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Origin of the Red Dragon
In the blink of an eye, the enormous red dragon, resembling a hill, transformed into a red-haired man and plunged straight into the crater. The rapid descent resembled a meteorite impact, sending hot magma splashing and filling the air with waves of heat.
Forseti's wings of light vibrated, propelling him into the magma almost simultaneously.
The thick lava enveloped him, tinting his vision red and warming his skin.
Clearly, this volcano was no ordinary one; its lava's temperature far exceeded normal. Thanks to Forseti's fiery abilities, he was largely immune to fire damage.
A sudden surge of holy light emitted from Forseti's hand, its glow piercing the darkness.
He swiftly swung his sword around, the Ice Pole Blade and Demon Slayer Sword gleaming with golden light.
The figure burst out of the magma with a loud boom—it was the man who had transformed from the red dragon.
Forseti pursued him immediately.
The red dragon man hesitated for a moment, then produced a large sword seemingly out of thin air, ready to meet Forseti head-on.
As they closed the distance, Forseti once again discerned intense animosity in the red dragon's eyes, unlike any he'd seen directed toward others.
This time, the proximity allowed Forseti to pinpoint the source of the stare—the dragon-hide armor adorning his own body.
Red Dragon!
Lightning-fast memories flooded Forseti's mind; he recalled the hunting festival from over fifteen centuries ago. Back then, alongside Hela and others, he had captured a female red dragon. The dragon-hide armor he now wore was crafted from that dragon's scales.
He remembered the female dragon had two offspring; one was fortuitously captured by Tia( hunter Tialfi's nick name), while the other young dragon displayed extraordinary strength. Tia's attempt to capture it failed, and she barely escaped being incinerated.
The high-level red dragon before him... Could it be that same young dragon that had eluded capture back then?
But now wasn't the time for pondering; these thoughts raced through Forseti's mind in an instant, leaving him no room for further reflection.
Their weapons clashed.
Boom!
The impact sent shockwaves through the magma, mimicking a volcanic eruption to an outside observer.
Forseti was pushed back but quickly regained his footing.
A dragon's strength diminishes upon assuming human form. Yet, even so, this high-level dragon possessed power surpassing most Aesir.
Despite wielding the full might of his Wrath of Vengeance, Forseti found himself at a disadvantage in sheer power.
The duel shifted to a considerable distance.
Forseti's view was obscured by magma, leaving him to rely on the guidance of his Holy Light. The red dragon, however, seemed unaffected.
Deciding swiftly, Forseti retrieved a white helmet akin to the Helm of Dominion from Sanctuary's pocket dimension and donned it—a perception helm he'd seized from the Frost Giants.
While the helmet impaired his vision, it granted omnidirectional awareness, rendering the surrounding magma seemingly inconsequential.
Taking the initiative, Forseti charged toward the red dragon. Momentarily caught off guard, the red dragon countered with his massive sword he produced.
Forseti had realized that, even in humanoid form, his opponent's strength outmatched his own. Therefore, he leveraged his technical prowess, avoiding direct confrontations wherever possible.
The fighting skills of the red dragon, in fact, were middling at best. Clearly, he was ill-suited to close-quarters combat in his current form.
In contrast, Forseti's years of Paladin training had honed his combat skills to near perfection.
Thus, as the skirmish wore on, Forseti not only held his ground but gradually gained the upper hand.
Golden radiance surged as the Demon Slaying Sword carved a deep gash into the red dragon man's back.
Meanwhile, Forseti tactically maneuvered, evading the red dragon's incoming strikes.
Observing the red dragon, battered yet unyielding, Forseti frowned.
The duration of the Wrath of Vengeance was nearing its end. While his mana reserves allowed for another casting, doing so would leave him with scant energy for additional spells, potentially placing him at a disadvantage.
Forseti swiftly decided and summoned Sanctuary from within.
Holy Shield!
The golden brilliance of the rune-adorned Holy Light surged, enveloping him in its protective aura.
The red dragon roared, his massive sword cleaving toward Forseti's head. Forseti made no attempt to dodge, seemingly resigned to their mutual demise.
In confrontations among divine beings and dragons, even a single second affords ample time for multiple actions.
Almost as soon as the rune-adorned Holy Light manifested, a flicker of anxiety crossed the red dragon man's eyes. Witnessing Forseti's apparent readiness to meet his end, the red dragon's expression shifted rapidly between doubt, panic, and resolve.
In that split second, he adjusted his stance, narrowly avoiding a critical blow while his sword continued its trajectory toward Forseti's head.
"Charge!"
The sword struck the Holy Shield technique and rebounded harmlessly. Forseti countered with a dual thrust, plunging both swords deep into the red dragon man's abdomen.
"Roar!" The red dragon man's eyes widened in pain, emitting a guttural roar.
His scales bristled, fangs bared, as though on the brink of reverting to his draconic form.
Yet, he refrained from assuming dragon form, retreating abruptly instead.
As Forseti moved to give chase, his expression suddenly shifted. Within his expanded perception, he spotted a dark spatial rift at the edge of his range—a passage through which the red dragon man was fleeing.
Clutching his abdomen, the red dragon man darted through the magma at full tilt. In moments, he reached the portal's threshold, disappearing into its depths.
Forseti attempted pursuit, but as he neared the rift, his expression shifted once more. Reacting swiftly, he withdrew, narrowly evading an ensuing explosion that erupted from the rift, propelling him clear of the magma.
Staring at the starry sky for a moment, Forseti deftly manipulated his magic cloak, steadying himself midair before sighing in relief.
A spatial rift hidden within the volcano...
"Heimdall, any sign of the dragon nearby?" Forseti inquired.
"No, he appears to have departed Vanaheim," Heimdall's voice echoed in his ear, adding, "You should vacate the premises swiftly; the volcano is on the verge of eruption."
The tremors intensified beneath Forseti's feet, the faint rumble escalating swiftly into a deafening roar.
"Boom..."
Forseti sighed, applying a burst of Holy Light to treat his wounds before departing the area, rejoining Valkyrie and the others.
Valkyrie hastened over, cradling another Valkyrie in her arms, her eyes bloodshot and voice hoarse, "Save her!"
Forseti glanced down, momentarily at a loss for words.
In Valkyrie's arms lay the Valkyrie struck down by the dragon's tail earlier, her neck irreparably broken, her life extinguished.
Yet, to Valkyrie, she was evidently a figure of great significance. Even in death, Valkyrie clung to hope, pleading, "Save her, please... There must be a way!"
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