Rising god
Chapter 77: Bad News

Chapter 77: Bad News

With the dragon heart secured, Baines stowed the massive corpse of the black dragon in his pocket space.

He and Wick returned to the throne room, the air thick with the stench of death and the metallic tang of blood.

Yill Treyl’s body lay crumpled in a corner, his face frozen in a mask of agony, a testament to the torture Ralph had inflicted before ending his life.

The room was now a chaotic tableau of looted treasures: glittering jewels, arcane artifacts piled high, and more gold he had seen since Dawnless, yet Baines knew this was only a fraction of the wealth the Treyl family had amassed.

He couldn’t neglect the fact that they were likely bolstered by the lair of the lightning dragon.

-Wick, bring the remaining valuables with you.

Baines commanded telepathically, his throat still raw from the Dragon’s Tongue. He cast a final glance at Ralph, who stood over Yill’s corpse, his expression a mix of grim satisfaction and lingering sorrow.

With a nod, Baines signaled the end of their vendetta.

-Revenge is now over. Let’s return. Wick, when you’re done, take down the barriers and formations.

"Yes, sir," Wick replied, his voice a hollow echo as he set to work.

The Dawnless members who had witnessed the day’s events were forever changed. The memory of Baines’ mercilessness seared into their minds as a warning against any thoughts of betrayal.

As they departed the Treyl estate, the silence was deafening.

No guards, no single survivors, and even the slightest blood was drawn inexorably into Baines’ Blood Palace as they moved.

The illusion formation Wick had erected still cloaked the estate in a facade of normalcy, allowing the Dawnless to slip away unseen, their return journey to the hideout marked by an eerie stillness.

Six hours after embarking on their revenge, they arrived back at the Dawnless stronghold. The third executive and the remaining members awaited them, their faces alight with curiosity, but the returning group offered no words.

Their hollow gazes and blood-streaked armor spoke volumes, leaving the others too stunned to press for details. Hours later, Wick returned, his skeletal form with the remaining valuables.

...

Meanwhile, in the grand arena of Darkan, the tournament that Baines had so deftly evaded continued to unfold, its atmosphere a blend of tension and unexpected brilliance.

Despite Baines’ absence, the event took a turn for the captivating, with emerging talents seizing the spotlight. Tasha, Ronick had hoped to use the tournament as a crucible for her breakthrough to the next star level, her icy determination a hallmark of her reputation.

Yet her gamble failed, she faltered in a critical match, her defeat a bitter pill that deepened the shame already clinging to the Darkan name. Two events now marred their prestige: Baines’ evasion and Tasha’s loss, twin blows to the family’s pride.

As some fell, others rose, and the tournament unveiled two prodigies, a future sword saint and a potential archmage, their performances dazzling the crowd.

In the finals, the potential sword saint, a young man of twenty, achieved a breakthrough to the 6th star mid-battle, securing victory with a single, breathtaking strike that cleaved the arena floor in two.

As a year older than Baines, he was hailed as a generational talent, his name echoing through the empire.

Inevitably, comparisons to Baines arose, but no consensus emerged; both were titans in their own right, and their paths were yet to cross.

With the tournament concluded, Darkan should have been steeped in a mournful atmosphere, reflecting on its tarnished honor.

Instead, the morning brought two unfolding crises that shook the family to its core. The council of Darkan, the family’s most senior members, convened in a chamber adorned with dragon-scale mosaics, their expressions grim as they reviewed a shocking report.

A vassal family, the Treyl family, had suddenly vanished overnight. Though not renowned for strength, the Treyl contributed 55% of Darkan’s income.

Maybe the worst part was, there were no witnesses, no survivors, just death. Soldiers, executives, visitors, servants, the young, and the elderly all lay dead, their bodies strewn across the estate. The marks left behind did little to give them a clue about the happenings of the family.

Then there were the underground laboratories, which alone told them a lot. This family was experimenting on something. The thing that chilled them the most was the fact that there was no blood despite the carnage, and all their wealth had also vanished.

They still recalled the blood deplorable, and the audacity of the whole act on Darkan land infuriated them, yet they had no clue as to who was involved.

News of the massacre spread like wildfire, and the rising Darkan family became the target of scathing insults.

-That’s how they let the family’s hero get kidnapped, one rumor sneered.

-The only good thing about them is Jin, another jabbed.

-They should just give him to another family, a third suggested.

The Darkans, unaccustomed to such derision, were forced to swallow their pride, their silence a bitter necessity.

Simultaneously, another crisis erupted at the Dragon’s Pit, the sacred enclave where Darkan’s dragons resided.

After their exhausting and almost non-stop patrols, the dragons returned to find their most prized possessions gone.

How did a mountain suddenly go missing from nowhere?

The pit descended into chaos as the dragons thrashed around in fury, interrogating their kin, but none knew anything.

They couldn’t even access or reach the lair in the first place themselves, leaving them baffled.

Smalltooth, however, stood in a daze, a suspicion gnawing at her.

-Do you know who did it?

The largest dragon demanded, his voice a rumbling growl.

-I think so.

Smalltooth replied, her sigh heavy with unease.

-Who?

The second dragon roared, his anger palpable.

-Don’t tell me it’s that human?

Another dragon, the mastermind behind many of Darkan’s schemes, spoke in disbelief.

Smalltooth nodded, her scales shimmering with agitation.

-But he hasn’t been in the family throughout the tournament. I was sure of it.

She said, confusion clouding her thoughts.

-The way things are looking, he’s the only one we suspect. We need to act now. Smalltooth, we must meet His Majesty now.

The largest dragon declared with grave seriousness.

She nodded; there was no other choice.

Like that, Smalltooth set out to report to the Darkan family head.

She requested an audience and waited an hour, her patience unwavering with the mindset that His Majesty could take as long as he wished.

Trembling before the imposing figure of the family head, and as she prepared to speak,

"Family head!" A royal guard burst into the office, his face ashen as he waved a letter, its seal broken and ominous.

"What is it?" the Darkan head growled, his patience fraying. The guard’s expression promised nothing but ill tidings.

"War," the guard whispered, the word a death knell.

"WHAT?" The family head leapt to his feet, snatching the letter with a trembling hand.

As he read, the guard explained, "The Vodal Kingdom has withdrawn from the peace treaty alliance, declaring war on behalf of their Ducal Silver family. They claim we killed their princes and princesses, presenting evidence before the imperial family."

"When?" the head demanded, his voice a roar.

"Today. We also received word that our 3,000-strong border army has been wiped out."

The family head staggered, the weight of the revelations sinking in. The tournament had already left them exhausted, the dragons depleted, and now war loomed, and it was a fight-or-die scenario.

A war like this was an all out. With the Vodal kingdom throwing in their ducal family, the empire would throw in Darkan, the winner would take the loser.

"Call an emergency meeting, all executives, everyone. Holiday or not, they have until tomorrow to respond, or they’ll face consequences. Bar the borders, increase our forces, and deploy the Red Fang Knights," he barked, collapsing into his chair as the guard rushed to obey.

’What is happening?’ Smalltooth wanted to scream, her mind spiraling. She was no longer in the family head’s vision, her concerns were now dwarfed by this new crisis.

A wrong word now could even mean her death.

’Did you plan this too?’ she thought bitterly, gritting her teeth as she left the office, her suspicions about Baines deepening