Debate in the Council Hall

"Pathetic waste." Christina stepped forward and provocatively sat down just behind the Seleucian nobles. Crossing her legs, she raised a silk fan to veil half her face, scoffing without mercy. "You're nothing more than a pack of displaced mongrels, devoid of even the will to fight. You rely entirely on the Empire to win back your homeland, yet you bite the hand that feeds you, barking at your saviors. It's truly laughable." Khalid turned crimson with rage, the veins in his hands bulging as his grip on his silver sword trembled. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "And what does that have to do with you spawn of Tiamat? You colluded with the Cult of the Dragon and committed every wickedness imaginable! You're the losers of this war! You—Clan Faria—must pay for what you've done!" Before his voice had fully faded, Khalid swung his silver sword in blind fury, aiming to cleave the chair before him to splinters. From behind, Duoluo wore the amused expression of someone watching a stage play. He took a leisurely sip of tea and chimed in just in time: "Lord Viscount, everything in this room is now public property of the allied army. If anything gets broken... you'll have to pay for it." Hearing that, Khalid froze mid-swing. His ancestral estate had been plundered bare by blue dragons long ago, leaving him penniless. He had no choice but to stamp his foot against the floor to vent his frustration. The other Seleucian nobles erupted in outrage as well. Christina's biting words had clearly struck a raw nerve. One after another, they rose to their feet, encircling the blue dragon in human form. "Vile beast!" "Vengeance!" "If not for you filthy, evil reptiles, how could we have been brought so low?!" "We ought to seize this monster right here, skin and behead her on the spot! Only then will the Seleucians devoured by dragons be avenged!" Bolstered by their numbers, the Seleucian nobles found their courage, shouting over one another, spittle flying as their bluster flared. Just then, Christina lowered her fan. From the depths of her ocean-blue eyes, a spark of lightning flashed. A sharp, hair-raising crackle reverberated through the hall. Her voice turned chillingly cold. "A rabble of fools. Did you truly believe you could frighten me with this?" The Seleucian nobles, so fiercely bellowing moments before, instantly stiffened. Subconsciously, they stumbled back several paces, and a few even tumbled clumsily to the floor. That invisible aura of dragon fear dragged them back to the days when the Blue Dragon Sect ruled this land—when they had quaked and groveled beneath the shadow of dragons. Only now did it truly dawn on them that the glamorous woman before them was an authentic dragon. If she disregarded the consequences, she could revert to her true form at any moment and tear everyone in the room to shreds! "Amaunator above... S-She wants to kill us!" "Curse it, this evil dragon has shown her true colors!" "Men of the Empire, step in! I knew it—this blue dragon is our enemy!" "L-Lord Duoluo! This wicked beast intends to slaughter us right before your eyes! Arrest her—no, blast her to pieces with those weapons of yours!" Christina covered her mouth and laughed mockingly. "So these are the fiery, vengeful Seleucians of legend? What an eye-opening display! Terrified into such a state by a single glance!" "Blue dragon, stop changing the subject." Khalid remained standing where he was, his face dark with fury, utterly exasperated by the cowardice of his peers. "No matter how you twist your words, you cannot change the fact that throughout this war, Clan Faria was the allied army's enemy—shameful war criminals who have escaped their rightful judgment!" Christina feigned surprise, resting her fan against her lips. "What nonsense are you fabricating now? Do you have proof? Our Clan Faria has always been an ally of the Empire. Years ago, I personally paid a visit to His Imperial Majesty Cassius..." Khalid slammed a fist onto the table, furiously retorting, "Proof? Does one need proof to show that the Blue Dragon Sect colluded with the blue dragon clan? You are two halves of the same whole! If you insist on being shameless and refusing to admit it, then I'll give you an irrefutable fact! The spiritual leader of the Blue Dragon Sect—Gorazdla, the Tyrant of Thunder—bears the surname Faria!" "Right! Damned dragon, don't even try to deny it!" "Blood for blood!" "Avenge the allied soldiers who died in this war!" Rallying once more, the Seleucian nobles unleashed another torrential barrage of verbal abuse against the young blue dragon. Yet