Chapter 45 – A Gift from the Red Dragon Emperor
With just a single clash and a swift retreat, Akira and Vali put some distance between them—dozens of meters apart, floating midair, eyes locked in silent tension.
Vali didn't follow up with another attack. Instead, he chose to stay back, focusing on dispersing the excess magical energy surging wildly within his body.
Akira watched calmly. There was no need for words. The pale pink wings of light spread behind Vali told him everything he needed to know. They were glowing far too brightly.
"So this is your limit? How disappointing," Akira said flatly, though his tone carried a sharp edge of provocation.
Vali didn't respond immediately. But he wasn't surprised either. He knew well that throughout history, the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor had always been destined to clash. And perhaps, for that very reason, they understood each other better than anyone else.
After all, it's not your friends who understand your strength the most—it's your enemies.
『Boost!』
Ddraig's voice echoed once more. But this time, Albion remained silent.
Vali didn't dare continue absorbing Akira's power. His body had already reached its limit. If he kept trying to take in that kind of magic, the result would only be self-destruction.
This was the fundamental difference between the Boosted Gear Scale Mail of the Red Dragon Emperor and the Divine Dividing Scale Mail of the White Dragon Emperor.
The Red Dragon Emperor could push beyond the brink. Even in desperate moments, he could continue to grow stronger—fueled by sheer willpower. And it was at those lowest points... that miracles were born.
『Boost!』
"Vali—now it's my turn."
Akira activated his power. In an instant, his Transformation ability kicked in—enhancing a single attribute to its extreme. This time, he pushed his Strength stat to the very edge.
He vanished from sight.
The ground beneath where he stood cracked and caved from the force of his leap.
A split second later, he reappeared in front of Vali—fist raised—and unleashed a devastating blow.
Vali had no choice but to meet it head-on.
But Akira's strength was now at the peak of the Ultimate-class. That punch wasn't something that could be blocked easily.
With Transformation, Akira could amplify whatever stat suited the situation best.
And in this moment, that punch crashed into Vali with terrifying force—sending his body flying backward.
"Don't get cocky, Red Dragon Emperor," Vali growled, steadying himself midair.
As a battle maniac, Vali's experience and instinct were unparalleled.
Even if he couldn't use Divide for now, the raw power surging through his body had reached a peak of its own—precisely because he had pushed himself to the edge.
Their bodies collided again and again. The sound of armor clashing echoed through the skies.
It was no longer about magic or Sacred Gears. They fought like warriors in full armor—slugging it out with pure, brute force. A savage, no-holds-barred duel.
『Boost!』
Akira's power surged once more. The magic inside him doubled again. He was now nearing the absolute limit of what his body could contain.
And yet... he smiled.
Vali could no longer absorb his power.
But Akira? He could still keep boosting his own.
"Vali… this is something I've been preparing just for you. Accept it—with everything you've got."
Vali's face was hidden behind his Divine Dividing helmet, but somewhere deep down... he already knew. He'd been set up.
| Boosted Gear Gift – "A Gift from the Red Dragon Emperor" |
It was one of the most dangerous abilities of the Boosted Gear Scale Mail—Power Transfer.
Akira poured all of his boosted magical energy into a single target—Vali.
Straight into the body of someone whose Sacred Gear was already bursting at the seams.
It was the complete antithesis of Divine Dividing.
Instead of absorbing power... Vali was being force-fed all of it.
A violent explosion of energy burst forth from his body.
Akira could only guess, but by his estimate, that level of magical output was easily on par with a Maou. Maybe more. It was hard to say for sure—but it was undoubtedly dangerous.
Cracks formed.
Vali's pristine white armor began to shatter.
A moment later, the Divine Dividing Scale Mail collapsed in pieces. Blood gushed from his mouth as the overwhelming surge of energy tore through his body—and his Sacred Gear—like a storm.
"I never thought... I'd be injured by a technique like that," Vali muttered, staring at Akira with solemn eyes. He was now out of his Balance Breaker state.
Akira's fighting style made him wary. And that was rare.
Vali had faced countless battles. He didn't always win, but this... this was the first time he had suffered damage not from a lack of skill—but because his own body couldn't withstand the power he had taken in.
『Shin Akira... your fighting style is far more unpredictable than I expected.』
"I went through something similar when I fought Azazel," Akira replied, locking eyes with Vali. "When magic exceeds the limits of your body... even you can get hurt."
『So combat itself... is like nourishment for you, huh?』
At this point, Akira had reached the very pinnacle of the Ultimate-class. Though he had once lost to Azazel due to the massive gap in power, the experience had pushed him forward in ways nothing else could.
Ddraig—the Red Dragon sealed within the Boosted Gear—watched his host with complicated feelings.
Akira might very well be the strongest Red Dragon Emperor in history.
And even he couldn't deny the quiet hope stirring in his heart for this boy's future.
But at the same time... Akira was the only host who had ever dared to place limits on his own strength.
And that—more than anything—was something Ddraig didn't quite like.
『Vali, are you okay?』 Albion's voice spoke up in Vali's mind.
"I'll live. I'm injured, but it's not fatal."
『That opponent of yours is no ordinary fighter.』
"I'm aware."
『But this is your chance. He just transferred all his magic to you. His body should be empty now.』
Vali nodded faintly.
"Did you say just transferred?"
『Wait... no way—his magic's already recovered?! He's drawing energy from the ground?!』
Albion sounded genuinely stunned. Replenishing magic directly from the earth? Then what was even the point of exhausting him?
The sound of chains echoed once more—Chains of Heaven launched from every direction.
But this time, Vali was wounded. His movements had slowed. He could still dodge and retaliate against the golden chains, but bit by bit... they were starting to overwhelm him.
"Cursed Thunder—Blue Lightning Dragon!"
From within a storm of magic lightning, a dragon of bluish-green lightning roared to life—rushing at Vali with speed that easily outpaced the earlier chains.
Vali didn't have time to react.
The attack struck him dead-on.
『Divide!』
Vali coughed blood. The effect of Divide had returned. The earlier overload had cleared the burden from his wings, and he was once again able to absorb magic.
He managed to sap a significant portion of the Blue Lightning Dragon's energy.
But not all of it.
The remaining force crashed into his body—dealing yet another serious blow.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
📚 Want to read more chapters or get early access?
Join my Patreon here:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ Enjoy 55+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ Get 2 new chapters every day exclusively on Patreon
Join now and dive deeper into the story—weeks ahead of public release!
Thank you for your amazing support 💖
— — —