"Ooh-ooh-ooh…!!!"
The creature nailed to the Cross let out an eerie cry. Black mist poured endlessly from the dragon-serpent's body, and pitch-black flames began to erupt.
Its cry was low and tormented, laced with every kind of negative emotion: pain, jealousy, agony, resentment.
This creature, whose very existence made people physically ill, was now here, roaring greedily at its prey. The Infinite Dragon God Ophis, a being lower than it on the food chain.
"Hmph…"
Cao Cao gave a smug snort, stepped forward, and spoke as if reciting a poem.
"It is known as the 'Vengeance of the Gods,' and also as the 'Malice of the Gods.'
The forbidden being who tempted the inhabitants of the Garden of Eden to eat the Fruit of Wisdom. Though the God of the Bible no longer exists, His curse still coils around it even now. The Root Sin. The Dragon Eater, Samael.
It is the Angel who alone was cursed by the god who despised serpents and dragons. At the same time, it is also a dragon. Yes, a dragon whose very existence has been erased."
At that point, Cao Cao tapped the Spear against his shoulder again, wearing the confident smile of a man certain of victory as he looked at Ophis.
"I have to say, I really do have a bond with this God who no longer exists in the world. The First Longinus in my hand is True Longinus, which houses the will of the God of the Bible. And beside me is the dragon-slaying Sacred Gear that embodies God's malice toward dragons.
Here I am, holding True Longinus, the symbol of the God of the Bible's will, while controlling the Dragon Eater, the manifestation of God's malice toward dragons and serpents, to slay the Infinite Dragon God, one of the Two Dragon Gods. What an incredible bond of fate. Hahaha…"
With that, Cao Cao's smile vanished, and he pointed the Longinus in his hand at Ophis.
"Well, Ophis, in order to deal with you, I had to spend quite some time entangled with that old codger Hades from Olympus mythology. I even had to severely wound most of the world's top-tier powerhouses in one go before I could obtain this.
Of course, it was all worth it. Now the gap in strength between you and me has been reversed. I am strong, and you are weak. Faced with the Dragon Eater, the bane of the Dragon race, can you still keep that calm expression, Ophis?"
Facing Cao Cao's roar, Ophis simply stood there without moving. Even her expression seemed unchanged, as if she did not take this legendary bane of the Dragon race seriously at all. But was that really the truth?
Ah, she's so scared she can't move.
Cid, who was watching from the side, reached that conclusion through his own observations and the emotional fluctuations coming from Ophis.
With Magical Power surging in his eyes, Cid could clearly see that the instant Ophis's body touched the aura released by the Dragon Eater, she was suppressed on the spot, without even the right to move.
This was no longer just a matter of being her natural enemy. This was outright tier suppression.
It really is… powerful. That Supreme Being may not have reached that realm beyond logic, but it definitely carries a trace of it. No wonder traces of Him can be found in my previous life and in the other two worlds I fused with after reincarnating.
While marveling at the existence of the creature before him, Cid did not really take it to heart. After all… it was not as if he had never made one or two similar props himself. Now that he thought about it, where had he thrown those things again?
…He could not remember. Forget it. It was not a big deal anyway. No one would find those things, and even if they did, they would never be able to gather all the absurd conditions needed to use them. Even if they somehow used them, no one would be unlucky enough to wander straight into the line of fire.
There was still a huge difference between fully reaching that realm and merely possessing a faint trace of it. After all, theoretically speaking, any random person could stumble upon a trace of that realm and trigger some massive event like the Revival of Qi.
"Pfft…"
As his thoughts turned, Cid laughed. Sorry, please forgive him, but the moment he thought of Ophis's earlier "We'll win," he could not help laughing. Raising so many flags before the battle even began. If Ophis did not lose, who would? If she did not lose, even heaven would not tolerate it. Well, when it came to metaphysics, one had to believe in it at least a little.
My body… won't move.
Her dreamlike, beautiful purple eyes stared at the being nailed to the Cross. Ophis tried to move away from this place or launch an attack, but… it was useless.
Please forgive her, but simply being stared at left her unable to move. If she could put some distance between them, perhaps she could attack from afar. But right now, they were too close. She truly could not move a muscle.
