Return of the Mythic Bloodline

A suffocating silence followed the roar of Flora Dragon. The air grew heavy, black clouds surrounded the sky, and golden lightning flickered through them.

"H-he is really here," Maximilian murmured, sweat trickling down his temple.

From the dark clouds covering the sky, a pair of sharp golden eyes, as large as the tower’s diameter, appeared, staring down at Maximilian.

From the gaze alone, a bone-crushing pressure descended upon Maximilian and Evangeline, slamming the two to the floor.

Cracks spread across the stone floor before it broke apart. Their bodies hit the ground floor below, blood vomiting from their mouths.

"V-Vivi," Maximilian muttered, raising his hand to his side, where Evangeline lay pinned, her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

The six divine dragons surrounding the tower instantly shrank into their humanoid forms, each dropping to one knee, heads bowed low.

"His Highness has beaten our children to the brink of death," said the flora dragon, now transformed into a middle-aged woman with emerald eyes and long green hair. "He has even invoked the death lightning that drained the life force of our children. This tyranny must not be overlooked. We demand justice, Almighty Sovereign."

"We demand justice, Almighty Sovereign!"

"We demand justice, Almighty Sovereign!"

The other clan heads echoed in unison, none daring to raise their eyes to the cloudy sky.

"Evangeline Éclair Valcyrion," a deep, husky voice echoed through the dragon city as, within the clouds, the terrifying face of a golden dragon appeared, its scales shimmering, its two great horns, one of them broken, framing its head. The face was colossal, covering the entire sky above the Flamme Clan.

"I commanded you to care for my son and gave you the highest authority in the two realms...I am disappointed."

With each word from the Sovereign’s mouth, the pressure on Evangeline grew exponentially, the ground beneath her cracking as blood poured from her mouth and she groaned in pain.

"N-no, Vivi!" Maximilian called out in a strained voice, his jaw tightening. "Stop it."

"M-my lord has done nothing wrong," Evangeline declared, her fingers digging into the stone debris. "He has only carried out judgment on the criminals who kidnapped, assaulted, and harassed women from every major clan."

The proof lay before everyone’s eyes. The sealed room still held the women, some bound in sickening positions and continuously assaulted by the magical arrays cast within it, others huddled in the corners, terrified, or with all will to live gone from their eyes.

Surely, after witnessing the atrocities committed against these helpless women, the Almighty Sovereign would take Maximilian’s side. That, at least, was what Evangeline believed.

"He harmed the dragon heirs for the sake of some lowly slaves?" the Sovereign demanded, his words leaving both Maximilian and Evangeline stunned.

"These sluts are the reason for his rampage?" The Sovereign’s eyes shifted toward the rooms lining the walls of the broken tower.

Maximilian understood what he was about to do.

"No! Don’t—"

Before he could say anything more, bolts of golden lightning descended from the clouds, striking the women in each room. A blinding flash followed.

When their vision returned, not even the ashes of the women remained; they had been obliterated into nothingness.

Maximilian’s eyes burned with fury, his nails digging into his palms until blood welled up.

"I did not make you his guardian so you could raise him to care more for other creatures than for his own kind," the Sovereign continued, his gaze shifting back to Evangeline. "You are an incompetent woman. I hereby strip you of all your rights."

Perhaps it was the pressure crushing her bones, or the shock of the Sovereign’s words, but no words left Evangeline’s lips.

"I give you two choices. Either accept the Divine Judgment, or become the personal slave of the heirs of the six clans harmed by your failure to guide him properly."

Evangeline’s eyes widened as the weight of the choice settled upon her. Before she could react, Maximilian roared, every syllable dripping with fury.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, FATHER?"

"Impudence!"

A bolt of lightning struck Maximilian with a thunderous crack. His eyes rolled back, blood gushed from his mouth, and his skin scorched from the burn.

"My lord!" Evangeline gasped, trying to drag herself toward Maximilian.

"Make your choice, Evangeline Éclair Valcyrion," the Sovereign ordered, his voice final.

Her bleeding lips trembled as she weighed the choices before her. One option was to endure the Divine Judgment, the same skill the Sovereign had used thousands of years ago to slay the Primordial Demon, effectively a death sentence. If she chose the other option, her fate would be worse than death.

It was clear to everyone present why the Sovereign had framed the choice this way. He meant for Evangeline to bear the blame for his son’s actions. He had likely foreseen that Maximilian might do something like this and had appointed Evangeline as his guardian precisely so that, when the time came, he could shift all the blame onto her.

Still, even though the divine dragons understood the Sovereign’s scheme, none dared put it into words.

They had believed the Sovereign was on his deathbed, too weak even to move from the castle. Yet here he was, flying through the sky, his majestic form covering the heavens. His appearance that day was not merely to punish his son. It was a warning to all who thought he was past his peak, proof that he still was the only Almighty in the two realms of Vyoman.

’My lord will be left alone if I choose the first option. There will be no stopping the wrath of the Dragon of Death,’ Evangeline thought. ’No, I cannot be selfish. I cannot take the easy way out. I must survive for my lord.’

"Do not make me wait," the Sovereign ordered, a hint of anger in his voice.

Evangeline slowly pushed herself upward, rising to her knees, her bones groaning from the pressure.

Her head lowered, her voice barely a whisper as she declared,

"I... I choose the second option."

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