A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

The warm, heavy air was being replaced by the cold, stinging breeze from outside. The heat from my arena was escaping through the hole the mandril had created, probably boiling the ape at this very moment. You could see his fur catching on fire, but as he was resistant to fire, lightning, and ice damage, he barely felt it as he prepared to use his spear again.

Considering how the spear pierced right through the arena, my grandmother’s spear was still as much of a threat as before. It might not be true ice, but it was close enough that it didn’t show a hint of being burned, even with it touching my magma. In fact, it was cooling the stream of hot corrosive flame back into obsidian.

As the mandril readied his attack, Vifi immediately engaged it with her voltaic speed, slamming her electric hammer on the spear, parrying it before it could be thrusted. The mandril stomped the ground, dodging the following strike, only to retaliate, prompting Vifi and the mandril to engage in the same dance they had when they first fought.

[“You can control the arena, right? Get this ape trapped inside!”] Vifi stated before she dispelled the halberd in her hand, turning her lightning into a rapier. She then took out the broken physical rapier from its sheath, dual-wielding it as if it were a dagger.

Vifi’s sudden passiveness caught the mandril off guard, prompting him to do the same, probably used to how aggressively Vifi usually fought. Time flew by while I started making adjustments to the arena, but Vifi simply stood still, only tapping her right foot to the beat of my music. The mandril roared and taunted her with words, calling her a coward, but she kept tapping her foot as if nothing else mattered.

Even when the mandril’s spear started to ooze an icy mist, Vifi didn’t act. Unsure if this was a trick, the mandril roared and jumped backward as it raised the spear up before stabbing forward, shooting the icy mist at Vifi. The speed of the shot was still slow enough for me to perceive, which meant to Vifi, it should have felt even slower with all my buffs. So, why wasn’t she dodging?

As if she had heard my question, Vifi twirled her body to the right as the symphony reached its second movement, parrying the icy mist solidified into a spear with her broken rapier. As the spear pierced the outer shell of my arena, Vifi bent her knees, looking like she had broken her momentum to ready her rapier for a counter.

As the mandril drew his spear to the side to smack her, Vifi suddenly lunged forward as lightning wrapped around her body, moving even faster than usual with her voltaic lightning. With her rapier piercing through the mandril’s side, penetrating its armor thoroughly.

“Graaaaak!” the mandril roared in agony as it bent forward, clutching its bleeding side.

“Saunte Blitz!” Vifi shouted with all her might as she pulled her rapier and jumped away before he got caught by the ape’s hand. As she landed back on the ground, her two floating lightning arms formed her halberd and crossbow. “Burn it before it can heal!”

Right!

Opening up the arena to let me get a better view of the battle, I located [Sun, Consume All] and had it bathe the entire area with its flames, catching the ape in it before it could drink its giant-sized potions. Vifi, on the other hand, continued her assault with her usual aggression, using two of her voltaic Abilities with her halberd and crossbow.

That move… that is different, all right.

More disciplined, less reliant on speed but more on timing and momentum, and most of all, less destructive but still threatening. Unlike Vifi’s usual battle style that relied on entirely dominating the enemy with her speed and power, the “Yok style fencing” seemed like an actual proper martial art that had been refined over the years, similar to the Kargryxmor and Nordor style spearmanship.

“Saunte,” “Ciene,” and “Talliho” were only three proper moves Vifi apparently relearned from her meeting with her “father” in the dreamland the elemental emperor had created for her. [Voltaic Red: Saunte Blitz] was her personal addition to the style. According to Vifi, there are naturally more moves in the discipline, but unlike the three previous Abilities, the rest weren’t as fresh in her mind that she could execute them as well as the System wanted her to. Without mastering the other techniques, the System wouldn’t turn them into Abilities to be boosted by her skills.

Still, regardless of how much she talked herself down, Vifi’s first display of those techniques in live combat was something to behold. Elegant, graceful, and it looked like she was strutting on clouds whenever she used any of the three moves.

“Saunte” with her voltaic lightning made her already impressive “teleportation” seem faster, making her iconic lingering red light lag behind, even if it made her more predictable. Her lunges were always straight. “Ciene” allowed her to redirect attacks that shouldn’t be possible to parry due to size or timing. And even if her lightning attacks were considerably weakened against this monster, “Talliho” left such a deep puncture wound that it almost seemed like the ape didn’t have high lightning resistance.

