Chapter 683: What Will It Be?
"You see, Ryuk..."
"Your search for your body parts isn't a conscious decision. It's a decision born from helplessness."
"If you don't go after the Knull Calamities, they'll find you. And when they do, they'll take everything."
"That new family you think you have? It'll be snatched away. And you'll be forced to watch their brutal execution."
"You're not proud of your identity? Well, right now, it truly doesn't hold much value, but..." he paused, staring Ryuk dead in the eye,
"It's not like you have any other choice but to embrace it, do you?"
"What would turning away from it get you, if not the same death and suffering?" he asked, watching as Ryuk simply chuckled humourously, though it didn't stop him from Knullic{The Knull Ryuk} from continuing.
"Remember, Ryuk, you're not a man of choice."
"Replace us with that new bloodline, and maybe you'll laugh for now."
"But the 6th Knull Calamity will find you at your peak—and you'll fight him, and fuse with your body parts."
"We'll return and damage the new bloodline, weakening him… and weakening you."
"When you face the 5th Calamity, you'll be even weaker than when you fought the 6th."
"And what will be waiting for you then is…"
"You already know."
"Hmmm," Ryuk hummed silently.
"If you somehow manage to still defeat the 5th Calamity, then you'll fuse your body with it, and we'll just be back once more..." he said, this time chuckling.
"And if we still don't defeat you then, we'll reappear when you get your part from the 4th Calamity, and then the 3rd... and the 2nd."
"And when it comes to the 1st Calamity—you'll never be able to defeat him without us consciously behind you, fighting alongside you."
"So... without us, your absolute fate is still death!" he added, letting the words sink in.
"So..." Ryuk said, drawing their attention.
"So, if I embrace this reality of being a Knullic-Dragon, all that awaits me is one fucked up situation after another..." he said, pausing to let it sink before continuing.
"And if I decide to turn my back on it all, what still awaits me is the same death and suffering, huh?" He ended, chuckling darkly, and the Knullic Ryuk nodded.
"Yes, that's what it means to be helpless."
"And without us in the equation, that suffering just doubles tenfold and seals your fate."
"You really think you can threaten us because of some stronger bloodline you know nothing about? One which you aren't even sure if it will try to aid you, or destroy you?"
"That's naïve."
"And remember—your identity as the son of Theth'Vorgath is what gives your existence any importance at all."
"Oh, really?" Ryuk asked, voice carrying newfound interest.
"Yes. If you weren't born to such powerful parents and didn't possess us..."
"If you weren't half-Knull and half-Jade Dragon, then what would you be, if not nothing?"
"The Knull Calamities chase you because you possess something important—and that importance is birthed from having us."
"Without that, you'd be nothing worth chasing or desiring." He said, and a throne materialized behind him as he reclined, copying Ryuk's posture.
"So...what will it be, Ryuk?" he asked.
Silence descended on the room as Ryuk's gaze slowly turned from the Knullic dragon before him to Draco, and he saw, even the Jade Blue Dragon remained silent, something that was easy to interpret as a silent approval of Knullic's words.
"What will it be..." Ryuk echoed, his lips mimicking the words, and the expressions of both Ryuks before him changed completely as the chairs beneath them crumbled to nothing.
They took steps backward in fear.
"What will it be?" Ryuk asked, exhaling deeply, before he reclined deeper into his seat.
And then, it rang out.
That cursed word—
"Activate: Beyonder Dragon!"
The instant the words were spoken, Ryuk watched as Draco—who had been slowly backing off—instantly had the white path in his arm light up brilliantly, radiant with milky white power.
And an instant later, Draco's eyes followed, lighting up with an incredibly bright milky white light.
His claws reached for his own neck, but halfway, they paused. His head slowly dropped, along with both arms.
He remained standing there, helpless, but the Knullic Ryuk turned to him, whispering desperately.
"You need to fight it, Draco. You can't let it overtake you!"
SWEEERRVVEEE!
BAAAAMMMM!
The hand swerved sideways with horrifying speed, slamming into the Knullic's face.
He was blown away with terrifying force, crashing into the throne room's wall and shaking the soul place with the impact.
For a second, the new Draco rose fully upright, his milky white eyes turning first to Ryuk—who remained unmoving on his throne.
He stared at him emptily, before slowly turning his back to him.
A being coated entirely in red flashed forward with speed, but it didn't head for the new Draco.
It phased through the void, avoiding him, and an instant later—
CLAAAAANG!
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Shockwaves tore through the throne room.
The scene that followed was unbelievable.
Resting just an inch from Ryuk's face was a crimson-scaled claw, one inch away from cleaving off his entire head.
But it had been halted.
Why?
Because in its path was another claw.
A white-colored scaled claw that had stopped the Knullic strike dead in its tracks.
And that claw belonged to Draco.
But the current Draco now had the last bit of his jade-blue scales turned fully to white, making it impossible to tell just who was who.
"Tch," the Knullic Dragon clicked his tongue as his other claw swiped toward Draco's head with renewed speed.
But then—
CLAAAANG!
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The White Draco blocked again, stopping it dead once more.
A flex of strength surged between them as claws locked and eyes met.
The ground beneath both feet cracked to pieces from the flex of power, a deep and wide crater quickly forming beneath them and extending for meters, but the struggle didn't last more than five seconds before one of them was heaved up his feet, skyward—and then—
KAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOM!
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos