Chapter 420: Why?
“…” Aether stood frozen, his heart hammering in his chest as he stared at the gruesome sight before him.
The Dragon Emperor’s massive foot was planted in a pool of blood, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. His mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.
‘No…’ His thoughts refused to accept the scene, his body growing cold as his gaze traveled to the shattered forms beneath the Dragon Emperor…Selene and Aria lay motionless, their bodies crushed under the weight of the dragon.
He immediately closed his eyes, his legs giving way beneath him as the strength drained from his body…. His knees hit the ground, and a cold numbness washed over him, paralyzing him in disbelief.
The Dragon Emperor’s towering shadow loomed over him as he approached, but Aether could barely process the movement. His mind had shut down, refusing to acknowledge the nightmare unfolding before him..
“Hey! AETHER!” Celestia’s voice rang out, breaking through the haze. She was fighting off the dragon army with relentless ferocity, her energy a blur of light and magic.
“Hahaha…” The Dragon Emperor’s laugh was deep and menacing, echoing in Aether’s ears as he continued to approach. “If my son dies, then so do you all!” he declared, his eyes blazing with a twisted fury, hatred evident in every word.
Aether blinked, the weight of reality crashing down on him all at once. He snapped out of his daze, his eyes widening as pain shot through his body…. He looked down, only to find the Dragon Emperor’s massive claws pierced through his stomach as he flew somewhere.
As the Dragon Emperor flew towards a distant volcano, something flickered in Aether’s eyes. A spark. Aether gritted his teeth, pain was momentarily forgotten as his indigo flames ignited, wrapping around his body and turning into fiery sparks.
“Arrrgh!” The Dragon Emperor roared in irritation, feeling the searing heat on his leg. He sneered down at Aether, “You think your pitiful flames can harm me? I am the Dragon Emperor!” But as he lowered his gaze, his expression shifted.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
His leg—his mighty, impervious limb—was gone. Blood dripped from the severed stump where it had been moments ago.
“What the—” Before he could react, something slammed into his side, knocking him off balance.
Thud!
The Dragon Emperor growled, his slitted eyes narrowing in shock as he saw Aether climbing towards him. The human was relentless, scaling his enormous body with surprising speed, ‘How is this possible?’ His impenetrable skin was being torn apart by this mere human, enraging him further.
He shot towards the volcano with newfound rage, screaming, “You’ll burn just like my son, you wretched bastard!”
Aether, clinging to the scales of the Dragon Emperor, saw the lava pit ahead. Without hesitation, he summoned a small, dense black void in his hand, preparing for the inevitable plunge into the molten depths. Just as the Dragon Emperor dived into the seething lava, Aether acted.
Blob!
The Dragon Emperor submerged fully, the molten rock swallowing him whole.!!
…
Seconds passed. The air was tense with silence, broken only by the distant rumble of the volcano. Then—
Splash!!
The Dragon Emperor erupted from the lava, soaring back into the sky. Not a single burn marred his body. His scales shimmered, glowing with renewed energy as if the lava had replenished him.
“Hahahaha!” The Dragon Emperor laughed, his voice booming, “Talk of the Origin Emperor’s descendant perishing by my hands—he would be weeping from the heavens!” He laughed harder, the arrogance palpable.
But then, his laughter abruptly stopped.
“Why would he be crying?” Aether’s voice cut through the Dragon Emperor’s gloating.
The Dragon Emperor’s eyes widened in shock. “H-How?” His disbelief was evident, his gaze searching for an explanation.
Aether had used his black hole magic to carve through the Emperor’s scales, slipping inside the beast’s body and sealing the wound with layers of ice… as Dragon Emperor submerged in lava.
Before the Dragon Emperor could react, a sudden impact crashed against his forehead.
Thud!
Aether, from within the Dragon Emperor, struck hard, causing the massive creature to stagger.
“You think you can—”
THUD!
THHHUUDDD!
THUUUUDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blow after blow rained down, each one harder than the last. The Dragon Emperor’s mind blanked from the relentless assault, his body swaying as he lost control. He plummeted to the ground, crashing into the earth.
Aether, his body cracked and strained from pushing his Level beyond their limits as his level currently was 51, jumped clear of the beast. His heart pounded as he hurried toward the battlefield, where the others were still fighting the dragon army.
But as he arrived, his breath hitched. His heart nearly stopped.
Snowflake… was dead. Her lifeless form lay among the ruins, and the others…. were struggling, barely holding on against the onslaught.
“W-Why?” Aether’s voice trembled, pain and rage mixing as indigo flames flickered from his body, crackling with electric intensity. His anger exploded outward, a wave of power slamming into the dragon army, reducing them to a red mist of blood in an instant.
“A-Aether…” Lia’s voice was faint, her relief evident as she collapsed to her knees. Aether landed beside her, his eyes immediately drawn to the crushed forms of Selene and Aria, and to Snowflake’s lifeless body.
His hands trembled as he reached out, bloody tears streaking down his face. Just as he was about to touch them, Lia wrapped her arms around him from behind, her voice trembling.
“P-Please don’t, Aether…” she whispered, her voice filled with fear. She tightened her grip, refusing to let him go.
She knew that if he touched them if he fully realized their deaths, he would lose his mind!!
But before they could move—
Chcukkk….
“Cough, Cough!”
Aether’s body tensed. His eyes went wide as he coughed up blood, his gaze dropping to the hand that had pierced through his chest, gripping a heart.
“L-Lia?” Aether’s voice quivered as he glanced over his shoulder.
Only to see…
Lia… was dead. Her lifeless eyes stared back at him, and behind her stood the Dragon Emperor in human form, his smirk cold and cruel. He withdrew his hand, holding Lia’s heart in his grasp.
“L-Lia…?” Aether stumbled, catching her falling body in his arms, but the massive hole in her chest told him everything he needed to know.
“Tsk, tsk. Such a pity,” the Dragon Emperor sneered, tossing the heart aside as though it were worthless, “She was nothing but a leech, anyway.”
Snap
Aether’s mind snapped. His vision blurred as something dark awoke inside him…
The Dragon Emperor stepped back, his eyes widening in shock as a shadowed dark figure, with a huge white grin as it muttered,
“You’ve done it now”
Before the Dragon Emperor could react, a fist crashed into his face.
BAM!
The force spun his head like a top, blood spraying from his lips. His vision blurred as he tried to regain his balance.
“Y-You bastard!” he roared.
BOOOM!!
“ARRRHHH!!!”
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