Discontinued - Sorry!

JK 

just felt bored and wanted to cause some chaos. 

I want rollcall on who had a heart attack or were scared to death.

Chapter 138 - Real Battle Start

Rimuru gazed out from atop the Great Canaat Mountains, the vast mountain range that covered the northern side of the continent. This was the place where the dwarves had dug into the depths to create their famous nation, Dwargon.

He sat with his legs dangling over the edge of a cliff in the Dragon's Den, the highest peak of the mountain, with Velgrynd by his side.

The cold wind that swept across the summit was nothing to the two ancient beings. The freezing temperatures that blanketed the mountaintop in snow and ice felt like a gentle breeze to them.

Velgrynd leaned her head on his shoulder as they sat in silence.

From their vantage point, high above the clouds, they looked down and watched the battle unfolding at the border between the forest and the vast plains.

The Dragon Lords hid within their caves, observing the pair with fearful eyes. Behind the couple lay the corpse of a Dragon Lord, larger than the rest, its blood frozen as it seeped out of its lifeless body.

They had fled with their tails between their legs, silently praying for the two sudden catastrophes to leave them alone. It was rare enough for anyone to invade their domain, but for their strongest to be defeated with such ease was unheard of.

They were more intelligent than their weaker, unevolved kin. They knew that the woman resting her head while giggling was the True Dragon, Velgrynd. The man holding her hand and speaking cheerfully while pointing toward the battlefield was none other than a primordial, the one who lived in the Forest of Jura, and her husband.

"Is it really fine for us to just watch from here?" Velgrynd asked, turning her head toward Rimuru as the battle raged below.

After Rimuru had given Yuuki the order to prepare, the two of them had flown to the Dragon's Den. She had been surprised when he invited her to simply sit and talk with him as if it were an ordinary day.

"We haven't had much time to flirt with each other," he whispered teasingly, his hand drifting to her thigh.

Her cheeks flushed with color.

"I don't want you to feel neglected."

"That's... we have a battle to fight," she said, her eyes shifting away, unable to meet Rimuru's gaze. That look of his always stirred something inside her.

Then, with a flick of her eyes, she pointed northeast.

"There they are!"

As if grasping for an excuse to escape the rising tension, she raised her voice and emphasized their arrival. She let out a soft sigh when his hand finally pulled away. The two of them stood up together.

A wide smirk appeared on Rimuru's face as he turned his attention toward the fleet of airships moving across the ocean.

Thanks to the memories from his previous life, the knowledge of tanks and airships was already ingrained in his mind. He knew the route they would take and their general strategy, although not perfectly due to the timeline's changes.

Velgrynd soared to the very tip of the mountain and transformed into her dragon form. The long azure dragon coiled her body with a powerful roar, her eyes locking onto the incoming flying machines.

Heat gathered in her mouth, burning fiercely. The icy mountain peak beneath her began to melt, sending streams of water cascading down the cliffs. As she activated her ultimate skill, the heat intensified and her jaws began to glow.

Rimuru glanced at her, then grinned. He raised a hand and focused, forming a massive beam of mana. He aimed it at the center of the fleet, choosing the most ornate and grand airship among them.

Inside the airships, panic erupted. A dangerously massive pool of magicules was gathering in the Canaat Mountains, and the presence of the Scorch Dragon was confirmed. Her eyes were locked on them.

Only the imperial guards and the Emperor remained composed.

"I'll handle it," said Apophis, the Marshal, as he stepped onto the top of the main airship. He extended a hand, and black miasma began to seep from his palm. The viscous liquid floated forward, forming a barrier.

A massive wall of darkness took shape in front of the fleet.

"Dismantling Shield."

As the words left his lips, Velgrynd unleashed her breath. A wave of scorching flames erupted from her mouth, soaring through the air with immense precision and overwhelming power.

The shield trembled violently as the flames struck. The heat was far too intense, even for Apophis's barrier. Small pillars of fire pierced through, but the shield had diverted their paths just enough to prevent complete destruction.

Out of the hundreds of airships, several dozen took direct hits and exploded. The damaged aircraft fell from the sky, crashing into the ocean. Only fragments of some burning wreckage remained.

Apophis felt a chill run through his body as the breath continued, small bursts of fire still passing through and taking down additional ships. When the attack finally ended, he fell to one knee and panted heavily.

Spreading his miasma wide for defense, rather than using it to attack or dispel, was much harder. Especially when trying to protect an entire fleet across several kilometers.

