Chapter 379: 154. The Tyrant that is Not a Tyrant
Buzzing
As those emerald green eyes suddenly locked onto the two tiny beings in front of him, both Raphael and Jasmine immediately felt an unprecedented fear. The powerful being known as “Feima Baharon” slowly raised his head from the ground, and as the halo behind him shifted, the incomparably immense power within his body manifested itself.
He squinted his emerald green eyes, looking at Raphael and Jasmine, who could barely stand before him. He remained motionless for a long time, quietly observing the two droplets of water suspended before them. Behind them, at the entrance of the grand hall, the water in the pool outside gradually rose, slowly flooding in.
“.”
Feima Baharon did not speak but continued to maintain his former posture of lying on the ground. Only his two enormous dragon claws slowly settled in front of him, and the pressure from the vast difference in rank slowly eased, until Feima Baharon’s breath completely calmed down, becoming like a statue that would not move.
“My bloodline, Xu and Gouwen’s child, has come today. What brings you here?”
Feima Baharon did not open his mouth; his throat remained still. As a faint ripple of soul energy swept over, his presence thundered into Raphael and Jasmine’s ears. Jasmine initially wanted to mention that Ramastia wished to see them again, but then realized that since Feima Baharon was so powerful, he must know Ramastia had come. Finally, she dumbly blurted out,
“Do you, um, know my parents?”
Even Raphael looked at Jasmine with surprise. For over a month, this well-behaved and shy whale folk had been quietly present in the New Dragon Court, but she had never expected that Jasmine’s parents actually knew the dragon god they revered for generations. This was enough to prove her extraordinary nature.
The fact that someone with such a high status as Jasmine was willing to put in the effort must mean that Jasmine would face many difficulties. In contrast, her desire to find Fisher in Nali and be equal with him felt trivial; why should she give up?
Perhaps Jasmine was unaware that she had unknowingly encouraged Raphael. However, Feima Baharon did not immediately respond to her words. Instead, he glanced at the massive wound on his shoulder that flickered with golden light and had still yet to heal—a sword wound.
After a moment of silence, Feima Baharon spoke,
“I know them, and it’s not just me.”
“Your mother Xu is recognized by all beings as a destroyer. Before the war, I fought with her a few times, alternating wins and losses. During the war, the aftermath of my battles with my blood kin caused half of the Eastern Continent to sink into the ocean, affecting the waters where she resides, which led to war with us, resulting in mutual destruction. This sword wound on my shoulder is a gift from your mother, and I have yet to repay it.”
“And your father Gouwen is a famous wanderer in the world, skilled at saving lives and… poisoning. Before the war, he even tried to poison me to test the effectiveness of a poison he had developed, but after I discovered it, he evaded capture.”
Listening to her parents’ “glorious deeds,” Jasmine’s face turned pale. Even though her rank was higher than Raphael’s, she embarrassingly hid behind her, fearing that Feima Baharon would hold a grudge and blame her. Nevertheless, she murmured softly,
“My father is a very gentle whale folk, too disdainful to do such things. It definitely was not him who poisoned, someone must have framed my father.”
However, Feima Baharon paid little attention to Jasmine. He seemed to have an inkling of why Jasmine was here. Xu and Gouwen would not let their immature child come looking for death, and with Ramastia present, the answer was not hard to guess.
Feima Baharon simply turned to look at Raphael, who stood before Jasmine. Upon seeing her similarly emerald eyes, he continued to ask,
“Ah, life is indeed a miracle. How can a whale folk give birth to a creature like Xu? The life I inadvertently created can also perfect the incomplete bloodline. What about you, dragon folk, why have you come here?”
The water behind shifted slightly. However, Raphael was momentarily stunned by Feima Baharon’s question. She had originally come to search for items or texts that could be useful for the New Dragon Court in the ruins of the Dragon Court—relics, magic, or texts that documented the traditions and history of the Southern Continent; all of these would work.
Who could have imagined that this unintentional treasure hunt would directly unearth the god that the dragon folk had worshipped for generations, leaving Raphael at a loss.
“Lord Dragon God, the Old Dragon Court was destroyed a thousand years ago. Now your people are facing invasion from outside enemies; their homes have been burned and taken by humans, and I am leading them to resist.”
“You want me to help you rebuild the Dragon Court?”
“The Dragon Court was established by you, the dragon folk have worshipped you for generations. If you could assist us, all problems would be resolved.”
However, Feima Baharon shook his head upon hearing this. He raised a finger and pointed at Raphael,
“It seems a long time has passed, long enough for you to forget your own history. But if your ancestors heard how you recount their stories, they would surely be furious. The Dragon Court was not established by me. Initially, I indeed had the idea to help you, as my blood kin did, but you rejected me and begged me not to enslave other insect life with violence.”
Jasmine, hiding behind Raphael, bit her lip. She couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but she felt that Feima Baharon spoke slowly, as if weighing his words.
“It’s clearly impossible for me to help you build the Dragon Court as you imagine it, and it is also impossible to revert to the old path I previously offered you. Even if you intend to, you are powerless now. You are, after all, imperfect beings I inadvertently created from my bloodline. There isn’t much relevance between us. Your faith in me is misguided, and I have not held the same responsibility towards you as I do for my blood kin.”
Raphael’s pupils widened slightly, but she did not show other reactions. She clenched her palms, falling silent. In fact, she did not feel disappointed or harbor any resentment towards Feima Baharon. Until today, she had only heard of him in her parents’ stories. She had never relied on the idea of this deity manifesting in reality before, and she certainly wouldn’t afterward.
