Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 193: Act IV, Scene I: To the Last Stage

Right before the dreamscape's wave could hit the city, Bel was already focused.

He refused to be trapped like before. The first thing he did was a summon; a bright purple light flared under his feet in the shape of a pentagram.

His wings spread in one sharp move, and then he shot off the rooftop like a comet, heading straight for the vortex above.

Wind roared past his ears. He threw all his strength into speed, boosted by the time‑slowing power of the Chrono Spiral Relic.

The city blurred away, then the clouds, until the world seemed frozen. The air was still, the light bent around him. He wasn't just fast, he was moving through a place where time crawled.

The vortex swelled ahead, spinning and pulling at the air. Bel felt the presence inside, huge, cold, and waiting.

The Slumbering King, without a doubt.

He dove in.

The sky was gone. Around him stretched a twisted tunnel where gravity pulled sideways and the ground folded in on itself. The walls rippled like water, repeating again and again.

Phantom hands reached out from the edges, threads of the King's power trying to drag him down.

Bel's wings spread wider. He wrapped his aura in the Authority of Destruction. The moment it spread, the walls unraveled like torn cloth.

Threads snapped, the tunnel shook. Even here, the King's power couldn't hold him. That meant he could reach him. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Bel narrowed his eyes and pushed harder. A pulse spread from him, mapping the space and locking onto two powerful signatures: Aurus and the King.

The tunnel squeezed, trying to crush him. Time thickened. His movements slowed, but he knew he was close.

He pulled the void orb from his inventory. It changed in his grip into a black scythe with a long, curved blade. Purple fire ran along its edge.

He filled it with his essence. The air seemed to freeze around it.

Then he swung.

The air split, the tunnel cracked like glass, glowing lines spreading before breaking apart. Light poured through.

Bel burst into a void filled with broken platforms, thousands of pieces of puppets, of bone and threads under a dim, cold glow.

Six giant phantom hands floated above like slow waves, and in the center, Aurus, fighting hard enough to tear the sky.

Both Aurus and the Slumbering King looked up as a deep slash opened the firmament, and Bel flew through.

For the first time, the three variables of the war were in the same place.

The dreamscape was back in place. The streets bent and folded over themselves like a broken maze, buildings leaning at impossible angles. Every sound was muffled, like the air itself was holding its breath.

Maël and Astros stood in the middle of the building. In the streets, civilians stumbled in confusion. Some shouted for help, others stood frozen, eyes blank, caught in the dream's grip.

Astros clenched his fists.

"Now what? What do we even do?"

Maël didn't answer right away. His gaze was fixed on the faint glow of the pentagram burned into the ground.

Due to their inability to feel anything, it didn't feel threatening; in fact, it gave off nothing at all, but he was sure that Bel would never act without a plan in mind.

"The Demon Lord must have gone into the vortex," Maël said at last. "It's the only move that makes sense. He's fast enough... I just hope it was worth it."

Astros glanced toward the edge of the building.

"Without him, we're stuck. We should find the civilians and keep them safe."

"Such noble heroes. Always putting others first."

Both men spun around.

A new pentagram bloomed behind them, larger and more ornate than the one Bel had left.

Petal-shaped ovals curved between its points, each marked at the inner angles by tiny thorn-pricks. The glow shifted, carmine near the curves, fading toward the tips, giving it the illusion of being alive.

But maybe it was, from its center, red and purple fire spiraled upward, twisting into a human skeleton.

Its jaw opened and closed with a dry rattle as the voice continued.

"Heroes throw away their humanity to save the many... only to be hated when they fail to save one. So they burn out in the flashiest way possible, hoping to give their life meaning."

Astros stepped forward, tense, but Maël lifted an arm to stop him.

Flesh and muscle crept over the skeleton until the Crimson Bloom stood before them, smiling like an angel.

"Elysia," Astros said, his voice low.

She tilted her head.

"Oh? That was just one mask... But I suppose it's easier for you to call me that. Should I keep it?"

Maël raised an eyebrow.

"Elysia... So she's the one who wanted a date with me."

Elysia gave a small, playful bow.

"I am. Crimson Bloom on the paper, but I love wearing masks, so you can call me whatever you please. Your friend, your guide, your savior, your father, even yourself. " She looked from one to the other, her eyes gleaming. "I hope you enjoyed the spectacle as much as I did. I must say, without bragging too much, this performance has been wonderful. Every actor played their part beautifully. I almost left... but then I thought, why not stay for the encore? The bad ending was almost here... but now that my lover is gone... well, it feels wrong to let you live."

"Lover?" Astros asked, more concerned by whoever would be a lover for this lunatic than anything else.

She sighed dreamily, rubbing her knees together and cupping her face with both hands.

"I mean... Bel and I have a special relationship. Ah... He swore to kill me if I didn't change... can you imagine? And I... fufu... I swore to make him try. Imagine it... us meeting again, tearing each other apart in a wave of blood and limbs. Oh my..."

Maël and Astros traded a quick look, both disturbed by the way she'd just spoken. Astros' lip curled in disgust, while Maël's smile was thin and tense.

"For once... I'm glad to not be the love interest." Maël chuckled.

"Oh... don't feel jealous. Love has no walls," she said sweetly, lowering her hands and letting black, warped daggers form in her grip. "I have enough for everyone."

Maël stepped forward.

"Oh, so you're a fan of multiple love interests, too? What a shame, we could have made a great duo."

A silent wind began to twirl around him.

"I'm afraid, but Bel will have to forgive me for killing his girlfriend."

Her pupils widened, and she let out a delighted gasp.

"And now I love you even more."

They were about to unleash chaos, but then, the earth moved.

The ground shook beneath their feet, at first a simple pulse like a heartbeat, then a slow, continuous tremor, rattling the building.

The pentagram Bel had left behind suddenly erupted, its purple fire blazing higher and higher.

Heat poured off it in waves, forcing both Maël and Astros to shield their faces.

The flames churned like a storm, swirling around, and sparks flew as the ground cracked beneath them.

With a deafening rush, two red wings tore free from the heart of the fire, scattering embers like falling stars across the street below.

Each beat of those wings fanned the flames, lighting the warped building in a ghostly violet and red glow.

Scales shimmered in the light and then, slowly, golden eyes opened, slit like a serpent's, locking on them.

Novaria had arrived.