Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods
Chapter 61: Of Seven and the Eighth

Chapter 61: Of Seven and the Eighth

A sinister giggle filled the air, thin and strange.

Then came a laugh.

The girl, burning completely, her silhouette lost in the blue fire, spoke through the blaze.

"I know now..."

Bel narrowed his eyes, his body tense. She was still burning, but her voice carried through the roar of the flames like a whisper into his ear.

"You’re the one..."

She laughed again, a sound filled with relief.

"I get it now... it was my mistake. We should never have fought... But now... now I see."

Then her body moved.

A pulse of pressure, like a heartbeat in the air, emanated from her, and then her body collapsed.

She hit the ground with a light thud, her form dissolving into ash and smoke.

But her voice remained, echoing all around him.

When gods send forth their shining knight... to guard the world and shield the light... Another rises from below... A hero shaped by demon woe... He bears no crown, he seeks no throne... But walks the dark paths all alone... He is the destruction, not the flame... The one who bears the cursed name.

Bel turned slowly. Her voice echoed, disembodied.

Seven Lords wore the blood of dusk,

Each of them marked by a different hunger

The Slumbering King, who watches the end in dreams. The Great Devourer, whose hunger turned the world hollow. The Crimson Judge, who weighed guilt in blood.

And then came the eighth. The last breath. The key no prophecy wanted to name.The Lord Ravager. The one not bound by the old chains. The one who brings dawn to the world... for demons.

Bel blinked, and then his eyes widened.

A presence.

Far away, past the scorched battlefield, where the boss’s burned body still lay, a new pentagram, bright purple and glowing, had been carved with blood.

At the edge of it, directly facing the giant wolf’s maw, the girl was back, kneeling, naked, and covered in purple blood like paint.

Her head was bowed, hair clinging to her face. In her hands, she held a glowing blue crystal, shining.

The last of her speech floated through the air like a dying wind.

"The last vessel of purple flame,

A demon’s hope, a hero’s shame.

When twilight falls and day grows thin,

The Lord Ravager shall begin."

The glow from the crystal lit her face. Bel’s eyes locked on the glowing blue crystal.

That was it, the reason he had come here: the boss’s core.

He gritted his teeth, and the world blurred around him. Snow and flame vanished in speed. In less than a breath, he crossed the distance between them.

He reached the girl... and stopped.

The crystal hovered in front of his nose, offered by purple fingers. Her head was bowed, her body motionless.

"Forgive my earlier disrespect," she said softly. "And accept this treasure as my apology."

Bel blinked. No fire, no attack. Just her, now completely submissive.

His mind reeled for seconds. What was that now? Then she spoke again.

"If this isn’t enough," she added sweetly, "I can offer more. My blood. My arms. My legs. My voice."

She listed the parts casually, as if offering candy.

Bel’s brow twitched.

"What... is wrong with you?"

He reached out and carefully took the core, watching her every move.

Still, no trick. She smiled, looking at him.

"Who are you really?" he asked.

She stood up slowly, hands moving behind her back. She looked at him. Really looked as if studying, making him more uncomfortable.

"What do you want? What’s your goal?"

She smiled.

"Vezalia."

Bel frowned.

"What?"

"That’s the name I go by in this world. You may use it."

She turned slightly, head tilting in thought.

"As for your answers... I will give them to you. But not here. Not like this."

Bel was quiet for a long moment. His fists clenched.

"So, in the end, you refuse to talk? That take us back to 5 minutes earlier."

"Listen. I want to tell you, I admit my wrong, but if I tell you now, it won’t matter. You won’t believe it. Not the way I need you to."

She stepped back, her hair catching in the wind.

"Give me some time. When you’re ready, say the name I gave you. And I’ll come."

Bel didn’t answer.

His instincts screamed at him. He wanted to end this now, he had managed to destroy her body once... then he realized something.

Her body had been reduced to ash, so how was she still alive? What did he miss?

A part of him wanted to kill her, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt loss. Why did he even want to kill her? It was eating his energy with minimal results. He didn’t even feel any killing intent.

On the other hand, what she had to offer...

"And if you cooperate..." she continued, spinning her finger lazily beside her cheek, then smiling wider, as if she could already see how this would end. "Then I’ll give you two gifts. One is a tempting gift. The other is a needed gift."

Bel blinked. His eyes narrowed.

Both stood in silence, staring at each other through the fading blue fire. The cold wind tugged at their clothes. From far away, Cassandra and Lyraen watched nervously. Cassandra squinted.

"Wait... she’s bleeding? He hit her? Maybe... maybe she won’t make it! She’s dying! He really won!"

Lyraen looked less enthusiastic, but neither of them moved.

Bel felt the pulse of the core in his hand, warm and alive. His breath came out in a slow fog. His mind running.

A tempting gift? A needed gift?

What did that even mean?

Was the tempting gift something he wanted badly? Something dangerous? Or was it the needed one he should fear more?

He didn’t trust her; every part of her screamed danger... but he couldn’t feel any malice from her now. No killing intent. No tricks.

And yet, everything about her screamed trickery.

But what if she was telling the truth? What if she really knew something? About his nature. About this world. About what he really was?

He was in the dark.

This might be the only window.

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth.

Then sighed.

"Alright... You can go."

Vezalia smiled. Her head tilted, and she bowed once more, slowly and elegantly.

"Thank you for your understanding," she said softly. "I truly wish we could talk more, right here and now. But... there are too many witnesses. And I can’t deal with them without antagonizing you."

She glanced to the side, to the burnt corpse of the wolf boss.

"Not now," she murmured.

Bel stayed silent, his fingers still wrapped around the core. Vezalia looked back at him and gave a soft, genuine smile.

"Thank you for being here. Thank you... for awakening."

Then, her eyes shimmered. The air grew still. The wind picked up slightly, brushing across the battlefield with a soft breath.

She stepped backward, just once.

"Until we meet again," she said. "There’s only one thing I want you to remember."

The wind brushed harder. A swirl of snow rose and passed between them. Her voice dropped to a murmur.

Bel’s eyes widened.

Then, slowly, the blood on her body began to drip. More and more, the purple liquid slipped from her skin and pooled at her feet. It spread in soft ripples, glowing faintly with a sickly light.

Her legs started to sink. Then her waist. Then her chest. Like she was melting into the blood itself, becoming part of the ground.

Vezalia looked up one last time, her expression calm.

"I hope your growth goes well," she said gently. "And do consider what I told you... The food tastes different everywhere... but it always serves the same purpose."

She disappeared beneath the purple mass.