The Seven Demon's Tamer

***GRAVESKULL TECHNIQUE: DEATH'S EMBRACE INVERSE!***

This was it—Ryomen activating the technique. The Death's Embrace was finally being used in its ultimate form, turned against the being who had provided the very weapon for its own destruction.

From Ryomen's palm, pressed firmly against the surviving dragon's head, a blast of red flame exploded with devastating force. But this wasn't just any flame—this was the dragon's own attack, stored at its peak power and now delivered to the dragon's head.

The flames that erupted from Ryomen's hand carried all the properties that made the dragon's breath so terrifying: the ability to erase rather than merely burn, the incredible concentrated force that no defense could stop.

The red flames consumed the creature's head completely, spreading outward from Ryomen's palm in a sphere shape.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Then, slowly, the massive form began to lose balance as it had been rendered lifeless.

Thud!

Ryomen stood over the corpse, his skeletal form lost in the obscuring dust and smoke as the lifeless dragon hit the ground. His claws slowly retracted back into his knuckles, the weapons no longer needed now that his enemy had been completely eliminated.

***

The battlefield had become a wasteland due to all the clashes of power, yet Mikasa and Akira, two figures against an opponent from the black mark section of the Astral Shadow Plane.

Draki's massive form towered over them, his dark scales distinctive against the night.

The battle had reached an incredible height. Akira's Entity Swap technique had been pushed to its absolute limits, her body trembling from the strain of constantly using it to change their positions across the battlefield.

Sweat poured down her face, her demeanor flinching.

Mikasa wasn't faring much better. Her crystal armor had been shattered and reformed so many times that she had lost count, each reconstruction requiring a fresh infusion of gamma energy that she could barely afford at this moment.

Her face was contorted, a clear sign that her concentration was faltering under the process of over-exerting herself.

However, all these were in the past now, because...

"*Affinity of the Demon Descendant: Cursed Speech.*"

Draki had used his affinity.

The words that Draki spoke carried a power that resonated into their ears, carrying clear qualities that they weren't just words. They were chants, commanding chants.

The cursed speech is an affinity that granted him the ability to give any simple command to whoever he pleased. All he needed to do was chant out any word, imbue it with his will and gamma energy, and his command would automatically be an obligation upon the target.

*"Freeze."*

The command hit them like an unstoppable freight train. Every single aspect of their bodies had stopped moving. Their hearts stopped beating. Their lungs stopped processing air. Their blood stopped flowing through their veins.

Akira and Mikasa, who had been managing to stand their ground all this while through determination, going all out and doing their best, were frozen.

It was only at that moment that all chances of surviving the battle for Mikasa and Akira got thrown out the window with discomforting finality.

They were conscious throughout the entire process, forced to experience every second of their complete helplessness. They could still see, still think, still feel the terror and despair clawing at their minds, but they were utterly powerless to do anything about their situation.

"I've had enough from you all," Draki spoke, coldly. As he continued his words, he raised his hands upward once again, this time with the casualness of someone who knew they were the clear winner.

As he spoke, he began to raise his massive hands upward, the movement slow and calm.

This appeared to be a casual gesture, like the casual gesture of someone preparing to swat an annoying insect. However, Akira and Mikasa, who were about to be the victims of the attack, knew better.

The air around his raised hands began to shimmer and distort, dark energy starting to converge around his palms, growing denser and more concentrated with each passing moment.

'This is it,' Akira realized with clarity. 'He's not holding back even in the slightest anymore. This attack is going to be our death.'

He wasn't hurrying in delivering the killing blow. There was no urgency in his movements, no concern that his prey might escape at the last moment.

There was no need for all that after all.

The dark energy continued to build, growing thicker and more oppressive. The very ground beneath their feet began to crack and splinter from the pressure, cracking the ground in a spiderweb pattern in all directions.

Mikasa tried to move, tried to activate her crystal manipulation one final time, unfortunately, all attempts proved to be futile.

Activating her technique requires movement of the lips, and right now, such movement wasn't possible for her. The same applied to Akira.

They were completely helpless, standing frozen in place while their execution was prepared.

Draki spent just enough time to ensure that the attack he would be delivering to them would be carrying ultimate finality—the kind of overwhelming force that would leave nothing behind, enough to erase their existence.

This was exactly like Valachi's most devastating assaults, exactly like the flame breath from the double-headed dragon, exactly like every ultimate technique that the black-marked beasts possessed.

It took time to gather the necessary energy, time to build up power to a truly incredible level, and that delay was exactly the factor that would normally give fighters like Sen, such as Mikasa, or even a Tian like Akira an edge in combat.

However, neither Mikasa nor Akira were getting the chance to exploit the benefit of the delayed attack this time around. Not under the influence of Draki's affinity. Not when they were frozen like statues, unable to do anything.

The energy gathered to its ultimate peak and then...

***"CHANGE OF PLANS! WE HAVE TO RETREAT!"***

A voice roared across the battlefield with such desperate urgency that it cut through even the overwhelming presence of Draki's gathered power. The sound carried for miles, reaching Draki with crystal clarity.