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Chapter 745: The Defiant
The atmosphere grew so thick with tension it felt like stone. Even the Five-Colored Dragons dared not speak, terrified of provoking the two immensely powerful beings and becoming collateral in their clash.
Tiamat remained impassive, her voice calm and measured. "Kai Xiusu, you still have that stubborn streak. But greed, courage, decisiveness—these are the traits befitting a true Five-Colored Dragon."
The green dragon head chuckled softly. "Ah, are you afraid I’ll intervene and seize your Hell Authority?"
"..."
Kai Xiusu offered no reply. Instead, he spread his wings, his gaze cold and distant as he stared at the five monstrous forms before him—weighing his options.
The blue dragon head of the Dragon Queen emitted a low, richly textured corruption. "Kai Xiusu, fear not. I have no desire for such power. You may rule Avernus alone. I shall stand behind you, supporting you fully. All I ask is that you make this realm a true paradise for the Five-Colored Dragons—shared leadership with your siblings."
Her voice rose in cadence, charged with hypnotic allure. "Then you shall become the hero of your kind, the Avernus Duke adored by all dragons. You will wield power beyond measure, commanding domains across countless realms!"
The Five-Colored Dragons surrounding her flared their wings, lifting their heads and unleashing a thunderous, unending chorus of roars.
"Long live the Dragon Prince, His Majesty!"
"Avernus Duke!"
"We follow you! Hell shall become the true playground of the True Dragons!!"
Bair held his breath, afraid to miss a single word. If that terrifying Red Dragon and the Five-Colored Dragon Queen joined forces, he would have no chance at rebellion.
"Your words are indeed persuasive, Queen Tiamat," Kai Xiusu said, his voice suddenly sharp and unwavering. "But... I must decline."
Inside, he was laughing. He knew Tiamat too well.
Lord of Avernus? He had claimed Hell Authority with his own hands—when had he ever needed permission from the God of Evil Dragons?
If the Lord of the Nine Hells himself had come to demand it, he’d be the one blamed. And Tiamat? She’d gain countless followers without lifting a claw, even securing indirect control over Avernus through the Five-Colored Dragon lineage.
That would shatter his semi-colonization plan, introducing dangerous variables that would cripple the Empire’s growth—harmful in every way, beneficial in none.
Tiamat’s expression finally darkened. The red dragon head snarled, a surge of aura erupting from its mane. "Kai Xiusu... are you defying me?"
A crushing divine pressure spread outward, vast and deep as an ocean, blanketing the sky.
The loyal blue and green dragons flared in anger, bellowing:
"Kai Xiusu, you dare insult us?!"
"Insolent fool!"
"How dare you defy the Dragon Queen’s decree? Have you forgotten your true nature as a Five-Colored Dragon?!"
Though their words were fierce, they stayed firmly behind Tiamat—too afraid to provoke Kai Xiusu into violence.
Only the female red dragon remained entranced, her eyes shining with worship.
The Dragon Prince—no, the Emperor of the Ashen Flame—had the audacity to refuse the Queen’s command outright. What courage! What confidence!
To a Red Dragon, whose mind was filled only with meat and strength, loyalty and faith were nothing but dog’s nonsense.
Faced with the overwhelming pressure of the Five-Colored Dragon Queen, Kai Xiusu stood firm, drawing upon the authority of the "Dragon of Hell" and the aura of intimidation from his Counter-Race Deity.
"Queen Tiamat," he said calmly, "I do not defy you willingly. But..."
He paused, then continued: "I have already sealed a Pact with Lord Bair. As allies, how could I betray that trust?"
His tone was righteous, almost noble. Pact. Ally. Integrity.
To the Five-Colored Dragons—especially the cruel, capricious Red Dragons—these were empty words, meaningless trinkets.
Even Bair looked skeptical. He knew Kai Xiusu was lying. That greedy Red Dragon had no such loyalty in his heart.
Tiamat’s fury erupted into a cold, mocking laugh. Black divine energy swallowed the sky. "Kai Xiusu, you dare use such a pitiful excuse to deceive me? Deception be to your mother god!"
Yet Kai Xiusu did not retreat. Instead, he stepped forward, spreading his wings—hundreds of meters long, pulsing with molten lava patterns.
