Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods
Chapter 121: The Goddess of Adaptation

Chapter 121: The Goddess of Adaptation

Airi stepped forward, her sword gleaming, eyes locked onto Vezalia.

Vezalia let out a long sigh, brushing the dust off her gown as she stood up, slow and graceful, like she had all the time in the world.

"Well, well... look who decided to show up. Didn’t expect to see you here." Her tone was cool, but her eyes narrowed with mild irritation.

The New Horizon members stared, jaws slack.

"Ai... Airi?!" a young man whispered, completely stunned.

"No way," Ronan muttered, gripping his sword tightly. "What the hell is she doing here?"

It was like a miracle, and none of them could believe it.

Airi didn’t even look back at them. She kept her eyes on Vezalia, her voice sharp.

"Bow down. Now."

She turned her head slightly toward Crest, her eyes gleaming with a knowing look.

"Like I said before, your children’s show is over. It’s Sacred time."

Crest flinched, his fists clenching tight at his sides, his heart pounding.

Vezalia, still brushing her dress, sighed again, her tone edged with annoyance.

"Hmm. So it’s true... I can feel them. Several strong ones, all over this city..." She tilted her head at Airi, her gaze sharp. "These are the people this clown was talking about."

Airi smirked, twirling her sword with a flick.

"Sorry for cutting lines. I was playing hide and seek with two of your puppet friends earlier. Too bad they couldn’t keep up. I kept kicking their asses so hard, they ran away crying." She lifted her sword, pointing it straight at Vezalia, her grin widening. "What about you? You any good at running away?"

Vezalia’s smile widened, her eyes sparkling with twisted amusement.

"You know, there’s a funny little story about people who let their confidence write checks their bodies can’t cash."

She stepped forward smoothly, eyes locked on Airi, and without a care, she grabbed the blade of Airi’s sword with her bare hand, yanked it to the side, and tossed it away like it was nothing.

Then, with a delicate motion, she snapped open her umbrella, holding it high like she was out for a casual stroll.

"Let’s see if you’re smart enough to understand."

Airi didn’t flinch. She cracked her neck, flexed her fingers, and grinned wildly.

"Alright, New Horizon! Open your eyes wide! You’re about to witness greatness."

Vezalia’s smile sharpened as she twirled her umbrella.

"Let’s begin."

Airi didn’t hesitate. She charged, an invisible pressure charging around her sword.

Their first clash sent a ripple down the street, shaking the ground and rattling the walls.

It wasn’t a huge blast, but it was enough to make Vezalia slide backward a few steps, her feet scraping over the cracked pavement, eyes narrowing slightly as she adjusted her stance.

She spun her umbrella, unleashing a wave of inky darkness, tendrils slashing out like monstrous snakes. Airi twisted mid-air, slicing through them, but the moment she landed, she met Vezalia’s gleaming eyes.

Starvation.

Airi’s eyes glazed over for a second, and before she knew it, her teeth sank into her own hand, biting deep. Blood spilled, and her vision blurred with shock and pain.

[Blessing of Hunger Immunity]

She gasped and jerked back, staring down at her bleeding hand, her breath ragged.

"You... fucking bitch!" she growled, clutching her sword tighter despite the blood dripping down.

Her aura flared, and with a roar, she launched forward, her sword blazing with furious fire magic, slamming a devastating blow that blew a hole through an entire building, flames roaring out the other side, but completely missed the demon.

Vezalia blinked, momentarily stunned.

"Already back to normal? Hmph... expected from a Sacred, I guess."

Airi grimaced, her injured hand trembling. She was in pain until...

[Blessing of Regeneration]

Her hand began to knit itself back together, the torn flesh healing as new strength flowed in. Vezalia’s eyes narrowed, her smile fading slightly.

"What... are you?" she muttered.

Airi’s eyes sharpened, her confidence snapping back in full force. She grinned wildly.

"I’m your worst nightmare, bitch." And with that, she lunged again, her aura crackling around her like a storm unleashed.

Vezalia danced back, smirking, her umbrella spinning like a shield.

"Not bad... but let’s see you handle this!" She twirled her umbrella sharply, and as she did, the air tore apart.

A massive swirling void burst shooting out, erasing everything in its path, lamps, stone, vanishing like they were never there.

Airi’s eyes flashed.

[New Blessing: Detection] [New Blessing: Agility]

Her senses sharpened instantly; she felt the pressure shift, the deadly magic’s flow as if time slowed.

Her body moved before she even thought. She ducked low, then flipped sideways, dodging with ease, slipping right past the deadly void just as it chewed through the ground.

Her feet hit the pavement, and she blasted forward, closing the distance between them in a blink.

Vezalia’s eyes widened, her smile dropping as she gritted her teeth and jumped back hard, her arm transforming into a writhing mass of black tentacles, each tipped with gnashing teeth, shooting toward Airi.

Airi blocked fast, but one tentacle grazed her arm, and immediately, her eyes flared wild.

She screamed and, without realizing, tore a bloody chunk out of her own arm, biting deep in a frenzy.

[New Blessing: Madness Resistance]

She gasped, shaking her head violently, her breath ragged.

Blood dripped down her regenerating arm, but her eyes sharpened again.

"Argh, for... fucking... sake!" she snarled, her sword igniting with raw energy as she slashed the tentacles clean apart.

Not wasting a second, she surged forward, raising her sword high, ready to cleave Vezalia down with a brutal vertical slash, but just as she moved, Vezalia’s eyes gleamed.

