Hero of Darkness

Right when the future seemed bleak and Kahn was forced to make a decision that would bring dire consequences regardless of which choice he made… the strongest being in the entire Nadur Empire made her appearance.

"We bow before your Majesty!" spoke Maximus and made a kneeling gesture while floating in the sky.

Kahn aka Atreus didn't even get to glance at her properly before he had to avert his gaze down as he knelt.

"Leave this place. It's an enemy even you, a chosen Hero can't handle." she commanded.

Right behind her, Juno also appeared and informed.

"All the civilians and soldiers have been relocated 500 kilometers away by her majesty. Everyone is safe now."

"You three…" spoke the Empress and before Kahn could even life his head, all three of them were enveloped by a golden world energy and traveled even faster than light speed.

In just two seconds, all three of them were sent 80 kilometers away from the battle, to an entirely new region.

"Ugh… I still can't believe it even after experiencing it by myself. She used the same method to transport more than 15 million people at once. And it took only 12 minutes because of their great numbers." said Juno who was leading the evacuation when Maximus was fighting Cherufe.

Her words brought great comfort to Maximus but terrified Kahn.

To move millions of people 500 kilometers away even with warships would have taken a couple of days. Yet the Empress, who was an 8th-stage Saintess, did it in just a dozen minutes.

And not a single one of them was harmed or suffered any aftereffects despite traveling 500 kilometers at such great speed.

Just how strong were 8th-stage saints to be able to do that without using skills or formations like Teleportation and not hurt a single individual among them?

[If you're impressed just by that much, then you will drop your jaw when you meet a 9th-stage saint.] taunted Rathnaar.

[Her skills are good. I approve.] spoke Vildred from true dimension.

Kahn quickly used Horus Eyes ability and increased his vision range by 30 kilometers adding on his own range of 25 kilometers.

BOOM!

But before he could take a glimpse at the Empress' face, a massive golden lightning bolt erupted from her body and parted the sky and sea.

SCREECH!!!

An ear-deafening screech resonated in 30 kilometers radius, causing hide tides and uprooting thousands of trees situated beyond the seashore. Many boulders and peaks were flattened to the ground as the Empress decided to reveal her true form against Varuna, the Superior Sea Dragon.

Atreus, Maximus and Juno shuddered on the spot and froze up in sheer terror as another terrifyingly large and domineering existence came into sight, the being that was cause for this destruction aka the Empress manifested into a godly existence.

In the sky, hovered a ginormous serpentine creature with two large black feathered wings that spanned 3 kilometers in length alone.

As though the world had come to an apocalyptic end and the gods themselves were exacting divine retribution, a torrential downpour of golden lightning bolts rained down from the heavens, obliterating everything within a 30-kilometer radius.

At the center of this devastation was a monstrous, serpentine creature stretching 20 kilometers in length. Its jagged teeth and four massive fangs served as harbingers of death, while its head was adorned with a crown of hundreds of lustrous brown feathers. Its dark brown, hexagonal scales were decorated with shimmering golden patterns, covering its entire body in a fearsome sheen.

The creature's arrival brought forth destruction and chaos, leaving nothing but ruins in its wake. Its mere presence evoked a sense of doom, as if the world was coming to an end.

The onlookers like Kahn could barely make out the Emperess' height since she was floating as if she owned the sky while golden lightning ran across this 20-kilometer-long body.

[Is this a True Descendant?] wondered Kahn.

[System, give me details.] he ordered.

[The being in front of the host is the direct descendant of the Godbeast Basilisk with highest bloodline purity among all the descendant species.

Also called as the Kukulkan.] reported the system.

Kahn had his eyes widened in shock after this report.

[You mean the Feathered Serpent God also called as Quetzalcóatl?] he queried.

[The system has no idea of the similar creatures resembling the species of Vantrea in the host's original world.] it replied in a lifeless tone.

[Ah, the Chief God in Mayan culture on earth is actually a descendant of a Godbeast in Vantrea?

Just how much our worlds are interconnected?] he pondered to himself.

Right at this moment, the superior dragon Varuna also took upon the challenge without even bothering to share a word with the Empress.

Why?

Because by nature, Dragons and Basilisks have always been archenemies since the immemorial era that ended with the fall of all primordial races.

The moment they saw each other, the moment they wanted to kill each other by instinct.

Rumble!

Rumble!

This time, the scale of the battlefield was entirely different.

In the past, Maximus had utilized his powerful Infinity Smash, one of his most devastating finishing moves, to cleave through the sea in a straight line, leaving a path of destruction that spanned 15 kilometers. However, in comparison, a seemingly 2-kilometer-long spear made of hundreds of lightning bolts discharged by the Empress now wreaked havoc on everything in its path within a 25-kilometer radius, akin to a nuclear bomb.

