In truth, when Draco saw Sigurd, he was not shocked at all. Rather, he was surprised that his expectations, which had been a lot higher, had been lowered. Draco had expected to be dealt with by someone far stronger, but maybe he was foolishly underestimating Sigurd based on what he had seen on the Moba floors.
The moment his eyes landed on his family, who were on their last legs, all kinds of emotions coursed through Draco so rapidly that he almost froze on the spot. Eva beside him also froze with dull eyes, as if her brain lagged, yet she was far quicker to recover.
The next moment, her aura exploded wantonly, releasing the full power of 100% bloodline without a care for the consequences. Immediately, it was as if a nuclear weapon had gone off in the center of the Ancestral Dragon City, destroying more than 25% of the timeless city, bringing it down to a state which was even worse than what Sigurd had done.
"SIGURDDDD!II AM GOING TO FUCKING RIP YOUR SOUL OUT, STUFF IT IN THE VOID BETWEEN WORLDS AND WATCH YOU SUFFER FOR HUNDREDS OF MILLENNIA!" Eva roared so loudly that it created a soundwave that caused another 25% of the city to be destroyed.
Eva's powerful white aura billowed into the sky like a pillar of light that supported the entire world. The sheer amount of energy was wantonly releasing could easily destroy an entire continent.
Despite this, Sigurd was neither fazed nor bothered. He put a little more pressure around Kuro's neck, making the hatchling's little head explode. Then, he casually tossed the limp corpse of the baby Dragon towards the feet of his father.
Draco looked down at the corpse of his son and knelt down to touch it. The body was still warm and there was a trace of stubborn life within, thanks to his and Hikari's tyrannical bloodlines. Alas, that was not a good thing, as this meant that Kuro, a mere newborn, was forced to suffer the agony of having his head blown open with each second he clung onto life.
Eva couldn't hold back anymore as she directly transformed into a giant Light Phoenix that spread rays of white light everywhere. Wherever the light touched, healing and benevolence followed, restoring the life and limb of all those killed or injured.
Sigurd simply watched this happen without any kind of emotion on his face, his hands folded behind his back as he floated above the group like a majestic ruler looking down on his subjects.
The moment everyone was restored and trying to recover their sensibilities, Sigurd snapped his finger, and all their heads collectively exploded once more, except Hikari who had a Divine Source Origin and could resist a portion of the damage. Even so, she was blown back, coughing blood as she fainted due to the damage received.
Eva was breathing like a wounded animal, hyperventilating so deeply, that she had to clutch her chest. A perfectly healthy young woman like her was consumed by rage to the point that it almost manifested physically, clogging her veins and almost giving her cardiac arrest.
Eva's couldn't move at this point, only able to stare at Sigurd with bloodshot eyes while she tried to diminish her rage enough so that she could move and slaughter him with all her power.
Draco, who had been silent all this time, stared at everything that occurred with unreadable eyes and an expression of calmness. Then, to Sigurd's surprise, the young man broke out in an amused smile and waved.
"Yo, brother Sigurd, long time no see! If you were planning to pay a visit, you should have told me beforehand!"
If Shangtian were here, he would immediately cower and shake like a baby. This was what he had said that he feared the most between Draco and Eva, and their situation against each other.
Eva was a typical hero type, wearing her emotions on her sleeves and letting her rage get the best of her, though it also happened to fuel her power. She would often take direct physical action to resolve issues.
Draco, though, was the villain type, and rage wasn't his methodology. Rather, it was through controlling his own mental state and emotions to lull the enemy into safety and security before striking when they least expected it.
Shangtian knew this best because it was how he had been taken down. Now, it seemed that just as Sigurd had triggered Eva's rage to the limit, something even Shangtian had been unable to achieve, the same had happened for Draco. The Abyssal Prime had reached a new depth in the darkness that he could not fathom nor control.
Sigurd furrowed his brow at such a casual greeting. "Mortal scum, how dare you refer to me as if we are equals?"
Draco chuckled and waved a hand. "Hey, hey, no need to split hairs. Just think about it, what's a True God? Someone with a Divine Source Origin and a Divine Combat Rank, right? However, I have a bloodline that surpasses the Origin Rank and is likely half a step into the next level, if you know of it."
Draco then pointed at Eva. "So does she. We are only limited by the fact that we can't bring out even 0.1% of its true power, but as time goes on, we'll be able to do so with ease."
Sigurd sneered. "So? what does that have to do with me, a noble deity?"
Draco shrugged. "It means, that even if you stop us here, even if you are stronger than us at this moment, we'll eventually and inevitably grow to the point where we can fight you as equals, and then surpass you."
Draco sighed. "And when we do, we won't beat you to death or kill you through some plot or sneak attack, no. I've long hated the method of killing mortal enemies on the spot. It's stupid and short-sighted, especially if there is no fear of death."
"You might have been a former mortal but as a resident of this universe you wouldn't know this, but where we originally come from, the mortals do not know what comes after death. So the fear of death is intense because there is the fear of the pain of death, and the void of death. One part because it hurts and one part because it's scary not knowing what comes after."
