Chapter 5

Guardian Deity or Demon?

Zero stood his ground, waiting for the monster to come running. General Liam had his whole army split up into three different formations. The first was the main bulk of the army that stood ready in the open. Most were knight-class soldiers fighting on the front lines, becoming the bait for the monsters to come.

The second group consisted of scouts who would then go in and attack in a blitzkrieg method to draw away the monsters that become too much to handle, while the third party was magicians that broke into smaller pods to back up the first and the second. Finally, the Adventurers held up their battle formation, leaving them in their small groups to fight in the way they felt best.

Most Adventurers would split up into guilds or parties as they merged with the other groups. Some even surrounded Zero, knowing full well that the boss fights would be happening around him.

"Hey, Dragon Prince." One of the Troll players strutted towards Zero; his large blade hoisted over his shoulder as if he was using his whole body to hold it up. His bearded chin came down to his belly as his ugly tusks emerged out of his mouth, making him look dangerous. Grayish-green muscles bulged out of every angle possible; even his armor was made with animal pelts. He smirked with the usual Troll-like smile that every Troll seems to have, a grimacing, sloppy, glare-like smile.

"Please stop with the Dragon Prince and call me Zero." Zero snorted in disapproval at the words that the Troll had said.

The Troll burst into laughter. "Well, my name is Jorge with a J."

"Well, Jorge, what is it that you want?"

"I was thinking about joining in on the game of a boss hunt." Zero thought it over for a moment. There was nothing wrong in hunting together, plus he could always spirit the loot away by eating it and storing it up in his stomach later to regulate.

"Do whatever you want."

"Really? You aren't going to scare me away with your scary teeth and flames?" He chuckled.

"Why would I do that?" Zero leaned forward, his head coming down towards Jorge with his teeth sparkling with mischief.

Jorge jumped back, his eyes wide in fright; even his calloused hand reached behind him, ready to pull out his sword on instinct.

Zero chuckled and blew black smoke out of his mouth, covering Jorge's face. Jorge coughed, fanning his face.

"Well, I should've kept my mouth shut." Jorge finally settled down and gazed up. "You're not like the rumors are you?"

"That is?"

"Evil incarnate," Jorge replied with a straight face, "but I believe your friend over there behind you would fit that category quite well."

Zero swiveled, his head turned towards where Jorge had pointed; he looked at where Jorge was pointing. His golden eyes caught Valiant blowing black and green smoke evilly, leaving anyone in his vicinity unease. There were even a few low-level boar skeletons surrounding him like perfect guards he had summoned from the last battle. Each one had glowing green eyes, and ghastly smoke surrounded their body. Their bones clattered as they paced around Valiant as if they were nothing wrong. Unfortunately, these were the few that remained still alive until now.

Zero knew that until the skeletons were killed off, it wouldn't go back into the ground, so it continually followed its summoner unless personally dismissed.

Valiant, fitting perfectly into the role of a budding black dragon, the evil aura around him was a lot stronger than before; his black scales shimmered pitch black, and even his eyes had a hint of green that glowed eerily. Compared to Zero, Valiant's dragon was more devious and evil-looking than him, making Valiant a perfect candidate for an evil boss type of dragon. In addition, the walking boar skeleton amplified the scare factor around him.

"That is to be expected," Zero replied, knowing that black dragons leaned heavily into the darker elements of magic and power.

"And why does your other friend over there look like a Dragonic Jesus that came down from the heavens?" Jorge chuckled. He brought his large sword down with a loud smash, digging up a piece of the soil.

Zero understood what he meant about Sekka. Sekka was blooming into a majestic gold dragon; her scales were a mixture of a feather and snakeskin. She had the same tuft of feathers near her head, just like Zero, but it merged with the flow of her neck. Her horns became like antlers, while Valiant's were more jagged and sharp. Everything about Sekka was the natural beauty of light.

