Simple in theorynearly impossible in practice, against that impregnable defense and terrifying might.
Azril focused completely, every sense locked onto the "Dragonia" before her, judging it more dangerous than Jibril and Shuvi combined. Coldly, she spoke: "Dragonia why meddle in matters internal to the Flgel?"
Her voice was all threat and caution.
"Dragonia?"
The white dragonKannatilted her massive head, as if she didn't quite follow. To her, the winged one before her just looked strongand fun to fight.
So her answer to Azril was
A deep breath.
Vast magic gathered in her throat; the very temperature of the air seemed to freeze.
The next instant
Crackle!
A terrifying draconic breath, laden with raging lightning, erupted from her jaws like a burst dam and roared straight for Azril!
Chapter 939: What to do with Azril?
The sky was torn open.
That wasn't a metaphor.
Every sweep of Kanna's vast draconic body carried thunderous might. Her silver-white scales glimmered in the dim light like roving thunderclouds. What she breathed out wasn't the spirit energy used by this world's Dragoniait was the purest lightning magic from another universe, a force bearing alien laws, hurled straight at the leader of the Flgel.
"!"
Azril had never faced an opponent like this. As one of the first Flgel, near-perfect handiwork of the War God Artosh, she had fought countless battles and confronted many Dragonia. She knew their attack patterns, understood how their power flowed, and could always find that crucial "point" to shatter them in one strike.
But this Dragonia was different.
Kanna's power was seamlessno gaps to exploit. A heavy look flickered through Azril's golden eyes. She analyzed every strike and still found no weakness. The thunder wasn't spirit energy at all, but a form of power utterly unfamiliar to herpure yet intricate, savage yet exquisitely precise.
"This can't be" she muttered, beating her wings to retreat and barely slipping past a bolt that could have vaporized a mountain range.
"Roar!"
Kanna's bellow shook the heavens, carrying an otherworldly majesty no creature here possessed. She opened her jaws againthis time not for a breath weapon, but to summon a swarm of lightning orbs that moved like living things, hemming Azril in from all sides.
Azril's face hardened. The halo above her spun at a furious clip. Every feather on her wings gleamed with spirit energy. She thrust both hands forward and built up layered, composite wardsjust enough to blunt the barrage.
BOOM!
Shockwaves rippled outward from the collision of energiesonly to be swallowed and stilled by an invisible barrier.
"The spatial barrier is about to shatter!" Jibril cried from the ground; she could feel her own construct coming apart.
"It won't." Rei Ao didn't even look up. He simply tapped the air.
In an instant, the turbulent space settled. Even the raging aftershocks in the sky seemed soothed by an unseen hand, no longer bleeding into the outside world.
Jibril's eyes widened. She felt her barrier replaced by a power she couldn't begin to comprehendharder, steadier, no longer a temporary defense but something woven into the world itself.
"Master" she breathed, awe flooding her gaze.
Rei Ao smiled faintly and looked back up at the fight. "Keep watching. It's about over."
Schwi tilted her head, data streaming across her eyes as she parsed Kanna's combat pattern. "Kanna's output equals approximately eighty-seven percent of an upper-tier Dragonia," she reported calmly. "But the energy type is entirely differentnot spirit energy. Closer to a variant of primordial mana."
Standing beside Rei Ao, Michiru watched with wide, shining eyes, equal parts curious and astonished. She came from a relatively ordinary world; she had seen Kanna's dragon form before, but never anything on this scale.
And the people around her fascinated her even more: Jibril, winged and haloed like an angel yet calling herself a Flgel; Schwi, outwardly a little girl but clearly a mechanical lifeform; and Couronne, a seemingly ordinary human whom even those two treated with respect. Now, all of them seemed to be moving at Rei Ao's direction.
"Kanna isn't a dragon of this world," Michiru murmured, eyes still fixed on that silver-white streak in the sky, her worry refusing to fade.
Schwi spoke up. "Kanna is adapting to the battle. Her learning speed is high. She is decoding Azril's fighting style."
Sure enough, Kanna stopped relying on brute-force breath attacks alone and began using finer, more complex techniques. Her lightning wove into patternssome spreading like nets to ensnare, some thrusting like spears, some curving midair to strike from impossible angles.
Azril's burden spiked. She had to go all out. Her halo brightened more than twofold; the light from her wings turned her into a small sun. She reached for higher-order arts: space distortion, magic rewriting, even attempts to directly tamper with the region around Kanna.
