Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 115: Shadows of Humanity

The second floor wasn’t like the floating islands from before.

It was different... stranger.

A massive, jagged tower rose endlessly into darkness, wrapped in crimson light.

The walls pulsed, alive like veins, and shadows crawled along them as if the tower itself was a living being.

Bel hovered above, looking down at the chaos below. Monsters crowded the tower walls and interior, spiraling upwards, snarling and growling in a twisted symphony of madness.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned them.

"These things... they’re stronger than I thought."

He saw massive beasts with thick scales, sharp horns, and eyes glowing like burning coals.

Bel’s gaze hardened, and he spoke softly to himself.

"They are tougher than Malgeirith... and probably capable of regenerating too. But that’s fine. They’re not stronger than me, my Heart of Ruin should work perfectly against them. If I weaken them first, they’ll have no chance."

As he focused, the horde of beasts seemed to grow before his eyes, countless monsters stretching upwards, layer upon layer.

Bel looked at the endless ranks, then toward the looming tower above, and a stubborn frown crossed his face.

"Hm... No. Not this time," he muttered.

He stretched out his newly formed claws, feeling their deadly sharpness.

"I can’t keep playing it safe. I need to know just how much this body can handle."

His aura rumbled deep inside, erupting outward with a fierce purple glow.

The monsters growled louder, sensing his rising threat. Then suddenly, a quake.

The air trembled as Bel unleashed his draconic pressure combined with his new authority of fear.

It slammed down on the monsters like a disturbing wave.

Instantly, the howls of challenge turned into cries of fear and panic. Their strength crumbled, the weaker ones even dropping to their knees.

Bel raised his arms slowly, eyes blazing.

The creatures reacted, some charging him desperately, others scrambling to escape.

Bel exhaled calmly, the space around him glowing brighter.

Then he unleashed a massive blast of pure energy. The attack swallowed the monsters whole, lighting the floor in a devastating blaze of destruction.

Outside, the sun was just rising.

The King sat in a small chamber with his two sons and Aurus.

Aurus and Adrian leaned over a table, urgently discussing what they had learned from the fight with Midas.

"From what we’ve seen," Aurus began, scratching his beard, "Midas isn’t stronger than the Demon Lords we’ve faced before. At least not in pure strength."

Adrian nodded slowly, his eyes dark and troubled.

"Do you think you could beat him, Sir Aurus?"

Aurus sighed deeply, a bit of sadness crossing his face.

"If Lloyd fell so easily, then I’d probably share the same fate. It’s not always about raw power. Lloyd had enough strength to destroy Midas multiple times over, but he couldn’t finish him off permanently. Midas fought smart, he took Lloyd’s strongest skill and his stamina."

He paused, looking up at the royals with a serious expression.

"During the war, Lloyd was among our strongest. If I didn’t have my divine blessings, he might have even surpassed me... only she was clearly above us. But Lloyd had one critical flaw."

"Flaw?" the King asked, raising an eyebrow.

"His powers consumed immense amounts of stamina," Aurus explained. "He was severely limited until the day he received the blessing that allowed him to recover his stamina using the stars’ energy."

Edward shifted nervously, his voice trembling slightly.

"Then...if Lloyd suddenly couldn’t use his power, does that mean Midas stole his stamina?"

"That’s what Lloyd insinuated," Aurus confirmed, grimly nodding. "Midas probably stole the blessing of the stars as well."

The second prince’s eyes widened with fear.

"An enemy who can’t be killed and can steal your powers... How do we even begin to fight something like that?" He glanced around anxiously. "Maybe Lloyd should have risked it all and accepted Midas’ offer. At least we’d have a clue—"

"Enough!" the King interrupted sharply. "Do not dishonor Lloyd’s name with such talk."

The second prince shrank back, annoyed but chastened.

"But we’re in trouble! They’ve breached the castle, they can bypass our divine protections, and already defeated two of our greatest heroes."

"If Lloyd had accepted," Aurus said calmly, "then Midas would have discovered our new hero."

All three royals stared at Aurus, their expressions confused.

