Chapter 198
< Carina Dragonia(3) >
[Join the pantheon, Dragonia. We are willing to join you as a community with a shared future..]
""···············.""
For a long time, no one could respond to the goddess's voice..
The Lionheart King, who served the gods for a long time, and the Dragon King Dragonia, who was the archenemy of the gods and was eventually defeated..
"It's impossible.!"
The first to react was Leon. He recognized the significance of the offer to join the pantheon..
Add Dragonia to the pantheon. It means one thing.
It meant recognizing Dragonia as one of the gods and giving him divinity..
[Hahahahahahaha···!]
The dragon's soul, which has become a thought, bursts into laughter like crazy. It would be worth it.
The archenemy who had been fighting for so long, and who finally won, has now come up with a humiliating negotiation plan..
And that negotiation was only because of one human being..
They came to the shocking conclusion that the gods gave up their divinity to save just one human..
[That's funny. Would you give up your divinity for just one person? Does a mere human being have that kind of value??]
[It's not just one person. My knight is the famous daughter of the Lionheart King who represents all gods and the Holy Grail Knight who represents divinity..]
[I know what the Lionheart King means to you. A hunting dog that is convenient to use. Have you ever provided such convenience to the lion-hearted kings of past generations? Even the first Lionheart King would never have given such special treatment.?]
It was obvious.
The gods are the guardians of providence. They must adhere to the principles, cherish and bless their representatives, and never deviate from the principles..
This was more unconventional than raising someone who had already died in paradise..
"Impossible! It's impossible!"
Leon put down the sword he was aiming at Dragonia and got down on both knees, as if he was glad to even hear the gods' proposal..
"Giving up the noble seat of divinity for the convenience of a mere human! Even to evil lizards!"
[This guy?]
Dragonia was furious at the belittling that she most hated to hear, but Ariana calmly persuaded Leon..
[Leon, my knight. You are not just a human being. All gods, the world, and all the souls accumulated since the beginning of history are indebted to you. The gods have a duty to pay you back.]
"but···!"
[Say no more, my knight. That the gods' love for you is more than you can imagine. you deserve it.]
[under······.]
The Dragon King was dumbfounded that there existed a human whom the gods favored so much..
It was not simply a matter of deviating from reason; it was a surrender of divinity, the absolute authority of the gods. This is also true for enemies who have been feuding with each other for a long time trying to destroy each other..
'Did you say that you destroyed the devils alone??'
There would have been not only great supply demons but also monarchs..
Even the Dragon King knows well the transcendent strength of the Demon Lord. There is a tendency to be regarded as just above the archduke, but it is not something that an ‘archduke’ can approach..
They were beings older than the progenitor dragon himself, and even the gods of the pantheon could not overcome the demon lord's stronghold..
What if he was the one who killed those demon lords and even saved the afterlife of those who should have been destroyed?······.
'Is this the only hope?.'
I understood why the gods were anxious to spare them..
The gods, their pantheon and their paradise are maintained by the existence of a man named Leon..
[But, you arrogant gods. Do you think that this Dragon King of Drakkara will sit on the same cushion as you? I am a myth. You guys are just latecomers.]
"How dare this lizard bastard? If I give it to you, will I bow down and not receive it?!"
[Just say yes or no······.]
Dragonia said something as if she was dumbfounded, but Leon returned it with crude swear words and criticism..
[Dragon King, please consider our proposal seriously. This might not be a bad offer for you either..]
Even though the humiliating offer was rejected, the goddess calmly began to persuade the Dragon King..
[Our world has already been destroyed by evil and has found a new home. It won't be long before we regain our faith there..]
In other words, even Dragonia can become one of the gods just by adding a spoon..
Dragonia retorted..
[I have already established absolute power here. This world is my world.]
Dragonian Empire. The world's only hegemony. Karina is the living absolute power of such an empire..
I am already in a god-like position, but is there any need to go beyond my sphere of influence and live a miserable life??
[You are not a god here. It's just a thought parasitic on the emperor..]
[What?]
[You probably know it too. The reason why it was never resurrected after dwelling in the hearts of past great dukes for thousands of years. Because you are dependent on the body..]
Goddess Ariana spoke of the benefits if Dragonia attained divinity..
[If you attain divinity, you will become the subject of faith. And the body you will form with the faith gained through their worship will not be an incarnation that confines your soul, but an incarnation..]
In other words, true immortality. And for this to happen, Ariana emphasizes that Dragonia should be an object of faith, not worship..
[Above all──]
Ariana delivered the final blow.
[The resurrection of your species is also possible..]
[······.]
The most primal power of the gods. it is the power of creation.
light, darkness, sun, moon, sky, sea, flame, life, death, iron.
All those primordial ideas shape the world and make living things flourish..
[We will cooperate. The light of I, Ariana, will illuminate the shells of the dragons to be born, and the life of Demera will sprout them. The sky, the sea, and the flames will bless them, and the sun and moon will protect their days and nights..]
So, like all living things, it will grow and prosper..
[······.]
It reminded me of the dragon king's duties..
He is also the king of his tribe. Even if he is a myth, since he calls himself a king, he also has responsibilities..
The Dragon King's agony did not take long..
* * * *
The black gate that occurred in Washington, DC, the capital of the United States, created anxiety throughout the United States..
Even a red gate in the middle of the capital causes uproar, but the appearance of the black gate, a disaster in human history, immediately paralyzed all administrative work in the United States and created hundreds of thousands of refugees..
Considering that all of the black gates so far have either destroyed the country or brought about the risk of destruction, these measures will not be insufficient at all..
"Damn, when is it coming out??"
