Chapter 388 Chosen Representatives
Though it looked grievous, the wound atop Abaddon's head healed in a matter of seconds, and his horn quickly regrew.
The smoke and ash had finally begun to clear from the area, and Abaddon found his father lying on the ground underneath him.
However… he looked to be in a bad way.
Practically all of his beautiful silver scales were melted, and even his wings and facial features were almost morbidly unrecognizable.
However, Asmodeus had ended up on the better side of Abaddon's flames.
If he were not made directly from his son's own blood, or if Abaddon had increased the output of flame by even a little, there wouldn't be anything left of him to save.
Abaddon's multiple aspects converged back into a single one, and he returned to his normal more human appearance.
His feet touched the shattered ground right beside the old dragon's head, and he placed a hand over the snout of the beast.
From the outside, it didn't look like anything was happening, but if anyone were around in this moment they would have noticed the air becoming perceptibly denser.
Aether, is the amalgamation of all pure things and energies.
It is magic.
Qi.
Aura.
And even the binding of the classic and most widely known elements.
Breathing in pure Aether on a consistent basis is apart of what keeps the bodies of the gods so strong and healthy.
But the Aether that Abaddon's body generates constantly is unlike anything else that one might find within the heavens.
It is the most unsullied, complex, and powerful form of energy that exists within any corner of any universe in parallel thought or creation.
As such, breathing it is entirely too much for any mortal body to contain and breathing in even a small amount would no doubt blow a human apart so finely that even their sludge would be reduced to sludge.
But for dragons and monsters who have been augmented to become more by the original divine beast himself, the effect is a little different.
*inhales*
Asmodeus breathed in as deeply as his damaged body would allow.
Bit by bit, he gathered in the natural aether produced by his son's body and had his own cells revitalized.
The more he inhaled, the more he felt like his body was absolutely brimming with power.
Gradually his body that was bordering on being a charred mess started to heal.
His metallic scales regained their shape and luster, while his ruined wings slowly recovered their shape and features.
Asmodeus opened his eyes not long afterwards and looked around curiously.
It didn't take any effort for him to see his son standing above him seemingly very proud.
"You have my apologies… I'm sure I must have caused you an unnecessary amount of anguish over my little test." He said sincerely.
"That's a bit of an understatement, son. I had no idea you resented me so much for being so much better looking than you."
Abaddon clenched his jaw as he realized that even when his father was a dragon, he was still somehow the most annoying person he had ever met.
"…You're right, it is the largest gripe of my life. Shall I burn your face again to ensure that my looks reign supreme in our family?"
"What a brute I've sired!"
Abaddon rolled his eyes and prepared to tell his father that he'd passed his test with flying colors.
However, just as he was about to do so, a figure burst through the clouds overhead.
It was a monstrous creature, a cross between a phoenix and a dragon that was alight entirely in rainbow flames that lit up the sky with their menagerie of colors.
"I won't be restrained from this conflict! I will become a representative by any means!"
"Erica?"
"She got out? Am I losing my touch…?" Asmodeus muttered.
"You just wounded me, so I highly doubt it."
Nearby, Eris, Belloc, and Valerie were all floating in the air and watched the entire collision go down.
When the youngest of their children saw the bird-like dragon break through the clouds, he let out a predatory growl that did not at all meld with his cute face and soft cheeks.
"My baby?"
"What's the matter, darling?"
Belloc grumbled as he continued to glare at the phoenix like an enemy.
"That woman… She reminds me of that fucking eagle..!"
While Nidhoggr was still imprisoned within the roots of the world tree, he had a longstanding feud with a creature that lived at the top, a jotunn in the form of an eagle named Hraesvelgr.
Over the eons, the two continually sent heated messages to each other via the squirrel capable of traveling dimensions; Ratatoskr.
While the messages were snide jabs at first, the squirrel began to exaggerate them greatly without the knowledge of the two.
As a result, a bitter hatred has formed between the two of them that has lasted for eons, and even now Belloc has a particular dislike of birds.
"Awww! My baby's first swear!" Valerie nuzzled her face against Belloc's and gave him so many kisses that he forgot why he was even upset in the first place.
"Val! Don't encourage this, it's exactly how you corrupted Mira!" Eris chided.
"I can't help it if our babies pick up on the things I say!"
"You literally can though!"
