Becoming the Strongest Through (Draconic) Racism - Chapter 3 (Patreon)

I groaned as I slithered and crawled my way of of the flying, well, former flying snake devil, grasping onto my jacket with one hand, as I made my way to solid ground. Rather than the gorey wet one I was in.

I'm surprised on how little damage I feel I took. Maybe that's adrenaline. I'd say it's dragon guts. They make hell of a cushion.

"Heh," I chuckled, then coughed and spat as I felt some blood and maybe some bits of flesh fall into my mouth.

I pushed one leg under me then another and with more effort that I ever felt like needing to, stood up.

There was a subtle ringing in my ear now, and I was a bit dizzy, but a bit of breathing some focused as my inner balance restored itself.

I did it. I killed a real one. One of the big flying dragons, even if it's not officially called that. The lousy flying noodle.

"Right, gotta move. Gotta get out of here before the Bronze Dragon gets here." I said to myself and began to limp away. "Two left. I can't fucking believe it, but two left." My mind flashed with the images of the Naberius Devil and the two fallen but I pushed them away.

One thing at a time. One monster to slay before the others.

I put on my jacket and kept limping away. I summoned Twice Critical as always and started to stockpile it with energy, the normal stat doubling effect making me able to walk normally again.

I felt the winds stir. Instincts from all the shit I dealt with on his island, made me on hair trigger, so I reacted immediately.

I turned and raised my Sacred Gear covered arm, light on my feet to roll with the momentum. I unleashed the stored energy just as—

BAM!

I saw the figure but barely could react. He came at me too fast. The charcoal scaly man thing, throwing a jumping haymaker.

I took the blow with Twice Critical and slammed into the ground. His attack angle not letting me jump away with the force.

"HA! Finally!" A reptile foot slammed on me, that I blocked with my closed arm to cover my side. "Finally caught you the scummy little rat—"

I released the stored energy, half into me, focusing it on my skin and bones and half into the ground.

BOOM!

I heard the dragon man's scream of pain and surprise. I shouted as well as the force of the explosion threw me away too, but I was free and away from him.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, SHITTAR!?" Shouted the dragon man.

I was steaming and had parts of my skin boiling red, but still I'm not down. I can keep fighting.

I looked at my enemy as I stood up and yeah, dragon man is an apt description.

His body had a blue tinge now that I fully look at it, and what I thought of as 'cracks', looked to be the space between muscles, showing off the energy within his body. He had spikes on his back of his head, that seemed to transform into flowing red hair.

So that's the seventh dragon-devil.

Wait, Shittar?

"Chad?"

"Who the fuck else, bitch?" He said with a wide grin showing his fangs.

"Wow... you look fuck ugly now. I mean, you were ugly before, but now its fuck ugly you know." I found myself say with relative calm.

The distant but closing roar of the bronze dragon was my count down. I either manage to run away before it arrives, or kill the dragon man... Chad before then.

My right arm heated up as it powered with stockpile of energy. I did it slow enough that there weren't the obvious cues like the whining or noise of energy when I'm doing it too quickly. Also less chance of skin burns that way.

"You think you're really clever aren't you." Chad said with, what he probably thought of as, a terrifying sneer. Usually I'd say a dragon man sneering at you is scary but this is Chad. So I don't give a shit. "Having us, having me run around only to keep finding your piss and shit. You think you were being real fucking clever weren't you?!"

I blinked in confused, raising an eyebrow without thinking about it.

"I did do the piss trick to trick you fuckers, but I didn't shit anywhere." Then I remember that I did once. "No, wait I did, but it was a week ago and it was in a bathroom in the abandoned hospital. I haven't gone since because I hadn't eaten anything, so there's no food for me to have shat out."

Honestly? Only reason I used a bathroom was, because I still had a sense of dignity back then. Also thought using shit as a trap might have been a move too far. I was stupid back then, these animals deserve far worse.

"You think I'm gonna believe that?!" He growled.

Wait, was he... was he really that dumb? Was he always that dumb as to have done what I thought he did?

"Did you like... circle and stumble on the same place over and over again when it's clear I wouldn't have been hiding in the hospital bathrooms?" I asked and Chad froze. I found myself snorting before I could think about it. "Wow, I'm... not gonna even ask about your fetishes. Actually wait, are you just that fucking dumb that you kept going to places my scent was in over and over again, even though you should know they were decoy hiding spots by then?" I couldn't help but ask in disbelief.

Chad roared and lunged at me. He was fast, yet I saw him coming this time and actively ready and reacting to him.

I swerved to the left dodging the first and then the second wild swings of his claws. I crouched down as I evaded another swipe at were my head would be and punched forward.

I recalled every single time Chad and my Unawaken Self fought. Or more like, less I fought and more suffered Chad's beatdowns. Chad may have had height, reach and now as a dragon man, he had speed, but this asshole doesn't actually know how to fight.

And unlike my Unawaken Self I know the best attacks on an enemy are ones that actually lands.

I threw a body shot right into his torso with my red gauntlet arm.

Bam!

