Ancestral Lineage

Chapter 556: Fafnir Dies

Fafnir had stopped speaking. There was no longer rage-filled boasting, declarations, or threats. He had finally understood something horrifying. Ethan was stronger than him. Overwhelmingly. That realization drove the Dragon Emperor into deeper madness.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!"

His roar tore through dimensions as he gathered power directly into his chest. The scales along his throat cracked apart from the sheer energy building within him, and a destructive radiance brighter than stars condensed in his maw.

Far below, Galeno’s expression changed instantly.

"That attack..."

Even Harley looked upward sharply.

"He’s insane."

The Spirit Guardians moved at once because they understood that the attack would not merely destroy Anbord. It would wound the world itself. Fafnir’s jaws widened, and then, he fired. A ray of absolute draconic destruction erupted downward. It was pure annihilation. Space disintegrated around the beam. Even before impact, the surface of Debranlith began cracking apart beneath its pressure. Ethan reacted instantly.

His silver-gold eyes glowed, and the world twisted.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

Space folded around both combatants as Ethan forcefully teleported them away. The destructive beam missed Anbord entirely. But even the redirected aftermath carved through an entire ocean thousands of kilometers away, splitting it into a glowing abyss.

Silence.

High above Debranlith, the two monsters reappeared. This was not true outer space, but it was close enough that the world below looked distant and curved beneath them. The stars themselves seemed clearer here. The moment they arrived, Fafnir transformed fully. His body expanded violently, becoming even larger. His dragon form grew until it eclipsed entire cloud systems beneath him. His wings stretched across impossible distances, black-gold scales shimmering like armored continents. His eyes burned like collapsing suns, as each breath from his nostrils became storms, and each movement distorted gravity.

This was the true Dragon Emperor, the complete form of the first dragon. Even gods observing from afar felt pressure from merely witnessing him. But Ethan just watched calmly. He exhaled softly and transformed.

The world trembled. Golden and silver light exploded outward from Ethan’s body as his humanoid form began changing. His size expanded rapidly, as he went into his full primord appearance. He transformed into a massive beast, a mix of a bear and a tiger with silvery-white fur, three interlocking golden rings on his foreheads. But what was new about him was the additional traits from his guardians. Four massive horns burst from his head, two dark blue and two grey from Sage and Maverick. On his back was a faint projection of a tortoise’s shell. His tail had become three; his actual one and two black ones from Onyx. On his forehead, right in between the primord symbol, a deep blue eye appeared. This was surely from Saareiya. Dark purplish flames also danced around him, possibly the work of Stygian. His mismatched eyes became enormous celestial lights in the darkness above the world.

Then came the pressure.

BA-DUMP!

One heartbeat, and space cracked. The stars themselves dimmed momentarily.

Far below, the oceans of Debranlith rose violently, mountains split apart, entire regions shook from the pressure of Ethan’s true Primord form manifesting fully, and for the first time since the battle began, Fafnir hesitated, because Ethan’s transformed body almost rivaled his own size.

The Primord opened his eyes fully, and the universe went quiet.

...

Fafnir attacked first. His wings moved once.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

The shockwave shattered nearby moons. He crossed the distance instantly and slammed into Ethan with enough force to rupture dimensions. The impact sent both monsters crashing through layers of atmosphere and back upward again. Debranlith below suffered the consequences instantly. Gigantic hurricanes formed worldwide, tidal waves erupted across oceans, and the skies became chaotic storms of gold, crimson, silver, and black.

Above, the battle escalated beyond reason. Fafnir clawed at Ethan repeatedly, each strike capable of tearing worlds apart: Ethan blocked with his arms. The impacts detonated like supernovas. Fafnir unleashed another annihilation ray, and Ethan caught it. His massive mouth wrapped around the beam itself as Order and Mysticism spiraled around his body. Then he crushed the attack.

Fafnir’s eyes widened, but Ethan retaliated immediately. His warhammer appeared once more, now colossal beyond imagination. Entire runic systems rotated around it like galaxies orbiting a star. Ethan swung it.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The hit landed directly against Fafnir’s skull. One of the Dragon Emperor’s horns shattered instantly. The shockwave descended toward Debranlith below and split an entire continent-sized landmass in half despite the distance. Observers across the world watched in horror and awe because this was no longer a battle between powerful beings. This was a clash between disasters capable of ending civilizations accidentally. Fafnir roared furiously and wrapped his colossal body around Ethan like a constricting serpent-dragon hybrid.

His claws dug into Ethan’s fur, and his jaws snapped downward and bit directly into Ethan’s shoulder. The world shook violently as blood spilled. Golden-silver primordial blood drifted through the upper skies like liquid stars. The moment the blood touched the atmosphere, new life erupted below. Dead forests regenerated instantly, ruined lands healed, and even poisoned regions began purifying themselves.

Fafnir saw this and became even angrier.

"You MONSTER!"

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he grabbed Fafnir by the throat. The Dragon Emperor froze briefly in shock. Ethan’s voice rumbled across existence itself.

"You keep calling me that." His aura flared wider. Golden inscriptions ignited across his body. "And yet..." The Primord’s eyes glowed brighter. "...you are the one trying to destroy a world."

