Chapter 100: Man vs Dad

Chapter 100: Man vs Dad

Instead of a shotgun, Branio welcomed his future son-in-law with a torrent of red lightning.

Basil fearlessly charged straight into the attack with his halberd raised. The surge of electricity slided over his enchanted armor like water on a swans feathers without inflicting damage. Stray bolts hit the buffet behind him, setting food plates on fire and shocking servants.

Hasten! Basil shouted, activating his belts magic alongside his Deaths Banner Perk. Time slowed down around him as he closed in on the demon lord.

Death or Glory, Branio replied, his words sounding stretched to Basils ears. Accelerated Hasten!

He dodged Basils halberd in the blink of an eye.

Branio not only caught up to his foe in the shifting time; he avoided a lightning-fast strike with casual ease. Vasis father danced around Basil and summoned a crimson rapier to his hand. Four bells attached to the pommel rang as the weapon appeared.

Branios Agility, Skill, and Strength have increased at the cost of his Vitality!Branio hastened himself!

The guests stepped back to form a large ring around the two combatants, but did not make a move to intervene. Quite the contrary. They started to chant fight, fight, fight! with the zeal of soccer hooligans welcoming a surprise match. Not even Branios bodyguards dared to interrupt the battle and simply cheered from the sidelines.

Only one person spoke out against the duel.

Stop this madness! Vasi shouted in alarm from the sidelines as her father and boyfriend pursued each other across the dancefloor. Basil, back off! Were surrounded!

She was right to be worried for his safety. He was dueling a demon lord while surrounded by his high-level relatives. Yet none of them seemed willing to intervene, even to assist their brethren. Some people in the audience cheered for Basil rather than his enemy.

And Branio wouldnt give him any quarter. Basil could tell that throwing his weapon aside and surrendering would end with his swift execution.

Im trying! Basil replied. He supposed that a demon lord could survive with his limbs chopped off. That should calm him down. But your dad isnt helping!

According to the System, Vasis father was part Dragon Type. A single halberd blow would bring him low, no matter the level gap between the two of them. Basil leaped into the air with Double Jump and attempted to attack the demon lord from above.

There was no way a rapier as thin as a needle could stop a two-meters long halberd, but the demon lords sword parried Basils strike all the same. Branio raised his sword almost faster than the eyes could follow and repelled the halberd back.

Basil wielded his weapon with his two hands.

Branio held his rapier with one, and still won the strength contest.

That wasnt a good sign.

Can everyone cast Hasten nowadays? Basil cursed as he jumped around the other duelist, looking for an opening. Since Branio appeared left-handed, he decided to attack from the right to bypass the rapier altogether.

Its a C-list buff, the demon lord replied contemptuously before casting more spells on himself. Heres the A-material: Alacrity, Accelerated Afterimage!

Branios casting time for Tier III spells and below has been greatly shortened!Branios Evasion Value has doubled!

Basils halberd hit the ground with enough force to splinter the floor. He missed all the same. Branio became a blur of speed, a crimson mirage that hopped around the ballroom. He was on Basils left one second and on his right the next.

Holy shit, hes way faster than me! Basil realized to his horror. At least twice more, maybe thrice!

That was bad. Even if Krampus could use the Hasten spell too, the speed gap between Basil and the ancient fairy had been close to nonexistent. The Dragonknight hadnt fought a foe that much faster than him since Megabug, all the way back at the beginning of his journey.

For a brief moment, Basil glimpsed a white hue in Branios eyes; he heard the demon lord mutter words under his breath, though he couldnt distinguish them clearly from the shouts of the audience.

The effect was immediate nonetheless.

Basil suddenly felt a weakness seize him. He coughed as a chilling cold spread to his limbs. His vision blurred. His senses dulled to the point he struggled to understand the shouts of the crowd and his girlfriends warnings.

Branios [Tercio de Banderillas] lowered your Evasion and Accuracy Values!

Then came the pain.

Basil didnt see the projectiles coming, but he felt them; first in his back, then his legs and chest. Bullets of air surged from all around him. Branio fired one from behind, then the left and the right. None came from the same spot and Basils own eyes struggled to follow the shooters movements.

