Dxd: A demon Among Devils-Chapter 36: []:Ablaze

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I am Sure the People He Killed and the Villages He Set Ablaze are Grateful for His Regret.

The boy flinched at the dragon's sardonic drawl. He glared down at the crimson glove, and there was something akin to recrimination in his eyes.

And Now You are Beginning to Understand. There is No Such Thing as Good or Evil. There is Only Power. Power that You have Inherited. Power that You are Wasting. You Could Be Spending Time Unlocking Your Weapon's Full Potential, But Instead You Choose to Hurl Yourself into Fights You Cannot Win.

The devil blinked up towards the monster, not comprehending.

Do Not Act so Surprised. I Know of the One Who Made that Weapon and the Way He has Set it to Work. His Power Dwarfs Mine But for All His Might His Methods are still Loathsomely Predictable. Such is the Nature of Heaven. Rigid and Unbending.

Nidhogg snorted. Twin columns of frost emitted from its nostrils like steam.

You are Rash, Whelp. You are Young and Your Fire Burns Hot. The Great Welsh had the Same Fire, but He Tempered that with Cunning and Unbreakable Will. You Must Do the Same.

The dragon opened its jaws and snapped them towards its quarry once more. The object of its taunting did not fall back this time. He did not flinch or wince. He stood his ground and in response, something very close to approval flickered in Nidhogg's eyes.

Harness Your Rage into Purpose. Bend Your Hatred into Resolve. Listen Well to the Words He Whispers into Your Ear, And Perhaps One Day You will be Worthy of the Title of the Dragon You Hold in Your Arm.

Issei looked down at the crimson gauntlet that was still sheathed around his limb. The green jewel gleamed dimly back. Determination crept onto the devil's face. He smiled thinly. Chidori's sacrifice had hardened Junpei to become the team member SEES needed him to be. He was witnessing the same happening to Issei, though it was a different way of hardening.

"Thank you," the devil said finally, "...I think," he looked up hesitantly, "But why are you helping me? How do you know Ddraig?"

Nidhogg lifted its head. The dragon was reminiscing. He knew because the flurry of images that passed through the beast's conscience assailed his mind with equal vigor. Just as a Persona knew what the thoughts of its master were, so true was the opposite as well.

I was Once a Fire Drake from the North. A Mighty Dragon of Fire and Flame with Scales of Crimson to Match. Just like Ddraig. Yet for all My Might, the Great Welsh was still the Stronger Dragon, the Fiercer Fire, and Many were the Battles I Lost to Him.

A snarl of hatred erupted from its gargantuan maw as it recalled a particular humility it had been forced to endure.

In My Quest for Vengeance I Flew to the Lands of My Ancestors, and There, Amidst Freezing Storms and Howling Winds I Dug into the Earth until I Discovered the Roots of the World Tree. I Devoured Them. I Ate from the Soul of Yggdrasil and Partook in the Power of the World.

The blood-red pupils darted in their sockets, burning with bestial intelligence, fixating on each of them in turn.

The Time I Spent Consuming the Roots of Yggdrasil was Not Kind to Me. The Perpetual Darkness that Surrounded Me in My Burrowed Lair Turned My Scales Black as Night. The Winter Cold that Raged Above Me Dimmed My Fire Until Only Ice was Left. The Elements Changed My Very Nature. No More was I Nidhogg, the Fire Drake, but Nidhogg, the Dragon of Frost and Rime.

The dragon smirked at Issei's expression. Its serpentine tongue snaked out and caressed the row of fangs jutting from its upper jaw.

I May have Lost My Identity, but the Strength I Gained More than Made Up for that. The World Tree Fed Me Immense Power and Finally I was Ready to Face Ddraig and Avenge all the Wrongs He had Done on to Me.

Nidhogg's eyes dilated with sudden fury, and when it next spoke, its voice was low with barely restrained wrath.

Now Imagine My Surprise when I Emerged, Expecting a Battle Worthy of Song and Legend, to Discover that Ddraig had Long Ago been Sealed Away. Imagine My Anger when I Found Out My Chance for Vengeance had been Denied to Me by Powers Above My Control. Imagine My Rage when I Realized I had Forsaken My Identity and It. Had. All. Been. For. Nothing.

The fury became malevolence. The images that flashed into his head became sundered castles and crumbled citadels, their occupants trapped in tombs of frozen hoarfrost. The dragon leered at its audience.

The Realms of Men Learned that Day that Ice Burns Just as Well as Fire.

The spiked skull swayed towards Issei again, and the leathery snout sank until it hovered above the arm that held Boosted Gear. freēnovelkiss.com

But that was All in the Past. Many were the Years I Spent Searching for the Great Welsh and at Last I have Found Him. Chained to a Devil, Weakened to a Most Pitiful State, But Nevertheless He is Here. Ddraig, My Old Enemy. My Quest for Vengeance has Finally Come Full Circle.

Nidhogg's gaze bore into the crimson gauntlet, as though by merely staring at it could cause the presence within it to manifest.

All Things Must Come to an End. Such is the Way of the World. One Day the Bars Holding Ddraig will Fall. That Might be Tomorrow. Or It Could Be a Hundred Years From Now. It Matters Not. I am a Patient Being. I have Waited Centuries to Test My Might Against the Crimson Emperor. What is a Few More Decades Compared to That?

The dragon rose for the last time. Its claws dug into the earth, finding purchase so that the massive wings could extend fully again.

One Day Ddraig will be Free and I will be There to Greet Him. I will Congratulate Him on His Freedom and then I will Sink My Teeth into His Neck. Once More We will do Battle like the Days of Yore.

It smiled down at them.

And It will be Most Glorious.

Deep laughter followed, and then the dragon was gone, fading away, dissipating into nothingness the same time he felt its presence receding from his conscience. He shook his head to clear the backlash from his mind and began to make his way to the figure that had borne most of the beast's ire. He reached him and offered a hand. Issei grasped it and hauled himself up. He took note that the boy seemed a bit shell-shocked.

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