Debt 130 - The Power of an SS-Rank Dragon

Now that the Demon Queen Ophelia stood before Ryan, the air on the dungeon’s top floor felt as if it were about to crystallize.

Ryan tried to pull his hand away from the hilt of his sword once more, but Ophelia’s hand, small and seemingly delicate, was like a claw of forged steel.

No matter how much strength he poured into his muscles, the bug in his own physical strength was not enough to overcome the base stats of a Demon King of that level.

’This is ridiculous. I’m supposed to have grown so much stronger, yet I can’t even move my hand...’ Ryan thought, feeling a sting of frustration.

Ophelia watched him with a smile that wasn’t quite mocking, but rather analytical, as if she were dissecting his potential.

In response to Ryan’s irony-laden question, Ophelia tilted her head slightly, her thick horns catching the dim glow of the dungeon.

"You will have to excuse me, Ryan, but did you really think I would approach you without being prepared?" Her voice was soft, nearly a whisper, yet it resonated with a terrifying clarity.

"Ryan!" Helen’s scream shattered the trance of the scene. The warrior could not bear to see her king being restrained in such a manner and, completely ignoring the difference in levels, she lunged forward with her sword ready for a lateral slash.

However, before Helen could even take three steps, the green-haired woman, Iris, moved with a speed that the eyes of those present could barely process.

Without drawing any weapon, Iris simply reached out a hand and caught Helen by the fabric of her back mid-stride.

With a lazy motion, Iris yanked the warrior back and threw her to the ground with overwhelming force.

Helen landed hard on her backside, letting out a gasp of surprise as the impact vibrated through her spine.

"Stay here for a moment, please. Do not interrupt Lady Ophelia."

Iris spoke with a monotony that was insulting to someone with Helen’s pride.

"Let go of me, you damn lizard!" Helen screamed, trying to regain her balance. Mirian, seeing her companion on the ground, did not hesitate and fired a rain of mana-imbued arrows directly at Iris.

The dragon didn’t even turn to face the attack; she simply snapped the fingers of her free hand.

In that instant, every single one of Mirian’s arrows vanished into thin air, disintegrating as if they had never existed. There was no explosion or noise, only a total nullification of magic.

Helen tried to stand up again, her face flushed with pure fury, but Iris was faster.

Without giving her time to react, the green-haired woman delivered a kick to her side that sent Helen flying several meters across the room until she slammed into the stone wall.

The thunder of the impact caused debris to fall from the ceiling. Mirian stood stunned for a moment, her bow still raised but the string slack, seriously doubting whether to attack again or if doing so would only worsen the situation for everyone.

’Damn it, is the difference really that vast? I’m sure I can take her, but this Demon King is holding me back...’

"That’s enough..." Beatrice’s voice finally shattered the silence.

The demon seemed to have snapped out of her state of shock, and though her hands were trembling, her violet eyes showed a resolve she hadn’t possessed just minutes ago. She took a step forward, positioning herself at Ryan’s side.

"I am grateful that you, Lady Ophelia, looked after my brother while I was away, but that does not mean I will allow you to lay a hand on Ryan."

Beatrice raised her hands, and the invisible threads of her epic weapon began to vibrate, surrounding her body like a protective net.

Ophelia let out a small laugh, looking at Beatrice with a mixture of tenderness and condescension.

"Oh, dear, you are misunderstanding everything..." She didn’t finish her sentence because Ryan, seizing the moment of distraction, decided it was time to play his own cards from up his sleeve.

"Debt Seal."

Ryan activated his extra bug skill without warning. He felt the system respond to his command to block the Demon Queen’s active abilities.

Almost immediately, without giving her a moment to breathe, he uttered the next phase.

"Debt Collapse."

The effect was instantaneous. The Demon Queen’s gaze dropped suddenly as she let out a small groan.

Although her hand still gripped Ryan’s tightly, her other hand moved instinctively to her head, as if a sharp pain had pierced her skull from the inside.

