"——!"
Hearing Riku's words, Zhuralis's dragonia eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
'What an interesting expression. Looks like I guessed right.'
Riku stared at Zhuralis with cold amusement. "To put it specifically: you dragonia are multidimensional beings centred on the 'present', able to span the past and future!"
"This is why you're said to have infinite energy, rivalling even some gods."
"Your existence isn't a 'point' on a timeline, but a plane. So no matter what damage you take at this time point, you can fix it by gathering yourself from past or future time points, instant recovery."
"Unlimited reality reinforcement means unlimited power. Your bodies are just containers suspended within these converged timelines."
By drawing from multiple versions of yourself, you gain multiple sources of power. This is the so-called 'infinite' energy, an infinity rooted in time itself. A true multidimensional existence.
"In a single moment, you're invincible, so no matter how much you're wounded, you just gather an uninjured version of yourself from the past and instantly recover. That's why it looks like you have infinite power and invincibility!"
With that, Riku looked at Zhuralis's changing expression with a mocking grin.
"So, drop the act. Defeating you is easy; all I have to do is keep damaging you continuously, giving you no time to reset. That's why a group of Flügel can kill you with only some injuries, but a single Flügel would always lose!"
"Hahaha, how amusing. Thousands, tens of thousands of years, and no race ever figured it out yet you, a human, did."
Staring hard at Riku, Zhuralis's expression shifted from shock to admiration and then to laughter.
Her laughter rumbled like thunder, shaking the ruined landscape around them.
"Your guess is spot on, but with your power, defeating me is impossible. Even if you know our secret, you're only a little stronger than a Flügel; you can't keep injuring me fast enough."
But then, Zhuralis smiled slyly, full of confidence.
"The weak study wisdom; the strong sharpen their claws. Sorry, but the moment you started acting superior, you lost."
Riku replied with a cool, indifferent tone.
"What?!"
Zhuralis's face changed, a sense of dread rising. She fired a breath attack that tore through the sky, engulfing Riku's form.
Yet her anxiety only increased.
"HIRUDORA!!!"
In the next instant, Riku appeared at Zhuralis's throat, his fist like a mountain, blue energy gathering into a roaring tiger, tearing into her!
"What—!"
Only now did Zhuralis react, but it was too late. Her huge body was strong, but not agile!
BOOM—!
Zhuralis screamed as she was mauled by the tiger, blood and scales flying everywhere!
"Bloom, Hanamaru."
At that moment, Riku's left hand, gripping his Zanpakutō, suddenly turned cold. A terrifying spirit energy radiated out, filling the sky.
The force left Zhuralis shaken to her core, pain and disbelief filling her dragonia eyes.
Because it was her own energy she sensed!
BOOM—!
A pillar of crimson-yellow light erupted from Riku's Zanpakutō at close range, exploding against Zhuralis in midair.
The blast sent shockwaves rippling outward, space itself becoming dangerously unstable.
A few seconds later, as the dust settled, the white dragonia's battered body plummeted toward the ground, barely alive, while Riku descended to stand over her, staring into her weak, fading eyes.
"Heh… What a remarkable human. I never imagined I'd fall here."
Zhuralis stared at Riku, her voice frail.
Recovering time points took a moment, but that moment was all Riku needed to kill her multiple times over. Her defeat was certain.
"I won't kill you."
Riku gazed at Zhuralis, thinking for a moment, and then spoke quietly.
"Why?"
Zhuralis stared, shocked and suspicious.
"Would your dragonia be interested in joining our alliance to drag the God of War down from his throne?"
Riku's gaze was serious.
Killing Zhuralis would turn the dragonia against him. He wasn't afraid, but it would be a hassle. But if he could bring the dragonia to his side, his chances against the God of War would soar.
"Heh, are you joking?"
Zhuralis's dragonia eyes narrowed, her tone odd
"Although I admit you have both speed and strength enough to defeat me, compared to the God of War, both you and I are nothing but ants," Zhuralis spoke with a self-mocking tone.
"Not just you and me, even Hartyleif, the Final, the last king of the dragonia, was killed in a single blow by the God of War, Artosh." At this, a flash of hatred burned in Zhuralis's otherwise dim dragonia eyes.
Hartyleif the Final was the oldest individual dragonia, born from the remains of a god, the strongest of their kind. But after confronting the God of War, he was instantly slain. All dragonia hold a deep hatred for the God of War.
But it's pointless the God of War is simply too strong, impossibly so. No one can stand against him. If the God of War actually tried, this war that has dragged on for thousands of years would have ended long ago.
