Amazon Apocalypse 7: Chapter 21

The Chaos Raven was fighting Ted. Though I'd encountered him before through proxy, this was the first time I was meeting the Chaos Raven in person.

This bird had offered power to the man I knew as the Lich King. The infighting he'd caused had left San Antonio a broken ruin by the time I found it. He was less nosy than the other Chaos Gods, but I always got the impression that he was older and more powerful than his peers.

Worse, he wasn't alone. He'd brought along a small army of void creatures and eyeless cultivators wearing the same Pale Moonlight sect robes as the enforcer I'd been fighting.

Ted sent another hurried sound transmission directly to my ear. "Keep yourself alive and buy time. I contacted the other members of the Dragon Lodge as soon as these three appeared. Reinforcements are on their way."

Behind us, I could see the B-Grades falling back and scattering. Ted must have sent them a message too. From the looks of things, he planned to lead the Chaos Raven and the Chaos Serpent on a chase around the solar system, which would only end when the other A-Grade members of the Dragon Lodge showed up.

It was a good plan, and I agreed with his assessment. But fighting the Chaos Wolf and the Enforcer from the Pale Moonlight sect at the same time was hard enough for me. Ted would be trying to lead two peak A-Grades around. His role in this would be even more challenging.

Ted had been good to me. More so than Seraphyne and maybe even Jade, and for him there were no strings attached. The only reason he was out here was because we were looking for Adrian. I was increasingly beginning to suspect the whole attack on Glacia had happened because this Pale Moonlight sect was hunting Adrian too.

Ted heard what the Pale Moonlight enforcer said as clearly as I had, and I was certain he'd come to the same conclusion. Yet he hadn't turned his back on me.

What kind of son in law would I be if he died on this trip? I couldn't let him give the peak A-Grades the runaround. Not when I still had tricks of my own left to play.

I still had Living Paradox. Even if I made a mistake here I'd live to tell the tale. The Probability Engine I'd integrated into Doomseeker was also whirring at high speed, which was a good sign. The way that odd fate machine worked, the more the odds turned against me, the more powerful it became when it was finally able to twist fate in my favor.

What could I do? I knew where Seraphyne was, and she said she owed me a favor for awakening her. I could really use that favor right now. I knew where to find her, but not how to contact her, unless the System was willing to help.

I held the thought a moment, but no System prompt showed up on my end. Either the message was already sent her way or it wasn't coming.

Jade was someone I could contact as well, but only with her statue. I could get back home through Sanctum pretty quickly, but Jade would be a cultivator in System space, which might put her in as much danger as Ted was in when the Dragon Lodge reinforcements Ted called arrived in force.

No... I couldn't count on anyone else here. If I wanted saving, I'd have to dig deep down and do it myself.

Looking down at my arms, I saw the dragon scales had crawled up my limbs and replaced the skin there. My fingers now ended in talons instead of nails. How much worse could going a little further be?

I broke the seal containing my Chaos Dragon title. I'd contained it in the same way I'd contained the memories of Adrian's inherited soul. Breaking the seal resulted in something quite similar to what he'd probably experienced.

The transformation wasn't instant to me, though to any onlookers it would appear quite rapid. My body expanded and grew. My flesh was constrained for a moment by the A-Grade robes Jade had given me, and I managed to tear those off and tuck them into storage before the priceless fabric tore apart with the might of my transformation.

I'd already been slowly transforming into a dragon. It had been a problem with all my old Dragon Lodge abilities, and creating my Signature Skill, Incarnation of the Apocalypse Dragon, increased the danger tenfold.

Now, with my Chaos Dragon title, the transformation was increased tenfold again. This would be no ordinary draconification.

Thanks to Jade's teachings, I could even sense a bit of what was happening. My body was doubling in size with every passing moment, and that extra mass was manifesting itself from the Kindling Dimension. It was like the body mass of monsters that spawned in a convulsion of higher-dimensional energy. Conscious thought imprinted itself on the Kindling Dimension during that crucial moment and shaped the raw energy into something tangible and real.

