Chapter 365: Debate and Audience
Northwind Keep, Iron Dragon Wing Palace.
Kai Xiusu lay sprawled across the colossal Iron Throne, his massive form stretching out like a storm given flesh. Before him stood Olivia, her expression stormy with fury. The Silver Dragon had taken human form once more—still the silver-haired girl in her shimmering Stellar-draped gown, her eyes blazing with righteous indignation.
“Kai Xiusu,” she said, voice sharp with accusation, “why do you persist in slaughtering those Northern Nobles? They’ve surrendered! There was no need for such a senseless massacre!”
“No,” Kai Xiusu replied calmly, opening his eyes. His voice was low, smooth, almost lazy. “This was not slaughter.”
“It was judgment.”
With a slow, deliberate motion, he extended one clawed hand. A vivid Magical Image materialized in midair, clear and sharp.
“Death Sentence! Death Sentence! Kill him!”
The scene showed a crowd in frenzy—thousands gathered in a plaza, arms raised, screaming in rage, their voices a thunderous chorus of vengeance. Faces twisted with hatred, eyes wild with fury.
Kai Xiusu studied the vision with a faint smile.
“Do you see?” he asked. “It wasn’t me who killed them. It was the people of the North. The Northern Nobles themselves sealed their fate—by their own cruelty, their endless oppression. They sacrificed everything… even their lives.”
“This,” he said, “is the price they must pay. This is justice. This is the rightful judgment.”
“If not for centuries of brutal oppression, of merciless exploitation, how could the people of the Northern Regions hate them so deeply? How could they demand the guillotine?”
Olivia’s brow furrowed. She hesitated, speechless. The truth was undeniable—the judgment had been carried out under the watchful eyes of the populace, born from their own will. Yes, the Kingdom had stoked the flames, but the fire had already been lit.
For someone like Olivia—loyal to order, to justice, to moral clarity—rationalizing the trial with cold pragmatism—“divide the people, strengthen leadership”—felt hollow. But the language of justice, of rebellion against oppression… that resonated. It fit perfectly with the Metal Dragons’ ideals.
That’s exactly what they’d want to hear, Kai Xiusu thought, smirking inwardly.
Olivia shook her head, her voice soft but firm. “Regardless, your methods are too extreme. I acknowledge the oppression. But some of them—some were not guilty of death.”
“Yet it was still the people’s choice,” Kai Xiusu replied, unmoved. “Wasn’t it?”
Facing the Red Dragon’s cold, righteous rhetoric—his flag of justice waved high as he slaughtered the nobility—Olivia had no words. She could only clench her fists, her fingers digging into the fabric of her skirt, her jaw tight with silent frustration.
Kai Xiusu rose slowly, shaking out his immense Dragon body with a rumble like distant thunder.
“Olivia,” he said, “unification is rarely gentle. The old power, dying, will fight back with fury. Bloodshed is inevitable.”
“But only through such fire can lasting peace be born.”
He turned to her, his淡金色 eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
“Yet absolute violence cannot sustain true leadership. It cannot build a new order. Thus, good and order—these are the foundations of any lasting realm.”
“And that,” he added, his voice softening, “is why I invited you to join the Kingdom, my esteemed Olivia Representative.”
Olivia flinched, quickly lowering her head to avoid his piercing gaze. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
“I… I understand,” she whispered. “I will serve faithfully.”
Her hands trembled, her skirt crumpled in her grip, sweat beading on her forehead. For days, she had rehearsed this moment—prepared arguments, fortified her resolve, even braced herself to provoke him. But now, faced with the Red Dragon himself, she had shrunk back, silenced, unable to utter a single word.
He’s done it again, she thought bitterly. He’s taken control of this moment.
Then, Kai Xiusu’s voice broke her thoughts.
“By the way, Olivia—how are your wounds?”
She shook her head gently. “I’m fine. The spear wasn’t aimed at me. I only caught a touch of Abyssal Energy.”
Kai Xiusu smiled. “Still, I owe you my thanks—for stepping in when you did.”
His tone was sincere, almost tender.
Olivia froze, her breath catching.
Then, stubbornly, she said, “I stood in front of you not just to save you—”
Her voice rose, fierce.
“But to stop you from being tainted by Abyssal Will. To protect the life of every being in the Prime Material Plane.”
Suddenly, silver light flared around her. Her form swelled, shifting—her human body dissolving into the elegant, slender form of the Silver Dragon. Her wings, once pristine, now bore jagged scars where Chaos Energy writhed like venomous tendrils.
“Now that you’re injured,” Kai Xiusu’s voice rang out, calm and commanding, “stop pretending. Stop clinging to that foolish idea of justice for the Nobles. Rest. Heal.”
A wave of silvery radiance descended from above, flowing over her like a healing tide. The sensation was familiar—soothing, ancient, divine.
“Is that…?”
Her voice trembled.
“King Bahamut’s strength?”
Her mind reeled. Could it be…? Has Kai Xiusu truly pledged himself to the Lord of the Northern Wind?
The thought lingered—then faded as she closed her eyes, surrendering to the healing.
Her slender silver form rose and fell with each breath. The wounds on her wings knit together. The Chaos Energy was purged, driven away like smoke.
This… is Order’s Divine Power.
Kai Xiusu held the silver-hued shard—“Bahamut’s Wind”—in his claw, its glow pulsing softly. With a flick of his right hand, he tore open space. A portal yawned before him, swirling with arcane energy.
Olivia’s Dragon form was drawn through, teleported instantly to the Secondary Hall of the Royal Palace.
At this moment, the Red Dragon’s dominion over the Kingdom Domain was absolute. Within the realm’s borders, he could face Oszedro himself without calling upon any outside power.
—
“Master.”
A voice echoed from the Magic Mirror in the hall.
The Weave of Magic’s seal cracked open. The mirror’s surface shimmered—and Lanpu’s grotesque face appeared, distorted by the enchantment.
“What is it?”
“Master,” Lanpu said eagerly, “I’ve discovered a human in Northwind Keep with remarkable potential. She’s only nine years old, yet she’s already touching the third layer of the Weave of Magic. She may possess the natural talent of a Legendary Sorcerer.”
“Moreover,” he added, “she harbors deep hatred for the Northern Nobles. And she has a strong loyalty to the Kingdom.”
“Oh?” Kai Xiusu’s interest sparked instantly.
A nine-year-old, mastering third-level spells without formal training—this was a rare gift, even across the entire Feiansuo Continent.
“What’s her name?”
“Misha,” Lanpu replied quickly. “She’s called Misha.”
“Misha…” Kai Xiusu murmured. The name stirred something deep in his memory—long buried beneath dust and silence.
Madfire Witch Misha.
A child sold into slavery, bought by a noble Baron, tortured in the depths of an underground dungeon. Broken, then driven mad. But in her madness, she awakened a fire unlike any other—a power so vast it scorched the earth.
She burned down entire cities, turned thousands into ash, and built the Tower of Wicked Flame atop a sea of ruins—her life’s mission: to burn everything.
When the Player arrived, she became the final boss of the Madfire Witch questline—a challenge rated Gundam 16, despite dying at under seventeen.
Now that’s interesting.
Kai Xiusu’s fingers brushed his chin. Legendary-level natural talent… her future Armor Class could surpass even that. We cannot afford to lose such a specimen.
“Lanpu,” he ordered, “bring her to me—now.”
“Yes, Master.”
(End of Chapter)
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