A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale - Chapter 478: A Reunion between Nemeses.

Why did I have to engage the Prince of Envy alone? Why not fight with everybody and eliminate the demonkin with them side by side? After all, I had the power to forcibly disable Original Sin abilities with [My Darkest Thoughts]. I didn’t even have to fight, I could just sing and rely on everybody else. What compelled me to come here alone?

Three reasons, with two of them created during our raid.

The first reason was obvious; there were two Princes of Sin and their objective wasn’t our party but to extract the Prince of Envy. In fact, from the look of it, the Prince of Lust—that pink-haired woman—ambushed me for this very moment. She was lying in wait, hiding, inside this mansion for the door to open. I didn’t know if she actually was there to kill me personally, but it didn’t matter. The moment the path to the Prince of Envy was opened, it meant the Princes of Pride’s and Lust’s objective was achievable.

Secondly, we couldn’t afford to flee the scene, as this operation relied on taking down the Prince of Envy and proving once and for all that the church of Aurena had been overtaken and suborned, preventing us from antagonizing the Empire. With five cardinals dead and blackmail on Cardinal Wendell and Vicar Marius, the demonkin could simply silence all objections to their story if the false Pope survived. Klea explained that one must consume the entire corpse for [Original Sin: Demiurge] to allow you to transform into that person; in other words, as long as the Prince of Envy was alive—whether unconscious or not—he could continue wearing the shape of Pope Gwyn. Meaning, the war I wanted to prevent between the Empire and the Shakaie-Narn Alliance would happen.

Lastly, the real reason why I was doing this was ‘cause this was the best way to ensure everybody survived. Which was why I recruited Farron, Rudigan, and Muraina for this, and I would have loved to get Tehmrayn involved as well, but that asshole only follows Plesia’s pantheon … The moment it was entirely my problem, he dipped. I wanted their expertise to ensure everybody survived until I was finished.

I couldn’t delay the confrontation. My plan required me to look weak, but not too weak that my plan couldn’t work. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak,” Saori said, quoting Sun Tzu, or whomever. Right now, I had a ton of mana and was starting to get a headache from arcane corruption, but it wasn’t dire just yet. It was the perfect state.

Honestly, if we had killed the sin heir of envy and if the Warbringer was the only commander-tier demonkin around, I would have fought with everybody. I wasn’t inflexible enough to not deviate from a plan if I had to. The two former reasons were just too serious to overlook.

Now, all I needed was to execute the plan and hope my theory would work. Otherwise … I probably should have helped the others eliminate the Warbringer and two Princes … Which sounded just as unlikely after what the Prince of Pride showed me. Thinking about this, it only made me more impatient as the longer I took, the more likely my friends would die as they had no defenses against Original Sin abilities.

Therefore—

Come and get your revenge, you bastard! Humanize! Territory!

Mana Release activated. Aura used as control unit: [Draconic Aura Lv. 5]. Territory [Magmakammer] has been established

The metal vault door instantly turned from grey to bright yellow as my body heat began to heat up my surroundings. [Solar Beam]’s overdrive form increased the intensity to the point my Territory was quickly established and I could feel the metal and earth around me becoming fluid.

Similarly, as I transformed back into a dragon, the room around me expanded to fit my size until everything inside was nothing more than a burning red field, bubbling and shaking like waves. The Prince of Sin began to burn but, as mana mist escaped from his legs, the effects started to deteriorate.

His demonic power as an envy allowed him to adapt to the fire mana around him, giving him the resistances to not be burned alive. In addition, similar to me, my nemesis had no intention of holding back now that I was here.

Still not using his real face and maintaining the guise of an old, grey-haired priest with a slight tummy, he growled like a constipated lunatic as he faced me. His reddened eyes shivered, grinning with clattering teeth. Was he scared? Unlikely. Like a wild beast, he roared! “DEMIURGE!”

