AN: Enjoy~
PS: Thanks for the power stones Joldered, SparkleEyeMole and DragonConquer1!
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Dragon God's Palace, Dragon Valley, DesuMachi World…
With the Lizardkin guiding them, Mei and Sora hurried through the ruined palace corridors. The once pristine white marble pillars were cracked with some broken into two, some parts of the ceiling have fallen, clear signs of a battle ranging.
At the center of the audience room stood a child in a ceremonial miko outfit. What caught Mei and Sora's attention, however, was her multicolor hair that is glowing while switching into gold, purple, pink, red, green, and light blue colors constantly. Then two black flames lay on the ground slowly fading around her as she held a red-skinned demon with deer-like horns by the throat.
"Oh? A fresh group of mice dares to enter my home?" the child turned toward the newcomers, her gaze heavy enough to make their chests tighten. The Lizardkin immediately collapsed to his knees, bowing to show respect.
"O-outsiders…,ojaru..? H-how… y-you.... managed to pass Wagahai and the rest… ojaru?" the choking demon muttered. The child side glanced at it with bored disinterest and with a casual squeeze, crushed its neck. The demon's body crumbled into black flame, falling onto the ground, vanishing without any trace.
Mei's grip on Yahata tightened unconsciously. Beside her, Wan-chan let out a low growl and moved forward protectively in front of Sora. This pressure… It feels like when Hikigaya-kun, Captain and Nagumo-kun spars with each other.
"Tell me, little mouse, are you in the same league as those demons?" the child asked, tilting her head with a smile that gives off an eerie feeling. Then she waved a hand dismissively. "Actually, no need to answer… the result would be the same."
Instincts kicked in, feeling the threat, Mei immediately stepped forward, raising her katana just in time to block the child's sudden attack. The impact blasted her through the air, throwing her out of the window.
"Mei-nee!!!" Sora screamed, eyes wide with shock as she watched her fly out.
"Oh? You could block that?" the child muttered, her eyes widened with amusement. "Interesting."
"P-please, wait a moment, Dragon God-sama!! Th-they are not enemies!!! They came with me to fight the demons and save you!" The lizardkin snapped out of his daze, shouting desperately toward the child, who turns out to be Akon Kagura, the Dragon God that the lizardkin has been talking about.
"Kakakaka!! Such an amusing thought!!!" Akon Kagura threw her head back and laughed before suddenly glaring at him. "Why should I listen to you, demon?"
"Wha—?!" The lizardkin froze, trembling as her gaze bore into him.
"Wan-chan, deploy 'I-Just-Can't-Have-Enough-Hands'!" Sora shouted. With a bark, Wan-chan released several drone-like funnels that zipped into formation, projecting a glowing forcefield in front of them.
Akon Kagura's fist slammed into the barrier with a loud bang. The lizardkin raised his arms instinctively, shielding Sora behind him as the ground shook under the force.
"Oh? Since when did you, demons, get innovative in the past thousand years?" Akon Kagura muttered with a grin, seeing the translucent barrier actually hold against her punch. She leaned forward, her small fists blurred as she unleashed a storm of punches, each one hitting against the shield in rapid succession.
"Dragon God-sama!! Please get a hold of yourself!!!" the lizardkin cried, his voice cracking in desperation.
"Lizardo-san!! Please stand back!!" Sora shouted, her small hands clenched tight. "I think she's mistaking us for the bad guys!!!"
The lizardkin gritted his teeth, frustration and fear mixing. "Curse those demons for twisting even the Dragon God-sama!!"
The shield began to crack under the relentless barrage, lines of light spider-webbing across its surface.
"Awawa…!" Sora gasped, panic rising, while the lizardkin grimaced, bracing for the inevitable.
Akon Kagura's grin widened in triumph, only for her head to snap to the side as she caught the light reflection of a blade. Her arm shot up just in time to block the sudden strike.
"Mei-nee, you're alright!!!" Sora cried in joy, her voice filled with relief.
