Chapter 560: Arcadia, The First Planet In All Creation (XXXVIII)
At his almost desperate roar, Aestrea sighed, almost bored, and raised his leg again.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
He stomped down repeatedly on the dragon’s head, each kick landing with casual, overwhelming power.
Dark golden blood splattered with every impact.
The dragon’s roars turned into pained, humiliated bellows as its face was ground deeper into the shattered stone.
"Stay down," Aestrea ordered calmly, as if speaking to a misbehaving dog.
"You’re embarrassing yourself."
The Primordial Chaos Divine Dragon, feared across the cosmos, was being physically and verbally humiliated by a single man standing on its head.
It tried one last desperate attack, gathering all its power to unleash a point-blank void breath directly upward.
But Aestrea simply stepped on its snout, forcing its mouth shut mid-charge.
BOOM!
The contained explosion went off inside the dragon’s own mouth. Smoke and blood leaked from between its teeth as it choked and convulsed in agony.
Aestrea finally jumped off, landing gracefully a short distance away. The dragon lifted its bloodied, cracked face, eyes burning with hatred and humiliation.
"I... will... devour... your soul..." it rasped, voice shaking with rage.
Aestrea looked at the ancient, bloodied creature with utter indifference, as if it were nothing more than an annoying insect that had interrupted his day.
"You can’t even handle a few kicks. Save your breath, lizard. You’re not worth the effort. Now tell me... "
He tilted his head slightly, his black-and-white hair drifting in the chaotic winds.
"Where is the Third Trumpet?" he asked calmly. "I haven’t seen it yet. All I’ve found so far is this ugly ass dragon throwing a tantrum."
The Primordial Chaos Divine Dragon’s massive body trembled with pure, unfiltered rage.
Dark golden blood continued to drip from its cracked snout and shattered scales, pooling beneath its head.
Its molten gold eyes burned with a hatred so intense it warped the air around it.
"YOU DARE... SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT?!"
Its roar shook the entire tower, causing more cracks to spread across the already shattered platform.
The dragon tried to push itself up, but the conceptual pressure from Aestrea’s earlier command still weighed it down like an invisible mountain.
"I AM THE ANCESTOR OF ALL MYTHICAL BEASTS! THE FIRST CHILD OF CHAOS! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A FLESH BAG FILLED WITH ARROGANCE!"
Aestrea sighed, clearly bored.
"Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard better trash talk from dying gods. Answer the question, lizard. Where’s the Trumpet? Or do I need to stomp your face a few more times until your brain starts working?"
The dragon’s wings twitched violently.
It gathered what little strength it could and spat a glob of black-violet flame toward Aestrea. The attack was weak compared to its earlier breaths, but still dangerous.
Aestrea simply waved his hand. Authority of Ruin activated, decaying the flame into harmless ash before it even reached him.
The dragon let out a frustrated, humiliated roar.
"THE TRUMPET IS MINE TO PROTECT! YOU WILL NEVER TOUCH IT, WORTHLESS MORTAL SCUM!"
It tried once more to rise, claws digging into the broken stone, muscles bulging as it fought against the invisible force holding it down.
Dark golden blood poured from its wounds, but its pride refused to let it stay down.
Aestrea took a slow step forward, his red slit eyes glowing coldly.
"Protect?" he repeated mockingly.
"You were sleeping like a useless lizard when I got here. Some protector you are. Now stop wasting my time and tell me where it is before I decide to turn you into a new pair of boots."
The Primordial Chaos Divine Dragon snarled, baring rows of jagged, mountain-sized teeth. Its voice dropped into a low, venomous growl.
"You will regret this humiliation, human. When I break free... I will hunt down everyone you love. I will make you watch as I devour them one by one. Then I will take centuries to kill you."
Aestrea’s expression didn’t change. He simply raised his hand, black-and-white chaotic energy gathering in his palm.
"Big words from something currently kissing the floor. Last chance. Where. Is. The. Trumpet?"
The dragon glared at him with pure hatred, but the pressure on its body increased. It finally spat out the words through gritted fangs.
"...Beneath me. The Trumpet is sealed in the core beneath this platform. Only by defeating me can it be awakened..."
Aestrea glanced down at the shattered floor, then back at the dragon.
"Defeating you?" he said, almost laughing. "I already did that the moment I stepped on your ugly face."
He raised his leg again.
BANG!
Another casual stomp landed on the dragon’s snout, smashing its head harder into the ground, causing more golden blood to splatter out.
"Stay down. I’ll go get it myself."
