Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

"Give up. I am empowered by the spirits of the more than 80 million victims of the Black Plague. You cannot hope to defeat me."
Though revealing information related to her origin could place her at a disadvantage, Black Percher wanted to see Sandora despair. Many of the spirits comprising her existence had been burned alive or cremated after death, so while flames were effective against her, they also served to stir the anger and resentment of her constituent spirits. These were the very emotions that powered her Divinity, so, the more pain and misery she was forced to endure, the more powerful Black Percher became.
Indicative of this, Black Percher's body was slowly yet visibly maturing. At the beginning of the fight, she resembled a girl no older than ten. Now, as a result of Sandora's attacks, her height had increased from around 131cm to 143cm. Her figure hadn't changed all that much, but it was beginning to show the signs of transitioning from a prepubescent girl to a teen.
Noticing the changes in her opponent's body, Sandora narrowly evaded the massive, 50m long scythe that attempted to bisect her at the waist. In the same motion, she stabbed her trident into the space next to her, the tip completely disappearing into the void as she asked, "Why are you attacking my Community? With power like yours, you could have gained a foothold in the Outer Gates. It doesn't make sense for you to antagonize a Floor Master in your debut as a Demon Lord..."
Furrowing her brows, Black Percher dissipated her giant scythe, replacing it with a pair of sickles attached to chains. Instead of attacking, however, she began to retreat backward, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized the glistening golden trident in Sandora's possession.
In an attempt to cut off her opponent's path, Sandora formed a seal with her left hand, shouting, "I don't think so...!" as rings of fire formed around Black Percher's biceps, ankles, and neck.
Feeling the weight of her body increase by several orders of magnitude, Black Percher clicked her tongue as her dress spontaneously burst into dark purple flames. When they faded away, a rather stylish suit of black and purple armor replaced much of her previous outfit. The top was a form-fitting black breastplate that left her shoulders exposed. As for the rest, it consisted of black tassets that followed the contours of her skirt, a pair of black greaves with rather prominent heels, and a head guard that protected her neck, cheeks, and chin but left the rest of her head largely unprotected.
Dissipating the sickle in her left hand, Black Percher reached up to grasp the collar of fire around her neck. She still had her oversized sleeves, but a black and purple gauntlet came into view as she tore away the ring with a simple tug.
"You dare try to collar me...?"
Since her opponent had previously ignored her, Sandora responded to Black Percher's question by cutting her fingers towards the ground. The rings around her arms and legs caused her to fall towards the city streets as Sandora removed her trident from the void to reveal its tip glowing like the core of a star.
One of the 'secret techniques' Sandora had learned from Vahn was how to absorb energy directly from the void. There were places where Elemental and Spiritual Energy simply didn't exist, at least not in a tangible form. The void, however, provided a functionally infinite supply as it was a domain of endless reserve. It was just very, very difficult to access, much less use.
"Though I'm sure you have your reasons, I cannot allow you to endanger the lives of my friends and companions! Take this...!"
Though she managed to get out quite a few words, the interval between the start of Sandora's attack and the moment she stabbed her trident into Black Percher's chest was only 0.00000003 seconds. She could go much, much faster, but she was holding back to try and limit the damage to her surroundings. Each of the buildings encircling her was someone's home or place of business; Sandora didn't want to destroy their hard work.
With this in mind, Sandora controlled the energy released from her trident to pierce nearly Black Percher's breastplate, body, and 3km of the ground beneath her. The ambient temperature increased to the point that several buildings caught fire, but that was promptly resolved thanks to the storm incited by Black Percher and her Stroms.
Grabbing the shaft of Sandora's trident, Black Percher rasped, "So long as our grudge remains...we will never perish..."
Instead of refuting Black Percher's words, Sandora nodded her head and said, "That may be. Unfortunately for you, this trident wasn't made to take lives..."
Punctuating her words, Sandora twisted her trident as if she were turning a key. To Black Percher's immense shock, there was no pain produced by this action. Instead, she felt as if all the power had drained from her body as Sandora removed the trident to reveal unblemished, fair white skin and an intricate tattoo resembling a keyhole.
"Vahn is far kinder than you can imagine. He imbued this trident with four different enchantments. The first, Mercy Strike, ensures that even a fatal blow would always leave an opponent with enough life to recover. As for the other three, the most relevant to this situation is its ability to seal the power of people it otherwise would have killed."