But the impression of a dragon forming my body was more than a daydream or nightmare. Generations of research had gone into every Dragon Lodge ability, and then countless hours of my own efforts had gone into mastering them and transforming them into Incarnation of the Apocalypse Dragon.

Then there was the mysterious Chaos God titles. The Architects crafted these special titles as a means to dole out unique privileges, responsibilities, and powers to a select few within the System. The responsibilities part of the title had long since faded away, but the work the Architects had done had not. Their image shaped my new form as well.

Last but far from least was the dragonbone rapier I held in my hand. Jade had given it to me, and once upon a time it had been the rib bone of an Apocalypse Dragon, the very species I was transforming into.

It writhed in my hands, and I knew without looking that life had been breathed into the ancient bone once again. The sword served as an anchor for my changing form, making my transformation into an Apocalypse Dragon a certainty.

Reaching A-Grade must have been a tipping point in an Apocalypse Dragon's evolution, because as my memories from when I transformed on Ladwick returned, I realized I was far bigger and stronger than before. The Torchdragon I'd rallied an entire army to slay back home would have looked like a puppy next to my new body.

Last time, I'd been nothing but a juvenile. Now I was an order of magnitude larger, dwarfing the Chaos Wolf and the Chaos Raven in size. The Chaos Serpent was probably still longer than me, but a fraction of the mass.

With the extra size came greatly enhanced vitality, strength, and mana reserves. I was still a spellcaster at heart, but from the raw physical abilities of this new Apocalypse Dragon body, you wouldn't think so. Before, I'd blacked out as soon as this occurred, but now my mind was stronger, and more of it survived the transition. Some of the human part of me went to sleep, but for the rest of me, being a dragon felt good.

Dark black scales covered my body, each as sturdy as my Doomblade armor. I was massive now, and every inch corded with powerful beastly muscle.

My wings spread across the void, each shifting with darkness like a pair of enormous Eldritch Blight portals. Corrupting Marks poured out across the new arrivals. Not all the Pale Moonlight sect newcomers proved as resistant to the corrupting energy as the Pale Moonlight enforcer, and a few of them broke out in welts and blisters.

Several of the cultivators ordered a huge pale crab-like void monster out in front to shield them, but it only hid me from view as I switched to dragon breath.

This spell was also far more powerful in draconic form. What had previously been a torrent of licking flames from my human mouth was now more like an endless tide of all-consuming magical fire.

The energy was so thick and hot that it seemed to draw space itself in as fuel. If we were on a world, the terrain around us would be shrinking as it was consumed in flame. As it was, everyone on the battlefield was drawn closer together as the space between us was consumed. Though they tried to run, many of the Pale Moonlight sect newcomers and their beasts were drawn into my flames.

"A damnable Apocalypse Dragon! Hurry up and kill him! If the System decides to do it for us, we'll have dozens of A-Grades showing up here," the Chaos Serpent hissed.

The Chaos Raven squeaked in confirmation and eyed me with keen intelligence. Then, both of them attacked.

Both were peak A-Grades, and even with the boost from utilizing my Chaos Dragon title, I shouldn't have been a match for either of them in a direct confrontation. And yet the dragon that had awoken within me refused to back down.

Lofty draconic arrogance burned hot in my chest. So what if they were a few hundred levels higher than me? So what if they were ancient peak A-Grades with spells of immense power with who knew what tricks? I was a dragon, and the world was mine to do with as I pleased.

Deep down I knew this was my new biology talking. This line of thinking ran counter to my normally cautious nature. But like a teenager with new hormones running hot through his brain, I could hardly stomach the thought of backing down.

I charged forward, traversing the battlefield with one beat of my wings. The Chaos Serpent curled like a viper poised to strike. Two fangs extended from his mouth, and a cloud of poison filled space around us. Some of the Pale Moonlight sect people got caught in the cloud, and instantly their flesh boiled and melted away.

My scales were made of sterner stuff and shielded me from the worst of the effects, but beneath them my muscles and sinew still burned and blistered. Not that I cared.

