Epic of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System

Chapter 2403: Clash Of Venerables II [39]

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(A few minutes ago...)

BOOOMMM!!!

The clash between Mitsuhide and Benladann’s techniques generated a powerful explosion, shockwaves spreading everywhere as the surroundings trembled. The shockwave alone threw everyone far away from each other, buying time for Benladann and the rest of Drake’s family to regroup and power up before the snake-eyed swordsman came after them.

"That was a rather powerful technique, I’ll give you that."

Mitsuhide rushed toward them, noticing the presence of the Decaying Goddess nearby. He quickly ordered her to move to his side, a sea of cursed miasma rushing forward.

"Attack them while I sneak behind."

"OOOOHHHH!"

The Decaying Goddess obeyed, chained by Hajun’s demonic bindings. She rushed forward, a tsunami of cursed miasma splashing toward Benladann and her family. As the smoke dissipated, their figures were revealed.

And they were glowing.

"Golden?!"

Mitsuhide’s eyebrows twitched as he saw Benladann, Benladra, Kate, Drakda, and Yudra transformed. Their scales of various colors had turned golden, floating crowns of light appeared above their heads, and rainbow crystal horns grew from their bodies.

They had once again unleashed the power of the Golden Dragon King Transformation, which had become even stronger now that Drake had evolved, amplifying the "spark" everyone had absorbed the first time they transformed.

"He’s here! Together!"

Benladann and Miranda roared, joined by the children, their draconic cries creating a thunderous cacophony that made space and even time tremble.

"RAAAAAHHHH!"

RUMBLE!

The shockwave from their Divine Dragon King Roar echoed like a wave of overwhelming divine power, clashing against the Decaying Goddess and pushing her back. Her body burned with golden dragon flames.

"GRYAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The goddess screamed in agony, falling into her own Cursed Miasma Sea. Thousands of specters emerged from her wounds, bleeding out and roaring, fusing into larger creatures. Yet they quickly exploded and disintegrated under the dragons’ unified roar.

"Nnnggh?! My ears! S-Shut up already! What kind of attack is this?! Are you seriously just shouting at me?!"

Mitsuhide, a refined man and warrior, felt insulted by this method of "attacking him," which involved screaming as loudly as possible. He was left perplexed by their shamelessness.

"{Voidflower Waltz – Kokake No Rinbu}!"

Mitsuhide unleashed his Voidflower Waltz once more. Red petals flowed everywhere as his sword swung down repeatedly, creating thousands of red lines. The cutting attacks reflected endlessly, forming a cube-shaped "domain" of countless strikes, tearing through the cursed dimension and surrounding his foes in limbo.

He had cut through space itself, appearing right in front of Drake’s family and trapping them within his attacks.

"Did you think you’d be safe by screaming like animals?! You thought wrong!"

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

"Shit! Aaaggh!" Benladann and Miranda screamed in agony, their bodies subjected to hundreds of slashes. Their regeneration was beginning to fail against the constant damage.

"Nnnggghh!" Benladra roared, her Aura surging, spreading healing starlight toward her family. The power of Heavenly Magic activated, strengthening their regeneration further. The power of her Archetype, the Dawnscale Oracle, played a crucial role. "D-Don’t falter, everyone!"

"We aren’t!" Kate gritted her teeth as the slashes tore apart her mechanical armor. She rapidly grew larger, her body shifting into liquid metal. "I’ve been improving my abilities too!"

The slashes cut into the liquid metal, but it rejoined seamlessly, gathering energy and firing dozens of supercharged proton beams at Mitsuhide.

"Hmph! I told you such tricks wouldn’t work!" Mitsuhide roared, slicing through the beams and dispersing them instantly. "See? It’s useless, young beasts. It’s time for me to keep you alive for all you’re worth! And then—"

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

"Ngaaah?!"

Mitsuhide was shocked as the beams he destroyed suddenly released delayed explosions, striking his body from several points and making him vomit blood.

"W-What?! How?! I destroyed those beams with my attacks!"

"Your technique cannot easily destroy energy, it only disperses it," Kate explained. More cannons appeared before Mitsuhide. His attacks tried to slice them apart, but they regenerated as liquid metal. "I commanded the protons and electrons to reunite, generating nuclear fusion and explosions as they reached you. I discovered your technique can only affect what you see with your eyes."

"Damn brat, you really got me there, fufu... fuhahahaha!" Mitsuhide laughed as dozens of beams reached him, dissipating, only to cause more explosions.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Fuahahahaha! Fufu...! Fuaahahaahahaaagghhh!"

Mitsuhide laughed, his face twisting into a horrifying, psychopathic smile filled with ecstasy rather than despair, even as he suffered severe damage. He licked his blood-covered face.

"So interesting...! Amusing even! Hahaha...! Please, let me show you more of what I can do! Let’s take this fight to the next level!"

"He’s insane!" Miranda shouted.

"What is he saying?!" Drakda asked.