No longer injured, Black Percher attempted to leap to her feet, but the weight of her armor prevented her from so much as sitting upright. The material appeared thin and form-fitting, but even her gauntlets weighed as much as 60kgs. With her strength reduced to that of a pubescent girl, all she could do was glare at Sandora as she shouted, "Don't think this is over! You may have defeated me and destroyed my Stroms, but I've been releasing my miasma throughout the city for weeks! Unless you can clear the game and restore the light of the Sun, it's only a matter of time before my pestilence claims every member of your Community!"
Though she furrowed her brows, Sandora didn't take the teary-eyed Demoness's threat seriously. Vahn would never allow something like a plague to run rampant throughout the city. Even if it took days for them to complete the game, there was no danger of anyone dying or surrendering to escape illness.
Believing in the man, no, the God she had spent the last seven and a half years living with, Sandora repeated her earlier question, asking, "Why did you target my Community? Even if there was a personal grudge between us, attacking with Vahn present was incredibly foolish."
Snorting through her nose, Black Percher attempted to turn her head but found the action impossible due to her headguard. Her only option was to avert her eyes in a vain attempt to evade Sandora's line of sight.
"..."
Realizing her opponent wasn't going to reveal anything of her own accord, Sandora briefly considered her options before calling out, "Vahn? Can you hear me?"
Hearing Sandora talking to herself, Black Percher was about to ask if she had gone soft in the head. Before the words could leave her lips, however, &nbsp;the space next to her wavered as Vahn appeared out of thin air, a relaxed smile on his face as he answered, "Of course."
Not expecting Vahn to appear directly, even Sandora was surprised until she realized the reason, asking, "Did you predict this outcome...?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn casually replied, "The rules prohibit killing. I also know you're not the type to strike someone down without knowing the motive behind their actions..."
Shifting his gaze away from Sandora's, Vahn briefly met Black Percher's carmine eyes before pulling out a blanket, covering her body, and adding, "Your subordinates, Ratten and Wesser, have already been defeated. Are you certain you wish to continue this farce...?"
Adopting a glare that was more cute than terrifying, Black Percher replied, "So long as I draw breath, I will never cease seeking revenge against all those related to the Sun. No one deserves to receive the Sun's grace after what we were forced to experience...!"
"Mmm...is that so?"
Crouching next to the enfeebled Demoness, Vahn disregarded her literal hissing as he placed his palm on her abdomen. There was a thick blanket, a thin layer of armor, and a dress separating them, but his hand was able to pass through all of them before sinking into her body directly.
With a wave of panic washing over her, Black Percher's breathing began to accelerate as she anxiously exclaimed, "Wh-what the hell do you think you're doing!? Get your hand out of there...!"
Without ceasing his actions, Vahn asked, "If our positions were reversed, would you listen to my pleas? Or would they simply make you excited...?"
Though the only sensation she felt as a result of Vahn's invasive actions was a feeling of warmth spreading through her abdomen, Black Percher did her best to writhe about as she exclaimed, "You...you don't know what you're talking about!"
Even with her Divinity sealed, Black Percher was so used to speaking the truth that she didn't consider lying. Instead, she was doing everything in her power to avoid answering Vahn's questions. If he knew the truth, that she would delight in every moment of his suffering, she had no doubt he would return the favor in excess.
Seeing through the panicking Demoness's thoughts, Vahn had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he used his Godhand and Hands of Nirvana to purify the amalgamation of negative energy encompassing and polluting her Divine Core. He was unable to change her nature as a Divine Spirit of Vengenace, but he could easily purify the negative energies contained in the 80 million Spirits comprising her. He had done something similar with Weiss, and she had well over a billion...
Feeling a warm and fuzzy sensation permeating her body, Black Percher gradually ceased her struggles. She had no clue what Vahn was doing, but, whatever it was, it wasn't painful. In fact, it was feeling better with each passing moment. As outlandish as it sounded, it evoked the distant memory of the time when she would rest her head against her mother's lap, the warm rays of the Sun beating down on her as a cool breeze blew over the meadow where they frequently picnicked...
In a markedly calmer voice than before, Black Percher listlessly inquired, "What are you...doing to me...?"
