Pride…
It was the only word that could capture the very essence of dragons.
Pride was their lifeblood, their reason, the core of everything they stood for.
Their pride was so towering, so indomitable, that they would go to unimaginable lengths to protect it.
Anyone who dared to wound that pride would be facing a wrath so intense, it would turn dragons into mindless beasts, blind with fury and thirsting for vengeance.
However…
There was something else that all creatures held within them, something buried deep beneath scales and power. That thing was….
fear!
Fear….
the one element no creature, no matter how mighty, could fully escape.
Even the proud dragons hid their fear, concealing it beneath layers of bluster and confidence, masking it with their unyielding pride.
The truth was that their rage wasn’t always born from pride alone. It was often fear, cleverly hidden behind displays of dominance.
The dragons hadn’t slaughtered the phoenixes simply out of pride—they had done it because, deep down, they feared them.
Feared the day when the phoenixes would rise, spread their fiery wings across the sky, and claim dominion over the heavens…. They feared what they could not control!
So,
All Victor need to do was… he would unearth that fear, drag it from the dark corners where it hid beneath their pride.
Every single dragon, from the youngest hatchling to the eldest ancient, would confront the raw terror…. their PRIDE!!
The Great and…. One and Only Dragon Emperor was reduced to a mere dog… that itself wounded the pride but…. that’s not fear.
They needed more… more… like the blood for the Prideful Dragon Emperor!!
In the silent hall, Arkanis’s head rolled across the polished table, finally coming to rest in the center, the once-mighty Dragon Emperor reduced to nothing.
Blood splattered across Victor’s face, the butcher’s sword in his hand dripping with crimson. He looked at the blade, then let his gaze drift over the nobles, one by one, drinking in their expressions.
What he saw pleased him:….
Fear
!!
!~Ding~!
[+5 Umbra]
[Soul: 896↑/255]
Tang!
A metallic sound rang out, snapping the nobles back to reality.
The butcher’s sword clanged against the table as Victor stabbed it into the wood, the blade still wet with the Emperor’s blood. With a swift kick, he sent Arkanis’s headless body tumbling from the table, then propped his foot up, leaning back with an indifferent expression.
“What?” Victor’s tone was casual, almost bored. “Didn’t you all ask if I dared?” He pointed to the severed head on the table, his eyes cold and unblinking. “Well, I dared. I plucked his head. Now… what are you going to do about it?”
The room was silent, every noble frozen in place. They couldn’t understand it, yet there it was—a chill clawing up their spines, an involuntary lowering of their heads.
For the first time in their lives, they, who had bowed to no one but the Dragon Emperor, felt… uneasy.
The spark of fear they usually suppressed beneath their pride was slipping through the cracks, visible for all to see.
One of the younger nobles tried to rally, his voice shaking. “W-Why are we feeling fear? H-He’s just a—” Before he could finish,
“Hisssss~”
Echoed through the chamber. Out of the shadows, a gigantic white serpent lunged, its fangs gleaming. In one swift motion, it wrapped its maw around the noble’s head and clamped down.
Crunch.
The room filled with a sickening silence as the other nobles looked on in horror, their eyes widening as the serpent slithered back, leaving only a headless body slumped over.
Victor brushed his fingers over the table as if nothing had happened, his voice smooth. “Shall we talk now?”
Numb with terror, the nobles nodded, their heads bobbing in unison.
They could feel the overwhelming presence of the serpent—a beast of pure gold aptitude with five stars, a monster among monsters, IT’S A FUCKING LEVEL 100 MONSTER!!
Its mere existence in the room was enough to tell them one thing: none of them could stand a chance against it…. No one, that is, except Drakhairs.
Drakhairs, for his part, sat in stunned silence, his old brows raised in shock. His mind was reeling. ‘What on earth is this madman doing?’ he wondered.
He’d thought Victor intended to use the chained Arkanis to command the dragons into submission, to rally them under his will…. that would be a perfect plan, right? Yet… Victor had simply killed him, just like that!
Their Emperor…. the dragon who had held control over them all—slaughtered as if he were nothing.
Either Victor was a fool or… he was more dangerous than they’d ever imagined.
