For a moment, Karen wondered if he had misheard.
Did she mean that she didn't want to become a dragon god kept like livestock, fearing she would tarnish the towering image of the "Rebel Dragon God"?
Or did she mean it quite literally—that she considered the Rebel Dragon God to also be penned livestock, harboring a deep-seated contempt for that dragon god in her heart?
The former was plausible and easy to understand.
The latter was rather too absurd.
Yet within that absurdity lay a strange sense of reason, and the sole reason that reason existed was simply that the one listening to those words was Karen.
"The Rebel Dragon God raised like livestock."
"Praise the God of Order raised by a whore."
Invisibly, it mirrored the aphorisms of the Immorales family.
When Karen first decided to take part in the Church of the Crypt's Selection Assembly, the primary reason was that he harbored a sacred filter regarding the dragon race.
Setting practical considerations aside, if he could truly have a dragon by his side just like the Whip-Wielder did, the psychological satisfaction would undoubtedly be mesmerizing.
However, after experiencing everything here in the Church of the Crypt, that dragon filter had completely shattered for Karen.
He now felt that the Whip-Wielder probably wasn't very satisfied with the dragon at his side either, enduring its presence with a furrowed brow purely because the initial investment had been too high.
Karen had once questioned whether it was appropriate for the Whip-Wielder to treat his pet that way, naively thinking that with a bit more care and understanding, Lady Augie might have become a genuine companion. But now, Karen understood the Whip-Wielder's actions more and more.
If criticizing racial discrimination was political correctness, the contemporary concept of discrimination was built on the foundation of shared humanity—it meant that discrimination was forbidden between fellow humans, not between different species.
Moreover, compared to the primitive, savage religious atmosphere of the Church of the Crypt, even though members within the Church of Order often attacked one another with "Have you forgotten that all are equal under Order?", in reality, the Church of Order was truly the church that practiced that doctrine best.
Lady Augie... very likely had something wrong in her head to begin with. Clever though she was—her attempt to use Rasma to break her restrictions had once drawn Karen's admiration—no amount of petty wit could mask her overarching foolishness.
However, when faced with his earlier threats, this little bone dragon had still chosen mutual destruction over surrender, which instead earned Karen's appreciation.
Accustomed to calculating benefits, accustomed to capitulating to reality, and having had to obey these stale, decayed rules of the game so often himself, suddenly seeing someone pure truly gave him a pleasant surprise.
On the contrary, Lady Augie's claim that she possessed the inheritance of the Rebel Dragon God hadn't actually added many points in Karen's eyes.
Thus, when the little bone dragon shouted those words, Karen felt even more thrilled inside.
The way Karen looked at her now was reminiscent of how Diss had looked at him when he had just awakened.
In truth, we are both rebels.
"I understand you. Truly."
Karen sighed with emotion. This statement was briefer than anything he had said before, for attempting to move her with clever rhetoric at this point was clearly impossible. Her rebelliousness was not an imitation; it came from the inside out. She hadn't inherited this faith from the Rebel Dragon God, because having even the Rebel Dragon God looming over her head made her deeply uncomfortable.
In that respect, she was exceedingly like Karen back when he was only a servant, penning so many "treasonous" lines in his notebook.
After restabilizing her soul body, the little bone dragon launched another attack at Karen.
She charged ferociously, yet posed no real threat to Karen. Karen, however, no longer had any intention of suppressing her; it was more like seeing a close friend's child pouting and throwing a tantrum because he had teased her, finding it rather endearing instead.
Well then, let's keep playing with you.
Karen simply withdrew the defense of the Gate of Samsara, held out an open palm, and said with a smile, "Go, play with her."
Thousand Phantoms darted out from Karen's palm. Ever since following Karen, Thousand Phantoms had received plenty of opportunities for nourishment, growing far plumper than when it had first left the Gate of Samsara. Coupled with regularly clinging to the Chains of Order to temper its soul body—akin to a highly efficient workout—though it still looked like a snake, it had already become a python.
