The purplish-blue scales covering Layland's body turned two shades darker as unadulterated Demonic power enshrouded his being. His body grew, making him over two times bigger. The scales framing his face morphed into an exoskeleton that covered his face like a mask. It was reminiscent of a human skull but with a more sinister look. A pair of wings sprouted out his back. He flapped them once, creating a deep hole in the sand behind him.
Quetzalcoatl stared into Layland's blazing eyes. As expected, he couldn't sense any resemblance of soul in them. They burned like hell, unnerving him greatly. When Layland extended his hand to the side, Quetzalcoatl took a step back. Rexorem appeared in Layland's hand and Quetzalcoatl noted that it had adjusted to Layland's size.
When Layland's clawed hand grabbed the handle of the broadsword, Quetzalcoatl's breath hitched for the second time. He didn't even bother to fathom how much power Layland possessed. It seemed like he had finally removed the lid of a gigantic water tank and toppled it over. The stream of pure Mana coming out of Layland made him think about the days he fought on the battlefield.
"I will die if I fight in this form."
At that moment, Quetzalcoatl decided to assume his Dragon Form. A Mana pressure that rivalled Layland's swept the desert. As his body got bigger, he became less human. A few seconds passed and the humanoid figure was replaced by a gold Dragon that was big enough to hug half of a mountain. The power Quetzalcoatl was radiating in his Dragon Form made Layland's power pale in comparison. Despite so, Layland still stood in disinterest.
Layland flashed before Quetzalcoatl's Dragon Form, hitting the Dragon squarely in his stomach. The Dragon widened his eyes in disbelief as his body shot through the air.
Boom!
The air exploded a few seconds later. The sound it made was enough to render even a Dragon's eardrum useless for a week. Quickly recovering from his disbelief, Quetzalcoatl opened his wings thus stopping his launch. Sand flew everywhere, but it was barely registered. Quetzalcoatl spread his senses upon noticing Layland was no longer in his vision. He instinctively thought of looking up and he was glad he didn't do that.
Layland emerged out of the sand, swinging Rexorem up. Quetzalcoatl teleported, avoiding the attack that might cut him in two. With his absence before the sword, the desert was cut in two and the space was rippled. The cause of the destruction immediately disappeared, forcing Quetzalcoatl to seal the space with a Dragon Spell. Immediately, he found Layland on his side, ready to cut his neck. The space locked him in his place.
"Damn, boy, you are eager to kill me, aren't you?"
Quetzalcoatl thought of giving Layland a sound beating but decided to heed Layland's advice. He whipped his tail at Layland, throwing his body tens of Absitan away in a second. Layland stopped his launch in a second, causing the air to explode. Quetzalcoatl looked from afar, noting how he didn't do any damage to Layland.
Quetzalcoatl's heart beat in excitement. It had been over a millennium since his last fight. Although he couldn't let loose with Layland, he wasn't having an easy time with Layland either. It reminded him of his fights in his younger years—just a few decades away before he reached his prime. Because of this excitement, he shot a fireball out of his mouth that could exterminate an army of men at once.
He realized his mistake soon but immediately found himself surprised. Layland cut his fireball effortlessly and sent one back at him. It was not a fireball but a ball of destruction. It was over three times more lethal than Quetzalcoatl's fireball. Quetzalcoatl decided to try his luck. He erected a Mana shield and watched as the ball of destruction collided with it in trepidation.
Flash!
He immediately teleported himself out of the ball of destruction's course the moment he heard a crack from the Mana shield. He didn't need to bet on it. He knew it wouldn't stand a chance against the ball of destruction. Just as found himself on the other side, Layland entered his peripheral vision. Shocked by how quickly Layland had located him, he swung his claws at Layland, cutting the space in the process.
Layland was launched into the sand like a meteor falling from the sky. Sand kept flying into the air as his body dug deeper into it. When it stopped, the thick sand covering the rock underneath was removed, revealing a part of it. It partly caved in, hosting Layland on it. Quetzalcoatl looked apprehensively at the gash in Layland's midsection. If he had struck a little bit harder, Layland would have been bisected.
Much to his relief, Layland stood up like he didn't suffer from any injuries. The gash quickly closed up as the flesh reattached itself. Layland was showing off the trait that made Demons fearsome: an absurdly high rate of regeneration. To his slight apprehension, Layland's power grew. It was not much but noticeable.
