- ✏ Long Chap -
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The Goddess arrived in front of Shalba who was laughing above the hotel. The collapse of the dimension was getting worse and half of the field had already perished.
"I can understand Vali coming after me.. but for another Heavenly Dragon such as yourself to come after me.." Shalba made a displeased expression. "How much do Dragons have to look down on me?!"
Erin rolled her eyes as Shalba continued his rants
"What is your reason for coming after me?! Are you also trying to ignore me, the one who carries the blood of the real Maou?"
"I'm here to take Ophis away from you."
"Oh I see. Then you are trying to obtain a power by having Ophis! If its you who is a Heavenly Dragon, you must be hiding a desire to dominate the Human world and Underworld!"
"I'm not even interested in doing that. I don't even know what I'm gonna do with Ophis." Erin sighed. "You said that you would kill the citizens in the Underworld, right? Well, I simply can't allow that."
Shalba laughed at the words
"What about it? This is natural! Devils that grew up in an Underworld managed by a fake Maou are lower than bugs so they deserve to die! Even if I allow them to live, they won't give me the respect I deserve so all of them should just disappear!"
He began to speak in a tone as if he discovered an awesome plan
"Those monsters created by the Annihilation Maker are insanely strong. They will cause overwhelming destruction and after that destruction, a pure Underworld will be reborn! That is what an ideal Underworld should be!"
"I really can't understand your delusions. You are too engrossed on your destructive fantasies. That's why, I will have to defeat you seeing that there is no chance of you going sane."
Shalba stopped smiling after hearing the words
"So you plan to get in my way. Well then, get tainted from my curse and die in this Dimensional Gap, Blue Dragon!"
"You think I'm not aware of that possibility? Fool! If I'm going to end up dying then I might as well take you with me! I will make things right and clean up the mess that you villains created!"
Erin made a stance and prepared to transform into her Queen form
"I, the one who is awakened, am the Blue Dragon Empress who holds up the legacy of the Queen up high!"
Erin could hear the voices of the previous users who encouraged her altogether
"Let's go, Erin Vermillion!"
"Yeah that's right! We are the Blue Dragons who protect everyone's future!"
"It is time to walk the midnight filled with crimson road of righteousness!"
"Holding the infinite hope and indestructible dream, and walking the road of righteousness. I will become the Empress of the Crimson Dragon."
"This is a new chant. My words of righteousness that are different from the Juggernaut Drive!" thought Erin before continuing her chant
"And I will lead you to the path of Heaven glowing in deep true Crimson light!"
A crimson aura enveloped Erin and it started to change the color of her armor into crimson
"Crimson Probity Full Drive!"
*(CHING!)*
"Crimson.. armor? What is this change?! Crimson... it is an ominous color that reminds me of the crimson hair of that fake man!"
Erin examined her armor and noticed that the crimson color covered up a large portion of the armor. Only a small amount of the dark blue color remained and she can also feel her power increasing
"I will show you the power of the real Beelzebub!"
Shalba pointed his hands at Erin. A warp was created and the whole area was covered with bees. He then controlled the army of bees and started to randomly shoot out enormous masses of aura around them.
"Star Sonic Booster!"
Erin instantly dodged the attacks and rushed towards Shalba. She followed the movement with a punch directed to the man's stomach
"Solid Impact Booster!"
A crimson-aura covered Erin's right arm and it shaped itself into a large fist.
*(PUNCH!)*
"Ack!" Shalba coughed out blood from the impact. He glared at the Goddess with hate and shouted
"YOU LOWLIFE!"
Shalba created several magic circles and just like Rossweisse's move, he shot out a burst of magical attacks. Each of the attacks were strong but the Goddess rushed towards them without dodging
"I don't need to dodge these things! I can blow you away while sustaining minimal damage!"
"{Solid Impact Booster!}"
Erin repeated her previous attack and her fist connected to Shalba's face
*(PUUUNCH!)*
Getting hit with the gigantic fist head on, Shalba had blood coming out from all over his face. The Goddess crossed her arms over her chest and spoke in boredom
"Is this it?"
