Chapter 265: Power Piercing Through Worlds
Now that they had met face to face, Rowe had no intention of letting Fafnir return.
It was not because Fafnir had once been his dog. That was true, but it had not happened on this worldline.
The current Origin Universe had converged almost all living worldlines, but the dead ones were excluded. If it were not for that exclusion, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others would not have been ignorant of his name in the first place.
In the end, the Origin Universe functioned as a filter.
It occupied the entry and exit points of the Throne of Heroes. Every Servant summoning had to pass through the Chaldeas built upon the Phantasmal Tree foundation in the Origin Universe. The Heroic Spirits of the Origin Universe used that summoning process as an opening, occupying the corresponding Servant summoned by other worlds, and thereby converging the aspects of their different selves across different worlds.
It was a process of returning to origin through oneself.
Making oneself the origin of the Origin Universe, and thus transcending the limitations of being merely a Heroic Spirit.
But dead worlds could not be converged before Rowe rekindled their sparks.
If one tried to converge Servant aspects from dead worldlines, the death information would contaminate the essence of the Origin Universe's Heroic Spirits. That was unacceptable.
So only a near hypothetical Servant like the young Artoria could reach a place like this.
And only Rowe dared to directly converge his own self from a dead worldline.
He was here to seek death anyway.
"If I cannot gain the chance to ascend to the top layer of the Throne of Heroes after dying inside a dead worldline…" Rowe's eyes narrowed as he watched the fleeing dragon. "Then maybe accumulating enough death can achieve the same effect."
Stopping Fafnir right now was for that purpose.
For death.
Yet it seemed that even though Fafnir did not recognize him in this worldline, the dragon still understood what he was.
The layer of Holy Son authority that enveloped Rowe when he descended was enough to make the evil dragon feel instinctive terror. That was why, the moment Fafnir sensed Rowe's presence, it fled without hesitation.
Across the central plains of France, the wind screamed.
The pitch black giant dragon tore through the sky. Countless people below looked up at once, staring into the heavens.
They saw the evil dragon.
And they also saw the figure chasing it.
A slender silhouette, black hair whipping in the wind. Ancient robes fit close to his frame, their hem fluttering behind him. There was something strangely sacred in that posture.
And also something cruel.
Like a saint.
Like a sinner.
Like the one who bore the sins of all humanity.
"Roar!"
Fafnir's roar was panicked and disordered, nothing like the evil that once ravaged lands and brought endless ruin.
Instead, the one chasing him looked more like the true demon king.
"It really is him…"
Inside Chaldeas, Romani Archaman stared at the image Ritsuka transmitted. Relief rose first. Then, right behind it, came a headache.
If it was that person, then how was he supposed to handle this?
No matter what, King Solomon had always been an expert at retreat.
"Chasing the evil dragon Fafnir…" Da Vinci commented at the perfect moment. Even knowing who had manifested, she could not stop herself. "Just what is that dragon?"
Romani's mouth twitched.
"It is simple." He tried to sound casual. "In front of him, who can even claim to be evil?"
After all, that was the Son of Heaven. The incarnation of the Lord on earth, bearing the sin of humanity, dying upon the cross.
Roar. Roar. Roar.
On the plains, Fafnir's roars grew sharper with each breath.
Because he could feel it.
The one behind him was getting closer.
"Senpai…"
Ritsuka snapped out of her observation when she heard Mashu. She looked sideways at the girl beside her in combat gear and tilted her head.
"What is it, Mashu?"
"Is that person… really trustworthy?" Mashu hesitated. She could not be as carefree as Ritsuka. Rowe's origin was unknown, and she still did not understand his identity in this world.
"It is fine. Do not worry." Ritsuka grinned.
She did not truly know either.
Yet she had an inexplicable trust in Rowe, in that figure.
The red haired girl raised her thumb, her clean white teeth flashing.
"My intuition is always accurate."
"Fou." Fou, in Mashu's arms, raised his furry paw at the same time, as if giving his own approval.
"Oh? As expected of Fou, you felt it too?"
"Fou."
"Yes, yes, that is right."
"Fou."
"…!"