Only for the dragon man to have reacted fast enough, to bend down, and block it by having both arms in a boxer's defense stance to cover his face.

"HA! You still can't punch worth a damn—"

"Dragon Shot."

The energy in my right arm exploded into a crimson beam and blasted the fucked back. Chad was launched back so hard, he skipped across the ground.

Sadly he wasn't dead yet. He was laughing as steam rolled off his body from the hit.

"Hahahahaha! Even with fucking magical powers, you're still a loser who can't hold a candle to me." Chad stood up, a physical aura of orange flames covering him like armor. "Man, you must be fucking pissed at how pathetic you life keep turning out—"

I was dashing at the dragon man the moment he was rolling and trying to regain his balance. I wasn't giving Chad time to act or think. I'm not playing this as an anime fight where two people have entire philosophical conversation mid-fight.

My arm heated up and Sacred Gear cried with the sound of rapid energy charging.

"YOU CHEAPSHOT SHIT!" Chad... headbanged his head forward. I anticipated what that was for and did the last thing he expected.

I threw myself forward in my run. I kept advancing at him.

I peripherally saw energy spikes sail over my head, and Chad's shocked face. I was of course going to fall from the awkward position and because my momentum was going to end soon.

That happens I'm a sitting duck to be wailed on or kicked. Like my Unawaken Self experienced many times before.

So I stopped caring about pain.

I flooded my body with the stored energy, throwing it into my arms and legs.

I pushed the oncoming ground with my arm, and front flipped into a flying kick. Every bone in my body felt on fire and under pressure.

Chad dodge, annoyingly, but I continued the flip to land on my feet again.

"Where in the kungfu monkey bullshit did you learn—"

I dashed at him swinging left and right. Any punch Chad didn't dodge he paid for with a direct dragon shot with the hit. Any attack from him, when he could react and throw it, I was already not in its path.

We kept that dance up for a few seconds, I could hear the flapping of the bronze dragon's wings getting closer. I needed to end this now.

I threw a right haymaker and a weak dragon shot as a feint with it. Chad blocked while letting the energy beam splash semi-harmlessly on his shoulder.

"HA! Did you think I can't spot when you're about to throw a magic beam at me. It's always the same, from your right arm." He smirked with his lizard face fangs. "And they're getting weaker—"

His left side was open.

My left leg connected.

The actual majority of my charged energy flew down my body, and out the top of the foot.

"Dragon Beam Kick!"

BOOOM!

The dragon man was blasted with the full force of the unexpected beam attack. I felt my leg fracture in multiple places.

Chad was launched away like one of those baseballs from a baseball launching machine. He was blasted away fast, slamming right into a nearby cliff.

He coughed, shouting and roaring in pain, but also had a shocked look of disbelief that turned into rage.

I held up my right arm, glowing with contained furious energy, while I stood leaning on my right side. Dammit.

I'm too late.

Before I could attack the dragon man while he's downed, the bronze dragon had arrived, landed down onto the ground with a violent slam, causing it to shake around us.

The bronze dragon roared, a wave of pressure, rage and power fell upon me.

And all I felt was nothing but the cold calculations of how can I kill this giant target while escaping.

Because if the bronze dragon was here, then the fallen and devil will fly low to watch, thinking the show was about to end.

I could use that chance to snipe the younger fallen and the Naberius Devil.

Tempting but I resisted the urge. I can not fight Satanael or anything adjacent to him. I need to deal with these fucking scalies first.

"You are fucked now, piss shit." Chad shouted as he stood up, speaking like a fucking Neanderthal as always. "This is Albert, remember Albert?"

Who the fuck is Albert?

My Twice Critical whined with charging energy.

"He was really mad at you running away and leaving him for dead. Very ungrateful of you, Shittar. And when it was because of him that you had the chance to start this scavenger hunt." Chad explained.

Right. The brooding guy who wished I got shot instead of him.

"Ah, got it." I nodded, my casual reply throwing off Chad for some reason, making him look at me incredulously. "Hey fucking big loser, why don't you try me. Maybe this time you'll be fast enough to not get hit."

Albert roared, and swung his giant hand to flatted me.

"Hey, wait—" Chad began to say, trying to control the situation.

I pumped some Twice Critical's stored energy into my legs to dash forward multiple times faster than my base stats. I knew my legs would start fracturing and breaking.

So I used my magical energy was for the only thing I could do with them, that I knew right now. I took all that inner energy unused by the Sacred Gear, and wrapped it around my bones, my muscles, veins, every organ and system inside my body to keep them in place. To keep them functioning.

BAM!

The ground shook behind me as I cleared his giant palm from hitting me.

"Oh no, you don't!" Chad tried to lunge at me to block what I wanted to do.

So I turned and ran back and jumped onto Albert's arm.

The bronze dragon shouted in rage and semi-panic, as if he noticed a bug was crawling on his skin. Which in fairness, I kinda am. Climbing on him. His skin has many ridges and footholds to use.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" The dragon man shouted and was ignored.

The bronze dragon tried to throw me off by swinging his arm.

The second he did that I jumped and was perfectly positioned for what I did next. At the perfect height to laser beam his face.

