"Spare this old man from the exercise. His old body can not compete with a youth's."
Quetzalcoatl lifted his trembling hands and smiled wryly. He was hoping that Layland was merely taunting, but Layland was being serious. Layland still had enough energy to clash, but he didn't. Moreover, it was getting dangerous for Ne Okozmo. His control over his Hidden World was slipping because of his exhaustion. After all, he didn't only have to fight Layland for the last month but also suppress Layland's pressure to prevent it from tearing the Sub-Dimension that was the foundation of Ne Okozmo.
"That's quite unfortunate, but I understand your situation," Layland replied with a small smile on his face. Surprising Quetzalcoatl, he bowed and sincerely said, "I have to thank you for making me realize my mistake."
Quetzalcoatl grabbed Layland's shoulders and forced him to straighten up. "That's enough, Layland. I thought we were closer than that." He smirked when Layland softly scoffed. "Well. I am confident in you, but I still have to ask you what you realized."
"I have been afraid of my power for all this time. I kept rejecting it; believing that I would destroy the world if I unleashed it. I am ashamed to think so arrogantly," Layland explained calmly, clenching his hand as he did. "The last month has been the most enlightening for me. I got to do what my inner desire told me to do. It was satisfying but, at the same time, not enjoyable."
Quetzalcoatl quirked an eyebrow. Although he understood what Layland meant, he couldn't relate to him as what Layland felt was exclusive to Demons.
"It felt like having the ability to devour anything but not being able to get hungry. The satisfaction was there, but something was missing."
"I would argue if that was the case, you would be able to appreciate the taste of what you ate, but I guess Demons think differently."
"Indeed. Demons are more simplistic and pragmatic in a way. We eat because we are hungry and not because we want to appreciate the taste."
Quetzalcoatl snorted when Layland called Demons pragmatic but didn't say anything. Given how they solved everything with their fists, they were pragmatic in a way. Not in a good way, of course. He looked at Layland in anticipation and then heaved a sigh when Layland retracted his Mana. He was glad that Layland listened to his logic more than he did his instinct.
"The Sub-Dimension is flickering. Should I help you fix it?" Layland asked Quetzalcoatl upon noticing his creased eyebrows.
"Ne Okozmo is tied to me. As long as I rest enough, it will stabilize itself," Quetzalcoatl answered with a shake of his head.
"You can't die, can you?"
Quetzalcoatl merely quirked an eyebrow at Layland's question. It was already an answer, so Layland nodded his head. Quetzalcoatl had a lot on his plate. He was not a mere leader of the Dragons who had survived the Great Reset but also their world. His death was equivalent to the end of their world. Although there was still a chance that some would survive, he still couldn't afford to die.
Layland learned a lot from his stay in Ne Okozmo. Not only did he learn the difference between holding back and fearing his power but also how it looked to be a King—to carry many lives on his shoulders. His desire to be a Demon King was motivated by his desire to trample on everyone. He wanted to be someone that no one would look down on. It was quite a shallow goal as he rethought it.
"Layland! You are finally yourself!"
Layland turned around and caught the jumping Aurelia in his embrace. He nodded at Albion who was approaching them with Ddraig a few meters behind. Glancing around, he idly noted the Dragons looking at him with shining eyes. He had felt their presence even before he regained consciousness. He had ignored them because he was too busy with finding a way to subdue his power. Now, he thought it would have been better if he had accidentally shooed them away.
"Was I not myself?" Layland asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Well, that won't be correct, but you were so out of it that you didn't look yourself," Aurelia explained with a light frown, still wrapping her arms around Layland's neck. "You are awake now and I am glad. I thought you would never wake up."
"It's fortunate it didn't happen, isn't it?"
"It is."
Aurelia grinned, causing a ghost of a smile to creep up Layland's face. Layland put Aurelia down and she immediately rushed to Quetzalcoatl's side. She didn't behave as sweet but still caringly asked Quetzalcoatl if he was injured anywhere. Quetzalcoatl smiled and said that the injuries he had received would be healed in no time by his quick regeneration, so he could be considered fine. Aurelia nodded her head and then told him to get a rest.
"I want to gauge how strong you are right now, but something tells me not to," Albion remarked in curiosity as she scrutinized every part of Layland's body. "Did you know that your fight shook the entire Ne Okozmo? The younglings thought that the Ragnar?k came again."
