'Ah, I managed to reach 26%!' At this rate, he would be able to reach 40% comprehension in no time at all. Dorian grinned beneath the ice that had reappeared around him, feeling the energy flow in his veins.
He had reached the Middle Stage for all of his other Demonic Laws on Taprisha, he just needed to reach the Middle Stage for the remaining ones here. After that, he decided he would ferry himself back and forth, stopping for nothing until he reached Completion. He had too little time to waste.
'Alright, back to-' Dorian stopped mid-thought as he sensed something completely unexpected.
A faint awareness appeared, coming from a few miles out. One that resonated with his soul.
The feeling he got when he sensed a fellow Anomaly.
'Wait… it feels… different?' He couldn't quite place why, but this time, it felt odd. The sensation was there, but it no longer felt quite like the other Anomalies he had sensed. Something about it was… subtly different. He couldn't explain exactly what with words.
BOOM
The ice that was shrouding Dorian exploded as he stood up, going on high alert. A shower of fine snow particles cascaded in the air as he expanded his senses, turning to look in the direction of his fellow Anomaly. He was taking no chances.
At the same time, a black, near invisible flicker of energy covered his body. The Black Luster Ability he'd gained from his new Vampire form was the strongest defensive Ability he controlled. He also activated his Perfect Body Ability, raising the raw power and senses of his physique to a new level.
As he pulled on his various powers, he leapt off of the frozen Giant, landing on the ground nearby.
By the time he finished activating his Abilities and landed, the other Anomaly he sensed had already arrived, moving at an incredibly fast speed.
"Hello, Firstborn." A man's voice rumbled out as a figure appeared. The man had long, golden hair and a majestic bearing, with a handsome, muscular face that practically oozed masculinity.
"Who are you?" Dorian replied without missing a beat, mentally commanding Ausra to scan him.
To his shock, Ausra came back with almost nothing.
–
Species – Divine Golden Lion (Humanoid Form)
Class: ???
Maximum Energy Level: ???
–
'He's… I can't scan him at all?!' As Dorian saw this, his heart seemed to plunge.
The last time he remembered seeing this was when he tried to scan an Angelic Class being.
"I am Zero, the Secondborn." Zero's voice boomed out loud as he responded to Dorian's question. A rippling Aura burst free from the man as he spoke, blasting away the cold and melting any nearby ice.
Dorian simply stared back, his body tingling as he prepared for anything. His eyes zeroed in on Zero, giving away nothing.
Zero looked back and shook his head.
"This moment… for all my existence, I thought about what I would say, how this would happen. Yet, now that I stand before you…" Zero held up a hand and then slowly lowered it with a sigh,
"I am sorely disappointed. You stand before me as the First of our kind, yet you lack the capacity to bear the burden we face." Genuine disappointment filled Zero's tone.
"Wha-" Dorian was in the middle of replying when Zero attacked, giving him absolutely no warning.
One second, Zero was standing several dozen meters away.
The next second, he had already appeared in front of Dorian.
BOOM
A small explosion shook the air as Zero punched forward, violent red energy covering his fist as he drew upon his Law of Annihilation. The powerful warrior's body shivered as fluctuations of energy ran through it, his sheer physical power condensed into such a small being.
A flurry of ice and dust were thrown into the air, creating a cloud of debris as Dorian's body was flung backward, instantly obscured. A loud rending sound sounded off in the air, stone cracking and shivering.
Zero watched all of this dispassionately, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the cloud of dust.
For, after a few seconds, that cloud of dust cleared up and away.
And when it did…
It revealed a demonic figure standing still. Two long lines were gouged out into the stone for several meters, ripped apart by Dorian's feet when he forced his body to absorb the impact and not get sent flying.
"That was a bit rude." Dorian casually raised his hand to his shoulder, flicking off a few random pieces of ice.
In the split second Zero had used to attack, Dorian fully realized how powerful the foe that had found him was. He absolutely could not afford to underestimate the warrior.
He instantly called upon his Law of Lust, enhancing his perception of time and allowing him to do several things in an instant.
Then, as he was attacked, he simultaneously activated the new Void Control Ability he'd gained from his King Class Evolution and his Law of Envy. Both things focused on control of space, something he immediately manipulated to create a dense wall between him and Zero's fist and weaken Zero's attack.