None of it did much.
Kanna's power seemed innately resistant to such interferenceher very presence felt like a negation of this world's laws.
"Azril-senpai's situation is very bad," Jibril blurted, unable to keep from voicing what she saw.
Rei Ao glanced at her and suddenly asked, "Jibril, how do you think we should handle Azril?"
"Eh?"
Jibril froze, clearly not expecting the question. She fell silent, a complex look crossing her face. She had betrayed Artosh and the Flgel's old stance and acknowledged Rei Ao as her new masterbut she couldn't deny that Azril had always looked after her, a good senior to whom she was very close.
Naturally, she didn't want to kill Azril. Yet she also understood she should consider her master's position, so she dared not speak lightly.
Since Rei Ao had asked, she lifted her head after a moment's thought and said earnestly, "Master, would you take Azril in?"
"Oh?" A glint of surprise touched Rei Ao's eyes.
Jibril quickly explained, "I believe Azril's power is on par with mine. And she commands the entire Flgel. If, through her, the Flgel could become your strength as well, then in this world they could act as your eyes and ears and get things done."
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!
Also, get 50% off your first month on every membership tier this December! Take advantage of this offer and join. Thank you!
Chapter 940: Who's Stronger, Rei Ao or Artosh? Let's Find out the in the next episode of...
"The entire Flgel!"
Couronne was stunned. What kind of concept was that?
She didn't know much about the Flgel as a race, but judging from the power Jibril and Azril had shown, the Flgel overwhelmed lower races with absolute superiority.
Schwi spoke as well. "The Ex-Machina can, too." Her voice was flat, as if stating a simple fact. "Analysis unit c207Pr4f57t9, codename Schwi, can attempt to interface with the 'Collective Thinking Body.' Proposal: cooperation."
Rei Ao smiled. "I think your proposals are good."
His gaze swept past Azril battling in the sky and out toward the horizon, as though he could see the War God's palace floating above the world.
He knew the Flgel were created by the War God Artosh. If he wanted to bring the entire race under his banner, he would, naturally, be pitting himself against Artosh. Artosh was without question the strongest being in this worldyet Rei Ao had not the slightest fear of his power.
The fight above had reached a boiling point. Azril's eyes were heavy; she realized she was being completely suppressed. The opponent's strength exceeded expectationsand stranger still, she couldn't find this Dragonia's "point" at all!
Without that weak point, she couldn't defeat a Dragonia. Dragonia did have such a flaw. Unfortunately for her, Kanna wasn't Dragonia at allshe was simply a dragon from another world.
"I can't let this drag on."
Realizing the stalemate was untenable, Azril grit her teeth and decided to use all her power. She raised both hands. The halo above her head spun to its limit, its shape a blur, leaving only a ring of light. Every feather on her wings poured out astonishing energy. Space around her began to warp; even the light wavered and went unstable.
"Heavenly Smitemaximum output!"
She cried out, focusing everything to a single point. This was the Flgel's ultimate attack: compress every drop of spirit energy in the body and release it at onceenough to shatter continental plates. Even for an apex being like Azril, deploying it came at a massive cost, and recovery would take a long time. But she had no choice.
Kanna felt the threat; her dragon pupils narrowed to slits. She stopped holding back. Her jaws opened. Layer upon layer of colossal magic circles unfurled; intricate sigils spun and meshed, drawing the thunder element from heaven and earth. This was no spirit-artit was draconic language magic from another world, bearing power enough to unmake the sky and earth.
Sssk!
Roooaaar!
Their attacks launched in the same instant: one a beam of light compressed to the utmost; the other a thunderous breath imbued with alien laws.
KABOOM!
The two forces crashedthen a soundless explosion swept the whole sky, a burst of light bright enough to blind. Shockwaves from the clash warped the very fabric of space. If Rei Ao hadn't reinforced the barrier beforehand, the entire region might have been reduced to dust by the aftershocks.
As the glare faded, the sight overhead stole everyone's breath.
"Hah" Azril was panting. Her wings were a bit ragged, and her halo's brilliance had dimmed markedly. Kanna was completely unscathedand excitement still flickered in her dragon eyes.
"Impossible?!" For the first time, shock broke across Azril's face. Her maximum-power Heavenstrike hadn't so much as scratched Kanna.