US President Anthony Hobson waited day after day for the hunters to return from the black gate that occupied a section of Washington, DC..
It would be better if the strategy failed and the survivors returned. It's been over 20 days without anyone coming out, so those who are waiting are going crazy and running wild..
"You must have won?"
"That's us too······."
"No, our country's powerful hunters are guilty, and the Pantheon is in full force, so there's no way you can't clear it, right?!"
Then why did you ask... Although the aides were dumbfounded by President Hobson's shouting, they understood his feelings..
Considering the social and economic repercussions that will occur when the Black Gate's dungeon break explodes in the capital, there is no way to describe it other than as terrible..
Above all, the hunters mobilized at this gate brought in a large force of America's best elite forces. Losing them could cause more damage than losing Washington..
"Excellency, this is a message from President Ahn of the Republic of Korea.."
The hotline connected to this situation is busy ringing. They're obviously trying to ask questions like what happened to the gate or whether our hunters are safe..
It's not just the United States that gets upset over sending its own elite hunters..
'shit! You dispatched reporters, but you know everything, so what else can you ask??'
It was an opportunity for President Hobson to realize that the leaders of each country had less patience than he thought..
Even in Britain, our long-time ally, there is an uproar over how to take responsibility if we lose S-class hunters in this incident..
President Hobson, who had brought in the best hunters from allied countries to ensure the success of the attack, had to see that if this situation failed, his political career would be over..
Of course, allied administrations that decide to send their own elite hunters to the United States will also become partners in the underworld..
Anyway, if this strategy fails, it won't end with one or two people dying..
"God, protect America······."
As the President prayed to God, some of his aides prayed to the gods of the pantheon..
The reason they feel at ease is because there is no significant movement at the Pantheon Temple in mainland Korea..
If the Lionheart King had died inside the gate, the feedback would have been that something had happened immediately in Korea, the home ground of the Pantheon..
Let alone the fact that South Korea's President Ahn Dong-gil calls Pantheon officials to the government building every day..
With the world's attention focused, the 23rd day of the Black Gate attack. With a snowy white Christmas expected, it was a day when not everyone could enjoy the festive atmosphere..
"dismissal! Excellency···!"
Temporary presidential office away from Washington. President Hobson had been up all night crying, and his aides rushed to him without even wearing a tie..
"At the gate...! Hunters are returning from the gate!!"
"Everybody, let’s leave right now.!"
President Hobson adjusted his tangled tie and hurried to the military airfield. I wanted to understand the situation as quickly as possible..
* * * *
"There are truly iron beasts roaming around.."
A downtown area in Washington DC. Karina was walking down the street with Leon and admiring him..
The streets, full of tall buildings and shops, are deserted and deserted. Karina was suspicious that there were no people even though it was such a busy street..
"When a gate was created, they took refuge in case the monsters inside came out. This gate is the highest level among them, so there will be no people in this area.."
"indeed······."
Thinking about it, Karina assumed that it was a natural measure and looked at the empty storefronts..
"Are you feeling okay??"
"This is the body of the Holy Grail Knight. It can't be bad."
"Okay... that's it then."
Leon walked ahead awkwardly down the street. Taking a walk together for the first time in hundreds of years is both welcoming and awkward..
"Do you still blame Jim??"
A word that implies a lot. Karina shook her head..
"As I said two hundred years ago, it was a choice Your Majesty should have made.."
"Not as the Lionheart King, not as the Grand Duke of Dragonia... but as Leon, Karina's father.."
"······."
Karina stopped at Leon's question. Footprints stop on a snowy street. Even as the snow piled up on her feet, Karina could not easily answer..
Leon's actions and judgment were absolutely correct. For a king, yes. But what about Karina’s father, Leon? As the husband of Castile?
That was wrong... that's what I had to say. No matter what logical or international reasons, my husband, Leon, and my father, Leon, should not have done that..
That clear answer did not come out of Karina's mouth easily..
Because I know what a responsible person should do. It's hard for her, not just Karina, but Karina Dragonia, to say those words..
"I think you are wrong. No, exactly, I didn't want you to do that.."
3For the sake of the northern army, for the safety of their souls... Leon, the father, does not want his daughter, Karina, to sacrifice herself. says it's wrong.
"······me too."
Because Leon said it first, Karina was able to express her honest feelings..
Something I've had for a long time, something I wanted to say but couldn't. For the first time, Karina let out a resentment that she thought was unthinkable..
"My father, my mother's husband, should not have done that. He should have saved his mother."
There is no firmness in the voice of blame. We just sympathize with each other..
The first honest feelings we shared with each other in two hundred years. The initial resentment that broke out between father and daughter, who could not blame each other because they knew each other's responsibilities, actually made them laugh..
For two people who don't laugh often, it was a very faint, faint smile, but it will grow bigger in the future..
-Kiyiyi profit···!
The streets of Washington are quiet due to evacuation. A large SUV suddenly stops in front of the two people..
"Le, your Majesty Leon!"
The person who opened the car door in a huff and appeared was President Anthony Hobson..
He had been running non-stop in a military transport and bulletproof vehicle two hours after the two crossed the gate..
"You're safe.!"
"who are you?"
"It's like the king of this country."
"???"
A king is a king, but what is similar to a king??
Aside from that, President Hobson, who had been waiting anxiously for Leon's safe return, continued to express his happiness and then found Karina next to Leon..
"This person?"
Karina introduced herself to President Hobson, who expressed doubts..
"This work is Karina Dragonia. Lionheart King Leon is the legitimate successor to Dragonia Lionheart and the ‘Grand Duke’ of the Dragonia realm.."
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