He then activated his Law of Pride and Law of Gluttony. One to toughen his body, and the other to add another layer of defensive energy around him.
This, combined with his Black Luster Ability and Perfect Body, allowed him to not only tank the hit but absorb and displace a good portion of Zero's surprise attack.
However, as he stood there, Dorian could feel small streams of energy rampaging inside his body. These streams annihilated everything they touched, trying to rip him apart from the inside, an insidious and subtle attack.
His eyes flashed as he called upon the Law of Original Sin. He used that to weaken the streams of Annihilation Energy and then eradicate them.
Just like that, Dorian successfully blocked an attack from an Angelic Class warrior.
"Don't you want to at least talk first, Zero?" Dorian frowned. Even if the Anomaly truly was Angelic Class, that didn't mean Dorian would just give up. He had access to such a variety of Laws, Abilities, and forms, as well as his own extremely powerful soul, that it wasn't necessarily given that he would lose.
He had heard of this Anomaly. This was the one that, long ago, had declared that he was going to hunt Dorian down. It seemed the creature had held true to its word, searching for and somehow finding Dorian here. If possible, Dorian would prefer to reason with him, like he had with Mello or the Eleventhborn.
From Zero's perspective, all he saw was Dorian casually brush off some ice and then form an incredibly evil and Demonic Aura, one that spoke to the core of sinful nature itself. This combined with Dorian's Balance Demon form to make him appear as a horrifying monstrosity.
"Of course. It was my mistake." Zero shivered as he saw this, his heart starting to pound. His initial disappointment partially vanished as he saw Dorian's seemingly effortless block of his attack.
"The Firstborn is the Firstborn, after all. There's no reason for me to hold back." A giant, overpowering Aura burst free from the Secondborn as he looked at Dorian. A majestic, red Halo appeared around Zero's head, gushing with energy. The very air around Zero seemed to shiver, sparking as the Anomaly's energy condensed to an extreme level.
This powerful Aura drew the attention of every single creature within several tens of thousands of meters. The initial clash between Dorian and Zero had woken the frozen city up, turning hundreds of Grakon heads, but this release drew thousands of the armored minotaur's eyes.
'Oh man.' Dorian cursed in his heart.
This wasn't going to be easy.
"Annihilate." Zero pointed at Dorian and spoke a single word.
A wave of red fire blasted forward, simmering through the air as they rocketed towards Dorian. The very fabric of the Law of Annihilation was imbued into these flames, causing them to destroy everything that blocked their path.
Even the stone floor Dorian and Zero were standing on was instantly melted through, the red flames eating away at everything.
"Black Flames!" Dorian responded by taking a deep breath and throwing out a huge wave of black fire, crackling flames of his own that collided with Zero's Flames of Annihilation.
Dragonfire was inherently destructive, containing mystic properties that allowed it to melt through things with incredible ease. Conversely, Zero's Flames of Annihilation held the condensed might of the Law of Annihilation within them.
The resulting clash created a maelstrom of fire that exploded multiple times, turning the center of the city into a chaotic sea of burning fire. Dorian's flames were less potent than Zero's, but Dorian's extremely fine grasp of fire manipulation, gained through his long experience using them, won out over Zero's relative inexperience.
As a result, neither party took any serious injuries from the raging fire.
A dozen Grakons that had charged in to investigate were instantly vaporized. The frozen waterfall of Gworen Ice created a massive cloud of steam that swooped over the battlefield, but otherwise ignored both types of fire, neither one able to successfully melt through the World Phenomena.
"Huff." Dorian's breath wheezed out of him as he jumped up high into the air. At the same time, he transformed into his new, Empyrean Vampire form. His Balance Demon form was his best choice for studying various Laws, but his Empyrean Vampire form had a stronger physique and could better use the Void Control Ability.
He blinked.
When his eyes opened, Zero reappeared in front of him once more. A small trail of multi-colored flames twisted in the air around him, moving seemingly in slow-motion due to Dorian's enhanced perception of time.
'This motherf-' The thought was cut off as Zero lashed out again with an extremely powerful punch, this time going all out. The air itself seemed to literally die as he punched forward, annihilating anything in his path. Red streams of energy shot out from his body, crackling backwards in the air.
