Chapter 274 From Ash, To Ash

He clenched his entire body, driving flames from every pore of his already strained body as his heart rate skyrocketed.

BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.

"Set your heart ablaze, and fight on, Dragonheart."

Everything was used as a catalyst for his own suicidal power; even the heart pumping inside of his chest was ignited, thumping wildly as the flames resonated with each beat, exuding shock waves of heat.

The skin he wore on his body burned away, cast away by the flames as his body stood halfway between tangible and ethereal, standing there as a living, humanoid flame of seraphic glow.

It was an impossible feeling for him to describe; a weightlessness unlike any other, but he was dense with unimaginable heat, swirling around his soul that stood as the anchor for his very existence now.

This is it, he thought, everything.

As he looked at his own hands, all he saw were flames that resembled human hands, unable to feel anything besides the scorching inferno.

"You're all in…That makes two of us, dragon boy," the Dread spoke with a smile, surrounded by violent darkness.

One minute.

That was all that was left; a single minute left until the flames would vanish, for the last time, perhaps forevermore.

Yet, a minute was more than enough; it was an era for the two beings whose perception was elevated from that of normal mortals–a singular minute was a century to them. Not a single soul present in the desecrated valley could perceive the beginning of the final clash as white embers danced forth as streams of darkness spiraled forward like a spinning drill.

The Dragonheart wasn't restrained to a one, true form, able to completely shape his body now that he existed as flames, compressing himself to fit through a small gap of the Dread's constant assault of darkness before bursting forth as a spear, piercing through the barriers of sound, lightning, and light all at once.

Such power was the result of casting everything away; life, dreams, and all.

"How is it?! How does true freedom feel like?! To exist past the need for flesh!--Wait, I think you may need a body to persist, still! Ha-ha!" The Dread's laughter boomed.

The words and cackles of the malignant entity were ignored as the Dragonheart cocked his flame-forged fists back as massive meteors of darkness neared him. In a barrage of blows, sending a thousand fists forward in an instant without the restriction of his body to hold him back, he sent a construct of his fist forth, enlarged and emboldened by the seraphic flames, punching through the darkness.

It was a "once-in-a-lifetime experience"--though it felt like a misleading term when it came at the cost of one's very own future. Such power was thrilling, flooding through the consciousness of the Dragonheart with an adrenaline like any other as he soared through the sky alongside his foe, speeding through the clouds and bursting from the false sky of the valley itself.

"Violence is incredible, isn't it?" The Dread asked with a giddy smile.

Emilio didn't respond, though the vigor in the strike he sent was more than enough of an acceptable response for the war-born entity.

It was the threshold of godhood; encroaching on the heavens beyond where any should step. The two clashed with a constant flux of explosions spreading out in the sky, mixing between flashes of white and shadows of darkness.

If I don't finish this in this last minute, I won't even have a body to shift back to…! He thought.

An easier task said than done was finishing the Dread however, as the entity unleashed its full strength without any limit, waving its body around before conjuring colossal constructs of darkness forth through the sky, taking the forms of monstrous, airborne creatures.

The Dragonheart was attacked from every angle as the shadow-born beasts, that loomed over even clouds, began lunging towards him.

"Are you too scared to face me yourself?!" Emilio yelled out.

In response to the Dread's attack, the fleeting, but all-powerful blaze inside Emilio was throttled and spread throughout his entire form, exuding it in an expanding heat wave around him that gained such pressure it acted as an immutable shock wave. As the veil of fire propelled outward, it disintegrated the shadow beasts, exploding outward with a shock wave that dispersed the stagnant clouds around.

[Used as inspiration for this large-scale, destructive 'defense' was a weapon viewed as the ultimate power back on Earth: the nuclear bomb. In that moment, he turned himself into a living nuke, expelling the unequaled heat from himself in an all-erasing deterrent.]

"Spectacular! I can feel the heat from here!" The Dread complimented.

–Directly after such words, the violent, decaying entity flew forward at breakneck speed, instantly reengaging the Dragonheart. It was an unorthodox and downright flawed method of attack, considering the devastating defense that Emilio had just presented, however, the Dread didn't abide by any such logic.

It was like a wild, but somehow skillful beast; the Dread twisted around, avoiding a quick volley of fireballs before doing a cartwheel in the air, causing a flare of darkness from its foot before slamming it against the half-tangible body of the Dragonheart.

"Ghh–!"