Then again, it was just a small puncture wound compared to her usual attacks. It couldn’t kill the ape unless it pierced his neck or brain. Most likely, since [The Trial of Kings and Queens] gave Vifi’s physical attacks the wind element as well, her attacks could still deal a good amount of damage, considering I had [Storm Magic Lv. 5] and the ape still had [Storm Resistance Lv. 4]. In addition, [The Heir of Hope] applied [The Light]’s holy mana onto her attacks as well, while the ape barely got [Holy Resistance Lv. 3] from our last fight.

Even if the damage wasn’t a lot, the fact that Vifi always landed an attack when she entered her Yok style stance made the ape hold his breath just as I did. The fact that she was saluting with her rapier, calmly standing in the middle of a violent battle, was intimidating as heck. Seeing how she countered him whenever he tried to attack her in that stance was probably seared into the monster’s brain like a trauma. If Vifi could time her attacks with the climaxes of my songs, her attacks probably could land a debilitating wound.

As if he had read my mind, the mandril jumped away when Vifi assumed her stance. Slamming his spear into my arena’s outer shell, it started ripping off the shell, ignoring the magma splashing on its body. While his armor was sizzling since the magma was made from [Corrosive Fire], the toxins and acids couldn’t enter his body as I had wanted to. Even the vapors weren’t entering his nose as I started to notice a small blizzard wrapped around his body, similar to the way the elemental emperor was protecting themselves.

‘A few lesser elementals are on his shoulder,’ Hikari noted. ‘The blizzard cloak can’t stop our attacks and spells, but it’s enough to block toxic fumes. If we want to poison him, we need to do it the usual way—have him digest it or have him touch it. I’ll have a debilitating sample readied for when you’re ready. Just time it correctly so we don’t accidentally poison Vifi with the vapors.’

Got it.

The ape could adapt. Scarily so.

Vifi’s style was perfect to duel others—as she bragged—as it allowed her to counter them pretty easily. The issue was whether the opponent didn’t intend to interact with her, relying on range attacks or evading her outright. She had to use the Voltaic Red Style to catch up, which meant the same stalemate they had during their first fight would return. The more time the ape bought, the more likely the greater elementals could transform into an avian form and fly over, bringing the battle to us.

Letting the arena crack even more, showing the ape I didn’t need the arena to do what I needed to, I summoned [Hydra] and cast [Quartz Regen]. With a virulent spell golem made from obsidian slime below it, and a shower of giant white crystals raining from above, which were also toxic, the mandril’s plan to avoid Vifi came to a quick stop as I started helping Vifi out.

Aside from manipulating [Hydra] to keep the pressure on the mandril, I also started morphing the arena in an attempt to capture the ape. Even if it could freeze the magma, I could just heat it up again with [Sun, Consume All] or the periodic flame waves of [Quartz Regen].

“Princess!”

As I was trying to help Vifi out, Shay and Beth suddenly called for me from within the subspace.

Noticing them, I snapped around. “You guys! That’s perfect! We need some support over here!”

“That’s what we intended!” Shay replied, slightly in a panic. “Prince Nongramos told us we have to come to your aid. He is currently taking down some of the greater elementals, but he will arrive—”

“No!” I shouted. “If Nong is trying to come over here, you tell him that I don’t need him here, I need him as the elemental emperor!”

[“Scamp?”]

I jerked back for a moment as I heard Nong shout in my head before the wind suddenly rattled the inside of our subspace’s training area. Was Nong still flying around while carrying the subspace rune?

[“If this is you speaking, don’t shout in my head! NONG!”] I yelled back as I connected to his telepathic link. [“And, don’t sound so damn surprised! You’ve been around me for a while now, and you still can’t even imagine why this is my answer?”]

Nong didn’t answer, so I just continued speaking while controlling my spells on the side. [“We are members of the imperial family. You are a prince and I am a princess. A princess of Frozen Nest. I have a duty to protect my people and land from threats, so at this very moment, that is my priority! Nong, I am asking you this as a favor. Don’t worry about me, slow down that elemental or even kill it as long as you can assure Tasianna’s safety! That is what I want from you. Slow them down as much as possible so the evacuation can proceed!”]