Hostile Territory detected! [The Roots of Jealousy] has been activated! Territory Dispute engaged

His face split down the middle, revealing layers of muscles until new flesh sprung out from his face like a flower, restructuring his entire body into a more lean frame with the features of a demonkin. Only, instead of looking like his fellow demonkin, this man looked more like a zombie or rotting ghoul with his mismatched face and body. It was the exact appearance I recognized from when he used Yaldabaoth on me.

Tendrils made from his solidified mana began taking root in the magma sea, causing some of it to cool down and give him an area to stand on. As more time passed while our two Territories vied for influence and space, our mana naturally formed a coalescence, waiting patiently for one of us to drive the other back.

Mana Eyes.

Name: Thals’Yond Level: 170 Race: Envy Demonkin

Main Job: Prince of Envy

Information Blocked

Almost a 60 level difference. Assuming the Prince of Pride was around the same strength level, it meant my chances to beat the Prince of Envy was rather low. Even with all my buffs, I could only really imagine me beating him outright in a fair fight if I had all my buffs active and [Symphonie des Feuergottes (Finale)] for that 100% boost in my stats. It should equalize the gulf while I weakened him with a 20% stat decrease in [My Darkest Thoughts].

“You look as grotesque as the day I witnessed your true form, fiend!” he said, scratching his face in pain. “Your visage and that woman’s face haunt me everyday. It’s all your fault, it’s all her fault, it’s all that damn god’s fault!”

God? … Hold on, Gel’Glariri sounds pretty Bole’Tarian. Could he be an Edjurl god?

“Ahhh, the same nightmares every day and every night! Ahhh … but that seed demands repentance for me willingly looking into the void. So, what Nini saw wasn’t just the fear of death … The punishment of even praying to our gods is our soul’s condemnation! I’ve been waiting for this time! The strings created by Gel’Glariri between you and me will be cut today!” he roared as the tendrils on his body began to cover him in a suit of flesh, creating a monstrous form with an eerie look of an otherworldly, eldritch spider. “That fool Rein tried to prevent me from doing this. His death—all my sin heirs’ deaths—and all my fractured souls … with your death, I will be free. The seed will burst and grant me new strength!”

… Uh, what?

“I will rip you out of his plans and receive the reward I so deserve for this suffering. I will make a god weeeeeeeep!” His fleshy tendril face enlarged like a massive maw before eleven white magic circles appeared behind him.

For a split second, I became flustered by this sight, only to remember Klea explaining [Original Sin: Demiurge] not only allowed you to assume a consumed foe’s appearance but also their powers, at least to a lesser degree. Since envy demonkin were excellent magic tanks and mages, being able to cast new spells wouldn’t be a problem. Holy magic wasn’t impossible to learn for a demonkin, as they were still Peolyncians.

Still, what a cheat!

Eleven lasers shot out of the magic circles, confirming they were [Banishment Beam]s. Fortunately, due to my high holy resistance, having my scales shield me from them was plenty enough. Instead of fighting back, I dove into the magma lake and focused on fine tuning [Magmakammer]’s area of effect, ensuring I wouldn’t cause the mansion to collapse on us.

Then, I caused the basement to expand downward, preventing any seismic issue. Once it was settled, I gathered mana inside my throat and released a [Hellflame Breath], aiming around those roots from the envy prince’s domain, purposely raising the heat of the room to the point it felt like we were both trapped into an actual volcano.

Quite counter-intuitive, as the more mana the prince absorbed, the more resistant he would become to it, but that didn’t matter. So, I continued with this plan until the demonkin became resilient enough that his tendrils could intentionally dive into the magma, seeking me out like a pack of hunting eels.

I swam around them inside this magma sea, using my rocket boosters to completely evade them and continuing blasting fire around, eventually forcing the demonkin to reveal more of his magic arsenal. A single [Aqua Beam] pierced through the magma sea, acting like warning before a continuous barrage erupted from above. Zigzagging around, it quickly started to feel like I was a fish swimming inside a pond.

Master and Tehmrayn were the only water mages up until now able to cool down my magma with their water spells, instead of having the water simply turn into steam. It actually got to the point when the prince began using torrent tier spells like [Azure Blade] and [Torrential Rain] to decrease the amount of area my Territory could control. The more he did that, the more his “roots” grew and expanded, until they finally trapped me in a corner, forcing me to use [Flash Fire] to teleport to the ceiling.

