Chapter 1084 A Tint of Regret
Dorian listened to stories of Arthur Silvera"s impressive feats and impact on the world, while Seraphine and the others learned about the heartbreaking tale of his deranged father, Seref Silvera.
"How can such a person even call themselves a father?" asked Seraphine, confused, as familial ties for Blood Demons were the most important. "I don"t understand his reasons, either."
lightsΝοvεl ƈοm "Seref Silvera is not an orthodox man that could be understood. His entire life, he lived in the shadow of his father, who was proclaimed a hero of his city," said Ilia Perli with a sigh. "This is what our investigations uncovered and what Seika himself told me."
"A man who has been enslaved by glory he could not achieve," said Sarohan with a disgusted face. "Thus, he burdened his son with his name and dream. Once things turned out to be different, he wanted to take revenge."
"This is what led the attack on Kera, and Seref knew that his son will rush over to protect the people. As he planned, the world hailed his son as the strongest and a hero, sparking rebellions throughout the world. In a sense, he won although he lost."
"I can never imagine being torn between following what my father dictates and choosing what I want to do," said Lian with a frown. "Although I don"t sympathize with him, I do understand his struggle."
"You don"t sympathize with him?" spat Sarohan while glaring at the tamer. "Imagine if your father was h.e.l.lbent on dragging you into trouble, and now seeks to hurt you."
"We are the ones who need sympathy," said Lian with a shake of his head. "Everyone is cursed with a fate, but some of us are blessed with the powers to change it. Seika is one such man, might be the one blessed more than others."
"Just don"t speak," said Sarohan with a snort, displaying a rare instance of anger. "I would rather hear dogs bark than your idiotic philosophy."
"Suit yourself, monkey," said Lian with a smile. "Furthermore, I doubt Seref actually wants to hurt his son like he said. Instead, he wants Seika to follow the path that Seika has provided. h.e.l.l, he might even want him to start his own religion."
"It all sounds odd in my opinion," muttered Ilia with a shake of his head. "Seref, without a doubt, cares about his son. However, he considers the rest of his family as disposables for his plan. I realized as such when I saw his wife comatose after he inflicted her with a strange disease."
After a short period of silence, Ilia once again knocked on the table to grab their attention. Then, he pulled out a map showcasing the entire second floor and circled a large body of water not far from the floating island.
"This is where Seika should be, right? Even now, there is an ongoing battle there between the dragon who sent his message and an unknown enemy. Given that Seref himself seeks the blue dragon, it"s a possibility that the powerful presences in these lakes can belong to them."
"Another possibility is that Artemis has found Azkahar and is fighting him," said Seraphine as she leaned back. "This is the stronger possibility since even now, their fight is about to destroy the entire tower."
"Regardless of who the enemy is, we can expect Seika to be here to end the war," said Ilia with a frown. "That means that after the war ends, both his father and Artemis will seek his life. This is where we must intervene, using the ten artifacts."
Their plan would proceed as promised, even though there was another enemy they needed to account for. Alongside the artifact that Whisker had, the group now had six artifacts, with four remaining held by Westcoast, Elvenheim, and Rosewood.
***
Lakes vaporized and were refilled. Countless races went extinct after living in peace for thousands of years. Ebbs and tides destroyed the surrounding structures as the moon fought against the blue dragon.
The battle had an imminent fate, but the blue dragon was relentless in pushing the moon back. As the Huntress G.o.ddess Artemis shot her arrows, each brought destruction enough to blast worlds apart. However, the blue dragon seemed to know every weakness her attacks had and exploited them.
Nine heads of water hydras rose from the lakes as the old man, covered in wounds but never yielding, stood in the center. His ferocious gaze looked at the moon as he commanded the nine heads to seek their enemy.
Artemis gazed downward, her apathetic blue eyes betraying a hint of sorrow as she foresaw the future. Her bow released nine arrows, obliterating the nine heads without a trace.
"You delay the inevitable, Azkahar," Artemis said with narrowed eyes. "We both know you were never as strong as the other G.o.ds."
"Because I rejected that blood-stained power," Azkahar retorted with pride as he began to morph into a dragon. "You might think this is a waste of my life, but the greatest purpose is to achieve perfect timing!"
"As the world"s greatest archivist, the man who obtained knowledge about everything, is your life worth sacrificing for a child?" Artemis asked, her brows furrowing in rage. "How dare you degrade yourself to this extent, Azkahar?"
"This world will see, and so will the G.o.ds, if I have truly degraded myself," said the blue dragon as he a.s.sumed his form. "A king will be born today because of me, and there is no greater honor than this."
"And what does your king hope to achieve?"
"You shall see," said Azkahar with a smile as he flapped his wings to soar toward her. "This is the last of my strength, dear friend. I bid farewell... and good luck."
The blue dragon soared toward the sky with undying resolve to protect a human. Throughout the countless eons, the blue dragon was the only one who stood alone. He fathered no children and had no equal in knowledge.
"No one shall mourn your death, nor shall it be known what you died for," said Artemis with a ridiculing tone. "You have given your life to a man who barely knows you, Azkahar. What a sad and lonely grave you have chosen for yourself."
"This is the difference between me and the G.o.ds, those selfish creatures," answered the blue dragon as he craned his neck to the sky. "I do not mind being unknown. This, in itself, is freer than any G.o.d shall be! Be d.a.m.ned, every single one of you, for the secrets and lies you fed to this world!"
Artemis said no more as her veins popped on her forehead. Her graceful and elegant features took an ugly turn. Her divine aura began to disappear, replaced by a crushing presence of absolute terror. The entire world, living or not, feared this creature that did not belong to this world.
"My seal shall be undone, and the prey shall tremble in fear," said Artemis as her hands clasped her bow, and a giant magic circle appeared in the sky. A radiance that blinded the world was emitted by the array as chains of light materialized around Artemis, before they shattered.
Boom!
An otherworldly aura exploded like a shockwave in all directions with her at the center. Artemis transformed into an entirely different creature with skin as white as the moon and eyes full of stars.
An extra set of arms sprouted from her shoulders, each clutching bows identical to hers. Each of the arms nocked an arrow radiating divine energy that could tear through anything.
"Please grant me your blessing to end this traitor, my liege," muttered the G.o.ddess as her arrows turned golden, enveloped in threads of golden mana that seemed to encompa.s.s the world. When she released the arrows from their bows, they exploded with such force that s.p.a.ce was torn in their path.
Boom!
The blue dragon witnessed the twin stars rapidly approaching him and knew that his time had come. He welcomed death not with regret but with a smile. Her words did not manage to sway his unshakable resolve to give his life for the man he admired.
Arthur Silvera might not be his friend in this timeline, but in every other one, he was his closest a.s.sociate. In the lonely pursuit of knowledge and truth, only this man managed to be his friend. However, this was not about him.
Three creatures encompa.s.sed knowledge in the universe. First was the Omniscient G.o.d, Omari. The second was the Storyteller Spirit who wrote nothing but the truth. As for the third, it was the blue dragon who existed from the moment water appeared in the universe.
"I have fulfilled my task, Great Demon King. As you have commanded for eternity, I have fulfilled the mission you gave me. You shall rise again, and the world shall know the truth behind wrath."
His final words echoed, but this time, they were tinged with an apologetic tone. The blue dragon lost his life as two golden arrows tore through him, destroying his existence. This regret was not because he wished to live but because he wanted to be there when his king rises again.