Chapter 293
by fanqienovelChapter 293: No Rush, Let’s Play with Him First
Emerald Shadow, the powerful Ether Dragon, fiercely bit down on his offspring, her sharp teeth sinking into the back of his head.
"Crack—!"
With a violent twist, the sound of shattering bones echoed!
"Ugh…"
The young Ether Dragon Clodius gave a soft whimper, and then all his vitality ceased; his tail flicked a couple of times and lay still, his massive Divine Body slowly sinking to the bottom of the Sea of Ether.
"Boom—Crash—!"
His massive Divine Body slammed hard into the bottom of the Sea of Ether.
"Boom—!"
A huge splash of Primal Mud erupted, hiding the whole Sea of Ether, and fierce waves rolled above it!
"Ah—!"
"Give me a hand! I can barely hold on!"
Amidst the surging waves, many people teetered, nearly falling; if not for the Solar Knights rescuing them, many would have plunged into the Sea of Ether, swept away by the raging currents to certain death.
But even as they held firmly to the fragments of the Holy Tree, if the Dragon War among Ether Dragons went on, their fates stayed uncertain.
Yet many weren’t thinking only of their own fates then.
"What’s going on?"
"Why is that ‘Emerald-colored’ Ether Dragon protecting us!?"
"Is it dog eat dog!?"
"Could it be a helper sent by the Giant God!?"
"Great indeed!"
…
As they talked about why…
"Boom—!"
Another wave surged!
A much smaller Ether Dragon, just one-third the length of the Emerald Dragon, swam to the shattered fragments of the Holy Tree.
She looked curiously at the tiny beings huddled on the fragments, smaller than ants.
In her eyes, there was no malice, only innocent curiosity, like a child watching an ant hill.
But Sylvia and the others on the fragments felt dread!
"Oh no…!"
Those unruly children might not have malice, but it was because they didn’t understand what malice meant!
Their innocence was enough to do great harm to weaker lives!
Many people had cruelly done things like pouring hot water into ant holes, burning grass, and tearing apart grasshoppers when young.
This was a common trait among all creatures!
Even among the Ether Dragons, who shared the same divine rank as deities and possessed a divine spark themselves, their habits were closer to those of "extraordinary beings," and they were no exception!
Sure enough…
"Roar—!"
The young Ether Dragon excitedly shouted, poised to bite.
But at that moment…
"Ugh—grr…"
A deep, scolding roar echoed!
"Ugh… ugh…"
The young Ether Dragon immediately whined softly, as if trying to explain her grievances.
She drooped her head and gently swam to her mother’s side, rubbing against her mother’s scales, as if begging her not to be angry.
Emerald Shadow arrived, unharmed and having dealt with her grieving child.
With a sharp gaze, she fixed her eyes on the bobbing fragments of the Holy Tree and the "refugees" upon them.
"Roar—!"
The clear dragon’s call echoed among them.
This powerful and fierce being was scrutinizing them, observing the mortals who seemed as insignificant as dust to her.
"Is she going to kill us!?"
Sylvia’s eyes widened in fear.
She wasn’t afraid of the Ether Dragon; the glory of the Giant God flickered in her heart. The modifications the Giant God had granted her let her face these terrifying deities and "extraordinary beings" without fear.
It was as if those fearsome deities, millions of times stronger than them, weren’t so impressive after all.
They were just beings equal to them, capable of "deals."
What truly frightened Sylvia was…
"Oh no!"
"Could it be that I really have a knack for blowing things up wherever I go!?"
Fortunately, that wasn’t true.
The Ether Dragon seemed to sense the mortals’ tension and slowly relaxed; she rarely showed her friendly side to mortals.
"Interesting mortals…"
Emerald Shadow conveyed her feelings to everyone through thought.
She carefully sensed the aura of these tiny mortals.
"That’s right!"
Tiberea rejoiced.
The aura from these mortals was strikingly similar to that of the "monster deity"!
"She" relied on that power to withstand the invasion of "micro divine ranks" from the Endless Ether.
"Will you all become my spawn!?"
"Submit to me, serve me, and in return, I will grant you ample protection and abundant resources!"
"Accept the gift!"
Tiberea roared.
She looked proudly at the mortals.
Yes, this was a gift.
The proud and powerful Ether Dragon actually lowered herself and relaxed her pressure to speak with the mortals; this was already a great gift and respect!
