Chapter 818: Scathach Alucard Scarlett, Ancestor of...
The first thing that happened when Victor set foot in Nightingale again was a rather familiar scene.
A violet rocket shot towards him, causing several sonic booms. But unlike the previous times, this particular rocket didn't immediately lunge at Victor's body; instead, it stopped inches away from him.
"V-..." Zaladrac was about to say something but stopped when she looked at Victor's shoulder and saw a 'baby' Dragon floating there.
And it wasn't just any baby Dragon but a female baby Dragon. And to worsen her mood even further, the baby Dragon was drenched in Victor's scent.
Zaladrac's pupils narrowed even further, and her wings spread widely. In the next moment, a dreadful pressure descended around them.
Metis shivered as she felt Zaladrac's pressure. Unconsciously, she lowered her head and moved away from Victor, a clear gesture of submission.
Seeing this, Zaladrac's expression returned to normal, as did the breadth of her wings.
Dragons, by nature, were highly territorial. Whether they were young or not, if a Dragon entered another's territory, a fight was bound to happen.
Because of this, it was rare to have two Dragons in the same place, especially two female Dragons near a male.
From Zaladrac's point of view, Metis might be a young Dragon, but such details didn't matter. She needed to know her place; who the second Dragon in command was. That position belonged to her, not Metis, and that had to be clear from the beginning.
Victor merely observed with an amused look. To him, it was like watching two cats fighting to establish dominance; there was no real danger. He also knew that Zaladrac wouldn't attack Metis due to her scent and connection. She clearly understood that this Dragon was a member of his Family, and she wouldn't intentionally harm her. Though, that was only the case if Metis didn't submit, of course.
Dragon Hierarchy was absolute; there was no middle ground.
Of course, the same amusement wasn't felt by those who'd sensed Zaladrac's aura. For them, it was like an Apex Predator was watching them, ready to attack at any moment.
It was a feeling that drove everyone's instincts mad.
After putting Metis in her place, Zaladrac looked at Victor.
"You should have called me... But I understand your decision... In the end, it proved correct."
Victor narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"
"Intruders."
With just those words, sounds of grinding teeth were heard from Victor, and unconsciously, all of his Draconic features became more prominent.
Zaladrac looked at this sight with her eyes subtly shining. Before, she found Victor attractive, that was a fact, but... not as much as now.
His Draconic qualities, especially his aura, made him 1000 times more attractive to her.
'This scent...' Zaladrac's wings fluttered a bit as she sensed the smell of a strong male Dragon, making her eyes shine even more.
Dragons hardly interacted with other species that weren't True Dragons. The reason for this was quite simple: they had no interest in those who weren't True Dragons.
The species known as Dragons were only attracted to their own kind. There were several reasons for this, but definitely the main one was... the Dragon population could be counted on the fingers of both hands; they were few, very few, to the point of being endangered. Zaladrac might even be one of the last of the Dragons, and because of this, her 'bestial instincts' worked to ensure the Race's future.
Although, in Zaladrac's case, that wasn't the only reason. If another Dragon that wasn't Victor appeared, she wouldn't even spare a glance for them. The reason she was acting like this was that the 'male Dragon' in front of her was also a man she respected greatly and who had helped her become stronger.
"Who?" It was a simple question, but everyone who knew Victor understood that literal Hell could break loose depending on Zaladrac's answer.
Instead of speaking, Zaladrac merely made a hand gesture and brought forth five bodies. Three of them were clearly dead with pierced chests, while the other two were paralyzed as if affected by Medusa's petrification.
"A scouting team. I killed 3 and left two alive."
Victor looked at the individuals with his eyes, and it took just one look for him to understand the nature of these individuals.
"Demigods..."
"These clothes, these are Divine Garments." Aphrodite lightly tapped the clothing of one of the corpses. "This fabric... It's familiar to me; where have I felt this before?"
Scathach went to the other corpse and lifted it up. "Hmm, these features aren't from our planet."
When Scathach said this, everyone understood that she meant these Beings didn't belong to any Supernatural Being created on this planet.
"That's true... I've traveled to many places, but I've never seen a species like this."
The individuals' skin was beige, with two horns of the same color as their skin and a tail made of scales. At first glance, they looked very much like Demons.
But that was where the similarities ended. Unlike Demons, who had a Negative Aura that could be easily recognized, the aura of these Beings was more 'positive'.
Victor narrowed his eyes. "I can't pry into their Souls."
These words surprised everyone present.
Victor floated toward one of the live prisoners and grabbed his head.
He forced his Soul Manipulation, and something unexpected happened; he encountered a barrier as if someone was preventing him from gaining information from their Soul.
Victor growled, Crimson Power covered his body, and his eyes shone more intensely. "Do you think you can stop me from getting what I want?"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Victor didn't care at all about the creature's scream; he had no patience for an interrogation. He would get answers straight from the Soul.