It was a testament to the Empress's incredible power and the sheer magnitude of her destructive capabilities. Even the most formidable of attacks from the Hero of Nature paled in comparison to the devastating force unleashed by her single lightning bolt.

"We need to run as far as we can." spoke Kahn in a serious tone.

Meanwhile, Vildred who intently gazed at the Empress from the true dimension was barely containing his urge to fight.

He was a lightning elemental Royal Dragon while she was a lightning elemental Kukulkan. There was a time when he too was as strong as a peak 8th-stage saint. And watching this battle kindled his fighting spirit.

[Control it. Both of your lives will be at risk if you reveal yourself.] said Rathnaar after noticing Vildred's composure.

Meanwhile…

The water elemental dragon and lightning elemental Kukulkanengaged in a fierce battle above the sea. The dragon flapped its wings, sending a barrage of waterblades into the air, while the Kukulkan crackled with electrical energy, illuminating the sky with each powerful move.

The two beings circled each other, sizing up their opponent before the fight began.

The dragon attacked first, launching towards the Kukulkan with its jaws open. But the lightning elemental serpent was quick to react, sending hundreds of bolts of condensed lightning she summoned towards the dragon's head.

The dragon narrowly avoided the attack, twisting it's ginormous body to the side and unleashing a torrent of water that could tear through even legendary-rank armor from its mouth. The water crashed against the Kukulkan, momentarily blinding it and allowing the dragon to take advantage.

Just this small exchange caused ripples and tremors in the 20-kilometer radius as if two gods were fighting.

This made the battle between Kaijus on earth look like a lame joke.

The dragon swooped in, its talons on the small legs extended towards the Kukulkan. The lightning elemental Empress responded by launching herself into the air, evading the dragon's attack and shooting dozens of those 2 kilometer long spears of lightning at the dragon's underbelly.

ROAR!!

Varuna roared in pain as the electricity coursed through its body, but it quickly regained its composure, turning to face the Kukulkan once again.

The Empress flew straight at the dragon, her wings creating a massive beam of golden lightning as she approached. The dragon responded with a powerful flap of its wings, creating a wave that knocked the Empress off course. Varuna took advantage of the opportunity, grabbing the Kukulkan in its jaws and slamming it into the rocky mountain range below.

The nearby mountains and valleys crumbled like sandcastles and turned into smithereens just from the clash. Even a single impact from this unimaginably big body of the Empress had the strength to level cities.

But the Empress was far from defeated. She emerged from the deep pits, her eyes crackling with electricity.

She launched a series of lightning bolt spears at the dragon, striking it again and again.

Varuna roared in pain, but it refused to give up. He retaliated with a burst of water, drenching the Kukulkan and temporarily short-circuiting its electrical powers.

The two beings continued to fight, each one determined to emerge victorious. The dragon used its powerful wings to summon and create whirlpools in the water, while the Kukulkan darted through the sky, striking the dragon with spears made of lightning bolts.

There were no magic spells or formations. Both of them weren't even using their respective domains as if it was a sign of weakness. This was a battle of pure physical strength and the fierce nature of the combatants.

Mainly because even the Legendary Rank weapons, skills, spells and magic formations couldn't even graze their bodies given how strong both fighters were and how great their bloodlines were.

As the battle raged on above the sea, land and mountains, Varuna and the Empress clashed with ferocity.

The dragon used its powerful water-based attacks to try and douse the lightning beast's electrical powers, while Kukulkan used its agility and speed to dodge the dragon's attacks that could cut mountains in half with a single slash as she struck back with thousands of bolts of lightning that could incinerate even the strongest mythical rank monsters.

Despite Varuna's size and strength, the Empress was a master of aerial combat, using its lightning-fast movements to outmaneuver the dragon and launch surprise attacks.

The dragon, on the other hand, was a skilled strategist, using the water it summoned to create waves and whirlpools to try and throw off the Empress' aim.

Throughout this entire battle, they traversed around 300 kilometers in various directions in the past few hours. And no matter where they went, only destruction and annihilation followed.

Kahn, who watched this battle from 50 kilometers away in the sky, understood why True Descendants were only 2nd to the Godbeasts.

Because once they reached their peak and learned to harness their bloodlines to the fullest… No other beings unless it was a Royal Dragon or a 9th-stage saint, could do anything to them.

They were basically the world calamities roaming the world.

As the battle wore on, it seemed that the dragon had the upper hand. The Kukulkan was battered and bruised, and its powers were beginning to wane. But then, something unexpected happened.

After 4 hours of constant battle, it came down to the finale.

STAB!!

The Empress in her injured state managed to bite Varuna in the throat and using her enormous wings… she forcefully flew higher in the sky.

"Is she?" wondered Atreus in disbelief.

[Yes.] replied Vildred and cemented Kahn's suspicion.

[She's taking him to the Outer Space.]