Abyss System The Rise of the Lord-Chapter 66 unexpected decision

Azel rested his hand on his jaw, gazing at Naho. His stare was deep, but thoughts collided chaotically within him.

Double-edged words...

Are you saying the state comes before family?

If I spare your son—will you show loyalty?

What if I kill him? Will you rebel immediately?

Do you dare threaten me in my own palace?

Azel’s brows drew together slowly. His inner voice grew colder.

When did the S. Dragon lineage fall this low?

These thoughts linked and deepened in his mind.

Casting a brief glance at Azel, Marius pondered inwardly.

Naho never used to speak like this.

He would take lives and give his own for his family.

That trait is clearly reflected in his son.

Though rich in emotion, Naho is a dragon who sees cause and effect. That is why he remained silent when his son’s death was announced—he chose internal struggle over opposition.

Marius stepped forward one pace. His voice rang out cold, formal, and sharp.

"Naho, your words hold weight."

A faint stir passed through the hall, but no one spoke.

"If your son admits his guilt and begs forgiveness," Marius continued, "the emperor is merciful. He will be permitted to speak."

The words fell like a heavy stone in the hall.

Naho hesitated, looking at Rion. Rage flared in his eyes.

These cursed ones know...

They know my son would never do such a thing.

Where did you get that from, Rion—taking after me...

If only you had taken after your mother...

The dragons in the hall stared at Naho. No one averted their gaze. Everyone awaited Rion’s words. Even breathing seemed to slow.

Naho bent toward Rion and whispered in his ear.

"Control yourself. Do not act foolishly. Noa is dead. But you are alive. You cannot bring back the dead. Swallow your feelings, no matter what."

Rion raised his eyes. He looked directly at his father.

His gaze softened slightly; the furious expression on his face gradually faded. A moment of silence passed.

Naho exhaled in quiet relief. He granted Rion permission to speak, withdrawing the mana from his body. The two guards standing over Rion released his arms and stepped back three paces.

Rion kept his head bowed.

Then he slowly rose to his feet.

He looked at Azel. Directly.

"I..." His voice broke.

A moment of silence.

Then his voice rose suddenly.

"I am not guilty! Noa was not guilty either!"

Rion took one step forward. Flames flashed in his eyes.

"He looked to you with hope! And you killed him!"

He raised his voice further, almost shouting.

"Admit that you killed him without reason! Tell everyone! Admit how you treated him!"

Rion’s voice echoed through the throne hall. The pillars seemed to tremble.

Naho turned sharply to Rion. His teeth ground together. Without hesitation for a moment,

He seized Rion’s head and slammed it hard against the floor.

No dust rose. But the sound of the skull striking stone rang like a bell.

Tears streamed from Rion’s eyes. Yet he continued.

"I will never acknowledge you as emperor!"

His breath came in gasps, but he pressed on.

"How can a ruler who killed his own brother, who failed to protect his family, protect the people?!"

Azel spoke in a low voice.

"Silence."

Naho pressed Rion’s head harder against the floor. A grinding crunch sounded.

A small, circular indentation formed around Rion’s head on the stone.

Rion did not stop. His voice trembled, yet remained resolute.

"You killed my friend—your own brother! He never harmed anyone! Even after everything you did, he saw you as his only hope! He never thought of revenge! I will never forgive—never forgive!" he roared.

Azel rose from the throne.

"I said silence."

This time his voice was different.

As though a being from another plane spoke. Thousands of voices merged, instilling fear directly into the soul.

At that voice, many dragons in the hall dropped to their knees. Even Naho trembled; his hand shook slightly. Rion nearly lost consciousness under the pressure.

Marius stepped back one pace and thought inwardly.

That voice... it can instill fear even in my heart.

Azel... when did you become this powerful?

Azel advanced. His voice now cold, ordinary, and terrifyingly calm.

"Do you know how many dragons we lost from the moment Noa was born until his exile? How many bases we lost?"

Rion barely opened his eyes, staring at him.

Azel gestured toward Naho, flicking his hand.

Naho released Rion.

Azel faced him.

"You do not know? Then listen."

He walked along the crimson carpet. His voice grew heavier with each word.

