Chapter 398: Armored Dragon, Demons Dancing Riotously

The body was reshaped within a vortex of void energy, as a multitude of proliferating limbs sprouted and extended under the influence of the void, grafting themselves onto a frame already altered by previous modifications.

The dragon’s claws grew significantly in strength and sharpness, the muscle density swelled to an exaggerated degree during the infusion, and the ability to wield sorcery was acquired the very moment a connection with the void was established—a myriad of changes manifested at this moment, rendering the shells of these modified dragons ever more formidable.

Beyond these physical enhancements, the greatest threat stemmed from a shift in the behavioral patterns of these modified dragons; the original state of fighting in isolation had vanished. These dragons began to form a subtle, coordinated formation, utilizing their shared link to the void to establish contact between their near-instinctual consciousnesses, effectively coalescing into a singular, unified entity.

A disadvantage—or rather, a state of being utterly crushed—emerged almost instantly upon the battlefield, set against the backdrop of the fallen giant hell-ship, Ishupanto. The demons from the hellish plane and the alchemical mechanical legions of the main plane began to be slaughtered on a massive scale.

"Hum!"

A violent roar detonated across the heavens. A flash of silver light flickered and vanished as the silver dragon’s claws swept out, shattering into dust the countless pitch-black spikes that had thrust forth from the distorted arc of light.

The silver streamers that usually accompanied Aerylian did not linger this time; they merely flashed intermittently across her body, manifesting only the power required for the moment.

Her form blurred, slipping into the fissures of space, only to reappear behind Melos. With a whip-like turn of her tail, coated in a layer of imperceptible high-energy matter, she struck Melos’s body, triggering a concentrated explosion upon impact. It was not a blinding display, but the resulting shockwave was terrifyingly potent.

"Boom!"

Retreating through the dark, explosive impact, Melos waved a hand casually, his physical strength driving an incomparable speed. His connection to the void allowed him to wield its power with every movement. Several void-energy entities, resembling mirror images, emerged beside Aerylian, launching a brutal, simultaneous assault.

Dragon claws, tail, and torso—Aerylian utilized every part of her body for offensive defense. A layer of power circulated through these parts, boosting their sturdiness and resilience in an instant.

These body parts collided head-on with the unavoidable attacks raining down on her from all sides. Though she could not avoid being lacerated, these were merely superficial wounds; to a dragon, they were of no consequence.

"Have you finally succeeded in analyzing your own power? Truly, the only successful one among my creations. But it is far too late, you are far too weak, and your learning is far too slow."

Melos spoke with casual indifference. He showed no apprehension toward the silver dragon who had once only been able to flee before him, but now, possessing a new body, could hold her own. It had to be this way; otherwise, her blade would never have been able to help him escape that prison.

"..."

Aerylian remained silent, pressing her offensive. Power surged through her frame, and several streams of energy erupted from the ring of light surrounding her body, twisting through the air in erratic, unpredictable trajectories, striking at the airborne Melos from the most treacherous angles.

Combining Aerylian’s performance with Melos’s remarks, it was clear that the silver dragon had undergone a fundamental change in combat. Her power had been differentiated. Previously, that silver radiance had accompanied her every move, an almost omnipotent force capable of manifesting different properties—tearing space, physical blocking, high-energy destruction...

But in reality, that power had been a chaotic mixture. The forces corresponding to each ability were muddled within that single hue of silver; while omnipotent, it was hopelessly impure.

The entangled forces had caused the effectiveness of each aspect to drop significantly. Now, however, Aerylian had separated these powers, allowing them to integrate into their respective domains. This brought her strength to a leap beyond its already astonishing foundation, all born from a sudden clarity of understanding.

"I knew it. I knew you would return. I understand you perhaps better than any other existence, so I have long prepared a gift for you. I hope you will enjoy it."

Maneuvering at high speed, the strength and agility displayed by Melos’s new shell reached the pinnacle of this world. The light streams released by Aerylian tracked him frantically, but Melos simply allowed his body to brush past the dense torrents of light.

From the exterior, Melos’s body still presented obvious draconic features—scales, claws, tail—yet it had largely shed the typical appearance of a normal dragon.

His excessively long neck had been shortened and protected by biological armor extending from the base of his skull. His forelimbs had been expanded in length and thickness, better suited for defensive and offensive maneuvers, while his hind limbs had gained an extra joint, becoming stronger and more agile.

His posture had shifted from a complete "dragon" to something closer to a "humanoid" possessing the many strengths of a dragon—a powerful form optimized for combat, combining the advantages of both.

"Hum!"

Raising a hand, Melos tapped the void with his six-fingered claw. The connection to the void instantly released a vast amount of energy for his use. With a mere gaze, a region was locked down by a sorcery about to take effect.

An invisible pressure blanketed the area where Aerylian stood, and a severe sense of stagnation seized all matter within the zone. The silver dragon’s movements faltered, and even the brilliant silver light streams she released slowed noticeably.

