Witnessed by the Gods, the Dragon Revives!

Old and young alike, this generation of Ryanians had only ever heard legends of Gareth; virtually none had seen him with their own eyes. Even though Old William had crossed paths with him back then, he had been far too young to truly comprehend Gareth's terrifying might. In the words of Aige, the demigod from the Elegy Poetry Society, Gareth had long since transcended the mortal realm, merely bound within a mortal vessel and unable to achieve liberation. Thus Gareth slaughtered dragons like butchering chickens. That absurd, unreasonable power had terrified the Githyanki and their red dragons out of their wits, leaving them utterly unwilling to face him head-on; they could only scheme to banish him, plotting to capture the Bone Dragon Eldest Miss as a hostage. Had Gareth not become infatuated with the charms of the Bone Dragon Eldest Miss and completely forfeited his eligibility to vie for a divine portfolio, the ghoul Youjiaxi wouldn't even dare entertain reckless thoughts, terrified that Gareth would strike down with a single slash before even the President could save him. Such was the sheer caliber of Ryan's pillar of shame. The power of Gareth's strike rivaled that of the Silvermoon Knight in his prime. A single slash could shatter a city, unstoppable by anything in existence. Holy Light indeed countered dark magic, but one could never extinguish a raging inferno with a mere cup of water. A slash of dark magic condensed to the utmost peak sliced clean through the iron wall of Holy Light, intent on cleaving Old William in two. Just at this critical juncture, a sharp aura flashed, and Holy Light so pure it bordered on translucent appeared before the dark flame. Like two blades forged of glass crashing together, the Holy Light and the dark flame shattered simultaneously. Yet what followed their shattering was not flying glass shards, but a violent explosion of energy—much like the Orc King's long-brewed strike—blasting a deep crater into the earth. This impact was much the same: everything at the center of the blast was blown away, and even Old William, the Shield of the Empire, was hurled backward through the air. When everyone could see the battlefield clearly again, a blood-soaked figure knelt on one knee before Gareth. It was Alan. He had just stepped in to block Gareth's slash, allowing Old William to survive. The eight-legged steed beneath Gareth casually lashed out with a hoof, kicking Alan away. The Headless Horseman said disdainfully, "I told you, if you want to fight me, go train for another thirty years. Why insist on throwing your life away right now?" As Gareth wheeled his horse around and strode once more toward the Ryan Emperor, the Ryanians shuddered violently. This Headless Horseman was far too terrifying. Not even the Shield of the Empire could withstand a single blow from him, and from the looks of it, he had yet to exert his full strength. The young emperor sensed that something was amiss as well. Though he couldn't comprehend why the lich would orchestrate such an assassination, leaving immediately was the wisest choice. "Lord Orwell, activate the teleportation array..." the young emperor ordered. Just as he prepared to depart using the portable teleportation array, he realized there was no response from his side. The young emperor turned his head and shouted at the court wizard beside him, "Orwell! Did you hear what I said?" The court wizard had always overseen the teleportation magic circle; only wizards could cast teleportation magic swiftly. But the usually mature, steady wizard was now slumping his head, most of his tongue lolling out of his mouth as foul, rank saliva constantly dribbled forth. When the young emperor looked over, the court wizard lunged at him like a rabid beast, jaws gaping to tear into the emperor's neck. The young emperor kicked the crazed court wizard away. When the man scrambled back up, everyone finally realized he had turned into a zombie, constantly exuding the foul stench of dark magic. The emperor's guards finally reacted. Several beams of Holy Light struck him, their scorching brilliance purifying everything until even the magical robes on his body turned to ash! The young emperor roared in fury, "Damn it! The portable teleportation array was still on him!" These useless fools—they were already in the legendary realm, yet they panicked like stray dogs! "There's an ambush! Everyone stay sharp!" He had seen this method of silently transforming people into undead before—it was the legendary ability of the Undead Queen. This power to convert living beings into undead bypassed all defenses, impossible to resist or ward against, leaving victims only to wait for death. The man had been a legend-ranked wizard, yet he had been converted without making a sound, and none of his magical defense items had even triggered. The Undead Queen was the natural bane of Ryan; no living mortal could escape the corrosive reach of her undead transformation. Gareth gave them no respite. His eight-legged steed charged once more, while the Orc King swung his twin greataxes, forcing back two paladins and hurtling toward the Ryan Emperor. This time, it seemed no one was left to stand before the young emperor. Seeing that he was about to perish on the spot, the young Ryan Emperor sighed and raised a hand to touch his forehead. Upon his head rested a silver-white crown. It appeared to be merely a symbol of the Ryan royal family, but at his touch, a colossal surge of power welled forth, pouring into his body. The young emperor took a step toward his charging foes. The instant the tip of his foot touched the ground, a ripple spread out. The charging Gareth and Orc King seemed frozen in place. The world fell silent, and flying clods of dirt and dust were locked suspended in midair. Two seconds passed, and everything began to rewind rapidly. Gareth and the Orc King returned to where they were before the charge. Scattered magical power coalesced back, and all interacting forces began to reverse completely. Time flowed backward, rewinding from the moment the Ryanians fell into despair. The blood-drenched Alan returned to the moment he leaped to block Gareth's strike, then returned to the emperor's side beneath his gaze. Old William's iron wall of Holy Light restored itself from fragmentation, then dissolved back into Holy Light and withdrew into his body. The overturned soil on the ground smoothed over, the