However, a soft, childish voice suddenly echoed in Jasmine’s ears—a ghostly and tender voice from Ramastia. It laughed and said,
“Don’t listen to this child Feima Baharon’s lies. Although he says otherwise, he has indeed helped the dragon folk many times. In the past, a false god once hurled a powerful spear from the heavens at the Dragon Court, and he used his own body to deflect it. The spear that fell to the ground split an entire continent into what you now see as the Western Continent and Southern Continent.”
“In the ensuing Mythical War, mythical beings and their kin fought, but only his dragon folk had no kin. Therefore, just like the false god who aided humans, he personally intervened in the war; otherwise, Jehovah would not have acted. The angels and elves, feeling constrained by my strongest child’s refusal to launch a full assault on the Dragon Court, continued to fight between the ocean and the Eastern Continent. Unfortunately, even he could not prevent the occurrence of the Soul Disaster within the Dragon Court, which destroyed the Dragon Court that Feima Baharon and his offspring had created.”
At the last, Ramastia’s tone became somewhat regretful. Undoubtedly, she understood her child better than anyone, even if this child had drifted away from her in the river of time.
“Soul Disaster?”
Jasmine felt puzzled, chewing on this unfamiliar term in her mind, seemingly never having heard her mother mention it.
“Hmm, look at the black material around you. This substance originated from a human named Jahl Uzz, a Trans. They were tempted by chaos from beyond the world. Chaos took root and sprouted within them through knowledge, ultimately leading inexorably to disaster.”
“Jahl Uzz attempted to enter the Spirit Realm from the safest Dragon Court during the war, but ended up plunging into madness. His body transformed into this monster that constantly devours and merges with other souls, slaughtering several tens of thousands of Feima Baharon’s offspring in an instant within the Dragon Court. Having just fought Xu and being heavily injured, he had to deal with the Soul Disaster caused by that Trans. Although his bloodline survived, the Dragon Court was entirely destroyed, and he was thus caught up by Death.”
While Jasmine was still in a mental dialogue with Ramastia, Raphael had already adjusted her mood. After taking a deep breath, she looked back to Feima Baharon before speaking,
“I understand now, Dragon Feima Baharon. Thank you for your honesty; you are right. The survival of the Dragon Court should not rely on gods, after all, this is our established kingdom. But I and my people will remember you, for it is you who bestowed upon us our bloodline and gave me life. Excuse my boldness, we will take our leave now. Jasmine, let’s go.”
As Feima Baharon watched Raphael turn to leave, he suddenly stretched out a claw towards her. On that claw rested a single droplet of crimson blood,
“In the past, when my offspring created the Dragon Court, I gave them a gift; if you succeed, this will be a gift for establishing the new Dragon Court. Of course, if you fail, it will also be your burial item.”
The blood slowly floated toward Raphael, surging into her body as she blinked in surprise, but she felt nothing extra. The next moment, a deep red spear manifested with her intention.
Realizing the spear before her was a weapon, Raphael quickly grasped it, bowed to Feima Baharon in gratitude, and then turned to leave without looking back.
“Wait, Raphael, wait for me.”
Jasmine hurriedly followed Raphael, glancing back to bow to Feima Baharon as they walked away.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
As Raphael and Jasmine left the sight, the heavy and massive doors closed once more. Yet, in the grand hall, the gentle sound of water continued to flow, surrounding the entire area, gazing far across at Feima Baharon in its center, as if carefully scrutinizing him.
Feima Baharon did not close his eyes; he merely looked at the ground with a complex expression. After a long time, he finally spoke with his mouth for the first time,
“Mother.”
In that moment, all the water, air, space, and even time in the room froze, only to resume flowing after a long while. Meanwhile, a gentle female voice calmly responded,
“Hmm, I am here.”
“I apologize for what happened before. It was my and their fault.”
“…There’s no need to apologize, child. I am not sad about your departure; the only sorrow I feel is that you have used the power I bestowed upon you, granted due to my favoritism, as a weapon against those lives I have not favored. But compared to those two, you have done the best. Because unlike the race they created and obediently served, the life you inadvertently created has given you the most understanding.”
That gentle voice flowed towards Feima Baharon like rippling water. The watery substance, seemingly weak without any power, effortlessly passed through the distorted space and light around Feima Baharon, caressing his head.
“Yukterashir and the elves regard everything in the Eastern Continent as mere fodder, while Jehovah and the angels see nothing. It’s hard to say how they judge their relationships, but only you and your dragon folk have such a pure bond. You gave your final blood to that dragon girl, which shows you surpass them in this regard.”
Feima Baharon’s enormous draconic body tiredly leaned against the growing current of water, which gently lifted him. Only now did the previously hidden aspect of Feima Baharon’s belly reveal its true appearance. His abdomen had been completely hollowed out; although Jahl Uzz had long since died, the viscous liquid he left behind retained its original nature, corroding Feima Baharon completely.
“I am the strongest among us, yet after all this time, I have not been able to defeat them. Today, I unintentionally achieved victory through my actions here. This is truly a death encounter, Mother; I have seen the Trans and Apocalypse Prophecy. I cannot assist you.”
“Sleep, child; I already have suitable candidates to address it. Sleep, my Feima Baharon. Sleep.”
Feima Baharon’s emerald eyes slowly closed. Amidst Ramastia’s lullaby-like voice, the surrounding water grew heavier and more turbulent until it completely enveloped him, as if containing all the emotions of a deity’s heart at this moment.
Within that flow of water, Feima Baharon’s immense form gradually disappeared. As this process unfolded, the entire ocean and sky became restless. Even Jasmine and Raphael, who had moved far away, felt a sense of heartache and sorrow.
But they did not know where that feeling came from, for just a second later, it vanished without a trace, no longer felt.
The miracle of life continued to unfold, while death continued to chase others, and the story progressed perpetually in this cycle.
(Volume 3: The Sky God of the Northern Region)
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(End of this chapter)