Retracting his hand from Black Percher's body, Vahn's smile softened as he replied, "I'm fulfilling the sincerest desire you and the eighty million Spirits within you have harbored these past seven centuries. I'm healing you..."
Despite the indescribably pleasant feelings permeating her body, Black Percher managed a severe pout as she softly complained, "You have no right..."
Without missing a beat, Vahn ruffled the petite Demoness's purple hair as he retorted, "I have about as much as your right to infect others..."
Unable to avoid Vahn's palm, Black Percher's pout amplified as she tried, in vain, to snap at him with her small but prominent fangs. With her horn-like hair accessory vaguely resembling the ears of a cat, she gave off the impression of a stray yet declawed kitten. She was very, very aggressive, but ultimately harmless...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The bad guy, moments before their defeat: "You cannot hope to defeat me!"','Black Percher's behavior reminds me of that 'very angry frog' meme...','Now she is going to be running around like Eula, screaming, "Vengeance!" without any genuine animosity xD...')

"What are you going to do with her?"
Since she couldn't imagine Vahn going out of his way to kill someone that looked like a child, Sandora was curious about what Vahn intended to do. What she didn't expect was for him to answer, "You're the one that sealed her powers. Once this Gift Game has come to an end, she, and the rest of her Community, will be your responsibility."
Furrowing her brows, Sandora uttered a conflicted, "Nn..." as she looked at Black Percher.
Even if it were her decision to make, Sandora knew there would be many within her Community petitioning for Black Percher and her subordinates to be brought to justice. The lightest punishment they could expect was a public execution. In the event Salamandra intended to make use of them, they would either spend the rest of their immortal existences as slaves or something much, much worse...
Seeing the glimmer of pity in Sandora's eyes, Black Percher squinted her own, saying, "I don't need someone like you to pity me. We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to face a Floor Master. Also, the Gift Game has yet to conclude. If your people cannot reveal the truth, it's only a matter of time before members of your citizenry become agents of Grimm Grimoire Hamlin. Deciding what you'll do with me after the game is simply arrogant..."
Though her words had lost a fair amount of their bite, Black Percher was still serious about subsuming Salamandra and seeking vengeance against all beings related to the Sun. Her feelings of urgency had waned, but she wasn't going to simply abandon the purpose she had carried with her for nearly seven hundred years.
Exhaling a sigh, Sandora resisted the urge to inform Black Percher that a subset of her Community would willingly torture her and her companions for information. A Royal Family couldn't govern for thousands of years on purely good intentions. She had previously ignored it at the behest of her brother, but Sandora was well aware of Salamandra's dark underbelly.
Turning to meet Vahn's gaze, Sandora asked, "What if my decision was to leave the members of Grimm Grimoire Hamlin to the Aldrnari Empire?"
"Hmmm..."
After 'briefly' considering his response, Vahn answered, "I'm not entirely sure that's the best decision. However, if it's the one you've decided, I'm not going to refuse."
Tilting her head to the side, Sandora asked, "What do you mean...?" with an adorably confused expression on her face.
Before Vahn could explain how certain people would accuse him of either staging the attack or protecting the culprits, Black Percher interjected, a severe and pouty expression on her face as she said, "I refuse! I would rather rot away in prison than become that man's pet...!"
Recalling how Vahn had unabashedly stabbed his hand in her body and caressed her head, Black Percher didn't want to be anywhere near him. Not because his actions had caused her pain or discomfort, but because they made her feel fluffy and giddy. She didn't really know how to put it, but Black Percher was sure she would eventually 'lose herself' if left in the care of Vahn. It had only been a few minutes since their initial encounter, but she already found herself questioning whether or not her vengeance was justified...
Feeling offended on Vahn's behalf, Sandora's expression morphed into a similar pout as she asked, "What's so bad about becoming Vahn's pet? If you did end up in prison, your treatment would be much worse. I'm not in a position to issue blanket pardons, so there is a good chance you would end up being tortured and mistreated just to assuage the people's anger. Is that really the fate you want for you and your friends...?"
Though her complexion paled, Black Percher managed an impish grin as she confidently asserted, "Your threats don't frighten me...even if your Community did want to torture me, neither you nor that man would allow it. Despite his unmatched power and authority, everyone knows the Sage Dragon Emperor is a soft-hearted fool. So long as I promise never to harm any women or children, you'll have no choice but to let me walk free..."
