Chapter 229: Ignias, The Dragon Queen Of The Blazing Lands Unleashes Her Wrath

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As the dragon began to rise and fully manifest itself, Riven stepped forward without hesitation, placing himself firmly between the rising titan and the other two. His aura erupted outward in full force, revealing the true depth of his power. This was no longer a mere Shadow Self channeling a fraction of his strength. With his actual body present, he became an entirely different level of threat.

Ignias narrowed her glowing golden eyes as she felt the immense pressure rolling off him. This man was no ordinary human, nor even a typical mortal. Whatever he truly was intrigued her deeply, yet the dragoness did not voice her curiosity. Pure wrath continued to flow through her ethereal form, drowning out any other emotion for the moment.

By Riven’s side, the powerful source of his Lord Authority — the Sovereign Codex — hummed with rising intensity. Pride’s authority pushed outward in a golden-black wave of pressure that tried to reassert control over the Gate. Yet it constantly failed against Ignias’ overwhelming presence, which radiated a faint but unmistakable gleam of true divinity. Ancient Dragons, from what Riven had discovered in old records and scattered memories, were beings that stood far above ordinary Dragons. They were often praised and worshipped as Dragon Gods in their own right. Ignias herself might have ranked among the weaker of her kind, yet the power she still possessed was undeniably the real deal.

The question now was simple: what would she do? What was her true plan? She clearly seemed upset, but Riven wanted to see if he could still reason with her, find some common ground, and, if push came to shove, even allow her to keep her dungeon if that was what she truly desired.

"Ignias, Dragon Queen of the Blazing Lands," Riven called out, his voice steady and clear as he attempted to open negotiations. "I am Riven Claymore. I have claimed this Gate using my Authority as a Lord, or what some call an ’Ascendant.’ Your people, the Kobolds, still live within these caves. I have slain the king who ruled in your absence and preyed upon my people. Your heart is now under my protection. Please, stand down. We do not need to turn this into open conflict. I would gladly negotiate with you and speak further."

The flaming skull turned slowly toward him. Those molten golden eyes locked onto Riven with burning intensity. Waves of searing heat washed over the chamber, strong enough to make the underground lake behind them hiss and boil away into steam within moments. Any fish monsters that had once lived in those waters vanished along with the water itself.

When the dragon spoke again, her voice was clearer than before, though still fractured, as if the ancient spirit was slowly piecing its consciousness back together after eons of forced slumber. She had reduced herself to little more than bones in order to preserve her soul and heart from complete degradation across the ages.

"My... heart... stolen... by a child of another world...? The Order abandoned us... the Emerald Sea... consumed everything... and now... a mortal dares... claim what I preserved with my final breath...? Who are you... to believe you can... take it?!"

Her words carried a clear tinge of Madness. Riven clenched his teeth. She seemed to lack complete rationality and was easily swayed by the current situation and the words spoken around her. She clearly had little interest in true conversation.

Flames erupted from the skeleton’s maw in a controlled jet that scorched the stone floor between them black. The temperature spiked sharply. Vladimir’s newly grafted arm twitched violently. The scales along it flared brighter as the residual dragon blood within him resonated powerfully with the presence before them.

"Ugh!" He clenched his teeth and pressed the arm tightly against the white bandages, trying to hide the reaction. He feared that revealing the graft might only upset her further.

Even against the blistering flames, Riven did not flinch. He raised one hand, and the Authority of Pride manifested as a translucent crown of black and gold above his head. At the same time the Divine Frost Emperor’s Legacy activated fully. Freezing Touch spread outward, creating a Domain of Frost that clashed directly against her Domain of Flames. The Crown of the Divine Frost Emperor already rested upon his brow, granting him even greater mastery over the element of ice and leaving the dragoness momentarily speechless.

"Such control over the... the element of ice...! Are you a Spirit of... some sort? What is this...?" Her speech had grown a little clearer, the fractures in her consciousness slowly mending under the pressure of the confrontation.

"Please calm down. I did not steal the Gate," Riven answered as he pushed back against her oppressive fiery aura. The tension in the air grew heavier and more dangerous with each passing second. "I inherited the responsibility you left behind. Your Kobolds were being slaughtered by outsiders. Your dungeon was being raided without mercy. I ended the threat. In return, the Gate and its people now fall under my rule. I promise that your people will enjoy peace within my expanded Spiritual Realm..."

Of course he deliberately left out the part where he had mercilessly slaughtered many of the Kobolds who had attacked him first. Some details were better left unspoken for now.

"HMMM...!"

The dragon’s skeletal wings unfurled with a series of loud, sharp cracks. Fire raced along every bone until the entire thirty-meter frame was wreathed in a living, roaring inferno.

The pressure in the chamber became crushing, almost unbearable.

"Nngh...!" Riven clenched his teeth harder, preparing himself for whatever might come next.

"Agh!" Vladimir dropped to one knee, teeth gritted in pain. The Dual Flame Dragon Axes glowed fiercely in response and slipped from his hands as if they had suddenly become a hundred times heavier. "What...?!"

"..." The Shadow Self solidified further. Dozens of spectral arms emerged from its form, each one gripping a blade of condensed darkness and poison. "Main Body, is it even possible to reason with her at this point?!"

Ignias’ voice rose into a full-throated, earth-shaking roar that vibrated through the entire Whispering Caves.

What poured from that roar was pure Wrath.

Divine Wrath!

"I AM THE QUEEN OF THE BLAZING LANDS! I SHIELDED MY CHILDREN WHEN THE COSMOS ITSELF TURNED AGAINST US! NO MORTAL—NO LORD FROM ANOTHER STAR—SHALL COMMAND WHAT I DIED TO PRESERVE!"

The flaming skeleton lunged forward with unrestrained fury, completely offended by Riven’s perceived insolence in daring to take control of her precious dungeon — the last remaining remnant of the world she had once known.

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