Even a simple blow like that was executed by the Dread without any regard for 'restraint', blowing away any clouds around and replacing them with remnants of its shadows.

Before he could be flung down by the overwhelming force of the blow, Emilio shifted his arm into a fiery hammer, slamming it against his foe's chest in retaliation, spurring a blood-driven smile from the Dread.

A mountain of darkness exuded from the Dread as it darkened the sky with its display of power, weaving into existence a spell that was nothing less than terrifying in its might.

Emilio saw a chance at last; an opportunity to finish this battle, once and for all, with this next attack.

There was no better stage for the final clash than the azure skies themselves as Emilio released the entirety of his heat, unrestrained, casting snow-white embers far and wide like burning snowflakes, shining through the horizon.

I'm not scared, he thought, I wonder if this is all how they all felt–when I'm putting my life on the line for something besides myself…I don't feel any sort of fear. Right now, all I want is to defeat him.

With the quantity of flames and their potent nature, the possibilities of what he could forge with the inferno he masterfully controlled were endless, however, one such image stuck in his mind with the prospect of his entire journey.

Bringing his hands together, he reeled the blaze in, weaving it into a colossal shape. All around him was the chalky inferno, exuding at a constant rate before he began the first stage of his attack just as the Dread unleashed its own–

"This is everything–for you, Dragonheart! If you fail to stop this, all of those left in that valley will be consumed in the blast as well!" The Dread smiled wickedly.

What was launched towards Emilio was a skull-faced sphere of darkness, as broad as a mountain as it left a shadow over the sky.

However, the stroke of darkness was combated as splendid fireballs shot upward like fireworks, exploding into shining sparks from the Dragonheart's position.

"That won't stop it! Even your flames can't erase something of this magnitude with pitiful attempts!--" The Dread antagonized.

Though the Dragonheart's expression held steady as he looked up, holding the source of his flames in the palm of his hand, "I wasn't trying to stop it with those. Though, this'll get the job done."

"What–?!" The Dread watched.

As the meteor of destructive darkness descended, quickly dropping down towards the Dragonheart's position, Emilio finally gave full form to the newly-woven spell, casting it upward as it shaped itself:

A phoenix born of the shining, snowy flames flapped its mighty wings, boasting a size that rivaled the mountainous meteor. It burrowed through the sea of clouds in its path, brushing them away and creating dazzling arrays of seraphic embers that flooded the sky like noon stars.

It contained every last ounce of heat left within the Dragonheart, ascending with the finality of his will and resolve to claim triumph and reclaim hope from the Dread.

[Dragonheart: From Ash, To Ash]

The auspicious phoenix left a trail of the shining blaze through the sky, leaving a remarkable sight for those below that foretold the yearned-for success of the Dragonheart, who held his fist high to guide the mythical creature forged of his own essence.

"Go!" He yelled upward.

–

Yuna could see the colossal avian flap its wings with enough force to part the skies, heading straight for the gargantuan sphere of destruction tossed down by the thread. It was a word-thieving sight; mystical and frightening all at the same time.

The half-dead shielder slowly parted his eyelids, laid out on his back as he could see the dazzling embers raining down like snowflakes from the high skies of the shattered veil above the valley.

Even the Nihilum Core was left only to watch; Scarlet sat up, huffing with a large gash on his chest as he watched the climactic exchange near its finality.

"Emilio…" Melisande muttered.

There was nothing they could do to help but, only placing their hopes in the strength of Emilio Dragonheart.

Heat constantly multiplied, skyrocketing with the phoenix itself as the velocity continuously rose, moving at an imperceivable speed to gather enough force to confront the mountainous sphere summoned by the Dread.

The phoenix spun itself around, torpeding forth before finally making contact with the ominous sphere–

VROOOOOOM

It felt as though the entire world shook from the collision of the two forces; the impact alone caused a cascading shock wave that rippled through the skies, eradicating the fluffy clouds in the way.

"Nngh…!" Emilio felt the backlash, holding his arm up to guide the colossal phoenix.

Two cataclysms fought against one another; the malignant energy poured from the entirety of the Dread's being, so dense in its darkness that it cast the shade of the night even in the face of the phoenix, resisted the white flames by constantly replenishing itself.

It was the one difference he couldn't make up, a limitation set beyond simply willing himself higher: the Dread had much more mana at its disposal than he did.

However–

"I won't let you…!" Emilio yelled out.

A flare emitted from the colossal phoenix, pushing up as the perfect sphere of darkness began to cave in, being pushed into by the gargantuan construct of fire.