Raising his brows, Vahn inquired, "Women and children? I can understand people associating me with children, but women as a whole? That doesn't sound like me."
Snorting through her nose, Black Percher regained a bit of her confidence as she asserted, "Even if you send someone flying or slice them in half during a Gift Game, it doesn't matter unless you hold them accountable after the fact. Unless they went out of their way to antagonize you after the fact, I doubt you've ever actually killed a woman."
Though quite a few names and faces came to mind, Vahn didn't think it would help his situation if he spontaneously listed off all the people he had killed over the years. Instead, he adopted a deadpan expression as he said, "You're behaving pretty brazen for someone within easy petting distance..."
Before Black Percher could ask him what the heck he was talking about, Vahn cupped the sides of her face, gently massaging her cheeks with his palms as the tips of his fingers kneaded her fringe and scalp.
"Wh-wh-what do you think you're doing!? Get your grubby little hands off of meeeeee-!?"
Feeling a pleasant shiver run through her body, Black Percher summoned power she didn't know she possessed, breaking free from Vahn's clutches before promptly sinking her rather prominent canines into the surprisingly soft flesh of his hand.
Without attempting to pull his hand away, Vahn's expression softened as he said, "There is another option...give up your revenge, and I'll allow you to reincarnate into a world where you'll never have to endure the pain and anguish of disease. I can even send you back home...to a time when your mother was still alive, and your father cherished you..."
Furrowing her brows, Black Percher removed Vahn's hand from her mouth but kept a hold of it as she stated, "I didn't need the Princess's pity; what makes you think I need yours? I don't know what you did to me, but I owe it to the 80 million Spirits that gave me form to pursue my vengeance until the very end. Whether or not I'm able to obtain it doesn't matter. Until the Sun has repented for its crimes, I will never stop trying to make life more difficult for those who enjoy its splendor..."
As if it were the most natural thing to do in the present moment, Black Percher punctuated her words by sinking her teeth into the index and middle finger of Vahn's right hand. His blood was a lot sweeter than she expected, so even though it earned her weird looks from both Vahn and Sandora, she continued to shamelessly suckle his fingers with a 'serious' expression on her face.
Shaking his hand in a casual and ultimately vain attempt to extricate his fingers from Black Percher's maw, Vahn's expression became wry as he asked, "Enjoying yourself...?"
Instead of answering Vahn's question, Black Percher attempted to bite down even harder. When she did, Vahn's fingers spontaneously gained an immaterial quality as he pulled them free, ruffled her hair, and said, "Only people I'm especially close to are allowed to suck my blood."
Clicking her tongue, Black Percher averted her eyes, grumbling, "Only an idiot would want to be close to you..."
"If you say so..."
Retracting his hand from Black Percher's head, Vahn turned to Sandora and asked, "What are you going to do now? I've already neutralized the miasma that has spread throughout the city. We're still trapped, but the danger has largely passed."
Hearing Vahn mention he had neutralized her miasma, Black Percher's face formed into a scowl as she shouted, "Impossible! Even if you have a Gift related to purification, there's no way you could have prevented the spread of the pestilence without a Domain! You must have cheated...!"
Shaking his head, Vahn's expression softened as he explained, "While the rules you came up with were pretty comprehensive, there was something you failed to account for..."
Adopting an intense glower, Black Percher waited for Vahn to continue, her brow twitching when he explained, "The rules prevented the creation of Domains but said nothing about Domains already in effect. Though, to be perfectly honest, that wouldn't have prevented me from stopping the spread of your miasma. My control over all forms of energy far exceeds the common sense of this world..."
To make things easier for Black Percher to understand, Vahn created a mass of purple-black energy in the palm of his hand before promptly purifying and converting it into a ball of pristine white fire. When she saw this, the petite Demoness's carmine eyes briefly glazed over as she softly muttered, "You really are a monster..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn promptly crushed the ball of holy fire in his palm, saying, "Call me what you will. I've rarely concerned myself with the titles others impose upon me. I am who I am, the person I choose to be."
