Becoming the Strongest Through (Draconic) Racism - Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Beep. Beep.

Beep. Beep.

The sound of a heart monitor was the first thing that reach my ears.

My regaining of consciousness was greeted by... warmed. Softness. The bed I was one was firm but not too firm, the blanket was big, soft but not sufficating me in heat.

I felt well rested in a way I couldn't describe. Like the feeling of sleeping after a long and grueling day with lots of physical work.

I wanted to stay like this for as long as possible.

Then my mind began to prick that this bliss. That there were inconsistences.

The sound of the monitor kept poking my bliss. My mind saying that it shouldn't be possible for me to be this safe after... after...

My eyes fluttered open. With deliberate, controlled slowness, I sat up looking at the normal white hospital room I found myself in.

"It is common knowledge that the sense of hearing is the last one a person loses when they die." A voice spoke from next to me. My head snapped in their direction to see... my eyes widened in disbelief. "Conversely, almost as a mirror to death, it is the sense that returns first when one wakes up." I didn't blink. I kept staring in disbelief at the calm and collected Fallen Angel sitting next to my bed. "I apologize for the heart monitor sound, but it was sound that your mind could rationalize to being a normal thing after your ordeals, so your nervous system could stay calm, rather than jump back to alertness and continue frying itself. You need rest and recovery after all, Caleb Gunnar."

I looked to the side to see a person holding up a magic circle above his palm that made the heart monitor sounds. Once he saw I was awake, he dismissed it making the sound go away.

I looked at the brown hair, the glasses and silver eyes, and felt... nothing. Like intellectually I know I should be enraged just to see him, but its like my wrath was having an out-of-body experience.

I should be angry, but I just didn't care. Didn't want to care, I wanted this restful bliss to be prolonged for as long as possible

Yet behind that veil was my wrath, ready to claw through, ready to tear away this bliss I was holding onto and bring me back to reality.

T̸̵̵h̴̶̶e̵̴̴ ̷̶̴A̴̷̷l̶̵̷c̷̴̷a̷̷̸t̴̶̸r̸̶̴a̴̴̸z̸̸̶ ̴̸̷D̴̷̷r̴̷̷a̴̷̵g̶̵̸o̴̷̸n̷̵̴ ̵̵̴I̸̷̸s̷̸̸l̷̵̵a̵̸̷n̷̵̴d̷̸̷.̸̵̷

I closed my eyes, took some breath to calm down and...

Grooowl.

I'm surprised my stomach could make that sound again. It kinda stopped a few days into my hunt on the island.

"Well," Satanael stood up in that casual way people do when talking to acquaintances or friends. "Any further talks could wait until after you've eaten something. Medically, you're fine to eat and drink anything you want right away. Magic is convenient like that."

"..." He's hiding something.

"I have prepared a feast for you. Come if you can walk. I assure you, I wish for there to be peace between us as we talk, so you can hear me out. I understand if you rightfully hold ill will towards me, but please wait to hear me out."

"..." I pushed the blanket aside, and I got up from the bed.

I was placed in normal looking pajamas. Honestly the blue vertical stripes looked too much like a cliche. All I was missing was some nightcap.

I walked behind the Fallen Angel, observing my surroundings. It seemed to be a building that looks like a mix of business company and a university campus. There were lots of forest outside of the building's ranges, clear blue skies and mountains in the distance.

I focused into myself, deep in my soul.

Thump-dup.

I felt it there. The greatsword, the Scarlet Blade, ready to be called upon and eviscerate dragons once more.

I pulled back my attention from my Sacred Gear, knowing I had the option to fight and destroy should I need it. My shoulders lowered as we walked. Huh, didn't noticed I was tense till now.

The second I stopped worrying about my safety, or my Sacred Gear, it felt like the world was too noisy.

'Those damn Golden Dawn threw me out? ME?! I'll show them! I'll show them all!'

'If I can just get a feather of the Archangel Raphael, my resurrection spell will work this time. That's what was missing! A holy feather from the greatest healing Archangel. Now I will be the greatest Necromancer!'

'I wonder if I will make friends here? No, wait, I'm suppose to show I'm scary because I was rejected by the other Magician Organizations. Grrrrr. ...I'm sad and lonely.'

'I wonder if my theory about how to fuck an angel without them Falling is true? After all, the appeal of an angel is their purity. VIVIA LA WHITE WINGS!'

It was like there were there brainwaves pulsing in regular intervals out of every person, that carried thoughts and emotions.

I turned my focus inward, to see what sense was causing me to pick up on all of this, and try to turn the dial down.

