Kashi's declaration sent chills down the dwarfs' spines. Although they were overjoyed by their patron god's freedom, seeing him interact so familiarly with a foreigner—and a daeben at that—left bitter tastes in their mouths.
Fortunately, either out of either respect or fear, not a single dwarf moved or showed opposition. However, their downcast gazes exposed their apparent discomfort. Kashi's wish bothered them greatly. If Aygor ordered them to serve Kashi's country, they would have no choice but to do so.
Every dwarf awaited Kashi's next words with bated breath.
Kashi, aware of the dwarfs' contradictory emotions, returned his gaze to Aygor. He then raised two fingers and said, "Before I say my wish, I have two things I wish to clarify."
Aygor nodded. "Only natural. Ask."
"First, you are not capable of changing the fertility of the ground, are you?" Kashi asked, his gaze measured. He had created a few hypotheses after examing the similarities between the rewards given by the gods after their release.
"As expected of the master of the guild that released three of my brethren," Aygor praised with a hearty laugh. "It is as you said, daeben. My domain lies mainly in the field of crafting. Land and animal management belong to the twins."
"Mera and Fera, right?" At Aygor's confirmation, Kashi nodded. It was as he suspected.
Freeing Fermes (god of communication) reactivated the Rinks while, according to Syèl, freeing Alure reopened the Circle. Finally, because Suvron was the goddess of beauty and music, renovating a tower could also be seen as falling under her jurisdiction. She could not, however, create a building from scratch. That was Gerber's domain. This information could prove crucial in possible future dealings with the gods, so Kashi made sure to store it in his mind.
Satisfied, Kashi asked the second question. "How long until I have to give my wish?"
Aygor smiled. "I can only hold my existence for seventy-two hours in this plane. Any longer and the damage to this plane shall be irreparable. It would be best if you spoke your wish before then. Else I shall grant another reward I deem appropriate then leave."
Kashi nodded. "My wish is a bit cumbersome. It cannot be easily explained by word of mouth." Two worktables and several easels appeared in front of the daeben as he bowed respectfully. "I will trouble esteemed senior to wait on me. I shall present my wish before the deadline."
Even as Kashi spoke, several rolled up canvasses of different sizes appeared on the table. Most had been replenished from the stores in Meilfour before he met up with Muko and subsequently got captured.
Kashi took out Rosario's brush. When his Intermediate Painting mastery passed Level 3, the brush's bristles gained the ability to change their size and thickness at will. Being a top-class material, he never had to worry about brushes anymore.
Rosario's Brush's next ability was scheduled to unlock at Expert Level 1. Luckily, all the paintings Kashi did for Project Fame boosted his Painting Mastery to Intermediate Level 8. The fact it had only risen four levels despite the weeks of painting fully displayed Suvron's adherence to quality over quantity.
"Hoho," Aygor's chuckled as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Father never let anyone disturb him when he painted. It will be a treat to see what his chosen disciple can accomplish."
Kashi nearly fell over at those words. 'Please don't compare me to a god!' In the nick of time, Kashi collected himself and faced Aygor with a stiff smile. "Esteemed elder, I do believe it is only right to spend some time with the people you govern, lest they remain on their knees till your departure."
Aygor's brows furrowed, but he eventually conceded with a regretful look. "Yes, yes, you are correct." He cast the daeben a gaze like he was about to miss the most remarkable event on the planet.
Collecting himself, Aygor resumed a visage of an imperial god as he cast his gaze over the dwarfs. A profound look filled with emotion regarded these fiercely loyal men and women. Eventually, he shook his head and sighed as he uttered, "...You have suffered."
These three words smashed open the dam of emotions these proud dwarfs had held in for so long. The dome shook as men, women, and children wept loudly, some knocking their heads against the icy floor as they repeatedly kowtowed to their patron god.
