NOVEL WEB Chapter 308: Clash of giants.
The battle was fierce, even Aris couldn't help but awe and was terrified by the power of her predecessor and the True Dragon. She watched as the Dragons released beams of energy that could create a deep hole in the world. She also observed how powerful Aristoria's attacks forced the True Dragon to dodge them.
Every clash of might between those two was enough to crack the void realm. It was dangerous for Aris and Rasmus because the moment the realm broke, the power within the Dragon's Breath would be released into the real world. That amount of energy could turn every living being to bring chaos.
The Dragon's Breath possessed something mythical, a power that granted anyone its power. However, nobody in Neva could control that power, and it would bring chaos to the world until there was nothing left to break.
Aris didn't want that to happen because she didn't want to get affected by it. She didn't care about anyone, but she cared for her own well-being. No matter how strong she was, if the energy from within the Dragon's Breath got released, she would be consumed by it.
"Should I interfere..." Aris muttered as she looked down at Rasmus's body. She seemed to be asking herself and Rasmus, who was unconscious.
Before Aris could make up her mind, she heard a deafening sonic wave from above. She immediately looked up and saw the True Dragon was falling with its back on the bottom. She then saw Aristoria remove the Dragon's Blood from her body and put them all on the Solar Sword. She watched as the sword had become longer and wider, and the moment it got fed by Mana, the blinding light and the fierce massive flare were produced by the Solar Greatsword.
The True Dragon knew that its size was the reason Aris could win against it. The True Dragon immediately condensed its existence and compressed it into a smaller vessel. In less than ten seconds, the colossal body of the True Dragon became very small. The size was only four times the size of a human, and it became a mix of a human body and a dragon body, becoming draconic.
The True Dragon created a sword from thin air with its own life force. A black greatsword that matched the Solar Greatsword's power. The True Dragon flew toward Aristoria and swung its sword at her with all its might.
The clash between the two beings and their weapons was different from what Aris had expected. She expected to see a shockwave, a massive and destructive wave, however, what she found was the opposite. There was no shockwave, only a pure black ball with blinding lights around it as if the light itself was being devoured by the ball.
There was no sound as if Aris had lost her hearing, but she knew the ball was devouring everything, including light and sound. She remembered what Rasmus had said to her about the universe and something that was called Singularity. She could finally see it with her eyes about the thing called black hole.
"You want to release your power into the world of the living?" Aristoria stared at the True Dragon's eyes. "I won't let you do that..." She held her Solar Greatsword with both hands and used all her might to disperse the singularity. "I won't let you go back into the world of the living..." she added and began to push and pull her sword simultaneously at the ball.
Aristoria was about to break the ball, but then the True Dragon used its wings like its own limbs. The wings pierced through Aristoria's ribs into her body, stopping her from destroying the singularity that would devour the void realm and release the True Dragon from the realm of limbo.
Aristoria lost her strength as the True Dragon absorbed her power from within. However, Aristoria smirked at the True Dragon and then glanced at something right behind the True Dragon's ear.
Aris pierced the True Dragon's back and pushed her black greatsword upward, cutting the True Dragon's torso in half. If it wasn't for Aristoria's battle and the Solar Greatsword that managed to melt the impenetrable scales, Aris wouldn't be able to stab the True Dragon's back.
Aris pulled the True Dragon's wings from its core and threw the True Dragon down. The impact was enough to create a massive crater that could turn into a massive lake.
"Thank you..." Aristoria said and then immediately swung her sword at the singularity.
The moment the ball was dispersed, a deafening blast pushed both of them to the ground in a split second. The distance they were from the ground was hundreds of meters away, and yet they fell to the ground in a split second.
Aris fainted for a few seconds, and the moment she regained consciousness, she jolted and looked around. She was worried about Rasmus, but to her surprise, Aristoria was there, watching her son sleeping so soundly and safely inside the barrier.
Aris hesitated to approach Aristoria because it felt surreal for her to see her predecessor. As an Aristoria, Aris and Aristoria shared the same essence, the same Mana, and basically the same person in a different timeline.
"What do they call you?" Aristoria asked without looking at Aris.
