Once the feed and the screen in the sky vanished, silence seemed to fall everywhere. The video had long since been relayed in real time to most royal powers as there was no way they could ignore such an event.

The feelings after viewing this video were mixed but for many, all they could feel was one thing…Dread.

For the people who had lived long enough and for the many witches who were watching the video from Salem or other places in Lustburg, all they could do was open their mouths wide and wonder if they were having hallucinations.

After all, they could recognize and understand what the technique Sol used represented.

This was the power of Destruction or at the very least, something very close and similar to it, and in this world, at least up to now, there has been only two people who could use this magic.

Ymir, the Goddess of Destruction, and Kali, the Witch of Destruction.

Now though, it seemed like they would have to add a third one to this list, Sol the Destroyer of Worlds, or at least that was how he called himself. But no one could laugh at such a high-sounding name because they knew that while this may be a joke now, this could become reality later on. This fact alone was enough for many to shiver as they realized just how dangerous Lustburg was now.

The rangers had been enough to bring wariness in them but at the end of the day, those rangers were just barely equal to Dukes. There was no comparison to a King. But Sol Luxuria was different. Sol was a Blessed. Which means he could and would most likely become a King and might even become a Demigod.

The words impossibility held no meaning in front of the absurdness of what being a Blessed and a Dragon represented.

This also reminded them of something else.

“By the way…He is just a Duke…Right?”

Suddenly, many people started worrying, they were mainly the leaders of the different countries.

Sol Dragona Luxuria was just a Duke.

What may have sounded like nothing but a statement full of mockery at first, directed to the ruler of a Kingdom being nothing but a Duke was now one that was filled with dread.

Sol Luxuria was just a Duke. Worse, he was not even officially the ruler of his Kingdom. He was just the Crown Prince of Luxuria.

This would mean that absolutely none of the Limitation Treaty applied to him and he was free to roam on any battlefield in the future. He could attack with full impunity any Kingdom and as long as he did not go too far in his conquest and stopped at a certain limit, the Kingdoms would have to bow to him as they had no way of acting without moving their Kings.

It wasn’t just him.

Setsuna, Lilin, White Knight, Nuwa. While not all of them were seen fighting, they were undoubtedly all high or top tier Ranked Duke as of now.

—They were all only Dukes.

The dignitaries realized for the first time that Lustburg was in a very very weird position, it was as if they had all the steps necessary to become the bullies of the world.

This reminded them of another entity, a country that once lorded over the world like a sword of Damocles, ready to fall at any moment.

Gluttony Foss, the country under the order of the Mother of Thousand Monsters, Echidna.

The irony did not fail to land as the one who ended that tyranny with the sacrifice of their King and Queen was none other than Lustburg itself and now, the child of those two was the one who was about to cause problems to the entire world.

The leaders all started moving, all understanding that if they did not do something fast…Lustburg would become a true hegemony like it was one thousand years ago.

***

[Southern Pride.]

While most countries were worried about Sol War's potential and starting to act, the elves were having a different problem. Well, it was hard to call it a problem in the truest sense of the word. But the Queen of the elves, the ever-proud Satella Superbia, was having a headache of the highest magnitude.

“My Queen! 70% of the young elves fainted!”

“My Queen! The Dragon Emperor Cult…I mean, the Dragon Emperor club is protesting and asking why the Dragon Emperor was still not officially recognized as a tribe leader.”

“Your Majesty! The main plaza is completely occupied, the infirmaries are full and tension is high!”

“We are facing the greatest wet crisis ever! I nearly slipped on someone's juice while coming here!”

Many elves blushed at the last statements as while only the relatively young elves had completely fainted, it wasn’t as if the older one were spared some effect.”

“Jasmine! Stop acting like this in this situation.”

Satella covered her face while her friend, the Supreme Daughter, cackled with delight.

“What? I am only reporting the truth. To be honest, I was late because I had to change my robe. It was not in any appropriate state.”

Her words were not explicit but everyone understood what she meant. After all, Jasmine was not truly as old as Satella.

Satella could only groan but there was nothing more she could say or do to indirectly berate everyone.