Dammit. I groaned, noticing I bumped into one of the “roots.” It wrapped around my body, slowly sapping my mana. I tried to cut it off, but any attempts caused it to further stick onto me, like it was covered in some kind of crazy super glue. I was forced to play [My Darkest Thought] and use [White Flames] to burn the roots off.

Full range of element magic like Nishio, probably. Holy and water confirmed, but he should be able to use more. Don’t underestimate him, Hestia. Like the Prince of Pride, holy spells are my only way to harm him, but I need to catch him out. I need to agitate him!

I gnashed my fangs, causing the entire room to explode from the accumulated scale-dust igniting. As the dust settled, my [Foresight] warned me of multiple incoming projectiles, forcing me to fly out of the way.

A barrage of tendrils flew right past me, before two sickles nearly ripped my wing webbings out. I snapped my head around, noticing the prince had morphed into the body of a spider with two mantis claws. [Dark Tendrils] then shot out from the ceiling, grabbing onto him and pulling him to the ceiling.

Once there, he began swiping at me with the claws, even showing an ability to elongate them. I lit my tail with white flames, using it to slice off the limbs, only for them to regen—No, he was regrowing them with mana since it should be impossible for him to heal himself with [Dread Burn] active. Thankfully, strength and agility weren’t an envy demonkin’s forte and this became all too apparent when I was able to overcome and overpower him in this department.

Whether he got too confident in our level difference or not, it didn’t matter. He might have years of experience over me, but the physical training Farron, Yorshka, Neill, and Vifi ingrained in my muscles blossomed in this hellish battle. No matter if he integrated magic into his fighting style, I could block or evade them with [Flash Fire] or my rocket boosters. I could even use my scale-dust to create a smokescreen to block his attention.

He eventually tried to get away from me, but I kept up the tempo, pursuing him wherever he tried to go. [Bedrock Blades], [Cyclone Madness], and even [Tailwind] kept him from darting away, but unfortunately Demiurge reared its head once again. Whether it was the legs of a wolf, the wings of an eagle, or the defensive shell of a turtle, the prince could transfigure his body to suit his needs.

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It didn’t even have to be a full transformation, like him turning into the pope, it could also be partial. A simple limb here or there was all he needed. Demiurge felt a bit like Ellaine’s Okl’Luthier powers, but unlike it, it was fully grounded in “reality.” As in, his transformations were rigid and too “uniform,” based on living beings. There were no surprises like a whip blade or bone claws.

Although, his form change did alter his stats, I believed. He felt faster whenever he used a more bestial form, though it still wasn’t enough for him to outrun me. A carefully placed spell here and there and he could be cornered like a rat. Encircled by my spells, I gathered the searing heat inside my sun core, ready to un—

Huh! [Foresight] activated, blaring like a fire alarm, warning me that if I didn’t stop and dodge right now, I wouldn’t even get the chance to unleash the solar energy. I couldn’t even disagree with it, as my body—too used to listening to my skills—forced me to fly to the side.

Rightfully so, as the moment the prince turned around, his fleshy tendril armor fell off his body like falling hair, revealing a different appearance. A lean-built loopridae—a rabbit beastmen—with two elongated teeth that made him look like a sabertooth tiger and a long scar around his right red eye that went across his face, stopping at his left ear, or at least what remained of the ear. The black fur covering his face and body of this animalistic beastmen hid his emotions well, but not the bloodlust that triggered my skill.

The prince took a stance and pulled out a longsword from his [Storage Magic] before he swung upwards with the help of two [Wind Blast]s boosting his swinging speed. The resulting slash sent out what seemed like a blast of mana, eerily similar to the large-scale attack of the ex-Hand of Heaven knight, Larent, when we fought in Elyonda.

In fact, it had almost the same effect as it tore the ceiling in two and traveled through the ground until it pierced through what I had tried to prevent from being destroyed—the papal mansion. Multiple floors were destroyed and it caused the rent building to collapse in on itself. Debris fell down the hole, forcing me to fill it up with magma.