The attack that came from the Chaos Raven was by far more powerful. Dark symbols filled the air, and I had the distinct impression of fate magic at work. The Probability Engine I'd been charging all this time froze in place, like the gears were grinding against one another.

The enigmatic symbols touched my scales and sank into me. At first they seemed to do nothing at all, but before I could put them out of mind a sense of deadly crisis welled up within me.

It was like every cell in my body was dying all at once. My vision darkened as the cells in my eyes went through necrosis at great speed. Despite death rapidly approaching, the unyielding and furious will of a dragon forced the dead flesh to keep working anyway. Such a solution would only last so long, but I didn't fear death, only defeat.

I rushed forward anyway. The Chaos Raven darted out of reach, but my jaws sank down on the long and sinewy body of the Chaos Serpent. My teeth sank into his scales and dug in as more hot flame burbled in my jaws.

"Get him off me!" the Chaos Serpent demanded. But he'd receive no help. Ted used the opportunity I gave him to charge several powerful spells. While the Chaos Raven had avoided my attack, Ted struck him with a barrage of powerful magic that sent feathers flying in all directions.

I let out a low rumbling laugh as I tore free a chunk of the Chaos Serpent's side. My body was blackening and withering away, but I didn't care. The Chaos Serpent writhed and twisted to wrap around me, dragon against serpent. It was clear the Chaos Serpent wasn't used to fighting this way and tried to conjure another cloud of poison for me. But I'd ignored the last one when my flesh was healthy and whole. Now that most of my body was already dead, it had even less impact.

He curled around my arms and legs as I ripped into his flesh and took chunks out of him with every bite. Despite my assault, the Chaos Serpent didn't reach his age and level by folding at the first sign of pressure. He realized his poison magic wasn't working and rapidly switched tactics.

He reared back and let out a roar of his own before conjuring several more traditional spells. Beams of crimson and black light wrapped around me, shredding away my protective scales and exposing the blackened flesh beneath them. Pieces of me fell off and were torn away, and soon I was on the edge of life and death. If this continued much longer, I would die for sure.

But that was exactly what I was waiting for. I knew it would take far greater skill than I had to fight a peak A-Grade like this, but I could borrow that skill from the System.

Living Paradox activated, and in an instant my perilous situation reversed. I felt myself pulled from my body, and for a moment my human senses returned.

I realized what a terrible risk I'd taken by allowing myself to be transformed into a dragon. My draconic half was untamed, wild, and impossible to control. In that state, I'd already chosen to sacrifice my life-saving ability in exchange for a single powerful blow.

But the gamble I'd made as a dragon soon paid off. I watched myself in dragon form, and the flesh I'd devoured stirred within me and kindled new vitality in my dead flesh. Draconic will filled my body with vigor and health that strained the dark characters the Chaos Raven had sunk into my flesh, and with an exertion of unconquerable will my dragon body threw the death magic off and shattered it.

Off to the side, the Chaos Raven let out a pained caw. The moment of inattention that resulted let Ted hit him with a burst of bright light.

But most of my attention was on the Chaos Serpent, who was still casting spells at me. My scales glimmered and shifted, changing from black to darker than the blackest night as some unknown ancient working of mana converted them from ordinary scales to something like a physical counter spell.

The magic washed against my scales and was absorbed, converted into raw mana, and then gathered back up for a titanic retaliatory attack. I roared and fire blossomed in my mouth once again, this time focused in a tight laser beam that swept through the Chaos Serpent's neck and sliced his head clean off.

The rest of his body thrashed limply as I tore free. Meanwhile, the Chaos Serpent's head gasped, spasmed, and twisted as he focused his magic on staying alive. Mere beheading wouldn't be enough to kill an A-Grade, but he'd be reduced to a strictly magical fighter for the rest of the battle, even if he could salvage the rest of his body.

The effects of Living Paradox ended and I was back in my body, though thanks to that moment thinking clearly while outside it, I felt more in control. I'd done enough damage and needed to fall back, no matter what these damn dragon instincts said about retreating.

