"What?!"
After Tannin's beam was effortlessly split, what greeted him was not a head-on blast from the cannon, but… a cut from the light-cannon's magic blade!
"Swoosh!~"
The light-cannon magic blade tore open space, shredded Tannin's wings, and carved through most of his draconic body!
Dragon blood sprayed. Scales flew.
Like a bird with broken wings, the agonized Tannin fell from the sky!
...
Standing beneath the lofty firmament of the Underworld, Sai Akuto looked down at the plummeting Tannin.
Once he confirmed Tannin had lost the will to fight, Akuto lifted his gaze to the heavens.
Beyond the Underworld's "sky" is not outer space, but… the Human World's subterranean realm.
"This is… a confluence where yōki and dragon power gather. The dragons' territory in the Underworld corresponds to Kyoto in the Human World—Yasaka the Nine-Tails' domain in the original storyline."
"As the God of the Bible's knowledge describes, only a leyline nexus teeming with mighty yōkai can nurture the environment needed to cultivate the Dragon Saliva Flower."
"Gods, dragons, yōkai, beasts—this world's native powers complement one another and form the flow system of DxD."
"How to accord with heaven and earth, then guide heaven and earth, and thus grasp this land—that is the key to transcendence."
Having fully cleared two worlds, Akuto may well be the furthest along on this path.
...
"The Nine-Tails Yasaka, huh… For a yōkai like the Nine-Tails who is born of the dragon-vein and thrives on the dragon-vein, deep ties with dragons are only natural."
"But judging by the state of things… this land won't hold out much longer."
"If the dragon-vein dries up, a Nine-Tails born of that vein will likely lose her future as well… Rather than let it come to that, it's better to…"
After a rough plan took shape, Akuto stepped forward and vanished.
In Tannin's domain—
Trailing a rain of blood, the colossal dragon crashed down near the core plot where the Dragon Saliva Flower was grown.
Along the way, numerous Maou-class dragons rushed toward him.
All of them struck an invisible barrier.
Because this barrier was Super-Maou-class, they couldn't break it even by going all out.
A blue thunder dragon of Maou-class lowered his head toward Akeno and pleaded in a low rumble:
"Akeno-san, could you please speak with Akuto-sama?"
"No matter the price, Tannin-sama's territory will pay it. We only beg Akuto-sama not to let another battle erupt here in the core field."
If another fight broke out and damaged the Dragon Saliva Flower, it would be all over.
Akeno only smiled and shook her head.
"Thunder Dragon-san, I believe Akuto-kun sees farther than either of us. You needn't worry about the Dragon Saliva Flower."
She had already taken on the awareness of Akuto's partner—and would support his decisions. Because… she trusted him completely.
If things had developed to this point under Akuto-kun's hand, he surely had his reasons. She should not meddle.
...
Before Tannin, Akuto walked calmly toward the Dragon Saliva Flower.
True to its name, the blossom perfectly fused the qualities of dragon and flower. Rather than a single bloom, it looked like ten little golden dragons coiled together into the form of a flower.
"Stop! If you pick it before it matures, most of its potency will be lost—!"
Tannin spat out a mouthful of blood as he barked to halt Akuto.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Akuto reached toward the luscious flower. From his palm welled three shimmering essences—golden, dark-gold, and blue-violet—like strange liquid light.
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!!~]
[Transfer!]
Empowered by Boosted effects, the tri-colored blood dripped onto the Dragon Saliva Flower.
"Raoooaar!~"
The one who roared was neither Akuto nor Tannin, but… the Dragon Saliva Flower itself, wildly drawing in dragon power and yōki!
"Dragon-blood irrigation? Success on the first try?"
Tannin struggled to accept reality.
Watering with dragon blood can indeed promote the flower's growth, but only under harsh conditions—one must perform it on the 15th day of the first lunar month and again on the 15th of the seventh, and even then success isn't guaranteed.
He had failed many times for every rare success. Why could Akuto do it in one go?
"I told you—my understanding of the Dragon Saliva Flower far exceeds yours."
Of course Akuto knew you were "supposed" to irrigate only on those days.
But that's because those dates mark peaks of the year's yōki. The flower's resonance with yōkai is highest then.
At that special time, infusing dragon blood lets it absorb dragon power and yōki to the fullest.
For Akuto, however, things are different.
With the Spear that Pierces the World, once he reached Lord-God class he could influence the world in localized zones.
Just now, he first overlaid the surrounding world into conditions optimal for yōki absorption—then he infused the blood.
...
The next instant, Akuto drew a line in the air and plucked a single golden droplet from the Dragon Saliva Flower.
Normally you need a whole plant to trigger its arts. But when you wield the Red Dragon Emperor's gauntlet, even a single droplet can unleash the efficacy of an entire stalk.
"Right—almost forgot."
He casually picked the now-mature flower and tossed it into the Akame ga Kill world's most dragon-charged locus. Then Akuto turned to Tannin.
"Raoooooar!~"
[Dragon-Eater!]
The true dragon soul of the Red Dragon Emperor surged out from the Boosted Gear. The crimson dragon opened its maw and swallowed Tannin whole!
[Soul—Taken (Dragon Soul Devoured)!]
Using the same method he'd used to command the Eastern Sea Cloud Dragon, Akuto brought Tannin under his control as well.