… Well, I might have called his transformation rigid, but there was a reason why this was still an Original Sin ability. Simply consume somebody and you could tap into a skilled person’s years of training.

Demiurge … How people have you killed and consumed, demonkin? I eyed his new form with suspicion but pushed my feeling of disgust back. After all, I wasn’t any better. To kill and consume, all for the purpose of becoming stronger for survival; whether humanoids or animals, it didn’t matter.

I evolved to reach my current power level while he hunted people down to cover up his innate, weaker physical capabilities. Nothing wrong about that … Well, it was, for me.

Mana Eyes.

Hatchihok’s Blade Fang: A sword made from the femur of a swift [Cavewalker Griffon], encased in a layer of metal. Due to its unnatural form, this blade is unsuitable for direct clashes, requiring adept usage of its agile form to deliver swift strikes

Attack Power: 779

Skill: [Mana Conductor Lv. 5] [Mana Efficiency Lv. 3] [Sword Mastery Lv. 8] [Decreased Weight Lv. 10] [All Damage Enhancement Lv. 1] [Speed of Sound Lv. 1] [Durability Loss Reduction Lv. 5]

Enchantment: [Storm Enchantment] [Element Gathering] [Mana Projectile Amplification]

The sword was far inferior to a Grimnir-produced product simply from the look of its attack power and the skills embedded into it, but it was far from an amateur’s work. In addition, this deformed blade had three enchantments on it, so whoever its previous master was had a mage look into. If I could guess, it was probably this rabbit man’s before the Prince of Envy killed him.

Regardless, the battle continued as such, with the prince thrusting his blade forward while augmenting it with water spells. The enchanted blade then began sucking the water in, covering the entire blade before it shot out like a bullet.

Evading one wasn’t an issue, but multiple projectiles and also the occasional torrent spell? That was too hard due to my larger size. Meaning, I had to rely on [True Draconic Barrier], manipulating my magma into walls, and also summoning [Hydra] to protect myself. Unfortunately, he successfully thwarted me from closing the distance.

Hard to make him more exhausted, huh?

Yet, this early assessment couldn’t be further from the truth. Once it became clear to me that his swordsmanship couldn’t be compared to an actual expert, the prince immediately switched to a new persona—that of a human mage.

As the battle continued, he revealed more of his “faces.” An elven archer with an ornate fairnite bow, a hulking bear beastmen with an assortment of gauntlets to use in close combat, and he could even transform into a sun-tanned woman wielding two blades. Similar to his partial transformation, he could mix-and-match his different personas for the sake of this fight.

That ghoulish appearance from the beginning with the patchwork combination of flesh and skin? He unconsciously repeated it.

Good to know. Good to know.

“Rrghhk!”

Just in time.

Poison was such an old tactic, but if it kept working, why change it? [Magmakammer] would continue being a death chamber of gas, especially with [Hydra]’s venom turning into vapors.

The prince collapsed onto the cooled magma ground, clutched his throat in agony, yet nothing really changed about his appearance. The toxins hadn’t affected his outer self, only his organs, but that was enough to corrode anything within while my flames kept his regeneration at bay. He could even transform into a slime if he wanted, but nothing would get away from my [Corrosive Fire]]!

Sadly, it wasn’t the moment to cheer just yet. Looking at the walls, the demonkin’s “roots” had nearly covered the entire chamber. His Territory was slowly overpowering mine despite how little damage we’d inflicted on each other. Was it a difference between our [Territory Release] levels or was it due to arcane corruption quickly becoming worse?

From hosting my concert and buffing my friends, before joining the fight in the third phase which led into this—the fifth phase. I had plenty of health, mana, and stamina, but my third limitation was catching up to me. It was all right. Before it would cripple me, I would finish this!

Tyrant’s Voice!

As such, once more, I would let my voice rupture through the world. Channeling wind around my mouth, I amplified this earth-shattering sonic attack and made the prince taste a point-blank blast! Even with his envy powers, he couldn’t absorb an intangible magic attack like this, and even if he could, it would only change his elemental resistance to wind. With my Territory able to burn even those with [Inferno Resistance], his only choice was to try and avoid my voice in this closed up space.