Superffective Damage! 114 [Wind] damage! 114 [Wind] damage! 114 [Wind] damage! 114 [Wind] damage!

As Basil watched his health points crumble faster than the stock exchange during a financial crisis, he jumped all the way to the ceiling. Switching tactics, he formed an Elemental Orb of fire and threw it at the ballroom floor. The projectile exploded in a burst of smoke and flames. An invisible shape moved through them clearly enough to leave a trail.

I have you now, Basil thought as he threw his halberd like a javelin with all his strength. His weapon surged across the room faster than a missile. A direct hit would fell even the mightiest dragon.

And then the halberd vanished.

Branio pointed at the projectile with his rapier. A purple flash of light swallowed the halberd for a second, and in a blink it was gone from this world. Basil almost choked at the sight.

Branio sealed away your [Croque-Mordeuse] in a pocket dimension!

Basil immediately attempted to summon his halberd back to his hand.

He failed.

[Soulbound Weapon]s teleportation effect only works when you and your weapon are in the same dimension!

Basil wasnt a man to panic at the first sign of trouble. The sight of colossal titans like Steamslime and Apollyon had at best given him pause. But when he watched his trusty weapon taken from him, he could only think of one word.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit!

A burst of wind cleared the smoke and flames left from Basils attack. Branio stood in the middle of the ballroom, air swirling around his rapiers edge.

You are powerful in close-combat, but pitiful at range, the demon lord taunted his foe. Worst of all, you have no means to debuff me. I eat your kind for breakfast!

Eat this! Basil replied before firing a volley of Elemental Orbs at Branio.

Vasis father dashed around the room faster than any projectile and retaliated with more air bullets. Basil used Double Jump to move around, but whatever magic his foe cast on him made him sluggish. Even with Hasten on, he still took two hits to the chest.

114 [Wind] damage! 114 [Wind] damage! Warning! You have lost a fifth of your HP!

You have bet everything on your main weapon, the demon lord taunted him. Without it, none of your multipliers apply!

Critical hit! Supereffective damage! 1566 [Wind] damage!Warning, critical health!Item selected: [Volkswagen Constellation].Branios [Demon Lord Authority] boosted all his stats!You have taken one fourth of Branio II Dalton della Maures health!

If Basil didnt love her already, he would have fallen for Vasi all over again.

Sweetie, hes not worthy of you! her father protested.

Who are you to say that? Vasi shook her head angrily. Basil has been here for me more times than I can count, while you you missed two decades and a half of my life, and when you enter it, you try to murder my boyfriend before an hours turn!

But I didnt know you existed! Branio complained. If I had known

You have left my mother for decades and never checked on her! Vasi replied with a sneer of disgust. I hoped it was all a misunderstanding, but now I understand why my mother never let us meet.

She met her fathers gaze.

I was better off without you.

The demon lord choked at the remark. His crushed expression drew a vague feeling of sympathy from Basil, but little more. Being stabbed in the chest had a way of ruining a mans goodwill.

Sweetie, I It was almost amusing to see someone as powerful as this Branio stammer and struggle to find his words. I swear, I will make it up-

Im not interested in excuses, Vasi interrupted him. Give my boyfriend his halberd back and get out of our lives.

Sweetie, please, I didnt mean

The sound of booming thunder echoed in the hall before the demon lord could finish. A bolt of purple lightning erupted out of nowhere and unleashed a cloud of violet smoke where it hit the ground. Basil recognized a teleportation effect.

A handsome woman materialized in the hall. Basil would have mistaken her for Vasi at first glance, if she hadnt been standing next to him. Much like his girlfriend, the woman was a night hag with purple skin and great horns; but she was older than Vasi, with a few wrinkles and pale blue eyes. Her wild white hair fell like a waterfall on tattered gray robes. She went shoeless, with only a broom for a weapon. Basil would have pegged her as middle-aged, though perhaps a bit younger than his own mother. She took a quick glance at the room and immediately exhaled in annoyance upon seeing the devastation.