People, elves, and beasts naturally flocked towards her; her calm energy put people at ease and wondered at her presence. The word messiah was starting to fit Sekka without trying, but Zero knew better. Sekka was a whole different beast when she fought, and when she changed, enemies were bewitched by her presence while she ruthlessly killed them like the god of death.

"So, your point?" Zero tilted his head, not sure where this was going.

"You're smack in the middle between the two," Jorge replied with a chuckle. "She could be your angel that sits on your shoulder, while he could be the devil."

"I am a hybrid of gold and black, after all," Zero replied. "There isn't much difference between them to me."

"You're wrong."

"How so?"

"You feel more…. how should I put it… lawful good?" Jorge tapped the hilt of his sword several times, trying to think about what to say. "You get what I mean?"

"I think so?" Zero needed clarification. Those two words didn't even fit, and Jorge smashed them together as if they were supposed to be together like first-time lovers: awkward and strange.

"Good." Jorge grinned from ear to ear. "Well then, I'll stay near you as much as possible and enjoy every little bit of this exciting war to come."

"I see?" Zero wasn't sure what to say; he was just so eccentric and strange. He had never met and talked to a Troll player before. The majority of the elven population and the human population had very low numbers of Trolls in their city. Seeing a few of them walking in the town was just as rare as seeing dragons until now.

He knew that Trolls were quite aggressive: they raided, killed, and massacred monsters and sometimes even small villages if they were angered. Most of them weren't considered nice. Instead, they were quite ruthless, obnoxious, and loud. Those were the majority of NPC, while the players were three times worse than Zero had heard.

"Well then, let's see who will hunt the boss faster. You on?" Jorge grinned from ear to ear. "Or are you not a man enough to do it?"

"I'm a dragon." Zero coldly replied, "and the bet is on."

“Hahahahahahahahahaha!” Jorge burst out laughing. "Let the game begin." He reached over from behind and pulled out his large sword in front of him.

Both Zero and Jorge stood ready for the monster to come. The first monster that burst out of the thick bush was a deer-like monster. It had a brown tail, a large body that was twice the size of a normal deer, and antlers that were jagged and sharp were lowered as it charged. Half of its body was covered in a greenish silver scale that shimmered brightly underneath the sunlight.

Brown Tailed Kilin

Level 170

These deer are known for their speed and fierce territory fights. Its jagged horns are known to skewer monsters, and its heavy hooves have killed many foes. Watch out for their fire magic that they unsuspectingly like to pull off when their prey least expects it.

Jorge snorted, "Boring. Is this the best these monsters can do?" Then, with a swing of his sword, he rushed up and cut through the monster like butter, decapitating it without difficulty.

Zero watched with amusement at the rampaging green Troll that slaughtered the Brown-Tailed Kilin effortlessly.

Streams of Brown-Tailed Kilin stampede towards the army, with the other half veering towards

Zero. General Liam stiffened when he saw the monstrous Kilin that came running towards them at full speed.

"Fire!" General Liam commanded.

A burst of magic and arrows started to run on both sides, causing many Kilins to fall onto the ground dead. The remaining Kilin raced forward, not worried about the raining arrows and magic. Others pushed forward without a second thought, hoping, dodging out of harm's way.

With a loud bellow, thundering footsteps came in droves. Powerful waves of fire magic formed in their mouths and fired toward the army. A blast of hot heat flashed forward as the main force raised its shield, bracing from impact. Their shield glowed white as a surge of magic energy clashed against the fire magic, dissipating the energy upon impact.

"Hold the line!" General Liam shouted. His heavy sword was brought out, pointing towards the Brown-Tailed Kilins. "Get ready!"

The army tensed, their spears lowered. Then, finally, the thundering footsteps of the Brown-Tailed Kilin came close until they finally clashed.

Battles between the two forces clashed together with fierce force; they pushed back the

streaming force of Kilin that seemed to rush headfirst without much thought. Even when some jumped over the first defense, the soldiers behind them shot the Kilin down with their spears and swords.

