The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases-Chapter 550 - 340: Just Like Back Then (Grand Finale)

It was when David, from the depths of his very being, accepted the last piece of his once lost and despairing 'self'.

The thick clouds above the desolate Ferodiel, once dark as a dungeon, cracked open, revealing a fissure.

A ray of sunshine, absent for nearly thirty thousand years, descended.

「From that moment on.」

The Lock of Denial—the shackles had been shattered.

The Breath of Hatred—the seething rage had subsided.

The Delusion of Obsession—the fixation had been purged.

The Threads of Despair—life had been rekindled.

As all this quietly transpired, a gentle breeze stirred across the once dead and barren Ferodiel.

One by one, the dragons previously ensnared by the Lock of Denial began to awaken.

Gazing at that first light of breaking dawn, they were all dumbfounded, then wildly ecstatic:

This war, in which they had seen no glimmer of hope, had they truly won it so… haphazardly?!

Yay! Now we can go back to bullying the weak and fearing the strong, living idly, and waiting for death!

That was the simple thought of most Chromatic Dragons.

Now I'll have something to brag about to every dragon I meet until I'm in my dragon grave.

This was the sentiment of Brass Dragons like Fulatimir.

Only the Gold and Silver Dragons, who best understood draconic history, were deeply moved. To paraphrase the style of bardic chronicles:

The history of the Multiverse is, perhaps, about to turn a new page.

The era of dragons, their era, is truly about to dawn.

The dragons had waited far too long for this day. Their wait stretched back thirty years, beginning when the Chromatic Dragon Queen Tiamat summoned them to the Evil Scale Fortress to prepare for war. It extended even further, to the horrendous Dragonfall War initiated by the ascension of the Dragon Mad Lock thirty thousand years ago.

It had been so long that when the day finally arrived, those experiencing it firsthand felt a sense of unreality.

Regardless, they would all, willingly or unwillingly, have to greet this day's arrival.

Overwhelmed by an ineffable emotion bubbling up from their chests, it was impossible to say who first let out a Dragon's Roar, a bellow to the heavens.

Soon, these cathartic Dragon's Roars merged into a continuous chorus, rivaling the fervent sighs of abominations.

However, the roars of some young and virile Chromatic Dragons began to take on a different, suggestive quality. Given their uninhibited nature, and fueled by the suspension bridge effect from their recent shared struggle against the abomination's main camp, some had already found themselves attracted to one another then and there.

Some Metal Dragons, sensing trouble, immediately flew away with disdain from the scene, which threatened to devolve into a den of Sin of Lust at any moment, terrified of being targeted by some accursed Chromatic Dragon.

Being openly courted by a Chromatic Dragon was hardly a romantic affair.

Even Attilicia, a Silver Dragon and a father, could not help but gaze skyward and sigh, a smile of profound relief spreading across his face.

For this day's arrival, he had toiled ceaselessly for decades, day in and day out.

Fortunately, he could finally grant himself a long vacation.

And finally… he could spend some quality, romantic time with the mother of his child, just the two of them.

At this thought, Attilicia couldn't help but, like a Narcissus among dragons, flash a smile over his shoulder at Pafila behind him.

But the instant his gaze met Pafila's, feeling the depth of emotion and fiery passion in those eyes, Attilicia, whose heart had initially fluttered, suddenly seemed to recall something.

Looking at Pafila, whose deified form was even more imposing than Tiamat's, towering like a mountain peak…

His previously upright spine immediately deflated like a Tom Cat balloon that had been pricked, visibly shrinking.

「Meanwhile, on the battlefield.」

Mofei, the White Dragon, shivering, pulled his head out of the rotting earth and locked eyes with a female White Dragon who had just awakened and climbed out of a nearby pit.

Facing this unprecedented turning point in his draconic life, Mofei, whose head had been cracked open on the battlefield by a materialized Lock of Denial, looked at the burgeoning life all around him. As if struck by a sudden, world-shattering insight, he murmured to himself:

Since the war is won, the boss is bound to return to Katjana's territory sooner or later. And in the years, or even decades, after the war, there's sure to be a massive wave of Hatchling births, WAAAH! If I, Mofei, hurry back to the Northern Sea Fishery now, gather a new batch of murlocs as minions, and then use Animal Companion to recruit a gang of orcas and dolphins to help me herd fish shoals to prepare Dragon Food reserves in advance… David Uthos, my lord and master, Mofei, you're destined to strike it rich, WAAAH!!!

Having laid out his plans, this Sigma White Dragon immediately abandoned the dumbfounded female White Dragon, soared into the sky, and vanished into the distance.

「After an unknown amount of time had passed deep within Ferodiel,」

David finally completed his ultimate self-integration, accepting and embracing everything that was his.

When he reopened his eyes, the figures of the Dragon Gods had long since departed. To David's slight chagrin, his Dragon Mother Pafila and Dragon Dad Attilicia had also absconded!

He couldn't help but feel: They're the true love, and I'm just an accident.

Huh, that's not right…

In David's memory, even if his mother Pafila and the others couldn't wait to embark on their honeymoon, Tania and Lizrite would absolutely have stayed by his side.

"Daddy~" Just as David was pondering this, a familiar call came from beside him.

David turned his head and looked intently. He saw his eldest daughter, Satilaesa the Brass Dragon, perched on his shoulder like a languid Abyssinian Cat, playfully swishing her tail at him.

Next to her was her younger Green Dragon sister, Svetlana, who was several times larger yet appeared somewhat shy and reserved.

He immediately smiled in reassurance.

He still had his two sweet, caring daughters.