"Shit, he’s going to use another technique, watch out!" Yuki warned.

"{Veil of Camellia – Tsubaki No Maku Hiki}!"

FLAAASH!

Mitsuhide turned into a storm of crimson petals, descending as a veil of metal rushed down. Benladann and Miranda swung their axes.

"Don’t get closer, you creep!"

"{Double Chaotic Blazing Cross}!"

Two powerful cross-shaped attacks of black and purple chaotic flames erupted, clashing against Mitsuhide and exploding. The petals scattered everywhere...

But Mitsuhide wasn’t there. He had vanished.

And then, a second later—

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

"Aaaaggh!"

"What the?!"

"Hyaaaah!"

"Ouugh!"

Everyone was struck by a deadly, sharp, and deep slash, piercing their backs and destroying their spines. Blood splattered everywhere, red petals raining down.

FLUOSH!

Mitsuhide had vanished into falling petals and reappeared behind them, attacking with a decisive cut, deep enough to surprise them completely.

"Hahaha!"

"Fuhahaha!"

"How was that?!"

"Did you like it?"

Worse, silhouettes made of pinkish-red petals appeared behind everyone, laughing as they sliced through scales and barriers.

"That hurt!"

Kate fired her cannons, destroying the clones rapidly. Mitsuhide appeared above them, his sword glowing with crimson cursed energy shaped like a hissing snake.

He smiled, chanting his next technique...

"{Ephemeral Genesis – Hakanaki Sousei}!"

Akechi sheathed his blade, confusing them. After a brief delay, he dashed past all of them in a straight crimson line, shocking Drake’s family.

And then...

RUMBLE!

The line sliced through everything. Space itself opened wide as dozens of red lines struck, blood splattering across the dark skies.

Crack, crack...!

CRAAASH!

Like glass, space shattered. A crimson and black portal manifested beneath them, engulfing them in a vortex of petal-shaped void.

"What the hell is this?!" Miranda screamed.

"Nnngaaaaahhh!" Benladann roared, pushing herself through the void, her wings and golden aura breaking through.

"Mamaaaa!" Benladra cried, her aura surging as she manifested a giant sphere of light.

But the light was consumed. Mitsuhide laughed above them, his sword dripping with their blood as he licked it, feeling stronger.

"How amazing, even your blood is like an elixir?! Should I keep your dismembered pieces for my lord’s dinner?" Mitsuhide smiled, his technique continuing even without his effort. "You’re taking too long. Shall I ease your pain and end your suffering?!"

Mitsuhide rushed down, his blade cutting through space, smiling manically.

"PERISH! {Voidflower Waltz}!!!"

He unleashed his favorite technique atop Ephemeral Genesis, stacking them together into a gigantic vortex of agony. Countless slashes emerged from every point.

Everything seemed over. Drake’s family fell into despair. Even though Drake had grown stronger, he had gone elsewhere instead of protecting them, leaving no Split Soul to help unlike everyone else...

"Damn it, Drake! Are you really just going to—Ah?!"

Benladann grew angry, only to see a silver silhouette appear, overflowing with power. It was Andromeda. She had been gone, unable to manifest due to the dimension’s atmosphere.

But after long adaptation, she finally materialized, stronger than before.

Her appearance remained similar, resembling a giantess with white skin and long silver hair. But her eyes now shone with rainbow colors, and glowing circuits spread across her skin.

At her chest was a rainbow jewel, connected to those circuits, radiating power throughout her entire body.

"Sorry for the delay, my family... Especially you, Kate. Thank you for helping me."

FLAAASH!

A giant hand of silver light manifested, striking Mitsuhide with immense force. Electricity surged through his body, weakening his technique as he lost focus.

"Now!"

Benladann and Miranda pushed upward, quickly grabbing the children with long mold-like tentacles. Yuki protected her daughter as they escaped the vortex.

BOOOMMM!!!

The vortex exploded, space rapidly repairing itself. Everyone survived, though they were still angry that Drake hadn’t helped.

"Andromeda! Thank god you showed up. That damn Drake! Why isn’t he helping?!" Miranda shouted.

"He thought if he did, you would be upset," Andromeda sighed.

"Upset? Why?" Benladann asked.

"Because you always insist on showing him how strong you are. You tell him not to worry about your safety, that you’re strong enough to survive on your own," Andromeda explained. "I know you’re angry, but he believes in all of you. He didn’t leave you without help because he doesn’t care. He cares deeply. Within you, he’s there. In your Archetypes, his bond is present. Your new weapons were reforged by him. He trusts you more than you realize. Isn’t this what you wanted?"

Benladann fell silent, realizing she had been selfish, always asking Drake to let her fight alone, and feeling hurt whenever he saved her too often.

Miranda also reflected, realizing they had been too harsh. Yet Drake always nodded, always tried to help, always smiled.

He was a great husband—someone who understood, who wanted to protect his wives, but also someone who didn’t want to be overprotective.

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