Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods

Airi stepped forward, slow and steady. Heat shimmered around her like the edge of a storm. The broken glass at her feet began to tremble, faintly glowing purple as the energy rose.

She tightened her grip on both swords.

Bel was watching.

She took a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her heart thudded faster in her chest. If he was really looking, then this had to matter.

No nerves. No hesitation.

Just movement.

She launched.

Her blade ripped through the air in a blinding flash, wide, heavy, unstoppable. It felt like the world cracked beneath her swing. The force hit like an explosion frozen in time: streaks of light, rippling shockwaves tearing across the dreamscape.

Mirrors nearby shattered on impact. They couldn't handle her.

But she wasn't finished, not by a long shot.

She spun into the air, blades arcing wide. Each strike carved golden lines across the sky, slicing through floating terrain like it was made of paper. Her strength wasn't just overwhelming, it was terrifying. Every swing felt like it could split this dreamscape open.

Morpheus broke a sweat.

Not from her. Not exactly.

As an Archdemon, her power was within the limits of what he could handle.

But the one who hadn't moved, that was the world above Archdemons.

Bel was there, not fighting, just silent and watching.

But that's what shook Morpheus.

Was this just a distraction? A trick? Was the real threat still waiting?

He turned his attention to Bel, just in time to miss Airi coming again.

Faster, brighter. Her swords blurred, light trailing behind in glowing crosses that lingered for seconds in the air.

"Tch… So you're trying to be a nuisance now," Morpheus muttered.

A mirror snapped into place between them. Airi's strike vanished into it, and so did she.

She landed in a black desert stretching out in all directions, broken into floating shards. The sky was filled with stars drifting like they were smeared across glass. Gravity felt wrong. Sluggish and tilted.

Airi grunted, pushing herself up.

"Okay… where the hell am I now?"

Morpheus's voice drifted through the dream-sky, smug and slow.

"As long as I don't threaten you directly, the Ravager should stay out of it. So let's make you quiet."

Then came the pressure, thick and creeping, like fog seeping into her mind.

Sleep.

Her eyelids drooped instantly. Her muscles loosened, thoughts slowed. Her knees began to give out.

[Blessing of Wakefulness]

Her eyes snapped open, burning gold.

She smirked.

"Not going down that easy, nap-bastard."

She launched upward, her blades spinning. A sweeping arc of golden light tore through the dark, fracturing the floating ground beneath her.

Outside, Bel blinked once, then he snapped his fingers.

A surge of violet energy shot forward, striking the mirror and shattered it. Airi burst back into the dream-garden, swords still glowing.

Morpheus flinched.

Was Bel finally moving?

No.

He was still motionless, but another mirror cracked and fell apart.

Airi again.

Morpheus hissed through his teeth.

"Enough."

Another mirror opened below her. She fell this time, into a void of clocks and gears, voices whispering in languages she didn't understand. Time twisted around her. Her body stretched like it was being pulled through centuries.

[Blessing of Stillness]

Her body steadied.

She shouted, kicking off a massive spinning gear and shooting upward. Twisting midair, she brought her blade down in a clean slash, ripping through the dimension itself.

A soft pulse flickered across her skin.

[Blessing of Time Resistance]

Still in the air, she frowned.

"…Wait. Is that eternal youth or something?"

Outside, Bel barely shifted. One simple motion.

The mirror shattered.

Airi spun free, laughing now, it felt too easy.

Morpheus stumbled back, his frustration growing.

She twirled both swords casually.

"You're slowing down, smoke-face. What's next? How about a world in the beach?"

Then she charged again, her blades blazing.

This wasn't just a fight anymore.

It was performance.

Her speed surged. Her strikes blurred into arcs of gold, leaving fire-bright afterimages in the air. Every movement was sharp, almost artistic.

She wasn't just winning, she was showing off.

For him.

Bel didn't speak, but he kept watching, and for her, that was enough.

Morpheus snarled and snapped his fingers.

Another mirror. Another world. Another trap.

Another blessing. Another destruction.

And Airi, laughing, dove straight back in.

Crest clenched his fists, jaw tight. Airi had vanished again, ripped from their world into another mirror trap.

He took a step forward.

"Damn it…"

He was just about to run in after her when Bel's voice cut through the tension.

"Don't."

Crest halted mid-step. His head snapped toward Bel like a drawn bowstring. The pressure in the air thickened. Everything felt like it was holding its breath.

"I don't take orders from you."

But Bel didn't even glance his way. His eyes remained fixed on the surface of the mirror, as if Crest's outrage didn't matter.

"Then don't follow orders," Bel said quietly. "Just don't get in her way."

Crest's face twisted.

"She's in danger!"

"No," Bel said. "She's doing exactly what I need. Even better."

Crest shook his head in disbelief, hands trembling at his sides.

"You mean like Dusteria?" he snapped. "Or Will? Or Sienna? You used all of them! You keep using everyone!"

His voice cracked, rage boiling over.

"Do you even know what it's like to care about something that isn't about power? To lose people who matter?"

His voice lowered, trembling with barely-contained emotion.

"Stop breaking everything we have."

Bel finally looked at him.

"Dusteria and your boy friend are lucky to be alive after this thing was so close to them. And Sienna…" He paused, gaze sharpening. "One is normal, the other is improving, and the last one is almost dead and your only hope is me. They're lucky to not only have you around."

His tone dropped to a whisper, almost reverent.

"Now Airi... if she keeps fighting, she'll be just perfect."

He didn't even sound like he was speaking to Crest anymore. It was like he was thinking aloud, watching something no one else could see.

"If she holds her blessings long enough… if she could even adapt to his authority… maybe, just maybe... she'll be strong enough to fight the Slumbering King."

That was the limit for Crest. His entire body was trembling now.

He stepped forward until he was close enough to jab a finger into Bel's chest.

"You already took everything," he growled. "My friends. My hope. And now her? What do you really want?! Are you here just to mess with me?!"

His voice broke.

"I'll never let you taking anything from me again!"

He turned, ready to run to Airi, ready to do something at least.

But Bel moved first.

A single hand came down on Crest's shoulder, light, barely there. But the weight of it felt like a wall.

"I think I wasn't clear enough," Bel said with a very calm tone.

"You're not helping right now, boy. You're a distraction. A liability. You want to protect her, but she's the one protecting you. You're still breathing because she made sure of it."

His tone sharpened.

"But right now, she's busy."

Bel leaned in slightly, murmuring next to Crest.

"So tell me... if something happened to you right now… while she's fighting… who would save you?"

A cold sweat ran through Crest's forehead.

He just stood there, still and silent, hands at his sides, a new ache blooming in his chest.

Then Bel turned back to the mirror, raised one hand, and snapped his fingers.

Crack.

The mirror split like ice under a hammer.

It shattered, the light inside bursting outward, flooding the garden.

Airi returned, landing in a crouch, blades glowing like her eyes.

Morpheus flinched visibly across the mirrors.

Bel continued.

"She'll fight forever, if needed. And each second makes her stronger. Eventually, she'll become the best weapon to end everything here."

She raised her swords, eyes locked on Morpheus.

"Round three, smoke-face."

He was forging her.

Slowly, silently, she was becoming a weapon, and she was smiling the whole way through.