When most of the Brown-Tailed Kilin started to head towards Zero, the army moved fluidly to accommodate the changing flow of the battle, pushing the Kilin back towards the main army. General Liam was doing a perfect job of directing his troops effortlessly. It was quite an eye-opening scene to witness how an experienced general moved his army through different battle tactics.

This time, Zero didn't engage in the battlefield. Instead, he stood his ground, watching General Liam and his friends push back the Brown-Tailed Kilin. Watching the movements of General Liam's tactic made him realize how simple but advanced his control of the battlefield was.

Compared to his plans, the battles he was watching now dwarfed his ideas in strategic flow by a large margin. Whenever a Kilin broke through the ranks and came running towards him, he would strike down the stray as quickly as possible without wasting too much time in the battle. He was conserving his strength for the battle to come.

Time quickly flew by as fifteen minutes of the battle continued. General Liam did a fantastic job keeping 95% of the Kilin away from Zero. Valiant and Sekka were already the leading driving force by being bait against the Kilin. The army and players started to center around them in the flow of the battlefield.

Sekka blew through Kilin with sheer power, while Valiant used his army of skeletons to hold off when there were too many on him strategically. Their partners watched over them and fought on their backs, keeping an extra pair of eyes behind them.

Agnes and Zeraph kept most of the strays back, helping Jorge where they were needed the most. These three were a powerhouse in their way, making them quite a devastating force.

What came crashing down through the open plains from the sky with one leap was a giant deer that was the same size as Zero. Flaming blue fire danced behind, blue, fish skin-like scales, and a single majestic horn that radiated with power. Its face and demeanor were majestic, like male stags; the scale coated its body around itself, keeping it safe from physical attacks. Blue flames danced behind its trails as it shouted back at Zero with a bellow.

Blue Tailed Kilin

Level 283

Boss type

Blue-Tailed Kilin is considered a fabled monster that has rarely shown itself to the world. It is considered lucky to see a Blue Tailed Kilin when it's blazing across the great plains; some cultures see them as a special guardian that protects their sacred land. Others see them as menaces that terrorize and eat all their crops in under a day.

Not only that, Blue Tailed Kilin is a direct descendant of the rare White Tailed Kilin that is considered legendary. Even though they only have a fraction of a White-Tailed Kilin's blood, it is still considered mythical. Many Heroes have challenged the Blue-Tailed Kilin for their horns but failed and died under their horns and hooves.

The Blue-Tailed Kilin started towards Zero with a heated glare; he snorted and bellowed out in a fury at stepping into its territory. Then, with a shake of its mane, it stormed with its head lowered. Blazing swirls of fire energy swarmed around its mouth as a stream of fire blazed forth, dousing its enemies with its flames. Soldiers and players caught up in its flames perished, burning from the holy fire that burnt them alive.

Compared to a regular Brown-Tailed Kilin, the Blue-Tailed Kilin's fire was as hot and powerful as Zero's flames. The plains quickly caught on fire, making the battle much more difficult to control. Mages were quickly dispatched to quell the fire with ice magic.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Zero saw the rampaging boss monster, causing havoc while attempting to get to Zero. He moved forward, roaring with a powerful cry.

Your dragon's roar has caused your enemy temporary fear status on the lower level Brown Tailed Kilin, lowering their power and speed by 5%.

Your dragon's roar has caused the Blue-Tailed Kilin to rage at the challenge you have issued. As a result, power and speed have increased by 5%.

Your dragon's roar has motivated your allies by 3%, increasing their power and speed.

The motivation of his allies blazed forward, giving them the extra boost to counter the Brown-Tailed Kilin with more ease. Zero and the Boss clashed head to head, their bodies entangled together in a battle of pure power. His teeth snapped forward, trying to dig into Kilin's neck, but the Kilin swiveled away, making him chomp only air.

