Dragon Usurpation

"What a terrible enemy."

After confirming that the Shadow Dragon had left, the Red Dragon slowly descended to the ground, licking its wounds.

The Dragon's Breath

Golden life energy particles descended from the sky, rapidly healing the injuries and causing the slightly weakened dragon body to visibly recover.

"One day, I will kill him."

"Mortifer".

Keosius uttered the name that represented the night.

The Red Dragon stared at the spot where the Shadow Dragon had left, its face slightly ferocious, its golden pupils seemingly burning with raging flames. It had been invaded into its territory, and it was determined to retaliate. In the near future, it would crush the giant dragon hiding in the shadows.

But now is not the time; my strength is far from sufficient.

The surroundings were already a mess, and the traces of the Shadow Curse were still everywhere. The broken branches and the splattered dirt still emitted a thin black mist.

But the moon finally appeared in the sky, casting a gentle and tranquil moonlight that Purification the surrounding shadowy energy.

Keosius could sense that, due to Duke Brad's sacrifice of everything, the space here had become incredibly thin, and even vaguely showed a tendency to become the boundary between the Prime Material Plane and the Plane of Shadow.

Mortifer was not lying; the transformation was still ongoing unless the source of the curse— the Shadow Dragon —was eliminated.

"But..."

"It's finally over for now, all of this."

That Shadow Dragon was indeed powerful, possessing absolute strength to suppress others. The black mist that blotted out the sky also made him realize his own insignificance.

Fortunately, he was well aware of the principle of "borrowing the tiger's power" and used Tiamat's tiger skin to scare away the Shadow Dragon.

However, all power beyond control comes at a price, and Tiamat's Terrifying Illusion are no exception.

"Perhaps it's not completely over yet."

Keosius looked up at the sky and immediately held his breath.

The illusion that should have only appeared in Mortifer's eyes was now right in front of him.

This is the power of the gods; they can sense even a mere illusion, a name, or a concept, and use it as a medium to descend upon the world.

Unlike the powerful oppressive feeling of the Shadow Dragon controlling the night, the Dragon Mother brought him a despair that transcended any level.

Five heads looked down at him from above.

"We meet again, my child."

The look in his eyes was less one of kindness and more one of greed.

That gaze made Keosius feel as if his soul had been seen through. He dared not meet its eyes again, but lowered his head and said in a barely calm voice, "Greetings to the great Mother of Evil Dragons, Five-Colored Dragon Queen, Your Her Majesty Tiamat."

"I sincerely apologize to you. Just now, in order to drive away that Shadow Dragon, I presumptuously borrowed your prestigious name and used your majestic image. This was truly an overstepping of my bounds."

Tiamat chuckled, and the White Dragon head spoke, "Heh, that's irrelevant."

The Green Dragon said, "You have done a good job. You have established a kingdom of dragons in Anzeta. You have not buried the glory of the dragons."

The Black Dragon- headed dragon said, "But even greater trials await you in the future, my child."

Finally, the Red Dragon head said, "Ten years. I want you to unify Anzeta within ten years, move south to Fadlan, and become my assistant in ruling the world. This—will be part of the Great Blueprint for the entire dragon race."

"When I ascend the throne, the tyranny of the gods will end, the Dragon's Rule will return to the earth, and Dragon Wing will once again cover the Prime Material Plane. And you, my child, one of my assistants, will become a duke serving me, and you will also gain great power and boundless wealth."

Tiamat's eyes were filled with endless greed, and perhaps because she had been in Avernus for too long, her words seemed to lead Keosius into Hell.

Upon hearing the words "Great Blueprint," Keosius's heart skipped a beat. Something felt off. He wondered if he had heard the line somewhere before.

But he still lowered his head, feigning extreme excitement, and respectfully said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"As you wish."

The illusion of Tiamat in the air suddenly disappeared, Keosius finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly built Mind Barrier to seal off the terrifying illusion of Tiamat in his mind.

Information refreshed on his panel.

[You gain the status "Tiamat's Greedy Gaze", your Ferocity will receive an additional bonus, and your proficiency: Intimidate +6] "I'm really going to be a voter soon."

"Tsk, wanting to be a rebellious son but unable to..."

After all, Keosius was just a pitiful Juvenile Red Dragon with Challenge Rating of 17. What could he do?

Under the immense pressure from Dragon Mother, he had no choice but to act as a dutiful son. After all, having infringed upon someone's authority, he had to show them some respect.

Several more warning messages appeared on the panel.

Tiamat's words seemed to be full of praise and commendation, but Keosius knew very well that this Mother of Evil Dragons was definitely not a kind person, and that there must be some benefit she coveted in him.

If you blindly trust Tiamat, you'll likely be completely devoured, leaving not a trace.

And the rhetoric she used was all too familiar to Keosius —pie in the sky. The very tactics he often employed against his subordinates were now being used on himself, which struck Keosius as odd.

"Clash of Kings, Dragon Usurpation."

"We must improve our strength quickly, otherwise we will not be able to cope with such a world-class event."

"Keosius thought to himself."

This is one of the side quests in version 2.0, "Clash of Kings." The Holy Fadlan Empire, also known as the Sun Empire, is the most expansive and militarily powerful nation in the central continent.

Its emperor received the blessing of the Sun God Amantana and, with the help of the divine artifact "Eternal Radiance Wheel," created a Sun Legion comparable to the offspring of the gods. This army was invincible and conquered vast territories for the empire, declaring, "Wherever the sun shines, that is our territory."

But after the unexpected death of the old emperor, Aragon I, known as the "Sun King," his vast empire crumbled. His three sons divided the remnants of the empire, forming the three legitimate kingdoms of Kassand, Thrace, and Seleucia. The divine nobles of the Sun Legion also established numerous states, large and small.

In an instant, the empire crumbled, and numerous kingdoms were scattered across the land, an event known in history as the "Great Collapse of the Holy Fadlan," which also marked the beginning of the Clash of Kings.

Tiamat, through a cult, controlled the Seleucia Kingdom in the southwestern part of the Fadlan region, attempting to summon her true form, restore Dragon's Rule to the land, and let Tiamat's fame resound once more. This is—[Dragon Usurpation].

These chapters were indeed poorly paced and a bit toxic; it was my fault. I will try my best to speed up the pace, and there will definitely be a revenge plot. I promise that similar plots will not appear later.