"You are the saint-demon dragon? Who believes?" The second prince exploded in anger when Qin Yang burned his marriage contract, leaving nothing but ashes.
A courtier hurried over, subtly signaling to the prince not to go too far, considering the golden flames seemed to possess divine power, albeit of a different color.
"It might be divine fire. Acting rashly would not be beneficial for our side. Let him prove his identity first!" The diplomat reminded cautiously; the elderly naturally tended to be more circumspect.
"Fine. What evidence do you have? Mr. Qin."
"Evidence? Haven't you been following the news? Oh, right, at that time, Othrie was sealed off by a barrier, making it impossible for ordinary people to spy on the battlefield. Shouldn't you have heard how Othrie reached a truce under divine siege?"
The fact that the divine beings ceased fighting against Othrie and instead attacked across the seas was no longer news. However, the reason for the cease-fire was still a mystery internationally. The widely acknowledged divine beings, who possessed superior strength, retreated less than twenty-four hours after the battle began, with several major angels slain by a group of girls, including an unfamiliar and repugnant entity. Speculation arose regarding the protection of the dragon clan, but what remains unbelievable even to this day is why the long-buried dragon clan has emerged again and in what capacity they are acting in the world. Today, the international mystery of The Human Realm is about to be unraveled.
"If you are indeed from the dragon clan, I'd like to witness the power of a dragon. Do you mind?"
"Then let's make it quick!"
Actually, there was a circular artificial lake on the ceremony stage, a part of the palace's aerial waterfall. The second prince chose to battle on the lake to minimize the environmental impact, taking some responsibility for his actions.
Swords appeared in the prince's hands, their blades sharp and gleaming. Their magnificent appearance suggested formidable power. "Dual swords, it seems I have them too." I summoned two swords on my shoulders, a manifestation of the interplay between light and darkness, harnessing the opposing forces that had clashed for countless centuries, revealing to humanity that the dichotomy between gods and demons was essentially negligible. They could be both divine and demonic, and what truly differed was their stance. With a firm stance ingrained in their hearts for countless millennia, even unfamiliar adversaries were spurred to conflict, justifiably or not.
"This aura... Can I win?" The prince's heart was likely already faltering, inadvertently digging his own grave. He found himself in a predicament of no retreat. From what I could see, he harbored no real feelings for the empress; perhaps he only saw her appealing in appearance. It was likely his political assignment that had pushed him onto the frontlines.
"I'll give you three chances. If I don't retaliate, it will test your courage."
"Could it be... truly a member of the dragon clan? How can a high school student exude such an aura and even instill fear in my own weapons... No, father sent me away because he thinks I am useless. If I can't even accomplish this last task for him, then I'm truly worthless!"
I saw the second prince's hesitation, and perhaps humanity itself was foolish. Suspicion of the future and enemies led them to commit irrational acts. How many of the attendees at this ceremony would truly believe that Othrie, after signing the agreement, would willingly hand over all the data on artificial elements? Normal people wouldn't believe it. Unfortunately, they were unaware that they were soon to be exiled from the world. Even if they were innocents, when they witnessed problems arise in the Three Realms, they would then believe that Othrie did not withhold data out of selfish motives. In truth, Othrie was not willing to fully disclose the artificial elements. With any retention, human society would find it challenging to resist the divine beings. Should the elements in The Divine Realm be depleted and spread to The Human Realm, artificial elements would serve as the last straw for survival.
The two princes' swords twirled in the air, descending towards me from above. A hurricane swept through as my black sword moved, unleashing a burst of dark, fearful power. The second prince, like an airplane veering off the runway, plummeted into the lake, his splendid swords dissipating into nothingness, leaving only two broken blades.
"My sword never stood a chance against his..."
A figure, drenched from head to toe, surfaced from the lake, gazing at the swords sunken below and then at me cloaked in darkness. His spirit shattered, memories of the Dragon Race War that destroyed the capital island flooding his mind. His pupils dilated, his body convulsed, his mind clouded.
"Relax a bit. The ceremony for the Queen to ascend to the throne should be a joyous occasion! Return to your seat and enjoy the spectacle!" The sacred light warmed the heart, and my own amiable demeanor impressed even myself. The prince detached himself from his pain, feeling his failure equated to death, which was nothing to fear.
Returning to the ceremony platform, the crowd murmured in admiration. Ending the farce so dramatically, transitioning seamlessly from devil to Angel, defeating the prince was not enough to prove my identity. Humans would not recognize the sword of the holy Demon Dragon. The true proof was yet to come.
"Today, besides the envoys from various nations present, we also have... ten friends here to congratulate the Queen!"
Following my lead, ten figures from the three realms entered. Weird and quirky, daring and fearless, enchanting and alluring, old yet still majestic—they were strangers to the ordinary folk, but terrifying figures to major families and powers, unmistakably the ten Demon Kings.
