Chapter 173: Villain Simulator, Ch 172
Chapter 173: Villain Simulator, Ch 172
However, the mask covered most of her face, and even though her gaze seemed familiar, it was still impossible to confirm her identity.
The girl had no intention of giving Lucas a chance to approach. She leapt into the air, and her leg suddenly transformed into a powerful, muscular dragon limb, kicking ferociously toward Lucas on the ground.
Even before the kick landed, Lucas felt a tremendous pressure in the air. He quickly sidestepped, and the girl's figure flashed past. Unable to stop her momentum, her kick shattered the stone wall behind him into rubble.
This style of combining draconic transformation with martial techniques was identical to Ursa's.
But now, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was gravely injured, and Lumine and Paimon were not strong enough to help. It seemed only he and Venti working together could suppress her.
"Venti!" Lucas shouted, "Hold her off for me!"
"Already on it!"
At some point, Venti had drawn a short bow. Though he had hesitated to fight Dvalin, he had no reason to hold back against this unexpected enemy.
Wind-infused arrows shot toward the girl's back, but just as they were about to hit, enormous wings unfolded from her back, effortlessly deflecting the projectiles.
"Seriously?!" Lucas complained. "You're supposed to be a god!"
"Hey, that's uncalled for!" Venti replied, embarrassed. "What do you expect? I summoned Dvalin, climbed a tower—I'm not that strong physically!"
Venti frequently claimed to be the weakest of the Seven Archons. While his words couldn't always be trusted, one thing was clear: his stamina was indeed lacking.
"Gale Blade!"
A blonde-haired knight suddenly descended from above, her sword drawing fierce gusts of wind as she thrust it at the black-haired girl.
But the girl merely flicked her wings, effortlessly batting both the knight and her sword away.
"Jean!" Lucas rushed forward, catching her in his arms. "Don't push yourself!"
Even Diluc had struggled under these conditions; Jean, with less endurance, was in no position to fight.
"I rested briefly," Jean said, nodding. Her face was pale, but her expression remained resolute. "I'll be fine. No matter what happens, I will fight by your side!"
Fight together?
"Wait, that's it!" Lucas exclaimed, a realization dawning. "Jean, let's fuse!"
"W-what?" Jean stammered, her face turning red. "F-fuse? Now?"
Was he talking about the kind of "fusion" from romance novels?
"Exactly!" Lucas declared, summoning a card into his hand. "Soul-Link Fusion!"
[Fusion is fusion, but what's with the Soul-Link nonsense?] the system muttered.
Lucas was using a Fusion Card, a reward from the Golden Apple Archipelago event. Its effect allowed the merging of two beings.
"It just sounds cooler!" Lucas replied.
As he spoke, he and Jean were enveloped in a void. Around them were countless images, like a lantern show, displaying memories from their respective lives.
The process felt both instantaneous and eternal.
When they reopened their eyes, their forms had merged into something new.
Their fusion stood approximately 2.5 meters tall, with a lithe, elegant frame. It was clad in gleaming silver armor, holding a one-handed sword, and long golden hair flowed from the gaps in its ornate helmet, radiating grandeur.
Lucas had assumed that when humans fused, the result would look human, like in Dragon Ball. But this... this was something entirely different.
"What... is this?" Jean's voice came not aloud, but directly into Lucas's mind.
"There's no time to explain," Lucas replied. "Let's focus on beating her."
"But I don't know how to control this body..." Jean hesitated. "It feels like it's me... but also not me."
Lucas realized that while the fused body possessed immense power, it required both of them to operate it harmoniously.
It was akin to piloting a Franxx from Darling in the Franxx, where two pilots needed perfect synchronization to control the machine.
"Don't overthink it," Lucas said. "You are me, and I am you."
Jean calmed herself. A quick learner, she soon understood Lucas's point. As their minds aligned, the fusion raised its sword with precision.
This body wasn't controlled by one consciousness—it was driven by their perfectly united will.
"Unknown entity... unable to analyze..." Ursa muttered. She halted her movements, her eye glowing faintly as it rotated like a lens.
Meanwhile, in the Goth Grand Hotel, the Doctor lounged in her chair, rhythmically tapping her temple with her finger.
To ensure her mission's success, she had established a visual link with Ursa, monitoring the battlefield and issuing commands in real time.
Her original goal had been to annihilate the Knights of Favonius and recover Dvalin as research material.
But now, something unexpected had emerged.
"So beautiful... absolutely magnificent," the Doctor whispered, captivated by the fusion's form. "A true work of art. If I could obtain it, I could create the ultimate combat machine. Change of plans: capture this lifeform at all costs—alive or dead."
"Objective confirmed. Activating secondary combat mode." Ursa's voice was cold as her body began to contort.
She transformed into a half-human, half-dragon form, her power and speed significantly enhanced.
Ursa charged at the fusion, striking with far greater ferocity than before.
The fusion raised its sword to meet her. The clash of blade and claw echoed across the battlefield.
Lucas and Jean's combined skills flowed seamlessly, their individual techniques blending into something greater.
Even so, the fusion's sword struggled to pierce Ursa's thick scales.
"Lucas," Jean's voice rang out in his mind. "Can we use elemental power in this form?"
Unlike sword techniques, elemental abilities were unique to individuals. Jean wasn't sure if the fusion body could harness such power.
"Let's try," Lucas replied. "There's no difference between us now. If you can use it, I can too."