Yet for reasons unknown, after slaying Hartyleif the Final, the God of War never appeared again. That, too, is a mystery.
"Perhaps. Even if all races joined forces, they still might not be able to kill the God of War. Not to mention, the Flügel living weapons were created by the God of War, and even the phantasma, Avant Heim, is Artosh's apostle. The odds of victory are slim." Riku acknowledged this fact calmly.
"But that's only for now. Sooner or later, I'll defeat the God of War and reach the top."
A glint of determination flashed in Riku's golden eyes. His voice was full of confidence and arrogance; he didn't even question whether he could do it, only when he would.
An unbelievable human… Maybe they really do have the power to turn the impossible into reality.
Staring blankly at Riku's eyes, Zhuralis was silent, such thoughts surfacing in her mind.
"I can't speak for all dragonia. I'm just a retainer of Reginleif the Enlightened." Zhuralis sighed.
"I know. If you can contact Reginleif the Enlightened, just let him know. I'll convince him myself." Riku showed no surprise, replying calmly.
"Heh, interesting." Zhuralis's eyes glimmered with intrigue as she looked at Riku. Going to the dragonia nest, surrounded by their kin, just to meet Reginleif the Enlightened was that courage or stupidity?
But thinking it over, given Riku could see through the dragonia's secret and outsmart her in battle, he was no fool. This guy must have another trump card, strong enough to escape even if all the dragonia, including Reginleif, attacked him.
For a moment, many thoughts flashed through Zhuralis's mind. At last, she looked deeply at Riku. "I understand. I'll do my best to contact Reginleif."
"Good. I've left a spatial marker on your dragonia horn. If you want to find me, just trigger the mark." Riku said nonchalantly. "Now, let's part ways. I'll wait for your message."
With that settled, Riku didn't waste time; he teleported away using Shambhala. Efficient and carefree.
"What an interesting human. Is he really not worried I might betray or trick him?"
Looking around at the empty ruins, Zhuralis muttered with interest.
As she spoke, she also gathered her timelines and healed herself back to peak condition.
"Maybe, just maybe, this war will end at the hands of the humans whom every other race once looked down on. I'd love to see the faces of the other races when that happens, it'll be entertaining." Zhuralis's dragonia eyes glimmered, her tone playful.
"Well, for now, let's find Reginleif." At last, Zhuralis shook her head and flew into the distance.
Reginleif the Enlightened was always wandering through space, his whereabouts unknown not easy to find.
.............
Elsewhere, a million meters away, Riku appeared, releasing the power of the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Shock.
Even for him, using the Seventh Gate for so long left his body aching.
"Phew, that was exhausting. Still, if I can bring the dragonia into the alliance, that's not a bad result." Riku murmured, his face a little pale.
Maybe killing Zhuralis would have netted him 50,000 exchange points, like with the demonic dragonia, but gaining the whole dragonia race as allies was worth far more. His goal was always simple: defeat the God of War, no matter what it took.
"Come to think of it, Kyōka Suigetsu and Hanamaru really are powerful abilities. Even a dragonia couldn't see through my tricks." Finally, Riku glanced at the Zanpakutō in his hand, a satisfied smile on his lips.
When he merged an Asauchi with the Zanpakutō Soul, he gained two powers. One was Kyōka Suigetsu, the infamous illusion ability of Aizen from "Bleach", a power that manipulates all five senses.
With this, Aizen toyed with captain-class opponents like children, completely controlling the battlefield.
Once Riku activated Kyōka Suigetsu, Zhuralis was trapped in total hypnosis the figures she attacked were nothing more than dust and shadow.
Kyōka Suigetsu's ability to manipulate all five senses was, without a doubt, incredibly satisfying to use, though it consumed a huge amount of energy. After all, the stronger the target, the more energy it took to control their senses.
Fortunately, Riku was using it while the Seventh Gate was open; otherwise, trying to manipulate a dragonia in his normal state would've been hopeless, he'd be drained dry.
The other ability was Hanamaru: the power to absorb energy, store it, and then unleash it in an attack.
This ability was also extremely powerful, but it had its limits. Absorption had a cap, and after repeatedly absorbing Zhuralis's dragonia breaths, Riku had nearly reached that limit. It also consumed a lot of energy.
Still, no matter what, Riku had won and won beautifully, making Zhuralis dance in the palm of his hand. That alone was enough.
"Phew… Time to go see Couronne and the others."
After letting out a long breath, Riku stepped lightly through the air, leaving the area.