Who knew the pain the dwarfs had endured these years better than they? Shunned by their people, yet forced to bear the brunt of the daebens' attacks. Used by both sides of the war to create machines of war, and then discarded afterward to pick up the remains of their people.
If all that was not enough, the people of Destia begun to eye the broken country of Merriheim for themselves. If the dwarfs had not sold themselves to the Chaos Order, then who knew, perhaps they would have ended up serving another. But as fate would have it, their protectors became their greatest prosecutors.
The dwarfs endured humiliation and rage for so long that, at some point, they began to seek joy in the pain of others.
Now, the dwarfs shed tears as they realized just how shameful their actions had been. Enemy or not, for them to have found pleasure in watching a child fight for her life. How could such people be worthy of their god's love and protection? Shame, guilt, and joy caused them to kowtow repeatedly, as they knew the weight of their sins and the promise of a brighter future.
Kashi felt something in his heart tighten. He clenched his chest and squeezed, confusion in furrowed brows. What was that? That emotion just now? Something seemed to resonate inside him as he watched the dwarfs release years of pent-up stress and pain.
Listening to the dwarfs' relieved voices, Kashi wondered if this was what the prodigal son felt like when he returned home after facing the cruelties of the outside world.
The daeben could not be sure. After all, neither he, Razznik, nor Suzuki ever had a real 'home.' Sure, they had a roof over their head and food to eat, but it was never quite 'home,' at least not in the way the TV sitcoms liked to describe it. A place one returns to frequently, where they can feel at peace and relax.
Ah, wait. Kashi recalled a certain girl sitting in a seiza with a bow by her side, practicing mentally. That serene picture. He wondered if that could count as Suzuki's home. Subconsciously, he glanced at Lunette, whose pain was visible on her bitten lips.
Ah, wait. For Kashi to learn this emotion, wouldn't he have to lose whatever or whoever eventually became his home? Realizing this, Kashi's eyes grew cold as he released his hold on his chest.
Such a useless emotion. He had no interest in learning it.
It took nearly thirty minutes before the dwarfs stabilized their emotions. Zeing regarded his brethren with a rueful smile. Finally, they had begun to once again walk on the right path once again. Even though he could not interfere too much in the lives of mortals, he had long since vowed to protect these people regardless of what path they chose in life.
Of course, it felt much better protecting good people than protecting hooligans. With a sigh, Zeing helped the council elders to their feet. "Come, come. This is not a good place to hold this discussion." He looked up at Aygor with a solemn gaze. "My Lord, please, let us retire to the throne room. I believe Kashi'll appreciate the quiet."
"Mm." Aygor nodded and descended to the ground. He patted Kashi's shoulder as he headed toward the entrance. "I will be anticipating your wish."
Kashi's face paled as a sliver of Aygor's overwhelming power seeped into his shoulder. What the hell kind of monster was this!? What level could he possibly need to fight this guy? 1000? 2000? And Razznik defeated these guys! For the first time, Kashi got a good look at his goal. Shit, Kashi could not help but grin as his fingers rapidly clenched.
This was truly exciting!
Aygor felt Kashi's rising battle spirit and secretly chuckled to himself. Ah, a mere millennium ago, he would have laughed at such a reaction, but he had borne witness to the Razznik's rise despite his mother's efforts to deter him. Indeed, there was not a single god who would still underestimate the potential of mortals, especially the Summoned. Their innate abilities were beyond terrifying.
Aygor motioned for the dwarfs to rise, and like the clapping of a thunderstorm, several thousand dwarfs shot to their feet and proudly stomped against the earth. With a cursory glance at Syèl and the rest, Aygor left the dome with Zeing close behind.
It took some time, but eventually, the dome was once again empty, save for the Maggots and Asha. The chetah's troops retired to get some rest and await their next orders.
"...Well, that just happened," Syèl chuckled when he saw his guildmates' tongue-tied expressions.
Jade's eyes widened as she stared at Kashi in shock. "Th-Th..." She shook her head. "Did you just ask a god to wait for you!?"
