Bound by Infinity

Chapter 15

Last time:

I stepped forward, my gaze never leaving hers. "Right. Simply put, my draconic friend, there isn't any element—any form, any reality—that I cannot control."

I let my power surge, and in an instant, black flames and gold lightning erupted off my body, crackling with energy. "And simply put, my friend, you've done goofed."

The dragon's eyes widened, and she stepped back, clearly re-evaluating her position. But it was too late. She had challenged the wrong person.

Now:

The dragon recoiled, surprised, as a grin spread across my face.

"Wai—" she didn't get the chance to finish her sentence before I teleported, reappearing beneath her massive head.

In a single fluid motion, I kicked upwards with all my strength, flinging the dragon into the air with a shockwave that shattered the earth beneath me. A mini explosion erupted from the impact, sending debris flying in all directions. The dragon flapped her wings in a desperate attempt to stabilize herself, her eyes searching the battlefield.

Before she could recover, I teleported again, this time above her, and executed a flawless triple axel kick. The force of the blow sent her crashing back into the ground with a resounding thud, causing another explosion that shook the forest around us.

I hovered in the air, watching the dust cloud swirl where the dragon had landed. A moment of eerie silence followed. Then, without warning, the dragon burst from the cloud, her massive mouth opening to unleash a torrent of flames. The firestorm raced toward me, intent on incinerating anything in its path.

"Have you not learned?" I asked, my voice calm and neutral as the inferno rushed toward me.

With a simple motion, I raised my right hand, and the flames twisted in mid-air, flowing toward my outstretched finger. They condensed into a small, pulsating orb of fire, which quickly turned black as it absorbed the dragon's energy. The orb exploded outward, firing a beam of black energy at Tiamat. She barely managed to dodge the blast, but the beam sliced through the forest like a hot knife through butter, creating a massive explosion that shook the ground.

I narrowed my eyes. "Alright, seems like I can't hold back any longer."

The dragon's body began to glow with a bright blue aura, and her form started to shrink and shift. In an instant, her colossal dragon body was replaced with that of a woman—still radiating immense power, but now in the form of an elegant, celestial being.

Her long, pale blue hair cascaded down her back, her dark blue eyes glimmering with an intimidating light. She exuded an icy coldness that contrasted with the heat of the flames she had just unleashed. Her beauty was undeniable, but there was a lethal edge beneath it. She wore a navy blue skirt, and her entire body seemed to shimmer with an ethereal blue hue.

"Get ready, brat," she shouted, her voice now more human, though it still carried the weight of a dragon's fury. "I won't be going easy on you anymore!"

"Going easy?" I said with a laugh, though the amusement didn't quite reach my eyes. "You tried to kill me twice already. But fine, I'll get serious too."

A portal opened to my left, and I reached into the swirling vortex, pulling out a weapon that radiated dark energy. It was the Crucifix—a weapon of immense power.

"Now then," I said, as the veins of the Crucifix began to glow a soft silver, "let's begin round two."

With Rias:

I stood off to the side, my expression softening slightly as I watched Asia make a contract with a baby sprite dragon. Even with Index acting as her protector, it never hurt to have a little more security. Rias's presence in the background was a reminder that the task was far from over.

"Alright, everyone," I said, giving the group a proud nod. "Good work. We should head back now."

But Asia had a different concern. "What about Kouki? How would he leave? What if he gets into trouble?"

I chuckled softly, shaking my head. "Kouki will be fine. He'll leave exactly the way he came. And as for trouble—well, the only way that could happen is if he somehow manages to get into a fight with Tiamat."

As if on cue, the ground suddenly trembled beneath our feet, and an explosion ripped through the air. The force of the blast was so strong that it nearly knocked us off our feet.

We all turned to face the source of the explosion, our eyes narrowing as we saw a familiar sight: a large celestial blue dragon soaring through the air before being struck down by something—or rather, someone. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had caused the disturbance.

"Was that… Tiamat, the Chaos Karma Dragon?" Tonji asked, his voice filled with both awe and concern. "Did it get into a fight with something?"

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Not something. Someone," I replied with a touch of exasperation. "Alright, everyone, let's go check on Kouki and make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"Right!" the group responded, nodding in unison.

We made our way toward the source of the explosion, and as we got closer, the scene unfolded before us. Kouki was hovering in the air, the Crucifix in his hand, his body surrounded by crackling energy. On the ground below him, a woman with blue hair and dark blue eyes lay crumpled in a heap, her navy blue skirt and blouse a stark contrast against the dirt and rubble. She was unmistakably Tiamat, but now in her human form.

"Look at the boozankas on her…" Issei said in his usual, inappropriate fashion.

"Hush, they're starting again," Koneko muttered, clearly annoyed.

I couldn't help but smirk. "Now then," I said, my voice calm, though a dangerous edge lingered beneath. "Let's begin round two."

Back to Kouki:

I teleported, appearing at Tiamat's left, the Crucifix now aimed directly at her side. Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger. A beam of pure energy shot out from the weapon, slamming into Tiamat and sending her flying across the ground. A portal opened beside me as I stuck the barrel of the Crucifix into it. Another portal appeared behind Tiamat's head, and I pulled the trigger once more. A second beam erupted from the weapon, striking her in the back and causing an explosion that sent her crashing into the earth below.

Tiamat didn't have the chance to recover. I appeared above her in an instant, spinning twice in mid-air. On the first spin, I slammed the barrel of the Crucifix into her stomach. On the second spin, I did the same, adding more force to the blow. On the third spin, I pointed the Crucifix at her stomach and pulled the trigger. Another explosion went off, sending Tiamat careening across the battlefield, her body slamming into the ground with a sickening thud.

Her body bounced from the force, but before she could recover, I flung the Crucifix to the side. It liquefied, shifting into its scythe form, and I swiftly slid the blade beneath her. With a powerful motion, I launched her into the air.

"Now, let me show you the technique my dear Rias has been trying to master," I said, my voice filled with both confidence and calm. I snapped my fingers.

In an instant, multiple stars appeared around Tiamat, each one glowing with pure energy. With a flash of silver, I vanished, flashing to each individual star. I struck her with each appearance, my blows precise and deadly. On the final strike, I imbued my scythe with P.O.D., creating a platform of solid air beneath me. I pushed off it, slashing downward with every ounce of power I had. The force of the strike sent Tiamat slamming into the ground with such force that the impact caused another explosion, sending shockwaves through the forest.

"Astroremkinesis: Star variant: Constellation burst- Twin Ares

Tiamat bounced off the floor once more, but before she could regain her bearings, I dropped the Crucifix to the ground and created a lightning bow out of sheer energy.

"Primordial element manipulation: Conceptual element manipulation, Concept: Void lightning—Voidal calamity," I said, releasing the arrow with a powerful snap of my fingers.

The arrow flew toward Tiamat at breakneck speed, and as it made contact, a massive explosion erupted, shaking the earth beneath us. The blast sent a shockwave so intense that it seemed to rip apart the very fabric of reality itself. The force of the explosion was enough to leave nothing behind but a crater, the smoke and debris hanging in the air like a storm cloud of destruction.

I turned, my back to the chaos I had just unleashed. "And that settles that," I muttered, walking away without a second glance.

Chapter 15: End