After all, even in her case, despite having dragon blood and having lived for so long, she had felt her face flush a little and her heartbeat accelerate when the video was shared with her.

She could only imagine what the others must have felt.

But the current situation was no joking matter. This video was no different from a weapon of mass destruction for the elves and their culture.

Even now, she was receiving reports about more than half of their guards at the border being all down after fainting or simply unable to fight.

It wasn’t as if they had never seen a dragon.

But such might and such display of power had been unheard of since time nearly one thousand years ago when they fought against the Dragon of the Conquerer King.

If back then, Siegfried had not slain it, they might have lost even more badly, and this act of killing a dragon King caused Siegfried to become quite criticized in the community even though he should have been revered as a hero.

Sitting beside Satella, Jasmine gave a weak smile, “I think we need to talk to that woman.”

“The Phoenix?”

“Yeah. Until now, it was still possible to argue and take our time. With the slow nature of the elves, we could have even pushed a decision for the future in ten years or so. But now…I won’t lie, I wouldn’t be surprised if they rioted and fought you to the death. This is how insane everyone is acting.” She added with a really worried expression.

For once she was not joking. The club or cult or whatever this phoenix was creating were already hardcore fanatics of the Dragon prince and now their faith would be enough to generate Faith coins if they were in a Territory.

This was how insane everyone was and as for the elves who had been staying neutral, well…She was 90% sure that the moist feeling in their crotch would make them sing a different song soon.

Satella felt like she was like a small child trying to stop the wind of destiny. “Do they not understand that it isn’t that I am against the dragon faith but that Sol is not just a Dragon? He is the Prince of… No, I should simply call him the King of Lustburg now. Do they want to allow humanity to control us?” She had the impression of being the only one who could see in a world of blinds.

“I am sure they understand. They might be young but they are not stupid. The problem is…” She did not finish her words but Satella lowered her face and sighed,

“They don’t care.”

“Indeed. In fact…I believe many of them would wish to be ruled by a True Dragon. You have seen his form, right?” Jasmine was very careful with her words to not hurt her friend.

“I am sure it’s only faith and hormone talking now. But even after they calm down… Many will be adamant about it.”

Satella sighed and waved her hand, “Leave me alone. All of you. I need time to think.”

Jasmine opened her mouth for an instant but in the end, she simply shook her head and walked away.

There was one solution for this to end to their advantage and avoid having Sol become the direct ruler.

But this solution was something that would be akin to selling herself to the ruler of Lustburg.

Jasmine did not know if the remaining pride of Satella could accept such a solution. As such, she simply closed her mouth and started walking away. Her expression was serene.

After all, worst come to worst, she simply had to sacrifice herself.

Unconsciously, Jasmine licked her lips. This wouldn’t even be much of a sacrifice all things considered.

***

***

The Elves were not the only ones who were reacting with shock. Back on the side of the Dwarves, silence weighted heavily, all of the old men of the councils were completely silent.

Sitting on his throne, the King watched all of this with a snickering face, “So, about our action about Lustburg. Does anyone want to be the messenger that will reclaim our so-called lost heritage from them?”

The inflection in his voice as he spoke was a clear mockery of their words and actions but no one spoke up. They understood very well that the King was waiting for someone to slip up and fail.

After all, no matter how this council existed, the one with the absolute authority was still the King. If he decided to truly flex all his power, there was little they could do.

The King seeing this, shook his head. His eyes dimmed slightly. If he had to be honest, he would have wished for them to fight back a little. Not for any plans but simply for pride.

Since when the proud and courageous dwarves had fallen so much? They went from being a race full of solidarity between them, even while enslaved by the Elves to becoming one of the most scheming races in the world.

If in the past dwarves were synonymous with courage, brashness, and smithing, now they were simply known as backstabbing, greedy bastards.

A race so used to backstabbing even Devils seemed more trustworthy than them. At least the Devils would follow the contract to the letter and all of this was because of greedy bastards like the ones sitting here.

He also knew that there were many traitors in this place. Not only those who were greedy for money. Those were still usable. But those who were greedy for life. Those were the most dangerous.