Mashu stared at the conversation between human and beast, stunned for a beat, then she suddenly smiled.
If Senpai said so, then she would trust him.
She tightened her grip on the shield and looked up, watching the figure chasing the evil dragon through the sky.
The day was a vast blue, and the clouds that should have drifted lazily had long been shredded by the winds stirred by black wings.
Fafnir turned his head, glancing back.
His golden dragon eyes reflected the figure behind him.
Closer.
Clearer.
More and more unavoidable.
Boom.
A tremendous crash rang out.
Fafnir's gigantic body slammed into a high bulging hill ahead with a violent tremor. The slope tilted. Sand and rock poured down in a roaring mudslide.
It was fortunate that this was open wasteland.
Otherwise, that single impact would have caused mass casualties.
As dust rolled and thinned, Rowe stood atop the broken hill, looking forward.
Fafnir lifted his head. Sand slid from black scales. The dragon head atop the long neck stared at Rowe, golden eyes full of fear.
But he did not try to flee again.
Because he could not.
Rowe was already in front of him.
And Fafnir understood something with painful clarity. If he dared to turn around now, that massive body would be pierced through in an instant.
"Do not panic." Rowe clapped his hands. "Panicking is useless."
"Come. Let us fight one on one."
"Kill me, and you can leave."
One on one?
Fafnir nearly choked on the thought.
One on one my foot.
Do not think I do not know how terrifying your fists are.
Yet he also understood that this time, he might not make it out.
He was a dragon.
He was proud.
Proud enough that even fear could not make him disgrace himself in front of death.
So he forced his posture straight, lifting his head, spreading his wings with deliberate steadiness.
"Very good." Rowe clapped again, smiling. "Now you look like yourself."
The evil dragon of Norse myth.
"Why did they stop?" Mashu, using her enhanced strength, carried Ritsuka to higher ground. From there they could clearly see the hill where dragon and man faced each other.
Inside Chaldeas, Da Vinci's confusion deepened.
"Judging by their stance, do not tell me he plans to fight the evil dragon with his bare hands?"
A certain legend surfaced in her mind.
A certain religious myth.
Romani's eyebrows twitched.
"I am afraid that is exactly what he is doing."
Roar.
The pause lasted only an instant.
Fafnir struck first.
His abyssal maw opened and expelled dragon breath. Scorching pitch black molten lava tore through the air, bridging the gap between them.
Dragon breath in front.
Wings behind.
The moment the breath formed, Fafnir's wings beat. A black storm exploded outward. His lowered body surged forward, and sharp claws followed the breath, tearing toward Rowe.
Front and back.
Two layers.
The battle instinct of an ultimate dragon species produced a tactic refined to brutality.
If Rowe blocked the breath, he would face claws before his power settled.
If he dodged the breath, Fafnir's massive body could engulf him in an instant.
Roar.
The dragon's roar alone could make ordinary people collapse.
The pitch black lava was already upon him.
Advance, or retreat?
"Does that even need thought?" Rowe clenched his fists. Power swelled through his limbs at once.
"This kind of power will not knock me down."
He planted his feet, twisted his waist, and raised both hands.
Like a fighter standing in an ancient arena.
Muscles surged, hardening like mountain stone.
Retreat?
Not a chance.
A man meets the front head on.
Even if it is lava, he will push it back.
A thunderous vibration rang out.
Fafnir froze mid lunge.
He wanted to retreat, but it was too late. There was no space left, no time left, no margin left.
So he could only watch.
The pitch black lava breath halted as if it had struck an invisible wall.
Then, forced backward.
The breath he exhaled was shoved straight back onto him by Rowe's bare hands.
Roar. Roar. Roar.
The result of driving one's own spear into one's own shield was obvious.
Fafnir was blasted back by his own breath, crashing down the slope again.
Lava scattered, then cooled into blackened rock.
Rowe exhaled and lowered his hands.
Jacob's Limbs.
The ultimate technique attributed to the wise man Jacob in old myth, where a mortal wrestled a divine being and did not yield.
In Rowe's hands, it became absolute.
Even dragon breath could be sent back.
The cooled lava cracked. Fafnir, pinned beneath it, raised his head again.