"DRAGON SHOT!" I blasted the red beam into his eyes.

The bronze dragon screamed in pain. I landed to the ground from a four or five story drop.

Crack.

And instantly felt pain.

"Yep. Legs broken now. Hold them in place and keep going." I said to myself, mostly for encouragement.

Albert started thrashing around, which I had to run and evade. Chad tried to intervene but had to dodge the rampaging bronze dragon, or ended up taking hits just as well.

I fell into a rhythm then.

Pain was an afterthought.

I maneuvered around Chad and the flailing semi-blind Albert. One of his eyes had popped, and blood was falling profusely from the wound now.

Albert was just hitting the ground, not able to aim for shit. He had the beginning of a fire breath, but it was more like fire ball that perished right outside his mouth. Like someone exploding a balloon of gas with a match.

Big, scary, loud and hot. And ultimately useless to do real damage in a supernatural fight.

Guess Big Albert didn't manage to learn that quintessential dragon move. He looked enraged and embarrassed each time. Somehow that was visible on his dragon face. Sucks to suck, scrub.

Chad tried to get hits in like a weasel, now that he had backup and didn't manage jack shit. All because he didn't know where the next dragon shot would come from. The coward. Now that I could surprise and hurt you, you're scared?

How like a scalie bitch. Only brave when big and strong with clear advantage over your opponent.

But I knew I could kept this up forever. Each time I took more stored up energy than the normal double, I was cracking, fracturing, breaking. I can't keep this up for long.

I was enduring more pain for the same hit to be effective. All the while I knew I was getting slower and slower.

I have to chance it and try and take out the bronze dragon with another beam to a vital part—

A shining light.

I jumped to dodge.

My body couldn't follow my will.

The Light Spear pierced through my right side under my shoulder. Breathing suddenly became conscious challenge I fought to preform.

From my magical energy covering my inside I knew my heart was okay. My right lung was half gone, and thus done for.

"YES! Got you, you little cockroach." Came the distant celebratory shout from the fallen femboy.

SLAM!

I felt what bits of breath knocked out of me, my vision blackened as I lost consciousness—W̵A̶K̶E̷U̸P̵!̴—I slammed my consciousness back to awakening, to staying awake, staying alive. Sleep was death. Dreaming meant I already died.

I coughed up blood, and as it went down my lips and chin, I realized my back was to the ground and a giant dragon hand covered me, my head between the bronze dragon's two giant fingers.

"Finally," Ignatius voice reached me, tinged with annoyance and minor relief that he thought this was over.

All three spectator were hovering above the battlefield, visible to us now, rather than staying above the clouds to watch. Like this was fucking TV.

"God job, Satanael's assistant. You finally did something right." Ignatius said.

"My name is Elyndra!" Exclaimed the fallen femboy like this was a comedy routine.

The bronze dragon growled bringing attention back to me. I groan and cried out, gritting my teeth as I felt the dragon push its weight on me. Clearly taking satisfaction from squishing me.

You only managed that because of a cheap shot.

"And it's not my fault this human was so damn quick and sneaky. I could only hit him this time because of your two Pawn together. Doesn't that show the problem was in your minion." Elyndra said back with exhaustion and annoyance visible on him.

"Hold your tongue, welp." Ignatius said back with harsh authority. "You're speaking to a High Class Devil of the most noble and ancient house of Naberius. Know your place, Fallen."

Elyndra wilted under the tone and stare, hiding partially behind his boss's frame.

"Forgive him, Ignatius. This is the first time he took on such a grueling extrusion. This experiment, as you can attest, was far more tiring than most." Satanael said easily.

"Yes, I can admit that." Ignatius sighed and let it go, as he did worse. Turned to look at me with interested eyes. "Caleb Gunnar, you are an extra in this experiment, since Albert here ended up taking two Pawn to Reincarnate. Such was his potential as you can see." The bronze dragon growled. "Originally this was suppose to be a small field test to see their capabilities, but surprise, surprise. Time and again you bested my Pawn. It was... infuriating but enlightening." Ignatius tried to smile. "Your determination was inspiring, but more so your ingenuity."

"M-My Lord, what are you saying?" Chad began to say, shocked I was complimented.

This sounded like the start of a recruitment speech. A carrot as oppose to nine days of stick.

Fuck your carrot.

"Silence." Ignatius said with a voice bereft of patience. "Do not questions my decisions, Chad." The dragon man wilted, and shut up. "As I said, you shown far too much potential, Caleb, but—"

"No."

"...Excuse me?" Ignatius blinked in surprise. He was about to say that he considered recruiting me into his Peerage, but was too annoyed after everything to consider it now.

"I refuse." However I didn't care to engage in this song and dance. "I refuse your offer, your mercy, your choices upon me, any of them. I REFUSE YOU, ALL YOU MONSTERS! TO THE FUCKING END!"

"Y-You dare—" Ignatius' face went red with anger.

Yet everything was cut off by Satanael laughing.

"Please excuse me." Satanael waved them off, as everyone looked at him surprised, while his assistant was mouth gabbed. "It's been far too long since I've witnessed a human act with such defiant of death, while seemingly, not being delusional about it."