A sound of something shattering was heard by Victor, and in the next moment, he accessed the individual's Soul. But it was at that moment that he found himself in a completely white space.
Before him stood a Being over 6 meters tall, and its whole body was covered in some kind of incomprehensible veil, only its silhouette visible.
"... @#$%"
The Being opened its mouth and said something, but Victor didn't understand. For someone who had all known languages in his head, this was unexpected, yet it explained the origins of these creatures.
"Foreigners, huh," Victor spoke, and with that action, the space around him was slightly distorted, then immediately returned to normal.
This seemed to slightly shock the Being in front of him. Even with only its silhouette visible, Victor could still read its obvious reactions.
"@$%#@!" The creature seemed to speak again, and this time, obvious changes began to happen in the space around them. Everything started to tremble, and the white world began to be replaced by something else.
Victor didn't completely understand the situation, but he knew a power struggle when he saw one. Because of this, he didn't hold back.
His body started to deform, the change happening abruptly. In one moment, his body was in Humanoid Form... In the next…
A creature 500 meters tall stood there, and it wasn't just any creature; it was the predator at the top of the food chain.
A Dragon.
"....." The Being looked at that creature with visible shock in its bodily expression.
Since this place was where the Soul could be manifested, Victor evoked his True Form.
When the transformation was complete, the Dragon's Eyes, which were even larger than a Human, shone with Power, and its mere presence completely distorted space.
And before the foreign Being could do anything, a deafening roar was heard, causing this place to shatter.
"... !@$$@!" A cry of pain was heard, and in the next moment, the creature disappeared.
Victor blinked again and was back in reality.
"What happened, Victor? For a moment, I felt you completely leave yourself," Violet asked.
"I don't know," Victor answered honestly. "But I will find out."
The moment Victor spoke, the creature in his hand began to shatter until... it turned into dust... Dust that slowly faded from existence.
"... Was that you?" Scathach asked.
"No... This is a countermeasure. His Soul was destroyed by his master."
"A pact or a contract? Was he in servitude?" Scathach continued.
"Something like that... but much more intrusive." Victor narrowed his eyes, and now that the foreign influence was diminished, he could see clearly.
"A Soul within another Soul... No, it's more accurate to call it a Spiritual Parasite."
Scathach, Aphrodite, Agnes, and Violet shivered at what they heard.
"To prevent Beings like me from gaining information from their scouts, their master placed a very small piece of his own Soul to act as a last defense and, in extreme cases, enact Spiritual Suicide."
"... A basic war tactic," Scathach said.
"But that's madness; the Soul is where all an individual's Records are. A Being just cutting a piece of their Soul to put into another is insane," Aphrodite said.
That would be like cutting your own existence and putting it into another Being.
"Not necessarily." Victor floated up to the last survivor.
"Beings like me can cut their Souls into pieces and won't be affected by any negative effects."
Aphrodite opened her mouth to speak but fell silent as she realized Victor was right. He not only had Roxanne to regenerate his damaged Soul, but also, as a Dragon Progenitor, his Soul was much more robust than usual.
In theory, he could cut small pieces of himself and put them into other Beings.
"Not to mention, this method is ingenious." Victor analyzed.
"... What do you mean?" Agnes asked.
"The Soul, as Aphrodite said, is where all of an individual's information is stored. That means likes, personalities, etc., are all stored in the Soul."
"What happens if someone like me puts a piece of their Soul into a weaker Being?"
Everyone fell silent when they realized the obvious answer.
"As I'm a stronger Being, my Soul Fragment would start influencing that individual, and with my control over the Soul, I could even control them as I want."
Something similar had happened before, with Junketsu, his blade. That weapon had a piece of his Soul, which was why the blade could evolve with him.
What happened here was somewhat similar, but on a smaller scale, just cutting a small piece that will influence a Being, yet still maintain some of the Being's sanity.
After all, if he put in too large a piece, that superior Soul would consume the other Soul, and an entirely different individual would be born.
"Honestly... This is quite ingenious work." Victor spoke. He had never thought of doing this for obvious reasons, as there were many risks involved.
He would much rather use his Immortal Army as his eyes and ears, no matter how far they were, than do this.
While Victor was lost in thought, the girls were talking.
"Zaladrac, why didn't you mention finding intruders?" Violet asked.
"It wasn't necessary," Zaladrac said.
"... How was it not?" Violet frowned.
"The situation was handled by me, and given the unknown nature of the intruders, I deemed it better for my Companion to make a decision."
"And due to that unknown nature, I also left them paralyzed, unable to react or do anything," Zaladrac explained.
"... That's not the issue, Zaladrac."
Zaladrac looked at Violet. "... Explain."
"And if these individuals had a method to transport you elsewhere as happened with Victor?"
Zaladrac opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Violet.
"... Don't just say that you're a Dragon, and that will never happen."
