Vergil Is Back-Chapter 36 - 29: Chains of the Fallen Flame

The air was sharp and cold as Leon stood at the edge of the Tsuchi-no-Kami Shrine Ruins, the mountain winds howling like whispers from the past. All around him, the remnants of an ancient battle lay silent—collapsed pillars, scorched prayer stones, and an unnatural scorch mark that pulsed faintly with draconic energy.

His system chimed.

 Target NearbyHost of Vritra Fragment DetectedPower Level: Highly Unstable

Leon's grip on Yamato tightened.

"Time to see what kind of monster Vritra made this time."

Deeper Inside the Shrine Ruins

The rogue exorcist stumbled through the shadows, the cursed flame-chains dragging behind him like living serpents. His eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling from the constant internal war between man and dragon.

He hissed, muttering to himself, "They all came for the power... the Church... the Fallen... but I heard the voice. The dragon chose me. I won't give it up!"

Flames flared from his arm—inky-black with streaks of crimson, not holy fire but something darker. They lashed out, burning the shattered altar before him.

Then everything stopped.

A silver-haired figure stood on the shrine steps—silent, immovable, and radiating quiet menace.

Leon.

The First Clash

"You're the one," the exorcist hissed. "The system-chosen. The dragon fears you."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Then you already know how this ends."

Chains snapped toward him—flames writhing, biting the air like beasts. But Leon didn't flinch. In a blur of movement, he vanished.

Flash step. Yamato drawn. Void cut.

A wave of pure nothingness sliced through the corrupted chains mid-air, severing them before they could react. The exorcist staggered, roaring in fury, and summoned more, dozens at once, swirling in a tornado of fire and fury.

"You won't take it!" he screamed. "This is my curse!"

Leon's voice was calm, but cold. "No. It's mine now."

He activated his Sacred Gear—now pulsing with evolved void-runes and coiled like a draconic gauntlet up his arm. Flames met void.

And void won.

The Sealing

As the exorcist collapsed to his knees, his body overwhelmed by the feedback of clashing wills, Leon approached. The system glowed.

 Vritra Fragment AcquiredProgress: 2/4System Update: Vritra's Soul Fragment Resonating..."You're not the same... You're beyond Vergil... What are you?"

A dragon's voice echoed in Leon's mind—wiser now, less hostile.

"I see it now... You're not just a host. You're a reckoning."

Leon didn't reply. He turned his back on the smoldering ruin and vanished into the mist, flames dying behind him.

Meanwhile – Kokabiel Watches

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

High above, unseen from the mortal plane, Kokabiel stood on a floating obsidian platform, his wings folded behind his back.

"Hunting Vritra's fragments, are we?" he mused, eyes gleaming. "Fascinating."

He looked toward the horizon, toward the Underworld, where the final two fragments of Vritra slumbered... and smirked.

"Well then, Leon. Let's see if you survive long enough to reach the next."