His claws dug into the hard skin; he pushed forward, trying to get a stronger grip, but its scales made it difficult to grasp. Instead, his fingers kept sliding off the side. Finally, he had to twist out of the Killing's hooves and grab onto its horn. Then, he pulled Kilin's head into the ground with a downward force.

With a grunt, the Kilin crashed into the ground, its face smashed by the force of Zero's weight. A blast of fire shot out toward Zero's body. He took the full impact of the fire, but these scales protected him from the dangerous heat. All it did was warm his belly and lightly tickled his stomach.

The most fire that wasn't as powerful as his flames wouldn't be able to harm him. So far, no flame he had seen had even come close to causing him harm, whether it was holy fire, dark flames, or even regular fire.

Zero inhaled deeply, his stomach glowing orange, yellow, and red. Then, a breath of pure white fire burst out of Zero's mouth and slammed into the Killing's face. Heat flared outwards like a ravenous hungry wolf, devouring and melting the Kilin's scales slowly but surely. Compared to the Kilin's scales, the fire that Zero put out was five times stronger than any fire most monsters could produce.

The Kilin thrashed around angrily with half of its face melted off; a sudden surge of energy burst forth from the Kilin's body, pushing itself out from underneath Zero's heavy body. Zero was thrown back into the air and skidded across the ground.

With a shaky body, the Kilin pushes itself onto its feet. It burst forward, breathing fire out of its nose and mouth; a crazed look of anger doused its eyes, wanting to kill Zero under its feet.

Jorge bulldozed from the side like a battering ram, knocking the Kilin out of its straight line.

"Come on, you piece of filth!" He yelled in an ecstatic voice. His sword swung downward, attempting to cut off Kilin's leg.

The Kilin dodged out of harm's way as the blade came crashing downwards; its mouth opened up and blew a fireball at Jorge's large body. Jorge grunted, dove towards the side, and chucked his sword in one flow towards the Kilin. With a thump, the sword embedded itself into the thigh, creating a large opening wound. After that, blood flows freely like a river.

With a stumble, the Kilin faltered. Zero used the distraction that Jorge had created and got onto his feet. He quickly used this chance to lunge forward, using its claws to wrap around the blade that Jorge had thrown. He pushed downwards with a slam, causing the blade to pierce even deeper. The Kilin thrashed around angrily, waving its antlers toward Zero in an attempt to skewer him.

Zero had to use his other hand to push down the Kilin's head as the Kirin's flames turned the ground into hot molten lava, making the others who were helping difficult to come any closer. Even Jorge, who was about to jump back into the fight to get back his sword, had to step back not to get swamped by the lava.

Only Zero could hold his side without getting harmed by the Kilin's flames. For some reason, Zero felt like this fight was easier than the last boss; maybe it was because he was immune to the flames, or possibly no other mob monster was hindering his path. Still, his strength was slightly stronger than Kilin's, making this boss fight less interesting.

Even though he was putting his power into this fight, it wasn't as thrilling as the others. He wanted a bit more challenge, a dispute of power, strength, or even possibly a challenge of wits, but the simple, straightforward battle made it less interesting. He swung his claw, creating a straight line down its body.

His tail wrapped around its neck, preventing it from getting up. Instead, his stomach grumbled and growled as if he was feeding it. His head snaked in and latched on to its muscle, biting down hard. The sound of scales breaking free from his sharp teeth, blood gushed into his mouth as he ate his prey alive. He was hungry, and that was all that mattered at that moment. The feeling of ravenous hunger had started to take over again, as he had used up almost all of the energy he had gotten from his previous meal.

The Kilin let out a bellowed cry, surging its powerful head to its side, trying desperately to win against Zero, who was eating it alive. All Zero could think of was to fill his belly, which seemed to have a mind of its own. Bloodied, angry, and in rage, the Kilin screamed and screamed and screamed until its voice became a bleated whimper.

