Chapter 717 Authority of Dragons
'My power has increased.'
That single line of thought crossed through Kayla's mind as she clenched her fist.
Normally, a growth in power was something for one to be happy about. But from Kayla's expression, she was anything in the Universe but 'Happy'.
Ever since Evan killed Maude, Kayla had made zero efforts whatsoever, to increase her power.
And yet, it increased without her doing anything.
She understood the reason why, and the moment she thought about that reason, her clenched fist trembled for an instant.
'Control yourself. Don't let Master sense your fear.'
Kayla took a deep breath as she glanced towards Evan, noticing that the boy had momentarily glanced in her direction, confirming that he had indeed sensed her turbulent emotions for an instant.
However, he was fighting against an Epic Level; even if he was in his BoD state, he could not take his eyes off his opponent or he'd lose.
Since she and Evan were connected via a contract, their emotions could slip through the link between them if they were not careful or if their emotions were just that intense.
As in Kayla's case, where she felt intense fear.
'My power increasing for "seemingly no reason" means one thing—Master's Awareness has increased.'
She had believed that due to the war, the plan for a Large-Scale attack of Demonic Hand bases all over the continent that Evan had been concocting with the GEE's aid, drawing in Living Legends under the radar, and all the other things Evan was busy with, that he would not have the time or space of mind to dwell on her issue.
But oh, how wrong she was.
Evan was not ignoring or pushing it back for later like she had initially assumed.
'Kuro was right…'
She remembered Kuro's warning to her on the day Evan woke up after his Evolutionary Process finished.
Clicking her tongue, she momentarily felt regret over the fact that she revealed her Spirit Raiment to Evan in Cheverton last year.
But that regret vanished in an instant.
'No, master would have died if I did not use it.
Although Master is gaining understanding, he still does not fully comprehend just what 'Pseudo-Authorities' are. If Dominik Velak had completely achieved it that day, Master would have died.
I cannot regret any action that saves Master's life.'
Kalya remembered her hesitation to use her Spirit Raiment in Geto and that hesitation nearly cost her and Evan their lives.
[Tsk… Why did you give Master so much Information, Artemisia?]
The Spirit clicked her tongue and looked at her palm. She was one of those rare existences that had 99.999% power control.
She didn't act like it though.
But anyway, it was because of this that she noticed that in the short few minutes she spent thinking, her power had increased by a 'tiny bit' again.
It was a small 'tiny bit', but to Kayla, it felt like an ocean that wanted to drown her.
'Master said he wants to remove variables that may side with the Demonic Hand in Tarse—the 'Fallen Celestial Deities'.'
With that thought, her mind went to a certain 'maid' serving Evan's brother, Arnold.
'Brenda…and there was Qutia whom Master sent Roselia to kill in Tarse too.'
She sighed once more before looking up at the sky as she thought this.
Kayla was not a Religious one. She also hated these concepts called 'Fate' and 'Destiny'. But now, she sent out a Prayer to whatever gods of Fate were out there.
'Please, let there not be any more familiar names.'
"Um…shouldn't you be helping him?"
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Amiyah call out to her, looking up to see Evan clashing with Rodald before pulling out a nail cutter.
As she began clipping her nails while floating upside down in the air, she replied to the half-elf.
[Nahh. Master would be fine.]
Ignoring their questioning gazes, she continued snipping her nails in silence.
◇ ◇ ◇
**BAMMMM!!!
Evan dodged Rodald's slash and then punched the man's torso, using his newly acquired Shockwave skill to blow the man away before monetarily glancing in Kayla's direction.
'What was that?'
He had sensed something off and wanted to check it out, but taking his eyes off an Epic Level opponent was number one on the list of dumbest things to do so he decided against it.
'I'd ask her later.'
With that thought, he dashed forward and threw out his fist, releasing a fracture strike which Rodald dodged before slashing back with his Halberd.
Evan used Elemental Shield to block the halberd, stretching out his hand to grab the weapon, but Rodald pulled it back fast and sent out repeated thrusts towards his face.
Evan used his gauntlets to block and parry them as much as he could, but a few managed to breach his guard, leaving shallow cuts on the sides of his face.
'Hmm…I expected this much.'
The boy thought as he blinked away and appeared behind Rodald, but the man reacted swiftly and he countered Evan's close-range strike with a powerful swing of his halberd. Seizing the opportunity, Rodald grasped Evan's arm and unleashed a surge of black lightning directly into his body, causing Evan to recoil in shock.
"?!"
Reacting with lightning-fast reflexes, Evan retaliated with a combination of skills—Adamantine Might, Pierce Guard, Shockwave, and Fracture—delivering a forceful blow that made Rodald instinctively flinch and had no choice but to elementalize his body in order to evade.
Momentarily free, Evan attempted to regain his footing with a Void Step, but Rodald had other plans.
'Lightning Curse!'
With a swift motion, Rodald released his halberd and brought his palms together, invoking his Lightning 'Curse'. Black lightning crackled ominously around Evan's body, paralyzing him instantly.
Rodald knew he had only a brief window of opportunity before Evan would break free, so he knew he needed to act fast.
The man's appearance changed drastically. His muscles bulged up with power, his hair grew much longer and his pupils gained a ring of light around them.
Rodald's form shimmered with crackling energy as he focused his magic power and aura into his Halberd, channelling the full might of his unique skill.
