Dragon’s Bloodline

Th-thats

Rias form changed before Carlas eyes.

An existence shed previously fought by placing her life on the line, a Black Dragon.

But the body before her right now was far more colossal than that time. It full length was comparable to even that Gods.

Its a giant monster battle

His soul practically falling out, Serge also muttered. However, not even those stories would encompass a scale as large as what was happening.

Existences whose bodies were similar to the masses of the largest mountains were duking it out, each blow easily holding the destructive force to level a city.

Woah, you guys, come over here and dont leave my side yeah? Ill protect you for right now.

Following what Ohma told them to do, Carla and Serge went over to her. If a human body got hit by those attacks, itd definitely pop.

Terrew looked in the direction of the demons. They didnt seem to feel like moving.

Really, it turned into such a ridiculous thing.

Someone appeared next to Ohma.

With jet black hair and Dragon Eyes, she closely resembled Ria.

Dark Dragon Valis had made an appearance.

Ohma didnt even ask why she was here. Next to Terrew was a light blue-haired Dragon, Lanna.

Not even God Dragons, beings that held an immense strength, could treat this battle as someone elses affair.

That girl should be a person of our world by now, so why is she so attached to her original one?

Unable to understand, Valis shook her head.

In truth, not even a fellow reincarnator like Serge could fully understand it.

There was magic in this world. Hed even managed to work his way into the nobility through his own cheat-like power.

He was an everyday student in his former life, but now she was in a position that allowed him to converse with this worlds leaders. It could even be said that his dreams had come true.

But Ria was different.

From what hed been told before, she had chosen a somewhat unusual occupation for herself and had lived the life she wanted.

Hesitating in destroying the world she raised her was a reasonable thing.

As an aside, according to what Labyrinth had told him, Labyrinth was a girl that refused to go to school in her previous life. Thanks to that, she even kept herself closed up in a labyrinth now.

When he explained that, Valis sighed gently.

It might be better to erase her memory

That would do something for sure.

Rias actions were clearly being influenced by her former life. If not, even with her Gift, she wouldnt have arrived at the current situation.

Even growing to the point that shed be able to obtain Valis power as her successor was doubtful.

How about you all have that chat later?

Ohma returned Valis concentration on the spectacle happening before them.

The climax of the battle was about to happen.

A battle between a God and a Dragon was a terrifying sight.

Heaven and Earth shook, lightning rain poured from the skies, and magma rose from down in the former Imperial Capitals underground. The wind blew, creating a storm that scraped and lashed the ground.

Valis and Lanna had erected a barrier in order to prevent too terrible a disaster, but attacks would occasionally pierce through it and cause an explosion far in the distance.

Most of the Gods magic was repelled by the Dragons scales, not even a meteor shower would penetrate them.

It had turned into an all-out melee in the end.

The Gods fists, feet, and head assaulted the Dragons body.

Meanwhile, the Dragons claws, tail, and fangs pierced the Gods body.

Witnessing this mythical battle, Carla felt an impulse surge within her own body.

Bearing both the blood of a God and of a Dragon, Carla felt as though she could see this battles outcome.

The Dragons had once destroyed the Gods.

And now, the fight taking place before her was between one of those Dragons and one of those Gods.

Ria would win.

Inside the battle, Rias consciousness had grown faint.

She felt neither pain nor emotion, fighting simply on instinct.

With her claws, with her fangs, and with her tail.

Exposing the Gods flesh by unleashing a breath at close range, she bit into it with her fangs.

It mended itself, but she has certainly given it a wound.

Meanwhile, the Gods power was unable to pierce the Dragons scales.

Ruin.

With that sole word, a blade of nothingness sliced into the Dragons body.

It severed one of its wings, but even then, the Dragons assault didnt cease.

Even when a spear of nothingness pierced through its body, the Dragon lived.

Even when its heart was penetrated, the Dragon lived.

How can I win against something like this

At the very center of the Gods body, Ars was at wits end.

When he fought together with Carla, Guinevere, and the others against that Dragon in Manesh, they overcame the Dragons defenses with magic, allowing Carlas sword to penetrate its heart.

This thing was a Dragon. She had also seen them a millennia beforehand, so there was no mistaking it.

