Heat.

Powerful, flowing heat rushed through his veins, like a blazing inferno spreading from his heart to every inch of his body. Molten magma, liquid fire, any and every description that came to Dorian's mind seemed to fit as he felt the raw power moving within him.

At the same time, however, he didn't experience pain or feel burned. It was powerful, and hot, but a comfortable kind of hot. One that was under his control.

As the energy moved about within him, he detected another, similar energy next to him.

Within the injured female vampire.

He also felt a second energy source, this one extremely vast in scale.

He looked towards it, staring at the massive Transcendent Flame Dragon.

Several small typhoons of water were currently smashing against the dragon as it formed a gargantuan ball of fire overhead, growing larger and larger every second. A huge cage of water was also forming in the sky overhead, floating above the growing meteor.

WHOOSH

WHOOSH

The air seemed to split apart as the warrior of the two vampires attacking the Eleventhborn unleashed attack after attack, blade strikes slamming into the body of the dragon. The flames that covered the dragon managed to absorb most of the impact, this time prepared for the attacks, but several small wounds still appeared on its body, its incorporeal form shivering.

Small spurts of blood dripped from its body before immediately evaporating in the heat.

Dorian spared them a single worried glance before he turned his full focus and attention on the vampire next to him.

'Ausra, how do I absorb the energy in her?' He asked, his thoughts hurried. The female vampire clearly didn't have long to live.

Someone that was brave enough to give her life protecting innocents was absolutely someone worth saving in his eyes.

'Place your hands on her and simply will the energy to flow within you, concentrating the Fire Elemental energy in your body to flow towards your hands.' Ausra replied quickly.

Dorian did as she said. He placed his scaled hands on each shoulder of the vampire woman, concentrating. He focused his full will on his hands, ordering the fiery energy raging in his body to move there.

Gradually, his hands began to grow warm. Slight particles of steam rose from them, the still ongoing rain drizzling. A faint, red glow appeared.

Slowly, Dorian started to feel a connection with the woman in front of him. His soul shivered slightly as that connection began to expand, becoming aware of every inch of the woman's body.

He winced as he sensed her horrid injuries. As his awareness spread, he felt the same fiery energy in his body running through hers.

When this energy was in her, however, it moved without care for her organs or blood. It was ravaging every cell in her body, rampaging without care.

He frowned fiercely as he felt this.

'Come. Come to me.' His words were infused with his will, flowing out from his mind. They echoed forth, into the very core of the woman before him.

The woman's body shuddered. Abruptly, the rampaging fire energy within her began to move, drawn towards Dorian's hands. It was like he had opened a hole in a container of water, the energy slowly draining out of her and flowing into him.

This energy was readily absorbed by his body, becoming a larger and larger store of power.

A sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead as he continued, his entire mind focused on saving the female warrior.

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

"Probus, my net's charged!" Trajan called out, his eyes bloodshot as he controlled the Great Rain Typhoons he'd spawned, slamming them against the dragon over and over. Small beams of fire constantly blasted his way, forcing him to dodge repeatedly as the drake looked at him, annoyed.

It was still charging its massive fireball, one that had spread to be at least 3 miles wide now, floating high in the sky. Instead of trying to directly attack them, it was mostly ignoring them, creating its own super attack.

It was a true King Class beast. His Great Rain Typhoons could only distract it and weaken its fire defenses, enough for Probus to cut through them. One of his strongest spells could do basically no real damage to it.

"Got it!" Probus yelled out as he unleashed several more blade attacks, muscles in his right arm bulging as his sword blurred, moving so quickly it was nearly impossible to track. He began to move backwards, lining himself up between the city and the dragon. The sharp Aura around him began to condense, becoming stronger and stronger.

All they'd done was manage to injure it, repeatedly. With the raw, virile energy a King Class beast had, it would regenerate from the wounds they'd left it without fail if they gave it time.

Trajan nodded, his eyes narrowed. He had taken all of this into account.

He glanced up briefly, looking at the massive, watery net that was forming above the dragon's fireball. His arms shook as he maintained his focus.

His Empyrean Rain Net.

It was a King Class spell, and casting it had cost him two-thirds of his energy. He barely had enough left in him to dodge and manipulate those typhoons.

"Keep focus fo-" He cut himself off, his eyes widening in shock.

A massive outburst of fiery energy had appeared in his senses, directly behind him.

He spun around, his attention split between maintaining his net, controlling the typhoons, and whatever had appeared behind him.

Back where they'd left Helena to recover, under the protection of his Blue Healing Rain, a small ball of fire had blasted into the air, giving off a heavy, pure feeling of fire.

That ball of fire had emerged from a scaled humanoid who was clutching into Helena's shoulders.

"Is that a Demon?! What?!" His eyes opened wide in shock and confusion, and a mild bit of pleasure that a species he thought was extinct had reappeared.

Before he could do anything else, however, the giant dragon above them spoke aloud.

"YOU'VE HIT ME, AND HAD YOUR TURN!"

"NOW I COMMAND: THE WORLD SHALL BURN!"

The gargantuan ball of fire it had spawned was unleashed.

It spanned at least five miles in scale. Boiling fire blazing trails of infernal heat, it was a miniature sun unto itself, a devastating star of flame that would incinerate anything in its path. The air around it distorted and shivered under the vast influence of the dragon's attack, the power inherent in it simply too strong.

An attack of this scale could devastate the entire city behind them. In fact, it could decimate the entire plateau this city rested on. The sheer might within it was ridiculous.

Trajan dropped his typhoons and spun back, his eyes closing as he clasped his hands together.

"Rain Magic: Empyrean Rain Net – SEAL!"

The last bit of energy left in him vanished, spent up as he finished casting his spell and yelled aloud.

