After a while of walking following my decision to go straight to confront Charybdis, and the possible entity that came from him, it was already possible to see this huge creature in the skies. Its appearance is astonishing, resembling a shark in the skies, flying chaotically.
Its countless fins flapping through the sky, perhaps propelling its body through the atmosphere, or just for show, either way, its very existence was intimidating.
But while I was admiring Charybdis in his full form, the Megalodons already started attacking me one after the other.
"Damn it!" I shouted as I jumped to the side.
As I dodged the sharks' attacks, I began to ponder something. How would I get up there? I don't possess the flight magic that both Rimuru and Milim have, let alone wings.
And then it came to me, what if I used the Megalodons to get up there? I can summon them too, and manipulate them with webs!
'Reader! Use the summons and the ropes! Let's go up!' I shouted in my mind as I looked up towards the Tyrant of the Skies.
<
After the Reader's confirmation, several magic circles appeared around me, and out of them came Megalodons, they might have looked similar to those summoned by Charybdis, however, their scales were cyan and they exuded an aura much more like mine.
Running towards one of them, I climbed onto its back. The Reader manipulated the Megalodon to fly towards Charybdis, while I blocked the other monsters' attacks with my skills, slashing them with the Divider.
As we approached the Charybdis, its scales instantly flew towards me, thousands at a time. Fortunately, I was already practically up there, so I teleported using the Divider's Spatial Domination.
"Uff... We're here." I said, relieved as I looked around at Charybdis' back. Definitely huge, his body was so massive that it could cover the sky underneath.
Unfortunately I couldn't rest for long, right behind me an overwhelming energy was emanating, so absolute that it could put Orc Disaster down. My first instinct was to run away, yet I was here to face him, to face that aura behind me!
< 'Yes, I see, Reader!' I replied in my mind, as I turned to observe the individual behind me, slowly without appearing frightened, I maintained my willpower.
As I turned, I could see the figure, a little like Lizardman, but with only one eye on his face, very similar to Charybdis, as well as blue scales all over his body. His humanoid figure was frightening, so thin and elegant, yet so thick and frightening. From its head rose two horns, and its mouth was covered in immense teeth.
I stared into the creature's single eye.
'Is that him Reader?
< Confirmation was all I needed, but instead of going straight for the creature, perhaps it would be better to try talking to it first. The possibility of it being a singular individual with its own consciousness, what are its motives for coming here? Did the "External Force" attract it?
I approached him slowly, with calm and delicate steps, the individual didn't seem to be reacting, he just stared at me, as if he was waiting for something. When I was close enough, I stopped.
"What are you?" My voice trembled at the first words, the pressure was still immense, and I didn't know how to act, but it was quickly readjusted in the next few words.
The creature continued to stare at me, until its mouth slowly began to open, as if it were trying to say something.
"I... am... son of... Veldora..." He answered me, his voice echoing and quavering at the same time, as if he wasn't meant to speak.
"Yes, that's to be expected, but I want to know what you ARE."
The creature didn't answer me, it just stood still, as if it had already answered that question.
I sighed, if this creature had any connection to Veldora, it should possess a destructive and chaotic nature like Charybdis, but its behavior was unexpectedly passive, unlike what I had expected when facing it.
"So... you're like Charybdis?" I asked, trying to probe deeper.
The being in front of me tilted its head slightly, as if pondering the question. Its thin lips moved again, this time without so much as a tremor.
"Charybdis... is... my... brother..." The words came out slowly, but clearly enough. "I... don't... like him... I just... seek..."
His voice trailed off, leaving the end of the sentence hanging in the air, as if he didn't know exactly what he was looking for.
I watched him cautiously. Perhaps there was no direct malice in him, but the pressure his aura exuded was overwhelming, as if his presence alone was enough to erase any trace of resistance around him. And if Charybdis was his brother, then what did this entity really want?
"Seeking what?" I asked, stepping forward. "If you're not here to destroy everything like Charybdis, then what do you want? Why did you come here?"
He hesitated, his large scaly hand moving slowly, almost as if he were trying to catch something invisible in the air. "I... feel... called... strength... wanted... to find."
I forced my brain to think fast. The "External Force" that the Reader had spoken of earlier... was that what was attracting him? But why would an entity of this magnitude be looking for something like that?
"This 'force' you're feeling..." I began, keeping my voice controlled, "do you think it's in me?"
The creature hesitated again, its single eye narrowing as if it were trying to analyze me in a deeper way. Then, after a long silence, it shook its head.
"No... no... you... weak... yet."
Those words cut deep. I wasn't the kind of person who liked to be underestimated, but confronting this creature, a being that possibly had direct links to the power of Veldora himself, was out of my reach at the moment. What worried me was what he was really after. If it wasn't the force within me, what was it? And what would happen when he found it?
"What are you going to do when you find that strength?" I asked, my hands already involuntarily preparing for battle. "Are you going to destroy everything around you? Like Charybdis?"
He just kept watching me, motionless and indecipherable. The wind blew around, and the sounds of Megalodons frantically attacking echoed in the distance, but between the two of us, there was a strange silence.
