Rising god
Chapter 81: Your Place

Chapter 81: Your Place

The effect of Lady Darka’s words was cataclysmic, reverberating through the Darkan lands with a force that transcended the physical.

CRASH... CRASH... CRASH... CRASH...

The sound of ethereal chains shattering echoed like glass falling from the heavens, a cacophony felt in the bones of every Darkan member.

A surge of unfamiliar yet deeply familiar strength flooded their bodies, their long-dormant draconic heritage awakening with a ferocity that shook their very souls.

Ancient, forgotten techniques, instincts of fire manipulation, aerial combat, and raw power swirled in their minds, as if etched into their bloodlines by Lady Darka herself.

Across the estate, the sky erupted into chaos. Swirls and tornadoes of fire of varying sizes tore through the heavens, their fiery vortexes a testament to the unleashed power.

Darkan members morphed mid-stride, their human forms giving way to draconic shapes, scales shimmering in hues of crimson, obsidian, and amber, wings unfurling with thunderous flaps.

In the Dragon’s Pit, the resident dragons looked skyward, their eyes blank with awe, and let out primal roars that shook the earth.

Rumblee...

The ground quaked, the foundations of weaker buildings crumbling under the strain, some collapsing entirely.

Flames, born of the reawakened heritage, surged uncontrollably, incinerating several structures, but no one mourned the loss; they were too consumed by the euphoric bliss coursing through their veins. Those without the dragon’s blood immediately took the situation as an immediate crisis.

Beneath the earth, in the now-ruined vault, the five pillars of Darkan transformed even more profoundly.

Wick had to materialize in a flicker of shadow, his skeletal form erecting a barrier of dark energy to shield Baines from the waves of fierce flames that radiated from the metamorphosis.

The five leaders morphed into towering dragons, each spanning 100 meters, their scales glinting with a fiery sheen reminiscent of the lightning dragon Baines had previously encountered.

Though smaller than the ancient red dragon’s corpse beside them by a wide margin, their presence was a monumental step forward, the rebirth of the House of Dragons.

The pressure emanating from the five was staggering, like a tangible force that pressed against Baines like a physical weight.

He frowned as his body creaked over despite Wick’s intervention. ’Should I just place them under chains?’ The thought flashed through his mind. Honestly, he hadn’t expected the change to be so profound like this, and he had to be careful.

Their newfound power, while a boon, could easily turn against him if unchecked.

Yet, he dismissed the idea.

This transformation was his reward to them for aiding Ralph’s escape. To bind them now would erode the last vestiges of humanity he clung to, a principle he refused to abandon despite his ruthless nature.

As the flames settled, the vault lay in ruins, its stone walls reduced to smoldering rubble. Through the gaping hole in the ceiling, Baines glimpsed the transformed Darkan estate, dozens of dragons soared above, their average size at least thirty meters, their roars a symphony of rebirth.

The five pillars morphed back into their human forms, their appearances subtly altered: their red hair now shimmered with a metallic sheen, their eyes glowed with an inner fire, and their physiques radiated a draconic vitality.

They turned to the ancient dragon’s corpse, instinctively recognizing Lady Darka, and knelt in reverence, their heads bowed in silent gratitude.

Baines watched as the thirty dragon hearts shattered into dust, their essence consumed in the ritual. ’Causality,’ he muttered, understanding the cost.

Lady Darka’s act had defied the natural order of things, and it required a steep price. One could say, thirty ancient dragons’ lives were sacrificed to break the curse.

["Go now. Show the world who you are."]

Lady Darka’s voice echoed, a final command imbued with pride.

Then, softer,

["Thank you, benefactor."]

Her presence faded afterwards, leaving a hollow stillness in its wake.

Once again, the Darkan members and executives gathered in the large meeting room, one of the few structures to survive the fiery upheaval.

Where once the atmosphere had been somber, now it crackled with elation. Smiles stretched wide, some so broad they seemed to form circles, a stark contrast to the grim faces of the previous gathering.

Why not? After all, a ray of hope had illuminated their darkest hour.

At the central table, now sat six figures instead of five. The new addition was a human, Baines, but no one looked upon him with discontent.

He had restored their heritage, earning the title of benefactor from Lady Darka herself. His presence was not just accepted; it was revered.

His success had directly elevated him to one of the highest-ranking executives, granting him authority to command the family’s army despite his outsider status.