Shifting his attention back to Sandora, Vahn waited for her to answer his previous question. Fortunately, she immediately understood the meaning behind his look, explaining, "I left the evacuation up to my brother and the members of Salamandra. Interrupting it partway through would just cause chaos, so I intend to return to the coliseum to wait for Izayoi, Asuka, and Yo to return."
Though he knew Izayoi had been watching them from the shadows for quite some time, Vahn simply nodded his head in response to Sandora's words. He had already resolved to let her and the No Names handle this particular incident, so, after thoroughly mussing Black Percher's hair, he kissed the petite Dragoness before whispering into her ear that he would be waiting for her back at the Palace...
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High in the sky over Kouen City, far beyond the invisible boundary that denoted the city as a Game Board, was a woman with bronzed skin, two-tone black and blue hair, reptilian eyes, and a truly remarkable physique. Her outfit did very little to conceal her form, but the thing most people would take notice of was her inordinately long and thick tail, a meaty, pitch-black appendage set with glowing blue spines.
"Pathetic...how could a 5-Digit Demon Lord be defeated by a brat that still smells of milk? It's no wonder the higher up are so desperate to do away with the Demon God. The power of recently manifested Demon Lords is a complete joke..."
Snorting through her nose, tufts of blue, flame-like energy emerged from the woman's nostrils as similarly blue, circuit-like lines began to spread across her body.
"Well, not that it matters..."
With an intense blue light emanating from her throat, the bronze-skinned woman adopted a smile that caused the sides of her mouth to crack. Two rows of razor-sharp, distinctly crystalline teeth came into view as the blue ridges along her tail began to pulse, minute spatial cracks forming around them due to the phenomenal amount of energy contained within.
"You'll all die, just the same..."
Immediately following the woman's words, massive, three-pronged wings erupted from her back as a complex, halo-like magic circle formed behind her. The energy condensing in her body reached the point that her entire chest had gained a prominent blue hue, highlighting the bones and organs within as she arched back and prepared to unleash a full-powered Dragon Breath.
If nothing appeared to hinder her, the draconic woman would have been able to erase the entirety of Kouen City from the map. The moment she attempted to unleash it, however, a vice-like promptly covered her mouth, suppressing the breath within as a very unamused Vahn asked, "What do you think you're doing...?"
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Salamandra has more than a few skeletons in its closet...','Black Percher is just one dragon meat away from falling..."','Not today, b*tch (O w O)...')

Sensing her connection with Wesser and Ratten weaken, the Leader of Grimm Grimoire Hamlin, Black Percher's face formed into a pout.
"This must be the result of the Sage Dragon Emperor's influence...how troublesome..."
Despite her words, the pout of Black Percher's face formed into a fierce smile as she raised her hands to her sides, the fabric of her inordinately oversized sleeves dangling well past her hands as she said, "No matter. Once the pestilence takes hold, not even the Sage Dragon Emperor will be able to prevent us from accumulating allies."
By the time Black Percher was finished speaking, a large volume of black mist had started to flow from the ends of her sleeves. At the same time, the 14m tall, vaguely ghost-like golem she was standing atop raised its arms and began releasing tempestuous winds from the holes adorning its body.
"Let's see how quickly you come begging me for a solution...!"
Propelled by the winds of the golem, a type of Intermediate Wind Spirit known as Strom, Black Percher's black mist began to spread through the city. To make matters exponentially worse, at least for the inhabitants of Kouen City, several other Stroms, encircling the city, raised their arms to generate massive storm clouds overhead. Their purpose was to create a localized natural disaster and strain the Salamandra Community's ability to respond to and treat the plague that was secretly spreading as a result of Black Percher's mist.
So long as they could make the residents of Kouen City lose hope, the ranks of Grimm Grimoire Hamlin would steadily increase until they were able to subsume the entire Gate. At least, that's what Black Percher, the Demon Lord of the Black Plague, was hoping would happen...
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Seeing the clouds gathering overhead, Sandora's expression darkened nearly as much as the sky as she muttered, "There is a foul stench in the air..."
Though she wasn't entirely sure what the enemy was planning, Sandora had always possessed a remarkable intuition. The Gift Game prevented her from using her power and Authority as a Floor Master, but she could still sense 'something' dangerous to the West.
"Mandra, brother, take charge here. I will go and confront the enemy directly."