I felt energy running rampant in my body. Not erratically like a train out of control, just... everything going too fast. I tried to calm it down by feel. I breathed, placed a hand on my chest and focused on the sound of my heartbeat. I grasped my own internal energies.

Thump. Dup.

Thump. Dup.

Thump. Dup.

My breathing felt loud. No, it was everything else that was quiet.

It's only now that my energy was calmer, that I realized the hall Satanael and I were walking in were empty. I was sensing, seeing and hear people in other places due to my touki.

I unlocked senjutsu, I remember that. I idly wondered if it had a different name, because it would sound weird if I know of the concept by a Japanese name, before discarding that worry. It didn't matter, I didn't own anyone an explanation.

We reached a dining room that had one maid, to whom Satanael gesture at, and in turn that was some signal for something as the maid bowed and left upon.

It was indeed a feast. The table was filled from side to side all assortments of food, although I noticed a large amount of it was variation on steak dishes. It seems to be mostly protein.

"Warriors who access Elan for the first time tend to need a large quantity of proteins to regain their used up energy. Please, go ahead and eat as much as you wish." Satanael said before going around the table to seat on the oppose side of it.

There was only one chair left, making me be face to face with him.

I went to pull the chair back for myself.

C-Crack.

I paused as I look at the wooden head rest to see my fingertips that dug into them. I wasn't even holding it harshly. Maybe some of my anger leaked through after all?

"You will need a few hours to acclimate to your new strength. You just from being merely superhuman to an Ultimate Class being in a single jump. Don't worry though, it shouldn't be like some Superman in a world of cardboard issue, you'll get the hang of it by feel easily enough if you pay attention to your actions." The Fallen casually explained before eating the meal in front of him, on a single plate.

It was doing so slowly without any hurry.

I went ahead and sat down, using a lighter touch for all my movements for now.

I looked at the food. The smell hits, and I can't help my body involuntary reaction of my mouth watering. It's just right there. Large variety and sizes of food, multiples glasses to the side with different drinks, mostly juices of different kinds. Water was there too.

Actually looking at the meals, I notice the vegetables and fruits seem to have magic energy within them, like in a subtle way where it's a part of the vegetable or fruit.

Heh, one even looked like a cut up ginseng from some Chinese webtoon I've once read... that's an actual ginseng isn't it?

I let out a sigh, I really want to eat and drink...

...Logic dictates that they wouldn't poison the food. That if Satanael wanted to kill me he just would have. This is likely a recruitment attempt of sorts. I can't trust it but...

Fuck it. Make sure this is safe to eat myself. I remember what Beithir's poison felt like before it was eviscerated from my body by my Sacred Gear's transformation. Poison energy is destructive while being sabotagial.

...Sabotagial? Is that a word? Poison or magic poison sabotages the body. Thus using senjutsu I check the energy of all the food to find anything remotely similar that matches Beithir's magic poison, or poison in general.

Then I remember that poison is about ratio. It is possible to get water poisoning after all, from having drank such volumes of water, it becomes hazardous to the body.

I focus on my body, on my metabolism and observe it thorough. I'll have to break anything negative down the second I notice it, before it can do anything.

Before I began to eat I needed to confirm something.

"Oh father in heaven, thank you for this daily bread, oh Lord. Amen." I prayed and didn't feel anything, beyond some faith energy go from my Sacred Gear to Heaven.

Satanael raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? The file I had on you showed you weren't that pious. You would say prayers in the orphanage out of obligation for social reasons, but not because you were all that religious. Why now?" He asked out of pure curiosity.

"To check that I'm still human." I answered, to which the Fallen Angel genuinely smiled, before focusing on his meal again.

I pick the fork and knife and begin cutting into my meal. The first bite of pane chicken almost makes me lose all concentration. My eyes tear up before I push the emotion back. I drink some water to push down the bite and... I never knew water could actually taste delicious.

I stop completely. Take a moment to center myself and focus on the effect of what I just ate or drank on my body. I watched the water hydrate my body, the food break down and physically and spiritually turn to energy for my being.

It was a curious process to watch.

"In case you're wondering, you were asleep for three whole days. And I have to say, I am surprise but glad, that you are acting rationally so far. I thought bed rest wouldn't be enough to bring you back to a normal-ish baseline of social behavior." Satanael casually said.

My mental bliss was a door. A door made paper mache.

My rage stabbed a claw right through it to announce its presence.

It took a moment for me to realize my killing intent was pouring out in waves.

It took another to realize it was felt by everyone in this facility, and it wasn't right to involve people, maybe innocent, in my issues.

So I gather all that killing intent up, and focused it directly on the single person that deserves it.

"Such quickly gained control." Satanael muttered under his breath. He seemed unbothered, but I noticed a shiver go down his spine.