"What?" Veins appeared on Shalba's face as he got pissed at the question
"You said that you were a Maou, so I thought that you have a power similar to Sirzechs or Vali. However, I don't feel any strong pressure coming from you at all."
"You sure say a lot! You're just a mere rotten Dragon and a former human who is the same as garbage!" Shalba laughed afterwards. "And even if you have a blood of a deity, you have no right to make such remarks to a pureblood Maou like me!"
"I am the Blue Dragon of the 3 Heavenly Dragons. If we are going to compare ourselves, I can definitely say that you will get beaten up by me." Erin smirked.
"I won't lose to a fake Maou like you."
"Nonsense! You rotten dragon!"
Shalba shoots out his demonic powers but the Goddess merely hits them away. The latter also took down creepy bees with her Dragon Shot
"This is it? Just this?!" Erin didn't know whether she should get angry or annoyed. "And I'm supposed to die in this situation? What exactly will kill me in this state?!"
She stared at Shalba who was panting slightly
"Shalba. You may have great talent and demonic powers. Heck, you may even be born with greater things."
"That's right! I am a Devil that was chosen! A Maou! The real Maou!"
"But it's no good." Erin sighed in disappointment. "Your attacks are nothing compared to the man who charged at me with only his fists and body!"
*(BOOOM!)*
"You won't be able to defeat me with attacks like this!"
The Goddess delivered several hits to Shalba. The man's face was now contorted to pain but he still maintained his pissed off expression
"Real Maou my ass." Erin scoffed. "Making the Underworld go back to zero, you say? Idiot! The men of the Underworld I have met and fought weren't this naive!"
"You shitty Heavenly Dragon! How about this!"
While dripping with blood, Shalba created a magic circle within his hand. What appeared from there was a single arrow
*(WHOOSH!)*
It flew towards Erin at high velocity and hit her right arm, effectively piercing off the armour
"What nonsense is this-
The Goddess tried to pull out the arrow but intense pain covered her arm. It spread throughout her body and she felt like her power is leaving
"Masaka.. What is this?" Erin's hands were shaking and Shalba laughed at this
"It's painful right? It's hard to endure it right? Of course! The tip of that arrow is covered with the blood of Samael! I received it from Hades! I kept it so I can use it against Vali but I never imagined that I will be using it on you!"
Shalba circled Erin who dropped to the ground
"With this, the situation is reversed. If you have high demonic-powers then you could have endured it a bit. But if not, then you will die."
" I see... so this is Samael's curse. For Vali to endure it, this proves that he is insanely strong." Erin spoke in ragged breaths. She then communicated with Voltaire on her mind
"Voltaire, I don't understand.. We have sufficient light properties.. Can't we use it as an alternative to fight off the curse? Just like the Juggernaut Drive transformation?"
"{I think this is a special case. Demonic-power is required to fight off the curse so the light properties may prove useless. Moreover, the new transformation you unlocked must have something to do with this. I assume that since you gained a stronger version of one of the Sacred Gear transformations, the effects of the curse became more fatal as well.}
"Ah, that makes sense.. but it sure hurts a lot. If I think about it, this is my first time receiving Dragon-slayer damage."
Erin's body grew cold, was in pain, and began shaking
"{The curse even reached here, my child. It's so strong that I can feel my consciousness losing at some point.}
"So Samael's curse even reached you who is just a soul.. how troublesome."
Erin coughed and wiped the blood trailing down at the side of her mouth. She gathered her strength and expanded her Dragon Wings as she stood up.
"You are supposed to have received a curse! Why can you move!" Shalba said in shock. "Why aren't you afraid? Are you telling me that you are not afraid of death?!"
"Why should I when I already experienced death at some point." scoffed Erin in response. The pain she was feeling was contrary to the calm expression she was showing.
"I can somehow withstand this pain because I have been through battles that are life or death situations."
"{ BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!}"
Erin gave a combo of punches and hits to Shalba. The man gets thrown to the roof of the hotel
*(BOOGSH!)*
"Absurd! I am the real Maou! I tried to accomplish my vengeance by seeking the help of Hades and humans and dealt with the shame and embarrassment!"
"Wanna know one thing? My uncle despises the devils so you shouldn't have relied on him too much." replied Erin blankly as she kicked Shalba with force
"Ack!"