His allies that were watching were glad that Zero was on their side. Seeing him eating the boss monster made them in awe at the sheer power Zero had. A high-piercing screech sounded from above when Zero was to finish the Kilin. Monsters, soldiers, and players all temporarily stopped for a moment. Then, a black shadow came crashing from the sky like a comet. Dust and wind blew outwards, making everyone stumble backward. Even Zero was pushed aside by the rough turbulence of the wind, causing him to falter to the side.

This gave the Blue Tailed Kilin to get back on its leg weakly, half of its body clawed up or eaten, and blood surged downward, but even still, the Kilin didn't seem as if its life was over. Its horn lowered to the ground as it huffed and puffed out blue smoke angrily at the enemy before them. What stood between Zero and the Blue-Tailed Kilin was a small dark shadow curled up into a ball. Two large black feathery wings erupted outwards like a volcano, causing a large amount of wind to once again pick up.

The dark shadow unfurled itself into a small boy from its curled-up position. Enchanting black eyes, black hair, and porcelain skin stared back at Zero, who loomed over him. He was completely naked, and with a gentle hand motion, black swirls of energy twirled around his body, creating a soft material that turned into clothes.

A flowing white shirt and shorts were created, covering most of his body. With a yawn, the little boy woke up with an angelic smile, staring upwards at Zero. He pushed himself up from the ground, his wing flapped and tucked behind him. With a slight tilt of his head, he enchanted at least half of the people in the vicinity. Most people were dazed; they couldn't take their eyes away from the beautiful boy before them.

Something this unique in beauty, grace, and power was never seen before in the realm of the living. Many humans started to fall to their knees and pray to the divine, while the elves were shocked by the sheer awe of the angel's power that they couldn't resist but bow to their knees.

Even players had a hard time but started with tearful gazes and longing. Only a handful of players could resist the lure of the power. Zero, Sekka, Valiant, Reed, Zeraph, Leaf, Agnis, and Jorge were one of the few handfuls that were still up on their feet.

Zero couldn't help but feel the brilliant light that still washed over the little boy's body, giving him a calming feeling that numbed his mind. His internal battle had begun, and his mind was divided into two. Bow before the majestic angel or stand against the monster that meant more harm than salvation.

His feet shook, his muscles tensed, and even his head slowly started to sink downwards. Valiant and Sekka were halfway down into a kneeling position. Only Agnis, Zero, and Zeraph were the three that still partially stood.

Warning! Warning! Warning! A fallen angel had descended! Warning! Warning! Warning!

Red alert messages flared all around Zero and the players. Zero could tense up from the unexpected message; he knew he couldn't just run away when all his friends were present.

Do not bow, young Prince! A deep voice cut through Zero's mind, jarring him awake. The voice reminded him of the silver dragon that he once had met. He searched around, looking for the voice, but he couldn't find anyone. The power of light and darkness swamped his mind again, pushing him into the corner. He bites his lips. Blood seeped down his black scales. The young boy's nose sniffed up in the air, his head swiveled towards Zero, and with a large innocent smile, he let out a mind-numbing power.

Fallen Angel Belial

Boss Growth Type

Level ???

Title: An ex-messenger of God, the one without worth, the fallen angel that had sinned.

Belial is a fickle demon that can transcend dimensions between the higher, lower, and middle planes without difficulties. He was loved by God but fell from his demise. Nobody knows what the goals of a Fallen Angel are, but it is wise to stay out of their path.

The Blue-Tailed Kilin angrily spat out blue flames out of its nose and lowered its head. Then, with a mad dash, it ran forward, thrashing its foot in front of the little boy in an attempt to kill Belial.

Belial's beautiful smile turned into a scowl; he raised his hand and shot a blast of dark energy toward the Blue-Tailed Kilin. In one hit, the Kilin disappeared into oblivion. There was no trace of the Kilin that the army and the players had fought. Only the giant crater was before them, with many of the prairies lands gone.

