Chapter 169: A Mate and Child in Danger
[Your offspring is in danger.]
[Your mate Agnia has suffered a grievous wound.]
[Danger!]
[Danger!]
[Immediate presence requested from the system.]
Max’s eyes almost bulged from their sockets the moment he saw the message. How? Why? Where? He did not know.
He did not even care anymore that he had been forced to stop in the middle of his business. The heat, the spirits, the throne, the golden-haired woman beneath him, all of it vanished from his mind in an instant.
All he cared about was his woman. And the child she carried.
[Chance of losing offspring: 40%]
[If the offspring dies, your Fire Dragon Bloodline will be stripped away.]
Max pushed Aika to the side, making her gasp as she suddenly felt empty again. She barely had time to understand what had happened before the air around him changed.
Those eyes.
Whichever spirit looked at him in that moment could tell something inside him had snapped. It was as if a part of his soul had vanished. No. It was as if the devil himself had been summoned before them.
"I need to go."
Max pulled his pants up faster than one could blink. His skin shifted at once, dark scales spreading across his body as his dragon bloodline answered his rage.
A strange connection now existed between him and the spirits. Every one of them felt his urgency, his fury, and the sharp, suffocating fear buried beneath it. Their bodies began to glow with golden light, responding to the command of their new sovereign before he had even spoken.
For the first time ever, Max witnessed the true power of the Spirit Sovereign.
It was not only about a harem of perfect women he could use to pleasure him all day long whenever he wanted. That was only the most tempting surface of it, the part his greed and lust had noticed first.
They were warriors.
Their bodies became wrapped in vines and leaves that dyed themselves in brilliant gold, shifting and tightening into living armor that covered their intimate parts while still making them appear seductive in the most beautiful way.
Even Aika and Saelunith transformed, their naked bodies slowly being covered by the same golden armor. The leaves curled over their breasts, the vines coiled around their hips, and thin layers of glowing bark formed over their arms and thighs like armor grown from the will of the forest itself.
Every single spirit held a different weapon in her hands.
Some held long bows carved from pale wood and golden vines. Others gripped swords that shimmered with spirit light, while some carried spears with tips shaped like sharpened leaves. None of them asked any questions. None of them hesitated.
Their hearts were connected to the power of the Spirit Sovereign. And now, they were connected to him.
Max could feel this realm around him. Ever since the magic had been passed on to him, he had sensed it faintly, as if the spirit world itself had become an extension of his body. Now that feeling grew clearer. The citadel, the pond, the trees, the countless spirits, even the moonlit groves outside, all of it answered him. With a single thought, he felt as though he could reshape this place, open paths, command armies, or tear the sky apart if he wished.
He looked over the women kneeling and standing before him, their eyes filled with one simple desire. To follow him.
Max had no choice but to feel satisfied.
Even now, even with danger roaring inside his chest, some part of him understood how absurd this power truly was.
"Lead the way, system."
He did not care if the spirits heard him. This ancient power and the fact that they were now connected to him in a spiritual way meant that sooner or later, they would feel it or find out one way or another.
[Your mate is in the old capital of the Fire Dragon Kingdom.]
"What is she doing there?" Max muttered to himself, his eyes darkening. "I left her in the new capital city..."
But he did not waste another second thinking about it. At his simple thought, the roof of the citadel split open.
High in the sky, something shimmered like water beneath sunlight. Its surface rippled softly, reflecting the colors of the spirit realm in waves of silver, blue, and gold.
"The pond," Max realized immediately. It was the way he had entered this place. And it was the only way out.
His wings spread behind him, dark and powerful, the sudden force causing violent winds to surge through the throne room. Leaves scattered. Golden light bent around him. The spirit women raised their heads as their new master launched himself upward, shooting into the sky like a falcon cutting through the air to hunt its prey.
Behind him, the spirit women’s blue eyes pulsed with bright light.
Their backs shone with a soft, spectral glow, and something grew out of them. Wings. Beautiful, translucent wings shaped like those of butterflies, glowing in shades of blue and gold. They were extremely pretty, enhancing their features and making them look like fairies from a dream, but now that beauty carried weapons, armor, and killing intent.
They were no longer only spirit beauties. They were battle fairies. And they followed after their master, their speed not losing to his in the slightest.
The surface of the pond rippled from the outside. It had fully taken shape now, sitting deep within the forgotten forest, its brilliance filling the surroundings with almost orb-like wisps that floated gently in the air. The whole clearing had become alive with magic, its grass glowing faintly, its flowers blooming with impossible colors, and its waters shining like a gate between worlds.
Then the pond exploded.
The wisps scattered in panic as Max cut through the water and burst into the sky. The moment he returned to the outside world, he felt the air of the mortal realm press against his skin.
And he felt rage. His lungs filled with draconic fury as he gathered his strength and roared at the top of his lungs.
The sound was brutal and powerful, shaking every living thing and every piece of nature around him. Birds fled from the trees. Leaves tore from branches. The surface of the pond trembled violently behind him, and the spirits emerging after him raised their weapons as if his roar had become their command.
In the distance, the dragons had already arrived at the Elven Capital City.
Max did not know that, but in the outside world, almost five days had passed since he disappeared. Knowing their king, the dragons had decided to march on and take care of things themselves. They had pushed toward the elven capital, prepared to secure it for his arrival and make sure the conquest did not stop simply because he was gone.
Then their blood suddenly heated. A furious roar entered their sensitive ears. Every single dragon froze.
Then, one by one, they roared in response, their voices full of rage and loyalty, terrifying the elven citizens who had been gathered to wait for their new ruler.
"Go to the king’s aid!" Sigmund roared, his voice shaking the air as he turned toward the armies. "Blood must be spilled to quench his anger!"
At his command, nearly eighty percent of the troops moved at once, rushing toward the direction where Max’s presence had been felt. The ground shook beneath their charge. The dragons did not know what had happened, but they could feel it in their blood. Their king was angry. And that was enough.
As for Max himself, he was already rushing toward the old capital of the Fire Dragon Kingdom.
His eyes were dangerously dark, his dragon scales catching the light, and behind him followed an army of golden female warriors, their spectral wings shining like a storm of battle fairies descending upon the world.