Shalba writhed in pain and gritted his teeth
"I... I even went through the experiments of the Hero Factions that made me puke! But why are the Heavenly Dragons such as you and Vali getting in my way! A mere dragon who doesn't even have a huge dream or ideal! Why do you ignore someone like me who is seeking to go even higher! I can't understand! I really can't understand!"
He goes to where Ophis is and asks her
"Ophis! Ophis! Give me that snake one more time! Then I shall attain the power that is beyond the previous Maou! I need that snake to beat this woman!"
"Right now, I am unstable. I can't make the snake-type that increases strength."
Shalba puts on a face of despair after hearing this. The Goddess landed in front of him and he looked up while trembling.
"You tried to take away the peace of the citizens in the Underworld. That alone, is enough reason for you to get beaten up."
Erin punched his face twice and Shalba's face snapped to the side
"That one is for Vali and Issei. And oh, this one is for killing Asia before."
She kneed Shalba in the gut and the man coughed out from the impact
*(Boogsh!)*
"Any last words you wanted to say before I kill you?" said Erin in a monotone voice
"Fuhahaha! Either way, you will also die from the curse of Samael, Blue Empress!"
"I was already aware of my impending death, dumbass." retorted Erin which stopped Shalba's laugh. The man looked at her in confusion.
"I am not the host of the Dragon of Prophecy for nothing. I just didn't expect that I will die from a curse. All I know is that I will inevitably die somehow."
Erin sat next to Shalba on the floor and the man looked at her warily
"Don't get excited now. I won't kill you.. yet. I just want to say a few words."
"What the- Are you crazy?! What makes you think I will sit down and listen to your talks!"
Shalba attempted to fight back but he was merely shoved back down
"Quiet you fool." sighed Erin. "Seriously? You still didn't get it? You can't even fight me so stop whining."
Shalba stopped struggling and had no choice but to listen
"You know what, I pity you, Shalba..."
Shalba was about to retort but the next words halted him
"I understood your point of view. And frankly, you have honest intentions. It's just that you were led down the wrong path."
"Wha......." Shalba was speechless and the Goddess continued speaking
"Seeking to improve your strength and having a purpose.. those are ideals that shouldn't be belittled. Those are honest intentions coming from one's heart."
The Goddess held a faraway look
"However, those intentions are tainted with your desire to seek and change things that are beyond your control. That's why, you might not have realized but you were taken advantage by someone from the Hero-faction and other people you encountered. Even if you are a self-absorbed bastard, you shouldn't have went through such horrible experiments."
"Why? Why are you saying these things? Why does a low-dragon like you keep on-
"But then again, it's your fault for being consumed by greed and being thirsty for domination. You should have learned your lesson but nah." Erin shrugged and Shalba got pissed at the words
"How dare you! I am a real Maou and I don't deserve-
"You are a real Maou, correct. You led the Underworld at some point, correct. However, this is not your kingdom anymore, Shalba....."
As if he came to a realization, Shalba's eyes widened and he slumped back on the floor
"This is not the kingdom that you once served and ruled. You don't belong to this current kingdom anymore. You should realize that changes are bound to happen."
"No... I am a Maou.. and will always be a Maou..."
"If that's what you believe then you will always remain a Maou. But not just with the current Kingdom. You don't want to get stuck in a place that you don't belong, do you?"
Shalba went silent and Erin released a sigh
"There are always things which we wish will never change. And so, we hold on to those and desperately try to bring them back despite realizing that it would be futile. Believe me, I went through that experience." spoke Erin as she remembered her experince with Kaori
"You have your negative qualities, Shalba. But I can also say that you were a splendid Maou because the fact that you desperately tried to take control back of the Underworld shows that it was something you deeply treasured."
"Blue Dragon..." Shalba chuckled lifelessly. "I can never understand what goes through the minds of heavenly dragons like you."
"I don't understand it myself.." Erin replied and leaned back.
"Maybe it's the fact that I somehow see a pitiful hardworking Maou who only wanted to get his kingdom back or maybe because we're just having the cliché 'before death' talk. Oh, I nearly forgot. I'm still killing you so peace."
