Chapter 255 Draconis Monster

A distortion of the natural System was birthed from the unequivocal emotion surging through the young Dragonheart, encasing him inside a newly-formed body, enveloping him in a four-meter beast of destruction itself: a wingless dragon of black scales and a slim form, somewhat humanoid in shape.

What was born in that valley was a disaster in itself; an unnatural existence of destruction, sorrowful and anguished, whipping its black tail around with enough force to cause the surrounding land to tremble.

This was the monstrous side of the Dragonheart; an unrestrained force of nature.

–

"...It worked, just as planned," Amon laughed before coughing out blood.

Unbeknownst to the berserk Dragonheart was the reality that was veiled to him before as Amon snapped his fingers, disabling the dark magic he had employed.

A false illusion of reality was set, triggered while Amon was initially restrained by the water bindings the young mage had deployed.

–

"That's Emilio…?" Everett muttered, "What the hell happened to 'im?!"

"It's safe to say he's not exactly seeing sides at this point," Yuna added, evading a sweeping tail strike.

Though as the group was forced to evade the simple crossfire of being in the vicinity of the raging Dragonheart, the silver-haired girl recognized the sensation giving off from the beast-turned figure.

Emilio…She thought.

"Something like this happened before…" Melisande said.

"Really?!" Everett glanced back.

The bumpkin raised his shield as the others hid behind him, using the heavy-duty shield to defend from an explosion of azure flames that unleashed from the Dragonheart's mouth.

Melisande nodded, "It was when he lost somebody close to him…After that, he lost control and became something like this–but, this…it's different from before. He was on our side at that time, but now…He's lost it."

"Seems like it…that freakin' killer seems pleased though! Grrgh!" Everett gritted his teeth.

Amon was across the land around the sealed fortress, laughing with his injured body as he hopped from place-to-place, guiding the raging Dragonheart around, getting closer to the closed-off castle.

"He's lost control of his system," Asher said.

"System?...Wait, didn't Emilio mention somethin' like that before?" Everett asked.

"It's how he uses the power of a dragon," Yuna reminded him.

"Right! So…he lost his handle on it, that's what? Why now, though?" Everett asked.

Asher watched the battlefield carefully, though the others noticed a growth in the darkness around the mysterious young man as he began to be armored in the shadows as they solidified around him.

"Amon used a spell to trick him. If I had to guess, he likely showed Emilio a scene in which we all fell, and he lost it," Asher told them.

'',

"Why would Amon do that? This is bad for him, too!" Melisande asked.

"The seal," Asher told them, "Once Amon realized he wasn't going to be able to get through all of us, he recognized Emilio's latent power and decided to draw it out–that's what. He's willing to die."

Everett gritted his teeth, "What a maniac…I hate those kinds!"

Amidst the destruction being laid on the forest through the repeated breaths of azure flames from the berserk Dragonheart, Asher willingly walked into the hellish sight.

"Hey! What're you doing?! It's suicide…!" Melisande yelled out.

"Yeah! You'll get yourself killed, idiot!" Everett added.

Asher became enveloped in an armor of demonic hide, having a helm that resembled a pitch-black skull with horns growing in length and a tail swaying behind him. Strands of black electricity zapped around the newly-formed armor, hissing from the surge of summoned strength from the Devilheart.

[Current Stage: 5/10 | Hell Sentinel]

"I'll stop Emilio before he destroys the seal and us," Asher said calmly.

After taking a moment to control his breathing while stabilizing the form he had taken, Asher revealed a stable aura of shifting darkness that stuck around his body, humming with a reassuring strength.

"He's just like Emilio, ain't he…? This guy…" Everett muttered in awe.

It was then that Melisande, along with the others finally noticed what was laid dormant within Asher himself; a similar sensation to Emilio, but starkly different in one regard:

This person…He's…even stronger than Emilio? Melisande realized.

Only minutes after the birth of the distorted Dragonheart, the hills of black soil were burning, covered in the rain of bright-blue flames.

"Yes…Destroy it all. I've fulfilled it…You'll help me do that, Emilio Dragonheart…" Amon said.

The man dropped to his knees, coughing up blood as the black tattoos disappeared from his body, revealing his heavily bruised and bloodied body as he looked up towards the colossus Dragonheart, who dwarfed him by several meters, standing tall like a pillar of destruction.

"...What I showed you may have been an illusion, but I believe it is a glimpse into the future–once you destroy that seal, your friends will die, you'll die–and the Children of Chaos will be victorious on this day," Amon smiled.