As he wiped his face with a hand, tiny glimmers of light began to fall from above.

"Shit!"

A barrage of mana-filled bullets rained down on them. Each bullet carried the power to kill a demon lord seed and tore through the walls and reinforced hulls of the airships with ease.

None of the ships were spared, except the main one. Apophis managed to cast a final wave of miasma just in time to shield it before impact.

The destruction of the once-proud fleet and the anguished cries of the soldiers loyal to the Empire deeply shook the morale of those still aboard the flagship.

"You look as pathetic as always," Velgrynd sneered, floating before Apophis in her human form.

She opened her palm and punched a hole through the side of the airship. Smoke began to pour from the breach as the vessel slowly lost altitude and drifted toward the ocean.

"Don't be so harsh, love," Apophis said with a sigh as he stood up. He no longer cared about the safety of the airship. Now, he could fight without holding back. "Where were we before?"

"You ran away with your tail between your legs," Velgrynd replied flatly.

She materialized a sword and kicked him off the ship.

"Try not to run away this time."

She lunged forward with her weapon. Apophis blocked her strike, materializing a black staff infused with miasma. Their clash sent them flying away from the fleet, their battle continuing in the open sky.

....

The main airship began to sink as it hit the ocean. The blaring alarms inside the machine flickered red, the damage too severe to keep it afloat. The soldiers and engineers inside had begun following proper procedures, heading to emergency escape boats in a last effort to avoid drowning.

The Imperial soldiers and the Emperor remained calm as this went on. Rudra frowned as the view from the window filled with water.

Their plan to move through the seas and take out the Holy Empire Lubelius and the West while they were too busy with the giants and the large army below had failed miserably.

"All that talk and this is what happens," he said with a sneer, glaring at Apophis, his supposed Marshal. He stood from his throne.

The Imperial Guards followed him as he stepped outside the airship, walking to the top deck where Apophis had been earlier.

As they looked around, the sight of the other airships came into view. Some were partially broken, no longer capable of flight. Others were just floating scraps, barely a fraction of their original form.

"Hey, Rudra."

The voice made them all turn their heads upward. Rimuru, the silver primordial, stood in the sky above them with a smirk on his face.

"Normally I would have just let you and Guy continue this game of yours, but someone told me you're taking a side. And that side isn't really something I can—"

Kondo, the 001 Imperial Guard, fired his gun. He used his Judgment Bullet, the strongest in his arsenal. A bullet he could only use once per day. He used it now on the one he saw as the main enemy.

But with a small wave of his hand, the black smoke around Rimuru swallowed the high-speed bullet.

"Now that isn't very nice," Rimuru said. He snapped his fingers. Two gates appeared beside him.

As the passages opened, silhouettes appeared in them. In a blink, Kondo found himself defending against a blade and was sent flying through the air.

As he steadied himself, he saw his opponent. Chloe, in her true form.

She thrust her blade forward. Kondo parried the strike and quickly fired a bullet at her head.

She dodged and kicked him. Kondo blocked the kick and landed on a large floating piece of an airship. He held tightly to his sword and gun, pointing them at Chloe.

He fired multiple necrosis bullets and rushed forward, blade ready.

Chloe cut through the bullets and dashed forward. Their swords clashed.

Both fought with precision. Their movements were sharp, with no wasted effort. It was clear they were trained at the highest level, as if guided by a swords master with hundreds, maybe thousands, of years of history behind them.

"Hey Damrada. It's only been a few hours, hasn't it?" Yuuki landed on another wrecked airship, glancing at the 002 Imperial Guard. He gestured at him. "Turns out Gadra wasn't the only traitor."

Damrada shook his head and jumped to where Yuuki stood.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out you had an agenda of your own. I just didn't know you were working for him."

"To be fair, I had other plans before I met Rimuru-san." Yuuki laughed and took a fighting stance. He took a deep breath. "When we met, I was only working for myself."

His body changed. What was once only an enlightened body evolved into a saint. It was as if he had been holding back his potential and had just now decided to use it all. Like a closed lid, just waiting for the small gap to leak out everything inside.

"I knew you were stronger than that," Damrada said with a nod. He moved forward with a quick, strong kick aimed at Yuuki's side.

Yuuki summoned his blades and blocked the kick. The two short swords shattered in his hands on impact.