"More importantly, you were chatting like he was the local bloke down the street," Shoko muttered, still reeling in shock from the events. "Were you not afraid he would accidentally sneeze you to death?"
"Right?" Syèl grumbled. "Couldn't even find the timing to poke my head in."
"No, no," Shoko countered with a wave. "You shouldn't be poking your head anywhere in the first place."
Pfft. Lunette's chuckle drew Maggots' attention. Seeing the young girl with tears in her eyes, struggle to hold in her amusement brought wry smiles to their faces as they realized the absurdity of the entire situation. "Ha...Haha," Lunette panted as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's alright, isn't it? That's just how he is." She playfully glared at Kashi as she said so, eliciting complete approval from her guildmates.
"Hehe," Syèl chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Kashi's neck. His eyes flashed happily as he revealed a toothy grin. "Now, no one can call me weird anymore. Not when there's a guy who's pals with a thousand-year-old hybrid, has what is essentially the devil as his brother, and is a god-chatting monster on our team.
"No way," Shoko once again countered.
"Yeah," Jade seconded. "You're plenty weird on your own. Vampire-san."
Kashi's eyes lit up as he glanced incredulously at Syèl. "Vampire?"
"Hmph!" Syèl let out an exaggerated snort as he patted his chest. "Your big brother here's a Vampire Duke. Duke, you hear!?" Syèl boasted as a pair of blood-red wings sprouted from his back. Being in such proximity, Kashi could not help but shiver on the onslaught of the savage power within them. Syèl naturally did not miss this reaction, and his grin widened even further. Snarkily, he boasted, "Not bad, right? Don't worry. Big Bro here'll protect you from now on."
"Hmph!" Interrupted a cute little voice. "Kashi does not need your protection! Kashi is the strongest!" Several pairs of eyes turned in surprise to the little girl sitting proudly on Kira's back. Zuri's stuck out her chest proudly as she glared at Syèl, not pressured in any way under the gaze of all these masters.
"Well said." Kashi freed himself from Syèl's hold, a sardonic smile on his face. "I do not recall having an older brother. However, it is never too late to get a younger brother." At Syèl's raised brow, Kashi smirked. 'I didn't get a chance to study it yet, but...' Kashi smiled at Zuri's proud gaze. 'I can't betray that confidence.'
The daeben's eyes shone with a dangerous glint. With a resolute gaze, Kashi stabbed his right hand into his chest and grasped his heart before anyone could react.
"[Drakul's Dream]!" Kashi crushed his heart as one of the prompts he got during Aygor's test appeared before him.
Kashi's body trembled as rivers of blood burst out of his chest. His gaze faltered as his HP dropped to 1 in an instant, but he managed to stand his ground. Lunette visibly paled, screaming as she ran towards him, but a blood wing halted her steps. Kashi sent Syèl a grateful gaze as he closed his eyes and chanted. "My Dream among the heavens, My Star below the earth, Awaken From Slumber, Pierce Reality... [Draconic Awakening]."
BOOM!
Massive aura undulations, visible to the naked eye, pushed the maggots several feet away from the daeben. The aura grew thick and black till it was like a night curtain surrounding the daeben. Kashi groaned as a venerable roar shook the depths of his mind, like something ancient struggling against its bindings. Kashi released a roar that echoed the dragon within as the nearly liquefied aura began to retract into his body.
The miasma burrowed into his skin, and flesh, to the depths of his bone marrows, commencing the final cleansing and reforming of his entire systems. Scales grew from his fingertips, toes, and head, all converging around the bloody hole in his chest, which absorbed an enormous amount of aura.
Kashi gritted his teeth through the pain and instinctively guided all his mana and aura into his brain. He was not sure what that thing fighting in his head was, but somehow he knew it needed his assistance.
Kashi did not know this, and indeed it could not be found in any records, but [Dream of the Drakul] was an ancient pact between an exiled elder dragon and their lord Skyrm. Though punished for his crimes, Skyrm promised the dragon that whoever received his inheritance would have a chance become a dragon.
