Chapter 185 The Imperial Red Dragon?s intentions?
Imperial Dragons Arc
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(POV: Akashic Records)
I observed intently as Klaus effortlessly lifted the unconscious Eunaria and gently placed her on his shoulder.
"Well, I suppose it's high time I head back to the Fortress..."
His eyes fixated on the ruined landscape, he let out a sigh.
"Sorry about all this," I offered sincerely.
After all... it was all my fault.
Klaus turned to face me.
He wore a disarming smile, wickedly captivating yet strangely comforting.
"No need to apologize," he assured me. "The plane we reside in is infused with potent magical energy. Rest assured, everything will regenerate overnight."
Relieved by his reassurance, I nodded gratefully. "Thank you, uh..."
I was unsure what to call him.
Imperial Red Dragon?
Klaus?
Rias—? I mean, Klaus?
"You can call me Klaus, it's fine."
"Oh I see," I smiled. "I appreciate your understanding."
"Of course."
Suddenly, Klaus' expression darkened, his previously playful demeanor replaced with a resolute seriousness.
However, it wasn't a somber expression; instead, it held a peculiar mix of disdain and amusement.
It caught me off guard.
"About Valtara's vessel— I don't know her name..."
"Serena," I told him.
"Yes, her." His gaze was intense. "While she isn't significant now... in the long run she'll be important to my cause."
I walked forward again. "What do you mean?" my voice took a monotonous dive.
Klaus turned to face me fully, his crimson eyes brimming with enigmatic intensity.
"Because," he pause dramatically, "she possesses the potential to become the Imperial Black Dragon."
I furrowed my brows.
I didn't know much of anything about the Imperial Dragons, but if he was trying to say Serena would ascend to one then join their ranks— that simply wouldn't happen.
And I wouldn't let it.
"How exactly does that change things?" I inquired.
The corners of Klaus' lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"When that day comes," he slowly walked forward, "Serena will essentially become my sibling."
My eyes narrowed.
"She's one of your summons right?" he asked me.
"What does that have to do with anything...?"
No surprise that he could see through my [Status Modification].
He could peer into mine, but even with Rank SSS+ [Appraisal] I couldn't see his.
That in its own was concerning. Who or what was this guy?
"If Serena does become the Imperial Black Dragon, she'll become a superior existence that surpasses anything you can ever become... as one of the Five Orders, I can't let her serve under a Curse King."
I raised an eyebrow. "But isn't that her choice to make?"
"Oh?" Klaus smiled even more, "But this'll probably save your life... if Serena does become an Imperial Dragon, you'd instantly die during the automatic [Skill Trade]... sure you can stall an automatic [Skill Trade] but the Laws of the World will always interevene. Hence, a trade must and will happen no matter what..."
I clenched my fists watching him speak.
"I'd advise you dissolve your contract with her and relinquish her over as soon as possible, to save your... abysmally inferior existence.."
I smiled attempting to dismiss Klaus' words as mere speculation.
"Even if by some chance Serena has the potential to become the Imperial Black Dragon," I stepped forward, "her father would surely step in and take control of the situation."
This guy didn't know who All-Father was.
All-Father was definitely on another level entirely. After all, he had the ability to grant me skills and boost me to an unbelievably powerful level.
He could do anything.
Inferior, I may be... but All-Father wasn't.
Klaus raised an eyebrow in intrigue.
"Serena's father?" he mused, a smirk followed. "And who might that be?"
I hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether or not to reveal Serena's true lineage.
Still, this guy had [World Acuity]— that alone was a compendium of knowledge.
And also...
Something in Klaus' gaze urged me to continue. Like I needed to prove something to him.
"Well," I began cautiously, "you wouldn't know him, but h—".
Klaus' smirk widened into a full-blown grin.
"Ah, so it is Yurek," he interjected. "Well, to lower beings such as yourself, he'd be known as All-Father."
"What—?" I froze.
"Yurek is one of the Five Orders, just like myself. We're quite acquainted with one another."
I was taken aback by Klaus' revelation.
"You know All-Father?" I exclaimed. "No..."
Klaus chuckled lightly, adjusting Eunaria on his shoulder with ease.
"We've had the pleasure of crossing paths over the millennia," he explained, feeling a tad nostalgic. "But enough about that. Let me clarify something for you. Yurek, as powerful as he may be, isn't an Imperial Dragon. And Imperial Dragons deal with Imperial Dragon-related matters. So, he can't intervene."
He turned to take his leave.
Then, a pair of magnificent, red-scaled wings sprouted from his back, stretching out with an ethereal grace.
He fixed his crimson gaze upon me.
"But fret not," he continued, "you're free to visit here anytime. In fact, you can even join us in the Galadiatrix Fortress if you wish. I'm sure Serena... would be delighted to have you as a companion."
I gritted my teeth.
"I might have a slight distaste for Curse Kings... but I don't necessarily hate you." (Klaus)
It was painfully obvious the type of person Klaus was. A proud, arrogant bastard. He felt he was so strong that I wasn't even worth being his enemy. Anyone Klaus could be nice to meant one thing— he pitied how much of a smaller and less significant existence you were, in comparison to him.
Of all the Imperial Dragons that existed in this world...
Whether I'd meet them or not didn't matter— and it was for one reason...
The pride Klaus displayed here, meant he truly was the strongest them all.
The Imperial Red Dragon indeed.
He cared about me not dying, because I was too insignificant to be perceived as a threat.
That thought alone was nerve-wracking.
"Well then, I hope you take up my invitation, Lumiere."
"I'll think about it," I told him.
Klaus smiled. "It's funny how you haven't been scouted by the Curse Kings yet."
"Hm," I folded my hands, "maybe that's because I'm not the type of person who revels in the suffering of mankind."
Klaus chuckled lightly, his mirth akin to a woman's.
"And yet..." his monotone voice escaped his mouth, for a moment I could see the true Klaus. "With all that power, you're nowhere on my level."
"We'll see," I didn't need to talk much.
His wings flapped. "Indeed, we shall."
Then, Klaus took off.
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