Unbeknownst to Jean, Lucas's Endless Tempest Talent granted him wind energy far purer than hers.
"Fusion Gale Blade!"
The fusion gripped its sword tightly, the blade transforming into a spinning vortex of wind energy. It buzzed like a chainsaw as it slashed at Ursa.
The blade tore into Ursa's arm, leaving a deep gash.
"Gah!" Ursa roared in pain.
Ursa staggered back two steps, blood spurting from her injured arm.
"Sorry..." Lucas muttered, feeling a twinge of guilt. "I promise I'll heal you after this."
Perhaps influenced by Lucas's emotions, Jean hesitated as well and asked, "Do you know this... girl?"
"I don't know," Lucas replied honestly, "but I suspect she's being controlled, just like Dvalin. Don't let that worry you—fight with all you've got and don't hold back against the enemy."
Though Lucas wanted to believe in a connection between this girl and Ursa, there was no question she was an enemy determined to eliminate them. He couldn't afford to endanger others because of his own selfishness.
"What are you waiting for?!" The Doctor's voice rang out, hysterical. "Activate the third combat form! Even if it kills her, I want that thing brought to me!"
"...Understood."
Ursa, unable to resist the Doctor's orders, reluctantly released the final seal on her body.
Her form twisted and expanded once more, transforming into a colossal dragon cloaked in deep purple and black scales. Even the Fusion Form seemed tiny in comparison.
"It's her... no doubt about it..." Not far away, the still-recovering Diluc's eyes burned with hatred. "The demon dragon, Ursa!"
Not only Diluc, but Jean and Lucas also recognized Ursa's true identity.
Even without seeing her face, Lucas was intimately familiar with her true form.
"Ursa!" Lucas called out loudly. "Stop! I'm not your enemy!"
Though Lucas knew reality and the simulator were different, he still hoped his voice could reach some remnant of Ursa's memories from another dimension.
But Ursa, nearly consumed by madness, raised her massive black claws and struck down at the Fusion Form with overwhelming force.
"Yes! That's it! Use everything you've got!" The Doctor, observing from afar, wore an ecstatic grin. "Show me just how far this little gem can go—whether it's worth being reconfigured by me!"
Ursa's full dragon form elevated her power to a new level. While her original strength couldn't match Dvalin's, the Doctor's modifications had made her far more formidable.
Her ultimate combat form burned her life force in exchange for strength. At full capacity, she could approach a god-like threshold, if only briefly.
The Fusion Form barely escaped from beneath her massive claw, which struck like a falling mountain.
"ROAR!"
Before the Fusion Form could stabilize, the berserk dragon launched another attack. Lucas and Jean raised their sword in defense, but the spinning wind blades generated by the weapon failed to penetrate Ursa's reinforced scales.
A deafening crash echoed as the Fusion Form was sent flying, smashing into a massive boulder and sinking into its surface.
A mortal body would have been shattered entirely.
Though not fatally injured, the impact nearly severed the link binding Lucas and Jean's minds together.
Ursa, relentless, leapt into the air and dove down again, her claws aiming to rip the Fusion Form apart.
Just as her talons were about to strike, a thick wall of ice materialized in front of the Fusion Form, absorbing the blow.
"We can use both our elemental powers simultaneously?" Jean realized, catching her breath. "If that's the case, maybe our wind and ice elements can combine."
"Yes, lets give it a try." Lucas said.
Ursa, consumed by fury, slammed her claws repeatedly against the ice wall. Cracks began to form, and just as the wall shattered, a fierce storm of icy shards erupted, engulfing Ursa completely.
"Fusion Blizzard!"
This combined attack, born of wind and ice, unleashed countless razor-sharp shards in a relentless whirlwind.
While each individual attack was minor, the sheer volume inflicted devastating cumulative damage. Moreover, the inherent slowing effect of ice magic drastically hindered Ursa's movements.
A perfect opening!
With their minds in perfect sync, Lucas and Jean seized the opportunity. They aimed for Ursa's exposed weak points, slashing with their sword—only for Ursa to whirl around and bite down on the elemental blade, shattering it into pieces.
"More power! Give me everything you've got!" the Doctor shouted, trembling with excitement. "I want to see if they can survive her full-strength attack!"
To the Doctor, Ursa was nothing more than a disposable tool. Her interest now was fully fixated on the Fusion Form, an unprecedented specimen ripe for experimentation.
Ursa obeyed without hesitation. Opening her massive maw, she began charging a sphere of dark, malevolent energy.
This attack resembled the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's White Lightning, but it was faster, stronger, and more destructive. At such close range, the Fusion Form had no chance to dodge.
Both Lucas and Jean knew there was no way an ice wall could block this attack.
Ursa gave them no time to think. The black beam blasted forth, striking the Fusion Form directly.
"Tsk..." The Doctor clicked her tongue in disappointment. "I thought they'd be tougher. Seems that's their limit after all—huh?"
Her words caught in her throat.
A radiant flash of light tore through the black beam, scattering it into fragments. When the light subsided, the Fusion Form now wielded a massive two-handed sword made entirely of pure light.
This was the power of the Light Element.
Though Lucas had only recently acquired this ability and couldn't wield it proficiently, crafting weapons from elemental energy was a fundamental technique. And against Ursa's dark, corrupted power, the light element held a natural advantage.
Ursa's dragon eyes widened slightly, but instead of resisting, she summoned all her remaining strength and let out a soul-wrenching cry:
"Kill me!"
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