Interfering with the void was nearly an instinct for Melos, and it did not hinder him from simultaneously unleashing the power within his shell. Chaotic and violent energy accumulated in every part of his body—a dragon breath, which was, in truth, a form of energy-release attack, ready to be unleashed.

Unlike normal dragons that use the heart as the core of their energy pump, Melos’s shell possessed a main core and numerous smaller energy hubs. This allowed him to draw upon energy much faster than a normal dragon, and the "dragon breath" released would climb in power exponentially with each successive layering.

"Bang!"

He opened his maw—still the optimal position for energy release—and his body recoiled slightly to offset the additional shock of the energy burst. The energy diffused from a single point, transforming into a multitude of intersecting beams that streaked toward Aerylian, who was briefly imprisoned by the void.

In her state of being affected by that void power, it was impossible to dodge this "dragon breath," which achieved a surrounding, strangling effect from a single point of diffusion. This seemingly plain attack was far more formidable than its appearance suggested.

The stagnant space trembled for an instant. A brand-new connection to the void was established, and the void granted its power to the silver dragon. The two forces canceled each other out, and the power of stagnation dissipated.

"Hum... Boom!"

As if she had prepared in advance, the silver dragon’s body rotated gracefully in mid-air. Her claws seemed to grasp something, glowing with brilliance. In the briefest moment of this motion, a silver blade of light appeared, extended, and slashed out with the momentum of her movement.

The blade of light streaked across space, leaving a dazzling afterimage like a bright crescent moon suddenly appearing in the sky. The blade collided with Melos’s dragon breath, the massive range of the slash completely covering the concentrated breath before it could fully disperse.

The collision erupted into a tidal wave of explosive force, shaking everything in the vicinity. The light blade shattered, the dragon breath annihilated; both attacks suffered losses in the counter-clash.

The broken light blade transformed into blinding arcs of light, flying back toward the direction of the slash and striking straight at Melos. The dragon breath, having shattered the giant blade, still retained speed and intensity. After dodging the bulk of it, Aerylian’s shoulder and wing were still struck, leaving two blood-drenched holes.

"Not bad. You’ve learned so much in the heat of battle. But your problem is still too obvious—you are simply too weak. How much power can this shell of yours actually squander? Well, perhaps we should say 'goodbye' for now? Your gift has arrived."

Melos merely drifted slightly, easily avoiding the non-directional light blade fragments, before his body gradually faded into nothingness. His voice lingered faintly toward Aerylian, who remained in the air.

In the distance, below, several dragons whose postures were familiar to Aerylian flew toward her. Void energy swirled around their bodies, and their original draconic forms had been rendered unrecognizable by modifications. Yet, Aerylian recognized the original owners of these shells in an instant—those heretical dragons...

"Roar!"

Violent breaths were released one after another by the heretical dragons that had swept through the air at high speed. Crimson flames, high-energy lightning, corrosive acid, freezing streams... all intertwined and swept toward Aerylian in the sky.

Whether Melos’s actions were born of a perverse sense of humor—pulling out the corpses of Aerylian’s former companions to use as lethal weapons against her—it could not be denied that these modified shells were extremely powerful, far beyond those of ordinary modified dragons. And, indeed, it was effective.

Void fluctuations flickered in succession. The linear trajectories of the dragon breaths were altered, folding and traversing through space, entering fissures that appeared in the air, and emerging from different angles and directions to strike at Aerylian as she dodged in the sky.

Only now was the true strength of this abyss creature revealed. Its new shell was indeed powerful, but that could be considered only a single entity, and it was not an absolute crushing force when facing existences that were not dragons or that transcended the concept of dragons.

But in reality, the entire void-influenced region of this island was an extension of its power. The modified dragons below, and now these heretical dragons under its influence, added a numerical advantage to their original strength, creating a destructive force that far exceeded the intensity of the shell Melos himself occupied.

Or to put it another way, that shell alone could not be considered Melos. This island, the dragons controlled upon it—all of them combined—could be considered the complete Melos. This terrifying power, difficult to quantify with specific data...

The redirected dragon breaths attacked their target. The angle changes provided by the void turned what could have been easily dodged linear attacks into something treacherous and unpredictable. The void connection that had appeared before was once again established on the silver dragon’s body. She forcibly closed some of the fissures appearing at close range, causing the dragon breaths attempting to use them for trajectory changes to be annihilated within.

But Aerylian was not yet proficient with this power; the dragon breaths she could handle were still few. The remaining breaths closed in on the surrounded Aerylian, and only by struggling desperately could she barely dodge them.

She had the power to take these attacks, but she could not do so. Even for a single instant, she would be pinned in place, and then she would be met with a relentless, tidal wave of assaults.

The void rippled. The moment Aerylian dodged a dragon breath, the void silently spat out Melos. His overly powerful shell swept out a claw wrapped in corrosive power, striking the instant Aerylian finished her maneuver.

"Puchi!"

The silver dragon’s wing was struck squarely, a massive tear appearing upon it as blood and bone fragments sprayed out. This was only the result of Aerylian’s extreme alertness, using her own power to propel her shell into a short-range burst of movement. Had it not been for that, one of her wings would have been rendered useless on the spot.