"Aris, Rasmus calls me Aris," Aris answered as she began to walk toward Aristoria. "I don't want to be defined as Aristoria, but as Aris," she pointed out.
"That name," Aristoria scoffed softly as she kept her eyes on Rasmus. "I also felt the same way. I let my husband called me Aris, and only him that could call me that," she smiled.
Aris stood beside Aristoria, and she was a lot taller than Aristoria. Aristoria's height was around Aris's shoulder, and she looked slimmer and less muscular than Aris. Aris was curious as to why her predecessor looked so small and fragile, and yet way stronger than her.
"It's because I have lived for more than two hundred years before I died, Aris," Aristoria said as she looked up at Aris. "You on the other hand, are nothing but fledgling," she chuckled as she reached Aris's head and gently caressed her head.
Aris hated it when someone touched her, however, she didn't mind it at all when Aristoria did it. There was unexplained comfort and longing, and she believed it could be because they were the same person.
"You're as young as my child, aren't you?" Aristoria asked with her brows raised.
"Yes, I was born not long after you died based on what Sanya said to me," Aris nodded.
"Sanya is still alive? That loner?" Aristoria asked as she kept caressing Aris's hair.
Aris nodded without saying a word, agreeing with Aristoria's words. Sanya was an Orthias that had a unique way of thinking that even the elders couldn't understand. She always wandered on her own and always came back with lots of information from the humans she associated with.
"Hmm? What's this?" Aristoria furrowed her brows and tilted her head as she stared at Aris's blue-ish strands of hair among the silver ones. "You have been through a lot, didn't you?" She stared into Aris's eyes.
"The world has become a mess ever since you died. Things have become a mess ever since then," Aris answered as she gently pushed Aristoria's hand away from her hair. "I don't want to become like that thing..." She turned around and looked at the True Dragon that was slowly regenerating its severed body.
"We both have something in common, Aris..." Aristoria said as she walked toward the True Dragon's Body. "And this is a perfect opportunity for you and for my child..." she revealed as she used the Dragon's Blood to devour the body of the True Dragon.
Aris didn't need to ask what Aristoria was planning to do. She knew that Aristoria had planned to use this chance to gift Rasmus something that he needed the most at that moment. Aristoria wanted to put the small essence of the True Dragon into Rasmus's body to stabilize his awakening. However, there was a question that she needed to know the answer to.
"Why? You could come back to life with that power..." Aris asked.
"I could, but what for?" Aristoria answered as she looked at Aris.
Aris tried to open her mouth before she could process the question. However, when there was a gap in her lips, she failed to find an answer. She could feel the emotions and the thoughts of Aristoria at that moment, and what she found and heard were nothing but peace.
"I can't let this one die. He's already losing more than half of his power, and that's why I managed to defeat him. If he disappears from existence completely, the world will force you to become the next heir to rule the world," Aristoria said as she stared at the True Dragon. "I'll make him weak enough to be stuck in this realm, and strong enough to exist," she added.
Aris didn't say a word and only watched Aristoria absorb the True Dragon's life force with the Dragon's blood.
"There are so many things that we can share, but the living shouldn't be staying in this realm for too long," Aristoria said as she absorbed the Dragon's Blood and walked toward Rasmus. "I have absorbed at least a tenth of the True Dragon's power. He will take half and you will take the other half," she said as she entered the barrier and placed her hand on Rasmus's chest.
"You know I don't want to become a True Dragon, so why are you giving it to me?" Aris asked with her brows furrowed.
"Because my child won't be able to handle a tenth of the True Dragon's power. If you don't take it, this realm soon will break by the True Dragon's remaining power and nothing can stop him. You can handle this power without affecting you a tiny bit. So what will you choose?" Aristoria asked as she walked toward Aris.
"I'm sorry that I dragged you into my selfishness..." Aristoria held Aris's hands tightly. "You're bearing the consequences of my actions. However, this power won't bind you, it can be used to help you keep your freedom as Aris, not as an Aristoria. Take the poison so you can be immune by it in the future," she added, staring into Aris's eyes.
Aris sighed as she glanced at Rasmus and then back at Aristoria. She then slowly nodded in agreement.