The aura of Avernus surged forth, instantly erupting across tens of thousands of meters, clashing head-on with Tiamat’s divine power.
Boom—
The collision unleashed a storm of titanic force. The Five-Colored Dragons around Tiamat staggered, their wings flailing wildly as they fought to stay aloft, roaring in disarray against the gale.
All five dragon heads spoke in unison, their voices shaking the heavens:
"Kai Xiusu! Remember the fate of the rebels!"
"I’ve seen countless like you—overconfident, arrogant, thinking they could break free. But they all met a miserable end!"
"Is that so?" Kai Xiusu replied, his wings flaring as he poured every ounce of effort into countering the divine pressure. His voice remained calm. "But Queen Tiamat, I have never done anything to harm you—or the Five-Colored Dragon race."
"On the contrary, I have always worked tirelessly for the glory of our kind. But this time... I cannot accept your demand."
Kai Xiusu saw through her bluff. She dared not unleash her full power within Baator Hell.
Her divine realm bordered the Nine Hells. If she openly defied the Lord of the Nine Hells, she risked instant retaliation. The cost would be too great.
So she came with her army, using the majesty of a true god to force Kai Xiusu into submission—and gain indirect control over Avernus.
As for Asmodeus’s counterattack? That burden would fall entirely on Kai Xiusu—just a temporary pawn.
Staring at the calm, unshaken Kai Xiusu, Tiamat finally snapped. The most reckless, impulsive dragon head unleashed a torrent of divine fire from its maw.
Tiamat’s Breath!
"Damn it—she’s serious!" Kai Xiusu’s heart leapt. He raised his head, channeling every ounce of Avernus power. A torrent of hellfire surged from his throat.
Boom!!
The two flames collided in a cataclysmic explosion, reducing everything around them to ash.
In an instant, Kai Xiusu’s hellfire was overwhelmed. The inferno surged forward, scorching his body.
Even his hellfire—infused with Avernus Authority—could not withstand the sheer might of divine evil. The molten lava that formed his body began to melt.
This was true divine power.
He had underestimated Tiamat.
Pain lashed through him. A chilling thought struck: Had she already marked me as a true threat? Was she planning to eradicate me now, root and branch?
In seconds, the "Dragon of Hell" shrank by half—his body torn, exposed wounds glistening.
No—must escape now!
Kai Xiusu flailed his wings, desperately breaking free from the divine fire, attempting to tear open a rift to Avernus.
But Tiamat halted. She shook her head.
"See, my child? You’re still too young, too hot-headed. In the face of true power, all your strength means nothing."
"As the Mother Goddess of all Five-Colored Dragons, I grant you one final chance—a chance to repent, to begin anew."
Her voice was low, slow, dripping with false compassion.
Kai Xiusu understood.
Intimidation failed. Now she would try force.
Yet he never expected her to actually dare confront the Lord of the Nine Hells within Hell itself.
His hellish form began to dissolve under the divine assault, revealing his true self—sixty meters long, scarred, blood pouring like molten lava.
But Tiamat’s gaze locked onto the blood. Her expression flickered—something like surprise in her greedy eyes.
She reached out with a claw, snatching a single drop from midair. Studying it closely, she whispered:
"...Third-Generation Ancestral Dragon blood?"
Kai Xiusu cursed inwardly.
When he took the form of the Dragon of Hell, he had used the Primordial Return ability to elevate part of his body to the level of a Third-Generation Ancestral Dragon.
Now, the Queen had discovered it.
Tiamat lifted her head. All five dragon eyes burned with impossible greed, ecstasy.
"Kai Xiusu... you have astonished me. After all these millennia, our race has produced such a worthy heir."
The five monsters raised their claws, murmuring in a corrupted, hypnotic chant:
"Come... become my Chosen One. You shall be the next Dragon King. The beginning of Five-Colored Dragon leadership across the Multiverse!"
Kai Xiusu’s vision blurred. Thousands of voices roared in his mind, chanting in unison:
"Submit to the Dragon Queen! Submit to the Dragon Queen!"
For a moment, the urge to worship surged within him.
