Chapter 173 New Blood

The moment the final remnants of life left Vandread, the boy’s eyes shot open as he exhaled sharply, sitting up in a jarring fashion as he clutched his chest.

What happened? I’m alive–what is this feeling? My body…I feel…perfect? There’s no pain–nothing, he questioned.

Patting his own body, he realized even the injuries he endured in the battle were gone, witnessing a small, black thread finish closing one such laceration as a harrowing realization came to his mind.

Sumera called out to him as Melisande embraced him, but his mind was wandering to what his main theory was for the unrecognized feeling within his body.

Slowly looking to the side, he found the answer for himself, seeing the man he once thought as cold and heartless, laying by his side, lifeless but with a smile of unmistakable happiness worn.

“…Vandread…Why?” He asked, choked up as reality set in.

It was simply unreasonable to him; none of it made sense. To him, there was no way the ultimate act of selflessness would come from that man, but as he sat there, seeing that final smile, he found himself accepting that kindness was there all along.

I’m…not somebody worth dying for. Why? He questioned.

Bringing himself to his feet, he was stunned by this development, placing his hand over his heart as he felt it beating, pumping with a new essence to his own blood.

BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.

“Emilio…?” Melisande called his name softly.

Though Sumera seemed to recognize that it was probably best to give him a moment alone, giving Melisande a subtle shake of her head.

Kintoki was still struggling with the Knightmare, worn down by his own exhaustion and sustained injuries as he stumbled back after blocking a powerful strike.

“Ghh…!” Kintoki winced.

Right now, beyond the pale of confusion, Emilio found himself focusing on one feeling above all as his heart rate increased and in tandem, the heat welling inside of him.

Grief.

Grief that manifested itself in anger.

I’ll let everything out, Emilio thought, I’ll unleash everything. That’s what you’d do, right, Vandread?

Before Kintoki could react to a powerful, overhead strike, a figure swept in front of him, countering the blow without any self regard.

“Emilio–?” Kintoki looked on in surprise.

Though there was something different about the boy; a shell of scales had stretched across his body like a layer of azure armor, complete with natural grooves.

[Dragonheart System Activated]

[Current Stage: Dragon Sentinel | 5/10]

In this form, completely obscured in an armor of draconic scales, possessing claws of his own, his stature was changed by the living armor; creating an imposing presence of its own as azure flames exuded naturally as his own breath.

It would be impossible to tell it was Emilio within the husk of reinforced scales; though it wasn’t simple scales, but also a durable hide of silver.

They all witnessed this development, unknowing of what this form was, most not having a semblance of a clue of Emilio’s Dragonheart heritage.

“Where’d he get that armor?…” Sumera questioned.

“That’s Emilio?” Melisande questioned.

Though the form taken by Emilio was daunting in its own right; the form that resembled a living, humanoid dragon-like armor and the low growls that emitted from it made Emilio almost seem savage in nature.

It wasn’t far from the truth; inside the shell of scales, swirling with draconic force, Emilio struggled to maintain himself, being flooded with almost feral-like instinct as rage boiled in his blood.

Roan saw it briefly while combating the five Knightmares around him, though his reaction was more to the sacrifice his old friend had made.

Just what kind of monstrous kid did you give up your life for, Vandread?…Well, I have a pretty good idea myself. I did bet on his success, after all, Roan thought.

–

The Knightmare paused for a moment before reshaping its helm into a skull, attempting to exhale the plague once again but being stifled as its entire skull was gripped in the hand of the Dragon Sentinel, piloted by Emilio who spoke not a single word in this state.

It was an overwhelming amount of strength coursing through his body; such a transformative state was only able to be sustained through his durable body constantly rebuilding itself as his bones cracked and his muscles tore, healing as fast as the process happened.

The state he was in was unequivocal to the previous one’s he experienced; the strength was intoxicating, fueling the anguish he felt as the ruthlessness inherent to the rulers of the skies surged through his body.

“I knew you had it in ya,” Kintoki said, wearing a smile as he fell to his rear, taking a breather as he left it to Emilio, “…Let it all out.”

Without a further moment to waste, the Dragonheart crushed the head of the Knightmare with his scale-clad hand, this time reeling a reaction from the Unending Nightmare as dark gunk oozed from the ground, forming into a new form.