Melos had already faded away once more, waiting for the heretical dragons below—which were now charging upward for close-quarters combat—to launch the next round of attacks against Aerylian.

Filling the wound with silver radiance to prevent it from affecting her agility, Aerylian felt a heavy heart. Melos seemed to have fully grasped her threat, choosing not to give her a chance to go all-in, but instead using containment and attrition to push her toward death, bit by bit.

Her shortcoming lay right here: the capacity of this silver dragon’s shell to hold power was still too limited. She was... too weak.

"Boom!"

Bolstering her spirit, the moment Aerylian once again surrounded her body with power to send her speed soaring, several crimson rays erupted from below, spreading outward and unleashing a point-destruction force capable of melting everything upon the heretical dragons.

Steel wings pushed propulsion to the limit as a dragon’s form tore through space, flying in from below. Its body was entirely encased in steel and machinery, and artificial magic circuits within the alchemical armor—forged from high-strength magic-conducting alloy—emitted a stable and powerful light.

The energy-release ports on its back were all open, spraying the power within its body without reservation toward the dragons besieging Aerylian. Under the energy replenishment and guidance of the surrounding alchemical armor, the sustained effect reached an incredible degree.

The formidable destructive power forced the heretical dragons to evade, and the pursuit of Aerylian was forced to a halt. And yet, the attack of the armored dragon was merely the beginning.

The discharge port began to shift, as a dozen energy rails crisscrossed and locked into alignment, fusing scattered searing beams into a singular torrent of power. This concentrated force pushed the simple concept of destruction to its absolute zenith; a mere graze would leave the bodies of these heretical dragons to melt away, utterly devoid of resistance.

"Clang!"

Though the beam moved with haste, striking these heretical dragons—who could manipulate the void to blink through the air—remained a daunting task, forcing the armored dragon to adapt its offensive strategy.

The dorsal armor began to glow, illuminated by the violent radiation of the energy stream. Within the plating, circular light-spots expanded in layers; this was not the melting of armor under extreme heat, but an indicator confirming that the next phase of the assault was primed.

As the discharge port spewed its torrent, a vast amount of residual energy bled away, only to be reclaimed by the armor and funneled into a different form of attack.

"Whoosh, boom!"

The thick pillar of light gradually dissipated, leaving behind plasma that lingered in the air, though it would not remain for long. The dragon tilted its head, opened its maw, and its neck armor burst outward. Superheated gas vented, a flash of light erupted, and a solid energy shell of impossible velocity tore into the clouds, detonating in the sky before the heretical dragons could even register the threat.

A sphere of ruinous light swallowed everything in the vicinity. The blast radius was narrow, but the enchantments woven into it focused the power into a confined space, forging a force of ultimate destruction.

The blue dragon’s body vanished, the mountain-like carcass of the green dragon was sheared in half, and the remaining drakes were scattered by the shockwave. For a fleeting moment, a path cleared in the sky, and the gazes of the red dragon and the silver dragon met.

"Sister, apologies, I am late."

Through the prayer communication network, Zig’s voice echoed in Aerielian’s ears.

...

"Damned maggots, you dare destroy my warship! Your lives shall be the price to appease my wrath!"

A roar of fury pierced the fabric of space. From the wreckage of the hell-ship and the corpse of the titan demon, a greatsword wreathed in infernal flames tore its way out. The body of the Hell Lord manifested, gripping his weapon; consumed by rage and bound by the terms of the contract, he descended in physical form upon the prime material plane. He raised his hand, swung his blade, and a surging tide of hellfire rolled forth.

At the location of the Sky Mechanical City, artillery fire poured down with frantic intensity, the sky blooming with explosions as brilliant and lethal as fireworks. This staggering display of firepower was merely the Sky Mechanical City’s "defensive measure," and under its full output, almost nothing could hope to breach the wall of fire.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Massive metal pillars were launched toward every corner of Dragon Island. Within the radius of these pillars, void activity was instantly and severely suppressed—they were the Reality Stabilization Spears, old friends familiar to Wang Yu.

Simultaneously, at the heart of the Sky Mechanical City, the steel floor parted layer by layer, and a Reality Stabilization Spear of gargantuan, exaggerated proportions was pushed upward. Energy surged into it, the device activated in an instant, and a vast field of void-denial manifested around the city.

No one was here for a game; this was war. The Sky Mechanical City’s understanding of abyssal creatures ensured they were never unprepared for such conditions; indeed, the duty of suppressing the abyss was a task the city had never neglected for a single heartbeat.

On the coast of Dragon Island, the surging tide had somehow risen into waves hundreds of meters high. Storms and dark clouds swallowed the world, and every priest of the Merman race prayed to the deity they worshipped: the Lord of Storms and Oceans.

Amidst the thunder and torrential rain, a colossal shadow gradually emerged from the sea. Gripping a trident wreathed in raging currents, it thrust forward, aiming directly at Dragon Island...

The dance of demons grew wilder, and the battle surged forward into its next relentless stage.