Standing in the middle of the Hall of Fog, Red and Noah watched with irritation all over their faces at the big screen in front of them.
On it, they saw four dragon-like souls, trying to barge into their territory without any ceremony.
Covering their bodies was moving, living shadows that seed to devour everything around them, giving them the strength to make Elysiari tremble as if it would crumble with their claws alone.
"Do you know them?" Red asked her sister, Elira, who was equally staring at this scene. But compared to the others, her eyes glowed with the light of recognition.
"I know them," Elira said, eyebrows peaked. "They are the leaders of the basic elental dragons: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind."
"What are they doing here?" Solaris inquired. "Did they die because of the events going on in the Waking Universe?"
"It's possible," Apollonia interjected, "but that is clearly not what's important here at the mont, Solaris. These four worms are trying to forcefully enter the territory of a Soul Ruler."
She cocked her head.
"That," the Paragon of Light continued, "that is important."
"There is also the power they are using," Ester whispered, standing to the right of Noah, watching intensely. "It's a shadow-type power. But I, as a Paragon of Shadow, have never felt sothing so utterly different yet so uniquely powerful about shadows."
"It's quite normal. It's the power of the First Soul Ruler," Maryam finally said. "Shadow Of One Was Lost. That's her na. And if these guys hold her power...."
"Then these souls are sent by Her," Selene concluded. "That would explain their reckless confidence in barging into our territory. After all, you did say you were an uncrowned ruler."
Selene spared Maryam a sidelong glance. "They don't respect you, it
seems."
Maryam said nothing, but her silence itself was an answer to Selene's guess.
It was not the first ti people ca to her dominion for such a reason. All of them thought she was weak. And that was such a foolish way of thinking.
After all, what kind of weak being could crown herself ruler when four rulers already existed?
Because of that, Maryam had killed them all in the worst way possible. But this ti it was different.
The Paragon of Authority could see an incomprehensible amount of the First Soul Ruler's authority on these four dragons.
All of these thoughts boiled down to one single question...or maybe
two:
"What are they doing here?" Justicia asked, "and why do they have Her power?"
"Well..." Noah began, waving his hand.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Four heavy bodies slamd into the ground before them.
Imdiately, fog stirred and trapped them. Noah added to it, chaining their very minds, flesh, and bones to the ground with his Atomic Manipulation.
"...that is exactly what we are about to find out."
"Ah, fuck!" the Fire dragon hissed a curse as he felt his ass crashing into the hard ground.
The other dragons acted the sa, before snapping their heads upward, feeling nurous pairs of searing eyes staring daggers at
them.
Two pairs of them were especially filled with worrying wrath.
It took them a second or so to realize that they had stepped into the territory of the False Ruler.
However,
'Who are all these people?' Wind asked herself, confused.
Then her mind focused on the present when Red approached and squatted in front of them.
"What are you doing here?" Red went straight to the point.
One didn't need to be a genius to see that these guys wished no good. Still, they needed to know why.
At her question, all the dragons rembered their task. And in eerie sync, they all snapped their heads toward the artifact.
The needle was pointing with perfect accuracy toward a being among them.
Lifting their heads slowly, with hearts beating in excitent, their eyes ca to rest before a beautiful woman.
Crimson-gold hair, smooth and silky, frad her head down to just below her shoulders. She wore a white battle dress that clung to her body like glue, accentuating her curves, with white eyes that made them believe the very essence of soul was within them.
She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at them.
Elira Varnis had changed appearance, but the features of her visage were still the sa.
And with the added confirmation of the artifact, none of them doubted their discovery.
"We have found you!" Wind bellowed, pointing at Elira carelessly.
"Elira-!"
CRACK-!
"Arghhhhh!" Wind's words were cut short by a wave of pain crashing
down on her.
"When I ask a fucking question," Red growled like a mad-touched beast, shattering the finger of Wind that was rudely pointing at her
sister, "you answer. Okay? Now let's start again."
The Paragon of War's aura erupted out of her body, a crimson aura filled with the wails of wounded soldiers, the horns of war, the sound of blood scattering and flowing...all slamd down on the four dragons like a hamr striking an anvil.
Red's face shifted, and beca nothing but a red-shrouded visage
with jagged crimson teeth smiling wide until they reached her eyes, and two rotating circles, churning with blood and death, that acted
like her eyes.
"What are you doing here?"
The shadows on the four dragons stirred, moving and wrapping themselves around them protectively. They began to sigh in relief, but the aura of Red continued to rise higher and higher, while they felt heavier and heavier.
Only then did they begin to recall that they were in enemy territory.
Instinctively, Wind answered, "We are here to find Elira, The Lone Soul Dragon!" She bellowed, her finger refusing to heal because of Red's power. "The First Soul Ruler sent us on this mission! Killing us ans enraging Her!"
At her words, Noah tilted his head. "Why would she wish to have my
wife?"
Elira, anwhile, was utterly confused. Why would a Soul Ruler want
her?
"We don't know!" Fire said. "But if we do not bring her what she
wants, she will co here herself."
The underlying ssage in his words was clear. And looking at the
way he was staring at them, it was obvious that Fire was threatening
them. Maryam knew well how strong the First Ruler was. She was the strongest, yet she never bothered herself much with politics. Still, it would not be a good idea to let her co inside their ho...
At least, that was what she would have said if Noah and her
daughters-in-law were not with her.
"I see," Noah finally answered simply.
He looked over his left shoulder at Elira. "Have any idea why?"
"If it's a Soul Ruler who wants ? No, not at all," Elira said. "But if it's
these dragons..."
She smiled coldly.
"What they wish from is what almost everyone in the dragon
faction wished. They want to breed , darling, or to have my power in so way, and use as a way to climb the ladder."
She shrugged. "I have lived such situations so many tis it's easy to
guess them."
And that was why I did all I could to be the one sent into a new world to seek a dragon champion. And I am happy for such a decision, she internally added with a smile.
With that decision, her whole life shifted.
The four dragons flinched at Elira's words. Sothing that did not
escape the eyes of the Vaelgrim.
"Oh," Noah whispered, smiling coldly. "The fate of your dragon faction
was already hanging on a thread after what your Progenitor had done.
But hey..."
He began to walk toward them.
"It could always be worse, it seems. Then again, I should not be surprised anymore. Anyway, ti is scarce. So let's be productive."
He raised his hand, and touched the Water Dragon. She shivered, eyes widening in horror.
Noah grinned devilishly. "You ca at the perfect ti."
-End of Chapter 470-
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