"Still breathing, partner?"
Ddraig's voice echoed from the dim jewel on Tenra's chest, its glow flickering back to life.
"Hah... hah... Ddraig, your sense of humor sucks," Tenra muttered, dragging himself upright on shaking legs.
"The situation's already bad enough. Somebody's gotta keep the mood up, right? Hahaha..."
Tenra was barely holding together. His spirit reserves were drained, several bones broken. If not for Virgin's Smile knitting his body back together and Ddraig's Boost pumping power into him, he'd be lucky to stand, let alone fight.
But even with those miracles, things were grim. Vali, in Juggernaut Drive, was flirting with transcendence. Tenra had to admit it: right now, he was hopelessly outclassed.
He looked up at the silver-white dragon floating above—noble, beautiful, terrifying. Those cold eyes stared down like a king surveying the world from his throne.
No words were needed. Tenra understood instantly: Vali was waiting, daring him to step up.
"Even when you're half-crazed by power, you're still that arrogant, Vali."
Tenra never thought of himself as the competitive type, but right now, his pride burned hotter than ever. Against this guy—he refused to lose.
"Ddraig, can I use Juggernaut Drive too?"
Ddraig's reply was gentle but firm. "Your resolve is admirable, partner, but you're not ready. If you force it, your body will tear itself apart."
Tenra sighed. He'd expected that answer, but hope dies hard. He'd only seized Boosted Gear a few months ago; compared to Vali, who'd mastered his Sacred Gear years earlier, Tenra was still a rookie. Even with Sacred Gear Plunder boosting his talent, Vali was a prodigy through and through.
"Alright... I get it."
He drew a deep breath, eyes sharpening. "Ddraig, what I'm about to do is insane. If we screw up, we both die. But if it works, we might just have a chance. Are you in?"
Ddraig didn't hesitate. "If it means beating Albion, I'd burn the world to ashes. Do it, partner!"
Tenra couldn't help but laugh at his own hesitation. Red Dragon Emperor, White Dragon Emperor—both mad as hell. No wonder the leaders of the three factions had to join forces to seal them away in ancient times.
Perfect.
"Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!"
Power surged, armor flared crimson around him. Tenra raised his hand, and a sword appeared—radiant, holy, deadly.
The Dragon Slayer, Ascalon.
"Planning to use the Dragon Slayer against the White Dragon Emperor? Smart move," Michael observed from afar, nodding in approval as Sirzechs and the others watched.
But the next moment left everyone speechless.
Tenra drove the blade straight into his own chest.
"Whoa, partner, you're not—"
"Yep. I am."
Ddraig's voice was panicked, but Tenra just grinned, shoving the sword deeper.
Sirzechs and the others recoiled in horror. Katerea and her magicians looked like they'd seen a ghost.
Red Dragon Emperor, White Dragon Emperor—madmen, all of them.
In the original legend, Issei Hyoudou fused Ascalon with Boosted Gear, gaining dragon-slaying power in battle, separating them when needed.
Tenra's plan was even crazier: a total fusion. He wanted Ddraig to devour Ascalon's power, to merge the dragon and the dragon-slayer into one.
Letting a dragon swallow the power meant to kill dragons—any sane person would call it suicide.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
Tenra and Ddraig screamed in agony. The jewel on his chest blazed, cracked, split with a thousand fissures. One wrong move and both the Longinus and the holy sword would shatter—Tenra himself would be blown apart by the unleashed energy.
"Hah... hah..."
It didn't last long, but it felt like eternity. Finally, Ascalon was fully absorbed, the jewel's glow stabilizing, cracks knitting together.
Tenra could feel it—two forces, creation and destruction, dragon and dragon-slayer, swirling inside him. When unleashed...
"Ddraig, you alive?"
"Barely. You damn near killed me, partner."
Tenra grinned, all innocence. "Had no choice. I can't afford to lose this fight."
"I'll collect my compensation later," Ddraig grumbled. "With a partner this nuts, I'm doomed. But—"
"I love it."
"Feel it, partner. Our new power!"
A pillar of crimson light shot skyward, and an ocean of energy exploded from Tenra's body—heavy, wild, enough to threaten the world itself.
"Ahhh... HAAAH!"
Tenra roared, his armor writhing, crimson blades sprouting from knuckles, joints, and the jewels embedded in his gear.
Each blade gleamed with a cold, lethal beauty—dangerous, dazzling, utterly new.
"Tenra-san!"
"Tenra-sama!"
Asia, Yubelluna, and the others gasped in awe, joy and hope shining in their eyes. Even Azazel looked impressed.
Vali and Tenra—neither of them was human. Monsters, the both of them.
"So this is our new power..."
Tenra clenched his fists, a smile curling on his lips beneath the armor.
This time, he just might pull it off.
He looked up at the silver dragon above, battle spirit blazing.
Let's finish this—the fated duel of the Two Heavenly Dragons.
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