Everyone was stunned at the sheer power that Belial used, they took hours to hunt down the Killing's health to half, but Belial decimated the Kilin in under a couple of seconds. Then, fear started to grip the people's hearts; they knew what they were up against was considered deadly. With one mishap or a sudden move, everyone was going to die.

Even Zero felt dread at this little boy's sheer power, and he knew they were dead. Hope has dashed away in a matter of seconds.

You have leveled up.

You have won the territory battle against the Boss Blue-Tailed Kilin. You have gained 70 miles of Blue Tailed Kilin's territory. All monsters lower level than you will not attempt to attack. All monsters 80 levels higher than you will issue a challenge to your territory. You cannot decline a challenge. This territory can be forfeited if you wish not to take over the territory. You can issue a challenge once again to the territory boss. All areas in green on your map are your territory.

Would you like to take over this territory?

Zero barely even spoke. His words were half mumble and half grunt, but the voice recognition took that as yes for some reason.

You have gained Blue Tailed Kilin's territory.

"Are you the Dragon Prince of all the Drezo Regalia?" The sweet voice of Belial rang clearly through the field. Everyone held their breath; they leaned closer to hear his enchanting voice. His gaze rested towards Zero with curiosity.

Zero didn't say anything; He couldn't; words were stuck in his throat, unable to escape.

Belial started to walk forward; people moved out of the way to let him through to be afraid or awed at his mere presence. "Are you the Dragon Prince?" He cocked his head to the side and looked up.

Swallowing hard, Zero took in a deep breath. He could say "Yes" with a half grunt and half exasperated gasp. He didn't want to lie or piss off the fallen angel. Right now, all he could think about was a way to survive.

"So, you are the dragon prince. I am Belial." Belial stated happily. He clapped his hand in front of him in excitement. "I don't need to go out turning every corner of Noriene to find you."

"W-what do you want?" Zero cleared his throat. He tried to sound brazen, but the immense power of Belial wasn't helping.

"Nothing really; I just came here to see what you look like and to deliver you a message." Belial brought his hand behind him, and he walked around Zero. "You're quite small for a dragon." He reached over, patted Zero's arm, and looked over his side.

"I'm not fully adult," Zero replied. Being an adult in dragon form meant he needed to have his first flight; his wings were still considered dwarfed compared to the images he had seen.

"I see. I had never met a young dragon without its wings. Though, I haven't met many dragons in the first place."

Zero couldn't help but wonder why Belial was here. It was just too random, almost as if Belial came here out of pure whim.

"Still, I remember your father and your mother. They were quite powerful for their kind." Belial nodded; he stepped backward and gazed up toward Zero. "I'll say it again; I came to deliver a message."

"That would be?"

"Simple, the Prince of demons is awakening. This time, he will collect all your dragonlings' souls and accomplish what he couldn't."

"What do you mean? Why collect our souls? What is he trying to accomplish? Why does he need ours?" Zero needed clarification. He knew that the dragon curse was from the Prince of Demons and that the history between the dragons and the demons wasn't the best. Wars were fought, and many dragons died in the battle for survival.

"Too many questions." Belial frowned. "I thought you dragons were smarter than this."

"I haven't lived for a long time, so I don't know my kind's history too well. It is in fragments of memories that are jumbled. Please clarify.

Belial crossed his arm in front of him; he wasn't happy about explaining anything. "I'll tell you this dragon. Your kind souls are special. They are the perfect catalyst to create powerful weapons and armor or even to revive the long-forgotten ones. Even I…" He gazed up towards Zero with greed, "wouldn't mind killing you to take yours."

Zero tensed up, and his belly started to glow blue with holy fire, ready to spit out if need be. "Try me, and I will fight you through my last breath. My kind is not cowards that will bow down to your threats." He hissed, he didn't know where this courage was coming from, but he was glad that he had it right now.

