Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods
Chapter 99: Ties That Don’t Bind

Chapter 99: Ties That Don’t Bind

Marcia was on the ground, next to Darwin’s lifeless body.

He wasn’t moving. Not really breathing either.

But his eyes, they were wide open, glassy, and trembling.

Everyone looked at him, waiting. Silent.

Logan stepped forward slowly, voice cautious.

"Marcia...? You okay?"

Marcia didn’t respond. His mouth moved.

"... know..." The voice was so soft no one heard.

"What?"

"They know... they know..."

Marcia’s whole body jerked. Then, he screamed.

"THEY KNOW! THEY KNOW! THEY KNOW THEY KNOW THEY KNOW THEY KNOW THEY KNOW THEY KNOW!!"

He clawed at his own face, trembling, shaking, shouting again and again.

"THEY KNOW! THEY KNOW!!! THEY KNOW!!!"

Guards moved forward, Logan grabbed him.

"Marcia! Get a hold of yourself!"

But Marcia wasn’t there anymore.

He screamed louder, slammed his head to the ground, his hands bleeding.

Then he froze.

His eyes locked on the crowd.

He saw her, the woman, or rather, he felt like she was there, enjoying his madness, smiling.

He screamed.

Days later, Marcia hadn’t recovered. Not completely.

He was resting in a special hospital ward for high-class mages, eyes sunken, hair disheveled. He hadn’t spoken since.

Darwin’s body had been taken to the royal castle. The Shield of God was given the honor of lying in the Hall of Heroes until his burial.

Every major figure in the Kingdom mourned him. A hero had fallen.

But it wasn’t just grief, it was worries.

Darwin had fought the Demon King, and as a Sacred, he was on the level of the Demon Lords.

Yet... he was killed. By a single demon.

If a demon could do that to him... it meant something worse: the demons were stronger than before.

The Guild Master conveyed the truth to the King.

Despite Logan’s warnings about infiltration, the Kingdom pushed for a summit, a meeting in the Royal Castle of all the highest-ranking adventurers and key figures.

And so, invitations were sent to every known talent. But one of those invitations didn’t reach its intended address, forcing a woman to bring it personally.

"I swear, I’ll staple it to your forehead if that’s what it takes!"

Bel was sitting by a riverbank, annoyed.

"You again."

She walked up and slapped the invitation into his chest.

"Don’t ’you again’ me. You disappeared again. AGAIN. So I had to come bring it myself."

Bel didn’t move. He looked tired, more and more annoyed.

"Didn’t ask you to."

"Excuse me? Ah! I’ll ignore that. What are you doing to never go back to the guild?! You haven’t cleared a dungeon in weeks! Not one quest! People forgot you existed. You’re still Iron Rank, you know that?! Crest is Iron now, and that dangerous girl in New Horizons is getting promoted to Steel! That elf mage too! Everyone is climbing. Except you!"

Bel groaned, rubbing his temple.

"Why should I care?"

"Because," Elysia snapped, "this isn’t just about you! The King has ordered the strongest talents to attempt a meeting to discuss an important matter..."

"Good for them. But I’m not going."

Elysia froze. Bel turned, already walking away. She stomped after him.

"Everyone is moving forward, Bel! Except you!"

Bel looked at her, deadpan.

"Yeah, and I don’t care. Your priorities are yours. Not mine. I don’t owe you anything. I don’t owe them anything. So I’m not going."

Elysia massaged her sinuses.

"Okay, okay. Breathe. Listen. I heard something big is happening at this meeting. You might need it. I swear."

Bel didn’t reply. He glanced at the side.

[Level: 70]

[HP: 30,000 / 30,000]

[MP: 55,000 / 55,000]

[Stamina: 34,800 / 34,800]

[EXP: 320,000 / 320,000]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 110]

[Maximum Level Reached]

[Experience Capped....

He closed his eyes.

"I have everything I need."

Elysia flinched.

"What’s so hard to understand in something so evident?! Everyone with power will gather there, as one of the adventurers you have the obligation to answer the call and see what they do!"

"Obligated by who? You think that I’ll just do what everyone else wants?"

His voice was low now. He looked her straight in the eye.

"Let me say it clearly, then. I don’t owe any of you anything. I’m not your friend. I’m not your comrade. There is no link between us. So don’t come here talking about Iron Rank"

Elysia opened her mouth, but Bel stepped forward.