"He seems completely unaware of his position my lord." Elyndra said.

"Tsk, annoying to the end, huh." Ignatius said, forcing himself to look uninterested now. "Chad, you can have the kill." The bronze dragon growled, but a gesture from the Naberius Devil silenced it.

"Wow, just when I thought you couldn't get any dumber, but then again that's how you always were." Chad stepped forward, taking his time, looking down on me, smirking all the while. "You kept acting like you're too good for everything. Be it in school, the football team or any people you acted with. Honestly I'd say isolating you to make you a punching bag was mainly my doing, but you did the job with your holier-than-thou shtick..."

What the fuck is he talking about?

Memories from my life as my Unawaken Self came to mind—I pushed them away. I don't have time for this.

I started storing energy in my Twice Critical.

Chad stepped on my right arm, breaking the bones in it, but I didn't stop.

"Just like right now. Actually, no it was me." He said with a grin. "I made it so a loser like you stayed a loser. It's just what some pompous nobody orphan like you deserve. You kept being in the same place as me, and kept acting like that's too good for you."

"...shut up."

"Hell, you fucking talked with Katie like it was nothing, when she was my girl. Well, she wasn't my girl then, but same difference."

So that's why she suddenly—I DON'T CARE. I don't care about the life of my Unawaken Self.

The past pain is meaningless. It doesn't define me. It has nothing to do with me.

I will forge my future here and now with my own hands.

"And always, you just fucking always, dare to look me in the eyes like we're equals, or you're better because of some self-righteous shit because you, what? Struggled more? You always act both like some noble crusader fighting through life, and some woe-is-me little bitch. Well, you now get to—" Chad The dragon man kept talking, but I was done listening.

"You keep talking like you know me." I said, looking absolutely done with this whole thing.

The energy in Twice Critical skyrocketed as I didn't bother with pain, thus didn't limit the energy build up.

"Ah! Fuck!" Chad The dragon man took his foot off my arm, as it got so hot it burned him.

Magic comes from the soul, right?

Touki is the soul ignited.

So go ahead, My Soul! Ignite!

"Who are you? I don't know you. Stop acting familiar with me, you fucking filthy lizard!"

I pulled all that energy back into my body, focusing on boosted the point where my magical energy comes from. Focusing all that empowerment on the origin of my magical energy, on my Soul.

Ignite and blaze up, so I can incinerate these dragons!

I felt pain beyond body.

(I will kill you all!)

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!" The sound I let out wasn't human.

The bronze dragon's hand shook.

And as a white aura flared around me, exploding like fire, burning like a land oil rig that caught flames.

I fired a dragon shot.

The bronze dragon screamed in pain as it jumped back shaking the ground with it's movement. The giant lizard was holding it's hand, screaming about its now two missing fingers.

The dragon man jumped back scared and screaming about things I didn't care to listen to.

I attacked.

===x===

Cadre Satanael POV:

"W-W-What is that? What did he do?" Elyndra shouted.

"T-Touki." Ignatius uttered in shock. "He awakened Touki. That... that shouldn't be possible in a mere few days of fighting."

"WHAT? Fight Spirit, the Aura of the Soul! T-That Touki." Elyndra cried out but was ignored. "Lord Satanael, should we all act now to subdue him?"

"Why would we need to do anything?" Satanael said before having to fly to the side, dodging a wild dragon shot that was aimed at Albert. It had pierced through one of his wings.

Down below the Berserk Caleb was attacking Chad like a wild animal, punching and kicking him with bone breaking force. Even with his superior body as a Reincarnated Devil, added onto the Bune Trait Factor, and his enhanced Sacred Gear from that transformation, every hit was painfully damaging to the boy.

For the first time, the teen experienced true battle, where every exchange was pain, and every hit could be his end. Even as a draconic-devil, his fear was visible in his body.

"What do you mean, Satanael? We do nothing?" The panicking Ignatius said.

"I believe you have the means to immediately bring a swift end to this situation." Satanael said, looking at the Naberius Devil with an easy going smile. "Don't you think so, Ignatius."

"...Yes. Yes, fine. So be it! The results of this endeavor are well and truly spectacular enough." Ignatius Naberius said, his expression cycling between happiness, relief, frustration before ending on resignation.

From inside his coat, Ignatius took a jewel covered in a metal band, with magic inscriptions written along the length of it.

He activated it and threw it into the air.

The jewel released a large magical energy before transformation in to a teleportation magic circle.

A magic circle with a very particular insignia.

"Th-That's a Dragon Gate!" Elyndra exclaimed.

A giant black head, the size of Albert's whole body emerged from the Dragon Gate, followed along with an equally large body.

The real Black Dragon raised it's head and bellowed out a large smoke cloud that became thunder clouds that covered the sky. The dragon was making a fitting stage for its arrival.

Lightning arcs danced in the sky under the dragon's command.

It was a large black dragon, with four wings, red claws, spikes and horns like they were dipped in blood, and glowing crimson eyes, with mouth that let out bits of electricity as it breathed.