Belial stared at Zero, amused; he laughed, reeling over, clutching his stomach. Then, finally, he stopped and wiped away his tears. "Don't worry, dragon. Your soul is too young. When you are finally an adult, I'll check on your maturity. Maybe you can even help me with a couple of things."

Even still, Zero didn't relax. He knew that Belial could easily wipe him out with a flick of his hand.

"Is that all you came here to tell me? That the Prince of the Demons is waking up?"

"Yes, I just wanted to see your reaction and to see if it's worth talking to you." Belial nodded with amusement. "It seems I have found a new toy to play with." He flapped his wings, causing a whirlwind of air to gush outwards, hitting Zero squarely in the chest.

Belial shot up and hoovered up in the air, facing face-to-face with Zero. "Prince of Dragon, even though I have once fallen, I still do not want to see this world go into complete chaos. Destruction is fine, and manageable chaos is fine, but the whole world's obliteration is not something I wish for. Remember this Dragon Prince; not all demons agree with the Demon Prince." He gazed directly into Zero's eyes. "So decide, Prince of Dragon. Serve me as your new lord or die here."

Zero knew he had no chance of winning against Belial, but even still, his heart wouldn't allow him to bow to someone, especially if it was a fallen angel. Words automatically escaped his lips before he could pull them back.

"No." He replied with a quiet declaration as his words seemed to have more force than he thought. Everyone in the vicinity had heard what he had said, and they all held in a gasp. Even General Liam was one of the rare few to be half still standing up against Belial's pressure.

Belial floated in the sky, his eyes turned into a scowl, and his first started to ball up. "Are you sure that is what you want to say to me, the great Belial?" An excruciating powerful aura shot outwards from Belial's body, suppressing everyone into complete fear. Nobody could move or even lift their head.

Zero knew he couldn't back down anymore; Belial heard his words and knew that what he said wasn't easily taken back. Even he was on the edge of bowing his head downwards towards Belial into complete submission. It took everything out of him to stand still, even as his instincts and mind were a complete war zone, telling him to submit or run away. Even still, he persisted with all his might and stood his place: neither bowing nor moving. This infuriated Zero so that he couldn't do anything against the monster in front of him, and as time went on, his resolve got stronger and stronger.

"I wouldn't be so sure you will easily get away with that," Zeraph replied with a sharp tone of voice.

The overwhelming power was squandered as if it wasn't even there in the first place. Zero looked towards Zeraph in a complete daze at what Zeraph had said. Then, zero felt another more potent energy in his hand that rivaled Belial's. In that instant, Zero knew what Zeraph was holding, a Krustallos. Where Zeraph got the Krustallos, Zero didn't know, but he knew that the Krustallos that Zeraph was holding was even more special than all the other Krustallos that he had ever seen and held.

The pure power from the Krustallos was astronomical; he could feel wave after wave of light and dark energy slowly beating in a rhythmic beat, dazzling Zero's senses and putting him into a peaceful state of mind. Yet, even the sheer brilliance of the Krustallos was something he had never seen before; the stone wasn't completely black or gold. Instead, a perfect mix of both colors swirled together to create a unique pattern. In the center of the stone was a small pink color closely in the shape of a heart.

A nostalgic feeling was felt from the Krustallos; an instant memory of his mother's love and his father's strong presence spread out into his heart. He knew then what that Krustallos was. It was the legendary Krustallos that once protected the Fire Continent and the cause of the fall of the barrier since the invasion of the Landsharks.

A legendary Krustallos has emerged. Finally, you have found your parent's Krustallos.

Zero was completely stunned. He couldn't believe that Zeraph was the cause of the downfall of the barrier; how this was possible, he didn't know. The question was, where did Zeraph go to find something so precious?

"You can try killing him, but I'm sure you'll die before you even get a chance too." Zeraph confidently stated.