[“I’m the fastest dragonkin in this place right now with all the elders gone. I can—”]

[“And yet, you still fucked off for nearly three weeks, unable to be found, and randomly appear right where Shay could find you? You even lied about why you were gone to hide it, and I’m all right with it. I’ve accepted that you can lie, but that those lies are white. You think I’m an idiot who can’t figure that out? If you are so fast, why did it take three weeks until you came back? Fastest dragon in the country, slowest to arrive!”]

Maybe I was being a bit harsh here, since in the one month that I was stuck building my arena, I didn’t really face any threats. My solar core was able to regrow without any problems, so it wasn’t like the three weeks were that much of a problem. I didn’t even get to feel lonely due to the subspace and the twins.

Yet, it didn’t change the fact that Nong, once again, lied to me. Kramps told me Nong was a liar, and while I wasn’t that naive to think that a white lie is as damaging as one made maliciously, it did hurt me a bit that he was being so mysterious about why he was gone for that long. Yet, none of this really mattered for this moment.

[“Nong, as I told you when I found out about your lie, I am okay with them. If you want to hide things, then it’s your right, as long as you aren’t trying to mess with me. I do want you to be a bit genuine, but I will not condemn you for them. We are half-siblings; we are family connected by Father. Trust your little sister, even if she doesn’t embody all the value of being a dragon,”] I said, feeling a bit emotional saying all of this as I kept my eye on the ape as he started absorbing my arena’s mana with his [Surge-Feeder of Flames] unique skill. [“Even if Father is a jerk, he is family to me because he is family to Mom. Mom is my mother, and as her daughter, I will defend the home that she has protected for over 2000 years now. Its subjects are mine to defend and nurture. Yet, I am not strong. Yet, I am also not prideful enough to not ask for help.”]

[“Even if it risks your life?”] Nong asked with a forlorn tone. [“An avalanche of greater ice elementals is flying to your position, right now. I can cut down a good chunk of them if you allow it, and I can reach your position in no time… though, I suspect you understand that is what the elemental emperor wants. If I’m gone, it can speed up its rampage.”]

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[“Caught onto it, have you?”] I teased, smirking a bit to try to cheer him up. [“Let me handle that blizzard. I might be born a fire dragon, but somewhere in me is that ice dragon. I have still not fulfilled my purpose here, Brother. Maybe facing down all those ice elementals will help me unlock Mom’s lineage in me, and I won’t be able to see the results if you come here. Please… protect my people until they can fight for themselves.”]

[“… In these times, you should rely on those stronger than you, little scamp. The strong have a responsibility to defend the weak.”]

[“Hehe… then protect the dragonewts and wyverns who need you, Fourth Prince of the Dragon Empire, Kargryx!”] I declared. [“As I will promise to survive! Trust in me, a dragon that will accept fleeing if necessary! I am the type of person who understands that to survive is to win!”]

[“… Then sear your image in your enemies’ last thoughts, Third Princess of the Dragon Empire, Kargryx. Even if it breaks my body, I will prevent this elemental from ever hurting even one of your subjects!”]

Thank you, Nong. Spatial Rend! Spatial Rend!

Opening two portals for the twins to enter through, I teleported the two from the subspace to my position, allowing them to take flight to assist Vifi. As blue mist exuded from their body, they returned to their wyvern forms.

While Beth wasn’t able to gain enough levels during the one-month timeout to evolve, her brother had been able to get used to his new body after the worm battle. His unique skill, [Scale of True Cold], gained after his [Hestia’s Retainer] turned into [Hestia’s Imperial Guard], influenced his evolution choices, giving him a mutation for his rank A appearance.

He was still a pure ice wyvern, though, and while his general appearance was still rather similar to his twin, what made Shay different was an additional set of wings on his back like a dragon. Having grown even larger than me now with a length of 2045cm (67.1 feet), Shay’s wyvern form was rather muscular now, even if he was still extremely sleek, with an aerodynamic body that could accelerate at a moment’s notice with his four powerful wings.