"Do you truly believe I'm a calm and reasonable person right now?" I asked in dead flat tones. "After everything you and your partner put me through?"

"Oh? Most in your position would just rampage without thought. You actually bothered to entertain this invite, if only to satiate a basic desire so it no longer compromise your thinking."

"You do get that the second I finish eating, I am going to kill you, right?" I stated bluntly.

Satanael smiled widened, going from an easy going smile to the smile of someone enjoying themselves.

"You're honest about your anger. That's good. Most would play at concealing it, when it should be obvious it exists to both sides." He replied. "And in that case, till the time you're done with this meal, allow me the chance to convince you otherwise, or at least be granted a stay of execution." Satanael said.

That was weird. Not this scheme bullshit, but rather that he didn't say the phrase 'a stay of execution' in a mocking tone. He sounded like he would seriously accept me killing him, if I just hear him out.

The fuck?

Annoyingly... It made me curious enough to listen. For now.

I gesture for him to go on, while I focused on my food. I noticed that I cut a bit of the plate with my knife, while cutting some steak. Seems like it happened when I lost my temper at that 'calm and reasonable' comment. There seems to also be a small line indentation in the table under the plate. Acceptable control from me, I guess.

"Let me ask you a question, just answer me this." Satanael began his argument, and I was morbidly curious on what he could possibly say, what set of words can he string together to make me not want to kill him. "What then?"

And I froze.

I stared at the Fallen Angel, wide-eye. Not really looking at him, but my gaze lost in his general direction.

"You kill me and, what will you do next? What do you want? What goal will you strive for?"

For a moment I forgot my goal, to kill Great Red.

Not because it wasn't important, but because ironically, even if Satanael didn't intent it, it made me question what would I do next, what life would I live after killing Great Red?

If I die in the attempt I don't need to answer that question.

"If you're thinking about killing Ignatius Naberius afterwards, I'm afraid to tell you he's dead." Satanael continued, making me focus on him again. "As for Chad, while I doubt you'd care, he's also dead, and so is his father., so they can't be thorns in your sides anymore" He said with the nonchalantness of someone describing the weather. "The orphanage you lived in declared you missing after a week of you being gone, and the police file list you as a runaway. So, I ask again, what will you do afterwards?"

"Aren't those your fault?" I said back reflexively more than anything, but I tried to parse through my thoughts on all of this.

"If you want, I could easily arrange that you return to your old life, with nothing amiss, however..." Satanael annoyingly, frustratingly, gave me a knowing look. "That's not what you want, is it?"

I could have said anything back. Reject his words just out of spite, but I don't need to bother with that, so I said nothing and focused back on my food, while my thoughts ran.

Satanael however, didn't seem to want to give me the chance to think in peace.

"Right now you are an Ultimate Class being. You might not have the context for that, but suffice to say, it means that you hold a level of power, that puts you among the 1% of all beings in this World. Human World, Underworld and Adjacent Realms included." He explained.

Were Ultimate Class that big of a deal? ...Actually that makes sense. The fights we seen in the DxD canon escalated to those at the top of the top. It makes sense we see a lot of Satan Class fights in canon, but that doesn't mean that's the normal standard for the rest of the supernatural world's population.

"And?" I said, wanting him to get to his point. If it's just some recruitment attempt, I'm killing him, then find a way to get to Great Red to kill him, then worry about existential questions of purpose afterwards.

"I want you to grow stronger." Satanael said, and I froze and looked at him befuddled, because to all my senjutsu senses, new as they are, he was telling the truth. "I want all that potential in you to be realized, and if then you wish to slay me, then I accept that fate after creating the stronger Dragon Slayer to grace mankind."

...Oh, this bitch is fucking crazy. The realization was as plain and simple as a hammer smash on a piece of glass. Right. He is a Fallen Angel. They're all cuckoo for cocoa puffs for one thing or another. Satanael was about evolving Sacred Gear to Longinus... which I have done. Shit. I looked back at the poise and calm seated, smiling Satanael. I got a fucking yandere that wants me scientifically. Joy.

I said nothing else and just continued to eat.

I wanted to just prolong the silence and have some peace. To just not think about Satanael and his deal, and whether I wanted to kill him not or actually consider what he said.

Surprisingly it took a long time for me to be done. Like, I thought I'd be done after ten plates, but I seem to be putting it all away no problem.

Big anime appitite for the win. Like, there were multiple different dishes that I got to try. From authentic beef ramen, to duck and rice, to different steaks, with different sauces, chicken cocked in different styles. It was like an all-you-can-eat buffet targeted to one person. Which I guess makes sense.