"Behold and witness me! I am Beithir, the Twice Reborn Lightning Dragon. For what emergency have you dared to call upon me before our appointed time, Naberius. You better have a good reason for wishing for me to come this magical barrier. It is empty and weak, deemed only for pushing away the humans, unworthy of my grand self!" The dragon spoke. His words vibrating the air like wild winds and echoing in all space.

A presence that demanded attention, easily halting the battle below. Just as one would expect from standing before the true apex predator species of this world.

"I'm sorry, Beithir. I've encountered a bit of a problem that needs your attention for the sake of our deal—" Ignatius began to say.

(FUCK YOU, YOU TRYHARD LIGHTNING LIZARD!)

"▅▅, ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅!" Caleb roared something again, this time accompanied by a middle finger to the, just arrived, Beithir.

The dragon somehow stilled while in mid-air.

"What, did you just say to me?" Beithir said with a calm tone, not hiding his outrage at the audacity of this human talking to him like that.

"Um, I was pointing out the reason for my calling your assistance—" Ignatius said, confused and wary.

"Not you. Him." Beithir gestured with his head.

"You understand him, Twice Reborn Lightning Dragon?" Satanael asked, causing the dragon to pay attention to him.

"You are...?"

"Satanael. Former Grigori and Leader of the Alastor Organization of the Khaos Brigade." He said with a cordial smile.

"Khaos Brigade. Ah, yes, I've heard of you, Slaves of Infinity." Beithir nodded.

"Quite." Satanael said in joking tone. Mostly so his assistant, Elyndra, doesn't mouth off to an opponent far behind his ability. The dragon seemed to buy his reply on its surface as well.

"I can understand him through his intent, his Dragon Aura. It's only now that I focus on it that I notice a substantial amount of it." Beithir said, looking at Caleb and salivating. "Although his wrath is odd. It's like looking at another Dragon's Outrage. Is this your doing, Ignatius?"

"What?" The Naberius Devil looked lost.

"Beithir, do you mean that this boy, Caleb Gunnar, as a human with a Dragon-Type Sacred Gear, had tapped so deep into it, that he managed to recreate a the draconic wrathful ability of Outrage out of nothing but pure instinct?" Satanael wasn't just saying this to explain the situation to himself and other, but also phrase it in a way that, if correct, the black dragon doesn't get annoying by having grounds to be offended by the Fallen Cadre showing him up.

"...Yes, did I not just say that?" Beithir looked as surprised as those listen, while trying not to show it.

This is why working with sub-intellectuals is so annoying. Any other dragon of considerable strength would have figured this out instantly, but those like this one can't comprehend those with true strength. Satanael thought, while holding back a sigh.

(FUCKING WHAT?)

"▃▃▅▅?" Caleb roared once again, his tone filled with offense and disgust.

"However as is obvious that power would break beings that are not dragons. If you stop being an annoyance for my plans of ascension, I could be persuaded to—" Beithir moved his head to the side in a quickness that pointed to a reaction born of panic, as a red giant beam passed where his head was at. The frozen wide-eyed look of disbelief, showed how much the black dragon couldn't believe this human's audacity. "Did you just attack me mid-sentence—?"

Beithir looked forward to see the human had exploded in motion, jumping the distance between then, crossing it like he was flying from the sheer force of his dash.

(PUT YOUR FISTS UP, BIAAAATCH!)

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▄▄, ▅▅!" Caleb shouted, right arm pulled back with a shining Twice Critical glowing like a crimson sun.

The black dragon reacted instinctively. It flapped it's wings to dash back and struck with it's tail.

BOOM!

The gigantic and much stronger dragon shot, infused by touki was derailed off course by a hypersonic tail wipe. The beam had most of it's power lost by destroying the spike-tipped tail, and the part of the beam left, was blocked by Beithir's forearm, that was now smoking.

Of course, Caleb who crashed back to the ground paid the price for that attack, as his arm was gashed by a massive wound. A wound that let out purple smoke.

"That wound is now suffused with my poison. A poison that can only be purified by running water." Beithir said, trying to look amused, but in truth was wrathful at all this defiance from a human. "Usually I would let my prey have the chance to reach a river or a body of water, but now I don't think so for this disrespect by a welp."

An amusing lie. All Beithir's survivors were simply those faster than him, or outwitted him. Satanael though.

(I'LL RIP THIS POISON OUT AND CHOKE YOU WITH IT!)

"▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▃▃▄▄▅▅!" Caleb roared back.

"Hmph, it seems he has become nothing more than barking dog that should be put down." Elyndra began to say with confidence, thinking Caleb was finally being put down. "Please allow me the honor of ending this feral human, my Lords."

"Elyndra, you should cease trying to get involved..." Satanael began to say, as he could see his assistant was getting overconfident.

The warning came too late as Elyndra threw Light Spear faster than an arrow.

Caleb caught it with his left hand, the one without a Sacred Gear, and held in shape by his energy.

(Fuck off, you gnat.)

"▃▃▄▄."

"He caught—GAAUH!" Elyndra coughed blood as the Light Spear was returned back, right through his heart.