"Destroy... only... if... necessary..." He finally replied, his words carrying an unexpected weight.
I clenched my fists. "What if I told you I wouldn't let you find this 'force'?"
He stared at me, his eye shining with a glimmer of curiosity, almost as if he had been waiting for this kind of answer.
"Then... I'll... kill it."
The air around us shuddered. The tension that was already at its limit exploded like a wave of suffocating pressure, and in that instant I knew there was no more room for words.
The Reader was already prepared. < 'I know!' I shouted mentally, my heart racing as I felt the creature's overwhelming aura grow.
Transforming the ring back into its sword form and covering it with the power of the Divider, I assumed a combat stance. There was no longer any doubt. If I wanted to stop this entity, I had to beat it here and now.
Before I could advance, the creature raised its hand and, in a single gesture, the sky around us began to glow with an intense blue light. Pure energy began to swirl above us, forming a whirlpool that seemed to swallow up everything in its path.
"Reader! Manipulate the surrounding space so that I can jump through it!" I ordered, my eyes fixed on the energy storm forming.
The Reader responded quickly, his voice calm in contrast to the chaos around him.
< With the energy swirling dangerously around us, I felt the slight distortion of space around me. The ground seemed to disappear beneath my feet for a brief second, and then, in the blink of an eye, I was out of direct reach of the terrible force the creature was summoning.
"Uff... that was close..." I muttered, panting. The attack it was unleashing could obliterate anything around it. There was no doubt that he was testing the limits of my power, provoking a response.
The creature, however, seemed indifferent to the fact that I had avoided its attack. It remained there, floating, as if it were assessing me from afar, calculating its next move.
< 'Got it!' I thought as I prepared myself. The power of the Divider still pulsed in my hand, and I knew that a direct battle against this creature would not be easy. I had to play it smart and take advantage of the opportunities the Reader gave me.
Without hesitation, I began to move in a zigzag pattern, dodging the small beams of energy that the creature casually released. Each of these beams had enough power to disintegrate Charybdis' scales when they hit them, which regenerated soon after, but thanks to the Reader's spatial distortion, I was able to dodge with precision.
"If that's what you want... then let's do it!" I shouted, activating Spatial Domination to approach quickly. I teleported directly in front of the being, and before it could react, I landed a blow with the Divider, targeting its scaly chest.
The impact was powerful, but the creature only recoiled slightly. A blue glow ran through its scales, and instead of retaliating immediately, it began to heal almost instantly.
"Tsk... regeneration too, huh?" I muttered, frustrated. That complicated things. If I didn't find a way to overpower its regeneration, this fight could go on forever.
The creature finally moved, faster than I expected. In an instant, it was on top of me, its huge hand reaching out to crush me. I barely had time to dodge, using Space Domination once again to create a small window of escape.
But I knew I couldn't rely on this ability for long. The creature was beginning to learn my attack and evasion patterns, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid it.
< 'Summon the Megalodons again, Reader!' I thought quickly. I would need all the resources at my disposal to turn this battle around.
New magic circles appeared around me, and more Megalodons appeared, ready to serve as distractions and support. I manipulated them with my webs, directing them to surround the creature as I prepared for a decisive attack.
Now, while he was dealing with the Megalodons, I had my chance.
"Let's see if you can recover from this..." I said as I gathered energy at the tip of my hand pointed towards the creature. A spell that was developed by the Reader after he analyzed all the spells I have, he called it "...Absolute Magic..." a flashy name, but I have to confess that it's very strong.
There are 3 spells on this list, the first being.
"...Absolute Enchantment!" This uses all my enchantment spells at once.
"... Red Thunder!" This increases the power of all my blows. Now there was only one thing left to do. Focusing my energy on my hand pointed at the creature, I called for the last spell.
"Supreme Beam!" The moment I chanted for the magic, as if time had stopped, as if space had collapsed, as if all the elements of nature had gone into a trance, a sphere of white energy formed in front of my hand.
From there, red thunder began to surround it and purple stars followed the thunder, and finally, a white light covered my vision, heading towards the creature. A stormy noise could be heard, and it should have been exterminated, yet...
It was still there, and this time, differently, its appearance was... Majestic.
A long tail came out of his back, his scales were now platinum, his horns had grown, and as he descended onto Charybdis' wing, it was possible to observe the magnetude of his power just by his tiny movement.
"It was... Just... That?" He asked me, as he stared at me with his one eye.
I was shaking, exhausted. This fight was never winnable from the start? Is it really impossible? Was I a fool to come alone? Questions crossed my mind endlessly.
Not only did the creature appear to be intact even after my strongest attack, it seemed to have become stronger, as if it had adapted to my... movements...?
'Reader... After analysis, is it possible to identify this creature's unique ability?" I asked the Reader.
< 'Then I'll have to touch it... Same old job. An audacious smile crossed my face. Maybe I already have an answer for this board, maybe I can win this fight, if what I'm expecting is what's happening.