Ethan slammed Fafnir downward.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The Dragon Emperor crashed through the upper atmosphere like a falling apocalypse. The impact alone caused every ocean in Debranlith to rise simultaneously.

...

The world had stopped breathing. Above the world, beyond the clouds, beyond the limits of mortal vision, two colossal existences clashed like primordial disasters given form.

Fafnir and Ethan.

The Dragon Emperor’s true form eclipsed mountains. His scales were black-gold, each one larger than castles, glowing with ancient draconic inscriptions that radiated overwhelming pressure. His wings stretched across the heavens like continents, tearing storms apart with every movement.

Opposite him stood Ethan in his Primord Form, a being of impossible majesty. His body was clad now in black-gold armor formed directly from Origin itself. Reality bent around him. Concepts trembled near him. He stared at Fafnir without hatred, rage, or fear. Only finality.

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

They collided again, and the impact ruptured the upper atmosphere completely. Entire sections of the sky folded inward. Lightning the size of countries exploded around them. Below, Debranlith shook violently as earthquakes spread through all remaining continents.

Fafnir roared.

"WHY?!"

His claws ripped across Ethan’s chest, carving through layers of Primordial armor and sending golden blood scattering across the heavens.

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS ABOVE ME?!"

His jaws opened, and a dragon’s breath condensed. A beam erupted forward, splitting the heavens in half.

Ethan stopped it. Fafnir’s eyes widened in fear and shock, and massive rage.

CRACK!!!

The breath shattered like glass.

"..Impossible..." Fafnir muttered.

Ethan slowly lowered his hand.

"You keep calling yourself the strongest."

His voice spread across existence. "But strength isn’t screaming louder than everyone else." He appeared directly before Fafnir instantly. The dragon emperor’s eyes widened as he failed to react in time. Ethan grabbed Fafnir by the face.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

He slammed the colossal dragon downward. The impact ruptured the clouds below them. Fafnir crashed through layer after layer of sky before stabilizing himself with a furious roar. His wings spread, his aura exploded, and the world darkened completely. Ancient draconic symbols ignited across his scales. His crown appeared above his head once more.

The sky behind him opened. Millions of spectral dragons appeared: Dead dragons, ancient dragons, primordial dragons... all roaring together. Fafnir’s power surged wildly. The world below began cracking under the pressure alone.

"I am Fafnir!" the Dragon Emperor roared.

"The First Dragon!"

"The Dragon God!"

"The Primogenitor of all Dragonkind!"

His body began glowing brighter and brighter. Blood spilled from his scales as he forcefully pushed beyond his limits.

"I WILL NOT DIE TO YOU!"

The spectral dragons behind him all opened their mouths simultaneously and fired. A storm of draconic destruction descended upon Ethan. For the first time since the battle began, Ethan stopped moving. The attacks swallowed him whole while the heavens vanished beneath endless light. Debranlith shook violently. Fafnir breathed heavily, as his massive body trembled. He stared at the explosion, waiting... waiting desperately.

A pulse spread outward, and the explosion disappeared instantly. Erased completely. Fafnir froze as Ethan stepped out slowly from the fading light unharmed. There was not a single scratch on him. Origin flowed around his body softly now, as if the universe itself had accepted him completely.

His Primord Form began changing further. A halo of rotating symbols appeared behind his head, and his armor became darker and more ancient.

Fafnir understood instantly... Ethan wasn’t using power anymore: he was using authority. True authority. The authority of Origin itself. Real fear finally appeared in the Dragon Emperor’s eyes. Ethan raised his hand slowly, and the universe answered.

A massive warhammer formed above him, larger than moons, black and gold, covered in endless shifting inscriptions. The moment it appeared, reality screamed. Fafnir backed away instinctively.

"No..."

His voice trembled.

"No!"

Ethan looked at him quietly.

"You should have stopped after the first attack."

The hammer descended slightly. Entire dimensions folded around it. Fafnir roared madly and charged forward with everything he had left. Every scale on his body lit up, and every ounce of his Demigod power erupted. The spectral dragons behind him fused into his body.

His claws reached Ethan first, and Ethan swung. Nothing flashy happened... just contact. The warhammer struck Fafnir directly on the head.

CRRRRRRRRRAAAAAACCCCKKKKKKKK!!!

The Dragon Emperor’s body shattered existentially. His scales cracked apart into fragments of light, his wings disintegrated, and his bones collapsed. Fafnir screamed, a scream filled with disbelief, rage, and terror. His gigantic body began breaking apart piece by piece.

"No... WAIT! ETHAN!"

Ethan’s glowing eyes stared into his, coldly.

"Origin denies your existence."

Fafnir froze. He understood what that meant, and it was too late. The hammer’s inscriptions ignited completely, and Fafnir, the First Dragon, the Dragon Emperor, the Primogenitor of Dragons, was erased.

His existence unraveled into nothingness, history rejected him, and reality consumed him. The heavens became quiet, the pressure vanished, the storms disappeared, and Ethan floated alone above the world.

Below him, every dragon still alive felt it instantly. Their emperor was gone.

The War was over just when it began.