The decision was made for me when Ted's promised reinforcements finally arrived. The Dragon Lodge was coming in force. Several ships arrived at the edge of the System all at once.

None of them were as fancy as the one Ted and I took into the System, but I recognized a few from the battle over Glacia. Large contingents of the Dragon Lodge must have still been mobilized after that disaster, so it didn't take long to rally an army.

A quick scan of the mobilizing forces revealed seven A-Grades. None of them were peak A-Grades like Ted, but none of them were weak either.

This had become a true battle, with both sides clashing in force. But it wasn't an even fight. The Dragon Lodge held a decisive advantage in numbers and firepower, especially when accounting for the fact that both the Chaos Serpent and the Chaos Raven were wounded.

Naturally, the Chaos Raven and the Chaos Serpent saw the way the tides had turned and moved to retreat. My eyes scanned their forces and I realized the Pale Moonlight sect enforcer and her allies were being used as living shields. Whatever alliance bound their groups couldn't have been a strong one.

But the Pale Moonlight sect enforcer was my prey. I'd nearly slain her before, and now I planned to finish the job.

I swept over the battlefield. Several of the Dragon Lodge A-Grades hurriedly moved to intercept me, but they must have gotten a message from Ted not to attack. I ignored them and swooped down on the Pale Moonlight sect enforcer. She tried to defend herself, but I shredded through her weak barriers with fire and claws.

I swept low, teeth digging into flesh, then chomped down on her like I'd seen so often with Sharky. She squirmed in my mouth and tried to escape, but fire bloomed in my throat again, burning away space before she could flee.

A moment later she was dead, and I was just a tiny bit less hungry. I realized Sharky was on to something. I really ought to eat my enemies more often. It was a much more reliable way of killing them than what I did as a human. Why had I been so scared of draconification anyway?

With the Dragon Lodge present in force, the fighting would end soon. I heard Ted's voice in my ears again.

"Carter! Carter Smith! If you can still hear me, turn back now. I'll help you reverse the draconification process again," Ted said.

He sounded worried, but I wasn't sure why. And I could hear him just fine. But that didn't mean I was going to listen. Why exactly would I want to stop being a dragon? I was strong in this form. I was powerful and unstoppable.

Granted, I still had people I knew and loved who would be hard to love back in dragon form. I'd turn back temporarily just for their sake.

Later. After I'd had my fun.

For now, there was a wolf who'd escaped me once already. He wouldn't escape a second time.

The Chaos Wolf limped away, trailing behind the other Chaos Gods. They were all wounded, but he was slower than the others.

"Serpent! Raven! He's after us!" the Chaos Wolf warned.

But in their flight, the other two Chaos Gods ignored the Chaos Wolf.

I let out a low, rumbling cackle when I saw the fear in my prey's eyes. How many times had he looked at me thinking he was the predator?

I pounced and talons and teeth tore into flesh. I shredded the wolf to nothing, then shredded what was left. For all he did to torment me, he died with a whimper.

Behind me, I could still hear Ted calling to me. Nearby, the Dragon Lodge and his soldiers defeated the surviving Pale Moonlight sect members and were celebrating their victory.

I ignored them all, but turned away from pursuit of the Chaos Raven and the Chaos Serpent.

Moments ago, I'd caught a scent I'd been searching for ever since we set out from Glacia. My dragon nose sensed fate and mana, and on those currents of fate and mana, I felt several things calling to me. One was in the distance, but another was near at hand.

That other was Adrian. He was close, and if I trusted my instincts, they would lead me to him. There was no reason to hesitate. I flew through the void, following Adrian's trail.

<Note>

Alright so one more chapter! This will be my fourth attempt to end this arc in just one more chapter, but we can pretend those other times didn't happen. I thought the Adrian stuff would could tie into this battle, but it needs its own scene, which will happen next chapter.

Next chapter is the end for real though! It shouldn't be a cliff hanger and will be a good place to stop.

See you on Wednesday, then break!