As the two wives continued their understandable yet unnecessary argument, Abaddon folded his arms as he stared up at the burning bird-like creature in the sky.
"I'm impressed that you got here at all, Erica. But If you're going to try again for a representative, I'll need you to be quick. I still have to visit the army bases today."
A vein bulged in Erica's feathery forehead as she started to feel like she was being overlooked.
It always seemed like no matter how hard she tried, she could never get this man's total attention.
She didn't consider herself to be an insecure woman, but the fact that she consistently failed to break any sort of barriers with this man made her feel like she was lacking something.
And… that wasn't a pleasant feeling.
The harder she tried to seduce him and failed, the more she grew to want him.
The unshakable loyalty that was apart of the reason she couldn't have him, was also why she was so attracted to him.
It was a brutally vicious cycle that continuously threatened to pull her deeper and deeper into a bottomless love that she couldn't even begin to see herself escaping from.
Just once… she wanted him to not overlook her.
She wanted him to see her as something grand and eye catching.
And she would give everything that she had if it meant she could achieve that singular goal.
The rainbow flames running along the length of her body started to culminate above her head.
Bit by bit, brilliant flames of a variety of colors were converged into a single flower; a rose with petals that were as large as an eighteen wheeler.
As the seconds ticked by, the flower that was in full bloom started to close up like a bud.
The flower compressed and compressed until it was no bigger than a normal car.
And then… the flower suddenly exploded.
A storm of petals of every color imaginable were flung in just about every direction, and guided by an egregiously powerful current of wind.
With a small smile, Abaddon plucked a few from the air without fear and savored the effects.
He couldn't really feel anything but a small sting, but someone else close to him could.
"Gah! What the hell, Erica?! Think about collateral damage why don't you?!"
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Abaddon found his father in a much different condition than he was in.
Where ever the flower petals connected with his father's body, searing molten spots formed along his skin like blisters of boiling lava.
If Asmodeus' cells were not freshly energized with his son's aether, the damage would have undoubtedly been significantly worse.
'Very impressive indeed..' Abaddon though fondly.
"You should have gotten out of the way, Ashmodai! You had plenty of time!" Erica yelled as she fluttered to the ground.
"I told you not to call me that and you could have atleast waited until I was clear! Look at what you've done to me?! You think it's easy to get skin this flawless??"
"You were literally created to be the first embodiment of seduction, you have never had to undergo a skincare routine in your life."
"That is so not the point right now!"
Abaddon rolled his eyes as he continued to admire the flower petals produced by Erica's attack.
"Not bad… I think I've found my representatives."
Almost immediately, the two of them froze in the middle of their argument.
They both pointed their fingers at each other like irritating children.
""I can't work with him / her.""
"And why is that?"
Asmodeus: "She's such a headache."
Erica: "Just interacting with him takes years off my life and gives me wrinkles."
Abaddon came dangerously close to the red haired woman and dragged his golden eyes over every corner of her face.
"Seems like you need to come up with a better excuse, Erica. Your face is just as flawless as always." He said in a very casual manner.
"O-Oh… I appreciate you for saying so."
'Now get away before you have to put me on a registry!' She screamed internally.
Abaddon turned towards his father and didn't even bother to justify his complaints. "Since you're a headache for everyone around you, I figure you should be a bit more compassionate when it comes to others."
"So you don't enjoy my company…?" Asmodeus asked with a crestfallen look.
"You already know the answer to that, I will not give you the answer you want to hear just to placate your sentimental nature."
"Tsk. You're such a prick." He grumbled.
Immediately, Abaddon showed a smile that was not a smile as he clenched his fists."I will beat your ass, you old man."
"Just try it! You're getting too big for your britches anyway!"
"How dissapointing. You won't even make it to see the war."
"We'll see about that!"
"Erica, hold this if you don't mind." Abaddon pulled off the white fur vest that he wore and handed it to the former phoenix without waiting for an answer.
"O-Oh? Alright."
As Abaddon and Asmodeus put some well needed space between the two of them to begin their old fashioned struggle of hand to hand, Belloc watched his father and grandfather with a curious eye.
"Are all of our family's interactions so… strange?" He asked.
""Yes."" Valerie and Eris answered immediately.
Against all expectations, Belloc smiled wryly as if he found this whole thing silly.
"Things are so unorthodox here.. but I don't dislike that."
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