"How foolish. You are such a weird and lowly creature."
"Ditto, Shalba."
Silence enveloped them for some time and Ophis stared at them curiously with a blank expression
"I want to teach you how to let go."
"Nobody teaches a high Maou like me-
"Shut up."
And another silence ensued which made Ophis blink curiously again
"Hey Shalba. You kept mentioning that the people don't give you the respect you deserve, right? Well, that alone should have been obvious. It's because you aren't a Maou in that Underworld now. You can't expect people to acknowledge you with that title."
"I only wanted to keep things the same way as before.. I wanted to bring back the old Underworld... and of course, I wanted to rule the citizens.. But on the pursuit of those things, I kept getting shame and embarrassment.."
"So why are you still holding on to those things that are continuously hurting you?" Erin glanced at Shalba beside her. "It doesn't do you any good so stop chasing on things that will harm you."
"And you expect me to just stop on pursuing my dreams?! You must be delusional." scoffed Shalba in reply
"I never said that letting go was easy. And I never said that I didn't understand your ideals. However, if you're being honest, you know that this dream of yours is getting futile, right?"
".........................."
"You are a strong Maou to push through your ideals at such a long time but you should also be strong enough to acknowledge change.. Otherwise, you don't have the attributes of a real Maou and you are no different from the fake Maous whom you despise."
Erin smirked faintly at Shalba
"You don't want to hate yourself now, do you?"
"How strange... for me to get swayed a bit by words coming from a lowly-devil." Shalba chuckled bitterly and his expressions alternated between frustration, despair, and agony.
Erin just stared solemnly at the distance as she listened to the man's silent cries
"Why.. Why can't I get what I want? I just want to bring back the old Underworld."
"You shouldn't waste your tears towards a kingdom that isn't yours. I never imagined the Shalba Beelzebub, who is a cocky bastard, to be weeping like this."
Shalba's shoulder's shook as he contained his tears. He lowered his head and clenched his jaw to avoid letting out embarrassing cries
"You had your reign.. but it's time to go, Maou-sama..."
Upon hearing how he was called, Shalba seemed to break into more tears.
"As twisted as this situation seems, I want to at least bring your hopes up and let you know that there is a someone who acknowledges you being a real Maou. You don't have to infiltrate the current Underworld for you to feel like a true Maou."
"Blue Empress.." Shalba hid away his tears and stood up. "For a low-level devil to acknowledge me... well, this is how it usually works anyway. The low level citizens are the ones who acknowledge the king.. But to hear those words coming from an enemy.. this is a situation that I didn't expect."
He faced the Goddess and gave her a firm stare.
"Very well. I'm bored of having this talk with you so why don't you get this over with and kill me. Or are you just all talk?"
"Oh wow. How eager. I thought that you'll have a change of heart and just serve your punishment under the current Underworld instead."
"Are you a fool?" Shalba smirked. "What makes you think that I'll let myself be a slave to those despicable fakes. Besides, I won't stay in an Underworld that isn't under my reign."
"I see....." The Goddess smiled faintly and summoned the cannons on her back. A quiet impulse of aura was being charged to the cannons.
"Blue Empress.. If the current Underworld is going to lose a real Maou like me, you should at least serve the duty of helping it since it is your fault that it lost a splendid Maou."
"Are you stupid? How can I do that when it is your fault that I am dying right now." Erin deadpanned and the lightning sparks got noisier on the cannons
"I am the great Shalba Beelzeebub." smirked the man in response. "I can command anything I want so it's your problem on how to fulfill that."
"Crimson Blaster!"
"{Fang Blast Booster!}"
*(KABOOOOOM!)*
A red aura enveloped Shalba and the man stood firmly as he awaited his fate. Erin stared at the now empty space and Voltaire's voice was heard
"{That was an unusual turn of events..}
"Right?" Erin chuckled lifelessly. "Who would have thought that we'll be having such talk with that arrogant Shalba."
"{For you to make someone succumb willingly to death.. and enlighten their shadowed hearts at the least.. You really are something, my child...}"
"Maybe I just felt a random pity? Or maybe I am getting delusional from the pain I am receiving."