As the exhausted figure looked up, there was no fear in his eyes as the humanoid dragon roared out with a valley-shaking force, slamming its massive fist downward.

"He's…!" Melisande held her face.

A merciless slam of the Dragonheart's scaled fist released a squelch throughout the valley, followed by a thunderous impact as Amon was squashed into paste on the soil.

[Level up!]

[Level Twenty-Three Achieved.]

Tucked deep inside the draconic hide and living flesh of destructive impulses, Emilio remained in a dreamlike state, swallowed by thoughts of darkness, "...Destroy. Destroy. Destroy…"

As Asher arrived behind the Dragonheart as his tail thumped against the ground, the draconic berserker recognized his presence, turning to face him as azure embers fell from his mouth.

"You've lost control, Emilio," Asher calmly said, holding his claymore in his right hand.

The Dragonheart stood many heads taller than the Devilheart, looming over him with vacant eyes forged only by the flames burning within him, breathing heavily as the ground quaked from the clash of mana signatures.

'',

A roar unleashed from the Dragonheart, ripping through the surrounding soil and rattling the mystical chains that kept the Dread sealed, prompting the Devilheart to ready himself. The mere existence of the berserk Dragonheart was a danger to the integrity of the Dread's seal as the fortress walls began to crack and the chains rustled.

"I'm not the type to make promises, but…seeing as we're kindred souls, I feel obligated to save you, even if it'd be easier to kill you," Asher said, "but, if it comes to it, I'll end you. The Dread can't be freed."

I know what you're experiencing, Asher thought, I've gone through it myself before. Regaining control of yourself is near impossible…Right now, all I can do is beat it out of you. I don't want to have to kill you…After all, there aren't many reincarnators like us left.

–

"We should probably get back…" Melisande nervously suggested, feeling the soil vibrate beneath her shoes.

"Are ya' kiddin'?! We got front row seats to a clash between two monsters!" Everett said, "Agh–"

A yelp escaped the blonde-haired bumpkin's lips as his ear was pinched by the demi-human rogue, who had no patience for his childish curiosity.

"We're taking cover," Yuna ordered.

"Alright, alright…! Just let go of my ears! Yer' nails are sharp!" Everett winced, following the two behind the treeline atop the hill.

–

Without any warning, the onyx-scaled Dragonheart unleashed a massive stream of azure flames that swept forth, crackling the air and forcing Asher to leap up to evade the burst of heat.

In response, the Devilheart swung his claymore, sending a slice of darkness directly against the berserker's body, exploding in a mass of demonic energy against his scales.

"Rraaaagh…" The Dragonheart stepped back, but hardly budged from the blow.

As Asher landed on his feet again, he looked up, finding the multi-layered, black-and-silver scales of the monstrous, humanoid dragon barely cracked.

"...This will take some effort," Asher mumbled.

Bursting forth, the Devilheart presented an unforeseen speed, leaving a blaze of demonic energy in his wake as he circled the battlefield many times over within a second, luring the berserk Dragonheart to spin around.

The monstrous draconic force of destruction stomped around, whipping his heavy tail through the land and slamming his fists in an attempt to catch Asher, who seamlessly evaded his blows.

Each wild attack from the Dragonheart stirred up aftershocks through the forest, dredging up roots of stagnant trees and tearing up the surrounding area while Asher swept by, leaving slashes of darkness on the berserker's scales.

Despite the disparity in size, the blows of the Devilheart clearly had an effect on the enraged dracon, though no lasting damage had been inflicted past the monstrous scales of the being.

"Hmf."

As Asher raced across the ground with purple-and-black energy swirling around his enhanced state to further amplify his speed, he summoned a volatile force of darkness around his claymore.

Just as the Dragonheart jumped up with nimbleness frightening for his size, spinning around to whip its lengthy tail towards Asher, the claymore-wielding man flipped around it before countering with a massive slash of his weapon.

FWOOM

An explosion of black-and-violet energy howled out, directly impacting the hide of the berserk beast as the entirety of the surrounding area rumbled.

"---Raaagh…!" The Dragonheart roared in pain.

Even just witnessing the spectacular clash was in itself a battle; the land shook as the soil vibrated and cracked beneath the pressure of the combatting forces.

Everett stood as the stalwart shield in this compromised area, planting himself down with his reliable shield forward whilst Melisande and Yuna stayed behind it.