The next moment, a system chime rang in Akuto's hand.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host! Story Quest unlocked — Ultimate Dragon.]
[Quest Rank: Red.]
[Quest Brief: To accomplish transcendence beyond the world, you must first reach the world's current limit.
To reach that limit, you must deeply understand and be able to influence the world's genetic structure.]
["Dragon" and "Beast" sit at the apex of DxD's power. To surpass DxD, you must obtain the powers that compose the world's foundational principles—those of "Dragon" and "Beast."
The Two Heavenly Dragons and the Dragon Kings are the core architecture of "Dragon."
While gods cannot yet be devoured, devouring Heavenly Dragons, Dragon Kings, and Evil Dragons is unarguably the best course.]
[Quest Objective: Use the Boosted Gear to devour the Two Heavenly Dragons, the Six Dragon Kings, and at least six Evil Dragons.]
[Note: The Two Heavenly Dragons are:
Red Dragon Emperor "Ddraig" — slain; soul forged into the Sacred Gear "Boosted Gear."
White Dragon Emperor "Albion" — slain; soul forged into the Sacred Gear "Divine Dividing."]
[The Six Dragon Kings are:
Chaos Karma Dragon "Tiamat" (Super-Maou-class): A blue long-haired beauty in a sharp deep-blue pantsuit; the only female among the Dragon Kings, hailed as the strongest Dragon King; one of the true underground arbiters of the current Rating Game.
Black Evil Dragon King "Vritra" (Super-Maou-class): Ancient nemesis of Indra in Indian myth; his soul has been split into four parts […].
Golden Dragon Lord "Fafnir" (Super-Maou-class): A treasure-mad golden dragon; has contracted with Azazel.
Western Sea Dragon King "Yu-Long" (Super-Maou-class): The white dragon steed from the Journey to the West; the youngest of the Dragon Kings.
World-End Giant Dragon "Jörmungandr" (Super-Maou-class): Loki's creation; the largest Dragon King; slumbers idly in the sea, said to rise only at Ragnarök.
Demonic Dragon Saint "Tannin" (Super-Maou-class): Formerly one of the Six Dragon Kings; because dragons in the Underworld require "dragon apples" unique to that land to thrive, Tannin reincarnated as a devil for his race's continuation and abdicated his Dragon King seat. Now successfully subjugated.]
[Six Evil Dragons (examples) include:
Sin Dragon of Wrath "Grendel" (Super-Maou-class): A 15-meter, black-scaled, silver-eyed draconic giant; battle-mad and bloodthirsty; blue blood; his scales were among the hardest of the extinct dragons; slain by the first Beowulf, later revived by the Khaos Brigade.
Guardian Dragon of the Golden Orchard "Ladon" (Super-Maou-class): Tree-like form with a vast fissure for a "face," red-glowing pits as eyes; excels at barriers and walls; felled when Heracles hurled Hydra venom into its maw; later revived by the Khaos Brigade.
Corpse-Gnawing Nether Dragon "Níðhöggr" (Super-Maou-class): A greed-swollen dragon that dwells in the icy North of the Norse world; has resurrection ability; in the original story tormented powerless Ophis when Issei's parents were captured; later slain by the New Moon's Dark Dragon.
Raving Dragon of Eightfold Devouring "Yamata-no-Orochi" (Super-Maou-class): An eight-headed evil dragon; even severed heads attack as they regenerate; its venom is dire; its black flame rages; half its soul resides in the Ame-no-Murakumo (Kusanagi), the other half upon the Violet-Flame Hierarch's execution dais.
Primordial Gloom Dragon "Apep" (Heavenly Dragon-class): A serpentine dragon over one hundred meters long; commands darkness and shadow, releasing blackness that devours creatures and shears matter; in the Evil Dragon War of the original story, was destroyed by a Dragon-God-empowered foe.
Source-Bane Three-Headed Dragon "Azi Dahaka" (Heavenly Dragon-class): A three-headed black dragon who wields a thousand magics; driven by urges to destroy and self-erase; after truly understanding himself, he simply pursues destruction, battles the strong, and delights in marvels; long ago warred against the hosts of the Zoroastrian good gods and was put down in a near-sealing by Thraetaona; in the Evil Dragon War, was defeated by a Maou-empowered Vali.
New Moon's Dark Dragon "Crom Cruach" (Heavenly Dragon-class): The mightiest Evil Dragon created by the god Balor; the dream-phantom dragon who governs war and death; once an ordinary evil dragon, through self-training he reached Heavenly Dragon-class; his long-held wish is to witness the dragons' future; after the Evil Tree attacked Heaven, he quit that organization (a terror group built by Rizevim from the Khaos Brigade's remnants after the Hero Faction and Old Maou Faction fell).]
...
"So, 'Ultimate Beast' then 'Ultimate Dragon'? Looks like the Boosted Gear's evolution into the 'Ultimate Dragon Palm' wasn't for nothing."
"But Sona has already obtained three-quarters of Vritra's Sacred Gear set? Seems the push I gave her hit hard."
"Even so, that alone still leaves her some distance from her dream."
"The gathering of the young generation of devils in the Underworld is soon. Sona should unveil the fruits of her training then, right?"
(End of Chapter)
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