Rizevim stood contentedly in his subordinate's laboratory. Now he was looking at the blonde girl with glassy eyes. If it weren't for her weak breathing, you could have thought she was a detailed doll.
— Well done, Euclid, — the devil's face was decorated with a benevolent smile. — Monitoring Ouroboros' activity bore fruit. It was only thanks to you that we were able to retrieve the dhampir from the castle in time. If we had delayed even a little, our Grail could have burned along with the rest of the vampire kingdom.
— Thank you for your kind words, sir. Initially, I just wanted to avoid trouble with Ophis, but I couldn't even imagine that those stupid vampires didn't recognize the Infinite Dragon God, — the demon shook his head in disappointment. — She's been very famous lately.
— Vampires, — Lucifer's son declared as if he were giving a verdict. — Nothing else can be expected from those pathetic creatures.
— Agreed. What is our course of action?
— Hm?
— This event will cause a huge backlash from the surrounding area, — Lucifuge explained his concerns. — Hades will probably refuse to help us now. The God of Death will be afraid of angering Ouroboros and will not free Samael.
— That's right. Despite his words, Hades still cares about his brothers. Let's put the poisonous dragon slayer aside for now, — the leader of the Khaos Brigade answered after a few minutes. — Let's focus on resurrecting evil dragons and creating mass copies of them for now. Instead of vampires, use reincarnated demons. Let them at least be useful for something.
— It will be done, but...
— Is something bothering you?
— I'm afraid that the revived dragons may refuse to cooperate and join Ouroboros. That will disrupt our plans.
— Ha-ha-ha! Euclid, you're forgetting something, — Rizevim laughed cheerfully. — These aren't normal dragons, they're evil dragons. They won't wish for a peaceful life like Tannin or Ophis. They'd rather happily agree to our plan than betray us. Crom Cruach is an exception in this case. He's always had his own mind. It's a shame he decided to contact "Infinity". Before that, I was planning on recruiting him to our side.
— So that's why you asked me to find any references to him?
— That's right, one of the strongest Evil Dragons would be a great tool, but alas.
— Before I begin studying the Grail, I have a hunch that the heroes will encounter Ophis and her lover.
— You think so? — the devil asked skeptically, recalling the details of his allies' movements. —They're not stupid enough to enter Ouroboros' lair. Besides, Cao Cao was planning to do something about the Nine-Tailed Fox in Kyoto.
— That's the problem, sir. That human girl that made them angry and destroyed the vampires is leaving for Kyoto soon. I'm sure the dragons will follow her. Should I warn the heroes about this?
— No need to do that, — the devil's face took on a wicked grin. — This will be a great test for the brave heroes. Ha-ha-ha!
***
The scientists were in the midst of a renewed series of experiments on their failed specimen due to the detection of its awakening magic, when suddenly the building shook. The vampires were alarmed, trying to understand the cause and source of such an unusual phenomenon. It was at this moment that the ice beast decided to take advantage of the confusion and take revenge on its tormentors.
A blue magic circle ignited under the chimera, causing ice spikes to form. The unexpected attack spread throughout the room, destroying the containment array and the unsuccessful worker. With a roar, the predator broke free, deciding to start the hunt. Seeing the impending danger outside, the scientific director decided to choose the lesser evil — to erect a barrier around the building. Escaping from the fiery rain of a flock of dragons, the vampire doomed himself to the fate of being locked in a cage with an enraged monster. A very smart, cunning and cruel monster.
Having finished off its last prey, the chimera felt a new, unfamiliar smell appear in the building. Its instincts went wild, warning of mortal danger. The beast would gladly follow them, running away somewhere far away, but now it was locked in this place. Having no other choice, the awakened ice dragon was going to use its best feature — concealment. Having reduced its presence to a minimum, it set up an ambush.
Soon, lonely footsteps were heard along the empty corridor. All the muscles in the beast's body were tense to the limit, ready to break loose at any second. Due to high concentration, it failed to realize that the unknown person was confidently walking straight to the ambush site. The same moment the door began to open, the predator rushed to attack, but was easily thrown back.
— Ha! Good try, — the chimera could see a smile of superiority on the man's face. She felt how the unknown person was mocking her. — What now?
This attitude angered the beast. Roaring, he tried to release all his anger. However, it resulted in depressing consequences. A similar, but more powerful aura flared from the man, and he roared, throwing her into the wall.
— Gr-r-ra-a! That's what a roar means, — Silence grinned at the dumbfounded monster, but noticed the gaze directed at him. — Wow! Still haven't given up? If you disappoint, then expect no mercy.
The released bloodlust forced the chimera to use the remaining crumbs of magic to have at least a tiny chance of survival. With a magic circle near her mouth, she released ice spears, but the attempt was futile. Colossal pressure began to emanate from the stranger.
— You can't win, — in addition to the wings, Silence's facial features began to show their true essence, covered in scales. — Surrender and obey! And then I will take care of you.