BOOOOOOM
Dorian smashed downward as if he had been hit by a meteor. Before the blow hit, he threw up every Law he could hold onto, tossing out multiple Abilities again once more as he sought to weaken Zero's attack. He used his soul to twist Fate, and, at the very peak of the warrior's blow, he activated the Law of Original Sin, forcing a weakness to appear as reality itself bent to his will.
As a result, the blow only shattered his left arm instead of killing him.
"Huah!" Dorian landed on the ground with his feet planted, causing a 50 meter wide stone crater to form. Huge chunks of rock shot out into the air, the explosion cascading dirt all about.
Dorian's body, once more, stamped out the remnant Annihilation Energy, using the Law of Original Sin to crush them. A few stray black dots floated across his vision as he drew upon the Origin Law, straining himself. He ignored the pain from his injured arm, feeling his regenerative powers start to kick in.
"As expected of the Firstborn." Zero saw all of this, his eyes shining more and more as he nodded. His disappointment had now completely vanished, a smile appearing on his face.
Dorian glared upwards, his eyes practically spitting fury as he focused.
'Void Control.' He locked the space around Zero, causing the Anomaly to freeze in mid-air. Zero almost immediately shattered these Envy-boosted restraints, but not before he was frozen for a split second.
And in that split second, Dorian charged and activated a certain Ability dozens of times.
'Hyperion Beam! Hyperion Beam! Hyperion Beam!' Roughly 100 black orbs formed in the air, surrounding Dorian. Each one was charged with not only raw energy, but also his Black Flames, granting each one the destructive power of Dragonfire.
After breaking into the King Class, all of his Abilities had jumped in strength. In particular, his Hyperion Beams and Black Flames had seen a significant increase in potency. The Hyperion Beams that had struggled to injure the one-armed King Class Giant he'd faced could now easily obliterate it.
'Fire!'
100 lasers shot through the air. A mixed, red and gold Aura of energy formed around Zero, covering him in a layer of light right before the attack landed.
BOOM
The nearby storm of flames scattered as an explosion of energy sent them flying. Before that explosion could fully spread, however, Dorian struck again.
'Hyperion Beam! Hyperion Beam! Hyperion Beam!'
BOOM
And again.
'Hyperion Beam! Hyperion Beam! Hyperion Beam!'
BOOOOOM
And again.
'Hyperion Beam! Hyperion Beam! Hyperion Beam!'
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
Fully four consecutive explosions from multiple hundreds of Hyperion Beams shook the air, temporarily blinding Dorian. The explosions were mostly concentrated upward, spreading out in an expansive fashion alongside a multitude of shockwaves. The resulting ball of fire slammed all the way into the roof thousands of meters overhead, turning the gloomy darkness of the underground cavern alight for a few scant seconds.
Dorian's breathing was ragged as he watched all of this, his every sense attuned forward. Such a powerful attack was not something that could just be brushed away, not at his current state.
For, hidden in between all those blistering Hyperion Beams was an insidious strand of black energy.
A blip of energy from the Law of Original Sin.
Dorian had snuck this beam into the third attack, using the first two in an attempt to trick Zero into a sense of complacency. The reality shifting energy would've weakened Zero's defenses enough for his fourth and final attack to blast through most barriers blocking it.
Dorian felt his soul twinge as the explosions from his attacks settled, leaving behind a large cloud of dust and ash. A deep-seated ache that came from drawing upon too much energy had settled in, letting him know he was reaching his limit.
He had been in the midst of meditation and wasn't in an optimal state to fight in the first place. He then drew upon gargantuan amounts of Law Energy to block and weaken multiple attacks while launching a large number of his own.
Unfortunately for Dorian, his hopes of an easy victory were shortly dashed.
"Firstborn… you have truly surpassed my expectations." Zero's voice was haggard but full of happiness as his figure emerged from the cloud of dust, shooting downward towards the ground.
BOOM
Another small crater formed as he landed, sending shards of stone shooting out into the air.
Zero's figure was a mess. Blood dripped from his lips and several serious and visible burns could be seen on his arms and chest. His injuries weren't healing, something that only seemed to please the Anomaly for some odd reason.
"To injure me like this, an injury that prevents me from regenerating… that is something indeed."