Some of them, like Theresa’s deceased brother, were in cahoots with the Wings of Freedom. While others were basically nothing but slave working for the angels and receiving payments.

The reason he had not acted on this all this time and closed one eye was simple. As bastardly as those guys were, this was still an option for survival for the Dwarves race.

When giants fought, little people like them had to find a way to survive and even if his way failed, if the way of those traitors could assure the survival of the Dwarves then this was something he was willing to ignore.

This was for the same reason he was okay with letting Theresa dip her feet and spread her influence in Lustburg.

One way or another, the dwarves would survive, even if they had to fall under a new master they would survive. Ensuring this survival in those troubled times was his duty as a king.

‘In the end, I am also greedy, like all of them.’

He was trying to bet on everything at the same time but thankfully, the chances of losing everything were low. Whoever ended up winning, would be too happy to have dwarves under their commands to kill them.

He sighed and waved his hands to force those council members to shut up.

“Contact the angels. Either way, they are the ones acting as the police. It’s important to discuss the current situation. Sol Luxuria should ascend to the throne of Lustburg as fast as possible. Once this happens, even if he is not at the true King level, he will still be officially restricted by the Conventions.”

The King remembered the image he had seen and he had to say, he was glad to have given a green card to Theresa. She always had a better nose than him when it came to catching people with potential.

Between all the bets he was making, he sincerely hoped that Theresa would be the winning horse.

‘I wonder if I have a relative that would fit the taste of the boy.’

He frowned a little. Very hesitant. From what he knew of Lustburg's history, despite being called the Kingdom of Lust, they seemed to be closer to Castitas than anything else. Few Kings or Queens in the history of Lustburg could be called promiscuous to any degree.

The true exception to this rule seemed to be Uranus, the Tyrant king. He was a man with very unusual taste as, despite being human, he had a deep fascination with the Beast's kins.

As for Sol. Well, it seemed like the love of beast kin ran in his blood from what he could see with Princess Setsuna. As for how promiscuous he was, it would be logical to assume that as a part Dragon, he would be extremely lustful. But the news they received from their spies were too contradictory to glean anything of use.

He didn’t know who was the one in charge of the anti-spy policy of Lustburg but that person was damn good.

“Well. Let’s continue gentlemen. It’s time to decide our stances with Wratharis. The war does seem to lean in favor heavily toward Lustburg. I do not think they will be able to pay our rates for the weapons and armor in the current situation once Lustburg takes their spoils of victory. Should we stop our services?”

They hesitated a little before one raised his hand, “I believe there is still one part left. While Wratharis undoubtedly lost the overall war. It’s hard to say they completely lost as a full reversal in the current situation is still possible.”

Everyone looked at each other, one name appearing in their mind.

If it was that person then, indeed. Everything could change at a moment's notice.

After all, he was the First of the Seven Great Sages.

The Handsome Monkey King — Sun Wukong.

***

[Wratharis]

While most of the world was going in Frenzy over the exploit of the Prince of Lustburg and the ultimatum.

Wratharis was bathed in silence. The citizens, be it those at the border or those in the Capital had been watching the fight, and like everyone, they were astonished at the power of the prince.

But the situation they were facing was much more real. After all, what they kept in mind was the warning the prince gave about stopping holding back.

In all War. Because of how overwhelmingly powerful individuals could be, it was necessary to impose limits.

This was why King could only step on the battlefield when the capital was in danger or when a very large part of the country was conquered.

They were supposed to be the last bastion and even when they intervened, while not an official rule, they would do their best to fight as far as possible from the enemy line and minimize damage.

If a King rank went crazy and started massacring people then this would be the start of an era of Chaos. No one would fight a war if they knew a King could come and choose to wipe them out.

As for Dukes. While Dukes could be powerful they were ultimately limited in what they could and could not do.

Sol was in no way a normal Duke and his threats were in no way amusing jokes. The fact that he was partially dragon made those threats all the more frightening.

After all, Dragons were not exactly known for being kind, gentle, and cute.

All of Wratharis was silent. All of them were gazing at the imperial castle.

The riots had ceased and the chaos quieted down.