The fallen tried to breath, only to lose all strength and fall from the sky.

Silence fell on the island as this interruption turned into a lull.

And then...

"Hehehahahahaha..." The silence was interrupted by a dragon's laughter. "HahahahahahahHAHAHA! Human do you think you have strength? That you have any chance at victory even if you overcome my poison?"

Without waiting for a reply, the Twice Reborn Lightning Dragon struck.

The bronze dragon roared in confusion as it was trapped in giant dragon's hand.

Then just as quickly, and just as violently, Beithir brought the bronze dragon to his mouth and devoured it whole, bite by bite.

"L-L-L-Lord Beithir why?!" Chad shouted in horror. "He was with us! Albert, he was with us. He's Lord Naberius' Pawn." The Chad turned to the Naberius Devil shaking and panicking. "Lord Naberius, do something, please! He can't do that! Stop him!"

"Really? I can't?" Beithir snorted. Smoked rose out of his stumped tail, as flesh bubbled before it grew and the spike reformed. He was regenerated and wasfully healed, even seemed a slight bit stronger. "Can't I, Ignatius Naberius?" He said with cheeky amusement.

"Of course not, my partner." Ignatius smirked.

"L-Lord Naberius..." Chad took a step back, his body shaking with fear, as he never considered his 'master' would think of him as so disposable.

"Why are you surprised, Chad Richardson? I told you, you would be part of something great. Those who fail have no place at my side, and are no better than fuel for the greatness of others."

"S-So, the others—"

"All served as part of my ascension to becoming a Heavenly Dragon." Beithir said. "They all failed against a mere human with the weakest draconic Sacred Gear. What use is there for them other than nectar to increase my power."

"Does... does that mean me too?" Chad asked, despair sunken into those wide-eyes.

"Of course not." Beithir said with a smile, as Ignatius looked to the side to hide a laugh. "The more you prove your strength, the more you will aid and serve me and Ignatius for many years to come. You will be rewards to much power and glory, the more you succeed. My actions just now were just a demonstration of failure." The dragon lied, yet showed no attempt to be persuasive. "After all, you have potential, Chad, unlike all the others."

Satanael had to hold back a sigh at this painfully obvious manipulation.

Potential. Right. Potential to be a big meal power-up.

Should Chad win, Naberius likely wouldn't hand him off to Beithir to be an empowerment meal. Right away that is. Ignatius would just keep building him up and strengthening the boy like a fruit waiting to ripen.

"Y-Yeah, that's right. I just need to beat this loser." Chad began to regain his vigor, a valor that masked his desperation. "I'm Chad Richardson. My father's San Francisco's Police Chief. I can beat this worthless orphan."

"And there's no need to worry at all." Beithir spoke, and then his power spiked, exploded as all his contained power crystalized and rose up, becoming wild and devastating.

Like a calamity given form born of wrath.

A dragon's Outrage.

Beithir began to change upon activating his full draconic power.

His skin turning red, his claws, spikes and horns turning black. His horns even grew larger, as if trying to emulate a crown. To denote royalty.

The flakes of electricity leaving his mouth turned red from the heat and power. Lightning turning into plasma.

"Because no matter what you do, Caleb Gunnar. You never had a chance." Beithir finished on a proud self-satisfied note. "For I am Beithir! A dragon who lived for seven centuries. Rival of Y Ddraig Goch, and soon to surpass him. I have fed on the Dragon Aura of thousands of humans, and at the end of it all, you're just one more."

This was the Twice Reborn Lightning Dragon's full power. All of that, all that preparation, all that scheming, all those experiments and means to gain power, as Satanael examined the results of it all, all he could think was...

How pitiful.

Even with everything he did, Beithir only barely broke into the realm of a Dragon King. No. To actually say he was a Dragon King-level would be an insult to all Dragon Kings.

Beithir was a dragon who's ambition far outstripped his jaws.

He was a dragon known for his cowardice and shrewdness, yet in a far worse way then even Yu-Long.

For even while Yu-Long was also known for his cowardice, he was still the Mischievous Dragon, the Jade Dragon, and his noble character far outweighed his flaws.

Beithir deluded himself into thinking he could become Ddraig's rival, that he could one day match him, all because they originated from the same region.

A dragon gained a true title once it broke into the Ultimate Class rank. Otherwise it would end up holding onto its original element as part of its name.

Beithir, the Twice Reborn Lightning Dragon.

Even now, Beithir needed to subside on a steady stream of Dragon Aura to keep up his Ultimate Class strength. Should he ever manage to retain his current strength to keep it as his base, he could only end up with but one name.

Beithir, the Envious Crawling Dragon. For he always longed for that far above him and out of reach.

All of his action, all of his posturing, because he feared death, avoiding it at all cost, far more than his longing for strength, yet still had the audacity to wish for strength.

Beithir could only posture and brag right now because he has too many assurance for his power. Else he would have ran away if it seemed like Caleb could ever be a threat.

Then there was also his ultimate trump card for escaping. Why he's called the 'Twice Reborn'. Satanael thought. Now, is this the end of you ability and will, Caleb? Should I intervene for you? The Adversary of God thought in amusement.