The air around him crackled with anticipation as he unleashed his strongest attack—a massive black lightning beam that surged forth with the ferocity of a particle cannon.
"Stormbringer: Death Storm!!!!"
The beam tore through the space between Rodald and Evan with incredible speed, its deadly potency evident in the way it distorted space itself.
In an instant, it reached Evan's body, enveloping him in a tempest of darkness and raw power.
**KAAABOOOOOMM!!!!!!
What followed was a cataclysmic explosion of black lightning, its supermassive energy engulfing the surrounding area in a maelstrom of destruction. The sheer force of the blast reverberated through the battlefield, leaving behind a trail of devastation in its wake.
Thanks to the efforts of the Generals on both sides of the war, all soldiers had been evacuated from the area Evan and Rodald were fighting.
The whole battle had actually come to a stop as both sides instinctively knew that the fight between the two was going to be the deciding factor for the fate of Cudjour.
Even still, they were on guard and it was because of this that the grandmasters were able to react fast enough, conjuring barriers to protect the hundreds of thousands of Master level soldiers who would turn to ashes by the explosion that just engulfed the area.
Some Inferior Grandmasters who didn't react fast enough were left tethering on the brink of death by the blast, while the other dozens of Grandmasters on the battlefield poured out their full power to block the surge of power from reaching the soldiers.
For a moment, both Wolfen and GEE Generals actually worked together to shield their soldiers from certain death.
The blast surged across the battlefield, obliterating everything in its path for dozens of kilometres. Even the towns and cities on Cudjour's borders, which had been evacuated in anticipation of the battle, were razed to the ground in an instant—a sobering reminder of the great power wielded by Epic Level existences.
In a moment of surprise, a streak of golden light pierced through the dense mass of black lightning, hurtling towards Rodald with astonishing speed. Reacting on instinct, he raised his halberd just in time to intercept the descending blade.
**CLANGG!!!
The impact of the strike sent shockwaves through his arms, causing him to stagger backwards. As he glanced at his weapon, he noticed cracks forming on its surface, showing just how immense the force behind the attack was.
With a mixture of astonishment and wariness, Rodald looked up to behold the figure responsible for this sudden attack.
A teenager bearing dark hair with white highlights that seemed to shine. He looked similar to before, still donning the same black shirt with grey undersleeves and black trousers with combat boots.
However, unlike before, he was not 'standing in the air' and was now flying.
From his back, a single pair of large white wings stretched out with a sleek and membrane-like structure, partially adorned with opalescent scales.
Atop his head, two horns protruded, pulsating with potent magical energy.
Translucent white-gold scales sheathed his body like battle armour, covering his chest, and shoulders, and forming forearm guards over the ones he normally wore.
Though his pupils had turned into vertical slits reminiscent of that of a reptile's, his irises maintained their grey hue, and likewise, the glowing Mystic Symbol within them continued to gleam with ethereal light.
'Evan Eris has gained the Power of a Dragon.'
This was a rumour that had been flying around for the past two months. Today, those rumours were confirmed.
"Is this the real you, your true combat form?"
"…"
Evan remained silent, looking around at the battlefield around them and surveying the destruction caused by Rodald's earlier attack.
His gaze went to the top of the Cudjour mountain and then he looked around once more, at the hidden agents of other countries who were monitoring the battle.
"You know…since I became a grandmaster, this is the first attack that has actually 'hurt'."
Rodald's eyes narrowed as he tried to analyse Evan's current state with his eyes. He refused to believe that the boy could tank his 'Death Storm' with ease and only be 'Hurt'.
Putting it into perspective, Rodald's attack was even more powerful than the 'Tsar Bomba', and most of that power had hit Evan directly, with the residuals being what exploded outwards and wrecked everything within the nearest few kilometres.
He didn't think Evan was as unscathed as he made himself out to be. However, the boy's destruction essence was too potent and it obscured whatever analysis he tried to conduct.
This, however, only served to confirm his conjecture, that Evan had taken far more damage than he appeared to.
However, his focus was quickly diverted as Evan's next words rang out.
"Let me thank you with this 'little trick' I've been saving up."
"?!"
Evan's horns amplified his magic power and his Dragon Heart began beating heavily. It pumped out a storm of energy which Evan routed through his destructive energy circuits and straight to his mouth.
Faster than Rodald could move, faster than anyone could even blink, Evan's mouth opened as wide as could go and he activated a skill.
Authority of Dragons.
'Dragon Breath!'
And then, in the next moment, it happened.
A beam. A Hyper Beam. The kind dragon types were known for firing.
The crimson-gold laser that left Evan's mouth was so thick and dense with power that it put even the most powerful Specium Ray to shame.
The air shook.
The atmosphere trembled as the thunderous roar that accompanied the blast flooded the surroundings with noise. Even people kilometres away found themselves instinctively covering their ears to try to endure it.
Rodald's reflexes served him well, allowing him to evade the attack with a swift manoeuvre. Yet, in that fleeting moment, he bore witness to the devastation unleashed.
The beam collided with one of the peaks in the Cudjour Mountain Range—a modest elevation, standing at somewhere around 3000 to 3050 meters.
Evan's 'Dragon Breath' collided with this mountain and it 'disappeared'.
That was the best way to describe it as the mountain had been completely obliterated, erased without a trace.
In its wake lay nought but a colossal hole, a gaping chasm in the once-solid range, offering a glimpse of the state of Todbury beyond.
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