Kanna was about to unleash another breath when
"That's enough, Kanna."
Rei Ao's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to the two combatants in the sky. Kanna glanced down, then obediently halted her attack.
""
Azril exhaled in relief; she had no confidence she could win if the battle continued.
The silver-white dragon wheeled once in the air, then her form shrank and shifted, returning to the white-haired little girl who alighted lightly beside Rei Ao.
"Had your fun?" Rei Ao ruffled her hair with a smile.
"Mhm, mhm! Kanna's strong, right?"
"You were great."
Kanna seemed delighted by the simple praise.
Azril descended as well, eyeing Rei Ao's group warily, her gaze lingering on Jibril. "Jibril-chan, you" She trailed off, her expression complicated. "Do you understand what you're doing?"
There was worry and reproach in her tone. "You've betrayed Artosh-samaand now you're consorting with this unknown being"
"Azril-senpai, allow me to make introductions." Jibril stepped aside to present Rei Ao. "This is my new master, Rei Ao-sama."
Azril's golden eyes contracted sharply as she stared at Rei Ao in shock. "New master? Jibril, do you have any idea what that means? We were created by the War Godour loyalty belongs to him alone!"
"Times have changed, Azril-senpai," Jibril answered evenly. "And I have made my choiceto follow the stronger Rei Ao-sama."
Azril's shock hardened into anger. "You've been deceived! No one can compare to our creator. Artosh-sama is the most powerful being in the world!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Rei Ao finally spoke. He took a step forward and stood before Azril. He released no aura, used no powerhe simply stood there, calm.
And yet, somehow, Azril felt an invisible pressuresudden, crushingstealing her breath in an instant.
She had felt this only from one person before: her creator, the War God Artosh.
Chapter 941: If you believe hes invincible, Ill let you watch him die with your own eyes...
"You"
A crushing aura rolled over her!
Azril reflexively stepped back half a pace. Her wings spread slightly into a defensive stance.
Rei Ao smiled and drew his presence back. "No need to be tense. I'm just putting a little bargaining power on the table."
"What do you want?" Azril asked warily. Realizing his existence was stranger than she'd thought, she firmed her tone. "The Flgel obey only the War God's will."
"Even a creator who sees you as toolssomething to toss away at any time?"
His voice stayed calm, but the words stabbed into Azril's heart like a blade.
"That's nonsense! The War God"
"He's never truly cared about you, has he?" Rei Ao cut her off. "To Artosh, you're pieces to help him seek out worthy opponentspawns to prove his title of 'the strongest.' Once you lose your use, you're cast aside. Even if you call him 'father.'"
"You!"
Azril wanted to argue, but no words came. Deep down, she knew he was right. The War God Artosh pursued strength above all else. He felt nothing for his creations. Even when he called them his 'daughters,' his eyes held only an obsession with power itself.
"I can give you more," Rei Ao said, voice softening. "Not just strengthmeaning. A true will of your own."
"Azril," Jibril said quietly. "I've never been more sure of a choice. Rei Ao-sama offers possibilities beyond imaginationnot only an increase in might, but a transformation in how we exist. And becoming stronger is exactly what Artosh-sama desires of us, isn't it?" She had never forgotten her mission: to be a god-slaying Flgelgods included the War God himself.
Schwi suddenly added, "Data analysis indicates that following Rei Ao-nii increases survival efficiency and evolution probability by 437.6% over maintaining the status quo."
"Don't think you can make me betray him!" Azril stood firm, unmoved.
Jibril's plan had been to persuade Azril to choose as she had and follow Rei Ao. She knew the Flgel's nature defined their behavior. As beings created by the War God Artosh, they were almost incapable of betraying their creator.
But Jibril was an exceptiondriven by a stronger thirst for knowledge, independent thought, and a rebel's will to slay gods. That's why she could break free of the Flgel's limits and follow Rei Ao.
Azril was different. As the first of the Flgel, her bond with Artosh was the deepestalmost truly that of father and daughterso loyalty to her creator was etched into the core of her being.
Jibril had anticipated this and, in secret, had asked Rei Ao to tweak Azril's thoughts so she could pledge herself to a new master as Jibril had. It would have been easybut Rei Ao had no wish to alter the minds of living beings.
Faced with Azril's refusal and ironclad loyalty to Artosh, Rei Ao only smiled faintly and praised her faithfulness. "Your devotion to your creator is admirable."