A swirl of powerful black and gold energy shot outwards from the Krustallos and swirled around Zeraph in a whirlwind. A monstrous size black and the gold dragon appeared over Zero, towering above him in their full glory. Jet black wings, dangerous sharp claws, and angry-looking spikes lined up on its spine, as evil green eyes, long neck, and tail thrashed around like a whip. A triangular face with an evil set of teeth opened up as green energy started to glow from its mouth.

Simultaneously, a majestic, angelic gold dragon slightly bigger than the black stood across from the black. Its beautiful, enchanting feathered wings, curvy body, and proud demeanor stood perfectly with its head held up high. Blue energy swirled around in its mouth and belly as power swelled in both dragons.

"How is this possible?!" Belial shouted in complete disbelief. "They should be dead!"

"Well, buddy. They're not." Zeraph grinned mischievously.

A blast of black and gold energy shot simultaneously at once toward Belial. Belial hurriedly raised both his arms to stop the force of both dragon blasts. Next, a powerful wave of dark energy shot outwards, competing head-to-head with both dragons, but still, he couldn't stop the blast of both dragons completely. Instead, the more he pushed, his arm slowly bent and eventually destroyed it altogether.

With a loud boom, the large shockwave of energy and air shot outwards. Everybody was thrown back onto their back. Even Zero tumbled backward and rolled a good distance away. When the storm of chaotic energy finally dispersed was when Zero was able to get up in a complete daze slowly.

The only one standing in the middle of the field was Zeraph, holding the Krustallos above his head like a trophy. Soft gold and black energy wrapped around him, keeping him safe. Belial was nowhere to be found.

Zero thought Belial was gone from that blast, but he was wrong. Instead, Belial was floating with an extra pair of wings. He was now fully grown into an adult form and looked even more breathtakingly handsome. What was surprising was that they were heavy wounds littered all over his body and all of his wings were in complete tatters.

"You have the Eternal Stone," Belial whispered, his voice strained as he gazed at Zeraph with a deep scowling look. "How? The Eternal Stone was lost."

"Never was." Zeraph wasn't too happy that Belial was still alive. The gold and black dragons started to power up again; this time, their attack energy was twice as terrifying as the first one.

"I'll leave." But, then, Belial sharply spoke, "I came here for only one thing."

Suddenly, an invasive telepathic thought hit Zero's mind. You are a lucky dragon. But, there is one more thing I leave behind with you: A message from the high one. You who are a resident of two worlds, even though you live in our world for a brief moment, remember this even in your other world, we demons don't always agree with the other demons bent on bringing The End. What point would that bring for us to enjoy the life that we have now? So, listen well, for there will be no second chance. Evolve, grow, and become stronger, for your battle has just begun. Belial's voice cut through his mind, stunning him temporarily. The battle for your soul will begin in the next five years when the Prince of Demon fully awakens. Until then, Dragon Prince, I look forward to that day when we meet again. You will choose to become my weapon or the Demon Prince's, for your faith has been sealed in heaven's record.

"With this, my mission is complete," Belial spoke out loud.

Zero needed clarification on what Belial meant. Belial flapped his wings and shot through the sky like a comet, disappearing into the sun. Everybody was silent as they watched him go. The two dragons shimmered and disappeared back into the stone, leaving Zeraph alone. The warm power he had felt from the stone was gone, making Zero feel empty.

You have received a Fallen Angel message.

Countdown until the Demon Prince awakening.

Four years and 156 days.

Zero felt excruciating pain on the back of his hand. Red and black fire dug into his skin, branding him with a strange mark.

Mark of Belial. Belial will come for your soul before the Demon Prince does. No one can erase this mark but Belial himself.

Zero wasn't pleased; he shook his hand, trying to see if it would get off. He even tried to scrap it on the ground, but nothing worked. Instead, he was annoyed at what had happened, but what got him more curious was how in the world did Zeraph get the Krustallos of his dragon parent's stone. All his hunger was gone, and he stared, speechless.