As I finished the meal, finally feeling done, but not bloated, I still couldn't come to a decision about Satanael. Some staff came to clean up and collect everything off the table. They looked surprised that almost all the dishes were empty.

Maybe it was because some part of me recognized he, in his own sadistic ways, insured I stay alive, and that gave me the chance to survive long enough till I won. I ran the thought in my head.

Am I just making excuses to justify not killing him right now, so I can take advantage of his knowledge and resources to grow stronger?

...No. I don't feel like doing this sneaky shit. I'm gonna tell it to him straight what would happen if he helps me.

"Hello~." A cheerful voice suddenly arrived. "Hey, Actually Satan! And Mystery Not-So-Sleeping Cutie."

I looked to see a young woman in a purple gothic lolita outfit with lots of tied ribbons in her hair, enter the dining room.

That greeting felt like such a chuuni thing to say. And unashamed at that.

Before I could response I felt an odd pulse from her.

Like a recognition from some inner power. A Sacred Gear.

She had a Sacred Gear and I felt some odd connection to it. How to describe it?

Like a link that already sent a message and didn't need to do it's job again, so it's more like someone sending a 'hello' wave as a sign of recognition.

...The metaphor got lost from me.

"Walburga, good to see you. I thought you would be busier now, running your own Magician organization and all?" Satanael said casually, an amused smile on his face.

"Oh really, Mister 'my organization does all the background work, so I don't have to do anything'?" The now identified holder of the Longinus, Incineration Anthem, joked back, appearing friendly.

"Huh?" I said in confusion as I looked to the Fallen Angel for an explanation.

"My group that I'm the head of, is the Alastor Organization. It's just is to facilitate logistics for the various Khaos Brigade groups." Satanael began to explain. "My aim is to gather data on Sacred Gears, through observing the operations of other Khaos Brigade groups, as it turned out to be much easier, than trying to actively force Sacred Gears to evolve into Longinuses as was my original goal."

"Wow. That is just..." I didn't know what to call that. "Super lazy."

Walburga laughed out loud.

"I'd like to think of it as good delegation." Satanael lied smoothly.

"Uh huh, and you?" I turned to Walburga.

"Walburga Crowley, Leader of Hexennacht, at your service" She said childishly as she took a seat next to me. "Or rather you in mine~."

"Say what?" I said back confused. The feelings from her were intrigue, curiosity and a slight bit of malice, but it seemed to be like background emotion to her. Also playfulness, she really saw all interactions as games to have fun. I tried not to look into the spot of sadness in her.

"After all, you wouldn't have healed so fast from the state your body was in, if it wasn't for yours truly~." She gestured to herself.

"So wait, you used your magic and resources to heal me? Why?" I looked back to Satanael confused. He just observed us in quiet amusement.

"What can I say? I was charmed by such a cutie~." She extended a hand to trace my jaw line. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"She is technically correct." Satanael added.

"About which part?" I said to Satanael, incredulous.

"I was definitely charmed by you, cutie. You stole a piece of my heart." She said with far too much amusement, likely hiding the real answer behind lots of euphemisms.

"Tell me, Caleb." Satanael seemed to have decided to have some mercy on me, and just explain things. "What do you feel about the nature's energy of this place."

I thought for a moment.

"Pretty clean. I'm guessing you guys have some magic circle to filter out any bad energy so it doesn't interfere with your rituals?" I turned to Walburga who was holding the side of her chair and leaning forward, almost showing off her chest, as she stared at me like a cat watching a canary.

"Of course not~! This is a collection of Magicians that couldn't hack it. Those throw aside, assistants to great mages abused and cast away, those that went mad with their experiments, and those that couldn't stand the Magician orthodox organization's restrictions and rules. The miasma of quiet resentment and budding desires for revenge were the perfume of this place." Walburga said dramatically, smiling wildly like she's have the most fun she's had in a while.

"...So then what happened?"

"You." Walburga said plainly. "When Mr. Actually Satan brought you here, Flamey came out, and threw a piece of itself at you. You absorbed it and voila~!" She said excitingly, spreading her arms around. "Suddenly, your body began instinctively to absorb all the negative energy around and turn it into healing energy. I had to work very, very, very hard to stop everyone from experimenting on you." She grinned cutely. "And~ you need to pay me back for all that hard work." Then she booped my nose.

Was Walburga this playful in canon?

I want to tell her to fuck off, that what happened was some weird cosmic coincidence that has nothing to do with me, but I couldn't since any maliciousness directed at me, in what she was saying.

It almost sounded like she wanted someone to play with her.

