Published at 19th of June 2024 8:01 am

Chapter 1726 Chaos [5]

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That group of people wasn't originally one. They were many who acted for different purposes who ended up sharing the same tragic fate and bonding over it.

Generations of living as one and breeding into each other's families led them to create a diverse society of united people. They, naturally, needed a ruler. Not an entity like the source of their tragedy, but a fair and just ruler who truly cared for his people.

The system they employed was a branch of democracy created exclusively for the use of their society. It was strange, as they had to account for their curse and other matters exclusive to those who were enemies of the sun, but the essence was still the same.

The society itself chose who was worthy of standing at its head. Currently, it was a man named Hendricks Urson.

He was a large man. His skin was the color of earth, as were his eyes. He had a muscled body that had clearly been through countless hardships, and bright golden hair, the only feature he inherited from his original lineage.

The conditions of the underworld produced many different ways of survival. Some members of the society turned incredibly pale as the lack of sunlight affected their skin. Their physical bodies didn't adapt as well to the environment, but in turn, they were able to develop many new skills that eventually created their current semi-thriving society.

Others were dark, ranging from shades of brown to obsidian-black. These people came from family lines that took to the subterranean world extremely well. They adopted properties of the stone, metal, and earth around them into their bodies and wore their skin pridefully as an eternal sign of their great accomplishment.

As dragons, they all had specific elemental affinities within their bodies. However, those had been suppressed by the curse and disallowed from blossoming in newborns. These dragons developed entirely new methods of using power, taking inspiration from the environment and the legends of their time.

Hendricks was the man who revolutionized their skills in the modern era. He did not come from the metal or mineral factions, which were usually seen as more talented, but he proved that anyone from any faction could have power if they worked for it.

Those first few steps up a tunnel that had been long filled with boulders hiding what lay on the other side were terrifying. Knowing that he was experiencing something unheard of, he didn't know how to respond.

He came from humble circumstances so he was always considerate of the people around him, but he possessed the undeniable air of a leader that suppressed opposition.

In accordance with his personality, he left the underworld first. If he lived, then he would live with his people. If he died, then he died for their sake.

Those first few steps up a tunnel that had been long filled with boulders hiding what lay on the other side were terrifying. Knowing that he was experiencing something unheard of, he didn't know how to respond.

Still…

'My people must quell their thirst.'

Their curse had been lifted. In some time, the vengeful spirit that polluted their blood would clear away.

But, it was unknown whether that would be in a few weeks or a few generations. Hendricks sensed the growing waves of discontent from the populace. They were getting restless. More so after the plans to raid the surface were created. Many of them must have realized that they would heal with time, but their minds were too far gone for that option to remain viable.

Hendricks was not a man consumed by his thirst for blood, but as a member of the forsaken dragon races, he possessed just as much of it as everyone else.

He knew that they'd never be able to properly live if they couldn't vent the accumulated frustrations of millions of ancestors.

'That is why, though I am sorry for those who will be caught up in our madness, I must allow this to happen.'

One step after another took Hendricks closer and closer to the surface. He soon saw the creeping rays of sunlight shining into the tunnel from the outside world.

'It is comforting to know that my death may be painless.'

If it was instant, then he would not suffer.

His heart was calm as he took those last few steps. His muscles tightened slightly as he slammed out with his fist and crushed the last border separating him from the world, and…

He bathed in sunlight.

His eyes were forced closed by the immense light levels. They had evolved to be accustomed to underground conditions, so naturally, they didn't immediately function.

Luckily, through the experimentation of the root clans, those whose skin had turned pale, a technology had been developed to counter its effects.

Hendricks tapped twice on his temple and slowly reopened his eyes.

This time, he saw not only light, but also everything it allowed his eyes to process as information.

The sweeping meadows and plains of the most rural parts of Arulion, the mountains in the distance that were more plentiful than people…

It was a scenery that only existed in bloodline memories manifested right in front of his very eyes.

Just the fact that he could see it and survive meant that the wishes of their people had truly been granted.

There was nothing left to prevent them from bringing hell to the earth.

And for that…

'...I truly, truly am sorry.'

***

That was how it started; from a pitiful and unfortunate society with their own reasons for why they needed to commit atrocities.

But, that was not how it would be received from the people they were victimizing, was it?

When the forsaken dragon clans began their siege on the world, they hit the outermost western point of Arulion's central region. It was the first bit of society they came across, so it felt the brunt of their fury.

And, it just so happened to be near the same regions where the heir wars were currently taking place.

The first few cities they found were small, housing only a few thousand people at most. They were promptly burned to the ground, and every man, woman, and child present was left as nothing more than a corpse on the ground.

The original ten thousand dragons had more than enough time to multiply. With tens of millions of them alive today and several million equipped for combat, they spread out fast and immediately laid waste to every part of Arulion's west.

From there, they took many teleportation arrays and altered them to fit their needs. That unbelievably large mass of people had spread out across the entire kingdom with only one goal in mind.

They just wanted to slaughter anyone they came across.

They did so while smiling, laughing, and crying. They were ashamed of themselves, but so deeply enamored by the pleasure of releasing their hidden emotions that they could not stop killing.

The entire dragon kingdom entered hell. Those who could rise up to fight back did exactly that, and the common populace…

Well, they experienced the consequences of their oppression. Without power, without will, and without lineage, they were like a school of fish facing a much smaller army of sharks.

Numbers no longer mattered when there was such a difference in strength.

The chaos in the dragon kingdom worsened until even Holy Clans had to step in and take a stand against the invaders. A situation of such severity was created only one week into their invasion.

Melania and Valerie were currently defending Fort Halleya. The other geniuses had also left the heir wars stage on the orders of the people they followed. The entire event was practically canceled at this point, but there was still one person standing on that small plot of land.

August had not moved yet, nor had anybody come to find him. The Holy Dragons were too busy searching for their lost treasures to even pay attention to the kingdom's destruction.

But, now that Damien had finished plotting with the Dragon Emperor, it was about time for him to be released.

"Go," Damien said, looking off into the distance from his place in the skies.

"Show me the depths of your conviction."

With a snap of his fingers, the Eternal Darkness around August was dispersed.

For the first time in seven days, he saw the outside world again.

However, it was no longer the same world he left behind.

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