Erin released Ophis from the ropes made from demonic-power while enduring Samael's curse.
"Blue Dragon Empress... why did you help me?" Ophis looks up at the Goddess
"You saved Irina and Asia." replied Erin in nonchalance
"That was my gratitude towards them. It should not be a reason for Blue Dragon Empress to help me."
"Asia and Irina are my important friends. If you saved them, then a reason for me to save you will also exist. Besides, after observing your behavior, I began to think that you are not really a bad guy. Why did you cooperate with the Khaos Brigade anyway?"
"They promised me that they will defeat Great Red. I want to return to the Dimensional Gap and obtain silence."
"There's no way that they will keep their promises." Erin sighed. "Weren't you used by them a lot?"
"If I can defeat Great Red, then that's okay. That's why I gave them snakes."
Ophis continued explaining and Erin listened
"I went to Blue Empress' house because I thought I could find something that would fulfill my dream. Abnormal growth. I thought the secret behind the True Dragon and Heavenly Dragons lay there. I thought I could find the reason why I exist."
" I see... I finally got it." Erin contemplated
"Ophis is purer than anyone. The Old-Maou faction and the Hero-faction took advantage of that and used her for their own ends. Their ambition to control the world is something irrelevant to Ophis and the image of her being a despicable boss is just something the Khaos Brigade members created.
"She was led down the wrong path due to her honest intentions.. just like what happened to Shalba. However, Ophis is not an arrogant bastard and she didn't strive for domination unlike Shalba."
Erin smiled at Ophis
"She is just a pure Dragon who is merely naive. She is strong and infinite and everyone became scared of her. Because of this, the terrorists tricked her into being the boss of the bad guys. In reality, she is just a lonely dragon who doesn't have anyone she can talk to."
Erin hissed lowly as the pain increased
"Geez.. my consciousness is getting worse. I need to at least get her to a safe location before falling to my death..."
"Hey Ophis. Do you want to become friends with me?"
"Friend?..... what's the benefit if I become that?"
"I could at least become someone you can talk to."
"I see... that sounds fun."
The building collapsed and the surroundings were eventually sucked into the hole. Erin got up and offered a hand to Ophis. The latter accepted it and they began walking forward.
"I need to at least make her return safely. It will be alright as long as everyone summons us before we got lost in the Dimensional Gap... yes, that's right.. I need to at least make Ophis return home, before I lose my consciousness and fall.."
- End of chapter -
Author's Note: The talk between Shalba occured because I just felt a random pity to him. Lol. Yeah I know that he is a bastard because of what he did to Asia and because he is an arrogant ass.
However, after I read the lines where he desperately begged Ophis, and that he suffered and was used by the Hero-Faction too, that made me view him as someone who will strive for his dreams whom unfortunately got used by others. Also, the fact that he kept on saying that he is a Real Maou just shows that he is an insecure being who felt threatened about his rights being taken. He became more evil since the devils didn't respect him. *(I'm not saying that it's the devils' fault that he became more evil. It's just that the fact he didn't feel respected made his twisted ego more evil 😅)*
If we look past his stupid acts before, we can see that he's just a stubborn king who is reluctant to change, who is insecure deep inside, and maybe has issues that we don't know. But the fact that he endured a lot of embarrassment to achieve his dreams made me think that he will be a determined ruler in case he gets the Underworld back. Why? Because if he simply wanted Domination and that the Underworld is merely one of his toys to boost his ego, he shouldn't have made those desperate efforts to achieve it back. Since you don't sacrifice yourself, waste time, and spend years for something that isn't important to you, right? And because he didn't get what he want, that led him to develop feelings of anger which.. is something a person might feel if things didn't go his or her way.
Oh, and the part where he willingly let Erin kill him can be interpreted in both ways. It could be because he was somehow moved by her words or because he is a selfish bastard who wouldn't admit to his mistakes, and own up to his crime of releasing the monsters to the Underworld. Either way, I think his decision suits the twisted atmosphere in that scene
Ah. Why am I writing a long ass reflection about Shalba. This is really twisted. I know he's an enemy. Maybe I'm just sleepy lol.