Also what the fuck? Why is their resonence between my Sacred Gear and other Longinuses? Or was it only for Holy Relics? Well, okay I don't know about that second one for sure. Probably will find out once I meet someone else with a Holy Relic.

"Well—"

Before I could say anything, literally anything, the world seemed to freeze.

It was like watching a slow-mo scene in a motive when disaster strikes.

Space bend and was torn as a tiny hand grabbed it and pulled it aside.

A little girl in black hair and extremely shitty gothic lolita outfit, too sexualized to be sexy, stepped through, before closing the tear in reality like an afterthought.

"...Uh oh." Walburga summed up everyone's thoughts. Satanael was, of course, uncharacteristically quiet, even in presence.

Ophis, the Dragon God of Infinity looked around and instantly zoomed in one me.

I couldn't even quantify the time it took for her to move. Before I could blink or comprehend all I understood was that she was at the end of the room.

Suddenly she was in front of me. Knees touching my chair from how close she was, staring into my being.

"You, are a Dragon Slayer?" Ophis asked.

"Heek." Walburga bite down on making a loud reaction.

"Yes." I replied, because at this point, what the fuck was the point of answering anything else.

Seriously, what the fuck is this development?

Sense when the fuck can Ophis do this jumpscaring shit?!

"Which Dragon?" Ophis asked, it and it obvious what she was asking.

She wanted to know for which dragon did I become a Dragon Slayer for. I have no idea how I know the specifics of this.

I shut down my senjutsu instinctively once I sensed her. She was too vast I would have been lost in her aura.

She's a dragon. Yet my anger somehow wasn't rising either. Why?

No. I don't need to ask that question. In my heart, she's a fellow victim of Great Red. That sympathy stopped my hatred from rising towards her.

But then there was still her question. It's like the opposite of senjutsu, where she shoved her intention into me that I immediately understood what she was asking for.

What do I do right now? Do I say it? Do I say I don't know till I'm stronger? Do I tell her and risk her throwing me at Great Red when I know I'm not ready?

"Lady Ophis, Caleb Gunnar here has only awoken as a Dragon Slayer recently. There is a lot he doesn't know about what that entails. As for the Dragon for whom he's meant to battle, he had already slayed the one he was fighting before Awakening. However he was already as strong as him upon Awakening, so we currently do not—" Satanael was trying to explain shit. He was giving facts and logic to the situation.

Looking into Ophis' eyes I knew she didn't care about any of that. She just wanted to hear my answer, whatever it maybe.

And honestly...

Well you know what? You know what do you do when the universe gives you lemons? Fuck it.

In fact, we made lemons, so fuck the lemons harder.

I looked Ophis right back into her gray abyssal eyes.

"Great Red." I answered, and everyone present was wide-eyed and pale faced. Even Satanael seemed stunned and genuinely thrown off rhythm for the first time since I've seen him. "I was born to slay Great Red, the Apocalypse Dragon."

The silence that feel upon the room, upon the whole area was deafeningly loud.

CRASH!

Then a giant aura fell upon us. It was so vast, so unending that the building we were in began to crack.

Walburga fell off her chair, as if gravity was crushing her. Satanael was on his knees.

And me?

I unleashed my energy in return against the Infinite, defying it with all my will, refusing to accept subjugation or oppression of ANY FUCKING DRAGON!

I kept pushing forward, rising, pushing against that energy tide, while standing up. I have no idea when I fuck I fell or when my chair crashed, or when I was blown away from Ophis but I knew a challenge when I saw it, so I rose, I walked and I pulled my arm back and made a fist.

The pressure was gone.

I almost fell on my face at how suddenly it was over.

Everyone looked around in confusion. Walburga was taking deep breaths ignoring everything, and Satanael was looking at me with wide-eyes and I think, he might be forming tears.

I focused on myself for a second to realize my internal energy increased by several levels. I'm pretty sure I was a much stronger Ultimate Class fighter now. I don't know if I'm Satan Class or its equivalent or not, as I don't have a reference, but I don't feel rose in power that much, only that its noticeable.

But my main attention was on Ophis.

Everyone looked toward Ophis as she did something that had people screaming in terror.

The Ouroboros Dragon always held a blank look on its face, or a polite smile, that seem more like someone practiced the motion to appease people from another culture, without at all understanding the point of the gesture.

Yet this time, what anyone who looked upon Ophis' face saw was a smile.

A genuine, heartfelt smile.

===

AN: Ophis found her Mood Kindred.
Also I originally wanted to use this picture for Satanael.

However one or two people, maybe more, I didn't pay attention in the QQ thread kept saying the MC looks like a yaoi protagonist. I don't see it, but I can see it now in this picture, so to avoid the allegations I changed it to the one used in the chapter.