Chapter 263: Avenged (1/2)

Ed smiled in a genuine way for the first time since the fights against Blood sect started. The reason? He recognized the black dragon for what it really was. All those years ago, when he first left the care of the kingdom, when he finished hunting the very last wyvern, the Space Wyvern, which gave him his most useful ability so far, Ed encountered the black dragon. It was the first he truly came to understand the dangers of the world, and the first time he appreciated true strength and beauty.

Raikou and Suika were both gazing at the black dragon as well. Unlike Ed, their ears were filled with sadness and worry. From the day they saw the dragon, they strove to reach its height of power. Yet, once they had reached it, it wasn't the same black dragon as before. It was enslaved. Its eyes lost their power, and its body didn't exude the same power they felt that time.

”WarGreymon! Don't kill it, just make sure it doesn't interrupt our fight,” Ed said. He wasn't worried about failing the quest, as much as he was worried about losing the symbol of strength engraved in his mind. ”You're both at the same power level, make sure you don't lose!”

WarGreymon looked back, the tuft of orange hair which emerged from under its Chrome Digizoid helmet air shook in the air. He looked at Ed and nodded and flew at his maximum speed. The black dragon glanced at its incoming enemy and roared. Its size was colossal compared to WarGreymon, but the amount of aura the two released was nearly equal. Due to the size difference, however, both held advantages and disadvantages.

The dragon's colossal size meant any of its attacks packed a serious punch, whereas WarGreymon had as big a target to hit as they come. Yet, before they could even clash, they decided on ranged attacks. WarGreymon quickly amassed enough atmosphere energy, mixed it with QI and Nen, and transformed it into a gigantic Terra Force. The black dragon opened its mouth wide and a crimson flame emerged. The two flame-based attacks collided, and the air started to burn. The amount of oxygen was reduced instantly, but none of it mattered, as most of those present could function with a minimal amount of air.

Ed sped up once more and started to attack No-b. The latter didn't count on one of Ed's monsters being able to keep up with the black dragon and was thus caught off guard. His speed and power were reduced, and he hoped he would be able to hold on long enough until Ed's Ki was used up. And it wasn't long until it was about to happen.

Ed's Ki reserved were colossal, but they weren't infinite, and he knew it himself. The number of skills he was using burned through his Ki faster than ever. But, he wasn't about to give up anytime soon. His attacks lost their speed, and once No-b noticed it, he switched on to the offensive. He withdrew a gigantic double-edged red sword and attacked Ed. The two crossed swords many times, each one coming on top of the other every other time.

Quickly, however, No-b switched to defense again. His goal was to weaken Ed every time and finish him off with one big attack. Much like Ed's own strategy. Ed was still a step ahead of him. His eyes shone with red as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. No-b looked wary, and his guard heightened up once he noticed Ed backing off; he thought a big attack was coming. Yet, as soon as he winked his eyes once, he noticed that he was floating high above a desert.

”What is going on?” No-b's train of thought was interrupted by an intense stream of pain that flowed throughout his whole body. His cells screamed in pain, but he didn't know what was wrong. Then, in front of him, he noticed a lightning bolt strike the desert, turning part of it into silica glass. All around him, lightning hit.

Just as he thought of flying away, another bolt struck him. More and more dropped on top of his head, and his steel defenses couldn't help him. After what seemed like an infinite amount of time, he finally escaped the desert. His skin was red, not from his defense, but from the high heat generated by being struck by lightning hundreds of times.

No-b looked up, and there was Ed looking smug in front of him. Ed said, ”How did it feel? Did you feel any pain like those who died in the capital?”

No-b tried to speak, but he found himself in another dimension. This time, he was surrounded by lava from all directions, and on top of him, dozens of volcanoes erupted at the same time; they dropped lava all over him.