Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 439 - 433: Ready

Chapter 439: Chapter 433: Ready

Rafael did not retreat to the House of Hope this time, for he was sure he wasn’t experiencing an illusion.

"What’s this, didn’t you just say I had to pay the price?" Leon’s voice thundered like the Hell Furnace, then vividly mimicked Rafael’s angry roar, "I will make you understand, real pain is not death, but living..."

Rafael was certain the Red Dragon intended to kill him, and he couldn’t escape, so he braced himself and shouted, "Mr. Leon."

"You actually recognize me?" Leon was a bit surprised.

"A super giant red dragon with three heads and six arms that also wields a sword, who else could it be but Mr. Leon?" Rafael complimented, "Cliff Sword, Wind Disaster, Wind of Annihilation, Demon Slayer, Giant God Dragon... who in the entire Nine Prisons doesn’t know Mr. Leon’s name?"

"More and more nicknames." Leon muttered to himself, wondering when his nicknames would develop to a point where just reading them all out would take several minutes.

After taking a deep breath, Rafael finally worked up the courage to ask, "I have no grudge against Mr. Leon, why must Mr. Leon go against me?"

"A person without guilt will incur guilt if they possess treasure." Leon said.

"Orpheus’s Hammer, you’re here for Orpheus’s Hammer." Rafael immediately thought of the relationship between the Red Dragon and the Githyanki, "Did the Evil Dragon Queen send you? She wants to release the Comet Prince, through the Comet Prince to strike Vilakis, and then..."

Leon tilted his head, saying, "Who told you that She could command me?"

"Then, that means you also want to use Orpheus’s Hammer to exchange... No one can refuse the Karsus Crown." Rafael said confidently, "I must specially remind Mr. Leon, that belongs to my father."

"The Karsus Crown does not belong to your father, it belongs to Karsas, otherwise it should be called the Mephisto Crown." Leon laughed, "Besides, do I look like a mage? Do you think I’d have any use for the Karsus Crown?"

A glint flashed in Rafael’s eyes, and a cunning smile appeared on his lips, "Since Mr. Leon does not want the Karsus Crown, then..."

"You are not yet qualified to collaborate with me." Leon said, "Wait until you become the lord of one of the Nine Hells’ layers, possessing your father’s status, then we’ll talk."

Rafael’s face instantly darkened but quickly reignited with determination, "I will surpass him sooner or later."

"You could be even more self-absorbed." Leon sneered, "Why not first think about how to keep your little life safe."

Rafael elegantly tidied his cuffs, unable to hide the trembling of his fingertips, "Mr. Leon truly intends to kill me?"

Leon squinted his eyes, scrutinizing Rafael, pondering whether there was any benefit to killing Rafael, who was Mephisto’s son, beyond provoking Mephisto; after all, in the game, Mephisto could resurrect a player-killed Rafael.

Regardless of the relationship with Mephisto, it seemed that Rafael hadn’t offended him from beginning to end; on the contrary, Leon had been bullying Rafael, mocking him for being a mortal rather than a devil, and now, having ransacked his residence, taking his life seemed excessive.

Even the Rafael in the game hadn’t provoked him; rather, the in-game Rafael was like a comedic character, not harming the protagonist group at all from beginning to end, and even warning and aiding them in dangerous situations, only to accidentally expose his residence’s treasures to the protagonists, resulting in him being extinguished and looted.

Frankly speaking, keeping this living treasure alive was obviously more interesting than killing him.

"I could kill, or I could spare you; it’s all up to my mood. If you want me to let you go, it’s not impossible." Leon recalled Rafael’s game BGM, "How about this, sing one for me, and then this matter is settled."

Rafael looked bewildered, asking, "Sing one?"

"I really like the song you sing." Leon hummed the familiar tune, "Just this one."

Rafael’s face turned ashen; he indeed liked poetry and music but didn’t enjoy performing for others.

"Can’t do it?" Leon raised his sword, "Don’t say I’m bullying the small, I’ll let you make three moves."

A devil and a dragon-man stared at each other for a moment; Rafael, resigned, closed his eyes. He dared not gamble because word had it that everyone who’d seen it knew that super giant red dragon on the other side had once smacked Zarriel into the Nether River with a single swipe.

Rafael bit his lip and began to sing.

"Life, ah, mortal life, will eventually fade~"

"The soul walks to its demise in the fierce flames, never to rise again~"

"Hell, Hell, it has its own laws~"

"Hell, Hell, all terms are within the contract."

"The curtain falls, but wait to applaud~"

"Tremble, tremble, the claws have already been swung..."

Rafael hadn’t finished singing when Leon burst into laughter: "You actually can sing..."

"I keep my promises, so I’ll spare your life."

Once Leon had laughed enough and was preparing to leave, he turned back to say, "By the way, let Hope go. Also, do you know that the Dream Demon in your room is a spy for your father? He says you prefer to be on the bottom, never on top, and you like the Dream Demon transforming into your likeness."