They were all waiting. All wondering what choice the so-called King would make.

History was moving inexorably and the decision he took now would be one that would be remembered for generations to come.

***

Standing on the balcony of the imperial castle, Lupus was gazing at the beautiful capital of Wratharis.

He could feel it. A kind of pressure of the like he had not felt even when he fought his brother and his mate.

It was ironic in a way. His goal had been to initiate a large-scale conquest similar to the one made by Jupiter Luxuria one thousand years prior and succeed where the man failed.

His dream had always been to be the center of the world. His ego could not accept any other reality.

He wished to live in a world where all eyes were riveted on him and awaited his verdict.

He was now living in such a world.

Just not in the way he initially expected to.

“You can laugh, you know.”

Sitting in the corner of the balcony with his staff against his shoulder and his head down as if he was resting was none other than Sun Wukong.

Lupus had called for Wukong and ordered him to stay in the castle and serve as a guard.

Lupus did not know how powerful Wukong was currently. But he had a faint inkling that this was the best solution to keep that man who messed up with his memory away for now.

Hearing him, Wukong raised his head with, light of curiosity dancing in his eyes,

“Why should I?”

“Don't you think it's pretty amusing? The Fall of a tyrant that is.”

Currently, the castle was 90% void of all occupants. They had all fled one after another and Lupus had been disinterested in keeping them any longer.

He looked around, “The Citizens hate me. The servants reject me. The world mocks me.”

Wukong seemed baffled, “The Citizens never liked you. They simply didn't really have a choice. The servants all feared you. You keep killing some of them for random mistakes. The world has no care for you. Only a few individuals outside of Wratharis will observe your situation. The Farmers are too busy thinking of the next Harvest. The smiths hit metals, the slaves serve and the nobles will work or dance.”

Wukong looked up, “The sun will still rise in the sky. The wind will still blow and the earth will still exist. You are not the center of the world, Lupus.”

“...”

Lupus closed his eyes. If this was him a few months ago, he would have exploded in rage at being slighted thus.

Now though, he realized that he could not even muster the interest in becoming angry.

The words of Sun Wukong were as blunt and straightforward as always. They were really hurtful. But it also served as a wake-up call in a way.

In the grand scheme of things, he was nothing.

Sadly it was a wake-up call that came too late.

“I have never understood the thirst for power some of you seem to have. But in your search for power, you all seem to forget. No matter how much you conquer. If you aren't a demigod, you will simply die as a mortal.”

Wukong shook his head and Lupus lamented.

Becoming a demigod was certainly a goal they were all striving for and as they were Blessed, it should have been far easier for all Blessed of the different countries to become Demigods.

If so, why then was it so complicated for them?

Lupus always thought that it was because ascending was simply that hard. But now he realized that he had been wrong.

The one who called himself a god had told him the bitter truth.

Gods were created by focusing on one concept. By becoming one with a concept that formed the law of reality one would become truly eternal as long as the universe existed.

Because of this, no two gods could thread on the same path and the more powerful individuals were on a path the harder it was for others to climb.

In a way, the law of the world were akin to a road that progressively became narrower thus limiting the number of carriages that could take it at the same time.

It was nearly impossible for Divine Beasts to even reach the level of False gods. For the simple reason that they were fully imbued with the power of the concept of the goddesses.

—These same rules applied to the Blessed.

Because of the existence of those demigods and all those Kings…All Blessed had nearly no possibility of becoming demigods themselves.

By threading on a road already existing they could advance faster than anyone else but the limits imposed on them were also clearer than anyone else.

“How ridiculous.”

He chortled as he remembered this truth. So shocked that his shock had turned into derision.

The only way for him to become a demigod would be to break all his foundations and thread a new path starting with the Duke level.

The King looked up, his eyes had never been so clear and the world had never seemed so bright.

“I have a new ambition, Wukong. For that, I need to survive. Will you help me?”

Wukong quietly observed the king, “For the first time, I find you to be somewhat interesting.”

Lupus laughed out loud and burned the image of Wratharis one last time in his eyes before turning around.

Whether this was the last time he watched the capital would be determined soon.