Even though he had reached golden rank, calling upon this kind of power came at a steep price. He could feel it already nibbling at his own soul.
That's why, most of the time, he only used a sliver of it. For ordinary people, a single spark was enough to wipe them from everyone memory.
This technique, this authority, was enough to erase nations. Just like how a flicker of flame had once touched the white dragon, and the rest of it collapsed moments later like rotted wood.
He could even use it to erase his own presence. Move unseen. Speak without being remembered. But against stronger beings, like high-level dragons, it could only create brief moments of hesitation or fear.
Still… sometimes that was all you needed.
"That's good enough."
From beneath his robes, the dark flame surged again. He aimed it at the dragon above.
A spiral of black-red fire twisted at his fingertip, warping the air as it took the shape of a claw. Venomous, burning, and sharp enough to tear through a mountain.
He didn't doubt himself. Even ancient dragons were just leftover fossils, walking corpses in his eyes. He had the Dark God's blessing. He was golden-rangked.
Victory was certain.
…Right?
"…Right?"
As Belial charged ahead, a strange, invisible wall suddenly appeared in front of him. He sensed it right away, but shrugged it off. No magic flow, no pressure, no threat. Just some flimsy, non-magical barrier. He sneered.
This? Not even worth dodging.
BAM!!!
He slammed straight into it like a fly hitting a windshield. Belial paused, stunned. He never thought he'd have this kind of awkward run-in, not even in another world.
Let's rewind a bit.
He was still on his way to a new mana hotspot. This time, the signal was practically blinding, so strong that even from miles away, he could feel the pressure leaking into the sky. He'd already marked it out in his mind, planning to swoop in and devour it before anyone else noticed.
But then, out of nowhere, he spotted two energy signatures, one huge, one small, coming right toward him. Jackpot, right?
That was the plan, at least… until he saw a flaming black-robed ant charging straight at his face.
'What the hell?'
"I'm a dragon. A giant dragon. You're seriously running at me?"
Still, as he looked closer, he realized… this ant wasn't just anything. It was the massive mana cluster he'd been drooling over.
At first, he was thrilled. Then his mood dipped fast.
"…Wait. Crap. This guy's probably the main character, isn't he? The one sent here to kill me."
Cold sweat ran down his back. He started thinking about all those buildings he'd crushed earlier.
Whole city blocks leveled just to suck out the magical energy inside. Not to mention the poor building, towers, and monuments he'd gulped down like candy.
Now that he looked at it from the outside… wasn't he acting exactly like some evil dragon?
But he wasn't trying to be the villain. He wanted to be a proper dragon! A noble one. Not the kind you're supposed to slay on sight.
Still… what if one day he really was surrounded by sword-wielding heroes yelling, "Evil beast, prepare to die!"?
It wouldn't even need to make sense. This was a fantasy world. Logic came second to tropes.
He thought about all those ancient stories, how dragons were always hunted down by brave lone heroes. Sure, he hadn't run into one yet… but maybe that was just because this region was basically the middle of nowhere. The Arctic, practically.
Even if they didn't speak his language, someone had to have seen him stomping around, flattening monster hordes like they were ants. He probably looked like the final boss.
Okay, yes, he was planning to eat that guy for mana.
But that didn't mean he wanted to kill him! It wasn't personal! He's just hungry!
To play it safe, Belial activated a reflective barrier around himself. He even left a nice, big opening in it, just in case the other guy wanted to talk it out.
Back to the present,
Belial stood there, watching the guy bounce off his barrier like a bug hitting glass. His first reaction was almost comical, he wanted to pull up imaginary footage and yell, "See?! He hit me first!"
If that didn't work, surely someone in the city saw what happened. Maybe they'd back him up in court?
But things escalated fast. The guy didn't stop. He immediately launched a wave of attacks, an overwhelming storm of fire, spells, and chaos. Flame-wrapped claws, hissing skulls, fiery serpents, all of them aimed right at the dragon.
But the barrier held strong. Not a single ember touched him. Even spells hot enough to melt tanks bounced off like bubbles.
Still, Belial was done being nice. He hadn't done anything. He'd literally stood there behind a shield. That should've been enough to show he wasn't looking for a fight.
But this guy?
He'd clearly come here for one reason. And now, in Belial's eyes, all he saw was fire and rage outside, but deep inside, something colder than ice began to stir.
A killing intent! This guy wanted him dead.
Sure, Belial had taken mana from beasts. But he'd never outright murdered a person before. Somewhere deep inside, the human in him still clung to a sliver of restraint.
He wasn't born some apocalyptic creature. He didn't believe in "only the strong survive" or devour-or-be-devoured nonsense. He'd been through school. Nine years of moral education, thank you very much. He had a conscience.
He did feel bad about killing humans.
But now?
This guy didn't care. He wasn't here to talk. He came to kill.
So Belial opened his jaws wide. "I was going to let you go. But now… thanks. You've given me a damn good reason."
His enemy froze, just for a moment, sensing it.
The dragon was no longer just a giant monster. He was something else. Something beyond his comprehension.
Like a weapon forged in the heart of the stars, and now, it looked down upon the world.
In this universe, you need two people to have a fight. A basic rule. One wants to kill, the other has to respond.
You want to kill me?
Then I want to kill you.
Sounds fair, doesn't it?
The third blast went off. The black-robed man's burning claw slammed into the reflective barrier around Belial with all its fury, flames scorching the surface. But instead of cracking the shield, the impact instantly shattered his claw.
And as everyone knows, force goes both ways.
A nasty, sharp crack followed. It sounded like someone biting down on a hornet's nest. His fingers were fractured.
It wasn't a serious wound, nothing a bit of magic or time couldn't fix, but it was the barrier that shocked him. It didn't even ripple. That thing had taken the full force of his Blessing-empowered strike like it was nothing.
And this wasn't some regular fireball. This was divine-level flame, born from the Dark God's Blessing.
It was a weapon built to kill. And yet the dragon hadn't even blinked.