So… am I going to die?
Feeling the Dragon Eater's greedy gaze, Ophis thought to herself. She had seen that kind of greedy look before in the eyes of starving animals in the wild. It was just that no one had ever dared, or been qualified, to show such a look toward her.
My body… is afraid?
Her body was sending Ophis's brain a message she had never experienced before, and a strange emotion was spreading through her heart. Yes, she had seen this happen to others before. This time, however, it was her turn.
"It seems that even when facing the Dragon Eater, Infinite Dragon God-sama is still this confident…"
Idiot. Ophis is so scared she can't even move. Can't you tell?
Cao Cao, who could not see Ophis's fear and could not hear Cid's retort, narrowed his eyes. He tapped the Spear in his hand against his shoulder, no one knowing what he was thinking.
"In that case, I will make the first move. Dig in, Samael!"
As Cao Cao gave the order, the Longinus in his hand stabbed into Samael's body. The Dragon Eater nailed to the Cross opened its constantly bleeding mouth toward Ophis, and then…
"Whoosh!"
Something like a tongue shot out of the Dragon Eater Samael's mouth toward Ophis. Its tip spread open like a hood, large enough to wrap around Ophis's entire body.
"Gulp, gulp…"
A slick sound rang out, as if something were writhing inside. One bulge after another rose along Samael's tongue as it wrapped around Ophis, slowly moving down the tongue toward Samael's mouth.
It looked like a scene of devouring, of feeding. No, this was exactly what it was. A being that stood above the Dragon race on the food chain was eating. Just like a mouse encountering a cat, or a Scorpion Demoness encountering the Pleiades Star Lord, Samael was devouring Ophis's power as its food. For Samael, imprisoned in the depths of Hell, getting to enjoy such a feast was no easy thing.
...
"Wah! Cid-san, what do we do?! What are we supposed to do?! Ophis-chan got eaten by that giant snake!"
"Cid-san, Cid-san, what are you doing?"
Huddled in front of the fruit shop, watching the terrifying battle outside, Asia let out a scream and started running around in a panic. Then she suddenly stopped and stared blankly at Cid as she asked him.
"Chew, chew, chew… gulp. Eating watermelon. Asia, want a slice?"
After swallowing the bright red flesh in his mouth, Cid answered immediately and handed Asia a slice of freshly cut watermelon.
"Ah, thank you, Cid-sa… Wait, no! Cid-san, why are you stealing someone else's fruit just like Ophis-chan…? No, that's not the point either! Cid-san, hurry and think of something! Ophis-chan got eaten!"
Asia instinctively accepted the fruit and was about to thank him, only to suddenly realize that Cid, like Ophis, was taking fruit without paying. Her first instinct was to complain that he should pay, but she immediately remembered that this was not the important part.
"Cid-san, can you help Ophis-chan?"
Although Asia had only met Ophis for the first time today, after spending a short time together, Ophis's tiny, motherly-instinct-stirring stature and personality, along with the way she had been so reluctant yet still shared her banana with Asia earlier, had already made Asia see Ophis as a friend.
"I can help, sure. But sweet Asia, you need to give me a reason. Otherwise, I'm not really in the mood to help."
Rubbing his chin, Cid admitted that watching this scene made his hands itch a little. But from the standpoint of benefits, he still wanted to wait until Ophis died before acting. After all, Ophis was a little too troublesome. He always felt that her existence threatened his mob character identity.
Of course, if Asia could give him a suitable reason, that would be different. Emotionally speaking, he still did not want to see Ophis die. But he knew Cao Cao too, so emotionally, helping Cao Cao and helping Ophis were split fifty-fifty.
"Ah, um… Ophis-chan, Ophis-chan treated us to bananas!"
"But Ophis took those bananas from the shop, and you were the one who paid for them, Asia."
Giving Asia a sidelong look, Cid picked up another slice of watermelon and started eating. That reason alone was not going to convince him. After all… as for his relationship with Ophis… honestly, they were not close. Giving her a few hints earlier had already been generous enough.
Besides, compared to Ophis's power, he was actually more interested in seeing what kind of big trouble Cao Cao could stir up next. Otherwise, why had he been training Cao Cao?
"How can you say that?"