She believed this group of mortals would not be ungrateful…
Sure enough, a tall woman stood up from the swaying fragment of the Holy Tree.
Powered high heels gave her strong grip, allowing her to stand steadily on the shaking fragment of the Holy Tree.
"Great and powerful Ether Dragon!"
"Your offer is generous among the gods!"
"But we refuse!"
The mortals’ lack of gratitude angered Emerald Shadow!
"Seeking death!"
"Roar—!"
Her eyes flashed fiercely!
"Mortals!"
"Your soul is interesting; let me explore it fully!"
"Let’s see what gives you the courage to dare reject an Ether Dragon!"
"Roar—!"
Instead of attacking these fools with physical means, she used her Mental Power to force open her mind and invade her soul.
Emerald Shadow had guessed the source of that fellow’s power, but her curiosity pushed her to confirm it more.
—-
"What happened…?"
"Why did Emerald Shadow come to help!?"
"Where is the Giant God!?"
"Why is Emerald Shadow here!?"
Gimmerly paused on the branches of the Fantasy Tree of Subspace, watching the battle around the Predatory Tree, Themis, with a confused look.
Of course, Gimmerly knew Cassius Tiberea, who held the title of "Emerald Shadow"; long ago, beneath his Sharp Teeth, a core councilor of chaos had fallen.
Although that fall involved scheming colleagues and signs of malicious acts, it still showed his strength.
However, the conflict with the Chaos Council occurred long ago; although her activity range wasn’t far from here, she’d never shown interest in the Themis vicinity.
"This time, why did she suddenly charge over!"
Gimmerly departed from the Fantasy Tree of Subspace and took flight.
Her massive wings swept through the void as her sharp gaze and perception pierced the Sea of Ether.
She continuously scanned the surroundings for traces of the Giant God.
Within the Ether Sea, remnants of Emerald Shadow’s trail still lingered; even her path from her own territory to near Themis had been thoroughly traced by Gimmerly.
But…
"Hmm…"
"Though signs of combat exist, there’s absolutely no trace of the Giant God!"
"It seems the Giant God isn’t nearby."
"Nor near Emerald Shadow’s original lair!"
"Could this truly be mere coincidence!?"
Gimmerly felt her mind wasn’t functioning well.
"Perhaps I should return and consult elder sister."
"Her mind should be sharp enough."
The wielder of the authority of the void circled once before flying toward the Chaos Council’s "headquarters."
—-
Equally bewildered was the Chaos Council’s First Demon God, Barbatos, who observed the battle using Outer Gods from the Void as cover.
"Why did this happen…"
"Hadn’t Emerald Shadow long agreed with us to maintain mutual non-interference? How could she…"
"Oh…"
Barbatos just recalled Clodius wasn’t part of the Chaos Council; merely a young Ether Dragon he’d manipulated, coveting the shattered Bubble World as his nest.
"But… something’s amiss!"
"We deployed Clodius, and he sent Clodius’s mother…"
"The targeting couldn’t be more blatant."
"If coincidence, it’d be downright insulting to my intelligence."
"Hard to disbelieve the Giant God manipulated events from behind the scenes…"
"Has he fully deciphered my intentions!?"
"Even mobilized Ether Dragons through unknown means to strike ours—clearly defeating us with our own tactics."
"He’s… provoking me!?"
At this thought, Barbatos’s face burned as if slapped by that "brilliant" Giant God!
"Fine!"
Barbatos narrowed his eyes.
"No rush then."
"Let’s play properly!"
"After all these years, finally a worthy ‘chess player’ emerges."
"Fascinating!"
"Now…"
Barbatos summoned the full "star chart" of the "Chaos Swamp," examining the Bubble Worlds already claimed by the Giant God.
"Next target—here it is!"
That Bubble World’s name was Valaharl!
—-
Just as Barbatos engaged his full intellect, devising sinister schemes and preparing vast resources to challenge his fellow "player" with utmost respect…
"Ababa ababa…"
Trilobite uttered vacant sounds, smacking his lips in Mrs. Toothfish’s home while sinking into profound slumber.
This was absolute nothingness—a deathly silent hibernation.
"Mm…"
"Mm?"
But precisely then, his nerves jolted alert.
He sensed an intruder violating his sleep, disrupting his deep rest.
This thoroughly annoyed Trilobite.
"Damn it!"
"Who’s there?!"
"Don’t you know deep sleep matters!?"
He unleashed sleep-interrupted fury upon the unwelcome presence.