Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods
Chapter 148: Pandora

Chapter 148: Pandora

Bel and Novaria stood near the edge of the burning path carved through the forest. Now that this matter was settled, it was time to leave.

Novaria turned her head slightly and glanced back at the frozen figures of the expedition party.

"My lord," she asked softly, "don’t you plan on turning them into dragons as well? To grow your army?"

Bel didn’t look back.

"The process isn’t that simple," he replied. "Turning someone into one of my soldiers has a risk of killing them outright. The safest way is to use one of my abilities, but I’m still learning how to control it. It’s... complicated."

He looked at his hand.

"For now, the only reliable method is through my blood. So, for now, I want to test multiple methods before making anything else permanent."

Novaria nodded, then looked at the group again with a soft smile.

"I see... It’s a little sad for them. So, thank you. For choosing me."

Bel didn’t respond immediately. But he sensed it, that shy little smile behind her words. His expression remained still.

"Don’t thank me with words. Thank me by enduring it," he said. "You’re a dragon now. That means showing pride, less sentiment. Don’t think I saved you, make me understand that I was right to."

Her posture straightened.

"Yes, my lord. You can believe in me, the world will bow before the army of Destruction."

They walked deeper into the forest.

Bel spoke casually.

"Do you have any sense of your abilities yet?"

Novaria tilted her head thoughtfully.

"There’s something... It’s like a fire inside me. I can feel it pulsing. I don’t know what I can do with it yet, but... I can’t wait to find out."

Bel narrowed his eyes slightly. That confirmed it. She likely had a core, but what about a system interface?

"Good. That hunger is what I want to see. As a Demon Lord, I have the ability to create dungeons. I intend to use that power soon, for your first real test."

She blinked in surprise, then quickly composed herself.

"You’re truly special..."

"The problem," he added, "is that the dungeon’s level might be too high. But that’s the perfect place to test the effect of my blood."

As they moved, he began instructing her.

"You’re a dragon now. You’ll need to live like one. Your primary source of nourishment should be monster cores, ideally the ones from bosses. They accelerate your growth."

She nodded silently, absorbing every word.

"You have high regeneration. Use it. Don’t be afraid to fight at full power. Even if you get shredded, you’ll recover. Pain is a weapon, to trick your prey into believing they have hope."

Novaria’s eyes glimmered. It was like a private class from the highest authority to guide her.

Bel continued.

"Even though your name is now Novaria, you shouldn’t reject Sienna. I’m not forbidding you to use that name with others. You can have friends."

Novaria looked thoughtful, then smiled.

"I understand. But personally, I’d rather they accept me as Novaria. I want them to see who I’ve become." She chuckled softly. "Dusteria will be so surprised. And Crest... I can’t wait to see his face."

She suddenly gasped.

"Ah! My lord—what about Airi?" She asked. "The Sacred... and the kingdom. Are they allies or not?"

Bel paused for a moment.

"We have no real allies. Our goal is to eliminate the other Demon Lords, this is merely a case of similar enemies. Speaking of demons, there is one among them you should especially avoid, Midas, the Demon Lord of Avarice. He hides behind a man in a suit, but his real form is Mammon. An ugly, greedy thing."

His tone turned cold—too cold. A shadow crossed his face.

"I have a grudge against him. Midas... Mammon... he won’t die by anyone else’s hands but mine." His voice dropped to a growl. "If you ever encounter him—do not talk. Do not engage. If he looks weaker, run. You have a margin for evolution, Novaria. Don’t waste it on a pointless fight."

Novaria nodded with a serious expression. "Understood. I hope I’ll be strong enough to be useful."

Bel gave a small smile.

"You will. All of you will."

He continued.

"There are two others who may be problematic. One is a demon general working for a Demon Lord known as the Devourer. Her name is Vezalia. She helped me in the past to reach this level. We’re enemies now, but I want to speak with her before we fight."

Novaria flinched slightly, the name tugging at a memory.

"Vezalia... that name sounds familiar," she murmured, brows furrowing. After a moment, her eyes widened. "She was one of the demons who attacked during the invasion. I remember now, the other woman said that name. Airi fought her. She almost lost..."

Bel’s expression remained calm.

"Is that so? Then she likely already knows my position."

They walked in silence for a while. Then he added casually.

"The other one is Elysia."

At first, Novaria didn’t react, as if it were just a name. But a moment later, her brain fully processed the information.

She flinched hard.

"Wait—Elysia? The Elysia???"

She stopped walking, eyes wide.

"Our Elysia? Will’s sister?!"

Bel nodded slowly.

"Apparently, she was a demon from the beginning. She’s the one who awakened my true nature. She introduced herself to me not just as a demon... but as another Demon Lord. The Crimson Bloom."

Novaria’s jaw trembled, her breath catching.

"She... she was a Demon Lord?" Her knees almost buckled. "I thought she was... she was like a sister... someone I trusted... someone I admired..."

She clutched her chest.

"All this time, and she was our enemy? From the beginning...?"

Bel looked ahead, tone flat.

"She was that important to you that even now you’re hurt?"

She nodded, barely.

