Chapter 42
The Devil Royalty looks at Ark and says:
"I heard that you should introduce yourself first in your human world before you ask someone their name, so why didn't you?"
Ark raises his brow and looks at him with an intrigued expression, the Devil seeming a little different from the rest, like he was talking with a gentleman. If he had a hat, and would take it off to salute, it would have been perfect. Or he could be mistaken and be something else entirely.
Ark then answers him:
"You are right. I am Ark Ember, the one who will kill you. A pleasure."
The Devil looks at Ark and doesn't seem to mind Ark's sharp remark.
"Now is better. I am Algradus Ur'gud, The Undying Ruler. And the one who will... 'destroy' your rear end."
Ark feels a chill down his spine, and all of a sudden, he tenses his a** cheeks and backs off. He tells Zmaug:
"Zmaug, where is your pride as the Drakon Clan Patriarch? How can you let someone else take your prey from under your nose? You fight him, I will back you up."
Zmaug looks at Ark like he's a stranger, his shock visible on his face:
"What? Say it again. I didn't hear too well. The great Ark is backing off with his tail between his legs? Ha ha ha! I can't wait to tell the others."
Ark looks at him as he nearly dies from laughter and says:
"I am only letting you take care of him so that you won't be laughed at when you get back. The great Zmaug was saved again like a damsel in distress. Ha ha ha! And who's afraid? I am just picking my fights wisely."
Zmaug just continues laughing, but then they hear Algradus:
"Are you done with your joke segment? Or do you want to call an audience?"
Then he starts to fly toward Ark and Zmaug, but suddenly he begins to clone himself. From one, ten appear. From ten, one hundred, from one hundred, one thousand.
Zmaug flies to intercept him and puts his spear in front. An airwave spreads from the sharp point of his spear all the way behind him. When it contacts the clones, the air shockwave sends them flying like a tornado. He goes right in their middle, then starts hitting them left and right. Again, the clones are sent flying, but even if they have a broken arm or a broken leg, their chest split open, or their heads split open, in a few seconds, they heal and come right back to fight. They are like cockroaches that just won't stay dead.
That's how the entire fight went. Zmaug killing them, but they just spring back up like nothing happened.
He tried to find the original body, but even his eyes can't see any difference between them.
Some clones go toward Ark, but he just backs off, dodging them like they really are cockroaches and doesn't want to touch them.
He looks toward Zmaug and says:
"Zmaug, I will trap them all. You go and burn these undying cockroaches. We'll see who is stronger, your breath or their undying power."
Then Ark raises his hand toward the sky and a magic circle appears above them, big enough to cover the entire city. Then some chains appear and transform into a net that falls from above. But the chains pass through the buildings and the other people, the only ones trapped are the clones.
Then Zmaug flies up and transforms into his dragon form, gathering his aura.
Algradus tries to break the chains with everything he has, but it's all in vain. He hears Ark:
"These chains can hold even the 'Big Old Monsters' that are hiding behind the curtains, so you won't be able to escape this cage, little cockroach."
Then, when the chains gather into a ball, the clones are all blocked, like sardines in a can.
Zmaug sends a Dragon Breath down, stronger than ever. It's like he's taking all of his anger and frustration out on him with a single hit.
Algradus sees the 'Ending Worlds' breath flying with the speed of light toward him, and in a last attempt at salvation, he tries to undo some of the clones so that he has enough space to go all the way to the back. He thinks that if he has all the clones in front of him, then maybe the breath won't be as powerful when it reaches him.
But when the breath reaches the first clones, it just disintegrates them like smoke on a windy day. They just disappear. The breath continues unperturbed, destroying every single clone that stands in front of it. Then it reaches the original body, destroying it in a second.
Algradus Ur'gud, The Undying Ruler, is dead. Not even atoms remain, completely destroyed.
And when the breath hits the earth, an explosion shakes the entire city, but the chains hold it inside. The shockwave doesn't go past it. The explosion is controlled so that the damages are kept to a minimum, the entire force concentrated inside the cage-like ball of chains.
The explosions continue for about ten seconds before it stops. Zmaug comes down and takes his normal form.
He goes toward Ark and says:
"So, mister scaredy-pants, now your rear end is safe. Ha ha ha!"
And Leah comes to them and asks:
"What is so funny? Dad, why are you laughing so hard?"
Zmaug looks at his daughter and tries to tell her that even the great Ark has a fear.
But Ark just whistles, not interested in the conversation.
Then they hear a phone ringing. Leah takes it out and answers.
On the other line is Kyle asking how the situation is now.
Leah tells him that now the First Empire is saved, and they are coming home.
Then the trio goes inside the city and meets with the City Ruler. He was there with his remaining army, fighting with the monsters that got past Leah. When he sees them, he knows that what was worse has passed now.
The City Ruler is a man in his thirties with a clean face and silver eyes, with a normal build, and 1.90 cm tall. The most distinguishing trait about him would be his fangs. They are much longer than normal humans. And that is because the Ruler of the First Empire is a Vampire. He smiles and says:
"Thank you for your help. If it weren't for you two, then most of our people would be dead."
Zmaug answers:
"Don't worry about it, Magnus. We are in this together. We have to help each other."
"And this is Ark Ember, the strongest one among us. He helped me defeat that cockroach."
Then they talk about their things.
In the pocket dimension, where the 'High One' is, some changes take place.
He goes to Abyss and says:
"I don't think I said what the last step in the plan is, did I?"
Abyss looks at him with a questioning look and answers:
"No, I don't know."
The 'High One' then takes out the cube and says:
"Well, I need even more energy for the last step, so I need you all to die."
When Abyss hears him, a fearful look appears on his face, and he tries to put distance between him and the cube.
But the cube opens again and shoots the black plasma ray with a speed that puts even light to shame. Abyss tries to put a darkness barrier around him to buy even one second, but the ray just passes through his barrier like a knife through hot butter. Then it hits his body and stops him completely, like he's on pause. And before the others even realize what is happening, the ray splits into smaller rays and hits the bodies of the ones next to Abyss.
Then they are paused in time, and the ray splits again, and again, and again, until all are trapped by the ray—the Devils, the Dark Beings, small and big, strong and weak, minions and Royals, all are trapped by the ray, not able to move even one bit.
And the 'High One' says to Abyss:
"The last step of the plan is to make Ark pay, but not before he suffers first. And the only way to do that is if he loses someone really important to him. Let's say like… Melody."
And when he finishes talking, he just puts his arm behind the cube, and all are starting to be pulled inside the black hole of the cube. They start to shrink and shrink until all look like a string that is pulled inside by someone. No scream is heard, no cursing, nothing. Two of the strong races from the Lower Dimensions are dead, billions and billions eaten by a machine that is not bigger than a fist.
Ark again feels something wrong. He thinks, 'That's happened quite often in the past days.'