Volume 3 Chapter 184
by Need_More_SleepVolume 3 + Chapter 184: Human King
That was the history of the Mythical Era.
Between the king of the superior races during the Mythical Era and the king of the superior races of the current era, there exists an essential difference…
Divine Authority.
Although it was not like a true god, possessing omnipotent divine power, the king of the superior races indeed possessed a divine authority that could be inherited.
The king of the superior races would hold the faith of their own kind, and through the blessing of the power of faith, the divine authority of the king of the superior races could be maintained.
At the same time, the power of the king of the superior races would also bestow blessings upon their own kind, granting them the protection of divine authority, thus surpassing ordinary races and becoming an superior race.
The power of faith and the protection of divine authority share a mutually influential relationship.
In the Mythical Era, among the human race, there was such a Human King, who held the Holy Sword Gram and the Holy Spear Gungnir, wielding divine authority, granting blessings to humanity, allowing humans to secure a position among the superior races.
However, this Human King always wore golden armor and never revealed his true face. No one knew his real appearance.
People’s impression of the Human King amounted to nothing more than the Holy Sword, the Holy Spear, and that suit of golden armor.
The Holy Sword and Holy Spear were the marks of the Human King’s lineage. Only by gaining the recognition of both could one qualify to inherit the title of Human King.
As for that suit of golden armor, it seemed to be a matter of personal preference.
“Your Majesty, Human King, please look! This is the great achievement you have created!”
The Human King’s attendant half-knelt on the ground, showing utmost respect.
“All humans are praising your greatness!”
“……”
As usual, the Human King, clad in golden armor, stood atop a high platform, gazing at the sea of people below.
“Your Majesty, Human King!!”
The crowd shouted his title fanatically.
Although humans did not know what expression lay beneath that helmet, it was enough that the Human King stood there. Everyone could feel the divine authority emanating from him, revering him as if he were a true god.
The Human King could also sense that the power of humanity’s faith had become even stronger than before.
“The faith of the people… is even more devout than before,” the Human King murmured softly.
“That’s only natural, Your Majesty. Not long ago, you completely defeated the Elven King. This feat has spread across the land, and all humans now know it is thanks to your existence that our race has ascended to become the fifth-ranked superior race,” his subordinate replied.
“The Elven King is not my ultimate goal. The one I intend to challenge lies above all others—the strongest of the superior races upon this land—the Dragon King!”
The Human King loudly declared to the masses.
“I swear upon the divine authority inherited by humanity. One day, I will surely defeat the Dragon King and make mankind stand at the pinnacle of all races in the world!!”
The crowd was collectively shocked.
By normal reasoning, he should have challenged the superior races step by step, beginning from the fourth rank upward.
But the Human King boldly declared he would challenge the foremost race—the Dragons—and even swore upon the inherited divine authority.
Under such circumstances, his words were like water spilled—impossible to take back.
What confidence this was!
Humanity erupted in fervor.
From ancient times to now, no Human King in the line of succession had ever reached the height of the current Human King. And now, the current Human King intended to face the strongest head-on!
The crowd chanted the Human King’s title in unison.
……
The Human King issued a challenge to the Dragon King.
They fought for seven days and seven nights, and in the end, the Dragon King emerged victorious.
Though the battle ended in the Human King’s defeat, the power of humanity’s faith did not diminish. Instead, it grew stronger still.
Because this time, the Human King had made history.
In the past, every challenger of the Dragon King was defeated and mercilessly slain—that was the fate of the loser.
But the Human King was not killed by the Dragon King. He survived.
He was the first challenger to leave the Dragon King so exhausted after battle that he could not kill his opponent.
It was a pyrrhic victory.
For the first time, the fifth-ranked king of the superior races had made the strongest king of the superior races taste the bitterness of a hard-won victory.
Later, the Human King actively challenged the Dragon King multiple more times.
The results were the same each time, pyrrhic victories for the Dragon King.
The gap between these two kings of the superior races was narrowing.
This gave humanity even greater confidence—the Human King would surely surpass the Dragon King and make mankind the strongest of the superior races!
With the blessings of faith, the Human King grew even stronger.
Though humanity still ranked fifth, their power as a superior race had already surpassed those ahead.
That was the most glorious era of humanity.
