NOVGO.NET Chapter 760: Benefactor
Chapter 760: Benefactor
Alliance Headquarters
The Alliance Headquarters was alive with celebration.
The air shimmered with divine light, laughter, and the sound of clinking goblets.
Victory had been claimed at last.
The Forgotten Suns—the thorn at their sides—had fallen.
Their generals were slain, and even their Supreme Leader had been erased from existence.
All across the great marble hall, Gods and Ancient Dragons toasted to the end of the war.
Their armor shone with gold and blood.
Their divine forms dimmed only slightly from battle fatigue.
Banners representing hundreds of kingdoms hung from the ceiling, swaying as if the air itself joined their triumph.
At the heart of the celebration, long tables overflowed with nectar and ambrosia.
Yet, behind the joyous noise, a cold, quiet mutual understanding lingered.
The victory feast wasn’t a gathering of friends.
It was a gathering of rulers, each calculating their next move.
Quite a few Gods had fallen when the Shadow Supreme descended.
Their deaths were tragic, yes.
But no one here mourned them.
In the Alliance, a death simply meant opportunity.
With fewer Gods, the division of conquered lands would yield larger portions for those still alive.
They smiled and toasted louder than before, pretending not to notice the invisible lines already being drawn across the map of their new world.
The Supreme Leader of the Alliance sat at the central throne, draped in black and gold.
His presence commanded silence without needing words.
When he rose, even the Ancient Dragons gave him space.
His gaze shifted to the far corner of the hall, where a faint distortion in the air hinted at someone’s presence.
There stood a man, or at least something resembling one.
His entire figure was covered in rolling smoke.
Faces turned his way but quickly lost interest.
It was as if he existed beyond their notice, unseen and unimportant, except to those who tried to look directly.
The Supreme Leader walked toward him, his footsteps echoing lightly across the marble.
“So,” the Supreme Leader began, stopping a few steps away, “you claim you didn’t know about the Shadow Supreme’s descent?”
The smoke-covered man gave a soft laugh.
“Hahaha… A mere being like me? Predicting the will of a Supreme One? You give me too much credit.”
The Supreme Leader’s expression didn’t change.
He stared, long and deep, as if trying to see through the veil of smoke.
The man’s tone was light, but something about his calmness didn’t sit right.
“You still haven’t told me about it,” the Supreme Leader said. “Why did you help us? You could’ve stayed out of this war. Did you have some grievance against the Sovereign’s family, like the Ancient Dragons?”
The figure tilted his head, as if amused.
“Hmm? You mean against Heavenbreaker?”
His smoky form pulsed slightly.
“No, he is not an enemy. He was once in the past, yes. But now, I would call him my benefactor.”
That drew a few frowns from nearby Gods who had gathered to listen.
The word benefactor sounded wrong, almost blasphemous.
The Heavenbreaker had been their enemy, the strongest of the Forgotten Suns.
The Supreme Leader’s brows furrowed. “Benefactor? He insulted Alliance by barging up our doors and spitting on us. You fought on our side, yet you speak like that.”
“I speak the truth,” the man said quietly. “You wouldn’t understand.”
The Supreme Leader opened his mouth to press further, but the man raised a hand.
“Then I’ll be taking my leave. The war’s over, and my part in it is done.”
Smoke began to dissolve from his form, scattering into thin tendrils that drifted upward like mist.
The Supreme Leader called out, “Before you go, tell me one thing.”
The man paused, half-faded.
“The Dark Age is still continuing. Even after the Forgotten Suns’ defeat, the river of time remains out of our reach. Do you know why?”
The smoky figure was silent for a moment.
Then, a soft chuckle escaped him.
“I do not. But you shouldn’t worry too much. Perhaps the river of Time itself is restless because a new Supreme One is about to rise.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and uncertain.
He continued, “With the current decay of our universe, it’s only natural that the birth of someone truly powerful would cause turbulence. Great waves, as you might call them.”
The Supreme Leader’s frown deepened.
He didn’t like riddles, and this man always spoke in them.
Before he could say anything more, the smoke vanished completely.
The figure known only as I was gone.
The Supreme Leader stood there, silent.
Then he muttered under his breath, “Keep an eye on him.”
A ripple spread from his shadow.
“As you wish, Emperor,” a voice replied.
The shadow stretched, slithering toward the edge of the hall, but before it could leave, a massive claw slammed down.
The entire floor trembled.
A dragon’s foot, plated in obsidian scales, crushed the shadow instantly.
The hall fell silent.
“Kram,” said a deep, rumbling voice, laughter mixed with smoke and heat, “what should we do if they try to harm our benefactor ’I’?”
Kram, the second of the Ancient Dragons, grinned maliciously. “We should kill them! Hahahaha!”
Their laughter shook the hall, deep and thunderous.
Several Gods watched the scene.
The Supreme Leader clicked his tongue in irritation.
“Savages,” he muttered under his breath.
He could crush them if he wished.
One command, one gesture, and both dragons would be broken beyond measure.
But he didn’t move.
These two weren’t the only dragons here.
The others watched in silence. Their massive forms rested on top the golden pillars.
Their scales gleamed like polished metal, their eyes filled with ancient pride.
The Supreme Leader’s gaze hardened.
The Age of Dragons is about to start, he thought grimly.
Still, he wasn’t one to tolerate open disrespect.
His figure blurred, and in the next instant, the dragon Kram was smashed into the floor.
The impact cracked the marble and sent shockwaves across the hall.
The Gods gasped.
The other dragons roared in fury, their bodies expanding, filling the hall with heat and energy.
But the Supreme Leader didn’t flinch.
His presence surged, pressing down on all of them like the weight of a collapsing star.
His eyes met the silver dragon standing near the center: Velion, the eldest among the Ancient Dragons here, and their de facto leader.
“Keep your siblings under control,” the Supreme Leader said, his voice calm but heavy with threat. “Next time they forget their place, I won’t be merciful. The only reason I’m restraining myself is because you’re the one sealing the Heavenbreaker.”
The dragons stirred, their eyes flickering with barely contained rage.
But Velion only smiled.
“I understand. I’ll make sure my brothers learn some manners next time,” he said softly.
His tone was polite, but the edge in his words was sharp enough to cut steel.
The Supreme Leader snorted.
He turned away, his cloak flowing behind him.
As he walked toward the exit, the dragons’ low growls rumbled through the hall.
The dragons were not the one who let other trample them.
Since the Supreme Leader of Alliance had offended them first, it was justified for them to keep their eyes on him.
“Foolish king. He seems to have not read the history carefully. Disrespecting us is no different from calling for a calamity,” Kaelus muttered.