But after the trials of the Abyss, his willpower was iron. He tore through the psychic assault, ripping open a rift before him.
"Tiamat," he said, voice low and cold, "you’ve crossed the border. Are you truly seeking war with the Nine Hells?"
A deep, gravelly voice echoed from the sky.
From the heavens descended a Devil—robed in crimson, eyes black, goat-like beard, his form faint, like a phantom.
Though not imposing in stature, his presence radiated an overwhelming, oppressive pressure—like the living embodiment of sin, the union of body and spirit, absolute control.
Every Devil in the area turned toward the sky, trembling with frenzy.
"That’s... Him!"
"The Lord of the Nine Hells!"
"Hail the Great Lord of the Nine Hells, the Evil Sovereign—Asmodeus!"
Tiamat’s expression darkened. All five heads turned toward the Devil, snarling:
"Asmodeus, this is a matter among our kind. Stay out of it!"
Asmodeus spoke coldly: "But you stand within Hell’s territory. To intervene here is an affront to the Nine Hells’ authority."
"Remember our pact, Queen Tiamat. Your divine realm still depends on Baator Hell."
The Devil tapped his scepter. Hellfire erupted into the sky, coiling into thick chains that surged forward, binding Tiamat’s divine form in unbreakable shackles.
This was the Nine Hells.
Here, Asmodeus was a god. He could command anything. Even deities trembled before him.
Seeing her body being forcibly expelled, Tiamat clenched her teeth—but had no choice.
"We go."
She tore open a rift to her nest—a realm of endless darkness, filled with twisted, five-colored demons.
The blue and green dragons roared, diving through one by one.
"Your Highness..."
The female red dragon cast one last longing glance at Kai Xiusu, her golden eyes filled with desire.
The monstrous five-headed beast slithered through, its form vanishing into the abyss.
As the rift began to close, Tiamat turned back, her gaze piercing.
"Kai Xiusu... my rebellious child."
"Very soon, I shall return to the Material Plane, summoned by the voices of the faithful. That will be your final chance to atone."
"If you persist in blocking me—if you stand in the way of the Five-Colored Dragon revival... do not blame my subordinates for showing no mercy."
The rift sealed. The divine pressure faded.
"Dragon Tyranny," Kai Xiusu thought, "was supposed to begin in at least three years according to the past timeline. Thanks to my influence, it’s come far too soon."
He still felt shaken by Tiamat’s strength.
Then, Kai Xiusu bowed slightly toward Asmodeus.
"Thank you,尊贵的 Lord of the Nine Hells."
"You did well, Kai Xiusu," Asmodeus smiled. He swayed his scepter, as if struck by a sudden thought. "Would you care to fall into Hell?"
"Offer you the position of Lord of Avernus—just transform into a Hellish being."
Bair’s face paled. He remembered too well what had happened centuries ago—how Asmodeus had simply tapped the ground with his scepter, and Bair had lost all authority, cast out like a beggar.
Kai Xiusu replied calmly:
"Lord Asmodeus, you know I have no interest in Hell’s power. If I wanted it, I would have accepted Tiamat’s offer."
"At root, the Empire of Ashen is my true home. I only serve what strengthens it."
"Ah," Asmodeus sighed, disappointed. "Mortal kingdoms fade in an instant. But leadership in Hell? That is eternal, immortal."
He shook his head, then dissolved into a regiment of fire, vanishing into the air.
Bair exhaled deeply. At last, his position was safe.
He stepped forward, forcing a smile. "Your Majesty, King Kai Xiusu—Avernus shall remain a steadfast ally of the Empire."
Kai Xiusu smiled in return. "Of course. The friendship between the Empire and Avernus shall endure—just as your leadership will."
They exchanged smiles, each harboring their own thoughts.
Bair plotted how to elevate his loyalists, solidify his rule, and eliminate Kai Xiusu’s influence.
He didn’t believe for a second that this greedy red dragon truly cared nothing for Hell’s power.
And Kai Xiusu?
If I were to accept Asmodeus’s appointment, I’d just be someone else’s employee.
But I have greater ambitions.
My dream is to make Avernus not just a realm—but a colony within the Empire’s vast dominion.
(End of Chapter)
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