'Denise has grown even more beautiful since the last time I saw her.'
That was partly why he was so obsessed with her when he was young. She was like the small-town beauty that everyone adored and that he conquered.
Now she was far different. There was no innocence left, just the feminine charms of a woman.
It's not like he had feelings for her. She was his son's mother so he spared her more than just one glance and noticed this change in her.
Maybe she noticed it too?
Liam never knew the joy of being a father—he didn't even have a girlfriend. But now in this life, something happened in his chest when Rolak called him "daddy".
That boy was a complete copy of him from his childhood, making him remember everything he had to endure as a child. It was the very reason he sought strength regardless of the pain he had to go through.
Now that he had the strength to challenge even gods and demon lords, he'd make sure to protect that boy. Even a simple bully trying to steal Rolak's toy won't get off scot-free.
If Rolak turned out like him, he'd have failed as a father. Marcus always intervened so he was a good father figure but even he couldn't always save Arnold.
But with the shadow demons and red knights, nothing will be able to harm them in this world.
He recalled Denise's ginger hair. Was her hair always like that or was it brown? Black? Or another color? Regardless, it really suited her brown eyes.
Now that he stopped seeing her as a target to conquer, he noticed these obvious things about her.
'I should've checked her status to see if she has a Half Valkyrie or Half Elf title in her race or not.'
That would've been the only explanation for why she could have his child.
Just as Arnold was about to go look for Selia after the short reunion with Denise, a thunderous boom came from above. Ice fractures appeared like spiderwebs across reality.
A majestic white light flew down towards the cathedral.
Without even introducing themselves, the person merely announced their purpose before anyone could open their mouth:
"Arnold Valtraak—quite the interesting surname. You are my brother's incarnation, correct? Please come with me."
The light slowly dissipated, leaving behind a beauty with long skyblue hair, two horns protruding out of her forehead, and eyes as fierce as an animal.
It was Nyrathom Stormscale, the Ice Dragon Lord.
**
Arnold was brought to a nearby building by Nyrathrom. Naturally, he couldn't refuse this sudden order.
He was expecting her to search for the one that killed her little brother so he was a bit wary of her purpose. But when he heard she just wanted to speak to the incarnation of her brother, he shut down any thoughts of escaping.
Nait was already there alongside Nyrathrom's comrades who were dragons in humanoid forms.
Nyrathrom was now a tall mature beauty with long skyblue hair, ice crystals over her fingers and shoulders, a blue rune across her face, wearing crystal clear ice heels and exuded the aura of a powerful being.
Anyway, Arnold's focus was on the brat next to him and not the beautiful dragon queen. He looked like an ordinary 10–11-year-old boy but he exuded the signature of a dragon lord.
'When the hell did this kid get a dragon lord's soul?' he was still baffled by this, 'I know demon factors are random so maybe this is the same thing?'
After using the system, he confirmed that Nait had the [Incarnation] title for the nth time.
"M-Mr. Arnold, hello." The boy timidly greeted Arnold noticing his stare.
"I hope Thalgrimm chose wisely." He didn't return the greeting, merely glanced away, "Power like this isn't something a kid should have."
"…" his shoulders drooped.
"Please don't let there be animosity between you two. My elder brothers already despised working together." Nyrathrom sighed as she shook her head, "I understand your point, Mr. Arnold. But rest assured, I'll take responsibility for his training. I'd like to take both of you in but it seems Mr. Arnold is already a very capable warrior. All I can really teach you are our techniques."
"Alright then." He shrugged.
"So, where were you while all this chaos was happening?"
"We arrived when the black flesh wall sealed off the empire. Using force didn't help, neither did magic so I waited until it went away to come inside. The others went back to our castle after the biggest threats were dealt with."
Even a demon lord would run if facing a dragon lord so Nyrathrom specifically would've been enough as backup. Arnold wasn't sure how strong she really was, but she'd probably be the closest to Guinevere.
'The Perdition Core was that troublesome even to dragon lords, huh?' He had to make sure Vulris Queen Lyra destroyed all the others she stole as it would be troublesome if they got into the demons' hands.
"What was possibly so important that you couldn't come here on time? Even one of you could've prevented this disaster from getting out of control."
She looked down with clenched fists.
"It's not that we don't want to… The timing was just inconvenient…"
"What's more important than the promise your mother made to the gods?"