His shadow stretched over her, swallowing her whole.

"You want me to do what you want?" He leaned forward, face close. "Then give me something better than what I already have."

Elysia was silent. Her lips parted, but no sound came.

He looked like a mountain now, taller than her. Stronger than ever.

For a moment, she looked crushed. But then she forced herself to breathe. Calm down. She brushed it off, slowly.

"I didn’t come to fight you," she said quietly. "I haven’t done anything to deserve your anger. I’m not your enemy. So I’ll leave."

She turned, taking a few steps away, then paused.

"Oh... you asked for something better. I don’t know what you think you have now... but if it matters at all..."

She glanced back at him, her voice low.

"They say the Hero’s going to be there."

Bel’s eyes widened. Elysia observed his reaction, then smiled a little.

"Yeah. Thought that might interest you."

The summit would happen in the most important place of the whole kingdom, even above the Grand Palais: the Royal Castle of Eldoria.

It was history carved in stone, rising proudly at the heart of the kingdom.

It stood as the political, cultural, and symbolic center of the world. Inside its throne room sat King Albrecht Velmoran, ruler of the kingdom, along with his three wives and eight children.

To the people of Eldoria, the castle wasn’t just a royal residence, it was the center of the world.

The place where the Sacred would eventually gather.

After the death of Darwin, the King summoned the strongest knights and adventurers across the land to convene for an emergency summit.

The agenda was not open to public knowledge, but rumors whispered of demons, new Sacreds, and something else.

In one of the carriages on its way to the castle, five figures traveled together, Crest, Airi, Ronan, Arkel, and Cassandra.

Airi was beaming, sitting with her legs crossed and her chin up, the invitation letter clutched tightly in her hand like a trophy.

"Being called for my strength, not bad huh?" she said, smirking. "Bet the king was impressed I kept raiding Category C dungeons without even slowing down. I’ll hit Category B next. Just watch."

Arkel forced a polite smile.

"You should still take your time. It’s better to be prepared than to rush it."

Airi flicked her hair back, rolling her eyes.

"What’s rushing for you is a warm-up for me. Not everyone hits a wall so soon."

Crest groaned.

"Come on, Airi. That’s not how you talk to a teammate."

Ronan crossed his arms.

"Yeah. Especially not a leader."

Before Airi could shoot back another sharp comment, Arkel raised a hand, tired eyes.

"It’s fine. She’s right. We’re not on the same level. She can project herself in B-class dungeons because she’s... well, perfect. Meanwhile, I can’t do shit in category C."

There was a long pause.

It wasn’t just modesty. Everyone knew it. The team was in crisis.

Despite New Horizons’ fame and record achievements, Airi was on another level.

Her power grew each day, each raid, but the others were hitting their limits. They had tried to catch up, restricting party’s recruitment to Iron Rank and above, splitting into divisions, rotating E and D-class raids for weaker members... but nothing worked.

Airi kept climbing and they weren’t able to follow.

They were living Bel’s problem all over again.

Arkel chuckled bitterly.

"Seems like we’re just holding her back after all."

"Hey!" Crest shouted, loud enough to make everyone jump.

"This isn’t about holding anyone back!" he said. "This is a family! And family isn’t about comparing strength or throwing insults when someone hits a wall! We grow, we help, we stumble. But we don’t abandon each other. That’s what Bel didn’t get, and I won’t let us repeat that."

Ronan looked down. Arkel didn’t respond.

Cassandra broke the silence, her eyes on the view outside the window.

"That’s sweet, Crest. But it’s not the world we live in."

She turned to face him.

"We’re not a happy little band of adventurers anymore. Not after what happened to Sir Darwin. This is a race. And apparently the other side can kill legends without breaking a wall."

Crest stared at her. The fire in him dimmed slightly.

Cassandra’s voice was calm, not cruel. Just honest.

"I told you all before. This isn’t a game... Or maybe it is. But the only people who get to play are people like Airi and Bel. For the rest of us?"

She looked out the window again.

"It might be smarter to wait until the war ends."

The group went quiet.

Outside, the landscape shifted. The trees thinned. The road widened.

In the distance, the golden spires of the Royal Castle reached up into the sky.