The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 465 - 75 - The Battle Against The Great Darkness (4)

leon’s pov

the battle between me and the great darkness had dragged on for hours, stretching my endurance further than it had ever gone before. every muscle in my body burned, my limbs quaked from exhaustion, and my breaths came in short, ragged gasps. meanwhile, my opponent—a colossal dragon in human form—seemed untouched, unfazed, as if this grueling fight was nothing but an idle exercise. not a single bead of sweat marred its scales. hell, it barely looked like it was trying.

even though i had little hope of victory, a grin spread across my face. for the first time, i was truly feeling the thrill of combat. this world had blessed me with a cheat skill so overwhelming that i’d plowed through most enemies without breaking a sweat. but now, i was on the losing side, barely making a dent. i was fighting a battle i couldn’t win. and yet, instead of fear, what i felt was exhilaration. for once, i was truly alive.

"thou art strong... for a mortal," the dragon rumbled, his gaze cast down upon me, sizing me up with a smirk in his golden eyes. "ne’er did i expect a mere human to endure so, to survive this long against mine own strength. but thou art spent, art thou not? thy muscles do scream beneath mine onslaught. thy barrier fares little better."

he was right. guardian, my once-impenetrable shield, had been smashed repeatedly, barely holding up under his relentless attacks. it softened the blows, yes, but it had a limit i’d only now begun to understand. guardian wouldn’t make me immortal—it wouldn’t save me forever.

"why dost thou persist in this fool’s struggle, mortal, when thou art so close to death’s embrace?" he sneered, his voice a thunderclap laced with disdain. "what dost thou fight for? women? this world itself? i could cast thee unto another realm, grant thee dominion there to gather more wenches, shouldst thou desire. why dost thou cling to this world so stubbornly?"

a hundred answers buzzed in my mind, but only one mattered. that’s right. the women i loved. truthfully, i could go elsewhere. i could build another company, gather new allies. but it wasn’t about the victories i’d gained or the power i’d accumulated. it was about the women i’d come to love here, the ones who’d shared in my journey.

in this dragon’s promised world, there’d be no amon. no gabrielle. no titania or trill. no erica and the starry knights. no sandra and her shadows. no elise. all the women who’d given me their trust and affection, who fought alongside me, who did their best for me. as much as i hated to admit it, even shredica was irreplaceable.

in that other world, they wouldn’t exist. the bonds we’d forged, the affection we’d kindled, the passion they’d shown for me, and the lengths they’d go for me—it was all irreplaceable.

"as i said," i rasped, straightening up, "this world is mine. and i won’t let you take it from me."

this was the world i intended to rule. no force, neither from the heavens nor the shadows, would take it from me. this world is mine for the taking.

"so, you’re saying he’s stronger than you?" i asked. i had always thought of the great ones as being truly... great, the apex beings in existence. yet here was lilith, hinting that this dragon surpassed her.

"were i in mine true form, i could crush him," she replied. "he is but a creature of lowly rank, a lesser wretch in the draconic hierarchy, whilst i hold a place higher than he ever could. yet, bound within thee as i am, i am powerless alone."

i fell silent.

"and truth be told, his arrogance doth chafe me. despite his lowly station, he struts as though he were ruler and god, playing tyrant across worlds unclaimed. a scavenger, a bottom-feeder at best."

funny. just like you once did.

the thought barely crossed my mind before i felt her bristle, having picked up on it from within my subconscious.

"this world doth owe me its life. it was on the precipice of extinction, teetering towards oblivion, and i—and others like me—brought it back from ruin, brought it to prosperity."

then, why did you want to destroy it? your next read awaits at empire

she left that question unanswered, her silence sharper than any words, before continuing, "enough of that. will you do this, or will you flounder alone? without me, there’s no chance you’ll even land a blow upon him."

that much, at least, seemed true. but how could i trust her?

"trust in me," she replied, her voice steady and firm. "’tis all that i ask."