I had him!

“Kraaaaaaah!”

It was a direct hit, pinning the prince into the ground and pushing him deeper into the earth. He tried to defend himself with his spells but I could counter all of them with my own or simply tank-heal through his attacks, leaving him with no options at all but to rely on the tentacles around the area, yet he didn’t try to attack me with them. Instead, he was focusing on trying to dissolve my Territory.

I increased the mana in my throat, increasing the pressure until I saw the demonkin’s blood vessels popping open. Blood spurted from his orifices, with some of it looking dark purple, evidence of my toxins. At the same time, I successfully melted the cooled magma around him back into a liquid and began burning him with [White Flame] to scorch his entire body.

As much as it looked like the fight was being won one-sidedly, I was still taking damage on my own. My voice and mind, in particular, as the [Tyrant’s Voice] was causing my vocal cords to be ripped open from overuse while arcane corruption had gotten to the stage where I felt dizzy. The echoes of my voice concentrated in this chamber with no proper outlet meant I was hearing everything. Using [Aerokinesis] and [Air Shield] to protect me from my own sonic attack meant even more mana had to be used to prevent tinnitus.

Eventually, I couldn’t keep the sonic attack up any longer, feeling like I was suffocating. As such, before my voice and lungs finally gave up on me, I channeled the solar energy inside my chest for my final attack. As my exploding scale-dust settled down, I slammed my mouth shut, wrapped obsidian chains around the demonkin and released the heat.

[Solar Beam], release! I shouted in my head as the concentrated power of the sun slammed right onto a mana barrier before it broke through. The sound of cracking glass filled the room before my sight of the demonkin was hidden by my laser blast.

As my solar core rapidly lost energy, I pulled out one of my solar core catalysts and drained the energy inside to ensure I wouldn’t fry myself from an empty core. Unfortunately, despite this, once the blinding light blast stopped, I suddenly lost all the strength in my wings and body. I crashed into the magma sea, feeling like my brain was about to explode.

At the same time, the roots from the prince’s tendrils attached themselves onto me. With my mana being drained, I gulped, as this meant I hadn’t been able to kill him.

From the smoke inside the crater I had trapped the demonkin in, a silhouette with the height of a school bus revealed itself. Waving the smoke away, my eyes widened when I noticed he had turned himself into a tortoise. Not a normal one, but one with dark yellow skin and a fire-red shell that took the brunt of the solar beam. The scorch marks showed it.

In his tortoise form, his head and limbs had retracted into the shell before the demonkin rolled out of it, leaving the giant shell behind. Blood was still seeping from his ears, eyes, nose, and mouth, and with his constant coughing, it made him look like he was at death’s door.

“I win.” He clenched his hand into a fist, causing the last bit of my Territory to be covered by his.

Territory deactivated. Territory Dispute completed in favor of individual [Envy Demonkin, Thals’Yond]. Individual [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] will receive the dispute penalty

H—I—KRIEGRHHHHHHH!

[Arcane Fever (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

My body spasmed, jerking my spine back, causing my body to be submerged further into the magma sea. My body kept jolting around, unable to control my muscles as an influx of energy entered through my body. My pain receptors activated as if a lightning blast surged into my body, ravaging my organs and especially my brain, to the point I just wanted everything to end.

[Absolute Pain Tolerance] eventually kicked in and, thankfully, prevented me from losing consciousness. I had to forcefully shut down any mana-intensive action, meaning [My Darkest Thought] had to go quiet. Once I’ve done this, the pain finally subsided, returning to manageable levels aside from the greatest headache in human history. Even a single thought wracked my brain.

“There are three ways to win a Territory dispute.” Even the sound of the demonkin’s voice overstimulated my senses. “Make the other go unconscious, have the other forfeit, or simply overpower it by focusing all your mana in [Territory Release]. [The Roots of Jealousy] is especially proficient in beating other Territories, as I can drain the mana you invested into it, to redistribute it into my own!”