Hearing his sister's remark, Mandra wanted to argue, but Sandora had already taken to the sky like a bright orange meteor. Since he could not fly without the aid of a Flying Drake or Wyvern, he could only furrow his pronounced brows in concern, whispering, "Please keep my sister safe..." before continuing to direct the evacuation...
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"Hmmm...?"
Though Mandra hadn't invoked his name, the sincerity of his request allowed it to reach Vahn's ears. He immediately shifted his attention to Sandora and the group plotting to steal her regalia, but the latter hadn't made a move.
Realizing the true motivation for Mandra's request, a moderately amused smile developed across Vahn's face as he whispered, "I suppose an older brother must worry about his younger sister..."
Hearing Vahn's remark, Shiroyasha responded with a soft, "Nn..." without opening her eyes or liberating herself from his embrace. She was keeping tabs on everything, just as Vahn was, so she knew that Sandora wasn't in any immediate danger. Rather, due to the ring adorning her finger and the crown atop her head, there was very little her current opponent could do against her.
Vahn may not have planned for the Demon Lord's attack, but his concern for his loved ones gave them an absolute advantage against anyone that relied on poisons, diseases, and things like mind control...
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Reaching her destination in seconds, Sandora immediately noticed Black Percher standing atop one of her Stroms, asking, "Are you the one behind this?"
Instead of answering Sandora's inquiry, Black Percher squinted her eyes and said, "Sandora Doltdrake...Leader of Salamandra and Floor Master of the North. You are brave to approach me on your own...brave, yet foolish."
Punctuating her words, Black Percher raised her hand and sent a column of black mist towards Sandora. The latter was going to scatter it with her flames, but this ultimately proved unnecessary as the mist dispersed into motes of pure white light the moment it trespassed within 5m of her.
"..."
"..."
Following a brief pause, Sandora smiled as she held up her left hand to reveal her glowing engagement ring, teasing, "Sorry, Miss Demon Lord, but the power of love protects me."
Visibly cringing, Black Percher's expression formed into one of disgust as she raised both arms and shouted, "Then you'll have someone to mourn you...!"
Instead of a hazy black mist, two dark-purple 'beams' erupted from Black Percher's sleeves. It was basically the same attack, but this time she had empowered it with her Spirit Energy.
Though she believed in the power of Vahn's love, Sandora's instincts were telling her to dodge. Her ring may be able to purify the miasma, but it had absolutely no effect on the kinetic energy contained within the blast.
Demonstrating her quick reaction speed and her extraordinary flexibility, Sandora practically pirouetted around the beams of purple energy as she brought her fore and index fingers to her lips. When she opened her eyes, Black Percher could see they had formed into thin slits as Sandora's lungs filled with a phenomenal amount of Fire Elemental and Spirit Energy.
Realizing the danger she was in, Black Percher promptly abandoned the Strom, her figure appearing to flicker out of existence just as a veritable tidal wave of bright orange flames enveloped her previous position. This may sound like an exaggeration, but it was a very apt description as the flames didn't immediately disperse. Instead, they washed over the wall and spread along its surface like napalm as Sandora swept her breath in the direction Black Percher had dodged.
"Damn brat...!"
Seeing Sandora's flames sweeping towards her, Black Percher waved her hand to create a wall of luminescent, brackish-purple mist. It managed to prevent the breath from washing over and consuming her; but, due to the inherent purification properties of flames, the wall was quickly dissolving away as a loud, hissing sound emanated through the area.
Putting even greater pressure on Black Percher, Sandora's expression became severe as she increased the amount of Spirit Energy she was channeling into her breath. The plume of flames erupting from her lips began to contract until, less than a second later, a high-pitched whirring echoed across the entire city as her breath condensed into a laser-like beam of light.
Though she dodged at the last moment, Black Percher's expression paled as Sandora's breath cut through the protective membrane of miasma and pierced her side in an instant. The wound healed almost instantaneously, but the pain was comparable to having a white-hot skewer stabbed into her abdomen.
Evading the subsequent sweeping of Sandora's laser-like breath, Black Percher's thought process briefly stalled when she noticed the orange-haired Dragoness wasn't aiming at her. Instead, her breath was cutting through the Stroms that had encircled the city like an unreasonably hot knife through butter.