Slowly, Drakhairs straightened, rubbing his temples. At last, he spoke, his voice firm. “So… what is it you want, Disciple of the Sovereign?” There was an edge of disbelief in his tone, his eyes narrowing as he met Victor’s gaze.
Victor glanced at him, giving a slight sigh. “What do I want?” He leaned back, seeming almost thoughtful, then shook his head. “Nothing, really.”
The nobles exchanged confused glances, unsure of what to make of this response. “What?” one of them sputtered, incredulous. “Then why—?”
But Victor cut him off, his voice carrying a chilling finality. “From this moment on, I’ll be taking his place.” He gestured to Arkanis’s blood-soaked head, his voice calm and resolute.
“What? What nonsense are you spouting, human?” one of the nobles spat, his face contorted with contempt while trying to hide the fear again, “D-Do you truly think you’re worthy, simply because you bested our Dragon Emperor with c-cheap tricks? We have Prince Leon Dragonheart!” His voice rang out, echoing through the hall, and outside, the masses watching the live transmission shouted in unison.
“Yes! We have Prince Leon Dragonheart! He will kill you!” they chanted, a furious, unwavering chorus.
Drakhairs, seated at the table, shook his head, “No matter how many you kill, no matter what you’ve done… none of us would ever bow to you. We would rather die than submit to a mere human!” His tone was sharp, and every noble in the room nodded, heads held high, unified in their defiance.
Victor’s gaze swept slowly over the room, his eyes gleaming with amusement beneath his mask. He allowed a moment of silence to stretch between them, as if savoring their conviction. Then, he spoke, his voice calm, almost bemused. “I see… so that’s your decision.”
For a brief, heavy moment, he went silent.
The nobles, sensing something, felt a sudden chill clawing at their spines. They fought the instinct to tremble, to drop their gazes. A few shifted uncomfortably in their seats, feeling an unfamiliar pressure in the air.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course we—” But Drakhairs’ voice faltered mid-sentence, as a fierce heat coursed through his body, spreading rapidly like fire in his veins. He clutched his chest, gasping as his blood seemed to boil, the sensation of raw power filling his entire being.
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The other nobles around him paled, clutching their throats and arms as the same force tore through them.
They felt it… the unmistakable, overwhelming presence of the Dragon Emperor’s power.
But it wasn’t possible.
How?
Drakhairs stared at Victor, his face etched with confusion and a spark of horror as he lowered his head instinctively, feeling the unmistakable dominance of their Emperor.
‘That power… those horns… but how could this human…?’ He was neither the Emperor’s descendant nor a dragon. Yet there he stood, emanating the same commanding power that had once compelled all of them to submit.
Victor looked out over the room, satisfaction glinting in his eyes as he watched them struggle. “What’s wrong?” he asked, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he observed their horror.
Victor’s smirk widened. The stick was working perfectly…. Now it was time for the carrot.
Clap!
With a sharp clap, he signaled toward the chamber doors. A line of women, faces veiled and bodies frail, entered one by one, their heads bowed. Each looked pale, as though they had been deprived of sustenance and rest.
The nobles frowned, looking at the women with confusion, unable to understand the significance of their presence.
Victor changed a somber expression to cross his face, his eyes softening as he looked over the veiled figures. “Believe it or not, I didn’t come here with the desire to kill him.” His voice was gentle, almost regretful, as if he were confessing a painful truth. He let out a sigh, adding in a low murmur to himself, ‘Perhaps I should’ve burned his remains to ashes for you all to witness… but that would back fire on me too much…’
Anyway,
Victor moved his hand, and a small crystal orb rolled across the table, coming to a stop beside Arkanis’ severed head. With a small spark of magic, he activated it. The orb flared to life, casting an eerie glow over the room as it projected a flickering image.
“In this hidden room, there are… records, experiments, documents about creating new species, bizarre mutations… things you wouldn’t believe possible…..” the video played.
Everyone frowned seeing Arkanis sitting on the wheel chair saying something while…. dead bodies of children?
“…I used my own people as test subjects to find a cure for this curse,” Arkanis’s voice echoed through the hall.
Behind him, the projection showed the bodies of young dragons lying lifeless, their small forms marred with burns and scars.
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock while… Victor let out a sly grin.