The advantage held by the Dragonheart was in his nigh unstoppable flames; even the primordial shadows could not defend against their heat, no matter what quantity was poured into their form.

"Raaaagh–!" The Dread strained.

It all fell still in the moment of the exchange; the valley fell quiet and the eyes of those yearning for victory watched.

The embers of the white flames began to spark, fizzling out as steam exuded from the Dragonheart's body in greater proportion, though he held his hand up, pushing harder as he pressed the phoenix against the sphere with even more force.

"I won't…! I won't lose! Not again…! Nothing–nothing has changed!" The Dread's voice boomed, amplifying the sphere as its size multiplied, "I am violence! I am war! I am the embodiment of endless fighting! So–!"

Before the Dread could finish his desperate words, the phoenix that pushed against the destructive sphere from below brightened, unleashing a blinding flash as the heat it gave off was pushed to higher limits, shattering the boundaries of perceived limitations.

"--So there's no way I'm going to let you live! Not after what you've taken!" Emilio shouted, intercepting the entity's words, "Life isn't so meager that you can just tear it away at your leisure! All of it! Every life you've taken–this is them getting back at you! This is your comeuppance–!"

Soaring with the words of the one who conjured it, the phoenix flapped its wings, emitting a wave of flames as it pushed upward, causing the sphere to be condensed before it finally pierced straight through the mountainous orb.

"What–?!" The Dread let out in disbelief.

At the speed the phoenix soared, it was impossible for the malevolent figure to evade the seraphic avian as it came in through the expelled darkness, overriding the shadows with its overwhelming brightness.

Past the phoenix, the Dread could focus only on one thing in that moment between moments, honing in as time seemed to slow before the inevitable end: he could see that sharp, amethyst glare of the Dragonheart, fueled by rage and triumph.

…The war is yours, Dragonheart, the Dread thought.

As the phoenix reached the depraved entity, an explosion of bright-white flames filled the skies like a supernova, stretching across the azure with a resounding boom that momentarily deafened everybody in the valley below.

With the dissipation of the fire, only the ashes left of the Dread were seen before a gust of wind brushed the very last remnants of the war-loving entity away.

[Level Up!]

[Level Thirty Achieved.]

[New Skill(s) Acquired: Draconic Might, Greater Scales, Flame Hardening]

Good riddance, he thought.

Emilio stayed there in the skies for a moment, looking down at his body that was halfway turned into fire itself, "...I did it. Thanks for the assist, Asher."

Below he could see the spherical barrier that was kept around the Valley of Parmesus, resembling a false sky that had a floating fortress above it.

Though he questioned what the mysterious structure was, there was no strength left for him to even permit simple thought as the blaze finally gave out, returning him to his physical form.

The body he was left with was skin and bones, covered in burn marks and bruises as blood seeped from his nose, coughing up more of the fluid.

I knew it would come to this, he thought, but still…I feel like there's still so much I want to do. I don't want to die…not yet. It's a bit too late for thoughts like that though, right?...

He began plummeting down from the sky, falling down from hundreds of meters high as the wind blared against his ringing eardrums.

BA-DUMP…BA-DUMP…BA-DUMP.

All he could do was listen to the faint resonance of his own heart, feeling it grow more distant by the moment as he fell through the sky.

It was surprising to him just how high he had gone, finding himself still plummeting from the great heights of the azure with the wind at his back, brushing his unkempt tufts as they maintained their lifeless, white shade.

…I was fine with it before, so why am I remembering all of this? Why am I thinking about all the things I want to do now? He questioned, I really did it this time. I'm sorry Mom, Dad, and…yeah, you too, first mom. I couldn't make the most of this life, could I?

Though regrets stood in his fading heart, he still believed as though this life was not a mistake, and the choices he made were ones he'd make again.

Slowly, his eyelids grew dense like lead, fluttering as he watched the sky above him. Soon, even the blaring wind became quiet before silence befell him, leaving all sensation in his body loss as everything went dark around him.

I'll be seeing you soon, Joel, Vandread, Asher…Hopefully I'm praised and not reprimanded, he thought.

[At the end of the long, arduous war against the vicious entity known as the Dread, there were three deaths reported. The brave soldier of the Nihilum Core, Briggs Sejuh, had fallen. A courageous recruit, Asher Devilheart, fell in battle...And, another recruit, Emilio Dragonheart, fell after successfully defeating the Dread.]