Another void blast exploded from her umbrella, slamming Airi straight in the stomach, tore through her completely, piercing straight through her back, crossed the street, and obliterated a shop behind her in a violent burst.

The New Horizon members watched in horror.

"AIRI!!" Crest’s voice cracked, fists clenched, with pure panic and despair on his face.

Lyraen covered her mouth while the others stood frozen, horrified and helpless.

Airi’s stomach was torn open, organs bulging slightly, threatening to spill out with every breath.

She stumbled back, blood gushing, her eyes wide with shock.

Her knees buckled, but she didn’t fall. She stood, trembling, her breathing ragged, clutching her sword tightly.

Vezalia, licking her lips slowly, dragged two fingers across her mouth and let out a chilling laugh.

"Ohhh... yes. This taste... this texture... a gourmet treat." Her eyes gleamed, voice dripping with hunger. "The flesh of a goddess... nothing compares."

But Airi, gritting her teeth, suddenly let out a fierce growl.

[New Blessing: Titan]

Her body tensed, her muscles hardening with raw power, her aura blazing brighter. Her sword began to shine brilliantly, pulsing with energy.

With a roar, she brought it down with crushing force, the blade tearing into the ground and sending a shockwave down the street.

The earth split and heaved, the impact blasting debris and rubble forward like a wave, crushing Vezalia beneath its force and sending the New Horizon members sprawling to the ground.

The street was obliterated, deep cracks and shattered stone spreading in every direction as Airi stood at the center, her sword still glowing, chest heaving with power and rage.

Her stomach, torn open just moments ago, began to visibly regenerate, flesh knitting back together painfully.

Her breathing was ragged, and she swayed for a second, her eyes boiling with rage.

She clenched her fists and barked.

"What’s the matter, huh? Get your lazy ass UP! I didn’t hit you that hard, did I? Don’t you DARE stay down now!"

Her shout echoed down the ruined street, raw and electric, her grip tightening on her sword as she pointed it at Vezalia, who was on the ground.

The demon, still regenerating, grinned with a rush of excitement.

She put the palms of her hands down on the cracked pavement, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh, finally! Now THIS is what I call a feast! Let’s see what you’ve really got!"

Darkness spread from her hand, a massive black wave crawled like liquid shadows across the ground.

It twisted and grew, morphing into a monstrous mouth, jagged teeth forming as it lunged forward, jaws wide open to swallow Airi whole.

Airi’s eyes widened as the darkness crashed down on her, completely engulfing her.

Some adventurers screamed, falling to their knees.

But inside that suffocating void, Airi clenched her jaw, eyes burning fiercely.

[New Blessing: Light Affinity]

Her body shimmered, glowing brighter and brighter until...

BOOM! A searing blast of pure light tore through the darkness like a bomb going off, ripping the shadowy monster apart from the inside.

Airi shot out, her sword shining like a mini sun, her red hair whipping wildly, her eyes locked on Vezalia with a savage glare.

"YOU THINK THAT’S ENOUGH TO TAKE ME DOWN?!" she roared, launching forward with terrifying speed.

She slashed, beams of light shooting out with every swing, obliterating everything in her path. Entire buildings shattered, the ground ruptured, and debris flew like missiles.

"SOMEONE STOP HER! SHE’S GOING TO DESTROY THE WHOLE CITY!" a desperate adventurer shouted as the New Horizon members scrambled for cover.

Crest ducked behind a wall, his voice cracking.

"Airi, STOP! You’re destroying everything!"

But Airi didn’t hear a thing. She was in full battle mode, her blessing feeding her nonstop. Vezalia barely dodged each hit, her eyes wild as her body twisted and turned, summoning more tentacles, more shadows, firing void blasts left and right.

Airi adapted every time.

[New Blessing: Speed Boost]

[New Blessing: Precision]

Her attacks became sharper, faster, deadlier, every swing a masterclass in destruction. Roads cracked apart, buildings toppled, and huge waves of dust and fire washed over the streets.

"This... THIS is insane..." Cassandra muttered, watching in awe and terror as their city was torn apart.

Vezalia panted, her smile twitching nervously.

"You’re... really something."

But Airi wasn’t done. She raised her sword high, light gathering into a massive beam, her eyes blazing.

[New Blessing: Demon Slayer]

"THIS ENDS NOW!" she screamed, diving toward Vezalia with all her might, ready to cleave her apart in one final, devastating strike.

But just as the blade was about to fall—

SHNK.

A dagger pierced through Airi’s back, sliding in deep. Her eyes widened, breath catching, the light in her sword flickering.

The entire battlefield froze, silent in pure shock.

Vezalia collapsed at Airi’s feet, gasping and trembling. She struggled weakly, but forced her eyes open, just in time to see a dagger pierce clean through Airi’s chest from behind.

Airi froze, her eyes going wide in total shock, her breath catching painfully.

For a moment, silence fell, heavy and crushing.

Then came the sound of heels clicking on broken stone. A teasing, silky voice floated out, full of amusement.

"Ooooh... what a scene. You two were getting real hot and heavy here. So, tell me, does this fiery little duo have room for..."

From behind Airi, a woman emerged, a familiar figure, the mysterious demon from the very beginning, the one who had first awakened Bel.

She pressed close until her chin rested lightly on Airi’s shoulder, her breath teasing Airi’s ear as she finished with a sly smile.

"...a third wheel?"