With a surprised expression, he quickly let go of the handles of both blades and threw them at Damrada. Damrada swiftly swiped away the destroyed weapons and thrust his open palm forward, striking Yuuki in the chest.

Yuuki gasped as the air was forced out of his body. He flew several meters away, adjusting his posture mid-air before landing and regaining proper foothold.

As he looked at Damrada, the man was already closing in, preparing another large swing of his leg. Yuuki chose to dodge the attack by jumping over him, grabbing his shoulder mid-air, and throwing the imperial guard.

Damrada twisted his body and landed on the burning remains of an airship. Spotting the metal tail section of the aerial vehicle, he grabbed it and ripped a portion away as if it were paper, in his hand was a metal sheet the size of a human.

Yuuki leapt forward, materializing an axe glowing brightly with red tints. Like a massive wave crashing against the shore, water exploded outward as debris and flames erupted nearby. The evacuated soldiers, caught in the crossfire, scrambled to flee the scene.

Damrada hurled the metal sheet like a discus at Yuuki, who split it cleanly in half with the axe in his hand. Yuuki then slammed the axe down onto Damrada's foothold, causing it to tilt and throw him off balance.

Yuuki dashed forward, moving instantaneously with his fist poised, slamming it into Damrada's body. Unfortunately, Damrada had managed to block the blow, crossing his arms in front of him. He smirked.

Yuuki did as well. Following up with an axe kick to Damrada's shoulder, he sent the man crashing into the ocean.

Yuuki landed perfectly on a nearby lifeboat that some engineers were occupying and unceremoniously threw them off.

"Wait!"

"Please, let us in!"

"Ah, the monsters are here!"

Yuuki activated the motor of the boat and drove toward where Damrada had landed in the ocean, leaving the evacuees behind as an encircling and increasing number of ocean monsters crept closer to them.

For a few seconds, the ocean turned crimson red in that specific spot before diluting and returning to normal. Certain parts of human bodies floated to the surface, only to be devoured by the weaker sea creatures.

Yuuki couldn't help but let out an exasperated laugh as he saw Damrada standing in the water.

"Are you serious right now? What is this, Naruto?"

"I don't know who or what that is," Damrada replied, charging toward Yuuki with his leg radiating aura. "Ocean Splitter!"

As the name suggested, a straight line of magicule and aura surged from his kick, heading directly toward Yuuki. In response, Yuuki jumped and thrust his hand forward, dispelling the attack with his anti-magic skill before landing back on the boat.

The two continued on, trading physical blows with their bodies. Punches and kicks sent waves across the ocean below, massive tremors and vibrations rippling out with every strike they gave and received.

Yuuki, his confident grin still plastered on his face, wiped away the blood trailing from his lips. His body was battered, covered in bruises and injuries.

Damrada, meanwhile, stood with minimal damage, his clothing untouched, not a single rip or hole, unlike the Grandmaster's.

"Did I overestimate you, Yuuki? Why are you already on your last leg?"

Yuuki laughed, straightening his posture as he patted the dust off his clothing.

Damrada's eye twitched slightly before he used instant movement and appeared in front of Yuuki. But suddenly, his leg staggered for a split second and in that moment, he received a powerful kick to the side of his head, making him dizzy and unfocused.

The shifting waves made their footing awkward, but Yuuki pressed on, sending a flurry of blows into Damrada's body. Damrada staggered more and more, growing weaker for some unknown reason that did not seem to stem from physical injury alone.

"I think you underestimate me, actually," Yuuki said, smiling as he grabbed Damrada's face tightly with both hands and drove his knee into his skull.

Damrada's consciousness began to fade. Then, he felt it. The energy within him was draining faster than before. And by the time realization dawned, it was already too late.

"Steal Life," Yuuki muttered as Damrada's eyes lost their light. "Ciel-sama really is scary, though."

He let go of Damrada's now-limp body. Sliding across the uneven foothold, it dropped into the water and descended deep below, never to be seen again.

A/N: Damrada down, Kondo next! Originally planned on giving them the demonesses but they are already too OP for the cardinal world. The fight wouldn't be much of a fight, though Chloe would beat Kondo easily.

A/N: Missed opportunity to use the dragon lords to fight the fleet. It would have looked very cool.

Random thought, I searched up Apophis randomly while making this and I just realized that he is the enemy of Ra(Sun) and here he is fighting Velgrynd (fire/scorch). I didn't pair them together when I first made Apophis because of this, it was pure coincidence. Kinda nice.