Feeling something 'snap' inside of her, Black Percher charged towards Sandora rather than producing her trademarked black mist. Her actions were so unexpected, at least from the perspective of Sandora, that the latter's breath practically exploded in her face as she narrowly evaded a sweep from oversized metallic claws that had emerged from within Black Percher's sleeves.
Demonstrating she wasn't just a long-range combatant, Black Percher's body blurred as she quickly entered within Sandora's range, her forehead striking the startled Princess in the nose.
Intending to take advantage of the moment when Sandora instinctually grabbed at her face, it was Black Percher's turn to be surprised when the former grabbed her wrists and returned a headbutt of her own.
Despite her delicate appearance, Sandora was still a Dragon. She had also accumulated a tremendous amount of experience training with Vahn and fighting to save the world, so it would take a lot more than a headbutt to disorient her.
A stark contrast to Sandora, Black Percher had just recently manifested in the Divine Realm. This was the first fight she had ever been in, so, despite knowing she shouldn't, she ended up covering her face and nose as tears built in the corners of her eyes.
Thinking her opponent was trying to mislead her into lowering her guard, Sandora ignored Black Percher's tears and planted an explosive fist into the petite Demoness's gut. Black Percher's durability was nothing to scoff at, but she ended up being blasted back hundreds of meters and through numerous buildings. When she subsequently charged out of the cloud of dust and debris caused by her union with the ground, a part of her gothic-style dress had been burned away, revealing a charred yet rapidly healing cavity in her stomach.
"You're going to pay for that...!"
Surprised by her opponent's shrill and indignant scream, Sandora was nearly grazed by the tip of the skyscraper-sized black spear that had erupted from Black Percher's sleeve. In the very next moment, however, she grabbed the shaft of the spear, her fingers sinking into its surface as she spun around and swung both it and Black Percher into the city wall.
"Gwak...!"
Impacting the wall at a bad angle, the air was forced from Black Percher's lungs as her back and body contorted in a way that would cause anyone who looked upon her to inhale sharply. Her nature as an amalgamation of more than 80 million Spirits made her practically immortal, but it was still a frightful sight to behold.
Accompanied by the unbearable sounds of bones popping and breaking, Black Percher quickly reverted to her original form. Her complexion was ghastly, and a few beads of sweat could be seen beneath her brow, but her fighting spirit hadn't waned in the slightest.
"Just you wait...every ounce of pain you inflict on to me...I will return it to you a billion-fold..."
Flaring her hands outward, Black Percher manifested a pair of pitch-black wings formed of purple-black miasma. At the same time, matching black katana blades erupted from her sleeves as she charged towards Sandora like a beam of eerie black light.
Compelled by her instincts, Sandora teleported away from the trajectory of Black Percher's attack just as the enraged Demoness carved two 30m long rifts in the void. Her speed and power had drastically increased, so much so that Sandora could feel goose pimples breaking out across her body as she muttered, "You're not a Demon Lord...you're a Divine Spirit!"
Instead of responding to Sandora's outburst, Black Percher adopted a malicious smile as she generated a massive scythe and sliced it toward the befuddled Dragoness. Sandora responded by manifesting an ornate golden trident, but she was still sent crashing into the ground like a tiny, Princess-shaped bullet...
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"Hmmm...I expected the Floor Master of the North to be a little stronger. Could she be holding back for the sake of the city...?"
Responding to the golden-haired beauty's words, a masked female knight with long, pure white hair tied together by a black ribbon asked, "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, my Queen. But shouldn't we be helping out?"
Dismissively waving her hand, the golden-haired beauty, more famously known as Queen Halloween, answered, "No. According to our agreement with the Demon of the White Night, we will not intrude unless the Demon God awakens and proves too much for the Sage Dragon God to handle. If that happens, I'll be relying on you to help protect the civilians."
Though she didn't like the idea of just standing around, the masked knight nodded her head in response to her Master's words. Fortunately, Sandora still had a lot of fight left to give. In fact, much like Black Percher, she was just getting warmed up...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Black Death? More like Body Odor...!','Fun Fact: All of the Demon Lords that appear in the Mondaiji Anime are Lolis...','Sandora emerges from the rubble, blood trickling from beneath &nbsp;as she points her trident at Black Percher and shouts, "Ban...kai...!"')

Chapter 2283: Power Overwhelming