The Black King was the creator of the entire dragon race, the great Liege Father. He was also the biological father of the First Generations—the Four Great Monarchs.
Of course, "father" was merely a manner of speaking. The Black King had produced the Four Great Monarchs through self-reproduction or direct creation; there was no distinction of parents.
In the ancient Age of Gods, the Black King ruled over all dragons with terrifying power and a rigid hierarchy.
In that era, dragons erected exquisite, sky-piercing Bronze Pillars and magnificent, flourishing cities across every continent of Earth, as well as mysterious temples connected to the clouds by the Tower of Babel. Broad, solid Imperial Roads crossed endless oceans and vast lands, linking city to city in a spectacle of an ultra-ancient advanced civilization.
Yet this also allowed the Black King's majesty to radiate outward from his throne in the north, placing every dragon, from nobles to the lowest ranks, beneath the crushing pressure of absolute authority.
And in the end, it provoked a mass rebellion among dragonkind.
After enduring several rebellions, the Black King was killed. On the day of his death, humanity, then still slaves and servants of the dragons, climbed the towering throne made of icebergs and cheered beneath a crimson rain formed by spurting dragon blood, proclaiming the arrival of a "new era."
But First Generation monarchs like Norton knew that the Black King, their father, was a monster birthed by this planet itself. Even if he had been slain, the Black Emperor would return once more and take revenge upon the traitors.
For that, Norton had to prepare.
Before, he had forged the Seven Deadly Sins to kill the other Dragon Kings—his brothers and sisters. After refining their Dragon Bone Crosses, he would devour their authority and power, gradually becoming stronger in preparation for the Black King's return.
But upon careful thought, whether they were monarchs who controlled the Four Great Elements of fire, water, earth, and wind, or the White King who controlled the spiritual element, they were all merely creations of the Black King. Could such a method—simply combining the Black King's creations into one—truly defeat that supreme being?
No. It probably could not.
Norton, whose mind now nearly allowed him to foresee the future, decisively rejected the idea. Bloodlines and draconic words had their limits. Reaching the Black King's level was already unimaginably difficult, let alone killing him.
But alchemy was different.
Alchemy was the "science and technology" of dragon civilization, their means of observing the finite higher-dimensional universe. The isolated secret realm of Nibelungen and the incredible Seven Great Kingdoms were both technological products born from alchemy reaching a certain level.
In the path of alchemy, the Black King was merely the pinnacle, not the ultimate. As long as alchemy continued to be studied and developed, surpassing the Black King was not impossible.
Norton recalled the motto Emiya had mentioned for the Atlas Institute:
There was no need to become the strongest ourselves. We only needed to create the strongest.
Thus, he suddenly understood. A realization like enlightenment burst through the tangled thoughts flickering within his mind, transforming into an unprecedented flash of inspiration—
"Forge the ultimate strength through pure alchemy. That is the path I should choose!"
On the shore, the Dragon Attendant watched its king's expression change again and again in boredom, solemn one moment and ecstatic the next. My King truly is the one among the Four Great Monarchs most similar to the Black Emperor. Not only has his alchemy reached the pinnacle, even his moods are equally impossible to fathom.
But what exactly had My King done to it? The Dragon Attendant began turning its brain, which had gone unused for thousands of years and was nearly rusted over. It constantly felt as though its thoughts had become far too lively, with chaotic ideas flashing through its mind one after another.
Suddenly, it saw Norton toss over a paper world map made by humans.
"Roar?" The Dragon Attendant shifted its enormous head slightly and gently pinned down the paper. A bright red X had been marked over a location in North Africa called the Atlas Mountains, bordering the Sahara.
Norton instructed the Dragon Attendant, "Leave the Bronze City and go to this place."
The Dragon Attendant's eyes widened in confusion. What did that mean? Aside from barren rocky mountains stretching together and the Gobi Desert, there was nothing there. Did My King no longer need his subordinate? Was he trying to exile it?
But that was not the case.
"...In that uninhabited region, dig out an underground hollow. Once it is finished, I'll arrange for Samson to bring Constantine over as well. We'll rebuild our home there... The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River here are no longer the Kuimen Pass of a thousand years ago. They have long been covered in traces of humanity and are no longer the peaceful place we desire."
Norton spread his arms, his gaze sharp as lightning. His tone carried intense confidence and faint anticipation. "I will build an underground city there and call it... the Atlas Institute."
Old Tang had indeed kept his word. He said he would be away for a few days on business, yet he returned to the Zhou Family after only two days. Laughing and joking as he handed out little gifts to acquaintances, he carried a large black hard-shell case in his other hand and headed straight for Emiya's room.
Seeing his radiant expression and smug, energized manner, anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he had gotten married and become a groom...
"Say, Brother Emiya, you really can't say I'm not loyal this time!"
Old Tang vigorously patted Emiya, who was busy tinkering with Projection Magic as usual, making the latter thump and rattle. "Take a look! See what I brought you!"
The black case snapped open. Dark golden light flowed out through the gap, revealing an exquisite alchemical sword-and-blade set that seemed almost alive. The edges were razor-sharp and their forms varied: a Zhanmadao, Tang Dao, Han Bafang Straight Sword, katana, Yatagan, Scottish Claymore, and Wakizashi—seven kinds in all.
Emiya's gaze was immediately drawn to them. By now, he had nearly examined every blade in the Zhou Family's inventory, and he had an instinctive response to powerful weapons. His lips moved unconsciously as he silently murmured, "Trace on..."
In the instant of analysis, an immense flood of information poured into Emiya's mind. Pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust... the Seven Deadly Sins! The concepts formed from the seven original sins of Christianity had been perfectly incorporated into the Noble Phantasm.
It was the first time Emiya had seen a Noble Phantasm with "special effectiveness against original sin." When all seven were used together, they could even unleash a new effect—"Crime and Punishment"—
Was this some kind of seven-sword fusion?
"But, Old Tang, this gift is way too valuable..."
"Ah, what's with all the politeness between us? If Brother Emiya hadn't given Old Tang here a helping hand, I'd still be starving in the slums right now."
"You say that, but you spent two days and came back carrying such a heavyweight Noble Phantasm. Don't tell me you... got absurdly lucky again?"
"Oh... there really is something to it," Old Tang said, unexpectedly dropping his smile and turning serious. "Brother Emiya, I'll be blunt—I need to tell you something. Whatever you do, don't be scared after you hear it."
"It's fine, Old Tang. I've seen a lot. No matter what you say, I won't be afraid."
"Then I'll say it." Feeling that the atmosphere was a little tense, Old Tang followed suit by doing two sets of chest stretches, clearing his throat, taking a deep breath, and standing still. "Actually... I think I might know what I am..."
Realizing that what was coming next was not so simple, Emiya's eyes widened slightly. His brows rose, and he held his breath.
Old Tang spoke in a deep voice. His usually grinning face, with its ever-drooping brows, now wore a grave and solemn expression:
"My true identity is an alchemist from the Atlas Institute."
Thanks to @Ada1994 @PhantomYou, Yu @JokingWithTheWorld @YeXingxingx @Reader20230524235038096 @DragonOfEternalSleep @Zt-YiLingmin for the monthly tickets!
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