But this presence in front of him held a strength and fleshy body that was incomparably stronger than those Dragons.

Was it a God Dragon? No, that was impossible. Hed seen Valis strength back in that Millennium and it was much, much stronger.

In truth, Ars had one last trump card. However, it wasnt something that he should use now.

I give up, I surrender, its my loss!

The Gods arm tapped the Dragon, but the Dragons attacked didnt end.

Its breath broke the Gods magical barriers, its fangs piercing its neck.

No, its fangs almost piercing its neck.

A gigantic dragon easily double the size of this Black Dragon sealed its movements.

It was Dark Dragon Valis.

Its arms pulled back on Rias neck and wing, keeping her away from Ars.

Seeing Ria still continue to rage, three more Dragons made a move.

Four God Dragons.

Things which dont even make a move during Millenniums, and four of them at that.

Gigantic figures that dwarfed even the largest mountains pinned down Rias body.

When she opened her eyes, there was an Angel.

Have you woken up, Ria?

No, it was a familiar face.

Judging by her postured, she was being given a lap pillow by Carla.

What happened

Even while saying that, her memories were returning. Memories dominated by killing intent and the impulse to fight were coming back to her, causing her to feel sick.

When she placed her hand against her forehead, she felt sweat covering it. Carla wiped that sweat off with her handkerchief.

Did I lose?

Her memories from its end were still fuzzy. But it felt like shed reached a stalemate of some sort.

No, it was your win.

When she turned to look at who said that, it was Ars, who was sitting on the ground.

I won?

Yep. I surrendered. But you didnt stop attacking me, so the God Dragons had to step in and stop you.

What?

The battles conclusion ended with something so sloppy?

Valis and the others?

Right here.

Ria turned to look at the source of the voice and saw the four God Dragons standing.

So, what will you do with your winners privilege? Youll have to excuse me for running away if you tell me to hand over my life or something though.

Ars stood up as he said that. For a loser, he still had plenty of composure.

I was intending to have a fight with my life on the line though

Staggering, Ria stood up as well. She places her hand on her waist out of habit and realized her katana wasnt there.

Where is Nagasone Kotetsu?

She felt Gallachs existence. It was within Ria.

But not Nagasone Kotetsu. The katana shed used like an extension of her arm was gone.

I was able to collect it just in case, but, well

Saying that, what Serge presented to her was her beloved katana split in two.

Seeing Ria look as though she was about to cry, Ars held out his hand.

Loan it to me for a moment. Ill mend it.

You can mend it?

Although it was weird to mend the weapon of an unreconciled opponent to begin with, as a weapon, Nagasone Kotetsu wasnt a threat to Ars.

Restore.

Nagasone Kotetsu regained its original appearance after being covered with a magic that was meant to be used on living bodies.

You should be able to use this magic like this as well if you live for a thousand years.

Seeing Ria look at it as though intrigued, Ars passed Nagasone Kotetsu back to her, handle first.

It was a moment that would have allowed her to cut him easily if she wanted to. Within that short moment of tension, Ria produced a sheath with her sparsely remaining mana and put Nagasone Kotetsu in it.

What do I want?

The winners privilege, yeah? Will you cause another human-demon war? Or perhaps cause the Great Collapse? Either way, the God Dragons will support neither you nor I. That is for certain.

In truth, Ria didnt think that shed win. Shed fought against the Hero from one thousand years ago and who was the current Demon King. She thought that his power was on an entirely different level.

Even now, her winning didnt feel real.

No, maybe it didnt feel real for another reason?

She remembered becoming a Dragon. But was it alright for her to call that her own strength?

It wasnt her swordsmanship, nor her martial arts. It was the strength of the Gift shed gotten when she was born into this world. Although it was Rias power, it wasnt a power that was related to her previous life.

What to do

Seeing Ria look troubled with her arms crossed in front of her, Ars once again shook his head in amazement.

You havent even decided? Why did you even decide to fight?

Onee-chan generally doesnt think about things beforehand

Ria didnt even complain when Serge said something rude about her. Because she really hadnt thought about what shed do after the battle.

Ria thought that she would come to a decision if she fought. At least if she died, she wouldnt have to worry. Thats what she felt, at least.