"From the time Noa turned one until his exile, there were over a hundred assassination attempts. By our own people."

Someone in the hall swallowed audibly.

"The reason was simple," Azel continued. "Even a low-tier dragon child from the royal line showed better results than the talentless, powerless one born into it."

He continued walking.

"Our enemies—including the six great dragon clans—believed our bloodline had officially withered."

Azel stopped.

"As a result, we lost twenty-nine bases outside the empire."

He did not lower his voice.

"Even the black dragon army fell from one hundred fifty thousand to one hundred thousand. Over five hundred thousand black dragons in secret training were lost."

He fixed his eyes on Rion.

"Because they were attacked. They were forced to flee."

A deathly silence descended upon the hall.

Azel posed the final question.

"Is this not true treason?"

Tears flowed ceaselessly from Rion’s eyes. His voice was filled with pain and hatred.

"I know you are trying to justify your defeat... Enough! You place responsibility on Noa’s shoulders and still call yourself emperor?"

Zaber approached Rion with a soft smile and whispered.

"Politics is like that. Politics is not conducted to restore justice, but to maintain control."

Rion gritted his teeth and lunged headfirst at Azel in an attempt to strike.

Azel regarded Rion’s left eye with cold gaze and fell silent. At that moment, Rion felt as though something was probing inside him, commanding him to flee, and he froze instinctively.

In that instant, Naho heard Azel’s voice in his mind.

"War is near. I will spare your son’s life. Give me your oath—you will fight for me, no matter what."

Naho turned his eyes to Azel. He thought it was telepathy. He answered with conviction.

"As long as my family is safe, that is enough. My life is unimportant."

Azel smiled faintly.

"Your oath is accepted."

He rose and addressed the assembled dragons in the hall.

"This young dragon made a mistake. Everyone errs, do they not?"

Then he walked back toward the throne.

"You all know how excellent Naho is. He has served the empire greatly. I will pardon his son, but on one condition—he must be properly disciplined."

As Azel reseated himself on the throne, the dragons in the hall exchanged whispers. One said.

"He pardoned him? How?"

Another replied.

"We thought this was an execution ceremony..."

No one had expected this decision.

Naho moved quickly, bowing Rion’s head toward Azel and dropping to one knee himself.

"I believed in the emperor’s broad mercy. Thank you, Emperor. In the future, this is an opportunity to serve you and demonstrate my gratitude."

Azel placed his hand on his jaw again and said.

"Good. With this, the trial is concluded."

Marius looked at Azel and began speaking through telepathy.

"Azel, I did not think you would spare him."

Azel replied in an emotionless tone.

"I have one I do not wish to make an enemy."

Marius pondered and said.

"When you exiled him with Noa, you did not consider Naho."

Azel replied indifferently.

"That is not your concern, grandfather."

Naho seized Rion by the scruff of his neck, hoisted him over his shoulder, and exited the hall. Rion continued to thrash, rage still burning in his eyes. If released, it seemed he had a world of words ready.

The remaining dragons began leaving the hall behind them.

At that moment, in an inn in the city of Idal, Zaber sat staring at a peeling spot on the wall in silence. The surroundings were quiet; only a gentle breeze from outside the city entered through the window, rustling papers and carrying the faint whisper of wind.

His thoughts were tangled—family, friendship, and their strange, complex bonds dominated his mind. He lay down in place, staring at the ceiling where wall met roof.

Several days have passed since Rion returned to the empire. The trial must have already taken place, Zaber thought. "Brother Rion cannot be killed," he said inwardly. Naho, the dragon who places state affairs above family, must have been forced to pardon my brother to avoid political disputes. And he will protect him—because if anything happens to Rion after the trial, they will seek vengeance from my brother.

Zaber drew a deep breath and shifted in his seat. In a low voice, as if speaking to himself.

"No matter what happens, I must focus on myself," he said with the resolve of someone drawing a pitch-black sword he had purchased. He placed his hands on the blade’s edge, fingers tracing delicately.

"We will accomplish much together," he said to the sword, his voice calm yet firm, echoing as though between lonely walls. "But for now, merely existing is enough," he added, carefully observing the sword, gazing at its cold edge.

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