CHAPTER 639

【 SUBMIT TO ME AND I SHALL GRANT YOU NEW LIFE 】

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“There were no victors…”

The leading bone dragon’s voice trembled after hearing Eve’s words.

It fell silent for a moment, then asked respectfully once more,

“Your benevolent grace, Yggdrasill, could you please elaborate further?”

Meeting the uneasy gazes of the three enormous creatures, Evé let out a soft sigh.

“The Titans were annihilated and their entire race was wiped out, leaving behind nothing but legends and ruins. The Dragons, too, suffered devastation. Fewer than one-tenth of your kind survived, and even those who did eventually wither away in seclusion.

In the aftermath of the war, the realm of Seigües teetered on the brink of collapse. Nearly half of its subrealms that were anchored to it crumbled, and more than a quarter fell into the Abyss.

In the end, this war of yours for dominion over the crystal sphere ¹ left no victors.”

Evé explained softly, her words echoing through the vast, silent chamber.

The soul flames within the three dragons’ massive eye sockets flickered violently, as if shaken by an immense shock.

After a long silence, the bone dragon on the left suddenly let out a crazed laugh.

“Hahaha… Annihilated, were they? Those arrogant one eyed fools—they brought about their own destruction in the end!”

Yet as it laughed, sorrow soon colored its voice.

“Less than one-tenth of our kind survived? Then perhaps we, too, were blinded by our own arrogance and pride…”

The three dragons’ spirits visibly sank, their mood growing somber as they struggled to accept the cold, hard truth.

After a long pause, their leader, Mars, spoke again.

“Great Yggdrasill, may I ask… what year is it now? Which race now reigns over the world?”

Perhaps shaken by the revelation of their kind’s downfall, its tone carried even deeper reverence than before.

Evé regarded it calmly and replied,

“It is the year 1070 of the Eternal Era. At present, humanity stands as the dominant race of the world.”

“Humans? Those insects who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be the descendants of Lord Neo?” said the bone dragon on the right in astonishment.

Hmm?

At those words, Evé raised her brow ever so slightly.

Humans suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

Descendants of Neo?

The inherited knowledge she received from the World Tree contained nothing regarding the origin of humanity, and Evé had always assumed they had evolved naturally within this universe, just as they had on Earth. Yet now, the implications concealed within the dragon’s words stirred new possibilities in her mind.

A mysterious passage capable of linking this universe to Earth’s internet network…

A race that had appeared suddenly out of nowhere, proclaiming themselves the descendants of the God of Creation…

Two universes with vastly different structures, yet sharing strikingly similar ecological systems…

Could it be that the realm of Seigües is somehow connected to the universe of Earth? That even the entire crystal sphere protecting Seigües might share the same origin? Could it be that the humans of both worlds actually stem from a common source?

Perhaps her predecessor had also come from another world?

Could the humans of this universe also be transmigrators, who also originated from the universe of Earth?

And this so-called “Neo,” the King of Gods—could he, too, have been a transmigrator like herself?

Eve’s thoughts began to wander.

But soon, she dismissed the notion.

No… that did not seem right.

At the very least, Neo should not have been a transmigrator.

After all, the universe of Seigües had existed for over two hundred million years. Even accounting for its fourfold time dilation compared to Earth’s universe, Neo would still be tens of millions of years old by that logic. Such an assumption held no ground and the timeline does not match, as there were certainly still no humans on Earth during that period.

Yet just as she reached that conclusion, another thought occurred to her.

Hold on… who said transmigrators could only transmigrate forward in chronological order? Could they not also transmigrate into the past?

Magic exists in this universe.

Also, there are plenty of realms here that take the shape of flat planar discs, where the laws of physics do not necessarily apply as they do on earth’s universe.

So who can claim that time travel is impossible here?

After all, the development of human civilization on this universe bore uncanny similarities to the history of earth in several aspects.

For a moment, Evé found her thoughts tangled in confusion.

Perhaps… I should investigate the history of humanity in this universe and uncover the truth behind Neo once I have dealt with the threat posed by the Divine Human and the God of War Coalition.

Evé made a silent note of it.

Whilst she pondered upon these matters, Mars’s deep, aged voice brought her back to the present.

“Your Grace Yggdrasill, I, thank thee for enlightening us. You have fulfilled our final wish.”

With that, it sighed quietly.

“In that case… we shall now return to the void.”

The ancient dragons had no concept of faith, for in their era, dragons revered only their own strength and nothing else.

Thus, their customary practice was to relinquish their souls to the void—that was the manner in which they faced death, embracing the nothingness.

Now, the three bone dragons clearly had no desire to continue existing. They were ready to end their own existence.

Collecting her thoughts, Evé looked upon them once more.

She found Mars’s attitude somewhat unexpected.

Of course, she quickly realized why. He had been under the Titans’ mark of control earlier and likely had not heard her previous offer of submission.