In the live broadcast, the Demon Kings all knelt, performing the rites of the demon clan.
The Demon Kings sensed that the youth before them, not the Demon Dragon who had intimidated them in Yu City, was a Demon Dragon truly capable of subduing them.
"Your Majesty, Demon Dragon, the ten Kings congratulate Queen Dragon on her ascension!"
The crowd rose in unison. When had humans ever witnessed the sight of the ten Demon Kings kneeling? Many among them offered tribute and sought protection from the ten great Kings year after year. Hence, they felt too embarrassed and dare not sit down.
"Thank you all very much. Please, take your seats! Envoys and nobles from Othrie, last year, I confirmed the identity of Demon Dragon with an iron mask. Many doubted the identity behind that mask. A youth who dared claim to be the Demon Dragon without even showing his face, isn't he afraid of death? Indeed, I am afraid. Death is just a cycle for me, but I am still terrified because my death would take away those whom I care most about. After the great war of thirteen million years, the Dragon Queen passed away overnight. And now, my Dragon Queen is just a teenager. I don't want them to die in their prime. The former Dragon Queens have lived for tens of thousands of years at least. Death might be a relief, but they are not... they are just young girls!" My gaze fell upon the girls in the audience below, enumerating their names: "Elena Brandt, Qin Ying, Nofis, Lin Wenxin, Zi Sirou, Hanya, Xiao Qiong, Xiao Yao, Guffy, Lilith Guer, Nana Guer, and the star of today, the new Queen of Othrie—Zi Liliu!"
The Queen emerged from the lake, wearing a black veil gown, simple and elegant, her stern face capturing all attention, as if the entire ceremony revolved around her alone.
"My dearest Qin Yang, should I prove to you the identity of the Holy Dragon with time?" Li Liu stood beside me, shoulder to shoulder, silently affirming her right as the Queen's consort on this ceremonial platform! The audience dared not even breathe heavily, afraid to miss a crucial moment in the exchange of words.
"As for proving the identity of the Holy Dragon..." The identity of the Holy Dragon is actually difficult to prove after proving the identity of the Demon Dragon. In all legends, the opposition of the Holy Demon Dragon is the origin of the conflict between gods and demons. If it weren't for the confrontation between the two dragons, there wouldn't even be gods and demons.
"Let me be your proof! Your Majesty, the Holy Dragon!" Another person appeared, as if he had been there all along, hidden so well that even I hadn't noticed, mainly because he did not emit any dangerous aura.
The person kneeling in front of me turned out to be someone I didn't expect - Hisa Brandt!
Hisa spoke loudly and solemnly, "Hisa Brandt pleads with the Holy Dragon to save the Divine Realm from the sins. We, the divine beings, must expose the false Holy Dragon of The Divine Realm, who has been emitting strange things that incite the private desires of other gods and create Angels without virtue by violating the laws of the divine beings, leading to a humble life for the divine beings under the clouds without the fair treatment they deserve..."
"I understand, Hisa! Actually, all this is not solely the problem of the false Holy Dragon. Since the Great War between gods and demons, the divine beings have developed thoughts of indulgence. Unfortunately, they were not stopped. Your every move affects the balance of light and darkness in The Demon Realm, and when a scale is no longer in balance, the tray will tip over. The energy crisis in The Divine Realm is a sign of elemental weakening, and under elemental weakening, your Magic is weakening as well. Don't be infatuated with the power of faith anymore; it cannot save the divine beings. The only way is to eliminate the fallen divine beings from The Divine Realm, to stabilize The Demon Realm temporarily. You should be willing to do this!"
"With your support, we'll have the strength to overthrow the fallen old gods!"
"People of the human realm before the camera, you are already facing a great disaster! If The Demon Realm collapses, the Human Realm will not be safe either. What you need to do is show the world your determination, determination to defeat the divine beings! Otherwise, the world will solve you on its own. Even I, as a dragon, am powerless in this matter. The world has only one condition to restore the light of The Divine Realm!"
This is not a threat, it's a fact. If humans do not join in, who can guarantee that they can overthrow these gods? Relying solely on magic is not enough. In terms of unity, magic is never as good as humans in times of crisis, because in their hearts, they have families...
"People of the human realm, you must be wondering why I don't become a savior to kill all those gods, why you weak ones should become your own saviors together. Let me be clear: we dragons are also saving ourselves!"
I don't even remember how many dragons are hidden within the Three Realms. And the fact that Sislophi can come through means there are still dragons alive in the outside world. By resolving Marutian, we can save all, be it humans, gods, or Demon Dragons. According to Marutian's methods, he only saved the dragons at the expense of all other beings, and I completely disagree with that approach!