And Satilaesa, true to being the daughter who knew him best, spoke before David could even ask, as if she already knew his question:

"No need to look, Aunt Tania and Aunt Lizrite took the other sisters back to Katjana already. They said that when you woke up, you'd definitely want to go to the Athas plane first to get Mom Nifadora and Aunt Shadila. So~ for this trip, it's just us two accompanying you, Daddy. You have no idea how miserably Octavia cried when her mom, Aunt Lizrite, dragged her away, heehee."

In this moment, alone with her father, this eldest Brass Dragon daughter's Arrogance had now softened into a playful haughtiness.

David couldn't help but smile with relief.

Yes, over the years, he owed so much to those Green Dragon sisters, especially Nifadora.

So, according to his planned itinerary, the first stop was indeed Athas to retrieve his devoted Green Dragon wife.

But looking at Satilaesa's form, which had shrunk almost back to the size of a Hatchling…

David couldn't help but ask, "So, what's with this miniature version of you?"

Satilaesa immediately lifted her head with an air of utter naturalness and declared, "Well, you were gone, and someone had to step up and hold the fort for you for a while. Now that the war's over, of course, I have to change back and make up for my lost childhood!"

"Mmm-hmm," her Green Dragon sister Svetlana nodded enthusiastically beside her, her face full of envy, as if she too wished she could transform back into a Hatchling and be a little pendant for her dad.

"Alright, alright, you have a point! Let's go!"

With a flick of David's tail, the space before them rippled like water, ethereal and dreamlike.

They saw a graceful Green Dragon in front of a Dragon Nest overgrown with flowers, tending to the radiant garden she had cultivated over many years.

Each flower connected to the Emerald Dream of a different world.

In those days, it was by tending to these flowers, one after another, that she had found where David was.

"Mommy!!!"

She suddenly heard an incredibly familiar shout. Whirling around, she saw her two little ones rushing towards her, their faces alight with excitement.

But her gaze was entirely captivated by the familiar crimson figure behind them.

Watching him, smiling, striding towards her with heroic bearing.

Everything was just as it had been, all those years ago.

...

「New Continent, Saeolus City.」

Under the astonished gaze of the aghast Elf maids, the Dragon Egg that had remained in Sloth for thirteen years, refusing to hatch, finally showed signs of movement.

Just as Mirillian, the Duke of Silver, having been informed by her servants, came rushing over, her skirts hiked up in her haste.

CRACK! The eggshell broke.

Then, to the amazement of Mirillian and the surrounding Moon Elves, a pallid tail poked out of the shell.

Sticking out stiffly.

Fearing something might be wrong with her child, Mirillian immediately activated her Eye of True Seeing.

Under this nearly X-ray vision, the Elf Duchess was astonished to see a Hatchling, also entirely pallid, stretching inside the eggshell much like a human would…

She couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation as she mused:

This child of mine is truly even lazier than I imagined.

The only thing she couldn't quite understand was, David was clearly a Red Dragon, so why was the child they had produced a 'White Dragon'?

And just then, Mirillian heard the little one murmuring to herself:

"Oh, dear heavens, this world has finally calmed down. Perfect timing, I've pretty much finished all the movies and anime from Dad's Dragon legacy. It's time, time for me, Floratia… to get out and about. I hope that David guy has already prepared a delicious meal for the adorable Floratia…"

POP.

And so, Floratia finally poked her head out of the eggshell.

But as she surveyed the crowd of Elves, including the legendary Mirillian, all staring intently at her…

Floratia fell into a long, bewildered silence.

Having been too busy sleeping to gather any information about the outside world, she was utterly convinced she had fallen into the same predicament her old man David had faced years ago:

Don't tell me I've been nabbed by an Elf egg-stealing ring before I even hatched? How… how could this happen?! But I can't breathe fire from my backside! How am I supposed to save myself… WAAAH…

As these thoughts swirled, Floratia's already large, limpid eyes began to well up with misty tears.

Mirillian, who possessed the Eye of True Seeing but couldn't read minds, had never encountered such a situation.

Having lived for over a century but being a first-time Dragon Mother, her heart immediately ached. She gently lifted the slime-covered Floratia from the eggshell, held her close, and softly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, dear Floratia, Mommy is here."

Meanwhile, the Elf maids, as if they had rehearsed it countless times, quickly began to crush the freshly discarded eggshell pieces.

Mirillian might not have experience raising Hatchling babies, but she knew that eggshell was an indispensable first dessert for a Dragon.

Floratia, however, was already struggling with all her might in her mother's arms.

"You're lying to this dragon… How could Elves possibly give birth to a pureblood Dragon… Floratia… Floratia doesn't want to be a slave, doesn't want to be a mount, WAAAH!!!"

She had wholeheartedly believed she had slept through a world-ending catastrophe.

Only to wake up and find herself in a scenario straight out of a doujinshi titled 'Crap, I'm Surrounded by Elves!'

Such suffering…

Who could possibly understand it?! WAAAH!!!

Hearing these words, Mirillian felt both amused and pained, yet she had no idea how to explain.

After all, Moon Elves didn't possess the convenient Dragon legacy that Dragons did.

"Come now, you must be hungry. Let's eat a few pieces of eggshell first," Mirillian tried, hoping to build rapport through feeding.

Faced with the eggshell fragments offered to her mouth, Floratia first froze, then, her face a mask of defiance, burst into stormy tears.

"I don't want to eat dry calcium carbonate…

I want Burger King…

I want Happy Water…

WAAAH!!!

Me, Floratia…

Life is too hard!!!"