Chapter 290: Balance Tilting 2
Hisame's hands trembled as she watched the battle unfold. Her gaze flickered to Asher, her heart racing.
He couldn't do this alone. Not forever.
She tensed, ready to act—but before she could Lucy grabbed her arm.
"Trust my husband .He wouldn't do this if he wasn't confident in winning."
"But..." she trailed off, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
"You will only get in his way," Lucy added, her grip tightening.
Being told that so bluntly, she couldn't help but think Lucy was being too optimistic.
And then—the moment she feared happened.
Asher got hit. The slit-mouthed woman's attack landed, and this time, the single cut multiplied into hundreds, slicing into him in an instant.
'That's it. He's done for!' she exclaimed.
But then she saw it
Not torn flesh. Not blood.
Scales.
Dark and golden, gleaming dragon scales covered his back, barely scratched.
Asher didn't waste the opportunity. The second she recoiled from her failed strike, he moved—his foot slamming into her midsection.
BOOOM!
The impact sent her flying, crashing through the boiling swamp.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" the slit-mouthed woman quickly stood up and screamed, preparing to unleash her most powerful attack.
But he was already gone, and reappeared right in front of her.
Teleportation.
She was so focused on his overwhelming physical strength that she completely forgot he could do that.
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Panic shot through her. She had no choice—instinctively, she raised her hands, forming a defensive scissor shield around herself.
It was supposed to protect her. It should have saved her from any direct attack but...
"Flammae Caeruleae Infernae"
A chant reached her ears, spoken in a language she did not recognize, and the next thing she knew, blue flames erupted around her.
The fire burned so intensely that the air itself twisted, and in a matter of seconds, her metal shield melted like wax.
Horror dawned too late. The liquefied metal didn't just vanish—it dripped onto her, smothering her body like molten candle wax, drowning her in her own failed defense.
"NO!!!!!!" she screamed in panic, but the cry only made it worse—the molten metal seeped into her mouth, silencing her as it hardened.
Ironically, the shield she forged became her coffin.
It was another victory. Hisame and Lucy were relieved—happy, even—but Asher remained silent, frowning behind his mask.
The reason he used magic to kill the slit-mouthed woman quickly was because...
CRACK!
The swamp twisted, warping after its creator's death.
Boiling swamp water dried up, replaced by vast grasslands that stretched endlessly.
And above them, the sky transformed.
A massive moon loomed overhead, dominating half the domain and looking uncomfortably close.
Then, a voice—soft, sweet and melodic—echoed.
"I was late because I had something to attend to... and now I return to find my friends being slaughtered one after another. Aren't you being a little too aggressive? Did they really deserved to die?"
Everyone tilted their heads upward.
There, floating beneath the colossal moon, was a breathtakingly beautiful woman.
Her long, flowing white hair shimmered under the pale light, cascading down her back.
A pristine white kimono, embroidered with silver clouds, draped elegantly over her form, complementing the nine tails swaying behind her.
Kitsune had arrived.
Shuten sighed in relief. Now that the strongest general had arrived, the intruder could finally be dealt with.
He hated to admit it—but even if he went all out, he had no way of defeating his opponent.
"Now you will regret—" The oni stopped mid-sentence after his eyes landed back on Asher.
His aura changed, a golden radiance erupting from his body like a rising sun.
His robe burned away, vanishing into embers, revealing his bare torso—half-covered in obsidian dragon scales, streaked with veins of shimmering gold.
A sharp crack echoed through the battlefield. His mask fractured, then shattered completely as two massive horns pushed through, curving with an overwhelming presence.
Then, with a single, thunderous beat of his majestic dragon wings, it unleashed a shockwave that tore through the domain, making the very air tremble under his power.
"Kitsune, you will pay for all your sins," he growled, his voice rough and deep.
The emotions surging within him made him unstable—but at the same time, more powerful than ever.
"A dragon?" She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him.
Zagan was the only one she knew—but even he hadn't felt this dangerous.
And what was this feeling she sensed? Anger? Hate? Resentment? Killing intent?
All of it was directed at her—and it made her skin crawl, making her uncomfortable.
"Who are you? I don't remember offending you," she demanded.
"So you've already forgotten about me, huh?" He paused for a moment, his gaze locking onto hers.
"Don't worry, I'll make you remember after I beat you half to death."
He vanished, teleporting directly in front of her.
Kitsune's eyes widened in surprise, but she wasn't like the other generals.
Her body dissolved into light, shifting just as his fist tore through the air where she'd been.
BOOM!
His fist collided with nothing but empty space, but the shockwave rippled through the domain, shaking it violently—the force of the blow alone sent tremors across the entire realm.
Asher hovered in the air, his eyes narrowing as he watched her from a distance.
'That power...' he murmured, a flicker of recognition crossing his face. 'It's the same as that angel.'
The same being that tormented him from the very beginning.
It made him think that Kitsune was the one responsible for his mother's disappearance—and worse, her death.
But he couldn't ask her directly now because she could easily lie.
No, he needed to break her first, then dive into her memories to uncover the truth himself.
Clenching his fist, golden, red, and blue lightning began to crackle and danced around his body.
In his dragon form, he no longer needed to create a magic circle. His entire body became the medium, allowing him to cast powerful spells instantly, saving precious time.
Kitsune, sensing the rising danger, moved her tails into an offensive position, her body tense.
She remained wary of his teleportation, knowing he could strike without warning. It was clear he wasn't here to talk.
Even now, she couldn't understand why someone so powerful would come after her—let alone try to kill her.