-I will protect the humans.
This duty was given to her children when she perished.
They were too busy in the original arc as well. It made Arnold wonder if Nait was the original dragon lord who needed his power to awaken because the kid was nowhere to be found back then.
Nyrathrom's hands continued to tremble, not offering any words of protest or excuses.
He was starting to feel bad scolding her like this. She just lost her brother and now a lowly human was berating her. But due to her kind nature, she didn't typically show any rudeness to humans unless they went as far as disrespecting her.
"So, why did you bring us here?" he let the matter slide. Her intervention would've been great but everything was already over.
"One of my siblings has been killed…"
"I-I'm sorry to hear that…" Nait responded.
"…" Arnold tried to look shocked, his eyes widening as wide as plates and mouth as agape like a fish.
"This is actually related to why we couldn't come as quickly… In order for us to complete the ritual needed to awaken your dormant power, Mr. Arnold, we need either you or Nait to come with us to our castle. We need the lifeforce equivalent to a Dragon God to finish this ritual. I promise both of you will be rewarded with great power that you can use to protect your families. This way the Taelith Family, my brother's legacy, will have a true patriarch after hundreds of years. My other brother can also pass on his legacy through Nait, who's still a young boy."
"This ritual is why the dragon lords couldn't go to the countries they needed to protect?"
She nodded gravely, "Before any danger befalls you, we wanted to get it done as soon as possible. But we were too complacent because you were strong enough to protect yourself from most threats. What we didn't expect was that this invasion happened…"
-Hah! The man who knew about the invasion before it happened is standing right in front of you!
Crimson Origin cackled in his mind.
-You're such a piece of trash, you know that? My master would've liked you.
'Shut it.'
"Can't that be put on hold?"
He asked hurriedly.
"? I thought you would be elated hearing you can awaken my brother's full powers and techniques. What's wrong?"
Is there really no other way to delay this than simply revealing the truth?
Oriel had been a constant worry all along. He used all Arnold's accumulated SP to get enough mana to almost reach his former strength. If he even gets the dragon power, even Guinevere would struggle in a fight.
Granted, Arnold planned to fight him not to the death but so that Mian Xi could extract his soul by force.
Angelica won't be enough for such a fight if he awakens the dragon power and techniques of a godlike dragon lord.
Thinking so, he revealed the truth.
Nyrathrom's eyes widened.
Then with a small voice, she spoke as she looked down.
"…I'm sorry you had to go through this. Demons always find a way to ruin the lives of mortals."
'Well, it was partly my fault for relying on a random gacha.' He cursed his weak past self who couldn't even handle Lancelot.
"I swear that when the day comes, I will fight alongside you!" she grabbed his hands as tears formed in her eyes, "We will take back your real body and end this suffering you had to go through! Were it not for that barrier restricting entry even to us, I would go to them and wipe them all out!"
"Y-You're too kind…"
"No, I've experienced what it felt to lose things dear to me once before. Let this be the last time either of us lose something we love." She put a hand on his cheek, "Even if it's the Demon King, I will fight alongside you. That would've been my brother's wish."
Her eyes remained locked on his for a few seconds. Then they drifted to his lips.
"Uh… Thanks…"
That was awkward…
"How long do you think you have?" she quickly stepped back when her subordinate cleared her throat.
"I'd like to believe Oriel can't revive on his own but he might have plans that I don't know of."
For example, why did he only restore his mana using the system? Could he be… preparing a ritual to revive himself? That kind of thing was bugging Arnold.
"I see…" Nyrathrom was deep in thought for a moment, pacing back and forth.
After what felt like a minute, she stopped.
"The ritual formation construction is more than halfway completed. After we restore our lifeforces, I reckon it'll take us a few months to complete the ritual. After that, the spell will activate on its own without our intervention after a set period, ranging from a fortnight to a month. In that time, we need to seal your body and kill Oriel."
"You're right…"
He never thought about sealing his body because he thought maybe Oriel can't do anything in that state. But with the completion of Plesiduxis' soul awakening approaching, he felt anxious.
Even Nyrathrom was said to pale in comparison in strength to the eldest brother in his prime. Imagine Oriel with that power.
Were it not for the grave wounds on his body and his old age, he never would've lost to Justice, a mere ant.
A white energy suddenly surrounded Nait and his eyes became golden.
