CHAPTER 418: CHAPTER 255: HE IS MINE

David, who had once locked eyes with the Platinum Dragon God in the desolate void, had imagined he would one day meet Bahamut again. However, he had never envisioned it would be here, under such circumstances and in this manner.

It was only at this moment that David truly felt the terrifying oppressive power of a Dragon God.

Merely being stared at by Bahamut felt as if his blood was about to freeze in the endless, biting cold, his heart about to stop beating.

His mind raced at unprecedented speed as he desperately sought an answer that might lead to survival. But he quickly discovered another horrifying truth.

In front of this King of the North Wind, he could not lie!

He could only gaze straight into his own heart and reply with the truth, or remain silent.

This was the only freedom he could exercise at this moment.

Yet David refused to shrink back.

Moreover, at this moment, the outcome of either choice was the same.

He gave a wistful smile and, somewhat helplessly, raised his right claw, which shimmered with divine light, to answer, "Sorry, though I hate to admit it, this seems to be an indisputable fact. Yes, I, David Uthos, am indeed a Chosen of the Chromatic Dragon Queen."

Arrogance

Only now did he vaguely understand the profound meaning behind his mother’s warning all those years ago not to get too close to Tiamat. Damn it, this status of being Chosen is a death sentence for a dragon. Even if it’s only in name.

"Is that so..." The King of the North Wind’s voice grew deeper, more solemn. "Your courage is commendable, David Uthos."

The next moment, David heard a sudden, piercing howl, and his eyes instinctively widened.

Authority—Greed

In the next second, David saw, through his [Eye of Greed], hundreds, thousands of ways he could die. He foresaw himself being smashed into pulp by a swipe of the Dragon God’s claw, turned into an ice sculpture by a mere sigh of the north wind, or even killed by a glare from the Dragon God through some unfathomable means.

David immediately activated Arcane Time Distortion to gain celerity, yet he found himself frozen in place.

For in the precognitions shown by his [Eye of Greed], no matter how he tried to evade, there was no chance of survival.

Without exception, every scenario ended with him being instantly killed by the Dragon God!

From the moment Bahamut had opened his eyes, all hope for David’s survival had been extinguished.

Just as David inevitably began to feel a sliver of despair...

BANG!

David, who had been standing still, was abruptly knocked aside.

As if the gears of his fate had begun to turn anew, David was stunned to see an aged Red Dragon appear where he had just been standing.

The next moment, the old dragon was pierced straight through by a tail as silver and serpentine as a python, a torrent of blood dyeing the roaring blizzard crimson.

It was Christoph.

David, his mind reeling and overloaded from the premonitions of Greed, couldn’t comprehend it. How could this old Red Dragon—who had been so terrified by the Dragon God’s overwhelming Dragon Might that he could barely stand—now risk his life for a descendant so distantly related?

Christoph, blood spewing from his mouth, desperately clutched the Platinum Dragon God’s tail that had impaled his chest and abdomen. He hysterically bellowed at David, "Run!!!"

Only then did David grasp the profound meaning in his ancestor’s eyes.

They could die in battle; Bahamut might not care about ants like them. Even if their souls were inevitably damaged, they still had a chance to be resurrected through the Divine Realm of Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon Queen.

But David was Tiamat’s Chosen. Given Bahamut’s earlier attitude, it was certain the Platinum Dragon God wouldn’t allow David’s draconic soul to return to Evil Scale Fortress.

Yet, even understanding Christoph’s will, David felt an unprecedented powerlessness.

Escaping from a Dragon God wasn’t just ’easier said than done’—was it even possible?

Perhaps there was a way... Yes, to invoke Tiamat’s name!

But if he had planned to do that, he would have said ’Tiamat’ instead of ’Chromatic Dragon Queen’ when answering Bahamut earlier.

Because in that very moment—he wasn’t sure if it was due to Authority—Greed, or because he had witnessed the lesser Dragon God Farazur perish instantly—David had a strong intuition:

Right now, Tiamat is no match for Bahamut! Not even if She has begun to integrate the War Priesthood.

Moreover, he sensed that Bahamut’s earlier question had been a deliberate attempt to bait him into calling Tiamat’s name.

This King of the North Wind wouldn’t mind settling the final battle with Tiamat here and now, in this Decayed Divine Realm.

And precisely because he had sensed Bahamut’s intention, David, despite his dire straits, chose not to grant him his wish.

Tiamat is the ultimate power of our Chromatic Dragons. The battle against the High Elves to break the dangerous fetters of the Dragon Frenzy Enigma Lock is imminent. She absolutely cannot afford any mishaps right now!

And David was certain that if Tiamat were drawn into a bitter struggle, his mother, Pafila, would not stand idly by.

Thinking of that desperate situation for dragonkind, David decided to simply let things be.

There’s no way I’m letting you have your way. So be it, death it is. As long as my soul insignia exists, as long as Mother Pafila is alive, I will see the light of day again.

Sloth

David had always believed that his mother, Pafila, possessed a talent far greater than his own.