Alas, unfortunately, the dragon soul formed by even the most successful descendants could not break the boundaries of being a dream firmly locked in their soul space. Even though they could draw some power from it, they were never able to take that final step.
Kashi, too, would have forever gotten stuck at this stage, were it not for his first inheritance: The Legacy of Ferulic, weaver of dimensions. Ferulic's spirit could create dimensions from nothing and travel among the vast reaches of time and space. Busting open a dream realm was far too easy for this tyrannical spirit.
The dragon soul within Kashi's dream released a joyful cry as it burst out of its shackles, accompanied by an earth-shattering roar! Briefly, for just about a second, a 3m tall, 100m long dragon silhouette appeared behind the daeben. Its dark scales were the color of night, smoldering embers, carrying the glare of an emperor. It glared at the petrified Maggots for a second before burrowed into the gaping hole in Kashi's chest.
The dragon coiled in on itself, revolving several times till it settled into a spot. It then morphed into a sturdy new heart, which greedily connected to badly ruptured blood vessels.
Kashi's HP sharply climbed as the hole in his chest rapidly closed up. Kashi, whose entire body was coated in hard scales, heaved a sigh of relief as he examined the notification prompt.
Finally, [Elder Draconic Instinct] (Passive) added 100 points to Instinct, [Elder Draconic Aura] (Passive) added 200 points to Fighting Spirit, and [Elder Draconic Claws] (Active) Increased the chance to Ignore armor when used by 20%
"To think I would witness the birth of a Draconian." Kashi turned to see Rider watching him with widened eyes. "Kid, you truly are full of miracles."
The Maggots, still unrecovered from their shock, could only stare stupidly at the scaled daeben before them. They could all feel the oppressive aura bursting out subconsciously from every cell in the daeben's body.
Syèl could only leak out a wry smile as he complained, "Will it kill you not to be too much of a monster?"
Kashi laughed as he pointed at the halben. "Hehe. Only a monster can keep another monster in check."
"HAHAHAHA!" Zuri's proudly laughed as she excitedly patted Kira's back. "Zuri said Kashi is the strongest!" She declared, chest puffed with pride. Anyone would think she was draconian.
Rider glanced at Zuri. The light smile he wore suddenly stiffened. His brows furrowed as a yellow glint flashed in his eyes. 'Beast Soul Possession? That skill still lived!?' Rider struggled to keep his emotions in check as he turned to Kashi. As far as he was concerned, Kashi's Elder Draconian transformation was now akin to a pile of mud in his eyes.
After all, Rider was no dragon. Faced with the possibility of a successor, even the aloof hybrid found his heartbeat racing. "Kid, who is that child?"
Kashi raised a brow, surprise in his eyes. Since he was in dragon form, he could naturally hear Rider's accelerated heartbeat even though the hybrid tried his best to keep it under control. "Zuri?" Kashi asked with an amused gaze. "Zuri is Zuri."
"That's right! Zuri is Zuri!" Zuri seconded with a proud shout. Her hearing was quite excellent too. "What do you want with Zuri, gray ojii-san!?"
"Pfft... BUAHAHAAHA!" Syèl burst out laughing as black lines formed on Rider's forehead. That was right. No one had dared to mention it, but Rider was unnaturally pale, to the extent his skin was slightly gray. If they were in the real world, Syèl would have bet a fortune he was a cosplayer with maximum cosmetics skills.
Although Rider was humiliated, he did not mind it and instead turned to Kashi. "That girl... Give her to me!"
Even though it sounded like an order, Kashi knew this man's infuriating personality.
Rider would never force the weak into anything. It only came out as an order because he was agitated.
"Heeh? What do you want with her? Don't tell me the years have turned you into a lol—" Even Kashi did not dare finish that sentence as Rider's agitation leaked out a small amount of his aura. That tiny amount, which did not even amount to a percentage of the hybrid's true strength, caused the surrounding Maggots to feel sick to their stomachs.