"This energy… Little Brother…?" Nyrathrom's hands went up to her mouth as she stared blankly at Nait.
"It's been centuries, sister." A deep voice came out of the little boy's mouth, "I'm glad you sensed my signature in this boy."
"But how are you still able to come out, little brother…?"
"We dragon lords are only truly dead if both our soul and bodies vanish, remember? Luckily for me, my soul was in this boy right where my body showed up." He squeezed his fingers tightly for a few moments.
"Sounds like the gods like giving special treatment. Your soul can immediately go to someone after your death." Arnold remarked.
"Ahem. I'll go in the boy's place. My recovery will take a few days but I should be able to summon my astral body to perform the ritual. As of right now, this boy can't handle my real body's lifeforce."
"Brother, why did you choose this boy…? He's so young and weak… Why not go to someone who can handle your power?"
Arnold wanted to ask that as well. Why was he as irresponsible as the Sky God who blessed Arthur?
'Where did that bastard even go, though?' he just realized he didn't see Arthur at the cathedral.
Thalgrimm made a troubled expression.
"I'm not entirely sure. It must've been the boy's desire that led me to him. His grand desire to face the Death God for the sake of some love that never bloomed—that is the strangest and most dangerous wish I have ever heard of."
Arnold frowned.
"Face the Death God" is something only few beings could utter confidently.
As of right now, the Death God was the most powerful being in the divine realm. It's ridiculous to think you could surpass such a figure. But maybe you don't really need to have the strength to fight him, only to save your loved one.
Arnold could guess who this loved one was.
"Alas, I can't leave his body so if this boy actually goes through with it, I will die with him."
"Reaching the River of Lamentation isn't possible even for Gods. I don't think you have to worry." Arnold remarked.
Not even knowing its coordinates could take him there. Only having the [Death] authority could get you there.
Though Thalgrimm nodded as he confirmed he knew that, he still had a troubled expression on his face.
"I'll need to sleep for a few days, Sister. We'll speak again once I have my vitality back."
"…Yes, rest well." She smiled warmly.
When his eyes returned to normal, Nait blinked blankly.
"W-What happened? I suddenly blacked out."
"Looks like we'll be relying on you, boy."
He looked at her in confusion.
Regardless of whatever training he went through growing up in that backwater village, training under a dragon lord would be infinitely better and yield greater results.
"Was that all you wanted to discuss, Nyrathrom?"
"There are two things…" Nyrathrom made a gesture toward her servants.
"Eh? Where are you taking me?" Nait questioned as one of them picked him up, spread her dragon wings, and flew away. The others followed close behind.
Arnold watched them disappear before turning back to Nyrathrom.
"What's the other matter?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she folded her hands in front of her and looked away.
For a moment, Arnold wondered whether the conversation with her brother had left her troubled. She had smiled warmly when he said he would rest, but there had been something strange about her expression ever since.
"Miss Nyrathrom?"
"Yes. I heard you."
"Then?"
"...I was thinking."
"About what?"
She looked at him then she looked away again.
Arnold waited.
She looked as though she was struggling to find the right words, which was an unexpected sight.
This woman had lived for thousands of years. Her mere presence was enough to make most people reconsider their place in the world. Yet here she was, standing before him with her fingers fidgeting against one another.
"Arnold."
"Yes?"
"What do you think of my humanoid body?"
"...What?"
"My humanoid body," she repeated, her voice slightly more hurried. "Do you find it appealing?"
He wasn't sure what to make of that question.
She was certainly beautiful. There was no denying it. Her features possessed an almost otherworldly perfection, and the dignity with which she carried herself made it difficult to mistake her for an ordinary woman.
But why was she asking him this?
"It's a fine appearance," he answered cautiously. "Is there a reason you're asking that?"
Her fingers tightened together.
"I see."
She looked strangely relieved by his answer, although that relief vanished almost immediately.
"Then there shouldn't be a problem."
"A problem with what?"
Nyrathrom took a breath.
For someone who had lived through millennia, she suddenly seemed remarkably uncertain of herself.
"Would your male sex organ be capable of remaining erect long enough to release its seed inside my body?"
"..."
He stared at her.
She stared back without a hint of a flush on her face.
For the first time since meeting this ancient dragon lord, he found himself completely incapable of producing an immediate response.
What in the world did she just ask him?!