Well, there arent many choices. Will you cooperate with me and fight against Earth? Or will you oppose me and cause a human-demon war? Theres also the choice of siding with Earth, but I dont recommend it.

Ars pointed out the choices hed thought over many times. He had eventually chosen to destroy Earth from those three, though.

If you fight against this world to protect Earth, you will fight us as well.

Valis said that quietly, but it was a death sentence. Even if she decided to stand with Earth, the result of that would be obvious.

Besides, the world you call Earth will perish either way.

Well that was some new information.

Its the first time Ive heard of that?

I didnt say? From the start, Earth is a world where people with strong souls cant be reborn into. Nevertheless, the world is teeming with humans. People coming here after being reincarnated or summoned from virtually the same era is the same thing as ripe fruits falling from their tree.

What?

So even if she did nothing, the result wouldnt be any different?

Humans only came from the twenty-first century even though the flow of time was different Ria thought it was strange, but she hadnt looked into the matter.

If you told me that first

I thought someone would have told you by now.

Valis spoke calmly, Ars and the other God Dragons nodding in agreement.

Its the first time Ive heard about it too

Serge muttered.

Well, its not for sure if itll be able to just barely make it through the twenty-first century or not.

As Ars explained, the Earth was a world whose trunk was thick even two thousand years ago and had reached its limits due to the humans living on it.

Their explosive population growth seemed to be the ultimate cause and she certainly did remember educational programs talking about the population soaring up through the previous century.

As a result, it became impossible for the world named Earth to give board to all of humanity.

There was a phenomenon similar to the Millennium on Earth as well that would decrease their worlds population through war, but not on a scale that would cover the whole world.

So there was only one choice from the start, wasnt there

Ria sighed.

There was no choice but to destroy the Earth.

Ah, no, if you used your power, there is one other way.

Ars held up a finger as he spoke.

You just have become a Dragon, go to Earth, and decrease the population with your power. You could probably prolong its end by a bit if you reduce them to around a billion people.

Ars continued by saying the best way would be to turn China and India into no mans land. They certainly were areas with huge populations though

You could also go with destroying the United States if were going to start talking about resource consumption, but the worlds power balance will collapse if that country gets destroyed, so yeah ah, you could actually go with that and leave it up to the resulting wars no, leaving Russia alone might cause something else entirely

If you go to solve Earths problems, the will migrate the demons onto the other continents and the balance can be kept. It isnt impossible for our connected worlds to separate, either.

Following up on Valis statement, Ars held up his finger again.

Thats great. Itd come with Earths population being decreased, but they wont have to lose their birthplace. This world wont have to have a human-demon war, either. I might be the one to say it, but isnt that the best option?

This man truly was frivolous when it came to lives. He came to a decision through numbers alone.

Was that a Demon Kings fate?

Ill fight against the Earth.

In a small voice, Ria whispered.

And well accept immigrants. Well allow the Earth to perish.

Hearing Rias words get stronger as she continued to speak, Ars made a deplorable expression.

Whyd you decide that? I think my plan would be a lot easier.

As for us, we believe that destroying the Earth would be the best. That would allow this worlds longevity to extend an overwhelming amount.

Although Valis said that, that isnt why Ria made that choice.

Well also have to take care of the people of Earth that come here as immigrants. Just reducing their numbers is irresponsible.

Ars felt that it would just be an excessive thing, but nodded nevertheless.

I cant sympathize, but I can understand. I dont want to do something that sounds so troubling as someone in charge though. Well, Ill follow what the winner says.

Rias blood spoke to her.

Saying to protect the world, that this was her destiny.

The blood of a Dragon, of an existence that protected this world, tried to bind Ria.

Seriously what a horrible thing

A massacre that would even cause Stalin and Mao Zedongs faces to pale. Perhaps as long as the human race existed, this choice would cause Rias name to be forever engraved in history.

Well, it wasnt as though she chose to kill her own people, so at least she had that still.

At any rate, this story wouldnt have a happy ending. It would likely be retold eternally as a tragedy.

Ria.

The one to prop Ria up by her shoulders was no other than Carla.

No matter what she said, Carla would be by her side. No matter what she did, she would protect her back.

You know that Ill understand if you ever get fed up with me, right?

That is the only thing that will never happen.

In response to Carlas smile, Ria smiled wryly.