Chapter 32: Voice of the Emperor

Amphere Harrison

I have fought Rudolf many times without my Black Phantom mask. But all of them are just mock battles. We’ve never fought using my Heigthened Clearance or Chaos Claws before. We didn’t even use Vesryn Pulse to any of our spars. That is why this fight is different.

There is an intent to kill on his heart.

There’s not enough room for two seven-meter tall dragon to battle in that laboratory, so we commanded both dragons to destroy the ceiling and fight outside. I also don’t want to involve the unconscious dragonoids that we’re supposed to rescue.

We flew thirty meters above the facility. Its past midnight, but the lights of the buildings, the houses, and streetlights makes it bright enough to see the shadows of our enemies. The view throughout the city is astonishing, but it’s not the time to appreciate it. I am here to have the first serious fight with my best friend.

Because of this wreckage, the Hyperion Company’s alarm went on. Sirens began producing deafening noise. Security guards started rushing to the epicenter of this mess, which is apparently where Estoff is. I doubt a thousand, or even a hundred thousand of those ordinary guards can take down Estoff. The only problem is that he’s occupied by Kyle.

“I’ll transport backup to Estoff’s location!” Richard said through my earpiece. “Try to hold your friend for a while!”

“No problem. I intend to fight him fair and square after all.” I said.

“Totally good answer, Amphy!” Airi cheered directly to my brain. “I wanted to fight Kyrie too!”

The golden armored dragon; the Chaos Dragon started charging up little black holes from its mouth. I commanded my Futuretech Dragon to jet upward, raising the altitude. As I said before, aerial mobility is Airi’s specialty. Maybe that’s why Airi is her nickname in the first place.

Dark balls shoot through us, but Airi elegantly maneuvered to evade all those projectiles. Those dark holes are quite dangerous! Once those projectiles reach their target, it will explode and there will be a huge burst of electricity! In answer to this blasts, Airi deployed rockets from her metallic shoulders. Six homing missiles targeted the head of the Chaos Dragon, where Rudolf is standing stiff.

Rudolf jumped upwards and slashed every last one of the missiles. The sliced missiles exploded, but it just had enough firepower as a regular firecracker when it’s already cut in half.

“Chaos Claw.” Rudolf muttered. His arms began to be engulfed with dark particles. This guy is serious.

“Heightened Clearance Authorized.” I said, then six sword-shaped dynamos began floating in my aid.

Chaos Dragon began to be coated with dark smoke, and jetted upward with a Mach speed! Airi evaded the surging aerial tackle and then started blowing photon bombs, which missed the target once Kyrie made an aerial drift. Rudolf did his part of the battle too! Apparently, his Chaos Claws can spread long enough to reach me, but I used my dynamos to create a prism barrier every time he’s ready to pierce us! I tried my dynamo’s lasers, but Rudolf’s sword deflects every ray of light I unleashed.

If you’re watching this fight in a distance, you would mistake this as two shooting stars clashing, circularly evading, clashing again, and releasing some defective fireworks over and over. It took ten whole minutes until some changes were made.

Several teleporting light circles emerged from top of the skyscrapers as they revealed their humanoid shadows. They are well equipped with leather armor just like what Richard is supposed to wear. They also have light machineguns on their hands, and some of them even hold missile launchers! Dragonoids. Terrorists. Arcadians. They are our backup!

“There’s your backup!” Richard said through my earpiece.

I never had the chance to reply or thank properly, because our aerial battle is continuous. Richard won’t hear my voice through this loud explosions and wind gushes anyway. I’m so occupied that I can’t even worry on Estoff’s situation down there.

There are roughly thirty Arcadian Dragonoids who were transported just below our clashing area. They prepared their ‘toys’ and then aimed their big guns at the Chaos Dragon.

“Fire!” As one of their commander shouted, rains of bullets flew upward. Five rockets dashed out from the terrorists stingers. The whole place is now so noisy that everyone in the city would mistake this battle as a civil war. Gunpowder and smoke became mixed in the air that it makes hard for everyone so hard to breathe.

The Chaos Dragon stopped chasing us, and faced all incoming bullets. Rudolf’s expression is quite calm and composed as he inhaled some air. And then he released it in a deafening warcry!

“FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!”

Bullets stopped as the shockwave from the Chaos Knight emerged. There was a loud shockwave which broke all the windows of the skyscrapers. Even the rocket missiles seemed like they stopped chasing the Chaos Dragon out of fear.

Arcadian Dragonoids fell down on their knees, and dropped all their weapons. All thirty of them trembled as terror swallowed their body and soul. Their will to fight, no… Their will to gaze upon the Chaos Dragon is no more.

This is the “Voice of the Emperor.” It is a divine magic passed through the royal noble lineage. I know my best friend’s background. Apparently, Rudolf’s Grandmother in his father’s side is the younger sister of the late late Grand Emperor. You can say that he has the right to the throne itself, since he has the emperor’s blood.

Voice of the Emperor gives all living things the fear of the wielder’s power. Loss of hope, faith, and will to fight are the main effects of it to the people who are able to hear this war cry. It is mainly used to show who really has the right to govern things. It is the right of power.

Even Airi and me…is affected greatly by this sonic shockwave.

“M-My body feels totally numb…And I feel weakened.” She said to me. It’s totally obvious. Because right now, riding her is like riding a car in a rough road with three flat tires. Even though, she managed to land safely on the roof top of a twenty-story building. Then she returned to her humanoid form…with the metallic mask of course.

I feel the intense distress too. There was a sudden chill on my spine with no apparent reason. My toes are vibrating and my knees feel weak. My sweat is cold as ice. I can’t even speak since my jaws feel like I’ve chewed a live electric eel.

Suddenly, Airi became unconscious. She fell on her knees, and then to her face. That could’ve hurt if she didn’t morph her face to a platinum skull mask. Without my dragonoid, I concluded my defeat. Rudolf is seriously overpowered even for me.

The Chaos Dragon flew in front of me. Rudolf glared penetratingly at my fearful eyes. I have no strength left. My dynamos returned to my body already, and I can’t summon them anymore. My hands refuse to draw my golden photon sword on my waist. I’m completely finished.

“Now, tell me who you are… Neo Black Phantom.”

I was about to reach my mask and reveal my true face, but then there was an image that flashed through my head.

The silver woman in a kimono. With red fearless eyes. Her gaze is the most terrifying thing I’ve seen in this universe. Her pale white hand reached to me, as if she is willing to give me some help. Her voice echoed all through the sides of my skull, which made my headache worse with some brain freeze effect.

“The boy needs his true power to be awakened again… Well then…I’ll show you how terrifying you really are.”