"Ragnar?k?"
"Oh, it's just the way we old beings call the Great Reset."
"I know about that. I was asking if our fight had caused that great disturbance," Layland corrected.
Albion hummed before smiling. She had thought Layland had changed, but she was proven wrong. Layland knew how far he could go but still didn't know how fearsome he was before everyone's eyes. He always had his eyes up, so he never thought anything he did was impressive. He never thought himself to be weak but was power-hungry. It made her wonder if it would push his growth or push him into the bottomless abyss of insanity.
"You look like you can go for another round. Do you want to visit my place?" she asked.
"I will visit tomorrow," he answered casually, pleasantly surprising her. "My body is yearning for a fight, but my mind is telling me to rest. It has been a long month."
"Have a good rest, then."
Layland gave an acknowledging nod at Albion and Ddraig before teleporting away with Aurelia and Quetzalcoatl. Albion immediately followed suit, not bothering to glance in Ddraig's direction. The red Dragon was somewhat bitter but didn't plan to nag like Albion like what he had been doing for centuries. He teleported to his lair, prompting the rest of the audience to leave as well. In a few seconds, the grand battle stage was vacated.
…
Three days had passed since Layland's month-long fight with Quetzalcoatl. While Layland could already roam around Ne Okozmo, Quetzalcoatl was still hibernating. Fighting Layland while trying to maintain the stability of his Hidden World was proven to be a chore. Layland respected him greatly for that. If they hadn't fought in Ne Okozmo, it would have been a walk in the park for Quetzalcoatl.
'I also got some Power-Ups which means Quetzalcoatl lost control of his power a couple of times. If we had fought outside, he might have accidentally killed me.'
Fighting Layland in Ne Okozmo might have been Quetzalcoatl's way to limit himself. Dragons were not the most patient creatures unless they had something bigger to aim for; in Quetzalcoatl's case, the Dragons of Ne Okomo. This realization made Layland shake his head faintly. It was astonishing how much Quetzalcoatl was willing to wager.
'Fortunately, I was not completely out of it,' he thought with a frown. 'If I couldn't control some of my more dangerous powers, Quetzalcoatl would have lost what he had bet."
"Something bothering your mind?"
Aurelia's question made Layland look down and meet her eyes. He was brought out of his mind and reminded that they were on a date.
"I was just thinking if it was okay to laze around while everyone was busy doing what I started," he explained calmly.
"To be fair, you have done enough. Antares and Cresundia were not the biggest human Kingdoms but had remained in the human hands for centuries. It is only because of your tact that they belong to the Verniculos Kingdom now. Relax. You don't need to do everything by yourself."
Layland said nothing as he looked at Aurelia, but it still managed to tick her. She could see the amusement dancing in his eyes. She was aware that she was not the most brilliant woman before her seal was lifted but was quite annoyed that Layland still treated her the same. She was not as wise as Valeria but also capable of giving him sound advice.
"Well, thank you for the assurance."
Of course, since it was Layland, she immediately forgot her annoyance. She gladly leaned into the hand that was patting her hand like a cat. The onlookers were bewildered, but none of them dared to stare for more than a second. Their Young Lady was kind-hearted but also capable of killing Gods. They didn't want to risk incurring her wrath.
After a few minutes of walking, the Dragon couple found themselves standing before a playground. Layland looked at the little Dragons playing in the playground in wonder meanwhile Aurelia was thinking if Layland was signalling her that he wanted a descendant. He noticed her reddening cheeks but decided not to comment. His experience had taught him that addressing the oddity would only make things weirder.
"Ah, it's the Great Dragon Warrior who challenged the Venerable Quetzalcoatl!"
"Woah! You are right!"
At the first little Dragon's exclamation, the other little Dragons turned their heads at Layland. He didn't show any reaction outwardly but was cringing inwardly. Dragons were gossipmongers. He had heard some of the rumours that were spreading in Ne Okozmo and decided that he didn't want to have anything to do with it. There was so much nonsense that it was bothersome to clear it up.
As the little Dragons swarmed him and asked if he was going to recruit them for his entourage, he turned to Aurelia for help. When he found that the blush on Aurelia's cheeks only deepened, he resigned to his fate and faced the enthusiastic crowd of little Dragons by himself.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆webnovel