In the desert region of Sumeru, if humans want to survive here, it can be said they can barely take a single step. Without oases, this place would be an uninhabited no-man's-land.
Yellow sand filled the sky, blasting against people's skin and drawing away moisture. Countless grains of grit scraped over flesh, leaving faint, shallow scratches…
But no one present was an ordinary mortal, so naturally they could withstand the desert's harsh environment.
"What is Apep thinking? A place like the desert isn't suitable for Dendro lifeforms in the first place," Nabu complained.
Fire-aspected creatures could survive in the desert. The rainforest was obviously far more suitable for the Dendro Dragon King Apep.
"Apep is stubborn beyond belief. I invited it before, and it refused," Rukkhadevata said helplessly.
That was understandable. Elemental Dragon Kings stood at the pinnacle of all elemental life. The arrogance carved into their bones was not something they would compromise lightly.
Rumble—!
All of a sudden, the sand dunes began to quake violently. The epicenter came from deep beneath the earth, as though some colossal monster was awakening. The grit started to move, forming an enormous golden vortex.
A massive creature surfaced from the center of the whirlpool. It wasn't the full body—only an incomparably huge head—yet it was still mountain-like, exuding a suffocating pressure that made the air feel heavy.
This was an Elemental Dragon King—one of the original Dragon Kings.
The Dendro Dragon King, Apep.
In terms of age, the Hydro Dragon King Neuvillette—compared to Apep—was like a little kid. Apep was likely one of the earliest beings born in Teyvat, its sense of time unimaginably ancient.
Its powerful, sinewy physique highlighted the terrifying strength of dragonkind. A mere shift of its body could effortlessly reshape the terrain around it.
As Teyvat's native inhabitant and one of its earliest rulers, even though it no longer possessed the glory of its peak, it still carried an indescribable majesty.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… an existence like an Elemental Dragon King really is absurdly strong. Even the ley lines are being affected by Dendro power," Nabu marveled.
And this was in the desert. If it were in a place like the rainforest, Apep's strength would be even more terrifying. Even if the ancient dragon authority was no longer complete, how could the first Dendro Dragon King possibly be weak?
"It's Abyssal aura. Apep really has been deeply corrupted," Rukkhadevata observed, sensing a dense, oppressive Abyss presence.
"God of grass and trees?"
"Didn't you fall?"
Apep's voice was full of confusion. Five hundred years ago, it had sensed it—Rukkhadevata, that god, had fallen.
Yet now she stood alive before it, leaving it utterly baffled.
Was it a feigned death? Or resurrection after death?
"Long time no see, Apep." Rukkhadevata smiled gently. She truly should have fallen… but she had been lucky enough to meet Koji.
Without him, after she met Nahida one last time, she would have been erased along with the Forbidden Knowledge within Irminsul. All of Teyvat would forget her completely—except for Descenders.
"Rukkhadevata, leave my territory. I have nothing to say to you."
Apep's tone was far from friendly. In its current weakened state, it couldn't even be bothered to make a move.
Five hundred years ago, Rukkhadevata had come into this sea of yellow sand, hoping to ally with it. It refused then, and it was even more impossible now.
Sumeru was its territory. But because of Celestia—because of those gods—it had been driven into the desert. It had gone from a gigantic emerald-green dragon to a sand-yellow dragon. So it had zero interest in Rukkhadevata's invitation.
The hatred between them was not something that could be resolved.
"Apep, you're too weak. The Abyss's power keeps eroding you," Rukkhadevata said. She had heard that tone long ago, so she didn't feel offended.
A Dendro ancient dragon had stubborn vitality—but one day, Apep would be completely consumed by the Abyss. When that happened, it would either die outright… or become a puppet of the Abyss.
To be honest, she didn't want to see that day. An ancient dragon under Abyss control would be a massive hidden danger—not just to Sumeru, but to every nation.
"Putting on an act, Rukkhadevata… do you intend to cure me?" Apep mocked coldly.
Rukkhadevata nodded. "Yes. Apep, if you lose control in the future, it will be far too dangerous."
When she was dealing with Sumeru's affairs, she had already been considering Apep's situation. It just so happened that Koji brought it up on his own, so they would resolve it together.
"Heh. You're scared, aren't you? Once I lose control, every human in Sumeru will be slaughtered by me!" Apep sneered.
"If that happens, it doesn't sound so bad. After all, the hatred between us can't be resolved anyway."
Hearing that, Rukkhadevata took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
Talking to a stubborn bastard like Apep made her feel like her blood pressure was skyrocketing. It was infuriating—completely impervious to reason, like a rock at the bottom of a latrine: foul and hard.
Reason clearly wasn't going to work.
So Koji would have to "talk" with physics.
"Apep, looks like you've chosen the other path." Koji spoke with genuine regret.
If reason could get through, he wouldn't have to step in and force Apep to become reasonable the physical way.
"A mere human. Even if I'm weak right now, you think you can defeat me?" Apep found it laughable.
"A human?" Koji laughed as well.
Normally, gods could sense what was strange about him. This Dendro Dragon King had likely been corrupted for too long—its mind was muddled, and its perception even worse.
"I am human, yes. But a human who can defeat a Dragon King—Apep, have you ever seen one?"
Koji cracked his knuckles. He didn't draw his sword—otherwise, if he slipped and chopped Apep in half, that would be troublesome.
"I haven't. You think you can do it?"
Apep was unusually not enraged. After all, no human had ever dared to provoke it.
"Why wouldn't I?" Koji smiled with amusement. One blessing after another began to run, an overwhelming aura gradually surging out from his body.
Now he started stacking buffs.
Gensō no Kahogo (Blessing of the Elements), Chikara no Kahogo (Blessing of Strength), Genso Kaihi no Kahogo (Element-Avoidance Blessing)…
If he didn't show some real ability, Apep would keep clinging to that inexplicable confidence.
Most humans were weak.
But some could turn the impossible into possible.
"!"
In that instant, Apep's aura fluctuated noticeably. Koji's body was so small—so insignificant—so why was such a terrifying presence pouring out of him? Even it felt threatened.
At that moment, it suddenly wanted to ask one question:
Could they… reconcile?
The scraps of instinct it had left told it that it definitely couldn't beat Koji.
(End of Chapter)
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