Legacy of the Dark Sage

The tribe leaders who learned about Coelus's corpse from their elders were silent throughout Aillos's narration of the recent events. They had an inkling that Aillos would reveal the truth about Coelus's tomb underground if he intended to wage a war. After all, if the battlefield happened in their plane, and The Emperor went all out, their plane's topography would be drastically changed.

When that happened, the seal on Coelus's tomb would be destroyed, and the dragons would suffer from the influence of his corpse's magic energy. The consequences of such a war were too grave to contemplate.

To avoid that, Aillos had to come clean about the tomb and ask for everyone's cooperation to ensure the war would not come to their plane. Another option they could do was transfer Coelus's corpse to another place, but the problem was replicating the seal that the Ancients created.

That was the tribe leaders' expectation when Aillos opened the subject of Coelus's corpse. Unexpectedly, what he told them was far more alarming and frustrating, and some barely reined in their fear. If Aillos had not told them not to overreact before he continued, the congregation might have already burst into a heated argument.

When Aillos confirmed that the seal on Coelus's corpse had been replaced, the tribe leaders felt an immediate wave of relief. However, his choice of the word 'replace' instead of 'fix' reignited their anxiety, subjecting their nerves to another tumultuous ride.

"There is nothing to worry about."

Ducal followed through with Aillos's explanation. As one of the primary helpers who created the new Array Formation and the dragon who possessed the most knowledge in Array, he was the perfect one to assure the congregation about the formation.

However, Ducal wanted to avoid taking credit for the formation's stability. While he explained how they dealt with the destroyed seal, he took the opportunity to redeem Kyran, who was partially at fault for the seal's destruction.

For the record, the tribe leaders did not say anything about it because Aillos emphasized that he attacked Kyran in a fit of childish anger. Thus, if anyone was to blame for the seal's destruction, it should be him and not Kyran, even though the latter's magic destroyed it.

Ducal told them that the new formation was Kyran's brilliant work and that his family led its completion.

As Ducal concluded his explanation, the tribe leaders remained silent. However, their expressions softened slightly, indicating their positive reception to the information and the reassurance it brought.

Aillos and Ducal did not go into detail about the new formation. None of the dragons would covet the formation's effect to use Coelus's magic energy as a catalyst to boost their strength. However, if such an Array formation was known and— though unlikely— was leaked outside, those involved in its creation would be put at risk.

Since they were the only ones who knew the intricate details of the formation, the clans who wanted to study it and use it for their growth might come after them.

Aillos, Ducal, and the rest of the Aides might be overthinking things, but they wanted to prevent any possible problem that might occur now rather than later.

After that, Aillos passed the floor to Kyran once more so he could finally discuss what happened to the Blade Dancer Clan.

Removing all the unnecessary events leading to his journey to the Blade Dancer Plane, Kyran briefly explained what happened in the Tower of the Ancients. This led him to why he had to go to the Blade Dancer Plane. Finally, Kyran told them that The Emperor had chosen to cut off the Blade Dancer Clan, so he took advantage of the situation and took them under his wing.

"The Blade Dancer Clan is now under your..." Velctor gaped at Kyran incredulously.

Kyran shook his head and said, "Although I said I took them under my wing, I have no plans on leading them personally. I left someone I could trust to supervise them, but their leadership remains unchanged."

"Are you not afraid that their clan elders will do something while you are away?" Ickle asked.

"I have the support of their elders," Kyran replied with a wry smile. "I know their elders have more sway within the clan than the current generation and patriarch, which is why I dealt with it before returning here."

"I'm surprised you managed to convince their elders," Eldir said, noting his improved opinion of Kyran. But then his eyes narrowed, and he said, "However, taking the Blade Dancer Clan that The Emperor chose to discard does not mean much."

"I understand that," Kyran agreed. "Since he did not hesitate to cut them off, it only meant that their removal did not affect his overall authority and strength. At least, that is what he believed."

The tribe leaders looked at him curiously.

"What are you implying? Does the Blade Dancer Clan hold more value than The Emperor credit them for?"

"To me, yes," Kyran replied. Then he paused and rephrased his answer, "To some of us from the Lower Realm, they have more value."

"...?"

"I can't go into details yet. I'll share more after I confirm everything."

As the discussion continued, the tribe leaders became more aware that their clan was indeed going to wage a war against the Emperor. Aillos confirmed his stance on the first day of the Grand Gathering's banquet, but frankly, most of them had yet to fully grasp his notion.

Some still had reservations because they knew how much power The Emperor had. They did not mean his individual power since it was evident that he was a Supreme Overlord. What they meant was his power to mobilize all other clans not under the Solis Clan's banner— neutral clans or part of independent factions.

The fear The Emperor instilled in every clan in the Higher Realm was nearly impossible to resist. They would mobilize their force simply because they did not want their clan to be destroyed.

Some clans were on good terms with the Dragon Clan, but there was no telling if those clans would take their side if a war broke out. Moreover, technically, the Dragon Clan was under the Solis Clan's banner, except they had a special arrangement with The Emperor and were not bound to his command.

If the war would only involve the Dragon Clan and the Solis Clan, then the difference in strength was not that big. If anything, the Dragon Clan was at an advantage because of their naturally powerful senses and use of Draconic magic. Even if The Emperor was a Supreme Overlord and Aillos was a peak Overlord, with the Sigil's effect, Aillos could fight on equal terms with The Emperor.

The Emperor's innate magic would be problematic with its impossibly powerful penetrating capability. Still, as long as Aillos managed to avoid or endure the former's attacks, he would eventually find a way to win. The Emperor was aware of this. Thus, he would drag the whole Higher Realm into conflict if a war broke out between his clan and the Dragon Clan.

But all these could only be considered if the dragons fought in their original form. They were still at a disadvantage regardless if The Emperor decided to deal with them with his clan alone or with all the clans in the Higher Realm.

"I am not going to throw you in the middle of a hopeless war," Aillos said after the tribe leaders started voicing their concerns about the war. He looked toward Ickle, who perked up after realizing what he was about to say.

"Anahita from the Golden Dragon Tribe showed us an interesting technique, and she and Null are in the middle of perfecting it so everyone can use it," Aillos declared with a slight smile. "I will also organize a large-scale training camp, including all generations of dragons, to allow everyone to gain real combat experience while in human form."

The tribe leaders reacted to his declaration mostly positively, with a few still showing reservations.

"Won't doing that alarm The Emperor and his people? I am sure, even now, they have eyes watching over our plane. Maybe they have not entered, but I'm sure they can observe any strange movements within the plane, even if they observe from the outside."

"True," Aillos agreed with a nod. "In fact, I can sense uninvited eyes peering right through the plane's defensive array. However, you don't have to worry about that."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

One of the tribe leaders seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Are you intending to use Null's Void magic to 'create' a space that allows us to train and gain combat experience?"

Aillos raised his brows in amusement. " That's a Good one. You're on the right track, but you're still off."

He then looked at Kyran and said, "Why don't you tell them what you told me?"

Kyran looked at him wryly before addressing the congregation once more.

"I will indeed use my magic, but there is no need to create a new space for a training field. Besides, one of the Void's natures might be creation, but I can't create your opponents. I know the right place where you can train and gain combat experience."

"Right place?"

Kyran nodded, "Yes. I did not destroy the portals to the Tower of the Ancients on a whim. I did it to have a monopoly on that place."

"You...!"

"Don't tell us..."

"Once you learn Anahita's technique, I'll open the portal to the Tower of the Ancients and let you train as much as you want."