"You, Sigurd, already know what comes after, so there is no real fear of death in you. A mere pain before death is negligible compared to the pain you've suffered along the wqay to reach your current level of power, and forget about being insecure concerning your afterlife, someone like you is bound to have multiple ways to revive even in the most extreme of cases, so how would that bother you?"
Sigurd interrupted Draco. "If you know that, what is the point of this lecture?"
Draco glanced at Sigurd pointedly. "I'm telling you that since I know this, I'm going to do everything in my power to bring you to the edge of death, inflict pain upon your body, soul and spirit like nothing you can imagine, and make absolutely sure you can feel it all as if it's the first time. This will go on for an indefinite amount of time, even eternity, if possible."
Sigurd's expression darkened. "Insolent mortal, die!"
He manifested a spear and blasted forward, arriving before Draco in a split second. To him, it seemed like Draco couldn't even respond to his speed, which made Sigurd sneer coldly. He would first deal with this flimsy mortal and then inflict the pain he spoke about right onto him and his loved ones.
However, the newly appointed God of War's face changed when his spear bounced off Draco's neck through an impermanent shield and then sent him flying into rubble. Even worse, when he tried to get up, chains made of Origin metal bound his arms and legs and pulled, lifting him like a prisoner on a cross.
"Chains of Betrayal! But how?!" Sigurd roared with fear, his pupils dilating.
"Ah, ah,ah, Sigurd, Sigurd, Sigurd." Draco tutted as he approached Sigurd casually with his arms crossed behind his back.
Before continuing, he turned to Eva. "Eva, my love, can you please resurrect our family? It might be best to start with Hikari so she can do the honors."
Eva took a deep breath and suppressed her anger using her bloodline and the help of the Riveting Night's thoughtstream who bore it all, waiting to release it once more at the right moment.
Eva then thought about it and revived Hikari, who was still in the midst of panic due to the attack. Eva gently comforted Hikari and reassured her that everything was fine, allowing the White Dragoness to bawl on her shoulder due to the fear and trauma she had just gone through.
For Draco and Eva, they had only come out to see the aftermath after their short inspection of the treasury. For those outside, they had just been excitedly exploring when the System had notified them about a True God descending.
Before any of them had any chance to react, Sigurd had already condemned them all, the Dragon race and their entire family before slaughtering them all with ease. None of the Dragons had been able to stand up to him, not even Semi-Origin fellows like Paarthurnax or Alduin.
As for Draco's family and the city's defenses, if even a Rank 1 Essence and Fitter could eke out survival in the city, how could Sigurd face any challenges? Both had been dealt with easily, only the three beauties had been able to put up a resistance, with Hikari as the center.
Draco's children were special in that they had unlimited potential, but they were still toddlers that weren't even Rank 1. They were used by Sigurd to unsettle the mother's cooperation, leading to leaks in the formation and their eventual downfall.
To watch your loved ones be killed one by one while you could only barely survive yourself in a pathetic manner... Hikari had endured it twice and for her sanity's sake, she wasn't sure she could endure another.
Eventually, she calmed down and used White Light Resurrection to bring everyone back to life. When they came back, the reactions weren't any different from Hikari, and it was clear some would be horribly scarred by this experience for life.
Seeing this, Draco and Eva shared a look and worked in tandem. Draco first drained all their negativity associated with the event, a thread of black light emerging from everyone's body and accumulating on his palm.
Eva then washed their minds with the cleansing light of purity, healing all damage and sequela on the mental level. With this done, everyone calmed down immediately and glared at Sigurd who was still bound and struggling.
They had the memories of their trauma, but it no longer made them feel fear or despair, nor would it ever do so. Rather, they could look at it objectively and not be influenced directly, only indirectly.
Just like now, where they remembered what they went through and didn't feel sad or fearful, but angry towards the source of it all.
Draco then turned to Sigurd once more. "You asked how? Let me tell you, then."
"The moment I came out of the treasury and saw you slaughtering my family, I understood two things. The first is that you, Sigurd, and your faction are absolute idiots with no hope of redemption or change. You will live as idiots and die as idiots to the very end, not comprehending what it's like to have even room temperature IQ."
Draco then brought out a document and faced it towards Sigurd.
"The second thing is that agreements and contracts are only valuable when you can prove that there's been a breach or there is about to be a breach. Until then, they are just papyrus."
Sigurd read the document slowly, his face changing as he went on. When he finished, he roared to the sky in anger and regret.
"DAMN YOU, SUPREME PANTHEON!!"
Why was he angry? Well, the Supreme Pantheon, even if weakened and eyed by other factions, were still the majority and the nominal rulers of the Divine Realm.
And it turned that they had made an agreement with Draco a long time ago not to have any God or Deity harm him or his family in exchange for him not spitting out Ultima Sunts like they were weeds.
An agreement that made sense in the general scope of things, but how could Sigurd not understand? Draco was the Supreme Pantheon's little monster, something they were raising and protecting until he became strong enough for them to use.
Thinking about the consequences of breaking a Divine Contract and the things Draco had said, Sigurd's indifferent and arrogant heart shuddered for the first time.