His wings spread wide. His long neck rose high. His pitch black scales now shimmered with dense flowing light.
His golden eyes bled into red, like molten metal.
Fafnir was enraged.
He knew the strength of the man before him. He knew he might lose.
But being forced to eat his own breath was humiliation beyond tolerance.
Anger. Rage. Frenzy.
It burned like fire.
"Fafnir's magical energy is rising…"
"It is past the threshold."
"Is he about to display full power in an era where Mystery is declining?"
In Chaldeas, Da Vinci and Romani's expressions turned heavy at once.
If the Holy Son had descended in full, there would be no doubt.
But a Servant was always a facet, never the full body.
And what Fafnir was displaying right now was the dragon at his peak.
The ultimate dragon whose power could cover a nation.
The ultimate evil dragon.
"Senpai, stand behind me."
"Fou."
Mashu raised her shield. The light it unfolded blocked the dragon's pressure the instant it surged. Even if the Singularity was unstable, this defense would not fail.
The sky darkened under thick clouds.
The vortex of magical energy nearly condensed into something tangible.
Thunder rolled.
Lightning tore through the air like fangs.
"It seems Fafnir is in trouble…"
At the core of the Singularity, at the top of the Paris castle, the Dragon Witch crossed her arms against the wind. Her brows lowered slightly.
Jeanne d Arc, summoned by the Counter Force and racing toward the presence she sensed, also paused. Golden hair fell like clear crystal, and her face tightened into seriousness.
The evil dragon was enraged.
The evil dragon was also triumphant.
"O Saint…"
"I have found your weakness."
The dragon's terrifying magical energy pressed down, but it was not a simple offensive surge.
It was a curse.
Fafnir had indeed found Rowe's flaw the moment Rowe moved.
A flaw within the Servant's Spirit Origin itself.
"The curse you bear. The curse of carrying the world's sins."
Fafnir grinned. Molten gold eyes shimmered like lava.
The Holy Son summoned through the Holy Shroud did bear the sins of the world. In scripture, the Holy Son's death was described as taking the sins of humanity upon himself.
Humans, of course, were not born condemned.
And no god had the right to stand above mankind as judge.
But a Servant was a crystallization of legend.
Rowe wore that legend like a cloak.
When sin became a curse, it became misfortune.
A lethal misfortune.
That was what Fafnir was doing now.
The ultimate dragon species was, in essence, a curse. The dragon slayer would be cursed in turn.
Fafnir was the phenomenon of that curse.
Naturally, he wielded it.
Fafnir was triumphant.
Rowe was also satisfied.
Was that not exactly why he had prevented Fafnir from fleeing, why he had deliberately exposed the weakness in this Spirit Origin?
Of course, at least on the surface, Rowe remained calm, fitting the saintly mask. He did not flinch.
"O evil dragon."
"I only hear your wailing."
Roar.
Fafnir surged again, this time confident of victory.
Rowe clenched his fist and advanced.
Then he stumbled.
Rowe, who had just taken a step, tripped over his own footing.
Misfortune manifested.
Fafnir grinned wider and wider as he charged.
Then he froze.
Because an overwhelming pressure erupted from Rowe's tilting body.
Before Rowe even hit the ground, the earth itself trembled.
Mountains shook.
The sky wavered.
It was as if the world could not bear the weight of him falling.
Fafnir's mind went blank.
Run.
Run for your life.
There is no escape.
The evil dragon was swallowed by the shockwave of Rowe's fall and sent flying once again.
The already fractured hill collapsed completely.
Cracks shot outward for miles.
A booming roar rolled across the land. Dust and smoke rose high enough to cover the sky for dozens of meters, visible even from far away.
"Romani…" Da Vinci's hand holding her coffee went stiff. "What was that?"
Romani did not answer.
He only stared at the display.
On Chaldeas, the France Singularity began to crack.
Top to bottom.
Left to right.
A Singularity cracking, merely because someone fell flat.
…
Romani's throat tightened.
What exactly had they summoned into this war?
...
[TL: Check out my newly Released fanfic]
[TITLE: Starting in One Piece with Vector Manipulation]