Demonic Dragon

*Bang! Ken smashed his fist into the wall as Celine's figures disappeared from his sight. He kept his guard up and looked around for his nimble opponent.

"I can barely keep up," Aria sat down and inquired about the strength of Ken. Her eyes could see their figures flickering as they dashed around the battlefield but this confused Aria. It would make sense if Celine could move faster than Aria's eyes as she was filled with Divine Power, but how could Ken?

"This is his strength without magic, is he a god?" She inquired because of the sheer physicality Ken displayed. "No, there must be some trick," she surmised.

Celine tried to press forward but her opponents skill and physicality made it impossible. Any attack she landed barely harmed him because of her weak strength and a good direct hit was hard to land in the first place.

It had to be known that she could only keep up in this battle because of the divine power coursing through her. She wasn't actively using it but the essense had enhanced her naturally because it was the rawest form of power in the world.

Ken was facing a different problem yet the outcome for him was the same. After the first blow he realized that he was drastically outskilled by his opponent and she was slightly faster. This made him cautious of Celine. He knew he could take one or two more hits and be fine because of her strength but he was being cautious of what dangerous card this opponent may have hidden.

"I get this feeling that if I try and run at you, I'll lose immediately," Ken eyed her as they walked slowly in circles around each other. "Who are you?" He asked.

"The Princess's Aria's Royal Guard," she responded.

"Then I congratulate the Valerian Kingdom for finding such a powerful royal guard. Only specialists who've trained in physical battles for centuries have managed to beat me in a battle of pure strength. You haven't beat me but you've earned my respect," Ken preformed a light bow while keeping his eye on her.

"Then would it surprise you if I said if I was more talented in long range magic fights than close physical brawls?" Aria asked.

Ken had a calm look on his face. "Yes it would. The number of people who can beat me in physical combat without being a specialist is very low." Suddenly, a very threatening grin appeared on Ken's face. "Seventy-three is an estimate."

Celine stammered a step and Ken immediately seized the opportunity. *Boom! A speed surpassing comprehension clashed through the sky and Celine saw an undodgeable fist heading towards her skull.

Celine tensed and reacted unconsciously as a violet energy rose from within. "He's going to kill me!" She thought as she gauged the raw power that strike held. Ken hadn't held even the smallest ounce of strength back.

A flurry of wind shook the entire academy room but a triumphant smile dominated Ken's face as he was forcefully stopped mid strike with telekinesis. "You lose," he said.

Blood was dripping from his body and his muscles had obviously torn tendons. His body had went from a rough tan to a demonic red as red and black immersed itself into his figure. Fiendish looking tendrils and spikes appeared from outside his skin with looming darkness as a finale of red scales covered his whole body.

Neither him nor Celine paid any transformation as the events that just occurred put Celine into deep thought. The Ken she knew was not this crafty and he would've just approached with strength alone. Something was different this time about him because he used actual tactics this time unlike how she remembered. Then, there was that reference to seventy-three that couldn't be a coincidence.

Celine was about to say something when Ken silenced her. "We've met before, haven't we? At another place, at another time?"

Celine nodded slowly. Ken shouldn't discover the truth of Godhood ever in his life or that was what she remembered. She was starting to consider if Ken had hid this fact all their long lives as friends.

"Then I should call somebody you can speak to. I won't know enough about anything you try to say to me." He left the room while grabbing a set of clothes as his injuries healed in seconds. The fiendish figure and red scales he once had dissolved back into his body as he looked normal again and he left quietly.

"Care to explain," Aria looked dissatisfied. The whole situation escalated beyond her comprehension and she would've at least liked to know what was going on.

Knowing that she couldn't lie to Aria, Celine began to explain. "To keep it simple, he's that strong physically because he can't use magic. In exchange for losing magic, his body has no natural limitations to how physically strong he can become so he trains that instead. Of course he can't become infinitely powerful and he is probably weakened by this fact but he likes to use his fists anyways."

"And why does he look like a demon?" Aria thought of that fiendish figure. Valerians had always feared demons for their untrustworthiness so an apprehensive feeling approached her when she realized the similarity.

Celine couldn't help but sigh when she saw her apprehensiveness but continued regardless. "He's half demon and half dragon, the only demonic dragon in existence. His very body goes against the rules of this world and that's why he cannot use magic. His magic is constantly used to keep his body sustained so he cannot use it for battle."

Celine paused, giving thought to her words.

"As far as I know, his father was a demon king who worked right under the True Demon God, the second god to ever be born. His father used his godly powers to fix his sons body, giving Ken the inability to use magic, and then he sent both Ken and his mother out."

Celine softly sighed at the tragic life of her comrade.

"Apparently, it was a form of mercy that they were exiled rather than executed. If events happened the same as I remember, then Ken should've arrived here with his mom not too long ago."

Celine was about to further explain but was interrupted when an older woman who looked flamboyant like Ken walk into the room. "If you want the exact time, my son and I got here yesterday."

"Son?" Aria and Celine both said in confusion.