"Even with Victor's Supernatural Senses, he was caught off guard. There is no perfect defense, you know that."
"....." Zaladrac couldn't argue with that; after all, she was right.
"That's just a light scenario. What if these Beings had some kind of bomb that you couldn't detect?"
"What if, at the moment of their capture, they sent a signal for reinforcements, and more Beings came? Luckily, it was just a small group, but what if there were more? And they had some kind of strange technology or Technique that prevented your senses from detecting them?"
"....." Zaladrac blinked several times, not thinking that far.
"That's why contingency plans are necessary. When you encounter an unknown individual, inform everyone quickly; with your Power, you can easily do that, right?"
"... Yes."
"Then do it. Being overly cautious is never enough against invaders, especially these foreigners."
"Okay, I will do that." Zaladrac nodded.
Scathach and Victor, who were listening to their discussion, displayed small, imperceptible smiles. It seemed the conversation with Adonis did Violet a lot of good.
Victor's smile faded, and he looked at the remaining foreigner and spoke in the Draconic Language.
"Restraint. Seal. Ecstasy."
In the next moment, the entire existence of the Being was frozen and contained; even its Soul was not an exception.
"Gather everyone. We will accomplish great things today, girls."
"By everyone, do you mean EVERYONE?" Agnes asked.
"Yes." Victor nodded.
"The Amazons, The Youkai, The Vampires, The Gods, my Demonic Generals, EVERYONE."
"... Okay, luckily, most are nearby, but the rest will take a bit," Agnes said.
"No problem, just tell them to hurry," Victor replied.
Scathach then spoke: "Are we putting that project into action?"
"Yes."
"... You're crazy; we don't have enough Masters for that."
"You have me and Zaladrac, two True Dragons..." Victor floated toward Scathach and gently caressed her cheek.
"Natalia will hold the Space, and Hephaestus will make the base."
"And we will make everything work."
"... This level of Enchantment is beyond even me, Vic."
"Yes, that's correct... for now."
Scathach widened her eyes slightly as she understood the implications of Victor's words. She bit her lip lightly, battling her pride internally, but this pride was easily defeated when she remembered the previous battle.
Victor remained silent; he would respect whatever decision Scathach made, so he let her decide for herself.
"... Very well..." Her voice started a bit doubtful but soon changed to confidence; she wouldn't back down now: "I accept."
Victor smiled. "Welcome to the Family, Scathach."
Before Scathach could even say anything, her body began to glow in shades of crimson and violet. Scathach's eyes began to feel sleepy, and soon, she closed her eyes.
"... Is this...?" Violet's eyes widened. "Is this really happening?"
"Finally, she officially joined. It was about time," Agnes said.
"You're not getting it, Mother. Did you forget what Darling is now?"
"... Oh... OH!" Agnes paid more attention to what was happening now.
Metis flapped her little wings and scrunched her face a bit when she saw this situation. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she didn't like it.
The same feeling was felt by Zaladrac. "Grrr..." She growled a bit when she sensed the presence of another member of her kind.
Having two Dragons together was already a rarity, let alone two female Dragons near a male, and now there were 3 female Dragons!? This was a recipe for disaster.
But... for some reason, Zaladrac felt that this was just the beginning. 'I have to secure my position. I am the First Dragon, so I must be the first!'
She had never felt these feelings before; she was the only one around, after all, but with the existence of a Dragon Progenitor, that wouldn't be the case anymore.
Despite feeling everything around him, Victor didn't focus on that, more concentrated on Scathach. He wanted to ensure that he didn't make any mistakes, but surprisingly, the whole process was smooth.
Just as he did in the past with the Vampires, his 'instincts' guided him all the way, and the process was also smoother because Scathach was already strong and had a powerful Soul.
Therefore, she accepted the changes very well.
A few minutes passed, and the wave of Power began to diminish. Slowly, Scathach's body started to reappear.
Suddenly, two Dragon Wings with red scales opened up and released all the Power they contained in a gust of wind.
Two horns of the same color as the wings become visible. Her crimson eyes didn't change; they just became narrower like a reptile's. She grew a few centimeters, reaching a height of two meters, the same height as Victor.
Her red hair became even more vibrant, and her figure balanced out with her new height, giving the impression that she got 'bulkier,' but that was just an illusion caused by her new height.
"... Two Elements, huh. As expected of you, Scathach."
Victor could clearly see that the Elements this woman in front of him was most proficient in were Fire and Ice. That didn't mean she wasn't good at controlling other Elements, but... she would always excel in the manipulation of Fire and Ice in particular; after all, she was not like Victor, who had control over Creation. That was a privilege reserved only for Dragon Progenitors.
Today would be an event that would always be remembered in the future – Scathach Alucard Scarlett, The Ancestor of The Red Dragons, known for their Mastery over the Elements of Fire and Ice and their immense talent for understanding and incorporating various Martial Arts into themselves, had just been reborn.