[Vol. 8] Chapter 42: The Dragon That Descends
“You thought there was only one evil god~? That’s exactly the kind of mistake certain people want us to make. But unfortunately, that’s not really the case.”
The priest girl kept drawing her magic circle as she casually explained.
“Remember what that girl Flora said last night when we were questioning her? She said that [Wild] is actually one part of [Bister], the [God of Wilderness and Savagery]. [Wild] represents ideas like wilderness. That has absolutely nothing to do with the undead, so why would it collect sacrifices in such a strange way?”
“Frederica once said that this zombie-like plague first appeared over 300 years ago, before the third demon war even started. So it’s very likely that it has nothing to do with the demons and was actually caused by someone else working in secret.”
“What we do know is [Wild] only arrived recently. Most likely, it was the Wheel of Fate incident that changed the world’s balance and allowed it to come here using some kind of power. Since it’s a new arrival, it can’t possibly be connected to events from 300 years ago.”
She paused for a moment, then smiled softly.
“Once you understand this part, everything else starts to make sense.”
“First, the Austre Empire was spying on us and the Holy Empire’s envoy the whole time using their bird-shaped [Graeme] scouts. They knew exactly where we were going. So they arranged for their ally, the undead faction, to appear near the envoy’s camp and perform some gruesome experiment using dead bodies. This was meant to show us directly that a dangerous force was nearby, possibly about to strike.”
“And sure enough, the very next day when we passed through the Hellwood Forest, we were attacked by an undead army. We wiped out most of them, but the enemy’s real goal was already met. They got a good look at our envoy, and especially tested your and my strength.”
“This was their way of checking. Are we strong enough to join the game? Could we become a weapon for them to use?”
“The big battle is close, and the Austre Empire must be keeping a close eye on this sensitive border area. With their new [Graeme] technology and the intelligence agency’s abilities, there’s no way they don’t know about the tribal army’s movements.”
“The Emperor already knew Iron Ridge would be attacked, but the fortress commander seemed totally unprepared. He didn’t even know about the brand-new military [Graeme] units that had just been deployed. Xiao Guang, why do you think that is?”
The dragon girl knew what had happened in Sainz and was aware of how the Austre Empire had manipulated wars before. With this clear hint, her eyes lit up, and the answer came out instantly:
“I get it! They didn’t want to take the blame for starting a war, so they let the tribal armies attack first. That way, there would be real damage, maybe even a lot of deaths, and the Austre Empire could mobilize its people to fight back. They’d look like they were just defending themselves, which would give them a good reason to go to war. That’s what people call ‘having the moral high ground,’ right, Master?”
“Even if there’s no solid proof, that’s the most reasonable guess right now. You really are getting smarter~”
Violet gave her a proud nod, then stood up and clapped her hands, finishing the summoning circle.
“And that’s not all. Since our envoy from the Holy Empire just happens to be traveling through the war zone, if the Austre Empire finds any link, real or not, between the Holy Empire and the tribal invaders, they can use it to stir things up. They could say the Holy Empire is secretly helping the barbarians invade their land. Two birds with one stone.”
“They might even have found out about the relationship between Frederica and the Behemoth tribe’s chief.”
“But while the Austre Empire wants to achieve all this, they also don’t want to lose too many soldiers or resources early in the war just to make it look real. Especially since [Wild], that evil god, and his followers are far too powerful to deal with using normal force. If the Imperial army fought them head-on, it would be a disaster. So, the Austre Empire needs a way to get rid of them first. Otherwise, they’ll take heavy losses before even fighting the Holy Empire.”
“You see? That’s where we come in.”
“Oh…”
As the dragon girl showed a look of sudden realization, the priestess casually added the final pieces of the explanation.
“Evil gods are usually very proud and unpredictable. Even though they’ve started interfering with the world one after another, they don’t all work together. They fight, trick, and even kill each other. If I’m right, then the undead faction working with Austre is probably backed by another evil god, one who knows [Wild] and has dealt with him before.”
“For gods of that level, it’s still incredibly hard to come into this world directly. So that undead god might have found [Wild] and asked him to help test a new method of descending into the world. This method starts with laying a base, then using the Soul Eater Mother Bug to turn the living into zombies and undead creatures, absorbing their energy again and again until the god can fully descend.”
“[Wild] is arrogant, maybe he knew the other god was up to something, but he still went along with the plan. He started trying to come into this world using that method. That made him the perfect target for the undead faction to frame. All they had to do was lead us, just passing by, into attacking him out of a sense of justice. Ideally, both sides would suffer heavy losses or even destroy each other. And the Austre Empire? They would quietly come out as the biggest winner in this four-way game.”
“The only thing I still don’t understand is what that undead god really wants from all this. Working with the Austre Empire doesn’t seem to bring them any clear benefit. That part... we’ll probably have to figure out ourselves as things go.”
“This is all so complicated…”
The dragon girl shook her head in frustration, then raised an eyebrow as if something had just occurred to her.
“By the way, Master, you seem to know a lot about [Wild]’s personality. This isn’t the kind of stuff you can figure out just by guessing. Do you have some extra source of information?”
“Hehe~ I don’t really know them personally,” Violet replied with a mysterious smile, “but... there’s always someone who does. No need to get too caught up in the small details. We’re short on time, let’s begin.”
“Mm, I’m ready.”
As she spoke, the dragon girl took a step forward into the strange, complicated magic circle Violet had drawn by hand. It was unclear what it was meant for. She looked at her companion and gave a silent signal, “I’m ready anytime.”
The priestess didn’t waste time. She nodded and took out the [Eternal Scepter of the World's Heart]. Pure and powerful holy magic surged into it, releasing a grand and awe-inspiring energy.
“Vmmm~!”
In an instant, golden light burst out from the gem at the top of the staff. It stretched forward like a glowing bridge, connecting to the dragon god’s body. Xiao Guang closed her eyes, and with the assistance and guidance of the black-haired girl, began her first attempt to cross space and establish a connection with a 'sister' from the same root and origin.
And in the next moment, she felt it.
“BOOM!!!!!”
At the moment the connection formed, the magic circle exploded in brilliant light. That light shot straight into the sky, transforming into a dazzling golden dragon-shaped figure over a thousand meters wide, lighting up the sky like a vast aurora!