Still, seeing the emptiness and loss in their manner, she decided to rekindle their will to live.

“Have you three never considered… continuing to live on?”

Evé spoke softly.

“Live on…?”

The bone dragons froze in confusion.

They exchanged glances and exhaled heavily.

“Your Grace, we have already become undead. For a dragon to degrade itself into such a form is a shame upon our kind.”

“We have sullied the pride of dragonkind. We… are no longer worthy of existence.”

Evé fell silent.

She looked at the three enormous bone dragons before her, speechless for a moment.

Who was it just now that mocked dragons for their arrogance?

And have you all forgotten who it is that stands before you?

“What if I were to give you a chance to begin anew?” Evé continued.

The three colossal bone dragons were startled.

“A chance… to begin anew?”

Mars, the leader, felt a spark of light flare in his soul flame, as if he had realized something. His voice trembled with excitement.

“Could it be… Your Benevolent Grace truly means to say…”

Evé met his gaze with a serene smile, offering no further words.

Nonetheless, the other two dragons also seemed to grasp the meaning as well. Their soul flames quivered, flickering with a fragile hope that had not stirred for a very long time.

“Your Grace, Yggdrasill… no, Great World Tree, Merciful Goddess of Life and Nature—are you… are you truly willing to restore our bodies?” the bone dragon on the right stammered, disbelief thick in its voice.

Evé gave no immediate answer. Instead, a sacred radiance unfurled around her, bathing the three bone dragons in a blinding yet comforting light.

At once, their long-dormant souls, weakened by millennia of confinement, began to stir and grow stronger.

For the first time in countless eons, their dormant souls, withered from millennia of confinement, began to awaken. Strength coursed through them as the divine energy of life flowed into their essence, nourishing what had long seemed beyond revival.

As their spirits swelled with renewed power, a visible vitality returned to their massive frames. Even the air around them seemed to hum with the resonance of their rekindled energy. After a long, tense pause, Mars’s deep voice finally emerged, quieter and reverent.

“Benevolent and mighty Yggdrasill, what is it… that you ask of us?”

Evé smiled faintly, and then her expression grew solemn.

Brilliant holy light gathered around her, illuminating her form and making her appear even more divine and awe-inspiring.

Her ethereal, melodious voice echoed throughout the Mausoleum, carrying a weight of supreme authority.

“Submit to me. Become my followers, and I shall grant you new life.”

When she finished, Evé regarded the dragons quietly, waiting for their response.

From what she had seen of them earlier, she already knew—they did not truly wish for death.

They simply could not accept living as undead, nor did they wish to bring shame upon their race.

Therefore, if she offered them the hope of life, they would surely seize it.

And as the World Tree, the deity governing the laws of life, Evé indeed possessed the divinity to grant them rebirth in exchange for their submission.

Restoring their bodies was well within her power.

Their soul flames still burned, their divine essence persisted, and their skeletal structures remained intact. All that was required was the expenditure of some divine energy to reconstruct their flesh.

Although the process might be troublesome, given that they were mythical-rank dragons, it was by no means impossible for a goddess who wielded dominion over life.

“Submission in exchange for… Rebirth…”

The dragons repeated her words under their breath, lost in contemplation.

Seeing their hesitation, Evé suddenly recalled.

These three were not dragons of the present era. They were the ancient progenitors of dragonkind, and thus, far much prouder and more imperious than their modern descendants.

They had lived in an era wherein dragons reigned supreme.

An age when few true gods could claim dominion over them.

After all, among the gods themselves, the Dragon Gods had once been the most powerful faction.

With that in mind, Evé altered her tone.

“Of course, I can grant you a condition.”

“One thousand years. Serve me for one thousand years, and after that, whether you choose to stay or leave will be entirely up to you.”

She smiled as she spoke.

At those words, the three dragons visibly wavered.

A thousand years…

For mythical dragons whose lifespans were virtually infinite unless they sought death, one thousand years was little more than the blink of an eye.

The three dragons exchanged glances.

Finally, Mars stepped forward.

He lowered his massive head slowly and said in a deep, reverent voice,

“Great Yggdrasill, your compassion and grace have truly humble us. For the gift of new life, and in gratitude for your benevolence, I am willing to serve you for one thousand years, at your command.”

As he finished, the other two dragons bowed their heads as well.

“We, too, are willing to serve at your command.”

The three enormous bone dragons prostrated themselves before the much smaller figure who stood before them.

And although Eve’s expression remained calm and serene, inwardly she could hardly contain her delight.

Just gaining the allegiance of these three ancient bone dragons alone made this expedition to the Titan’s Ruins entirely worth it.

Once their bodies were restored, these three would each become true demigods. Even without restoration, their current strength already stood at the threshold of that rank.

They were unquestionably high-quality forces of war, which perfectly compensate for Evé’s current shortage of high-end combatants.