Ophelia blinked several times, trying to stabilize her vision as the mana around her fluctuated irregularly.

"You can produce curses as well...? Even though I am supposed to be immune to most status effects... you are truly fascinating, Ryan."

Despite the obvious pain, Ophelia did not let go of Ryan. In that moment, Beatrice seized the opening and used her thread skill.

The metallic strings wrapped around the Demon Queen’s body in seconds, and Beatrice pulled with immense force, attempting to immobilize her or cause some sort of pressure damage.

The threads tightened to the point of emitting a high-pitched whine, but they failed to penetrate Ophelia’s skin or move her from her position.

’She is too powerful, but that doesn’t mean she’s invincible. At least I know my skill distracts her,’ Ryan reasoned.

He didn’t stop there and invoked his skill once more.

"Debt Collapse."

A second wave of mental and physical pressure struck Ophelia, causing her knees to tremble slightly for the first time.

"Could you stop doing that once and for all? You are going to make me truly angry, do you understand?"

Ophelia’s voice was no longer so playful. She pressed her head harder, feeling how Ryan’s bug ignored her natural Demon King resistances to cause her genuine discomfort.

"I told you I had no intention of making enemies of you," Ophelia repeated, making an effort to maintain her composure as Ryan’s skill continued to collapse upon her internally.

Ryan looked at her with the face of someone who didn’t believe a single thing coming out of her mouth.

It was Beatrice who intervened, maintaining the tension on her threads without pulling them completely tight.

"Even if you say that... you attack Ryan like this? This isn’t the way to start a friendly conversation, Lady."

Beatrice was ready to fight to the end if Ryan ordered it.

"You are misunderstanding, dear Beatrice. I haven’t attacked him at any point; I only approached to verify the rumors for myself."

Ophelia, without letting go of Ryan’s hand, remained at the same distance, deliberately invading his personal space.

’What is with this woman? Her behavior is completely indecipherable, nothing she says has any logic, and she acts in such a strange way.’

He watched as Ophelia continued to speak, ignoring the pain Ryan’s skill was still causing her.

"Understand this, Ryan. If what they say about you is true, then it is also true that all your enemies until now have underestimated you because of your apparent rank."

Ophelia straightened her posture, regaining her air of superiority.

"Despite being a Demon King, I recognize that you are strong. If I raised my power like that, it’s because I wasn’t going to approach you carelessly."

’Even though they are evidently stronger than Helen and Mirian, they haven’t done them any real damage despite the kick and the fall... she might not be lying.’

Ryan analyzed the situation quickly. If Ophelia had wanted to kill them, Helen would no longer have ribs and Mirian would be a corpse on the floor.

Ryan looked at her intensely, trying to find any sign of deception in those red eyes.

"Fine, I’ll believe you for now, but tell your companion to stop her attacks. I won’t allow her to keep hitting my group."

Helen was getting up in the background, coughing and clutching her side.

Ophelia tilted her head and looked over to where Iris stood, completely calm.

"But, it wasn’t her who attacked; she only defended herself from your friends’ aggressions."

Ryan let out a heavy sigh, knowing that in technical terms, Ophelia was right.

"Very well. For now... we will hear what you have to say."

Helen finally finished standing up, covered in dust and scowling, clenching her jaw with a rage Ryan had never seen from her before.

Helen was angrier than Ryan had ever witnessed, and he could perfectly understand why.

Not since facing William had she experienced the helplessness of being surpassed so easily by an opponent. Her S-rank pride was wounded.

Beatrice released Ophelia from her threads, and Mirian remained in total silence, merely observing.

Ophelia looked around, noticing how the tension continued to vibrate between the two groups.

"But there are too many people here and the atmosphere is far too noisy. We should speak in a calmer place where no one will interrupt us."

Ophelia reached into her clothes and pulled out a dark teleportation stone.

The Demon Queen extended her hand and held the stone out in front of Ryan.