A flash of lightning burst into the room, Mei stood firm, Yahata once more liberated. Pinkish-red lightning coiled around her body like a living storm. With a fierce cry she swung her katana, her slashes fast and unrelenting. Akon Kagura met her attacks evenly with her fist, laughing gleefully at the contest.
Steel clashed against divine powered fists, the room trembling with every impact. Mei pressed forward, each of her attacks were decisive and with no hesitation. Her sole goal is to drive Akon Kagura back, away from Sora and the lizardkin. And through all of it, the Dragon God parried each with childlike delight, her eyes twinkled with respect and interest at Mei's strength.
"You're good for a demon… but sadly, I'll have to end you!!" Akon Kagura laughed, her childish tone twisting with malice as she pressed harder, her movements becoming faster and stronger.
Mei gritted her teeth as the pressure on her piled up, her boots sliding against the floor as she was forced back. "Sora-chan! Lizardkin-san! Please move to a safer place!!" she called out, then launched herself forward again to meet the Dragon God head-on.
Steel and fists collided in a storm of sparks. Mei's fast, lightning-infused slashes clashed against the deceptively powerful blows of Akon Kagura's child-like arms. Each clash left the air trembling as an explosive sound from their fierce battle sent shockwaves around the room.
As expected from someone called a god… she's strong, even though she looks as young as Sora-chan! Mei thought, twisting her body to narrowly dodge a punch. The force of the blow smashed into the ceiling above, blasting open a massive hole.
Akon Kagura's grin widened as if she relished the contest. "Not bad! Let's see how you handle this!" She coated her body in layers of Ki and mana, her speed and strength went up instantly.
Mei matched her with bursts of lightning wrapping her body, but little by little, the overwhelming pressure pushed her back.
Then, Akon Kagura suddenly leapt away, a magic circle forming at her fist. With a smooth punch into the circle, a golden dragon erupted forth, roaring as it lunged at Mei. "EEEIIII! Take this—Dragon God Punch~!"
"Seriously?!" Mei gasped, immediately flashing to the side as the force from her punch blasted through the space where she had just been. The impact left the palace walls shaking, fragments of stone raining down from the ceiling.
"It seems… we might have underestimated the people of this world." Mei muttered under her breath, sweat trickling down her temple as she watched the devastation left behind by what felt like a casual strike.
"Wooaah!!! As expected you dodged it!!!" Akon Kagura cheered with childlike glee, clapping her hands together. "But I am not done yet!!!"
She leapt high into the air, summoning thousands of spears of light that formed around her like a storm. With a wave of her hand, they rained down toward Mei.
Yet Mei did not panic. Instead, her breathing slowed, her perception of time slowed until every falling spear seemed suspended in time. She gripped Yahata firmly, letting the power from her Herrscher core flow through her entire body. Lightning engulfed the blade, coiling across her body like a storm about to be unleashed.
Focus… memorize their trajectory… move once and cut them all down. Mei's eyes tracked every light spear, and then her body flashed out of sight. Her blade flashed in a blur, cutting the first row of spears cleanly in half. As more rained toward her, she twisted mid-air, redirecting her slashes so that broken fragments of some of the light spears will get hit by other spears, destroying both at once. Others she simply dodged by a hair's breadth, letting their momentum carry them into the paths of her following cuts. In a single moment, she angled each of her attacks so that the spears would collide against each other, shattering one another to harmless sparks. Each movement was planned and graceful, every cut flowing into the next as if she were dancing through the storm. When she reappeared, it was beside the floating Akon Kagura, blade raised with lightning coiling around her.
"Wha—?!" Akon Kagura's eyes widened. She hastily crossed her arms, wrapping her body in Ki just as Mei's slash came down.
As the sound of thunder rang, every light spear shattered into thousand fragments, raining harmlessly across the ruined room as Akon Kagura's small frame was blasted out of the palace, sent flying into the open area outside.
Mei glanced back at Sora and the lizardkin, both safe for now, and allowed herself a short sigh of relief before leaping after the Dragon God into the open ground outside.