Seeing that she could not persuade Cid, Asia looked disappointed, but she did not say anything more. After hesitating for a while, she quietly sat down, looked at everything outside the glass window, took out a Cross, and closed her eyes to pray.
"Um… Asia, you're not going to keep trying to persuade me?"
To Cid's surprise, according to the classic plots of movies and novels, he had thought Asia would continue pestering him at a time like this, hoping he would leap out and help. He had even finished warming up.
"Because Cid-san is right. I can't force Cid-san to help someone else."
After a pause, Asia answered.
She's surprisingly reasonable!
"Then why don't you go stop Cao Cao and the others?"
"I… can't help Ophis-chan."
"But if you rushed out to stop Cao Cao and the others, maybe I'd have no choice but to stop them for the sake of your safety?"
Taking another bite of the fruit, Cid had to admit that he was now more interested in Asia instead. For some reason, he felt a vague sense of foreboding.
"Huh? B-but Cid-san doesn't want to, and that would cause trouble for you. I can't cause trouble for Cid-san."
Asia blinked, seeming a little surprised by Cid's question instead. Had her life not already stopped belonging to her long ago?
From the day Cid took her in, the debt of having her life saved and the debt of being given shelter meant that, in Asia's heart, she was already a dead person who had been saved by Cid. Naturally, she had to devote herself to her lord.
"I see."
That sounded… like there was nothing wrong with it?
Cid murmured to himself. Asia's answer was clearly very normal, but he did not know whether it was just his imagination. For an instant, he felt as if a black hole had appeared beside him.
But… it should have been his imagination!
Taking another bite of watermelon, Cid did not take the matter to heart. After all, this was not the first or second time. When he trained the Seven Shadows as a child, he had often felt it. He would also feel it when spending time with certain people in daily life. Sometimes, he even felt it from his own sister. It was just part of his everyday life.
"Hey, Asia, if this were some kind of apocalyptic horror movie, you'd probably be one of the strong ones who survives to the very end."
While eating watermelon and recalling Asia's rational answer, Cid could not help giving her a compliment.
"Huh? Thank you for the compliment, Cid-san."
Asia did not quite understand what he meant, but she could tell Cid was praising her, so she bowed shyly and thanked him.
"So that's that."
With a sigh, Cid turned his gaze back to the devoured Ophis. Honestly, his plan had gone wrong. If Asia did not speak up, he had absolutely no reason to act.
Ah, Asia, why are you so stubborn? If you'd just acted cute for a second, maybe I would have gone soft. How can you be so cold and heartless?
Pretending to be focused, Cid silently complained about Asia in his heart. He had only put on a cold-hearted persona and been stubborn for a moment. How did that end with Ophis-chan about to die?
Forget it. At this point, I've blocked off every escape route for myself. I can only collect Ophis-chan's body.
Thinking this, Cid took another bite of watermelon, only to suddenly freeze.
Did I forget something?
Narrowing his eyes as he looked at Vali and Cao Cao on the ground, Cid felt a sense of déjà vu. It seemed he had forgotten something important.
Wait a second!
"Yes, I remember everything now!"
How had he forgotten? Last time, he had said he would beat both Vali and Cao Cao half to death, but Cao Cao had run away.
"Huh, Cid-san!"
Startled by Cid suddenly standing up, Asia covered her small mouth with both hands and looked at him in confusion. Then, as if realizing something, she said,
"Could it be that you…"
"No. This has nothing to do with Ophis-chan right now. I have to stop Cao Cao's plan!"
Yes, I just want to beat up Cao Cao. I have no intention of saving Ophis.
Thinking that to himself, Cid ignored what Asia might think and hurriedly left, running out of the shop. He was petty. A grudge from today had to be settled today, leaving Asia standing there alone, staring blankly in his direction.
"That's wonderful. I knew Cid-san wasn't that kind of person."
Not believing Cid's explanation at all, Asia smiled as she watched him leave.
"Wait. Cid-san left, so then… ugh, Cid-san, you still have to pay when you buy things…"
Suddenly remembering something, Asia looked at the mess of watermelon rinds on the floor. On the verge of tears, she took out her wallet and walked to the counter to pay, muttering under her breath the whole time.
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