I know that, asshole! Argh!

Even if I could have fought against it by putting more mana into [Magmakammer], it wouldn’t have mattered when I first noticed the Territory’s effect. That mana leech was the issue and it wouldn’t have been resolved by me throwing more mana into the “cauldron.” To accept it was the best outcome, although I had wished I hadn’t gotten [Arcane Fever (Moderate)].

“U’Skaie might have fallen victim to your anti-demonic countermeasures, but I am a Prince. The sin blood within me is purer than others, further refined through alchemy, until I perfect my powers with grueling years of training! You can weaken it, but did you think you could come and defeat me? Haha, I might not be the only one seeing illusions! He planted a seed in you as well! Ahahaha!”

Gosh … shut up, already … Irugh—Krrrk!

“Kraaagh!” I yelped as I tried to channel my mana outside my body, feeling numerous pain receptors activating at once.

“Trying to use mana? Ahaha!” The demonkin’s mana tendrils grew around his arm and extended it, punching me right in the jaw, causing my already dizzy head to see stars. “It doesn’t work that way! Use a Territory and lose it, you lose! That’s the way of the game!”

Urghh, dammit, come on. Urrgh! Pff, pff, thsss, come OOON! Huffing and puffing, I forced my body to eject mana through my hand. Blood and pain might stream into my head, making me feel even more light-headed than before, but I endured it and finally managed to activate [Aerokinesis].

I grit my teeth, grinding them against my gums to the point I could taste iron coming out of them. I suppressed my urge to scream and struggle and had eight of my parallel minds do the same, bearing the burden for two of them to play a song.

“Shining bright, all for your smiles ♫

This is me, my music will rage like fire ♫

Open up! ♫

Listen here! Hoo hoo woah! ♫”

[Music Resonation (Minor)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

Kurrgh! Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

I slammed my tail and legs in the magma sea, pushing my pained body up. [Slave to my Love] suppressed the [Arcane Fever] status affliction, but I could still feel the arcane corruption inside my body, ripping my cells apart. The damn torture was now on a back burner. I was building up more arcane corruption in myself that would return in force once the song ended, dealing that initial shock from before once again. Or so I believed.

“… Ahh, that will to endure. I understand now why Master intended you to bring change to this world. That indomitable spirit to fight on, on, on, and on!” The demonkin grit his teeth, baring his fangs at me. “Yet, you fight for the wrong side! You came too late, you should have helped us, dragon! The Edjurl gods should have sent you to HELP US! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE HUMANS BURNED OUR ANCESTORS BURNED ON THE STAKES?!?!”

That wasn’t … my problem. Stop blaming me for … things I can’t … control.

“We needed you! All those years ago!”

I am not. Your. Hero!

“And now all of you label us as the affliction when we all want is to survive! To have our race flourish! Aurena! Marsven! Gel’Glariri! Are ALL THE SAME! SELFISH, POWERFUL, AND NONE OF YOU CARE ABOUT US! WE MORTALS DO NOT NEED GODS! LET THEM NOT ABANDON US AGAIN! I WILL FREE US FROM THEIR CHAINS!” He reached his hand forward. “For that, I need you. I see it now, your death won’t suffice to cure my soul. That ability you used to usurp my powers, I require it for my plans! The lunacy of the gods will end with your death, and I shall usher in a new age for mortals alone! We will be the masters of our own fates and destinies! No longer thralls!”

… Psychopath.

Despite my bravado, I still couldn’t move properly. I couldn’t cast spells. As such, my spell to end this could only be a single one. One of my most faithful companions.

“I call upon the demon inside me, the blood of the grand deceiver of the world. The god who falsified his identity! To engulf existence in a tranquil illusion where he rules in his lofty kingdom. The distorted truth that none shall question! Original Sin—”

Therefore, it could only be—

“—Yaldabaoth!”

—[Storage Magic].

The moment the spell was cast and I pulled something out, my entire consciousness drifted off into the abyss.

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BRING IT ON. BRING THE RUMBLE INTO HIS NEIGHBORHOOD!

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