."
She cut me off, looking at me with bloodstained eyes.
"It is impossible to prepare for."
She spoke with resolve.
"It is impossible to avoid."
I accepted the truth, for her words were not without proof.
"We must meet it head-on, or face the consequences."
'That's just like her.'
However, her words filled me with hope.
"So there is a way to stop it?"
"No, Lastrange," she cut off my thoughts, "but there is a way to minimize our losses."
I thanked the Lord for his gift, as once again, we would be able to avoid a hardship.
It was her gift that had saved the nation from collapse time and time again, until it finally became the powerhouse it is today.
The Queen's Gift, the Gift of Calamity.
[Unknown POV]
They awoke, all of them, at once, from their deep slumbers.
They contacted each other through their own means, despite being nations apart.
Even the council had awoken.
And they were ecstatic with joy.
"Who's the lucky one?"
Although they were a proud and selfish race, even they still had their moments of unity.
"Which one of you couples did it?"
Relationships among their kind were rare, however, they were deeply encouraged, especially by the council.
"Come on, don't be shy," an elderly voice boomed through their heads, filled with expectation and longing.
However, they all grew confused, for no one would take the honor of the claim.
There was no reason to hide it, for usually, the couples with children would be prided with joy, screaming at the tip of their lungs about the continuation of their lineage.
It was a matter of pride for them, a matter of strength, as to them, only the strongest of them was worthy enough to have their lineage continue.
The mother would, of course, be especially proud of being blessed with a child, a fortune few of them experienced.
But it would usually be the father screaming to high heaven about his 'strength,' as he hoped to attract more females with his accomplishment, which would flock to him to pass on their bloodlines as well.
Jealousy was a scary thing among their kind after all, especially among their females.
"Who was it?"
Although such a situation was rare, it did happen, when a female dragon's strength far surpassed her husband's, or when the husband was too scared to take credit for the accomplishment, for fear of the 'joy' that awaited him.
The world trembled, for the collective anger of the females of their species was a calamity in itself.
A red glint took over their eyes, as even three of the five members of the council were part of this group themselves.
At the same time, the last two members of the group slowly shook their heads in sorrow, for the fate that awaited one of their 'lucky' brothers, whose identity was still unknown.
They could feel it in their blood—the birth of a new king...
The oldest of the council was most glad.
"Find him."
[Kuzan's POV]
Blood poured out of my orifices.
From my eyes, from my ears, from my mouth, and even from my nails.
My life was wilting away as my brain was under mental anguish from the pain.
My muscles swelled with strength, as I could feel my 'compact form' being pushed to its absolute limit as my body broke its limits trying to contain its newfound power.
Horrid screams would surely have echoed throughout the cave if my throat wasn't choking with blood.
Or would they?'
Or would it be screams of joy, coming from the now still heart of the boy who had surpassed his dreams?
"AHHHHHH," finally the blood pooled out, as bellows of screams shook the entire cave system.
It was the greatest fight I had ever fought, with the arena being my own body.
I was sure that without the help of [Autonomous Ultra Instinct], I would have lost this great struggle.
After all, what was the point of strength that you could not control?
The Earth quaked under pressure.
My hair that had wilted started to grow once again, reaching my knees...
"It's mine."
This time it was the ground that screamed in pain under the weight of my being, as the energy condensed under the strain of my willpower.
[Narrator's POV]
In another dimension, unseen by anyone except those gifted with magic, a different sight was unfolding...
A domain of fire was being constrained by a wall of ice, the more it contained, the greater the heat, thus the greater control needed to contain the rising ball of flame, which was slowly liquefying into magma...
A lake of lava, flowing within a land of frost...
[Kuzan's POV]
I rose my head, flicking back my hair that had grown long and white.
However, contrary to the color of my hair, I did not feel old and weak.
Instead,...
'I've never felt more alive.'
"BADUMPH," my heart beat once again with power, once again supplying blood to my body that had previously been deprived of it.
It was as if a part of me that had always been missing had finally been found.
The ground below no longer trembled, instead becoming quiet.
Too quiet...
As if nothing was standing above it in the first place.
Not an iota of power leaked out from my 'skin.'
"Sigh,..." Although I grew, thankfully it was not as much as I had feared, stopping at a brisk 10 feet before containing myself from enlarging further, "could've gone worse."
'After all, it'd be pretty annoying having to get too big.'
"HISSSSS!"
A scream of fury shook through the cave system, as the Queen let out a cry of frustration, surely having learned of my deceit.
'It might be a Basilisk Queen,' I thought with a smile, having once again fought fire with fire... 'but I'm sure anyone aware of my little act would consider myself the true snake.'
It had taken me some time to refine this technique, as it was an accumulation of both my skills in shadow boxing and illusions, as well as the fruits of the system 'update' which automatically caused my skills to evolve further.
Being able to not only conjure up a hyper-realistic image to anything within my surroundings but also evade detection myself, it was a skill truly worthy of its name 'mirage.'
But now, I no longer needed to rely on such tricks, as I finally had the assurance and strength needed to overcome the challenges of this new world.
From Kingdoms to beasts, I would have fun with them all...
'But first,' I clenched my fist in preparation for the sliver of green that was quickly approaching, 'let's get rid of this pest.'
"Come then."