Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods
Chapter 128: Lord Ravager

Chapter 128: Lord Ravager

The roar faded, but its echo lived on.

The air shook beneath Belzerion’s final cry, vibrating through the bones of the world.

Even after the sound vanished, the clouds spun slowly in the darkened sky.

Then... it all began to calm.

The storm softened.

A heavy silence rolled in.

Dark mist began to gather at the colossal dragon’s feet, curling upward like smoke.

Bel’s gigantic form stood tall and immobile. Slowly, the massive wings folded. His titanic body shrank, curling into itself, compressing into the smoke.

The earth beneath his feet trembled one last time, then settled.

From the blackened ground, a strange mist remained, thick and swirling like smoke.

In its center, a figure was standing, covered in red crystal.

A man, frozen like a statue smooth and gleaming.

Back in the capital, the effect of the roar rippled.

Vezalia stumbled forward, her eyes twitching as she tried to process what she felt.

Her breath caught in her throat, her lips parting slightly.

She just whispered, almost too quiet to hear.

"At long last..."

Beside her, the woman with the blood on the lips finally dropped her teasing expression.

Her hands slowly covered her face, fingers curling as her entire body quivered with strange joy. Her voice barely escaped her lips.

"He really is there."

On the other side of the capital, Akedios stood perfectly still.

"It pains me to admit it," he muttered. "But she was right."

Kardrax turned to him, eyes twitching.

"What are you talking about? What’s happening?"

Akedios gave no answer. He just looked to the side, the faintest smile curling on his tired face.

"I wanted to see you buried by the Slumbering King. But... that would be pointless now. This war is over."

Back in the forest, time seemed to pause.

The smoke swirled slowly, clinging to the earth. Then a wind stirred, subtle at first, then growing.

It swept across the floor, making the mist ripple and churn.

A sound cracked the silence. A sharp, brittle snap.

A thin fracture split across the red crystal shell encasing Bel’s body.

Then another, and another.

Thin spiderwebs of cracks spread across the surface, glowing faintly with red light.

A deeper groan echoed, and suddenly the statue burst apart, its pieces shattering and falling like shards of ruby glass, catching the wind and spinning away.

From within the haze, Bel’s body began to emerge.

First his arm, perfect and pale, stepping free from the falling crystal.

Then his shoulder, his chest, flawless, white, his body almost glowing like a snowflake.

He stood there, motionless, as the mist cleared.

And then, he exhaled softly.

The mist was pushed away by that breath. It spun outward gently, as if the world moved for him.

His hair had turned pure white, flowing like snow. His skin, pale and clean, seemed unreal, flawless, perfect.

The first change came when he opened his eyes, deep violet, sharp and slitted like a serpent’s, glowing faintly.

He blinked slowly, then, his gaze fell.

His hands were held loosely before him, and he stared at them attentively.

They were pristine, no burns, no scars, not a trace of the endless battles he had survived.

Pale, almost white. His nails, long and tapered, gleamed faintly under the new light.

He flexed his fingers once, slowly. Then, he looked up.

The sky was still covered by fading storm clouds, but the moment he rose his gaze, they began to shift.

They parted, elegantly, as if they were being drawn away by unseen strings.

A shaft of sunlight broke through, golden and quiet, spreading across the forest.

Bel closed his eyes just once, letting the warmth kiss his skin.

And when he opened them again, the light danced in his irises.

He had returned, but he was no longer the same.

And then, the sound of clapping.

Slow at first, then growing louder and enthusiastic with each beat.

From his side, a voice, light, joyful, and almost trembling with excitement, cut through the silence.

"Magnificent! Truly magnificent! You brought ruin with such... splendor, my Lord."

Bel didn’t move. He didn’t even blink.

The owner of the voice stepped forward, a man with disheveled brown hair, wide eyes brimming with awe.

He looked half-drunk, but it was a familiar face from the past.

The demon who had attacked the viscount’s carriage.

He stopped a few paces from Bel, took a sharp breath, and with a sudden motion dropped to one knee, bowing deeply.

His voice shook with suppressed emotion.

"Your power... Your presence... It’s beyond what we dreamed. What we whispered about in the shadows. You’re real. You’re truly here, Lord Ravager."

He trembled as he looked up, his grin wide and teeth bared in ecstatic reverence.

"At long last... We have seen the dawn of our Eight Lord. And we... we were right to believe."

His shoulders quivered, laughter like a quiet sob escaping him.

Bel remained still. But his presence alone wasn’t enough to get his attention.

He turned his head, his gaze shifted downward. A single thought brought up the familiar screen.