"Is that why he told me to not outstrip him?" he mused. "Damn, is it his Origin?"
Quetzalcoatl quickly figured out what happened. He had enough experience of fighting with Demons to figure out what a Demon's Origin could do. He never encountered one that was as absurd as Layland's, so he figured Layland must be a freak even by Demon standards. He put his fascination on hold as he noticed Layland had become more feral. It was at this point that Layland truly looked like he had lost himself.
Not even before one's eyes could blink, Layland appeared before Quetzalcoatl. Rexorem hit Quetzalcoatl but no sound was made. Quetzalcoatl and Layland blinked out of existence a couple of times before any sound was made. The air exploded here and there, causing the earth to rumble. Mana violently clashed in the air, causing one's soul to tremble.
Quetzalcoatl cringed at the thought of adjusting his power to Layland's level as he parried each Layland's attack. While it wasn't impossible, it would be a feat to be proud of. Layland was fighting with his instinct, so he was quite uncoordinated. Even so, tricking him was close to a vain action as he could react faster than the trap could work.
In the end, Quetzalcoatl decided to have fun and respond to every one of Layland's attacks. It might take them days until they stopped, but he had no choice. He didn't have a sure way to wake Layland up. Beating him into submission was out of the question since he might accidentally turn Layland into a world destroyer.
…
It had been close to a month since Layland and Quetzalcoatl fought nonstop. A huge part of the desert had the sand removed, revealing the rock underneath. One could also see shards of glass scattered around. The causes of the phenomenon were still fighting above the rock that was previously covered by the sand of the desert, seemingly unaware of what they had done to the terrain.
"They are still going at it?"
"You are still here?"
"Awh, you don't have to be worried about me. I am here not to woo your boyfriend."
Aurelia harrumphed in exasperation at Albion who had been watching the fight with her for the last three weeks. She still hadn't recovered from the nightmare that Albion made her see. As absurd as it was, she didn't mind seeing Layland engage in a sexual act with another woman. She was sharing him with Valeria—not officially—after all. What she couldn't stand was how pathetic Layland had looked and how she was excluded and humiliated in that nightmare.
Albion was by no means capable of making Aurelia bow her head. To be so pathetic in that nightmare frustrated so bad that she wanted to rip Albion apart. She knew it was just a nightmare and Albion had no intention of making it come true, but she still couldn't help but feel guarded every time she saw her.
"My rival has gotten stronger. I am afraid I have to spend a decade in seclusion to catch up to him," a red-haired, muscular man remarked beside Albion.
"You still here?" Albion grumbled.
"Awh, don't worry; he is not here to woo you anymore," Aurelia cooed in delight.
"That is right, Albion. My acquaintance with Layland has made me realize that there is something more worth after than a woman," Ddraig supported, unaware of Albion's growing irritation.
"Then, get the hell away from me!" Albion hissed.
Cowering in fear, Ddraig took a couple of steps away. He soothed his beating heart and never glanced in Albion's direction. He admitted that he was lying about not wanting to woo Albion anymore but also thought Albion was overreacting. He didn't even bother her. He wondered what made her so averse to his presence.
Boom!
A loud explosion caused the audience to hastily erect a Magic Barrier. A destructive wave of explosion swept over them a second later. They were saved by their relatively far distance from the source of the explosion. It was the third clash of power that had managed to cause their souls to tremble in this month. They couldn't help but look at the figures hidden in the wave of thick Mana in trepidation.
When the wave settled down, Layland and Quetzalcoatl could be seen once again. Quetzalcoatl was in his human form and so was Layland. Layland's appearance caused Aurelia to brighten up, but his pressure still made her quite apprehensive. Layland's presence was as soul-crushing as it had been for the past month. She worried that he had finally lost himself.
Far away from the audience, Quetzalcoatl smirked. "You are finally awake."
"I have always been awake. It's my first time opening my eyes," Layland responded with a faint smile. "It was amazing adhering to my insatiable urge to fight, but I quickly found it boring. A fight that I can enjoy is only one I can appreciate. What I have been doing for this last month feels like an obligatory act. I can't enjoy that."
"What are you hinting at?" Quetzalcoatl asked apprehensively.
"Let's fight for real this time."
As Layland's eyes gleamed in excitement, Quetzalcoatl's nose scrunched up.
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