After all, despite Fairy King Feynir also being a demigod, her combat power was far inferior to that of these massive ancient dragons. Moreover, she had created that little one to be noncombatant, and Feynir’s role primarily focused on overseeing the operation of the game’s system.

With these three ancient bone dragons around, Evé could even use them to keep Meryer—that increasingly lazy rascal—motivated. She still expected that punk to advance into the mythical rank someday.

As for the one-thousand-year term?

To be honest, these ancient dragons had never experienced the convenience of the current era. Despite their great age, their minds were far simpler than those of most humans.

Hence, for such pure-hearted creatures, Evé estimated that the players’ usual “indoctrination” methods could probably win them over within a single year.

In truth, she might not even need to resort to such tactics.

The delicacies of the Elven Forest alone would likely be enough to tempt them into “corruption.”

Meryer was already proof of that and so was Tiberia, the red female dragon Reinhardt had once forcibly taken away.

Thinking of this, Evé smiled faintly.

“I accept your submission.”

With those words, she raised a finger. Three golden spheres of light erupted from its tip, streaking through the air toward the three bone dragons.

These were divine blessings, manifestations of Evé’s immense power, imprinted to last for a thousand years.

The bone dragons did not resist. They bowed their massive heads, silently acknowledging and accepting the sacred blessings.

“For now, enter my divine kingdom and remain there. Once I have attended to my affairs, I will personally restore your bodies,” Evé said, her voice gentle yet imbued with authority.

“Your Grace’s… divine kingdom?”

The bone dragons sounded puzzled.

They had lived during the Titan Era, a time before the practice of faith in true gods existed, and thus had never heard of such a concept.

Evé did not explain further. She merely lifted a hand, and holy radiance enveloped the three.

Feeling the unseen force pulling at their souls, the three bone dragons stirred slightly but did not resist as they allowed the light to envelop them completely.

A flash of divine brilliance illuminated the chamber, and the dragons’ massive forms vanished from sight.

They had been taken into Eve’s divine kingdom.

The task of “welcoming” them would be handled by Fairy King Feynir, who had already received Evé’s divine instructions.

Having secured three demigod-rank subordinates, Evé was in an excellent mood.

Only then did she turn her gaze toward the sarcophagus at the very center of the chamber.

Curiosity stirring within her, she ascended the steps and approached it.

The sarcophagus was also made of obsidian—though purer than that of the obsidian statues outside, its surface shimmering with a faint, ethereal glow.

After observing it for a moment, Evé murmured an apologetic “Forgive my intrusion,” and then used her divine power to lift the lid.

Granted, a true god rummaging through the coffin of a demigod was not exactly dignified behavior.

That was partly why Evé had sent the bone dragons away first.

Still, it was hardly her fault that the Titans loved burying their treasures with them.

Evé had no doubt that many of the so-called “divine artifacts” possessed by the gods of the pantheon had once been looted from Titan ruins like these. After all, where else would so many artifacts “inherited from the Titans” have come from? Surely not out of thin air.

But enough digression—back to the present.

Evé pushed open the heavy lid, revealing the sight within.

Inside lay a colossal Titan, nearly three hundred meters long. His body was perfectly preserved, as if he were merely asleep.

Of course, his divine soul was long gone, leaving only the body of a fallen god.

That, however, was already remarkable in itself.

The moment Evé opened the sarcophagus, the Titan’s flesh began to decay rapidly.

Within moments, it crumbled into lifeless bone.

Yet, just before its body completely turned to ash, Evé seized the fleeting moment—channeling her divine authority over life to extract a fragment of Titan bloodline essence, recording it within her divine legacy.

This Titan blood held little personal value for her, but it could prove useful in the Desert of Death where the players had settled.

Many Behemoths still roamed that land.

The reason Behemoths rarely reached legendary rank was due to their diluted bloodline. With this essence of Titan bloodline, Evé might be able to create legendary-rank Behemoths.

And once they reached that rank, they would gain intelligence, becoming sentient beings—potential new believers who could take part in the upcoming Crusade against the Demons.

Evé placed great importance on this Crusade.

Although the players were her main fighting force and she could temporarily enhance their power through divine blessings, she still lacked enough true legendary-rank subordinates.

As for elevating a player into legendary-rank… that was out of the question since their souls were far too fragile.

Even if she granted a player legendary-rank power, they could never fully wield it.

After securing the Titan bloodline essence, Evé peered deeper into the sarcophagus.

Apart from the disintegrated garments, only one item remained, which was a massive sword nearly two hundred meters long.

A flicker of interest passed through Eve’s eyes as she reached out to touch it.

The moment her fingers brushed the blade, knowledge flowed into her mind.

[Divine Artifact: The Sword of Damocles]

¹ Crystal Sphere (DnD) – I explained it before, but for those who forgot, a Crystal Sphere is a massive, transparent shell that encloses an entire planetary system. (Sort of like the Heliosphere but tangible)

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