Even facing a dragon now, it showed no fear.
When the little bone dragon saw Karen release a black python to deal with her, she certainly didn't see it as affection from "Uncle Karen." Instead, she took it as an insult, lunging forward with even greater fury.
*Boom!*
The black python collided with the bone dragon, and both quickly plunged into an intimate exchange of biting and clawing.
The bone dragon was feral; whenever she attacked, it was always a fight to the death with no retreat left for herself.
Thousand Phantoms was inherently the crystallization of violence and savagery, and having witnessed truly grand spectacles, it didn't hold dragons in any regard at all.
After a bout of mauling, both soul bodies were thoroughly battered. Neither wanted to separate, but neither could maintain their grip, passively pushing each other back and unintentionally creating an intermission.
The little bone dragon continued tugging at nearby undead aura to replenish and mend her soul body in preparation for the next round of slaughter.
Thousand Phantoms began circling around Karen, drawing soul power from him to replenish itself. It didn't care that this was the enemy's home ground; ever since it had accompanied Karen out into the world, it had never seen Karen lose to anyone in the realm of souls.
Moreover, Karen always had to suppress his hunger addiction, often choosing not to consume the "delicacies" placed before him, which ultimately ended up benefiting Thousand Phantoms.
Thus, Thousand Phantoms took it for granted that the bone dragon before it would inevitably become its dinner.
Soon, both finished catching their breath and, as if by mutual agreement, charged at each other once more.
Yet just before contact, brilliant halos of colorful light appeared before the little bone dragon, death aura and life aura circulating within them. Thousand Phantoms, ready for another round of primitive brawling, slammed straight into it. Its soul body instantly began twisting violently, showing signs of unraveling.
Seeing this, the little bone dragon immediately threw back her head and slashed her front claws, condensing even more colorful halos and hurling them furiously at Thousand Phantoms, aiming to thoroughly pulverize its soul body in one blow.
Watching the children brawl from behind, a faint smile appeared at the corners of Karen's mouth. This bone dragon's talent was truly astonishing; having hatched not long ago and undergone continuous battles, she could already grasp her racial abilities.
In this regard, Thousand Phantoms fell far short, but it was only a soul entity after all. Insisting on comparing it to a dragon endowed with a bloodline inheritance was truly a bit unfair.
Even so, faced with this perilous situation, Thousand Phantoms reacted quickly. It now saw itself as Karen's support, Karen's wings, so when endangered, it naturally called out to Karen for help.
Chains of Order extended from beneath Karen's feet. Karen didn't direct them, nor did he stop them. Answering Thousand Phantoms' call, the Chains of Order surged into that ring of colors and soon merged with Thousand Phantoms itself.
Bolstered by the Chains of Order, Thousand Phantoms seemed to evolve in an instant from a python into a centipede. It forcefully banished the halos causing it discomfort, then suddenly appeared above the little bone dragon, crashing down viciously.
The little bone dragon instinctively mounted a defense, but with the fierce lash of two Chains of Order, her defenses shattered. Thousand Phantoms slammed into the little bone dragon, tearing away a large chunk of "flesh."
*Roar!*
After a pained roar, the little bone dragon promptly retreated. Thousand Phantoms lingered in place, slowly swallowing and digesting this surge of soul power, appearing overjoyed.
The little bone dragon glared venomously at Thousand Phantoms, then shifted her gaze to Karen, her eyes filled with a mix of jealousy and... grievance.
Evidently, she felt that Karen's "intervention" had ruined the fair duel between her and Thousand Phantoms.
Having digested the large chunk of flesh, Thousand Phantoms let out a long hiss and lunged proactively at the little bone dragon.
Reinforced by the Chains of Order draped over it, Thousand Phantoms fought exceptionally aggressively this time. As long as Karen didn't tell it to stop, it could assume it had unlimited replenishment.
