CHAPTER 178: “THE DRAGON’S ACCORD

The defeat of Hera sent a shockwave through the divine pantheons. On Olympus, Zeus’s rage was a physical storm.

In Portentia, the victory was celebrated. Their loyalty to their Silent King was now forged in fire.

Nox was not celebrating. He was in his throne room with Vexia, looking at the holographic map of the world.

"Your victory has bought us time," Vexia stated. "But it has also made us the center of the world’s attention. The other pantheons are watching us."

"They’re rivals," Nox said. "They’re waiting to see who wins the fight between us and Olympus. They’ll side with the victor."

"Precisely," Vexia agreed. "Which means our next move is critical. We cannot afford to sit here and wait."

"The dragon," Nox said, his finger tapping on the volcanic peaks to the east. "That’s our next move. Another Royal Flag would double our authority."

"A sound strategic objective," Vexia conceded. "But a dragon is a formidable opponent. Even for you."

"I’m not going to fight it," Nox said. "I’m going to talk to it."

***

The journey to the Dragon’s Roost was a quiet one. Nox went with only his core companions: Serian, Elisa, Vexia, and Mela.

They found the dragon’s lair at the heart of an active volcano. The dragon was immense, its scales the color of obsidian, its eyes pools of molten gold. It lay coiled on a massive pile of volcanic rock. Planted beside it was a Royal Flag, its banner the color of cooling magma.

"So," the dragon’s voice echoed in their minds. "The little king comes to my mountain. Have you come to steal my banner?"

Nox stepped forward. "I’ve come to offer you a deal."

The dragon let out a sound like a landslide. "A deal? What could you possibly offer me that I could not simply take?"

"An alliance," Nox said. "You are old. You are powerful. But you are alone. The gods are carving up this world, and sooner or later, they will come for you. You can stay here and wait for them to kill you, or you can join me, and we can kill them first."

The dragon was silent for a long, long time. "You have the stink of the Ash-Mother on you. And the fire of the sun-drake’s child in your heart. You are a walking contradiction, little king."

"Is that a yes?"

"It is a maybe," the dragon replied. "Prove it. There is another who seeks my banner. A champion of a different pantheon. A god of the sands and the sun. He is on his way now. Defeat him. Show me your strength is more than a mortal’s fleeting boast. Do this, and I will consider your offer."

Mela’s voice hissed in their minds. ’Nox! We have incoming! A single figure, approaching from the south. He’s... golden.’

Nox grinned. "Looks like your challenger has arrived."

He turned and walked toward the entrance of the cavern. "Wait here," he said to the dragon. "I’ll be right back."

He walked out onto the black, ashen slopes of the volcano. A figure was walking up the path toward him. He was tall and regal, clad in the golden armor of an Egyptian pharaoh, his head that of a falcon, his eyes burning with the light of the sun.

"I am Ra-Horakhty," the falcon-god announced. "This mountain and the banner it holds are now the property of my pantheon. Leave, mortal, and I may spare your insignificant life."

Nox just looked at the new god. "I am getting really tired of gods telling me what to do."

He raised his scepter. "This mountain is under my protection. And you are trespassing."

***

Ra-Horakhty raised his golden ankh. The sun blazed, and a beam of concentrated sunlight shot from the sky.

Nox flickered, and the beam melted the volcanic rock where he had stood. ’Glass cannon. I can’t let him keep his distance.’

He charged, a low, ground-hugging ripple of blackness. Ra-Horakhty swung his khopesh, and a wave of golden, razor-sharp solar wind shot out.

Nox flickered again, appearing directly behind the falcon-god, his scepter swinging. A shield of pure, golden light erupted, blocking the blow.

"Your shadow-tricks are useless against the light of the sun, mortal," Ra-Horakhty said, counter-attacking.

Nox was forced back, parrying the god’s lightning-fast strikes. It was a battle of pure opposites. Neither could gain an advantage.

From the lair, Serian, Elisa, Vexia, and Mela watched.

"He is a true god," Vexia stated. "Nox cannot break through his defenses."

"Then we help him!" Elisa roared.

"No," Serian said. "This is not our fight. This is his trial. The dragon is watching."

Ra-Horakhty summoned three massive, fiery serpents of pure solar plasma. They lunged.

Nox opened a small Monarch’s Dominion, a perfect sphere of blackness that consumed the serpents.

"Your void is an unnatural thing," Ra-Horakhty hissed.

"The natural order is boring," Nox shot back. ’This is a stalemate. I need to change the game.’

He flickered, appearing at the edge of a molten rock pool. He plunged his scepter deep into the glowing slag.

"What are you doing, fool?"

"Just redecorating," Nox said.

He poured his void energy into the molten heart of the volcano. The ground began to tremble. The black, ashen slope started to crack, not with golden light, but with deep, purple fissures of pure void energy. The molten rock cooled and hardened into jagged, black, obsidian-like crystals that pulsed with a dark light.

He was converting the mountain into his own weapon.

"You are poisoning this sacred place!" Ra-Horakhty shrieked.

Nox slammed the butt of his scepter on the ground. "Monarch’s Dominion," he commanded.

It was different this time. Fed by the corrupted power of the volcano, his Dominion erupted from the ground, a massive wave of pure, solid void that crashed down toward the sun god.

Ra-Horakhty screamed and threw up a desperate wall of golden light, but it was too late. The wave engulfed him, and when it receded, the god was gone.

Nox stood on the now-transformed mountainside, the ground a field of pulsing, purple-black crystals.

The ancient dragon in the cavern let out a deep, rumbling sound of approval.

Nox walked back into the lair. "I believe I’ve made my point."

The dragon looked at him, its ancient eyes full of a new, profound respect. "You are not just a king, mortal. You are a force of nature."

It nudged the Royal Flag at its side. "Take it," the dragon said. "Your alliance is... acceptable. A war against the heavens... now that is a fight worthy of a dragon’s fire."

Nox took the Flag.

[Royal Flag of the Obsidian Heart acquired.]

[You now hold three Royal Flags. You have met the hidden victory condition for the ’King-Maker’ scenario.]

[Calculating... The scenario is already over. Your actions have created a new, unforeseen outcome.]

[New Title Acquired: Emperor.]

Nox just looked at the new title, then at the massive, ancient dragon that had just sworn allegiance to him. He was no longer just a king. He was an emperor.

’This is going to be a lot of work.’