Aestrea turned away from the humiliated, still-roaring dragon and called out calmly.
"Elleonora."
She floated over immediately, her light blue eyes wide with disbelief and awe.
Her mouth was slightly open as she stared at the massive, bloodied Primordial Chaos Divine Dragon still struggling uselessly on the ground.
"...How strong exactly are you?" she couldn’t help but ask, her voice filled with genuine curiosity and a hint of shock.
Aestrea thought about it for a moment, remembering the Creator Woman’s words during their last encounter.
"Just below the Creator," he answered honestly. "But if I get my hands on the rest of the Trumpets, our power should be equal."
Elleonora’s eyes widened even further.
She walked closer and grabbed his arm again, pressing herself against him as they moved toward the center of the platform.
"Equal to the Creator...?" she whispered, almost breathless.
"That’s... insane. Even the strongest gods I know wouldn’t dare say something like that. And you just stomped one of the oldest beings in existence like it was a common lizard."
Aestrea shrugged lightly; his expression didn’t change at all.
"It was loud and annoying. That’s all."
Elleonora let out a soft laugh, still clinging to his arm as they walked. Her massive breasts pressed warmly against him with every step.
"You really have changed," she said, looking up at him with a mix of pride and affection.
"The Aestrea I knew was already monstrously strong... but this? You’re on a completely different level now. I feel like a little girl standing next to you."
"You’re not a little girl," Aestrea replied, glancing at her with a faint smirk.
"You’re still the same possessive Headmistress who tried to keep me locked in her office back then."
Elleonora’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she smiled mischievously.
"And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Maybe I should drag you into a private dimension after this and keep you there for a few decades."
They reached the center of the shattered platform.
A glowing pedestal rose from the broken floor, and floating above it was the real Third Divine Trumpet, radiating a deep, pulsating crimson light.
Aestrea reached out without hesitation and touched it.
The Trumpet dissolved into particles of pure energy and flowed into his body. The familiar primordial rush filled him once more.
He exhaled slowly.
"...Three down. Nine remaining."
A new notification appeared in front of his eyes, glowing softly:
[You have gained the ability to share your gained Authorities with others. Those you choose may now ignore certain rules of this world.]
Aestrea glanced at Elleonora, who was watching him intently.
Without a word, he reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, channeling the new authority toward her.
Elleonora’s eyes widened as she felt the change. She took a small step forward and suddenly leaped into the air, hovering effortlessly.
A bright, joyful laugh escaped her lips as she did a small, happy spin mid-air.
"I can fly again!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with pure delight. "The suppression is gone! Aestrea, you... you really shared it with me?"
She flew back to him and hugged him tightly, pressing her body against his with overwhelming affection.
"Thank you... Thank you so much," she whispered, kissing his cheek repeatedly.
Aestrea wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close as they hovered together above the shattered platform.
Aestrea wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close as they hovered together above the shattered platform.
"Let’s go to the fourth tower now," he stated.
"I want to finish this as fast as possible. The sooner we collect all the Trumpets, the sooner we can leave this place."
Elleonora nodded against his chest, still clinging to him tightly. Her light blue eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and lingering affection.
"Together," she murmured.
"I’m not leaving your side again."
Aestrea gave her waist a gentle squeeze, then shot forward through the sky of Arcadia, carrying her with him.
Elleonora adjusted herself so she was flying beside him, one arm still linked with his as they raced toward the fourth tower in the distance.
The journey was swift thanks to their combined flight.
The landscape of Arcadia blurred beneath them: floating islands, crystalline forests, rivers of liquid time, and massive structures that defied mortal comprehension.
The pressure of the world still tried to weigh them down, but with the three Trumpets’ power flowing through Aestrea, the restrictions were significantly weaker.
They arrived at the fourth tower in a matter of minutes.
This one was vastly different from the previous towers.
Its surface was a swirling mix of darkness and holy light, as if the tower itself was caught in eternal conflict.
The air around it crackled with opposing energies, a strangely demonic corruption and angelic purity clashing violently.
Aestrea and Elleonora landed on a wide platform near the base. The moment their feet touched the ground, they both sensed it.
A large group was gathered ahead, what seemed to be demons and angels locked in a tense standoff.
Demons with obsidian skin, horns, and wings of shadow growled and snarled, their bodies radiating malevolent energy.
Angels with glowing halos and pristine white wings stood opposite them, weapons drawn, their auras pure and radiant.
Both sides looked battle-ready, as if they had been fighting for control of the tower before Aestrea and Elleonora arrived.
The two groups turned their heads simultaneously as they sensed the newcomers.