Moreover, he was appointed a commanding officer for the impending war against the Silver Family of the Vodal Kingdom, and no one dared question.

The war remained a pressing reality. The Silver Family’s forces were still slaughtering Darkan soldiers stationed at the border, their wyverns and wind magic proving a deadly combination against their forces.

Baines stood before the assembly, his demeanor that of a seasoned general, and began outlining the strategy with the precision of a lecture hall professor.

"The valley leading to the Vodal Kingdom will only be a huge disadvantage to you," he stated, his voice cutting through the murmurs.

"The wind currents, pressure, density, everything amplifies their advantage."

"But that is the only way to reach them," Tasha interjected, raising her hand, her tone laced with skepticism.

Baines ignored her, pressing on. "We are taking a new route, through the forest of Beasts."

Eyes widened in shock at his audacious proposal. The Land of Beasts was a perilous wilderness, teeming with monstrous creatures that had long served as a natural barrier between Darkan and the Outliers. No one would think of this strategy.

"As you are now, you could dominate the forest of Beasts, making it your own," Baines continued, his words igniting a spark of realization. The newly awakened draconic power coursing through them made such a feat plausible, even desirable.

"But we aren’t just passing through. We’re going to lure the beasts residing there to attack, then we sneak in," he added, his strategy unfolding with calculated ruthlessness.

"Why should we sneak in?" a burly Darkan executive stood, his voice booming with impatience. He had just gotten power, and he wanted to test it and unleash it, but here was someone telling him to sneak.

’Should I have chained them?’ Baines thought, his frown deepening, his glare turning cold as ice. "Who do you think you are?" he asked, his voice a low, dangerous growl.

"WHAT?" the man roared, flames gushing from his body, his temper flaring like the dragon he now embodied.

The crowd around him scattered, guards tensing to intervene, but the Darkan head raised a hand, halting them. He wanted to see how this played out.

Unrestrained, the man leaped toward Baines, his fists clenched and wreathed in flames, descending with the force of a meteor. ’You may be our benefactor, but I’m sorry I can’t hold it in again, he thought, his pride overriding reason.

Shng...

The sound of Baines’ sword draw was a whisper, followed by a scream that tore through the room.

"Arghhh..." The man clutched his side, blood pouring from where his arm had been severed in a single, fluid strike.

The assembly gasped, barely anyone had seen Baines move, his speed a blur of lethal precision.

He remained rooted, the pooling blood at his feet flowing toward him, however, he rejected absorbing it.

His expression betrayed no emotion as he continued, "Don’t forget yourselves. Your enemies are in a contract with a god, meaning most of them wield divine power. Regaining your heritage only tilted the balance slightly. The moment you think you’ve reached the peak..." He let the sentence hang, the implication clear.

Just as the man before him had fallen to arrogance, so too would they if they underestimated their foe. There might not be another Baines to save them. That wasn’t all. They had just recovered their heritage, but there was no time to get accustomed to their new powers.

The room’s earlier excitement settled into a sobering clarity, the lesson sinking in. Baines resumed, his voice steady, "As I was saying..."

Like that, he laid out the plan.

***

Far to the west, nestled between two towering mountains, lay the Trench Valley, a deep, large, windswept chasm that divided the Solaris Empire from the Vodal Kingdom.

It was also here that a brutal aerial battle unfolded. Thousands of Darkan dragons clashed with the Silver Family’s wyverns, fire spewing from draconic maws met by torrents of wind from the wyverns.

The wind’s dominance and advantage over fire put the dragons at a severe disadvantage, their scales singed and wings torn by the relentless gusts.

Silver-haired warriors of the Silver Family glided through the air, their movements fluid and purposeful, commanding the wind with trained precision.

Soldiers summoned gusts that sliced through dragon wings, sending them plummeting into the valley alongside their riders, their screams echoing as they fell like rain, never to rise again.

Among them stood a figure in elaborate silver robes, his hair shimmering like moonlight, the next successor of the Silver family, Grey Silver.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he unleashed tornadoes that tore through Darkan’s ranks and drowned them in the abyss of chaotic wind.

His power was a devastating force on the battlefield.

After several minutes of carnage, a soldier approached, his voice cutting through the din. "Young Master Grey Silver."

Grey turned, his piercing gaze meeting the soldier’s.

"We have killed them all," the soldier reported, his tone a mix of exhaustion and triumph.

Grey nodded, his eyes drifting toward the distant Darkan lands. ’It’s time,’ he thought.

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