Bound by Infinity

Chapter 14

"So, did we overdo that?" Rias asked, eyeing the small crater left in the ground where the dodgeball had impacted.

"Maybe, maybe not," I said with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant. "But hey, we won, didn't we?"

Rias let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples. "Fair enough."

Before I could say anything else, Index's voice cut through the air. "Creator, I'm switching back to Asia now, okay?"

I looked at her and gave a nod. "Go right ahead, Index."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Index's hair began fading back from silver to its usual blonde, and her eyes shifted from crimson back to the familiar emerald green. She blinked a few times before speaking, her voice now sweet and innocent, the voice of Asia.

"Is the game finished?" Asia asked, looking up at me with a confused expression.

I gave her a warm smile. "Yes, Asia. The game's over. We're getting ready to head to the Familiar Forest now."

"Oh, okay!" Asia exclaimed happily, before running off toward Issei and the rest of the group.

Rias turned to look at me. "See you later tonight," she said, her voice carrying a hint of playfulness as she walked away, already preparing to head off with her peerage.

"Yeah," I said, watching her form disappear into a swirling magic circle. "Definitely."

I stood there for a moment, allowing the sounds of the forest to settle around me. Then, with a quick motion, I swung my hand, and a black rift appeared in the air before me. Without hesitation, I stepped into it, the world around me distorting as I passed through the portal.

The next thing I knew, I was standing on the other side, the rift closing behind me. I blinked as I took in my surroundings. The forest was eerily quiet, the trees all twisted and bare, their gnarled branches reaching up to a blood-red sky. There was a strange stillness in the air, and the atmosphere felt dense, almost oppressive.

"In here's pretty cool," I muttered to myself, taking a slow step forward, feeling the ground beneath my feet crackle with faint energy.

I closed my eyes and began to focus, reaching out with my senses. It didn't take long to pinpoint Rias's energy signature, and my attention immediately shifted to something else that caught my eye—a much larger, more formidable energy source that pulsed from deeper within the forest.

A dragon. The energy was strong, unmistakable. Though it wasn't as powerful as Ophis's, it was significant enough to be interesting.

"I'll deal with that later," I said to myself with a smirk, pushing the thought aside for the time being.

With a snap of my fingers, I teleported once again, this time reappearing behind Rias and her peerage. They were standing in front of some strange, overenthusiastic-looking guy who resembled a less charismatic version of Ash Ketchum from Pokémon.

"Hey, kids! Wanna see a dead body?!" I called out, my voice loud and obnoxious as I walked into their field of vision.

Everyone jumped, and the chaos that followed was almost comical. Rias's eyes widened in shock, and she let out a string of curses that would've made any sailor proud.

"Satan, damn it, Kouki! A warning next time!" Rias shouted, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"But that would defeat the purpose," I said, my tone almost too casual.

"You nearly gave us a heart attack!" Issei exclaimed, his face a mixture of confusion and anger.

I turned to him with a raised brow. "Okay…" I replied, rolling my eyes before looking back at Rias. "I'm here to make sure you guys know I'm around. Other than that, have fun with your little adventure."

With a snap of my fingers, I teleported away once more, leaving them behind to recover from my little interruption. I could practically feel their collective sighs of frustration from miles away.

As I reappeared in a large, open clearing in the forest, the atmosphere changed entirely. The air was thick with energy, and in the center of the clearing lay a magnificent creature—a massive, pale blue dragon with celestial blue scales. She was curled up, resting lazily with one of her eyes half-lidded as she surveyed me.

I walked forward, my boots crunching on the dry ground, my eyes scanning the creature's form.

"My, my, you're a big one, aren't you?" I muttered under my breath, impressed by her size and sheer presence.

The dragon's eyes snapped open fully, and for a moment, the world seemed to freeze. A low, rumbling voice echoed in my mind.

"Another devil trying to make me their familiar? Your race hasn't changed."

I chuckled, not the least bit intimidated. "Sorry to disappoint you, my friend, but I'm no devil. However, I'd still like to see if I can make you my familiar."

The dragon bared her teeth, her gaze turning sharper. "Then it matters not what race you are. The result will be the same," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. She stood up, her massive form casting a long shadow across the clearing.

"Really now? I guess we'll see about that," I said with a smirk, unshaken by her words.

"Ignorant child!" the dragon roared, her head whipping back before she unleashed a stream of flames directly at me. The firestorm roared toward me with such intensity that the very air around it seemed to bend and distort.

I didn't flinch. I didn't even move. I stood there, completely unfazed, as the flames engulfed me.

"That's not nice," I muttered, raising my hand. As I did, the flames seemed to freeze mid-air, swirling around my palm before condensing into a small orb. I held it there for a moment, letting the fire flicker and dance around my fingers.

"What?!" The dragon's voice was thick with disbelief.

I gave her a knowing smile. "Surprised? Yeah, fair. You see, when I was going through the kinetic powers wiki one day, I stumbled upon an ability called primordial element manipulation, and I thought, 'That would be a neat ability.'"

"What nonsense are you babbling about?!" the dragon snarled, clearly growing frustrated.

I stepped forward, my gaze never leaving hers. "Right. Simply put, my draconic friend, there isn't any element—any form, any reality—that I cannot control."

I let my power surge, and in an instant, black flames and gold lightning erupted off my body, crackling with energy. "And simply put, my friend, you've done goofed."

The dragon's eyes widened, and she stepped back, clearly re-evaluating her position. But it was too late. She had challenged the wrong person.

Chapter 14: End