CHAPTER 440: INSPIRATION TO LIVE

"You and all the other princes and princesses, along with the entire royal family, will enter the Yin Chaos Dragon’s Trial Space. It’s an insanely hard test with several levels of rewards — but the greatest reward is the trial itself. It’s unimaginably beneficial for both the physical body and the draconic bloodline," Painita explained calmly.

"Also, there are special trials inside. I managed to reach the highest one in the past. I didn’t go all the way through, but the will of the Chaos Dragon appeared to me and gave me some hints; thanks to that, I got to where I am today. I can feel that your physical body is growing fast, so that place would be the best for your training."

Darian listened and nodded, really excited. He’d been worried about his body not evolving anymore, and now, an opportunity had basically fallen from the heavens right in front of him.

He turned and placed his hand on the violet dragon’s head. "Come with me..." he murmured softly, and the fluctuations coming from the body stirred. In seconds, Painita saw a sleeping soul slowly leave it and then enter Darian.

She swallowed hard, clearly feeling everything. Niara was now inhabiting the same body as him — exactly like the Summoners from that other universe did.

Darian sighed. "She’s in a deep meditative state, but she’s almost done. I believe she’ll wake up completely in about a week."

After saying that, Darian turned to the motionless body in front of him. He didn’t hesitate and burned away the little life force that still remained... and just like that, that body officially died.

With a wave, he stored everything inside his inventory.

"Lanalia deserves to have this body back, so she can give it a proper burial in her universe," Darian murmured, thinking about that strong woman who’d allowed them to use it for a while. Her daughter’s body had helped save their universe and strengthen Niara.

When he finished, Darian turned to Painita, who had a blank expression. "Don’t worry. Even if I can’t bring Niara back with her real body, I promised her we wouldn’t be apart. She’ll always come with me to this universe. But... I think it’ll work."

The Dragoness nodded, then pulled out an emblem and activated it. At that moment, a message was sent to all the princes, princesses, and key members of that generation of the royal family.

After that, she looked at Darian seriously. "I trust you. Despite everything, you’ve actually done everything right. You rose from a commoner to a General, and once you return, you’ll receive the title of Supreme General. That way, you can officially marry my daughter."

"Niara’s a bit emotional and hot-headed, yeah... but she’s incredibly kind and has this tendency to help the weak, even when it costs her a lot. For a long time, I tried to correct that in her; after all, you can’t save everyone all the time."

Painita paused, her eyes fixed on Darian, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"But she told me she’d never stop acting freely, following her instincts and feelings. That’s who she is — and it fits perfectly with you. As for the consequences... well, dealing with those will be your job."

Darian sighed. He’d had many years to think about all that.

He tended to analyze and plan every move to the fullest. Niara was the complete opposite — a whirlwind of emotion and action. Yet, it was exactly that contrast that made him admire her and long for her presence. And she had always made it clear the feeling was mutual.

When Darian felt lost, she’d speak her mind about the situation, and somehow, like magic, things would fall into place. When she wanted to act but hesitated out of fear of failure, he was the one who’d lay out the most calculated path. In the end, they inspired each other to live in ways they never could alone.

For most people, opposites like that only led to conflict. But for them, from the moment they met, their souls had been connected. There was no room for major misunderstandings or lies between them. Feeling each other’s intentions and will so clearly, trust was born almost instantly — and quickly grew into something greater.

Niara, true to her nature, started showing everything she felt very quickly. She probably didn’t even know when it began; she just let it flow.

Darian, on the other hand, took longer to understand things logically, though he’d always known — physically and instinctively — that he was drawn to her.

Darian understood. At first, Niara had sensed that his attraction to her was physical, so she tried to use her charm to her advantage... which caused a few problems. That was just her pure, innocent way of trying to make him see her differently.

Painita, though, had known Niara longer than Darian had. She’d wanted to protect that purity and kindness in her. That’s why she’d been harsh with him at first. But now, after getting to know who Darian really was, she felt a genuine happiness for her adoptive daughter.