After Leon finished speaking, he laughed even more happily and, without caring whether Rafael would ultimately release Hope or how he would deal with the Dream Demon, he flapped his wings and flew away.

Of course, he wouldn’t just leave like that; he planned to catch up with Bell... He rarely paid attention to the power struggles in the Nine Prisons, so he didn’t know if Bell had succeeded in taking the position of Avernus Lord.

Leon followed his memory to Bell’s old Forging Factory, where the incoming heat wave mixed with the sound of metal clashing met him. Bell was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a sinister-looking Pit Fiend sitting behind a desk reviewing documents.

"Who are you looking for?" the Pit Fiend’s gaze swept over the half-red dragon suddenly appearing in his office.

"Where’s Bell?" Leon asked casually.

"What’s your business with Lord Bell?" the Pit Fiend’s tone softened, showcasing the devil’s characteristic cunning in his smile; compared to the demons who are fond of fighting and killing, devils were clearly better communicators, more adept at understanding the times.

"An old friend." Leon raised an eyebrow. "I’m called Leon. Has he mentioned my name to you?"

"So it’s Lord Leon." The Pit Fiend immediately put on a fawning smile, "Lord Bell is now at the Blood War front line."

Leon got the address of Bell’s location, immediately left the Forging Factory, and found the high-spirited Bell in a fortress at the Blood War front line. Smiling, he said, "I did so much to make you famous, yet you still haven’t managed to become the Avernus Lord."

"If Mr. Leon agrees to ally with me, I can immediately become the Avernus Lord," Bell said with a sly smile. Although he hadn’t ascended the Avernus Lord’s throne, it didn’t stop him from seizing a lot of power from Zarriel.

"If you want me to ally with you, you’ll first need to offer me something I’m interested in," Leon cut to the chase. "There’s a small matter I need your help with."

"Please, go ahead." Bell gestured with his hand.

"Do you know one of Zarriel’s gladiators, a Tiefling named Karak?" Leon asked.

"The demon disaster Karak?" Bell chuckled, "Neither strong nor smart, lacking loyalty, constantly trying to escape Avernus... I heard she recently succeeded in escaping via a Nautilus, though I don’t know why Zarriel favors her."

"Her heart was replaced with a Hell Engine, and if she stays on the Material Plane for an extended period, it will overheat... give me the blueprint of that Hell Engine," Leon said, "or give me a new model Hell Engine, one that can operate smoothly even in the Material Plane."

"What could a small Tiefling have done to warrant Mr. Leon speaking on her behalf?" Bell said, "Is there anything else you need?"

"That should be about it." Leon hesitated for a moment, "Are you concerned about the Material Plane?"

"I must spend a great deal of energy on the Blood War..." Bell paused, "I don’t know which matter you’re referring to."

Leon shared the matter regarding the Supreme True God, that the Chosen of the Three Gods of Death used the Karsus Crown to control an Elder Brain. The Karsus Crown had always been stored in Mephisto’s Treasure Vault, and it shouldn’t have been stolen so easily, especially with a plan conveniently lying beside it...

"Is there something Mr. Leon wishes to inquire with me about?" Bell gently shook his head, "At the moment, I only care about two things: one is that demons have returned again, no matter how many get killed, and the other is how to pull Zarriel down from the Avernus Lord’s throne..."

"I may not know what happened, but as long as Mr. Leon knows, if there’s a devil’s shadow behind a matter, that devil certainly played a role," Bell said, "perhaps you could ask Rafael; he’s Mephisto’s hapless son, and his mansion is in Avernus."

Leon couldn’t help but laugh out loud and said, "I just came from Rafael’s mansion... the House of Hope is splendid and luxurious, even more so than my villa."

"Perhaps Mr. Leon may need a Hell construction crew," Bell interjected.

"If needed, I’ll contact you," Leon nodded.

Leon obtained the blueprint for the Hell Engine and once again declined Bell’s alliance invitation. Not in a hurry to return to Border’s Gate, since he made the trip, how could he not indulge a bit in Hell Bliss City?

While the protagonist team grew impatient under Charis’s tender care, Leon was lying on a soft sofa enjoying a foot massage from a succubus, pondering how to obtain the Karsus Crown, imitate Rafael using Orpheus’s Hammer to exchange with the protagonist team for the Karsus Crown, or...

Speaking of which, he was always concerned about the Tomb Guardian, but in fact, the Tomb Guardian hardly cares about anything; in the game, besides interrupting his gatherings, he only intervened once, otherwise indifferent to Gael’s self-destruction or Vilakis using the Wish Technique to kill the protagonist team.

In short, he wants to obtain the Karsus Crown, hoping to change the unchangeable plot in the game; henceforth, he must take action and not just cheer from the sidelines as before.