'Not bad, coward. I didn't expect you could act so decisively,' the Herrscher of Thunder remarked, trying not to sound proud as Mei landed near the smoking crater where Akon Kagura had fallen.
'...I had to. If I hesitate, even for a second, Sora-chan and the lizardkin-san will get hurt,' Mei answered firmly, her eyes never leaving the dust-filled pit. 'Besides… I doubt what I did was enough to finish her.'
'Hmph! For once, I can agree with you,' the Herrscher muttered.
Mei blinked at the uncharacteristic tone, but her gaze stayed locked on the crater. '...What's with you today? You sound almost… accommodating.'
'Tsk! Don't misunderstand! If you die, I will die too, coward!!' the Herrscher shot back, her voice sharp but tinged with awkwardness.
The retort made Mei's lips twitch. Against her will, she imagined the domineering Herrscher acting like a tsundere, something Hajime, Hachiman, and even Noah would often talk about. The mental picture, made worse by the fact it used her own face, left her cheeks faintly red.
'Just make sure to be careful,' the Herrscher added, her tone hardening again, 'That Dragon God's presence… it's almost as strong as the Herrscher of Void or that Lumine girl.'
'What?!' Mei's eyes widened in disbelief. 'Are you sure about that?'
'Sadly that pufferfish lacks the raw power to match this Dragon God's raw strength, but with her clever tricks, I think she can still manage to score a hit or two.' The Herrscher of Thunder grimaced, giving a reluctant nod. 'Though I don't think this god is good enough to make Reason fight her seriously.'
Mei tightened her hold on her katana, 'Even still. Sirin-san is still one of the strongest members of the crew, just right below Nagumo-kun. For this Dragon God to actually stand between them is still quite a big shock.'
Since Mei joined the crew, she devoted herself to learning about the people she is now with. She started reading and watching all the Mission logs at the Express archives, and after witnessing what they are capable of specially Hajime, Elysia, Noah, Kiana and Hachiman who are all capable of bringing down a planet alone can't help but feel tense knowing that someone from a world not connected to the vast universe can actually match her and the rest of crew.
'Then do you perhaps know who is stronger? Ophis-chan or Akon Kagura-san?' Mei carefully asked.
'... this one.' After thinking for a bit, the Herrscher answered. 'This Dragon God's aura is almost the same level as that Lumine girl and Void.'
Mei grimaces. '... did we perhaps make a mistake during the information gathering?'
'I don't think so.' The Herscher replied immediately. 'Although this Dragon God can give the others some challenge, she isn't a threat that everyone will have to worry about.'
'Huh?' Mei let out in confusion.
'This Dragon God is strong, yes, but she isn't someone who is blessed by those Aeons,' the Herrscher added with a serious tone. 'Although I can feel traces of imaginary energy not from this world around her, and may have broken the limits of a single world, she still isn't at a level that should trouble all of you.'
'Wait... WAIT a moment!! What did you just say?!' Mei screamed internally. 'Are you perhaps suggesting… that Akon Kagura-san could travel to different worlds as well?!'
'Hey! Don't shout!' the Herrscher snapped. 'I'm not certain, but from what I observe so far, she does carry traces of energies foreign to this world.'
Before they could continue, a violent gust of wind erupted. Mei tensed, her grip on Yahata tightening as Akon Kagura's small frame rose from the crater. Her pristine ceremonial miko outfit was dust-stained, her skin bruised, but her eyes burned with a fiery fighting spirit.
'Oi, coward, be alert! This Dragon God is most likely the strongest being in this world. Don't you dare hold back,' the Herrscher warned, her expression hard despite the nod.
"Kukukuku!!! I underestimated you, Demon! I could even say you are far stronger than the demon god and the pillar gods of this world." Akon Kagura's childish voice rang out toward Mei. "This makes me wonder… are you perhaps a reincarnated person?"