Christina remained composed. She took a sip of tea from the table and spoke calmly, "Those were Gorazdla's personal actions. They had nothing to do with Clan Faria, nor did they receive the backing of our clan. Gorazdla's deeds brought about heavy casualties among our kind. Countless members of our clan bore grievances and harbored conflicts with her; they simply did not dare confront her directly due to her overwhelming might." "More excuses!" Khalid said through gritted teeth. "As far as I know, Gorazdla was your Grand Elder! There is no way her actions lacked the backing of Clan Faria! Besides... we saw plenty of blue dragons on the battlefield." Christina suddenly broke into a bright smile. "Speaking of which—do you know where Gorazdla is right now?" Khalid replied coldly, "Of course. In the Battle of the Loch Great Rift, His Majesty Emperor Cassius of the Cinder Empire fought that foul beast and slew her, giving her the end she deserved." "That conclusion might be correct, but..." Christina paused deliberately before continuing, "...your understanding of the process is entirely mistaken. Allow me to enlighten you on the truth. In that earth-shattering battle, His Majesty Cassius destroyed Gorazdla's physical body. But as a divine creature, her soul could detach from flesh and move freely, and she fled amidst the chaos. Soon after the fighting ended, Gorazdla returned to her lair, seeking a suitable body to inhabit. It was our Faria clan that chose righteousness over blood ties, delivering Gorazdla into the hands of the Empire!" "Impossible!" Khalid stared in utter disbelief. He could never have conceived that these blue dragons could sink to such depths of shamelessness, turning on an ancient great wyrm of their own bloodline merely to ensure their own survival. Instinctively, he glanced toward the head of the council chamber. There, Duoluo gave an approving nod with a faint smile. "Lady Christina speaks the truth. It was indeed their assistance that allowed us to capture Gorazdla." Khalid clenched his teeth so hard they clicked. "And what of the blue dragons who took part in the war? Were none of them from Clan Faria?" Christina's smile grew radiant, her eyes glinting with cunning. "Of course there were. However, before the war began, we had already signed an alliance with the Empire. Our kinsmen deliberately held back on the battlefield and provided the Empire with ample intelligence. You ask what contribution Clan Faria has made to the allied army? We supplied abundant intelligence, and we eliminated a colossal threat on your behalf!" Christina rose gracefully to her feet, flicking her silk fan open as she cast a mocking gaze about the room. "Now, I would love to know—what have any of you present contributed to the allied army? Did you do anything beyond gathering in the plaza to bellow like cattle?" Khalid snapped in exasperation, "We Seleucians fought fearlessly on the front lines, laying down our lives to slay the enemy! Are you claiming that doesn't surpass a bunch of wicked dragons who ran vile schemes hand in glove with the Cult of the Dragon?" "Heh heh..." Christina hid her lips behind the fan, letting out a silvery chuckle. "So far as I am aware, the Empire maintains a dedicated supervisory bureau to tally enemy casualties. Can you Seleucians account for even a tenth of that tally? You posture as heroes of the war, but in my eyes, you are nothing more than a pack of mongrels trailing behind others to scavenge leftover bones—fit only for barking!" "Vile dragon!" "How dare you insult us like this!" The Seleucian nobles boiled over once more, but Christina merely countered with an indifferent shrug. "I am merely stating the facts. Who was it that got hit where it hurts?" "You—" Khalid's eyes were bloodshot, his blood rushing to his head. Panting heavily, he drew his sword once more, aching to cut the dragon down where she stood. Seeing tensions escalate to the brink of bloodshed, the air thick with the stench of imminent violence, Duoluo unhurriedly took another sip of his tea before finally speaking. "Gentlemen, let us all remain rational and cool our heads. We are all on the same side; there is no need to incur pointless losses over verbal spats." Duoluo's words landed like a bucket of freezing water over Khalid, staying his blade. The dragonblood hobgoblin smiled and continued, "Lady Christina, I must admonish you as well. You went too far. However you look at it, our Seleucian colleagues are part of the allied forces. Their contributions cannot be measured purely by casualty counts. Speaking in such a manner only undermines the solidarity