"Well, now you know what we’re dealing with, so just understand that it is what it is. She is a Demon Lord, and a wicked one."

He switched the direction of the topic as they walked.

"As an enemy, I’m not sure what her full abilities are, but she can impersonate others. Fully. Not illusions, actual impersonation. Down to aura, power, expression. One hundred percent. I don’t know the process, but if she impersonated me, in theory, you wouldn’t see a difference."

Novaria tensed.

"So here’s what we do: I’ll call you ’Sienna’ in front of the others, just in case. But when we meet privately for the first time, I’ll say ’Novaria’, your real name that only the two of us know. If she tries to imitate one of us, it might be the only way to catch it."

He glanced at her.

"And if you meet me every single time... answer ’Pandora’. If I don’t says Novaria, know that something’s wrong."

Novaria nodded gravely.

"I understand... But still... It’s unbelievable. Elysia... a demon."

Bel stopped and stretched his back slightly. Two massive, dark wings unfurled behind him.

Novaria gasped, startled. Then awe took over surprised.

"That’s... incredible."

"You’ll have wings too, eventually," Bel said calmly. "But until then, you need to hide your form. In your draconic form, you’re easier to spot."

She frowned.

"Hide it...?"

He turned slightly toward her.

"Ah, it’s true. It’s new to you. Let me explain how it works."

He placed a hand over his chest.

"It’s your energy. You need to learn how to control your draconic energy and fold it inward. Compress it. When you do that, your body follows, and it reshape itself to a humanoid form. It’s instinctual. Imagine your true form as pressure outward, like a burning sun. To suppress it, you must wrap it around your core. Tighten it. Focus. Control doesn’t come from muscles, it comes from the will to hide the fire inside you."

He gestured for her.

"Grip on me. I’ll fly you to the city. You can try it meanwhile."

Novaria stepped forward, still dazed by the wings, and grabbed his arm.

She grabbed firmly, then smiled at him as to say she was ready. Then, in one fluid motion, Bel pushed off the ground with explosive force.

He launched skyward, his wings opening fully, catching the air.

Within seconds, they shot up above the treeline, and Bel angled forward, dashing through the sky at breathtaking speed, carving a line of force through the clouds.

Back in the city, the atmosphere was way different. Dusteria lay unconscious in the hospital bed, her body completely wrapped in bandages.

Sylphera exited the room, face neutral, and was immediately met by Crest, Aurus, and the Baron.

The Baron stepped forward, his voice trembling.

"How is she? Please, say she’s fine..."

Sylphera shook her head slowly.

"No. If anything... her condition is worsening."

Crest paled.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Her injuries aren’t healing. Her blood is emitting some kind of curse. Every time we try to apply a buff or healing magic, it’s nullified. It’s like... her blood itself is becoming a poison."

Crest stumbled back.

"No... no, she can’t—"

"There’s little chance she survives," Sylphera continued, flatly. "It depends on what that demon did to her."

Crest’s eyes shook, and he looked down in quiet despair.

"However," Sylphera added, silencing the growing grief, "don’t wish that outcome on her."

Crest looked up, confused.

"What...?"

"Her blood is attacking her body, yes. But if she overcomes it... it means her body adapted. And the only way a human adapts to demon blood—"

She paused.

"—is demonization."

Crest froze.

The Baron took a step forward, pale and desperate.

"No, no, that must be a mistake. That’s not possible... my daughter... Dusteria... she’s not..."

"There’s no mistake," Sylphera snapped. "If she survives, she may not be human anymore. And if she doesn’t—"

She didn’t finish.

She took a breath and straightened her back.

"I have some questions for both of you. About this demon. It’s surprising how you never noticed anything in a whole..."

But then she stopped. Her eyes narrowed.

Aurus did the same.

They turned to the side, fixing the same direction.

On the hospital steps, Airi flinched mid-conversation with Astros, who also looked to the distance with a frown.

Far at the city’s main gate, Gaia and another Sacred armed with an oversized wand sprinted to a stop.

The young boy’s face was pale.

"Is that... real?"

Gaia’s gaze was fixed.

"Something is coming."

The young Sacred looked toward the horizon, brows furrowing.

"Six kilometers left."

Gaia turned sharply to him.

"Are you sure it’s a demon?"

He nodded slowly, voice tense.

"You know it is. You feel it too!"

Gaia’s eyes narrowed.

"Then what the hell is that speed?"

"5.2 kilometers," he continued, adjusting his grip on the oversized wand on his back.

Gaia’s expression tightened. Her eyes twitched.

"You gotta be kidding me... What the hell is going on today?"

"4.1 kilometers..."

Elsewhere, Astros and Airi sprinted through the streets, weaving between buildings as civilians looked on.

Astros shouted.

"We split up! Protect the civilians!"

Airi groaned, already glaring into the horizon.

"Yeah, eat my dust and do it yourself then!"

She sprinted faster, ignoring Astros’ exasperation.

Back at the gate...

"2.7!"

The boy’s voice sharpened.

"1.6..."

Gaia braced herself.

"1.1... God damn it!!!"

A thunderous wave rolled across the sky.

The boy pulled his wand free and planted his stance.

"It’s here!"