Chapter 889: The Dragon Emperor
Silence.
The deafening decorum that pervaded the whole room was not the result of Magic or Skills, but a collective effort of everyone in attendance.
Palpable was the reverence in their eyes, and their stiff bodies remained still out of respect- and also fear. As long as the Great Old Dragon Lord was present, any disrespect or blunder on the part of any Dragon would easily be noticed by him.
And it would ultimately lead to death.
As such, everyone held their breaths as they awaited the descent of their invincible ruler.
~SHUUU~
A small hissing sound echoed from the overhead vessel as the shaft opened and a lone figure rose from it, generating an aura that could be considered unmatched.
He had ebony dark skin, with crimson hair that danced magnificently behind him. He was garbed in his Emperor Robe, an attire that featured a black and gold regalia-with a floating crown made of diamonds.
Polished obsidian shoes covered his legs and he also wore gloves of the same material, having jewels—all of which were enchanted-adorning every facet of his body. His six wings flapped as he descended in his humanoid form, appearing more like a perverse angel than a Dragon- save for his multiple horns that decorated his head.
He had nine of them-twisted and curved-and they all gleamed with malevolence.
His eyes warbled with multiple colors, and while his skin remained dark, he seemed to be glowing brightly—an unreal existence that even the strongest Dragons cowered before. With a charming face, unmatched by any Dragon present, he appeared to be in the prime of his life.
Even though he was the oldest, most powerful one around.
"Haaa..." Silently exhaling, smoking steam escaped his lips and nostrils.
He carried his eyes around, looking at his still subordinates; including the Dragon Lords, whose submissive bows signified their piety.
All nine of them—of course, including the Great Old Dragon Lord, who had taken his place at the forefront of his colleagues were in perfect subservience to his might. Out of the nine Lords, there were certainly new faces.
After all, three previous members of the council had been eliminated by the Great Old Dragon. "... What a wonderful day."
Those were the first words of the Dragon Emperor as he finally descended.
Despite landing, his feet did not touch the ground. Instead, it remained inches away from the surface and stayed afloat. When he moved, neither of his feet moved. It simply appeared like he was being pulled towards his target destination.
This was how he moved until he was right in front of the kneeling Lords.
"Rise."
Instantly, they rose to their feet.
"You may lift your gaze." His glistening lips commanded.
They obeyed.
At that point, they were able to feast their eyes on their one true Emperor-the god of the Dragons.
He looked magnificent in their eyes.
"It has been quite a while, hasn't it? Over a year to be exact..." He muttered, moving around as The observed the demeanor of the Dragon Lords.
Normally, the Exhibition was supposed to have taken place much earlier, but due to the conflict that arose in the nation, it had to be postponed. This conflict mostly arose from their loss in the Southern Continent, as well as their streak of failure in the other lands.
The fact that the Academy had also lost so many students also made it imperative that certain internal matters be resolved before going ahead with the Exhibition.
More students were scouted for the Academy, and the Dragon Empire was now mobilizing its army... determined to make it more powerful than ever in order to deal a heavy blow on humanity.
All of this would happen once the Exhibition was over.
"I assume your Squad Members are ready." He asked, his lips curling up in amusement.
Even though he asked them a question, no one dared to answer. There was a severe rule that prevented anyone from speaking to the Dragon Emperor.
-Anyone except one.
"Indeed they are, Emperor K'arba'diel." The Great Old Dragon Lord smiled as he referred to his only superior with his well-deserved reverence. Still, compared to the posture of everyone else, his display of respect seemed almost casual.
"Since there are only seven squads, myself and the Death Dragon Lord do not have possession of any Squad. However, the rest have certainly been preparing their subordinates for this day... all to bring glory to the Empire and to your Excellency."
"I see... I see."
"We are grateful you could join us for the event. Once again, we ask you to supervise this incredibly pertinent event and lead us into a conclusion that moves the glorious Empire forward."
"Mhm." The Emperor nodded. "Very well."
He began to ascend once he said this, slowly returning to the vessel that was still floating in the sky above.
"I will watch the matches and rank each Squad based on the superior one, and the same metric will be applied to the other Lords. You'll have to be excluded from the battle, though, Great Old Dragon Lord... for obvious reasons."
"Understood, Lord Emperor."
"Now then..."
All of a sudden, the vessel that brought the Emperor and Great Old Dragon Lord to the venue
began to change.
-To transform.
From a flying spacecraft of immensely large proportions, it began to shift and warp into a different kind of structure. Its build became more streamlined, and while it still floated in the
air like a terrifying fortress, it became something... glorious.
A floating throne.
Emperor K'arba'diel rose to the gigantic throne prepared for him and took his seat at its
epicenter.
Once again... he appeared utterly majestic.
"... Let the Exhibition begin!"
********
The cheering noise of the audience, and the commotion caused by the shifting Squad Members in the hallway was enough to tell Adonis that the Dragon Exhibition was already
underway.
He slowly rose from the corner that he sat in within the lounge, his VIP card still in his grasp. 'Looks like it's in full swing now...' A small smile formed on his face.
Rey and Lucielle were nowhere to be seen, so he couldn't talk to them for the last time before embarking on his most important mission.
Adonis didn't feel bad, though.
'I'll see them soon enough.' He thought to himself as he left the entire building and felt his
smile growing bigger and bigger.
With everyone distracted by the competition, he now had the perfect window of opportunity.
-The chance to regress once again.
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
What do you think about the Dragon Emperor's introduction? Underwhelming? Average?
Overwhelming?
And now... it seems the Hero has made his move.
Hehehe!