[Draconic Evolution System]

[1. CORE STATS]

Name: Belzerion

Race: Dragon

Title: Lord Ravager

Class: Demon Lord

Level: 101

HP: 138,000 / 138,000

MP: 170,000 / 170,000

Stamina: 135,000 / 135,000

EXP: 0 / 2,500,000

Unallocated Stat Points: 650

[2. PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES]

Strength: 2,210

Toughness: 1,965

Agility: 2,030

Endurance: 1,850

Intelligence: 2,080

Wisdom: 2,150

Pressure: 210

Luck: 14

[3. ADVANCED TRAITS]

Dragon’s Ascent (Fusion Trait): Inherited might of dragons lineages. Grants titanic strength, flight, perfect elemental control, and supreme regeneration.

Voice of Dominion: Roars influence all lesser beings.

Sovereign Scales: Grants extreme resistance to physical and magical attacks. Absorbs shock, reduces critical hits by 70%, and passively radiates a defensive pulse that weakens incoming abilities. Defense becomes harder depending on the reduction of HP.

Drakeheart Soul: Amplifies all draconic abilities and empowers instinct.

[4. SKILLS]

Roar of Doom

Dragon Rage

Dragon Roar

Frostfire Burst

Primordial Drench

Terra Genesis

Heavenstorm Howl

Bolt Mode

Elemental Convergence [Stage 4]

Shadowbreath (New)

[5. REFINEMENT OPTIONS]

✓ Fuse Skills

✓ Upgrade Traits

✓ Reforge Core

Bel’s eyes narrowed slightly.

While the demon continued rambling in half-whispers, his attention had already drifted elsewhere.

He wasn’t listening.

His gaze returned to the screen in front of him.

There it was. The title, [Demon Lord]

For a moment, he simply stared at it. After everything, he had finally crossed the line.

Demon Lord.

He had crushed the trial, broken the King, and emerged crowned by the Balance of Justice.

But still, a part of him questioned it. Was this the final form? The end of the road?

His eyes shifted to the experience bar.

[EXP: 0 / 2,500,000]

Empty. But not locked.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"So it isn’t over. There’s still a next level."

He hadn’t expected that. But it wasn’t a bad surprise.

Bel closed his screen and exhaled slowly. But then... something else.

A sensation, or rather, a memory.

Somewhere deep inside, something new was resting. Something born in the vortex.

He focused.

A strange sensation warmed his chest, thick and unfamiliar.

He leaned into it, mentally reaching toward it... And finally, a new interface flickered into view.

[System: Authority of Destruction]

Bel’s eyes widened slightly.

This was new.

The screen was different from his evolution system. Simpler in color, darker in design. Purple edges, sharp corners.

He read through it line by line.

[Authority of Destruction ]

[Level: 1]

[Demonic Essence: 2,000/2,000]

[Destruction Army: 0 / 25]

[Domain: Not Established]

[Current Skills]

Destruction Mark: Designate a being with your blood. If the subject survives, they become a servant under your Authority.

Aura of Ruin: Your passive aura slowly breaks down any structure, defense, or resistance within its radius.

Dominion Pulse: Issue a command to all corrupted under your rule.

[Passive Effects]

Destruction Tag: Every action carries a residual disintegration effect on targets.

Dragon Blood: Followers may evolve into draconic forms by surviving your essence.

Bel leaned closer to the screen, narrowing his eyes.

"Corrupted Army... 0 out of 25."

He understood instantly.

This was about followers. Soldiers.

He tapped the line about Blood Marking with his mind. A detailed note expanded.

[Blood Marking: Your blood, when injected in another being, allows a transfer of Authority. If the subject survives assimilation, they become a subordinate under your control. The stronger their base, the greater their growth.]

Bel stilled.

This... was real.

A system to make warriors.

To create soldiers carrying his mark.

He remembered the stories, dragon blood, when ingested or grafted, granting monstrous power. The legends went as far as saying that the rare few who could withstand it, could even turn into dragons.

It was no longer just myth, he could forge his own legion of dragon. Just like the King in the trial.

And the best example was Vezalia.

She was a follower of another Demon Lord. So technically, with his power, he could make another Vezalia.

Someone like her.

Someone even stronger.

His army, his eyes and arms.

Bel stared at the number. 0/25. The desire to put his blood into someone alive had never been this big.

Then a voice brought him back.

"My Lord...?"

The demon had stopped talking and was watching him carefully.

Bel stood immobile for seconds, then his violet eyes turned, locking onto the demon.

The moment their gazes met, the demon flinched violently, his breath hitching.

He lowered promptly his head.

"Forgive me for rising my voice, my Lord. I mistook your silence for slumbering. I meant no disrespect."

He tried to steady his breath, swallowing hard.

"I only wanted to say what all our people whisper in their hearts. The time has come. Your people wait."

Bel said nothing.

The demon took a deep breath, then put a hand on his chest.

"Now," he whispered. "It is time to fulfill your purpose. Take your rightful place, Lord Ravager, and reduce the capital of the light world to ash, as it was always meant to be."

He looked up, and regretted instantly.