A contest between soul bodies was essentially like this: if one couldn't achieve victory quickly through sheer quality, it would inevitably descend into a war of attrition over reserves.
The little bone dragon gradually began to falter, and the rate at which she pulled in the surrounding undead aura to repair herself slowed down.
Though this was her home ground, the supplies Karen carried as an outside invader were far, far richer than those of a native like her.
Gradually taking control of the battle, Thousand Phantoms devoured more brazenly, writhing its long body at high speed, joyful like a loach sprinkled with salt.
The little bone dragon fell back repeatedly. Unable to repair the damaged parts of her body, she grew increasingly battered.
Karen still didn't call a halt, remaining there watching, for he knew the little bone dragon still had one thing left unused.
Why hadn't she used it?
Was she unwilling?
Even unto death, was she unwilling to acknowledge that she had received the inheritance of the Rebel Dragon God?
*Crack!*
In the strangling clash of bodies, the little bone dragon lost once again, her body split into two halves by Thousand Phantoms.
At this moment, Thousand Phantoms made a very foolish decision: instead of pressing its advantage, it stopped in place to admire the opponent it had cut in two.
This sight made Karen frown slightly. He strongly disliked such idiotic behavior, but said nothing. After all, Thousand Phantoms was under his control on ordinary days; theoretically, as long as he didn't act foolishly, Thousand Phantoms wouldn't have the chance to exhibit this idiotic side in reality.
Besides, giving the little bone dragon a bit more time to think wasn't a bad thing.
The two halves began piecing themselves back together, but lacking sufficient soul power to replenish herself, even when barely assembled, the little bone dragon's body looked severely disjointed.
Thousand Phantoms, assuming a victor's posture ahead of time, began "advancing" toward the little bone dragon bit by bit.
Just then, Karen noticed a change in the light of the little bone dragon's eyes, shifting from the initial blood-red to profound depth.
At her neck, a dragon scale flashed with a golden luster, and a sacred aura began to emanate.
Thousand Phantoms immediately sensed something was wrong. A sharp wave of danger washed over it, and it charged madly at the little bone dragon.
Yet before it could even get close this time, a magnificent silhouette appeared outside the little bone dragon's body—vast, majestic, colossal, inviolable!
Flames immediately ignited across Thousand Phantoms' body. Its soul was rapidly depleting, and even the Chains of Order it had borrowed from Karen couldn't hold, beginning to melt away rapidly.
The little bone dragon stared coldly at Thousand Phantoms. The giant silhouette cloaking her bore no expression whatsoever, allowing no emotion to be felt, yet the moment it appeared, the entire landscape here had shifted.
Having faith, having an inheritance, and being able to manifest it completely were entirely different concepts.
Just as many people in this world believed in Order, and plenty still clung to faith in Light, very few could erect the faith bodies of two main gods deep within their souls like Karen could.
To look at it in finer detail, in the history of the churches, the disparity in strength and status among Holy Children was enormous. Successors to the same lord across different eras could display starkly different abilities and ranks within the church.
Therefore, although this little bone dragon relied on that dragon scale, she herself was a pure practitioner of the Rebel Dragon God's path of faith. This was the recognition of that rule sequence bestowed upon her.
In fact, this had nothing to do with the Rebel Dragon God itself.
Just as the God of Order didn't know Karen existed either—it wasn't that the God of Order chose Karen, but that Karen aligned better with this rule.
Gods had two sides; a god answering believers' prayers with eyes closed was more like the cold, programmatic operation of a system.
Karen sighed. Lady Augie had sensed the dragon god's aura on this bone dragon, considering her noble because she was the inheritor of the Rebel Dragon God. In reality, Lady Augie's vision was simply too shallow.
The sheer ability to summon a faith body into the depths of one's soul was enough to demonstrate her potential.
People couldn't be compared; dragons couldn't be compared either.