"Eh?!" Mei and the Herrscher inside her perked up at what they just heard from the Dragon God, who was casually brushing dust off her ceremonial dress. Wanting to confirm her other self's suspicion, Mei took a quick breath, analyzing the energy signatures around Akon Kagura. And just like as her Herrscher self claimed, faint traces of powers foreign to this world entangled in her aura.
Determined to seek answers, Mei straightened and answered Akon Kagura's question. "No, I am not a reincarnated person. I am a traveler that came from the stars. And there's a misunderstanding between us, my companions and I are not demons, but humans."
"Oh? Really?" Akon Kagura blinked and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Although I've known the concept of 'aliens', beings from the worlds beyond the stars, from the worlds I visited before, this is the first time I've actually met someone who claims to be one."
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "And besides… from what I can sense, the energy in your bodies is close to demon signatures and unlike those who came thousands of years ago to invade our world before? Did I perhaps made a mistake?"
'She really can travel to other worlds!!!' Mei's heart pounded, her shock barely concealed. 'And did she just mentioned about invaders?'
"Buwaa!!! Anyway, it doesn't matter whether you're a demon, a hero, or something else entirely!!!" Akon Kagura declared with a childlike smile, her eyes twinkling in delight. "You interest me! And you actually managed to hurt me in a fight!!!"
'You can think about that later!!!' the Herrscher alerted Mei. 'Right now, we need to survive first!!'
Her aura flared again, shaking the surroundings as cracks spread across the ground from the sheer pressure. Mei's eyes widened at the absurd reaction. "W-wait! Akon Kagura-san!! We're not here to fight you!! We came to talk, peacefully!!"
"Ahahaha!!! Sure, sure—we can talk later, once we've settled things with our fists!!" Akon Kagura answered brightly, launching herself straight toward Mei.
"Ehh?!" Mei barely had time to raise her katana, parrying the flurry of heavy punches raining down on her. Sparks flew at every collision, the force numbing her arms.
"Wahahahah!! That's more like it!! Come on now!!! Show me your strength, visitor from the stars!!" Akon Kagura shouted, laughing madly, the manic joy contrasting with her childlike appearance.
'J-just how did this happen?!' Mei panicked inwardly, pushing back against the overwhelming blows. 'She's gotten even more enthusiastic?!'
'Tsk! We really ran into a battle junkie, huh?!' the Herrscher of Thunder groaned in frustration. 'This world is completely insane!!!!'
—-
Sora and the lizardkin peeked carefully from a gap in the ruined walls of the Dragon God's Palace, watching in awe as Mei and Akon Kagura clashed below. The ground continued to shake with each blow, forcing them to hold onto the rubble around them to prevent themselves from falling. Akon Kagura's magical and martial attacks kept Mei constantly pressured, but Mei's swift, lightning-fast slashes pushed the Dragon God back in equal force.
"To think that Mei-dono can actually match Akon Kagura-sama… Such a sight is truly beyond belief," the lizardkin whispered, eyes wide with awe.
Sora tugged lightly at his arm, her own eyes sparkling. "Just how strong is Dragon God-san, Lizardo-san?"
The lizardkin exhaled slowly, never taking his eyes off the combatants. "Akon Kagura-sama is the strongest being in our world. Not even the Demon Lords, nor the Seven Pillar Gods, could stand or even go against her."
"Ohhh!!!" Sora's eyes shone even brighter. "So we're meeting the strongest being on our very first day here? That's amazing!!"
The lizardkin gave her a wry smile, his voice softening. "…To me though, Mei-dono is the more incredible one."
"Ehem!" Sora puffed her chest proudly and placed her hands on her hips. "Of course! My new family is the strongest after all!!"
—
At the battle below, the ground was split apart, the once beautiful palace reduced to rubble. Tall pillars lay snapped in two or erased entirely, while the garden and stone paths were cratered and scarred beyond recognition. Each tremor spoke of the ferocity of Mei and Akon Kagura's clash.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!!! I HAVEN'T HAD THIS MUCH FUN IN A THOUSAND YEARS OF MY EXISTENCE!!!" Akon Kagura roared, her childish face smeared with dirt and blood as divine power burst from her frame. Thunderclouds gathered overhead, darkening the sky until rain began to fall heavily. "Hehehehe!! Keep up, alright?! Because I'm not done yet!!"