The beast resisted. Squeezing out all its strength, it tried to counteract the terrifying pressure. Its claws left deep furrows in the floor, and its fangs literally creaked from the force applied. The internal struggle continued for several minutes, but was lost. The desire to bow its head and submit to a more powerful dragon prevailed.
— Good girl. Let's go visit the ruler of this already dead city, and then we can return.
The man left the room, suppressing his aura. Even seeing a defenseless back in front of him, not a thought of attacking arose in her mind. She had already accepted him as her leader. Her alpha. For the first time in her life, the chimera found herself outside the laboratory, and she liked the feeling of freedom when she was no longer held back by walls and ceilings.
Walking side by side through the ruined streets of the city, littered with corpses, her gaze periodically rose to the dragons flying in the sky. The flying creatures felt similar to her. Another shock for her was the presence of so many stronger creatures. Only a third of the flying flock was similar in combat level to the chimera.
— Don't worry, you'll become stronger than these guys later, — Sai distracted his new companion, — but for now, focus on the upcoming hunt. We're almost there.
The large entrance doors of the castle were already visible in their field of vision. To Silence's surprise, no one reacted after the brutal destruction of the barrier. Using magic, he simply demolished the barrier with elemental projectiles. Even the gates smashed to pieces did not make the castle's inhabitants act. Sensing something was wrong, the dragon activated his eyes.
— What the hell? — What he saw made him frown. There was not a single living creature in the palace. — Where is everyone?
Slowly stepping on the exquisite carpets, the dragon and the chimera went deeper into the corridor towards the throne room. Along the way, they came across dead vampires, both in the form of guards and in more luxurious attire of aristocrats. The young man frowned. Judging by the traces of blood and corpses, the massacre took place only a couple of hours ago. Someone had easily entered the royal palace and killed everyone here shortly before their arrival.
— It remains to be seen: is this a coincidence or not? — Sai muttered, seeing the corpse of the faction leader next to his son and a bunch of guards. — Let's go empty the treasures of these leeches for now. Maybe we can get a couple of grimoires for Mephisto.
***
Having completed the lawful act of vengeance, the dragons returned to their home. However, upon arriving back, Sai found himself in danger, which had not happened even during the attack on the vampire kingdom. Feeling the threat to his leader, the chimera tried to stand up for him, but a single glance from the irritated Dragon God was enough to make her freeze in primordial horror.
— Do you have something to say? — tapping her finger on the armrest of the chair, she addressed the kneeling guy. — The others have long since returned, and you were still missing. You made me wait for no reason. Explain yourself!
— Ha-ha! Ophis, no need to be so angry. It's only twenty extra minutes.
— For twenty minutes I didn't know what could have happened to you, — the girl complained. — I practically went straight after you.
— Sorry, — Silence quickly jumped up from the floor and embraced his beloved. — My dear, I'm sorry I made you worry. I won't do it again.
The pair slowly cuddled up, holding each other until the anxiety completely left Ophis's mind.
— So why were you late? — She listened calmly to the story, sitting on Sai's lap. — So you were trying to find traces of the unknown attackers, while robbing the entire castle?
— Yes. Unfortunately, I managed to understand that the ruler was familiar with the killer, allowing him to teleport directly to the throne room, — the dragon did not stop combing the girl's long black hair, calming Ouroboros even more. — After killing everyone there, he went to a certain room in the basement, eliminating everyone along the way. Judging by the things in the empty cell, the vampires were holding someone inside, but nothing really worked out.
— Then why did Nobu run away to her apartment, as if avoiding me?
— The girl could not come to terms with what was happening.
— I see, — Ophis didn't care about the hero's descendant. She took her in, succumbing to the mood. However, after receiving Fenrir at her disposal, the girl's fate became indifferent to her. The girl turned her gaze to the still frozen chimera. — What about this?
— Oh! — at the mention of the ice dragon, Silence perked up. — It was an unexpected meeting. One of the houses turned out to be covered with a barrier. Once inside, I found a massacre. After wandering around the area, I realized that these leeches were studying the creation of chimeras from parts of various animals. Unfortunately for them, this guy decided to take revenge on his tormentors and killed all the scientists, — the young man grinned bloodthirstily. — Feeling the dragon lineage from him, I decided to take him with me, so can you please make him a full—fledged dragon, like me?
— Her, — the girl corrected her beloved. — It's a female.
— Yeah? Well, okay. I didn't look under her tail anyway.
— Okay, — Ophis didn't refuse his request. She saw a parallel between the chimera and Sai. Both were hostages for many years in the hands of scientists. Perhaps he was projecting his own situation onto this victim of experiments. — Unlike you, she's already part dragon, so it will be quick.
— How long will it take? — the young man asked, watching the ice beast disappear into a cocoon of energy.
— About a week, — Ouroboros gave her verdict after thinking for a moment. — It's better to come up with a name for her. You brought her, so you'll be the one to choose the name too.