The Knightmares that Roan fought and culled were pulled into the mass of darkness as the Unending Nightmare rebuilt itself into a new, singular entity.

“Combining again? Seems like it’s getting desperate,” Kintoki remarked, readying himself.

“No,” Roan corrected him, “It’s getting serious.”

They all stood side-by-side, though there was some wariness when taking to the side of the Dragonheart, who seemed like an entirely different person in his current state, it was clear he was still on their side, be it as it may that he was less than ‘vocal.’

The Dragonheart stood there, breathing heavily as an azure glow emitted from the cracks in his scale armor, watching as the Unending Nightmare swirled and morphed all of its abyssal mass.

Though there was no coherent shape to the mass of darkness, it suddenly sprouted eyes darker than black for a split-second, catching all of their gazes at once.

“–!”

Roan, Kintoki, Sumera, and Melisande were all caught in that momentary eye contact, though Emilio was protected by it from the visor of draconic armor on his face.

“Shit!” Roan clicked his tongue, gathering a charge of scarlet lightning around his arm.

Though there was hardly any time for a preemptive strike now as the Unending Nightmare condensed its unholy mass of primordial fear into a new shape, becoming a humanoid figure that possessed a mighty stature.

It wore all-black armor that bore the shape of a malignant demon’s face on its breastplate, possessing six, angelic wings of pitch-black feathers that were layered in grotesque eyes. Though it had no eyes present on its own face, the monstrous form it took presented an eye on each of its palms.

“What is that?!” Melisande questioned.

“I don’t know, but it ain’t pretty!” Kintoki replied.

The form of the Unending Nightmare resembled an angel that’d fallen to the deepest depths of Hell, bathed in depravity as chains wrapped around its limbs, though it was unbound as it held a vicious, lipless grin.

Again, the scenery shifted as the ground rumbled, causing the group to form a circle as they watched each other’s backs, finding the dark field changing into an endless pasture, sitting beneath a sky made up of suspended bodies.

“What the…?” Kintoki muttered when looking up.

In this realm, the Unending Nightmare manifested a massive cleaver into its right hand and a chain rope in its other before leaping towards the group.

“Heads up!” Roan called out.

Though no call was needed as Emilio met the nightmare halfway, leaping up with his physical abilities maximized by his Dragonheart System as he wordlessly clashed against the entity.

As he shot his fist forward, it slammed against the entity’s chest, managing to knock it back harshly with a roaring force.

“Nice!” Kintoki commented before following up.

It was a massive amount of power in one blow; that was the true benefit of reaching this stage of his Dragonheart System: every blow was a ‘Dragon Strike.’

Though it seemed the advantage was had, it was all a ruse as amidst its fall, the Unending Nightmare mended its form, shifting into the clown-like man of the Chaos God Style: Lawrence.

Still wielding the chain, the clown-faced entity tossed it with mystical precision, wrapping it around the Dragonheart’s wrist before yanking him down.

“Emilio!” Melisande called out.

Though Emilio was wordless in his savage, yet concentrated state as he was pulled directly towards the nightmare, allowing him to come down in an azure glory as he slammed into the false form of Lawrence with an explosion of azure flames.

Still, the Unending Nightmare leapt out from the bath of flames with a laugh, “So passionate!”

Though the primordial entity had mostly healed, some burn marks were left on it, which was noticed by Roan’s keen eyes as he swept in, tossing bolts of scarlet lightning against the Unending Nightmare’s pale flesh.

Upon impact, the bright-red electricity stunned the entity, allowing Kintoki to close in with a massive swing of his blade.

“Oh no!” The Unending Nightmare said almost sarcastically with a wide smile.

The blade cut straight through the midsection of the false clown, splitting the nightmare in two though it only seemed to seamlessly morph from there as its own innards expanded along with its split body.

“Urgh! What the?!” Kintoki commented.

Before a gigantified intestine could whip over with sound barrier-breaking speed towards Kintoki, the man was saved as Roan zipped by in his lightning form, moving him out of the way.

“Woah–thanks,” Kintoki said, making sure he was still standing from the jarring speed.

“Don’t mention it. Just keep your eyes up,” Roan ordered.