Chapter 388: Noble Dragon
BOOOM!
Damian crashed onto the mountaintop with enough force to drive the entire peak several meters into the earth. Rock burst outward in every direction as enormous cracks raced across the mountainside before finally stopping. Despite the violent landing, his right arm remained wrapped securely around Racheal, shielding her from every tremor. His movements were unexpectedly gentle, completely at odds with the destruction surrounding them.
Only after confirming she was safe did his gaze drift toward his left hand. The entire palm had been charred black from blocking Raikiri. Thin trails of smoke curled from his fingers while the muscles beneath his skin trembled involuntarily from the lingering lightning coursing through them. It was already healing under his regeneration, but the pain remained fresh enough to remind him just how terrifying that final strike had been.
Several dozen meters above the mountain, Fulgur hovered calmly in the air. Raikiri rested lazily across his shoulders while both arms hung over the twin rods as though he were merely enjoying the scenery instead of fighting for his life. His long ponytail swayed gently behind him as his composed gaze settled upon Damian and the woman resting against his chest.
"You are truly fortunate to have someone so talented by your side," he said calmly. "Most demigods would have died to that."
Damian never acknowledged him. His attention remained solely on Racheal. He gently brushed several loose strands of pink hair away from her face before adjusting her position in his arms. Slowly, her eyelashes trembled before her eyes opened halfway. Her breathing steadied as consciousness gradually returned.
"I lost?" she murmured weakly.
Damian smiled softly before nodding.
"You did. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take over now."
There wasn’t the slightest trace of disappointment in his voice.
His words carried an odd reassurance that immediately eased the frustration building inside her. Racheal lowered her gaze with visible reluctance. Losing had never sat well with her, especially when she had confidently insisted she could handle the battle herself.
Meanwhile, Fulgur remained exactly where he was, patiently waiting without interrupting. There was no urgency in his demeanor. He simply allowed the husband and wife their moment together.
Behind Damian, the floating throne slowly drifted closer until it stopped beside him. Rin sat comfortably upon one armrest with both paws wrapped around his stomach while laughing so hard tears almost escaped his eyes.
"You convinced all of us you could handle him..." Rin wheezed between laughs. "...only to get your ass whooped."
Racheal immediately frowned. Her cheeks puffed slightly.
"You little..."
"Be nice."
Damian shot Rin a brief glare before the fox could continue. The reprimand instantly silenced him, though his twitching ears made it obvious he was still suppressing laughter.
Damian carefully carried Racheal toward the throne before lowering her gently onto the wide seat. He adjusted her posture until she rested comfortably against the backrest.
"You did good, okay?"
Racheal bit her lower lip.
The tears gathering in her eyes threatened to spill over, but she stubbornly blinked them away before they could fall. She simply nodded once.
Seeing that was enough for Damian. Only then did he finally turn around. Fulgur quietly watched the exchange from above before speaking again.
"Do you think finding my master a wife would calm his nature as well?"
Damian stopped mid step. He slowly turned his head.
"What?"
Fulgur repeated himself without changing expression.
"Do you think finding my master a wife would calm his nature as well?"
For a brief moment Damian genuinely considered telling the dragon to go to hell. The timing alone was enough to irritate him.
The man had nearly killed his wife only moments ago and now wanted relationship advice.
Still, since the battle began, Fulgur had remained surprisingly respectful. Even while attempting to kill Racheal, he had never mocked, insulted or belittled her. He fought because it was his duty, not because he enjoyed cruelty.
After a short silence, Damian answered honestly.
"Quite the opposite."
He shrugged.
"They test your patience every single day. If you survive that, you become someone like me. If you don’t you go insane."
Fulgur thoughtfully rubbed his beard.
"I have reason to believe my lord would become the latter."
Damian snorted softly.
"I don’t doubt that."
Neither man smiled. The conversation simply ended there.
Damian continued walking until he stopped beside the second Raikiri rod embedded within the mountain.
His eyes slowly examined the weapon.
Even standing beside it, he could feel an oppressive presence emanating from the black metal. Blue veins of living lightning pulsed beneath its surface like flowing blood. It was unlike any sealed artifact he had encountered before.
Without hesitation, he reached toward it but the instant his fingers came within inches...
Crack!
Violent lightning exploded outward. Blue electricity swallowed his entire arm before racing across his body. The force alone pushed him backward half a step while the flesh of his palm blackened instantly.
Damian calmly withdrew his hand and smoke rose from his fingers. Compared to the bow he had acquired from Rah, this sealed artifact existed on an entirely different level.
"Raikiri recognizes only me as its master."
Fulgur’s calm voice echoed overhead.
"If you wish to claim it, you must first kill me."
A slow smile spread across Damian’s face. This time there was nothing warm about it.
He slowly turned toward the dragon before extending one hand in his direction.
"That makes everything much easier."
Swish!
Space distorted.
Before the final word had fully left his lips, Damian had already appeared directly before Fulgur. There was no warning or buildup.
Fulgur’s pupils contracted. Instinct alone drove his body. Raikiri swept sideways toward Damian’s head with enough force to split a mountain apart.
Pa!
The staff never reached its destination. Damian casually slapped it aside with his free hand before his opposite arm shot forward toward Fulgur’s throat.
Fulgur’s eyes widened. His physical strength far exceeded everything intelligence reports had described. Foxes possessed exceptional speed, cunning and spiritual affinity. They did not possess monstrous physical strength. Only one explanation remained, the Asura inheritance.
At last, Fulgur understood how this man had ripped Hagrid apart piece by piece like tearing paper.
"Hmph!"
Blue lightning erupted violently and a pillar of thunder swallowed both figures.
Within the explosion, Fulgur’s body dissolved into countless bolts of lightning before reappearing several hundred meters away.
The moment he reformed, he calmly extended one hand, the second Raikiri rod immediately tore free from the mountain before shooting into his waiting grasp.
Now both divine rods rested comfortably within his hands.
Briefly, his gaze shifted toward Damian’s floating throne slowly retreating farther from the battlefield. The isolation barrier surrounding the mountain continued expanding across the landscape, sealing them away from the rest of Lebanon.
Clearly Damian intended to erase him quietly, just as he had done with every previous enemy.
Fulgur lowered his gaze. This battle would not end the same way. Even if Damian somehow managed to win he would still lose everything to Wrath’s inheritance.
Far below, Damian flexed his still smoking fingers before smiling confidently.
"Lightning control... this would make a fine addition to my powers."
His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Fulgur slowly shook his head, his certainty never wavered.
"My lord may be hot tempered but he is no fool. We did not come here merely prepared to kill you."
He tightened his grip around Raikiri.
"We also prepared for the possibility of losing our inheritances.
His calm gaze met Damian’s without the slightest hesitation and Damian’s smile slowly disappeared. A deep frown replaced it.
Unlike Hagrid, Fulgur did not boast or antagonize people. Every word that left his mouth carried the weight of someone who had already considered every possible outcome long before the battle began.
Oddly enough, Damian found himself believing him.
For reasons he could not explain, he trusted this dragon’s words more than the reassurances of his own wives. That realization alone was enough to make him increasingly wary of the opponent standing before him.