— A name? It's complicated, — he thought, constantly turning over different options in his head. Remembering the moment they met, Sai got the idea. — A deadly ice predator. Death and ice. Es(ice) des(death)*. Her name will be Esdeath, the icy death.
*(there was a play on words in my native language)
***
The supernatural world is in turmoil. Just an hour ago, the famous Infinity Dragon posted a video showing the world a city of vampires that had been completely destroyed. She explained that the bloodsuckers had dared to ignore her warning and attacked Hitori Goto, who was under their protection. So Ophis fulfilled her promise by destroying the leader of the Tepes faction and his domain.
When the confirmation of Ouroboros' words appeared, the majority's opinions were divided. Some openly expressed support for the dragons' actions. Some condemned them, afraid of being in their shoes, while others were indifferent. However, no one could help but feel awe at how calmly Ophis spoke of the fate of many lives.
An urgent meeting was held among the leaders of the various factions to discuss the event that had just happened. Most of the mythologies just discussed it among themselves, without paying much attention, but the Biblical Alliance gathered in full force. Odin, three of the four Demon Lords, representatives of the Grigori, and the Heavens gathered together.
— What's the rush? — the Norse god complained. — I was planning on having a nice evening with a few Valkyries before you pulled me.
— Haven't you heard about Ouroboros' new prank yet? — Azazel asked with a raised eyebrow. — There's been quite a fuss online about it.
— Ah! If you're talking about vampires, I already know. But so what?
— We asked everyone to gather here because we think this is a very dangerous trend, — Sirzechs took the floor. — She attacked the vampires now because she was provoked, but that could change in the future.
— An entire city died because of a mistake by one or at most a few people, — Mikhail supported his colleague. — It had between 50,000 and 60,000 residents. Most of whom were innocent citizens. However, no one survived. The vampire capital was completely burned down, not a single building remained intact.
— Okay. Let's put aside the fact that Ophis has never acted first without reason before, — the Allfather said mockingly. — What do you suggest we do? No one cares about these bloodsuckers and their fate. I'm sure the Church is the happiest about the vampire's fate, considering their feud. No one would make an enemy of the Infinite Dragon God because of them.
— We shouldn't forget about her entourage either, — the fallen one added. As someone who knew the pair personally, he more or less understood their way of thinking and didn't want to be at odds with them. — Ophis has surrounded herself with a dangerous retinue. Two dragon kings: Tiamat and Tannin with her flock. Her lover Silence, with his monstrous potential, should already be at the level of the kings. And we shouldn't forget about Crom Cruach. If he was as strong as Tiamat the last time we met, then over the centuries he's been isolated, the dragon should have reached the level of the Celestials.
— Even leaving the others out of the equation, how do you plan to deal with Ouroboros?
— We can unite with the other mythologies to deal with her. It's too dangerous to leave Ophis unattended after what happened. — As a diplomat of Hell, Serafall could provide arguments to convince the other factions. — With the strongest gods on our side, we can, if not kill her, then seal her.
— Without a direct threat to them, none of these stubborn people will act, and Ophis hasn't given any reason for that yet, — the god shook his head. — She's already given carte blanche to exterminate the Khaos Brigade, so she can't be used as a unit to fight a strong enemy.
— Although I have a vague plan in my head for a barrier against someone of that level, but it will require the efforts of many scientists and mages, — Azazel leaned back in his chair, thinking about this thought. — Let's say that with Ajuka, Me, and a few other smart guys, we can create something like that. But activating a barrier of that strength won't take a few seconds. We'll need to occupy Ophis for a long time in a certain place prepared in advance.
— What if we use that girl to trap her?
— It's difficult, but possible. The question remains how to stop the Dragon God from escaping once the barrier is activated, — Ajuka looked at the others for ideas. — In the worst case, she could sacrifice a hostage and escape.
— Then it's bad for everyone, — Sirzechs agreed. — We can't be in too many places at once, which gives Ophis the opportunity to destroy us and our territories one by one.
— Containing Ouroboros is an incredible task. Even the strongest Longinus, capable of killing other gods, is useless against it. But you seem to be forgetting the most dangerous ability of any of these lizards: Dragon Rage Mode, — Azazel said more darkly, recalling some moments from the past. — It was not for nothing that during the Great War, we all had to join forces against the two Heavenly Dragons that appeared. Many of our people died, but before they died, Ddraig and Albion entered Rage Mode. Because of this, the first Lords died, many of our brothers and sisters, and they even managed to batter the Pope. Michael will not let me lie.
— That is true, but what are you getting at, Azazel?
— During the fight, we can injure or kill Silence and Hitori Goto. If the Heavenly Dragons caused us so much trouble, then imagine what will happen to all of us after the power of the strongest creature increases several times? — This sentence sent shivers down everyone's spine. — Ophis will go berserk and destroy everyone and everything. I am quite sure that she has enough power to destroy the planet or cause irreparable damage now. What will we all do when the Earth is destroyed and humanity goes extinct? The risk is not worth it.