The Beastmen were annihilated.
Corpses of millions—perhaps even billions—of Beastmen covered the land, and rivers of blood flowed endlessly, with no sign of drying.
It was all the work of one man, a being who had transcended even the gods.
When news spread that he was on his way to the Dragon Kingdom, panic spread among the nobles and high-ranking officials.
Though they knew he was coming only to speak with Draudillon and wouldn’t likely cross paths with them, the mere thought of him was paralyzing.
What if he suddenly sneezed and destroyed everything?
He was like the sword of Damocles, hanging over their heads.
After several tense hours...
In Draudillon's private room, Aurelius sat opposite her and the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister’s gaze met Aurelius’s for a brief instant before he lowered his eyes in nervousness.
Seeing this, Aurelius’s lips curled into a faint smile, then he shifted his gaze back to Draudillon.
Draudillon, feeling his gaze, blushed but held her ground, locking eyes with him silently.
Noting her expression, the Prime Minister read the unspoken exchange and shook his head knowingly, as though he understood at once.
Eventually, Aurelius broke the silence.
“Draudillon, you mentioned that your ancestor—the Brightness Dragon Lord—lives at the summit called the Top of the World, did you not?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Dragon God, I believe our ancestor lives there.”
At her words, Aurelius nodded thoughtfully, glancing momentarily at the sunlight streaming in through the windows before he continued.
“There’s something I have yet to tell you.”
“Oh? May I ask what that is?”
“Nothing much; it's just that I’ve already sent two of my subordinates to the Brightness Dragon Lord’s residence to capture him.”
“Capture?!”
Draudillon exclaimed in surprise, and both she and the Prime Minister exchanged glances in disbelief. The Brightness Dragon Lord was no mere figure in legend; he was the founder of the Dragon Kingdom, a True Dragon Lord.
The idea of capturing such a being was simply unbelievable. However, when Aurelius made this claim, everything changed.
As that thought settled in, Draudillon regained her composure a little.
Still, a question lingered in her mind.
“If you don’t mind,” Draudillon proceeded cautiously, “may I ask why?”
"Naturally. Since you've chosen to hand over this entire kingdom and all you possess to me, wouldn’t it be natural to ask for your ancestor’s approval? Otherwise, what if people started saying that I was unreasonable and cruel?”
Aurelius smirked, causing both Draudillon and the Prime Minister's brows to twitch at his shameless words. Yet neither dared to voice their thoughts.
“You’re right,” Draudillon managed to nod in agreement.
"By the way, you mentioned that you will establish 'Dragon Demon God' as the country's sole religion."
“Indeed,” Draudillon replied. “Take the Slane Theocracy, for example—they revere the Six Great Gods. Until now, the Dragon Kingdom has looked to its ancestor instead of divine beings. But now that the Dragon God himself has descended into this world, the Dragon Kingdom will devote itself to you, ‘Dragon God Aurelius Nova Lucifer.’”
Since everything was already set in stone, Draudillon was also decisive in abandoning her ancestor without hesitation.
After all, her ancestor had never come to their help and always only demanded offerings.
Draudillon held no warm feelings for him. And considering he would soon be in Aurelius’s custody, his fate uncertain, she had no reason for regret.
“It hasn’t been officially announced yet, correct?” Aurelius inquired.
“Not yet,” Draudillon answered. “There’s still much to organize. For now, I can only officially acknowledge you as the Dragon God and Nazarick as the Kingdom of Dragons and Demons. Most of the population still follows the teachings of our ancestors. To change their beliefs, we’ll need to introduce the myth of the Dragon God and establish an appropriate space in your honor, Aurelius Nova Lucifer.”
As she spoke, it was clear there was indeed much to be done. The Dragon Kingdom faced tasks such as the restoration of the three cities lost to the Beastmen and the redistribution of newly acquired territories. It was clear the kingdom would be busier than ever soon.
“Very well. Make it a priority to establish the state religion of the Dragon Demon God and ensure the people worship ‘Dragon Demon God Aurelius Nova Lucifer.’ Yes, it will be a major burden for them initially,” Aurelius said, his voice calm, “but they’ll soon come to accept their new path.”
Draudillon felt a bit troubled at Aurelius's words. The Dragon Kingdom had faithfully served its founder, the Brightness Dragon Lord, until now.
If given time, she could definitely change it gradually, but if done in a short period, she knew there had to be a compelling reason for the people to accept an abrupt change in allegiance.
“Does the Dragon God have a plan in mind?”
“I’m considering two options,” Aurelius replied smoothly.
“I’d like to hear them,” Draudillon said carefully.
“First,” Aurelius began, “you, as Queen of the Dragon Kingdom, could announce this change in devotion alongside your ancestor, the Brightness Dragon Lord. Such a proclamation would carry significant authority.”
“And the second?” she prompted.
“The second option,” he continued, “would involve revealing to the people, through a crystal ball, a display of my ‘divine punishment’ on the Beastmen Country. This would serve as undeniable proof of my power and strengthen their trust in this change.”
Draudillon fell silent, then nodded slowly.
“For the first option, we’ll need the cooperation of the ancestor himself,” she acknowledged, then asked. "Is that why you sent your subordinates to capture him?"
“Exactly. By now, they should already be on their way back.”
“What? Already?”
“Yes. Truthfully, sending one of them would have sufficed, but to quicken things, I dispatched two. It wasn’t worth wasting time on that old lizard,” Aurelius replied with a casual wave of his hand.
Draudillon’s mouth opened, then closed, as she struggled to respond.
If anyone else had spoken such words, she would have exploded right there and declared war. But with Aurelius, neither Draudillon nor the Prime Minister dared to raise their voices, let alone challenge him.
This being was extremely dangerous.
Everything seemed to unfold according to his will, with no trace of hesitation.
Suddenly, as neither Draudillon nor the prime minister knew what to say anymore and Aurelius was leisurely sipping tea, an oppressive silence settled over the room.
Fortunately, before the tension could intensify further, Aurelius suddenly smiled, as if he sensed something. He placed his cup down and glanced towards the window.
“They’ve arrived.”
"Yes? Who's coming?"
Draudillon followed Aurelius's direction and his gaze.
She wanted to find out what Aurelius meant. The only thing shining outside the window is the bright sun.
What the hell is coming?
But at that moment, a portal appeared in the middle of the room, and from it three figures emerged.
The group included a dark elf boy dressed in girl's clothes, a beautiful woman with red eyes, black horns, and white hair, and a black-haired man with swollen eyes. Despite his good clothes, the man was not in a good state, and even his hands and feet were tied up.
Immediately as soon as they appeared, they knelt down, and the Brightness Dragon Lord even went as far as to truly lie down with his head touching the floor.
After all, since being beaten by Mare and Luminous and learning that their master was none other than the God of Calamity, Aurelius Nova Lucifer, the legendary being—the Dragon Demon God, feared by even the Six Great Gods and Eight Greed Kings in the past.
Not to mention the subconscious pressure he was feeling from the man that didn’t allow him to even raise his head made Brightness Dragon Lord understand at once that, just like the rumors of the past, Aurelius was an absolute being. The rumors didn't diverge even an inch.
The existence in front of him was the ultimate god who ruled over dragons and demons.
"Stand up!"
Aurelius smiled in satisfaction. And he got up and walked to the place where the Brightness Dragon Lord was.
"Now I have the heart to talk. It's quite fun to meet like this, Brightness Dragon Lord."