[Vol. 8] Chapter 330: I Will Fight… All of You!
The cold voice of the dragon girl beside him pulled the Emperor back from his deep thoughts. He turned his head toward the blonde dragon girl, who stood with her arms crossed. Even though their relationship was only bound by shared interest and not truly close, Leonis had never gone back on a promise he made. He gave a small nod and said:
“Of course. I will let you see those things buried under the flow of history. After all, it’s one of the duties I must complete after taking on this body… But first, I need to clear away all the troublemakers.”
“...You are not allowed to attack the dragons. Do whatever else you want, that depends on your own ability.”
“The dragons, huh…”
Leonis glanced at the countless giant shadows soaring in the sky, then turned his gaze back to the golden-haired dragon girl. Even though he had been busy absorbing and fusing the Serpent’s power, he had seen everything happening outside clearly.
This special dragon called Xiao Guang without a doubt had terrifying strength, enough that even gods would have to step aside. And although Leonis had just undergone an evolution far beyond normal thanks to her help, the power and concept of the World-Devouring Serpent were too enormous. With parts of the serpent’s body missing and sacrifices incomplete, there was still a big gap between him and the true peak state of Jörmungandr.
The World Sustainers were his allies, but in truth, it was only a relationship of mutual use.
Blocked by the rules of this world, what they could do for him was already very limited. The one who could truly help him, or truly threaten him, was this dragon who had been persuaded to help.
So for now, it was necessary to keep this cooperation working well.
Thinking this, Leonis nodded straight away.
“Alright. I’ll give you this respect.”
After that, he didn’t waste more time. With one step forward, his body pierced through space itself and instantly appeared in the middle of the two opposing camps.
Surrounded by mighty beings, each of whom could easily destroy a city or even a small country in this world, Leonis looked calm as he spoke.
“Everyone, thank you for waiting.”
He knew very well that the councilors and mythical beings before him all understood the same thing. Whether three hundred years ago or today, they had gathered here for the Serpent’s remains, or rather for the power and value behind those remains. The goal was crystal clear.
Whoever gained that power would become the target of all. Earlier, things were kept in a fragile balance because both sides were wary of each other, and because of Xiao Guang and the capital’s barrier. But now that Leonis had fused the remains into his body and stepped outside the barrier, he himself naturally became the biggest target.
From the dragon camp and the other mythical beings, the White Dragon Queen, Cielru, appeared in human form, floating out with sharp eyes fixed on the robed middle-aged man before her. Even though she had trusted a certain Dragon God and waited until now, that didn’t mean she could accept Leonis’ actions.
“Mortal Emperor, do you even know what your actions so far represent?”
Leonis gave the acting Dragon Emperor a calm glance. From her somewhat familiar but younger-looking face, a flicker of light passed in his eyes, though his expression stayed unchanged.
“What I do or don’t do, I have never needed to report to anyone. Step aside. This time, for the sake of your two elders, as long as you dragons stay quietly at the side, I will not strike at you.”
“You…!”
Such a lofty command made Cielru’s face shift. As the White Dragon Queen, though she had not returned to this world for over three hundred years, she still remembered the former status of the dragons before all races. Proud as they were, since when had a mere mortal dared to speak to them in such a tone?
As a dragon, she could not stand this attitude. But as the leader of her race, she had to think carefully about her people’s lives in this situation.
Now that the man had fused the Serpent’s remains, though his exact strength was still unknown, it was certainly not simple. If they fought both him and the Twilight Council at the same time, this battle would surely be even more disastrous than the one three hundred years ago.
Thinking of this, the usually good-tempered White Dragon Queen could only let out a cold hum, forcing herself to hold back from acting directly, and said in a frosty voice.
“Although I don’t know how the merely mortal Emperor learned my identity and name, it’s not hard for me to guess what you want to do next. The World-Devouring Serpent has always been the great enemy of all living beings. If you want to borrow its power, you must be ready to stand against the whole world.”
“That will even include your own citizens, your relatives, your children. To chase after power and go this far, do you really think it’s worth it?”
“Heh~”
“…Why are you laughing?”
Leonis shook his head, smiling without warmth.
“Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t laughing at you. I only found it surprising that some people can be so cautious, able to sacrifice even their own blood relatives. No wonder you could become my partner.”
“?”
Cielru looked puzzled at this strange answer. But the Emperor seemed to enjoy this chance to talk as an equal, or even above, those who once stood high above him. Soon, he spoke again.
“White Dragon Queen, let me ask you. Is the Serpent truly an absolute evil? How much do you, or living beings in this world, really understand about it?”
The white-haired dragon girl frowned but didn’t give a clear answer.
“My knowledge of the World-Devouring Serpent is only what my elders taught me. I don’t know who is backing you. But I at least know this, what you’ve done to seize the Serpent’s power is far from good. Just that tower alone… it must have sacrificed tens of thousands of lives as offerings. You are too mad.”
“You are exactly right. As expected of the dragon race, your senses are sharp.”
The Emperor nodded, not even trying to hide his deeds.
“They didn’t really die, but what you said isn’t wrong either… Enough. No more small talk. Next, I will mainly deal with the Twilight Council. But if you insist on foolishly interfering, I won’t mind taking care of you too.”
After saying this, he ignored Cielru. On the other side, several council members felt his gaze on them. One of them, the God of Subversion and Paradox, who already knew him, fell silent for a moment before speaking.
[It seems they really did give you what you wanted. In that sense, your choice wasn’t wrong.]
“I think so too.”
[But you should not have set your sights on that White Dragon. I warned you before, her existence will be the greatest obstacle on your path. And now…]
Before the two could say more, a short figure wearing a black-and-white mask suddenly began shouting madly again!
[Hey hey hey! Are you still talking? Fight! Hurry up and fight hard! Whoever chickens out is a coward! Smash him!!!]
Without waiting for the others, it rushed in first. Its body, once only a meter tall, suddenly expanded into a masked giant over a hundred meters high, stomping down at the seemingly unprepared Emperor!
“Hmph, noisy.”
Leonis snorted coldly. Without any big movement, he simply raised his hand and grabbed the air. A strange power like a black hole wrapped around his palm, swallowing everything. The hundred-meter giant began shrinking at a visible speed!
He devoured more than half of its body with one hand, then suddenly struck the air with his palm. A scream of “Ahhh!” came from [Musk] as his body was sent flying backward. In the air, his huge form burst apart like a balloon pricked by a needle with a loud bang.
“…?”
Although Leonis had blocked the [God of False Faces and Ecstasy]’s fierce attack in one move, showing overwhelming power, his expression didn’t look pleased.
He had planned to use the enemy to show his strength. But the opponent’s exaggerated scream and pitiful reaction made it seem less like a true fight, and more like a bad comedy performance. Instead of feeling honored, the Emperor felt mocked.
“You dare make a fool of me?”