The Infinite Dragon God Cannot Find Silence

Although it's hard to pinpoint exactly where it is, the sense of something different hidden within it is quite obvious.

From now on, we probably can't completely trust any kind of substantial perception.

A faint purple light flickered.

Although I don't know the actual situation, I'm probably under attack right now.

It's not possible to break through 'infinite' defenses for the time being, but this shouldn't be the opponent's trump card.

Dreams and illusions are probably quite common abilities.

The attack can be launched from the mental level, causing the opponent to fall into an illusion or into a state of slumber—something like that.

However, the opponent—the Dream Dragon—used even more brutal and direct methods.

Create a world made of dreams and then envelop your opponent in it.

Even if you put up mental defenses, it's all in vain.

Unlike the former, this move is even harder to resist.

The details of this 'dreamlike' phenomenon require time to analyze; until a conclusion is reached, we can only treat everything as an illusion.

The world created by the opponent is pure darkness, with nothing fancy about it.

Although Orpheus usually seems to be lost in thought, he is remarkably determined when it comes to willpower.

Against such an opponent, illusions are ineffective; even attempts to distract one's mind are futile against an Orpheus who is fighting seriously.

The other party was probably well aware of this, and did not put any effort into giving the illusion any special content.

Moreover, the mythical dragon is not so pathetic as to rely solely on 'falsehoods' to fight.

Hidden beneath this darkness, an unknown number of attacks are poised to strike.

The evidence is this beam of light that pierced through the heart at some unknown time, as soon as it was felt.

Not to mention perception, even the most reliable intuition at this time was completely unresponsive, and the originally set-up defenses were penetrated without any resistance.

Or rather, there is no sense of being penetrated at all; rather, the moment one becomes aware of it, one is already in a state of complete penetration.

Even the speed of light shouldn't be too much of a problem for Orpheus now.

Even if it surpasses light, Orpheus should be able to keep up.

It was already pierced through by the time I realized it, and the excruciating pain after the impact wasn't even physical...

"So that's how it is..."

Having withstood only one blow, the dragon goddess was already able to roughly analyze the secrets of her opponent's abilities.

But even so...

"Even if you analyze it, it won't be of any use."

The red-haired girl smiled faintly.

Unlike her previous expressionless, lifeless face, she was now noticeably more lively.

"Hidden reality within fantasy, fantasy within reality, reality is fantasy, and fantasy is also reality... Even if you know all this, what good will it do? You have no way to deal with it."

That's right, everything perceived is based on falsehood, but at the same time, everything must be treated as real—on top of that, attacks are also directed at the mind. Even if physical effects are meaningless to Orpheus, the erosion of the mind can still have an effect.

Orpheus silently added to his mind as he looked up at the girl who was smiling confidently.

—Compared to her in reality, the her in this dream world is the 'real' one.

"How about it? There's still a chance. If you surrender, you won't have to endure the pain that's coming. Mental torture is something a child like you can't handle. If you give up now, I'll offer you protection as an equal."

Believing she had victory in her grasp, the red-haired girl reached out her hand and offered words of persuasion to surrender.

The dragon goddess tilted her head.

Admittedly, this ability is indeed quite challenging.

It's not a particularly innovative method, but there's no shortcut to cracking it either.

Ultimately, however, Orpheus never really needed to be cracked.

[Norns.]

This place should have been a space where no one could contact the outside world, but if it's a 'snake', even souls can connect with it.

There is no problem in achieving communication smoothly.

All preparations are complete. Whether it's the underworld or the heavens, I will take it all for you in this next battle.

After listening to the report from the other side, Orpheus nodded.

[Yes, it's okay to use your full strength, everyone.]

Oh? So that means...

The message from the other side carried a hint of surprise, while also concealing a certain degree of excitement, and the Dragon Goddess's reply did not disappoint the other party's expectations.

[Don't worry about any losses—at this point, even piercing through a planet wouldn't matter.]

It's quite rare for someone as decisive as you, but since you've put it that way... I won't hold back either.

This communication has ended.

In this way, everything that will happen on that small planet next is no longer in doubt.

Orpheus turned his gaze back to the red-haired girl.

The communication just now was only a momentary exchange; the other party is still waiting for her answer.

"I think giving up on your side is a good option."

"Yeah."

Seemingly having little hope to begin with, the red-haired girl calmly withdrew her outstretched hand.

"Forget it, it's a tradition among dragons to let strength speak for itself, and they won't hold back."

As if to confirm her words, a golden halo appeared behind the red-haired girl.

Based on a rough estimate, its energy content is at least above that of the sun.

"I will try my best to make sure that the moment of your pain doesn't end."

The Infinite Dragon nodded seriously in response to the Dream Dragon's words.

"Hmm, thank you."

"..."

The red-haired girl, unsure how to respond, twitched her lips and ultimately just waved her hand down.

The final battle between dragons finally began.

……

……

"Why……"

Hyoudou Issei struggled to get up from the ground, but the excruciating pain from all parts of his body made him unable to do so.

He could only look around in despair.

The fallen angel governor, Azazel, had lost five of his twelve wings and was kneeling on one knee, gritting his teeth, too weak to fight any longer.

The fallen angel officers who fought alongside him had all turned into sponge-like things.

On the Demon King's side, two of the Trisolarans who participated in the battle fell to the opposite sides of Hyoudou Issei, lying quietly, their fate unknown.

As for Hyoudou himself, he was casually knocked from the sky to the ground, almost losing his fighting ability.

The perpetrator who achieved this result took less than three seconds.

Faced with a speed approaching that of light, no strategy is futile.

No, there wasn't even time to formulate a strategy; the moment they reacted, they were shot down by the omnipresent beams of light.

The difference between adults and children is more like the difference between an elephant and an ant.

But those who can fight on equal footing—

Suddenly, this makeshift, dark space was enveloped in white light.

The next second, the Thirty-Three Gods, whose body was scorching hot, fell next to Hyoudou Issei.

Only crimson light surged in the sky.

Then, the red light abruptly stopped.

boom!

With a thud as a heavy object hit the ground, the red-haired demon king, his armor shattered, fell to a spot not far from Hyoudou Issei.

"Sorry, sorry. I just received an order to be serious, so I had to be serious. Although that destructive light is annoying, it's not that difficult to bypass it if you just simulate the fluctuations of dragon essence energy."

Hyoudou Issei's eyes widened as he looked up at the angelic girl slowly descending from the sky.

"So, now you're the only one left."

With a friendly smile, the pink-haired girl spoke.

Chapter 419 The Destruction of Fall

───!

Shiva's smile froze on his face.

A purple light streaked across the space, leaving a crescent-shaped afterimage.

Dancing alongside that light was Shiva's right arm, which he had originally intended to grasp Azriel.

"Even if you put on that arrogant attitude, it won't work. I'm very familiar with that look and that feeling."

Azriel chuckled inwardly as she brandished her weapon.

After all, her sister often had that look on her face while plotting her own schemes.

Ultimately, while her chance of winning lay in getting close and killing her opponent before they could use their abilities to defend themselves, the same principle applied to her opponent.