"The new hero?" the King asked, eyes narrowed. "You’ve mentioned him briefly, Aurus. Even we weren’t aware of this secret. And now you’re saying Lloyd knew about it too?"

Aurus nodded.

"Everyone from my party knows it. I suspect this is the reason Midas wanted Lloyd’s knowledge. The hero is currently training in secret, in the safest place imaginable. He isn’t our immediate concern." Aurus folded his arms thoughtfully. "This battle has given us two vital clues. First, Midas must force you into owing him to steal your powers, so silence is your greatest weapon. And second, by Midas’ own words, he admitted there’s a reason we can’t easily defeat a demon. That means they have a weakness. We just need to find it."

Suddenly, the door burst open. A guard stumbled in, breathless and panicked.

"Your Majesty!"

The first prince frowned.

"We’re in the middle of a meeting. What’s happening?"

"I-I’m sorry, my prince," the guard gasped, his eyes trembling. "The demons...they’re attacking the city!"

The capital was falling apart.

People flooded the streets, screaming, pushing, trying desperately to escape.

Chaos was everywhere, shops were abandoned, carts overturned, and belongings scattered on the ground. And among them, something worse moved.

The dead.

Freshly dead bodies, still wearing their everyday clothes, staggered around, reaching for the living with vacant eyes and slack jaws.

"Undead?! Where did they come from?" a young adventurer shouted, knocking away one with her spear.

"I don’t know! They just appeared out of nowhere!" replied another, gripping his sword and pulling a frightened child behind him.

Adventurers and knights rushed to protect the citizens, quickly noticing something strange about these undead.

They were unusually weak, easily cut down and lacking the typical strength and threat of the undead found in dungeons.

Many discussed this, concluding these weren’t normal summoned undead, as they resembled an amateur summoning gone horribly wrong.

It became clear that whoever summoned these undead was likely inexperienced or rushed.

Logan rushed into another street, quickly slamming his heavy shield into one undead. It crumpled against the wall, easily defeated.

He frowned deeply.

Normal undead in dungeons were tough, and their rotting flesh carried a horrible stench. But these...

"They’re barely holding together," he murmured to himself. "What the hell is going on?"

A few blocks away, two children sprinted down an alley in tears.

Behind them, an undead man chased wildly, arms stretched, movements clumsy yet terrifyingly fast.

"Run faster!" the older girl shouted, dragging her little brother by the hand. But the undead was closing in, fingers almost grazing their clothes.

Suddenly, a sword plunged through its skull, pinning it down.

It was Crest, landing beside them.

"You two okay?" He asked.

The boy nodded shakily, eyes wide with fear. But just as Crest raised his sword to finish off the squirming undead, the girl rushed forward, grabbing his arm desperately.

"Please! Don’t!" she sobbed. "That’s our dad!"

Crest froze, his eyes widening in shock as the undead beneath him twisted and groaned, reaching blindly for his children.

On the rooftop overlooking the chaos below, two figures watched the scene with detached amusement.

"Look at that," the first said, leaning forward slightly. "Just a little push, and humanity’s falling apart. You sure they’re even worth our trouble? Maybe he’s not a human."

"Doesn’t really matter," the second figure replied. "They’re the species that hold everything together. They are at the center of their army. Decimating them now makes our job easier, but it’s still a waste. I wanted to see their full strength first."

"Relax," the first one shrugged. "Lord Ravager is stronger than any of these humans. He’ll deal with any surprises. Speaking of him, how’s Valefar doing?"

The second one gave him an annoyed glance, making the first smile.

"Oh, right," the first chuckled. "What was the name in this world again—"

"And who might this Valefar be?"

Both figures stiffened immediately, a sudden cold wind blowing through the roof.

They turned slowly, their expressions relaxed into sinister smiles as footsteps echoed from the shadows behind them.

A familiar, sarcastic voice cut through the night a

"You know, my weirdo radar went off like crazy, so I figured I’d come check out exactly what kind of bastards were gossiping here."

Stepping confidently from the darkness, Airi smirked, eyes sharp and filled with contempt.

"Now," she said, her voice cold and mocking, "how about you losers tell me a little more about this Valefar?"

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