Basil guessed her identity long before Branio spoke it out loud.

Baba Darling? he asked with hopeful eyes.

My daughter, the witch said, addressing Vasi and utterly ignoring her father. I was starting to worry about you.

Mother? Vasis eyes snapped open in surprise. Why are you here?

I felt a great disturbance in our genealogical tree. The witchs eyes went from her daughter to Branio, whose hopeful expression drew a sigh from her. I feared this day would come.

Baba Darling, you came back! Branio joined his hands together, only to pull them back as his joy turned to confusion. Wait why didnt you tell me we had a daughter?

To give her a normal childhood! Vasis mother replied in exasperation. Your father was like this for years! Years! No man could approach your sisters without risking their lives!

Brania still cant find a boyfriend to this day, someone commented in the audience. The spectators watched the family reunion with what could pass for mild interest; Basil wondered what it would take to get their full attention.

Clearly the apple didnt fall far from the tree, Baba Yaga commented as she glanced at Basil. Are you a paladin?

Somehow, her tone reminded Basil of an old racist asking her daughter if her boyfriend was black.

Happy to meet you, maam, Basil replied dryly. I love your daughter.

Basil, please, Vasi replied with a little blush. In private.

Whatever, I will patch you up, her mother told Basil dismissively. Let us leave before her grandfather comes back and makes this scene even more awkward.

Her grandfather? Basil wondered.

A chill went down his spine and the crushing, invisible weight from before returned. He glared at Branio, expecting another attack, only to see the demon lord sweat in fear. The sound of clenched jaws and grinding teeth echoed among the guests. Every face started to sweat.

Who dared?!

The voice came nowhere and everywhere all at once. It was strong; even deeper than the Malekings, more confident than Steamslimes, and more terrible than Apollyons. For a second, Basil wondered if God himself was showing his displeasure from the heavens. The audience certainly looked terrified, as did Baba Yaga and her ex.

The winged man from before, Victor, teleported back into the hall right next to the broken dragon statue. The poor guy looked emotionally drained as he surveyed the area.

I leave for five minutes and I come back to this, he complained in utter despair. Five. Minutes.

The room trembled. The walls shook, and the ceiling looked about to collapse. Basil opened his mouth to warn Vasi of incoming danger, but no sound escaped his throat. A power greater than his will simply wouldnt allow anyone to speak.

All people present looked in the same direction: the dragon statue. Basil and Vasi did the same, and watched on as stone and gold came to life.

The red dragon statue first reassembled itself. Its broken wing rejoined the stump and fused back with it. But then it started to change, to grow larger and larger until its blackened horns hit the ceiling. A magnificent crown more dazzling than the sun itself appeared on its head. An armor of solid gold and jewels materialized over the statues ruby scales. The eyes brightened with all the colors of the rainbow.

The very air simmered around the statue as it became a creature of flesh and blood. The wings, the claws, the tail, all started to move with the vividness of a living creature. The draconic being before Basil was so warm that smoke and steam rose from between its scales. Its claws were sharper than blades, its fangs longer than any halberd. It was a dragon of legends; a mighty beast older than the world, a volcano on legs, fire with wings and a voice brimming with power. Its divine light dazzled the mind. The sight of its majesty inspired only submission.

Before this creature, the false gods of Metal Olympus would have looked like paltry candles next to a sun. Each of these people held the soul of a deity and attempted to pass as one when they met the Bohens. They tried to project power and divinity, and that was their mistake. An audience watching a stage magician could tell their magic was all a trick, even when they didnt understand the method used. That creature wasnt trying to inspire awe; for everyone, even subconsciously, could sense the difference between pretending and being.

All had knelt, Basil and Vasi included. They didnt even think of resisting; Lethal Vigil, Deaths Banner, none of their Perks and spells mattered. No magic, no amount of willpower could help them stand on their own two feet. For they knew the truth, instinctively; the same way a lamb identified a wolf on sight.

That creature was no mere dragon.

Minion! the great red wyrm clenched his jaw, holy fire burning between his fangs. Who dared to vandalize my statue?!

It was a god.