Augie and her parents were still fixated on noble bloodline purity, but from her birth, this bone dragon... no, perhaps not even her "breeder" or "creator" could have anticipated that she was aiming to become a branch god of the dragon race.
Bloodlines could be cobbled together; deliberate high-lineage breeding might produce a mass of failures, but with enough attempts, an offspring of superior bloodline was inevitable.
Yet uniqueness in the soul—and the personality, faith, and so on that evolved from it—was completely beyond control.
All of this was truly like when Diss, Purr, and Mr. Hoffen used an over-specified divine descent ritual to summon him into this world; before that, not even Diss had known what kind of "grandson" would be called down.
You and I... are too similar.
Our origins, our personalities, our stubbornness, our choices... all too alike.
You should belong... no, you should stand by my side.
Because only I can make you not feel lonely in this world.
Burned by the flames, Thousand Phantoms began to flee, but one of the giant silhouette's dragon claws clamped down upon it, forcing it to keep burning. At this moment, Thousand Phantoms truly looked like a coil of mosquito repellent incense—and a lit one at that.
However, knowing it couldn't break free on its own strength, Thousand Phantoms didn't show weakness. Instead, enduring the agony, it turned toward the little bone dragon ahead and continued to roar defiantly.
It wasn't afraid. It truly wasn't afraid. Even if the oppressive aura of this giant silhouette was near-suffocating and filled with despair, it had backing.
The little bone dragon raised her claw, and the giant silhouette's claw was about to descend with it.
Thousand Phantoms sensed mortal danger, yet remained brazen.
Right then, Karen moved.
He stepped forward and uttered a single word: "Order."
In an instant, the faith body of the God of Order materialized behind Karen.
Karen raised his hand, and the faith body of Order raised its hand as well. The two massive dharma bodies clashed in the most direct manner; the dragon god's claw was lifted up by the hand of Order.
With the flames on its body not yet extinguished, Thousand Phantoms swayed its body in high excitement, acting as ostentatious as possible.
The little bone dragon looked at the faith body of the God of Order behind Karen, astonishment showing in her eyes.
Similarly, when facing the dharma body of the God of Order, the Rebel Dragon God's phantom actually curled its towering figure inward in silence.
Dharma bodies possessed no emotion; they were the embodiments of rules. Therefore, for such a situation to occur meant that in the previous era, there must have been some special relationship between the God of Order and the Rebel Dragon God.
Yet none of this was specifically recorded in mythological texts. The seven founding gods of the Church of the Crypt had belonged to the Order camp to begin with; their appearances were usually collective, with rarely any separate depiction.
The dragon race possessed attributes, but the Rebel Dragon God had no definitive attribute, because in the mythological accounts of the Church of the Crypt, the Rebel Dragon God had exhibited the powers of multiple attributes.
Yet if one were to be bolder... could the Rebel Dragon God have also been a bone dragon whose life foundation was an undead creature?
If so...
Who was it that "awakened" the Rebel Dragon God who was a bone dragon?
"Roar!"
The little bone dragon's furious roar interrupted Karen's thoughts. Right after, Karen saw her leave the protection of the giant silhouette and fly atop the phantom of the dragon god, looking down at Karen with contemptuous and defiant eyes.
This was sacrilege. *I do not seek its protection; I do not consider myself beneath it; I do not believe I am lower than it.*
In the eyes of a true rebel, any existence lingering above one's head was unforgivable!
Karen gently tilted his neck. His body floated upward, rising above the faith body, until he slowly landed atop the head of the God of Order's faith body—stepping onto the head of God.
The little bone dragon's eyes went wide, her jaw dropping. Even as a soul body, she still expressed her utter shock to the fullest. Then, the shock on her face began to recede, and an inexplicable excitement swept through her soul.
At this moment, man and dragon locked eyes.
The little bone dragon began spinning excitedly in place.
And for the first time,
she smiled at Karen.
Chapter 632