……
“Your Majesty, the Dragon King wishes to challenge you.”
The Human King’s subordinate knelt on the ground, presenting an invitation to battle.
“The Dragon King… wants to challenge me?”
The Human King sounded slightly surprised.
For in all the previous encounters, he had always been the challenger. This time, the roles were reversed.
This indicated the Dragon King’s mindset had changed.
The Human King took the invitation, opened it, and examined it carefully. “The Dragon King wants me to come alone… He intends to make a final decision.”
“Alone? Your Majesty, isn’t that too dangerous?”
“I’ve fought him enough to know—he worships absolute strength, values honor, and holds himself in the highest regard. He would never stoop to tricks in battle. Since he said one-on-one, he won’t allow anyone else to interfere. Besides, our overall strength as a race still lags behind the dragons. Choosing a duel is actually to our advantage.”
“Since Your Majesty says so, then we shall await your return!” his subordinate said respectfully. “But for safety’s sake, we hope you’ll allow us to remain on standby at a safe distance.”
“Very well,” the Human King agreed.
All of humanity came to see the Human King off as he went to challenge the Dragon King.
……
“Dragon King, I have arrived.”
The Human King reached the appointed place, drew his Holy Sword, and the sigil of the sword appeared upon his gauntlet. Bathed in golden radiance, the Holy Sword Gram entered its awakened state.
Opposite him stood only the Dragon King.
“Come, Human King! Let us bring an end to our struggle!!”
The Dragon King unleashed his true form, transforming into a colossal black dragon.
……
The battle between the Human King and the Dragon King raged on for an unknown length of time.
Everything around them was annihilated by the aftershocks of their fight. Terrifying energies filled the land—any ordinary superior race would be obliterated, body and soul, upon entering this place.
Both the Human King and the Dragon King were nearing their limits.
It was time to decide the final victor.
“Final Liberation—Holy Spear Gungnir!!”
The Human King raised the Holy Spear Gungnir, activating the golden divine halo that symbolized his divine authority, releasing all his remaining power. The spear entered its completely awakened state, and the multiple golden halos behind him all flared brightly.
“Divine Judgment!!”
The Human King roared and hurled the Holy Spear toward the Dragon King in the sky.
The Dragon King’s eyes glowed faintly as he too released all his remaining power. The black halos behind him fully activated, devouring the surrounding light and plunging the sky into darkness.
He opened his massive jaws and gathered the strongest Dragon Breath upon this land, compressing it and releasing—
“Dragon God’s Roar!!”
Gold and black devoured one another, and the might of divine authority erupted, tearing cracks into space itself.
Boom—!!!
The Human King was blasted away, while the Dragon King fell from the sky to the earth.
Both kings were nearly spent, their halos rapidly fading and dimming.
“Ugh…”
“You’ve lost again, Human King.”
The Dragon King struggled to rise. Though he could no longer fly, his halo barely persisted.
The Human King’s halo had already vanished.
Neither of them could continue fighting.
“Yes, this time I lost. But you know it, don’t you? The gap between us is almost gone. This battle taught me much—I’ve completely bridged the difference. Next time, the outcome will not be the same,” the Human King said, also rising.
“You truly are unlike any other king of the superior races, Human King. But… you will have no next time.”
A spatial rift opened above the Dragon King’s head, and numerous powerful dragons flew out, sealing off the area.
“Your Majesty, per your command, we are preventing the humans outside from approaching,” the Dragon King’s subordinate reported.
“Good.” The Dragon King nodded in satisfaction.
“What… What are you doing?! Dragon King, why defile the honor of our battle?!”
“Human King, if I could, I would gladly continue fighting you forever. You are a rare and worthy opponent, pure and unsullied in nature, devoted entirely to battle. Perhaps that is why you have improved so quickly. Fighting you has been truly delightful… But I am the strongest king of the superior races. I must ensure the dragons remain supreme. It is a duty I cannot forsake.”
“You have betrayed honor!!” the Human King roared in fury.
The Dragon King remained expressionless, silently acknowledging the charge.
“Even in this state, do you think these wretches can defeat me?! Holy Sword!!”
The Human King gripped the Holy Sword Gram tightly.
Though he could no longer invoke his divine halo, nor channel the power of authority to awaken the Holy Sword—
The might of a king of the superior races was not something any ordinary being could contend with.
