After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 266 - 93 Advice from the Dragon Princess_2
"No," Xi Mu calmly replied. He hadn’t intended to kill the dwarf loli in the first place, as the experience she offered was too little, and because he needed her help in opening the door.
Moreover, bullying the dwarf loli was quite entertaining.
"Deal!" The red-haired dwarf no longer hesitated, kicked off the ground forcefully with her feet, her hammer catching fire as she flipped midair, and swung it down hard on Ahtal.
The likelihood of a win... was slim.
Before, in the Volcano Temple, he could look down on Ahtal, treating him like a mere ant that could be squashed with ease.
But now, faced with Ahtal, it had flipped; he was directly engaging in combat with a person like Ahtal.
There was hardly any hope of victory.
"Grandpa!" The dwarf loli spat out the Sword of Light from her mouth and struggled fiercely, watching the red-haired dwarf exert all her might but unable to touch Ahtal at all—as if she were being toyed with, she was caught in a hopeless struggle.
"Clang!" The Great Sword clashed with the hammer, sparking intense flames. As the red-haired dwarf gritted her teeth, preparing to adjust her stance for another swing,
a spear thrust through the flames, piercing straight through the red-haired dwarf’s abdomen, nailing her to the ground.
Then,
the Great Sword of Death slashed past, black flames turning into a crescent moon, severing the red-haired dwarf’s head. Blood spurting from her severed neck mixed with the Flame of Death, engulfing the body and burning it to ashes.
The fight lasted less than a minute.
"As expected of Ahtal, truly a despair-inducing combat Talent," remarked the Red Dragon King with a click of his tongue, "It’s almost as if he foresaw every move of his enemy."
As an observer, he watched this overwhelmingly dominant fight, his first reaction being... Ahtal was too skilled. It was as if he had anticipated every move the red-haired dwarf made, leading to a decisive crushing victory despite the apparent small gap in strength between them.
But he wasn’t too surprised; such prodigies had appeared many times throughout history, capable of understanding at a glance and enhancing their strength with more ease than breathing, effortlessly developing world-renowned magic.
Of course, knowing that and actually facing such a genius still induced a strong sense of defeat.
"It’s because his intentions were too obvious," Xi Mu flicked the Great Sword of Death, extinguishing the wrapping black flames, and walked toward the dwarf loli.
"Do you hate me?" He sliced through the dwarf loli’s restraints with his sword, looking at the angrily glaring loli, "Then strive to become stronger."
He reached out, touching the dwarf loli’s forehead.
"Next time we meet, I might not let you go."
The dwarf loli opened her mouth to say something harsh, like how she would kill Ahtal the next time they met. But recalling Ahtal’s ludicrous growth rate filled her heart with intense despair.
She knew she couldn’t kill Ahtal by herself unless the high-ranking members of the Dusk Cult took action. But the high-ranking members—already intent on killing Ahtal—didn’t need her persuasion.
"It’s better to avoid future problems; otherwise, it’s just troublesome," the Red Dragon King kindly suggested, "Since you’ve killed her grandfather, might as well kill her too, and send the whole family neatly to Hell."
"Let’s leave it at that, since I already promised," Xi Mu waved his hand, allowing the dwarf loli to leave alive.
As for the Red Dragon King, he was indifferent.
After all, Ahtal was already on the Dusk Cult’s death list, and they would try to kill him whether or not the dwarf loli was spared.
It didn’t matter anymore.
"I won this time, right?" The Red Dragon King looked around at the burning Fenrir Kingdom, stroking his chin,
"In terms of the number of Dusk Cult followers killed, I should have the lead, right?"
"Ah, you won," Xi Mu acknowledged readily, disappointing the Red Dragon King. He would have felt a greater sense of accomplishment if Ahtal had been a little more stubborn.
"Oh, by the way, back home... that is, in the Dragon Kingdom, there are two extreme attitudes toward you," he explained under Ahtal’s puzzled gaze.
"Her Highness, the Dragon Princess, wants you to join the Dragon Kingdom,"
"Join the Dragon Empire?" Xi Mu pointed to himself, appearing very puzzled by the choice of the Dragon Empire.
In response, the Red Dragon King revealed a subtle expression, "Some time ago, we dispatched hundreds of massive dragons to subjugate you, but only a few survived to return, the rest were killed by the Source of Fear."
He leaned in close to Ahtal’s ear.
"The Source of Fear looks exactly like you, which has caused the upper echelons to become somewhat wary, feeling that there’s something not quite right about you."
For the Dragon Empire, dealing with Ahtal was a simple matter. The higher-ups valued Ahtal relatively highly and directly sent an overwhelming force to ensure there was no chance for Ahtal to escape.
Hundreds of elite dragons were mobilized; even if Sky City and the Magic Kingdom provided full support, they wouldn’t be able to save Ahtal’s life.
However, the reality was beyond the expectations of the Dragon Empire’s higher-ups. The elite dragon troops sent to subjugate Ahtal were killed by the Source of Fear with a single jab.
This unexpected turn of events caused the Dragon Empire to reconsider how to deal with Ahtal.
"The first option is naturally to keep sending dragons to kill you," the Red Dragon King continued to explain, "Last time you were lucky, and the dragons sent to subjugate you were killed by the Source of Fear; surely your luck can’t be that good again, right?"
"I think so too," Xi Mu nodded, very...willing, to face the dragons sent to subjugate him.
"The other is the little princess’s idea. Since you are considered a dragon, and you didn’t obtain the power of dragons by slaying them," the Red Dragon King spoke of another plan, "then we invite you to join the Dragon Empire and marry a female dragon of your liking, standing on the side of the Dragon Empire from now on."
He laughed softly.
"This way, the Dragon Empire not only gains a genius with a promising future but also eliminates the risk of magic leaking from taking the power of dragons,"
"That does sound tempting," Xi Mu inquired, "What dragon do you plan to arrange for me to marry?"
"That depends on your own abilities," the Red Dragon King waved his hand, "With your Talent, it shouldn’t be hard to fool a naive female dragon."
"Then you might be disappointed," Xi Mu turned and walked into the burning sea of fire, speaking over his shoulder to the Red Dragon King, "I’m not good at deceiving people."
"..." The Red Dragon King showed an expression of clear distrust; this human had managed to get close to the All-Knowing Saintess, to fool a female dragon should be a piece of cake.
However, he didn’t care whether Ahtal wanted to join the Dragon Empire or not. Regardless of the choice, the Dragon Empire would still try to see if they could kill Ahtal to physically ensure that no one would know the magic of "taking the power of dragons."
Only after the Dragon Empire confirmed Ahtal indeed was hard to kill, possessing the strength of a Dragon King, would they consider whether to make Ahtal a member of the Dragon Empire through marriage.
...
...
The next day.
The news of the Dusk Cult slaughtering a city spread throughout the world, bringing to light a host of shocking revelations.
Kingdom of Donoma.
"A sealed demon?" The King covered his face with his hand, his complexion very troubled, as he queried his ministers, "What do you all think?"
His voice was low.
"If the Dusk Cult truly breaks the seal, do we have a way to avoid a demon attack?"
No one answered.
The ministers bowed their heads. No one came forward to answer the King’s query, no...there was one person who stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to assist Ahtal and his companions," the kingdom’s strongest knight, Rhode, stepped forward.
He placed his hand on his chest and bowed.
"I am willing to help Ahtal resist the followers of the Dusk Cult until Ahtal and his companions succeed in moving the demon’s seal away."