Rider noticed the abnormality and quickly retracted his aura. "My apologies. I was too agitated." He took in a deep breath and explained. "Vampires pass on their inheritance through Blood Rites, but werewolves have two ways of passing on their inheritance. One is through childbirth. During consummation, a portion of a werewolf's strength is passed on to their child. This is integral to every werewolf as those who have yet to pass on their inheritance will always feel a void. The second and only other method is to infect a hume. However, ninety-nine percent of those infected perish from soul erosion. But there is one exception."
Kashi glanced at Zuri. "She's the exception?"
"[Beast Soul Possession] The bearer of this skill, if trained well, can absorb the soul of any beast, including great beasts like Skyrm. It is a god-level apex skill. I have no idea how this young girl learned this skill, but if it is her, I am confident she can Inherit [Lucian's Lineage]. My blood is too pure, and I have no intention of getting married, so she is the only one capable of obtaining my inheritance without perishing."
Kashi smiled. "Fine. I'll let you train her since it'll make her stronger, but you have to do something for me too." 'Perhaps we might be able to stimulate her memories if he can find out how she got that skill.'
Rider nodded. "What do you want?"
"Two things. First, find out how she got that skill. Second," Kashi pointed at the far-off entrance where Hektor stood. "Take him with you. Train him as a [Dragon Knight]. He has the potential."
Rider glared at Kashi, but the daeben didn't respond to his intimidation. 'He is cut from the same cloth as Razznik, alright. To dare make such demands of me.' However, when Rider glanced at Zuri, his gaze softened. Resigned, he sighed. "I will take him. However, I will not be responsible if he perishes."
Kashi smirked. "He won't."
That said, Kashi walked up to Zuri. He patted her head and grinned. "Who's the strongest?"
"Kashi is the strongest!" Zuri declared.
"No," Kashi shook his head. "Zuri and Kashi are the strongest! Does Zuri want to remain as strong as Kashi?" Zuri nodded vehemently, such that Kashi was afraid her head would fall off. "Then Zuri should spend some time with the scary gray ojii-san. Scary ojii-san will make Zuri as strong as Kashi. Then we will both be the strongest!"
Zuri's expression flickered between delight, worry, and sadness. "But Zuri does not want to leave Kashi."
"Hehe. Don't worry," Kashi promised as he ruffled her hair. "Kashi won't go anywhere until you get back."
Zuri's eyes widened. "Promise?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die."
"Zuri doesn't want Kashi to die!"
Kashi chuckled as he lifted Zuri off of Kira's back and onto his shoulders. Zuri laughed as she grabbed Kashi's spiky hair. "I won't die. I'll be waiting here for you, so come back as soon as possible."
Zuri nodded as the daeben let her down. She rushed over to Rider and declared with a proud gaze. "Kashi has allowed you to train Zuri, gray ojii-san! You must not disappoint Kashi!"
Gazing at this young hellraiser, Rider did not know whether to laugh or cry. His disciple treated him this way! Ah, how his father would laugh at him right now. He placed a hand on Zuri's shoulder, and a mandala appeared beneath their feet.
"Well then, Kashi, I shall see you in two months."
Poor Hektor did not even know what happened when a mandala appeared beneath his feet. He did not even get a chance to scream before he, Rider, and Zuri disappeared.
Kashi's scales regressed as he deactivated [Elder Draconic Body]. He stretched and then turned his gaze to the worktable. "Now, to get started." He looked over his shoulder at the Maggots. "You guys staying?"
"Heck, no!" Syèl answered for the group. Soon, only Kashi and Lunette remained in the dome.
Kashi spread the first canvass upon the worktable as he raised a charcoal pencil.
"Reminds you of old times, doesn't it," remarked Lunette with a chuckle.
Kashi smiled. "Got any songs?"