Growl.

(All of you... keep on running your mouths...)

"▂▂... ▂▂▃▃▂▂..."

Attention returned to Caleb, he was growling. His body shaking with his growls growing louder.

His energy was twisting and turning, increasing, them compressed and pulsing.

Satanael's eyes widened with excitement.

Would he see Caleb's Balance Breaker? Or something... more captivating?

===x===

I'm at the end of my rope.

All of this and there was still another enemy behind all the dragons.

All of this and this dragon was stronger than all other six put together.

My blood is burning from the poison. I feel like I'm choking on swamp water and tar.

This island was inside a barrier? Right. That makes sense. Why people aren't there. Alcatraz usually has tourists.

This thing was as strong as Satanael. I still have to fight the Fallen after all this? This is unfair. I want this to end.

I'm tired I'M NOT DONE!

I charged Twice Critical with energy, with Touki, I grabbed the energy from the surrounding, uncaring for it's negativity.

It hurts!

I'm innocent!

Mommy!

Someone help me!

SHUT UP! Your pain is nothing! You're gone! So be fuel for the future and vanish!

I took all that power, stuffed it into this damn draconic Sacred Gear, taking all that Dragon Aura, concentrating it into Twice Critical, wishing to be rid of it.

I took it all, pushed it into my right and.

And Prayed.

(LADY GABRIEL—NO, STRENGTH ISN'T ENOUGH. I NEED BEYOND STRENGTH TO CHANGE! TO REMAKE THIS FATE!)

"▅▅—▂▂▃▂▂▃▂▂▃▃▄▄▃▃▄▄▃▃▄▄▅▅.▄▄▅▅▄▄▅▅! ▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

My Sacred Geared shined with a glow so hot, it forced the clouds to begin dispersing.

The energy build up was slow large, the red gauntlet upon my right arm began cracking. Ethereal light bleed out of the Artifact of God.

(LORD MICHAEL—NO! YOU'RE FUCKING USELESS! I DON'T NEED A HALF-ASS MEASURE LIKE YOU! I NEED A MIRACLE BEYOND WILL! A EUCATASTROPHE! )

"▅▅—▂▂▃▂▂▃▂▂▃▃▄▄▃▃▄▄▃▃▄▄▅▅! ▃▃▄▄▃▃▄▄▅▅! ▄▄▅▅▄▄▅▅! ▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

The dragon, fallen and devil exclaimed things in surprise.

The dragon man panicked and rushed me on their orders.

(I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU, FODDER!)

"▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄!" I screamed and punched with my right arm.

The dragon man was slammed into by my fist with such force, his skeleton exploded out of his back.

No. That was a naked human, who was launched so fast, he skipped along the ground getting lashes, before slamming into a tree with enough force, I heard his spine crack and snap in place.

Unimportant.

There was only one force that can grant my will and wish when God dead.

(OH HOLY SPIRIT! I PRAY TO YOU! GRAND ME THE STRENGTH SLAY THE DRAGONS! MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR WILL TO SLAY EVIL! LET ME KILL GREAT RED! LET ME KILL GREAT RED! LET ME KILL GREAT REEEED!!!)

"▅▅▅! ▃▃▄▄! ▃▃▄▄▅▅▄▄▅▅! ▃▃▄▄▅▅▄▄▅▅! ▄▄▅▅▅▅! ▄▄▅▅▅▅! ▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

Twice Critical shattered and exploded.

===x===

Cao Cao POV:

It was a simple meeting with the members of the Hero Faction, among his fellow Heroes. They were refining their plans for their assault on Kyoto and the leader of West Youkai Faction, the Nine-Tailed Fox, Yasaka.

All of a sudden Cao Cao's spear, the True Longinus, materialized without his input. He stood up, stepping away from the table to look at his Longinus in concern.

"Cao Cao? Is there any issue?" Georg, loyal friend and right hand man, stood up as well, wanting to aid his friend.

"Why did you summon your Sacred Gear, Cao Cao?" Charlemagne, his Co-Leader of the Hero Faction, asked in annoyance, as she tended to butt head with him on the path to take their group.

Yet right now, she also showed a hint of concern.

"I... I don't know. It just summoned itself." Cao Cao said, rattled by the situation enough to speak the truth without filtering it to suit him. "The True Longinus just feel like it's reacting to—"

The True Longinus viberated as it shine bright enough to engulf the meeting room, and nearly blind everyone present, before a concentrated beam of light exploded out of the tip of the spear, and out through roof, aimed straight at Heaven.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Cao Cao shouted very uncharismatically.

===x===

Archangel Michael POV:

The Archangel Michael was still seated in his Father's Throne (something he'll forever feel unworthy of), as he was reeling in from this latest prayer.

He was simply doing his duty, or handling humanity's daily prayer's as much as he could, when a prayer of overwhelming need and intensity slammed into his mind, only to cut off halfway, as the one making it changed their mind, while giving Michael a scathing reprimand for some reason.

Michael followed that prayer to see who had the audacity to act like that, and why the System even allowed this prayer to jump to the forefront.