Orc King leaped back up, and the piercing red light reappeared upon his axes... Everything rewound, and even the lightning in the sky was pulled back, reined in by some unseen force. Until the shattered villa was fully restored, and the dazzling fireworks display returned to its very beginning. The Ryan Emperor was still seated in his room, holding *Introduction to Divination Wizards* in his hand. Having rewound to this point, time finally resumed its normal flow. When the first boom of fireworks sounded outside the window, the young emperor shut the book and swiftly walked out the door. Old William and Alan were still standing guard dutifully outside his door. Seeing the emperor emerge so abruptly, both were caught by surprise. Old William hastily asked, "Your Majesty, is something wrong?" The young emperor did not answer the question, merely ordering, "Have Lord Orwell open the teleportation array immediately! This is a trap! That lich set an ambush long ago to kill me!" Old William wore a look of utter confusion. They had only just arrived on the island; nothing had happened yet. Could the emperor have discovered something in his room? That made no sense either—they had thoroughly swept the villa inside and out long before this. Old William asked in bewilderment, "Your Majesty, could you perhaps be overly tense?" If they fled out of the blue, it would hardly reflect well on the Ryan Empire. Losing face was a minor issue; provoking the other kingdoms and giving them an excuse to unite against Ryan would be disastrous. Just as he was about to offer further counsel, Old William froze, as if suddenly witnessing a terrifying scene—the young emperor had projected everything that had just occurred into his mind as a memory. The emperor commanded, "This is the future you just lived through. I rewound time, but I can still show you everything that happened. Trust me, we leave now!" It seemed to take several seconds for Old William to process what he had witnessed. He couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, is all this real?!" The young emperor quickly explained, "Of course it's real. I'm hardly skilled at conjuring illusions; I merely returned to you the memories you were meant to experience." Old William took a deep breath and pressed on, "Your Majesty, is this also the power of the Dragon Tyrant Armament? But across all of Ryan's historical records, the Dragon Tyrant Armament never possessed such fine control, did it?" The young emperor grew impatient. This old man was of mediocre competence—why waste time at a moment like this? "I figured that out on my own. This artifact was gathering dust for too long, and no one ever thoroughly studied its functions before. Move, Lord Garrison! We must leave this island immediately." Yet the young emperor's urging failed to spur Old William into action. The empire's most venerable veteran sighed heavily and asked, "Your Majesty, is what you say truly the truth? Is this really just the power of the Dragon Tyrant Armament?" The young emperor finally lost his temper. He said angrily, "William Garrison, what are you babbling about?! Obey my command and retreat at once! Now is not the time to discuss this!" With that, the young emperor turned to Alan. "Alan, I trust your loyalty. Take me away from here right now!" Alan had risked his life to block the Headless Horseman and suffered grave wounds—that could not be faked. Had Alan's skill been the slightest bit lacking, Gareth's blade would have cut him down on the spot. Though he did not understand why the lich had arranged such a crude and violent assassination, it was abundantly clear that Alan was not on the lich's side. Even if he had yet to see that detestable fellow Arthur Ryan, he could not remain on this island any longer today. Since this lich dared to commit such an act of self-sabotaging infamy, he could look forward to having this very incident turned against him! Once his credibility was ruined, that lich could forget about doing business ever again! Anbaixiu's crude, brutal tactic left the young emperor's thoughts somewhat scrambled—it was entirely outside his expectations. Still, leaving first was definitely the right move. Yet after all that was said, the young emperor realized that Alan and Old William remained completely unmoved, their eyes fixed dead on him. "You... what on earth are you doing?! Idiots, fools! Didn't you hear what I said?!" The young emperor could no longer hold back a roar of fury. Yet all he received in return was a single sentence from Old William, spoken in a heavy, sombre tone: "Your Majesty... after your defeat back then, was this also how you altered my memories?" The young emperor froze. How could this old man bring that up at a time like this? Something was wrong! He moved to flee on his own, but the instant he turned, Old William flashed before him, blocking his path. "Your Majesty, answer me! Is this truly just the power of the Dragon Tyrant Armament?" Old William gripped the young emperor's hands tightly, suppressing his wrath as he demanded, "Are you truly His Majesty Price Ryan? Or should you be addressed as... the Demonic Dragon Tyrant?!" "Of course not! What nonsense are you spouting?!" The young emperor violently tore his hands from Old William's grip. At that instant, time froze once more. The young emperor unleashed the power of time again, but this time, frozen time did not reverse; instead, it fractured like a cobweb. Everything before his eyes shattered like a mirror. When the young emperor blinked his eyes shut and open, he discovered himself standing in the center of a colossal colosseum. Overhead rolled ceaseless lightning, along with countless towering phantom figures gazing down upon the mortal world, as though the gods themselves had turned their gazes here. Around the colosseum, packed tightly into the stands, sat a sea of spectators. Mortal and deity alike all stared down at him, as though he were the sole protagonist. "This is... an illusion? Since when?" The young emperor stared in shock at the scene before him, for he realized that there were even Ryanians among the spectators. All the Ryanians he had brought with him were seated in the stands, staring at him with looks of utter disbelief. At that moment, the voice of the lich echoed down from the sky: "Everyone, look at the glow of the ring on his hand! He just lied within the dream. Witnessed by the gods, the Demonic Dragon Tyrant of old has revived!"