of the allied forces, does it not?" Just as Khalid opened his mouth to reply, Christina cut in smoothly: "My apologies, Marshal Duoluo. My temper got the better of me, and I lost my composure. For our Faria clan, the overarching priority of unity and cooperation within the alliance comes first above all else." The two played off each other seamlessly. Though they paid lip service to an apology, Khalid felt a suffocating rage trapped in his chest, entirely unable to vent it. Not far off, Adrian's brow was tightly knit, and he let out an imperceptible sigh. Duoluo, meanwhile, wore the faint smirk of a schemer whose plot had succeeded. He and Christina had rehearsed their lines long before this, determined to suppress the recent arrogance of the Seleucians and force them to understand their proper place. At that moment, a messenger burst in, his voice taut with urgency. "Marshal! Urgent intelligence from the south—the Red Dragon Sect has made a major move—!" Duoluo's expression shifted slightly. He said in a deep voice, "Speak plainly. Everyone here belongs to our allied forces; there are no secrets that need hiding." The messenger hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Marshal, our reconnaissance units have discovered a massive volcanic eruption in southern Seleucia. Lava has submerged nearly two hundred kilometers of land, practically obliterating the northern portion of the Red Dragon Sect's territory. Furthermore, catastrophic meteorological anomalies have followed in its wake. Volcanic ash is rapidly spreading, already crossing the border and reaching the southern edge of our occupied territory. We are currently conducting emergency evacuations of the local populace..." "Amaunator above!" At the messenger's report, every face in the council hall twisted in panic and dread. Curiously, the one with the strongest reaction was Christina herself. "When magma covers the earth and ashes shroud the sky, the Mother of Evil Dragons shall descend upon the world, destroying the old era to usher in the new..." The young blue dragon murmured, her voice trembling with unmistakable panic, stripped entirely of her earlier poise. "It's Kazul... The 'Crimson Cinders' has awakened! He has actually taken that final step!" At the forbidden name of "Kazul," sheer terror seized the Seleucians in attendance, as though a chilling shadow had eclipsed the hall. Duoluo asked in a heavy voice, "Lady Christina, you seem to know something of this?" Christina drew a sharp breath and nodded, trying her best to steady her voice. "Indeed, Marshal Duoluo." The Chromatic Dragon Queen had already discovered their betrayal. Since then, Christina and her kin were plagued by nightmares whenever they slept, listening to Tiamat's most venomous, merciless curses upon their treacherous bloodline. She knew that from the instant she and Clan Faria betrayed Gorazdla, there had been no turning back. Christina reached out a slender hand, conjuring a magical projection in midair. Within the light materialized the image of a colossal, grotesque red dragon. Unlike Cassius, this crimson dragon radiated an aura of pure, unadulterated ruin, resembling a monstrous harbinger of the apocalypse. "This is Kazul, the Crimson Cinders, the Lord of Ruin, and the favored chosen of the Chromatic Dragon Queen. In the dogma of the Cult of the Dragon, he is the end of the old era. This great wyrm red dragon will unleash endless magma and ash, paving the scorched earth for the Mother of Evil Dragons to descend upon the mortal realm and usher in the age of dragons ruling the earth. Kazul has slumbered for ages. As far as I know, he established his own faith long ago and became a demigod-like existence. Now that he has awakened, I fear he is... merely a single step away from true godhood." "Gods above... Is that the monster who buried over a hundred thousand people?" "Horrifying!" "Can His Majesty Cassius even defeat him?" Hearing this, the council hall descended into utter panic, filled with chaotic cries of dread. Even Duoluo's face darkened with gravity. The dragonblood hobgoblin stood up, sweeping a cold, piercing gaze across the assembled Seleucian nobles. "This war is far from over. Right now, our allied forces have only one objective—to unite every force we can muster and destroy the Red Dragon Sect at all costs! I suggest you cast aside your petty schemes and conduct yourselves wisely." With that, Duoluo turned and strode from the council hall flanked by his imperial officers. Christina followed close behind them, leaving the Seleucian nobles exchanging bewildered, uneasy glances in stunned silence.