"PROBUS, CUT THE PLAN, SAVE HELENA!"

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Dorian's vision had been replaced by a thousand lines of red light.

Everywhere he looked, the red lines seemed to pull and tug, showing different levels of heat, of energy, of power.

Ausra's voice rang out in his mind,

'Your current form's Life Elemental energy is interacting with the Fire Elemental energy, and overloading your system. The energy has been successfully absorbed, but your current form is unable to bear the brunt of the heat.'

His Lesser Throne Demon form was powerful, but it wasn't designed to handle raw, Elemental Fire energy. The Fire Energy was unlike the Life Energy. It was dangerous and wild, full of powerful heat. Even with his Life Energy acting as a baseline and protecting him, his body still couldn't bear it.

If it had just been the energy from the Golden Apple, Dorian might have been able to handle it. Ausra was able to direct that energy and help him control it.

The energy he absorbed from the female vampire, however, was like a deadly poison, running wild and rampant. It was nearly uncontrollable.

His eyes shook as he tried to gain control of the power, feeling it start to go wild inside him. His entire body began to shake.

'Ah-okay.' He mentally sputtered, letting go of the female vampire. He had successfully managed to pull all the fire energy out of her body.

As he let go, he vaguely saw her open her eyes wide, blinking and staring up at him.

Dorian fell to the ground and instantly assumed a sitting position, meditating.

'Control it. Control. I must control it.' His mind concentrated, doing everything he could to will the virile energy to stop.

He completely ignored his surroundings, focused only on himself.

In the sky above, the apocalyptic meteor of fire was currently being surrounded by a massive, blue net. A hurricane of white steam blasted out, spreading across the sky as these two forces collided, sending the entire area into a storm of fog.

Gradually, Dorian's faded green scales began to take on a red tinge. He gave off heat, steam escaping from his body.

'It's not working.' He instantly came to the conclusion as he felt his body start to turn, the effects of the energy beginning to damage him. Even with his near perfect self-control, he was unable to get a full handle of the Fire Energy.

'Very well, then, Plan B.' He didn't hesitate, his head nodding sharply as he went with his backup plan,

'Ausra, Evolve me into a Fire Imp.'

'Evolving…'

His entire body shifted, the red lights flashing in his eyes as his form began to transform.

The Life Aura that surrounded him began to turn inward and vanish as his body changed shape.

His body began to grow smaller, condensing inward to roughly a meter. His clawed hands began to shift, becoming tiny, incorporeal flame-hands. Streams of warm fire began to wrap around his body. His head began to glow a bright orange, transforming into a mass of flames.

Before he even finished transforming, however, a notification appeared in his head.

'Your Fire Imp form has undergone a mutation, consistent with the Fire Elemental energy in your body alongside traces of the Law of Fire.'

'This mutation has set off a chain reaction in your soul. If this is not addressed, there is a nonzero chance your soul will dissipate.'

His eyes flashed.

'How do I address this?' His head was starting to feel hazy, the colossal heat running in his body making him feel as if everything seemed a bit odd. His mind was unstable, the world around him feeling as if it wasn't quite real.

'It is recommended to combine your Fire Imp bloodline with your Lesser Throne Demon bloodline. If you infuse your remaining Energy Points, I should be able to extrapolate a valid combination and avoid the soul adaptation period without too many serious side effects.'

'Do it.' Maybe he would waste his points, but that was better than dying. This had turned out a bit more dangerous than he thought it would be.

'Acknowledged.' Ausra's voice rang out in his mind as she responded.

'Combining bloodlines.'

His half-formed Fire Imp body vibrated and then began to expand, from its diminutive meter tall height to a taller two and a half meters in scale. Pain began to radiate from Dorian's body as his arms and legs twisted, changing.

His skin turned pitch black, darker than night. His hands transformed back into humanoid hands, maintaining the same coal black color. His feet became vaguely humanoid, but with three claws instead of toes. A black, humanoid mask covered his face, with small strings of black fire rising off it. Behind that mask, an enormous ball of fire constantly exploded, lighting his shoulders and head constantly aflame.

His arms were covered in a pair of black gauntlets, with red fire rising out from the end of each, where his elbows were. Two sets of similar gauntlets covered his lower legs, small gouts of fire expanding from his knees.

(Image: https://www.epicpath.org/images/thumb/1/17/Ifrit4.png/801px-Ifrit4.png)

His new form virtually radiated power and heat.

'Combination complete. New form acquired.'

A small blip of information appeared in Dorian's mind as he closed his eyes, feeling a sense of might within him.

–

Ifrit – Lord Class (Early)

–

Maximum Energy Level: 10,565

Ability: Fire Sense, Life Sense, Demonic Eyes, Constant Regeneration

Powerful demons born with an innate connection to the Elements of both Fire and Life. The exact origin of the Ifrit is unknown, but the raw power of this species is inarguable. They have the ability to constantly heal from injuries, drawing upon the energy of the universe around them to restore their wounds. Nearly immune to fire based attacks.

(Note: The Maximum Energy Level, in this context, is the strongest a creature can become through natural growth. Training in mystic martial arts or magic can greatly enhance the strength of a creature beyond their normal limits.)

–

'Your soul has forcibly accepted the adaptation and grown your new bloodline to its maximum Growth Stage, using up the absorbed Elemental Energy. Due to the resulting backlash, you will fall unconscious in roughly 11 minutes. The risk of death for this transformation was approximately 7%, but has successfully been avoided.' Ausra's was cool in Dorian's mind.

Dorian opened his eyes, small flames gleaming out of them.

'Got it.' He eyes narrowed as he took in the situation before him.

He needed to act fast.

.

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