Dorian's Law of Original Sin had many unique quirks. One of those had to do with its corrupting power.
When the streams of energy invaded Zero's body, forcing its way past the barrier the Anomaly formed, it corrupted every wound left on Zero. It was an insidious energy that was extremely hard to expel. However, after it landed, the energy moved beyond Dorian's control, turning largely dormant.
The energy remained present, weakening Zero's physique and preventing him from healing, but was unable to inflict any more serious injuries, unlike Zero's Annihilation energy. It would take Zero some time to expel the injury, time he couldn't exactly afford in the middle of a battle.
Zero smiled grimly at Dorian. He didn't move to attack or defend, standing still as if he was waiting for something.
Dorian took advantage of that brief moment of reprieve, resting his aching soul.
Around them, the waves of energy and chaotic storm of flames began to settle down and fizzle out. The huge cloud of steam formed from the Gworen Ice Waterfall dissipated into minute particles of ice, tinkling to the ground.
Thousands of undead Grakons had fully focused on the center of the city and were all rushing here in a flurry. Most of them remained in their non-Expanded state, but were preparing to transform as they sensed the multiple explosions taking place.
"What do you want, Zero?" Seeing as the man had stopped attacking him, Dorian took that time to communicate, hoping to stall the Anomaly out for a few moments. The more time he had to recover, the better.
"In general? To be free." Zero shrugged as he continued to stare at Dorian, unmoving.
"But as of right now…" Zero raised up a hand, a smile appearing on his face.
Abruptly, he clenched his fist.
At the same time, Dorian felt the world around him seem to seize up. Strange, mysterious symbols appeared in the air around him, locking down and slamming into him instantly. He had no time to react to the near-instantaneous appearance, shocking him to the core.
"I was waiting for my Myriad Restriction Ability to activate. I picked that one up from one of the forms I gained in the lands of the Graal Alliance." As Zero spoke, his body rapidly transformed.
A huge, 40 meters tall Divine Golden Lion shot out into existence, towering in front of Dorian in all its majestic fury. Its simple appearance was enough to inspire both fear and awe, a glorious creature out of legend.
'What is this?!' As Dorian felt the symbols land on him, he clapped his hands together, trying to shake them off. The symbols refused to move, standing all the same.
As he clapped, he suddenly realized that moving had become incredibly difficult. Even a simple movement was much harder to handle. The symbols that had landed on him were affecting his soul, slowing him down.
His soul rebelled against such a delay and rapidly began to burn the energy off. It would take only a half dozen seconds for Dorian to fully throw off the effects of the Ability, shaking free.
"This Ability isn't that useful most of the time, but was one I sought out after I learned of its existence. It was one I got specifically to help me hunt down other Anomalies." When Zero spoke in his Divine Golden Lion form, his words shook the air itself, causing the fading smoke and steam to tremble. The Angelic halo he bore grew even more powerful, an Aura of such grandeur pressing down upon Dorian it felt insurmountable.
"It traps a being in place, drawing on the mystic Law of Stillness. For an Anomaly, that means you can't flee and…" As Zero finished this sentence, he raised his head.
Above him, a massive ball of energy formed, made up of gold and white particles that shivered. This energy was gathered from the very air itself around Zero, and the unending supply of energy within him, all in a split second.
"You can't transform."
WHOOSH
A concentrated beam of raw might shot forward, moving at an extremely fast pace. It melted through the air, destroying space itself as it ripped through the air of the underground cavern, headed straight for Dorian.
The attack had taken only a small second for Zero to form and launch. In that time, Dorian had almost fully removed the restrictions latched upon his soul by Zero's Myriad Restriction Ability. The freakish symbols had done as Zero claimed, preventing him from fleeing.
Unfortunately, almost freeing wasn't enough.
The concentrated beam of energy slammed into a stream of near invisible energy from the Law of Original Sin, weakening it, and then slammed into Dorian's Black Luster shielding, and then into the layer of defensive energy from the Law of Gluttony, and then simultaneously into Dorian's Perfect Body and the raw defensive prowess of a Pride-boosted Empyrean Vampire…
And ripped through all of that, leaving torn gaps in reality itself as the beam shot into and through Dorian, obliterating most of his chest and destroying his heart.
.
