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Chapter 79: The Tragedy of the Dragon Clan

After the playful chaos, Charlotte fell into a deep sleep, her ruby-like eyes dimming with drowsiness.

“What an unreasonable princess, insisting on waiting until it all ends to give me a response… well then, I must hold on.”

Muttering this, Roy closed his eyes as he let his consciousness sink into the depths of darkness.

Restless power flowed through his limbs with the rhythm of his heartbeat, while memories of the past, under the influence of the False King’s blood, replayed before him.

These weren’t tales of bygone False Kings’ blood, but memories belonging to ancient allies, those who once commanded mythical races and ruled over realms—the gods of old.

In the valley shrouded by dark clouds, the black dragon named Nidhogg no longer exuded majesty, bound by chains, his limbs restrained, wings torn by his kin, his form trapped beneath heavy peaks.

For a sinner of the dragon clan, such punishment was not unjust.

Yet even so, there was still no sign of submission in those slit eyes.

Until that day arrived.

An elderly man draped in a dragon robe came, accompanied by a graceful girl.

The languorous black dragon looked disdainfully at the insect-like human.

“Bahamut, how could you lower yourself to such a weak human form? Don’t you have any dignity as a dragon?”

“And you, Favna…”

At the mention of his sister, Nidhogg’s expression grew complicated, losing a hint of resentment, appearing more like a headache.

“Don’t say that. Being weak is not a sin; humans have their good sides too.”

“Favna!”

“Big brother, I’m not here to argue with you today.”

With her hands behind her back, the dragon girl turned lightly, smiling innocently at the elderly man, radiating charm.

“Father, you said you’d grant all my wishes on my big day.”

“I have just one wish: that all my loved ones can witness my happiness.”

The old man fell silent in response.

Nidhogg suddenly widened his eyes: “Big day? What big day?”

“Ah, I almost forgot to tell you.”

The dragon girl stuck out her tongue at Nidhogg, playfully and bashfully: “I’m getting married.”

“The groom is human, so I have to transform into human form. After all, being together in our original bodies is quite inconvenient, right?”

Nidhogg’s expression changed instantly, the raging power within him nearly breaking through the mountains surrounding him.

“Bahamut! How dare you use her for the sake of the pact…”

“Cough, don’t overthink it.”

“That’s right. It has nothing to do with Father; I’m doing this of my own free will!”

Ignoring the tempestuous storm around Nidhogg, Favna approached his face with her frail human body and hugged him.

“Can you feel it? My heartbeat.”

“Big brother, just like I love you, I love that human. This feeling is no lie, so… can you bless me in person?” She gazed at her blood-related brother, asking gently and sincerely.

Bahamut sighed softly: “If you adhere to the rules, don’t break the pact, and don’t harm humans, I can grant you freedom on that day.”

The bond of blood between siblings, the disdain for humans, the choice between the two was a more difficult dilemma for Nidhogg than rebelling against the Dragon King.

After a long silence, just as Favna’s expression was dimming, preparing for Bahamut’s departure, a sigh came from behind.

“I must witness with my own eyes that he knows about your marriage.”

Favna laughed out loud with delight, and Bahamut’s expression softened.

The rebellious black dragon looked away, but his aura was no longer so fierce.

For a moment, Roy wished memories could freeze at that moment.

Humans and dragons need not fight; everyone could achieve the best ending.

Unfortunately, fate didn’t align, and the destinies of humans and dragons ultimately twisted toward upheaval.

“By the way, what’s the name of that human you’ve set your sights on?”

Facing Nidhogg’s question, Favna smiled slightly, as if she were the happiest girl in the world.

“The kingdom’s knight, Siegfried.”

Memories began to shatter.

Like a castle built of sand, it crumbled and turned to dust, slipping through his fingers without mercy.

No one can turn back time, and no one can change fate.

Not even the king of dragons.

Facing Bahamut once more, Roy finally understood the regret and bitterness hidden on the old man’s face.

“Siegfried, he is… that Siegfried?”

The dragon slayer, the kingdom’s original knight, presumed ancestor of the False King’s blood.

“Indeed.” Bahamut nodded slowly.

“That little brat is remarkable; both the human princess and my aging daughter are infatuated with him.”

“Favna was the first to take that step. I thought they could be happy for a lifetime, just like the friendship between humans and dragons. But the result was…”

As he spoke of the past, the old man’s face revealed a mix of nostalgia, distress, and relief, but in the end, everything transformed into sorrow.

He hung his head, his aged fingers tightly gripping the cane, until his joints whitened and trembled.

“On the day Favna gets married, I led a coalition of races against the [Apocalypse Calamity].”

“I failed. The coalition’s strength was no match against the calamity; so I retreated at the first sign, thinking I must protect Favna and them at all costs, but I didn’t expect the [Apocalypse Calamity]’s force had already arrived first…”

“When I was weak, Nidhogg tainted the entire dragon clan. By the time I managed to defeat them, I had exhausted all my strength.”

His hoarse voice faded into nothingness.

No more explanations were needed; Roy had pieced together the key.

An apocalypse that gods could not withstand was beyond the capacity of humans to hold at bay.

Favna fell, trying to protect humans, followed closely by Nidhogg.

Powerful Extraordinary Beings and mythical creatures could resist the encroachment of evil godly power to some degree, but once a chink appeared in their hearts, no matter how strong the bloodline, there was a risk of corruption, just like those corrupted Cultists.

According to Bahamut, the [Apocalypse Calamity] possessed a power that likely transcended any evil god he knew.

And Nidhogg…

It wasn’t hard to imagine that the black dragon, having hardly nurtured hope in humanity, witnessed Favna’s tragic plight—at that moment, he was like the perfect breeding ground for evil godly power.

In the end, the powerless Bahamut could only place hope in Siegfried, asking him to end Favna’s life.

“Kid, I couldn’t protect my allies, nor my kin, letting everyone who loved me down.”

“But you are different.”

The old dragon gave a melancholic smile, heavily laying his somewhat withered hand on the young boy’s shoulder.

“I genuinely hope you won’t repeat my mistakes.”

With Bahamut’s sigh came a surge of power that nearly set his blood on fire.

The soul’s grace from the Dragon King elevated Roy’s dragon blood power further while also bestowing him a significant amount of divinity—a semi-divine essence commanding the heavens.

【Divinity: 10%】