"Can we please just stop this and talk instead of fighting?!" Mei pleaded, panting, her body bruised and dirtied no different from the Dragon God's.
"Ahahahah! What nonsense are you saying?! We're having so much fun!" Akon Kagura laughed, raising her arms. Whether it was the rain, the wind or the lightning move unnaturally slowly forming and transforming into serpent like figures. It continued until hundreds of these dragons made from different elements encircled her.
"Uhh…!" Mei wanted to cry but no tears came. "Why did our first opponent have to be a complete battle junkie?!"
'Complain later! Right now, focus on surviving!!' the Herrscher inside her barked.
'I never thought there'd come a day I'd actually agree with you,' Mei admitted with a wry smile.
"Fuu… then I won't hold back. I'll fully use.... this power."
The moment she said it, pinkish-red lightning converged around her, the Herrscher core within her, unleashed its full capacity, her figure transformed before Akon Kagura's eyes. Mei's long hair spilled free, her horns lengthened and darkened to a deep crimson. Her eyes blazed into a fiery hot-pink, vibrant pupils glowing with power. At her sides, two massive crimson mechanical arms manifested, one gripping the hilt of a large katana. Behind her, a luminous halo of purple and white lightning swirled like a calm storm waiting to be unleashed.
"After reaching this point, I'll also give my all. That is why, Akon Kagura, the Dragon God of this world… don't you dare disappoint me." Mei's tone was calm but carried both her own resolve and the Herrscher's domineering attitude. The Thunder Queen had descended once more.
With a flash of lightning, Mei shot into the air, weaving through the elemental dragons Akon Kagura sent at her. One lightning dragon lunged from behind, Mei twisted her body, before land on its head crushing it with her heel, and the dragon dissolved into countless sparks. The others flinched at the sight of one of them getting crushed easily. Their bodies shuddered as Mei glared at them, then one by one the lightning dragons swirled around her as though submitting, their once golden lightning body transformed into her own pinkish-red lightning.
"Hmph." Mei snorted, while Akon Kagura's expression fell into dumbfounded disbelief as her own summons betrayed her without hesitation.
The group of water dragons attacked from the front, all attempting to shallow her whole. She rolled her eyes, waving a hand lazily. With a roar, the now pinkish-red lightning dragons obeyed her command, clashing with the water dragons. Steam exploded into the air as lightning and water collided violently. Mei's expression never changed, cool and unshaken, while Akon Kagura's face twitched with exasperation.
From the side, a squad of wind dragons tried to sneak in, their currents twisting into razor-sharp spirals. Mei spun on her heel, her katana flashing. She drove the blade straight into one, the lightning covering her katana condensed and expanded outward, skewering several more in a single strike.
Then Mei launched herself skyward, dragging the glowing blade through the bodies of the wind dragons. Each dragon split apart in a burst of wind. She then raised her katana high before slashing downward, sending the condensed wave of pure lightning. The strike hit the remaining wind dragons and erased the clashing lightning and water dragons.
Once she was done, the two mechanical-like arms mirrored Mei's Iai-stance, the giant katana filled with energy. The pinkish-red lightning danced violently across her body, condensing for a single devastating strike. Mei exhaled slowly, her gaze narrowing.
"Here is my everything…!" she whispered.
Across from her, Akon Kagura only laughed louder. Instead of fear, her childish grin widened, eyes blazing with anticipation.
"Good!! Show me everything you've got!!"
Divine power flared from her small body, condensing at her fists until they glowed pure divinity.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then both moved at the same time. Mei's blade flashed in a streak of crimson lightning while Akon Kagura's fist roared with condensed divinity. When they collided, the ground and sky shook as though the heavens themselves were splitting, a blinding light swallowing the battlefield.
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