Darian answered honestly, his voice steady:

"I’ll do my best to always let her be free... and I’ll handle whatever trouble she causes. The same goes for me. I’m far from perfect, and sometimes I screw up badly. We’ll both work through everything together."

Painita nodded with a faint smile. The human standing before her truly saw Niara as an equal — a full partner and woman, not just some beautiful ornament like so many men she’d met before.

"Let’s go." She gestured, leading him to a secret place underground.

...

"Darian!"

It was Tetoya who called out; she stood beside Zelkov and all the princes and princesses. Behind them, a few thousand figures from the royal family had arrived. Everyone stepped into a massive underground hall beneath the royal castle.

Darian stared at the thousands of people in shock. He had never seen them before. Every single one of them had seven rings and radiated a dense, powerful aura. They definitely weren’t any weaker than the princes and princesses.

Painita hadn’t chosen her adopted children for their talent or power. There were plenty of others with equal or even greater potential. This was proof of it — everyone here was absolutely capable.

Painita took a few steps forward and snorted lightly, "Everyone’s here."

A scorching, intense aura surrounded her. In a second, she waved her hand, and energy flowed toward everyone present.

Immediately, everyone’s eyes went wide as they felt something inside them shift.

It was as if before, there had been a river of mud forcefully moving through their bodies — and now, that river had been completely purified, turning into a stream of clear, crystalline water.

"You’re all completely ready now." Painita didn’t bother to explain anything else and just turned around.

Only Tetoya understood — the seal that had been limiting them was completely removed.

In that instant, a bright golden mark pulsed on Painita’s forehead. Darian felt a terrifying power flow out from her — the pure form of a Spiritual Sovereign.

She waved her hand again, and space in front of her opened up, as if a massive spatial portal had formed.

"The passage is open. It’ll take you straight to the trial’s entrance. Everyone, go in!" Painita announced.

Everyone took a deep breath, nerves running high. Darian, however, didn’t hesitate — he stepped forward first, while the others quickly followed.

*Buzz*

The fabric of space trembled, revealing a long tunnel of vibrant colors twisting along its length. As they advanced, a faint but haunting roar echoed in their souls, sending chills down their spines.

It was the subtle roar of a Primordial Dragon — and everyone in the passage shuddered.

They kept moving forward. After a few minutes, everything stabilized again.

"Darian, are you okay?" Tetoya asked, worried.

"I’m fine. What’s wrong?" he looked at her curiously, not feeling anything unusual.

Zelkov explained, "We’re already inside the entrance of the draconic trial. This place was made for those with draconic bloodlines only. Even we feel a massive pressure just walking through here. But Brother should be feeling a deadly one right now..."

The thousands of figures behind them were stunned. They had heard rumors about Darian but had never actually seen him before — all of them had been hidden by the royal family, kept as secret assets for decisive moments. No matter how strong someone’s physical body, soul, or will was, how could he not feel anything at all?

At first, everyone thought Darian would face some kind of rejection from this space — but if he managed to endure it, he’d survive. Even then, it would be a huge opportunity for him.

However, as they advanced and the pressure kept increasing, their shock only grew — Darian remained completely unfazed by the overwhelming presence of a Primordial Dragon.

Suddenly, an ethereal spatial portal appeared before them.

It looked sealed, like a locked gate, and in its center glowed a golden mark. As they approached, that mark began to move and change shape.

Zelkov explained to Darian, "This thing’s evaluating us. There are thousands of types and levels of challenges. The trial will scan the group’s power through their bloodlines, then choose something fitting — not unfair, but still tough. In the end, it’s not rare for someone to die in here, but no one ever leaves without gaining great rewards. This trial is a true divine treasure for Dragons."

Suddenly, a clear cracking sound echoed as the spatial gate shifted from ethereal to solid.

When they saw the mark that had formed, their expressions completely changed, filled with disbelief.

"The strongest one... a Calamity-level trial?!"