Facing an overwhelming number of dragons, the Human King kept slashing, drenching himself in dragon blood.
“Dragon King! What’s the point of this?! Even weakened as I am, you cannot kill me!”
He drove the Holy Sword into the heart of a golden dragon. Scalding blood rained down like a storm.
“You’re right, I can’t kill you, Human King. That was never my plan,” the Dragon King replied.
“Ugh…”
The Human King’s sword suddenly halted as he felt a strange change within his body.
“What… what is this?!”
“This is the Dragon Curse. Every one of those you slew was a mighty dragon. In their dying moments, the Dragon Curse’s power peaks,” the Dragon King explained. “Before death, they all laid the Dragon Curse upon you. In your severely weakened state, unable to wield divine authority, the curse will take hold. Though each is weak, together they are countless.”
“You… you…!!”
The Human King, wracked by the countless death-curses of dragon elites, felt his organs melting, his consciousness fading. The curse invaded his body, spreading through his blood, transforming him.
The Holy Sword slipped from his hand.
“Let the humans in,” the Dragon King ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Soon, humans rushed onto the battlefield—only to behold a sight that shook their very faith.
The Human King… had become a dragon.
“Your Majesty, what… what has happened to you?”
“Why aren’t you fighting?”
“Why has our king turned into a dragon?”
The Human King could no longer respond.
Grinding his teeth, in the fleeting moments before his reason completely collapsed, he summoned and hurled the Holy Spear toward the humans. He tried to send the Holy Sword too, but it was already too late.
Dragons swarmed and seized the dragonized Human King.
“Your Majesty, should we kill these humans? Their faith is crumbling—the power of the superior race is weakening,” a subordinate asked.
“…There is no need. Humanity will never rise again.”
Then the Dragon King led all dragons away.
……
After the Human King’s battle with the Dragon King, humanity lost its king.
In such a situation, they should have quickly chosen a successor to stabilize the protection of divine authority and ensure humanity retained its superior race status.
There was indeed an heir among humanity—one who bore the sigils of the Holy Sword and Holy Spear.
But the problem was…
The Human King had not died.
While the previous bearer of the sigils lived, transferring the ownership of the Holy Sword and Holy Spear was nearly impossible.
The dragons did not kill the Human King—they imprisoned him.
For humanity still had to continue believing in this now-dragonized king.
This caused humanity’s faith to collapse entirely. Over time, with no power of faith to sustain him, the Human King lost the blessings of divine authority.
In the end, through the dragons’ design, humanity was stripped of its power as a superior race. Lacking sufficient foundation, they became the fastest to fall from grace among the superior races.
Perhaps history would not record this, but the hatred would endure, etched into their very blood and soul.
Humans and dragons—irreconcilable foes.
……
“No… I can’t watch any more… or I won’t be able to return to reality!”
Xia Yi, on the verge of her limit, withdrew her consciousness and returned to reality.
She had listened through the World Tree and witnessed the truth of humanity’s hatred.
“So… that’s how it was.”
The little princess’s gaze grew increasingly complex.
She had thought humanity’s hatred of dragons was manufactured by the rulers of the human world to control the narrative.
But in truth… perhaps it came from the soul itself.
From the depths of their souls, humans stood opposed to dragons.
“Xia Lulu… did she know about this history from the Mythical Era all along? Did she send me to Laurel Academy deliberately, so I would see this?”
Xia Yi felt lost, her thoughts in chaos. She didn’t even know what emotion filled her heart now.
“No wonder Gram, in the Ancestral Temple, wanted to cut down the Dragon King of the Mythical Era… But then, if the Holy Sword was the weapon of the Human King, why did it not reject me after I became a dragon?”
She looked at the Holy Sword.
But the sword could not speak. It expressed nothing. It only seemed intent on showing Xia Yi this history.
Still, since the purpose was achieved, she should leave the Laurel Tree now.
This was no time for sentiment. The situation outside was dangerous—she had to save Hill.
Just as she lifted her foot to leave, the Holy Sword reacted again, pointing toward a direction.
Following its indication, Xia Yi looked—and froze in shock.
She recognized it at first glance, her eyes full of disbelief.
“Why… is it here?!”