Only to find the prayer, due to the deliverer, had been rerouted to the Heaven System itself. Somehow.

Almost as if the one praying knew about Father's demise.

Before Michael could contemplate how to react, the Throne exploded with light, shining with such intensity to shock and throw Michael off the seat.

One light came from within the System, another came from an external acknowledgement and approval.

"What in Father's name—?" Michael couldn't comprehend why or what happened.

Only that the latest prayer, delivered to the Heaven System itself?

That prayer was answered.

===x===

Cadre Satanael POV:

A beam of holy light fell upon the island of Alcatraz even while it was under a barrier, completely ignoring said barrier, and landing upon the lone human.

The Naberius Devil screamed in terror, putting up a barrier to protect himself, yet ironically it was not needed, or all that power was focused on one person.

Smoke covered the ground after that heavenly blast.

Caleb Gunnar began to be revealed as the smoke dispersed. He stood with his arm extended, holding...

It was a massive red colored sword, shining with overwhelming power.

Approximately six to seven feet tall, about a foot in width. It was too big to be called a sword.

Massive, thick, heavy, and far too rough. It could only be called heap of raw iron.

But above all less, the biggest change was the aura about the human, Caleb Gunnar.

"All that lightshow for that toothpick—" Beithir began to joke.

SLASH!

Satanael saw with Caleb swing the blade.

Beithir cried out in pain.

Pain that came so suddenly to the dragon, that he couldn't react, only staring in surprise and terror at the diagonal cut separating his torso in half.

Beithir, the giant Black Dragon fell to the island, quaking it whole with his massive body.

Yet even with such massive turn of events, ignoring the shell shocked Ignatius, Satanael's focus was on Caleb.

Because his Dragon Aura was gone.

And in its place was something he hadn't sensed in far too long.

Something he never thought he'd ever sense again, especially in this era.

"Oh shit, he became Dragon Slayer." Satanael said with wide-eyes and a blank tone to his voice.

"What? Oh..." Ignatius looked at Satanael, heard what he said, and stared forward.

It was like someone who knew what a nuke was watching it drop.

There's the initial realization. The acknowledgement of the information in a purely academic sense, because the mind realized how utterly traumatic this information is, so it put a stop hold on emotions for now.

But then, eventually, like all things, the stop gap crashed, the information was actually acknowledged on an emotional level, and the real reaction began.

"OH SHIT! HE BECAME A DRAGON SLAYER!" Ignatius Naberius looked at the human with renewed eyes. Eyes filled with fear, that acknowledge a genuine threat. "B-But, still even so..." Ignatius put on a brave face, forcing himself to grin as he still had his hope on one thing. His draconic partner.

Satanael however didn't share Ignatius optimism. For his jubilation came from a different direction.

Caleb's power now rivaled a High Class being, and it was still growing.

Above all thought, it was the clarity in his eyes that frightened and elated the Adversary of God.

Beithir's power exploded, and he roared and rose back up into the sky. The dragon's body put itself back together as he shouted in laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! A Dragon Slayer? So what? Even when fate and fortune smiles upon you, human, you had the misfortune to use all that power against ME! THE TWICE REBORN LIGHTNING DRAGON!" Beithir roared in joy, assured of his victory. "Do you know why I am called that? Do you, Dragon Slayer? It's because if you fail to destroy my head, I will head I always revive. And when I do, I gain immunity to what killed me once before!"

That ability only works once. It resets once something new kills him. Satanael scoffed openly, showing his emotions this time.

"HAHAHAHA! That's why, cry and seethe in futility. Cry at the misfortune that you ended up facing—"

"Power? Ability?" Caleb's calm voice cut through the dragon's ramblings. "What are you talking about? All I did was swing this sword."

"...What?" Beithir said in a low trembling voice.

"That was just the wind pressure." Caleb said, as he brought his left hand and grasped then hilt with both hands, the sword raised high above his shoulder. "This is the actual attack."

The sword exploded with shining blood-red energy.

In fear and desperation, Beithir lunged at Caleb. His lightning breath charging in his mouth, as the dragon didn't know whether to beat his foe by biting or breath, and instinctually fell to both.

That's why you're a Mid-Class Dragon at best. Satanael thought.

"DRAGON!" Caleb swung the blade. "SMASHER!"

And the world broke.

The energy beam bisected the black dragon before incinerating his two halves.

The beam cut through the magic barrier, one made by Satanael himself meant to hide and trap people inside, and shattered it, before splitting Alcatraz Island itself in half.

A loud destruction, that beyond the physical, would echo across the supernatural world at the return of a myth from humanity long thought over.

All the gods with domains related to knowledge or prophecy would have felt his birth, and the world would never be the same again, for a new turning was upon it.

All due to...

The Dragon Slayer, Caleb Gunnar.

===

AN: Originally this would have been the point where I wanted to stop chapter 1, but best plans and all that. Officially this is the end of the prologue for this story.

Next chapter would be an explanation on what is exactly a dragon slayer and why they're such a big deal.

I leave you with this image at the end, it was made by Adudefromthesea on QQ: