Chapter 401

Chapter 401
## Chapter 401: The Dragon God Society

—

**Dragon God.**

It was a title reachable only by the most transcendent entities within the dragon race, who were already considered the pinnacle of all living things. As the sworn protectors of an entire reality, the process of choosing and installing them was handled with the utmost severity. One did not simply claim the name through raw power alone.

Only those dragons who had their merits scrutinized and confirmed by the **Dragon God Society** could ascend to this rank, granting them total dominion over their respective worlds. Consequently, any dragon lacking this formal validation was strictly forbidden from identifying as a Dragon God.

“…I am informed that certain unverified individuals have recently been masquerading as Dragon Gods.”

“It is happening in the realm where **Lucaria** perished, and even that ‘aberration’ is involved…”

“**Einhasad** defied our statutes and threw his support behind that very ‘aberration’.”

“Wait, when Einhasad was transformed into a ‘Mad Dragon’ by **Ruin**, wasn’t there a motion to strike him from the Dragon God Society?”

“The motion failed to pass. Even in his state as a Mad Dragon, he continued to fulfill the Goddess’s divine mandate.”

Within the halls of the Dragon God Society, where the true Dragon Gods convened, the discourse regarding two specific worlds was relentless. The focus was on **Blade Dragon God Hana** and the **Seventh Monarch Basara**. These figures, despite being unconfirmed by the Society, had begun to use the title of ‘Dragon God’ to project their power across various realms.

While their lack of credentials was a grave concern, the fact that a sitting Dragon God had assisted them in violation of the law was even more scandalous. That accomplice was Dragon God Einhasad—the one who had been tainted by Ruin and turned into a Mad Dragon. However, because he remained committed to his fundamental purpose despite his affliction, the Society had allowed him to remain.

But now, Einhasad, having been cleansed of his curse, had suddenly granted a request from the aberration. Under normal circumstances, dispersing a Dragon God’s essence across a whole world required the explicit consent of the Society. He had acted unilaterally, ignoring all protocol.

“We must bring Einhasad before us and hold him to account for this breach of conduct.”

“And what of those two pretenders?”

“Both are aberrations.”

“…Mutants are fundamentally ineligible for the title of Dragon God.”

“Furthermore, hasn’t Basara already defected to the Demon World?”

“Indeed. A dragon who chose to serve as a mere pawn for some Demon King.”

“The situation in Lucaria’s world is no different. We have no shortage of qualified candidates to install there.”

“Three potential dragons are already being vetted for the position…”

For a mutant to ascend to the status of a Dragon God was viewed as a direct assault on the Society’s legitimacy. Naturally, the Council refused to entertain the idea. The prevailing consensus was to strip both individuals of any standing and appoint a legitimate Dragon God to oversee those domains. No other perspectives mattered; the Society’s word was absolute truth. Even the lesser deities of those worlds were expected to submit to their judgment. Unless a deity reached the status of a Main God, the Dragon God Society rarely deigned to communicate with them at all.

However, there was one notable exception to their confidence.

“What news is there of the **’Heavens’**?”

“…Two of our own Dragon Gods have recently turned traitor, siding with the Heavens in exchange for a delay in their world’s ‘Ruin’.”

“Another has formed an alliance with the **’Outer Gods’**.”

“Tsk. Short-sighted fools.”

The Heavens! The Dragon God Society stood as the primary force resisting the Heavens. While the Society sought to preserve worlds, the Heavens sought their annihilation. The growing concern was the increasing number of Dragon Gods defecting to the enemy, submitting to the Heavens just to push back the inevitable destruction of their homes. Some had even stooped to collaborating with the Outer Gods—those repulsive, primitive entities.

“The prestige of the Dragon God Society is crumbling.”

“Does the Heavens truly intend to leave no world standing?”

“Are we still unable to overcome those **’Three Ruins’**?”

**Ruin (Pamyeol)**, **Extermination (Jeolmyeol)**, and **Destruction (Myeolmang)**. These ultimate instruments of the Heavens remained as unstoppable now as they were in the past. Because of their devastating potential, specific conditions had to be met for their deployment, but every world that met those criteria had been erased from existence.

Except for one.

“**’Pangaea’** is the solitary world that survived an encounter with Ruin’s power.”

“Most of its territory was swallowed by the **’Abyss’**, so calling it a ‘survival’ is a stretch.”

“What we know for certain is that the Heavens are currently fixated on **’Earth’** and ‘Pangaea’. We have detected signs of **’Truth’** interfering on multiple occasions.”

The assembly went silent for a moment.

“What?”

“Truth itself intervened?”

“…That ‘Truth’ has acted several times?”

The Council erupted in a stir. If Truth was intervening, it meant the Heavens had shifted their focus entirely. It suggested that something of immense value existed within those two worlds. Moreover, it was almost unheard of for Truth to intervene repeatedly, as a single act of Truth was usually enough to rewrite reality completely.

“Is there something in those realms that defies the will of Truth?”

“…What could it be?”

“You don’t suppose… it’s the fourth weapon?”

The possibility of a fourth Ruin appearing was enough to make Truth greedy. After all, Ruin, Extermination, and Destruction were all weapons that Truth had forged by extracting them from specific realities. They were blades designed to excise any existence that tried to deviate from the ‘Truth’. This was a grim prospect for the Society. If a fourth weapon emerged, the power balance between the Dragon God Society and the Heavens would be shattered instantly.

As every eye turned toward him, the Dragon God who had raised the point continued.

“Something is taking shape in those two worlds. An object of desire for ‘Truth’. It may be happening even as we speak.”

A shimmering mist appeared in the center of the hall, revealing a vision. It showed Blade Dragon God Hana locked in a fierce struggle against the **Evil Deity Cult**.

“A mutant?”

“Is that the aberration playing at being a Dragon God in Lucaria’s realm?”

“She’s completely out of control.”

“Why are we being shown this?”

The Council members could see immediately that Hana was an aberration. The strength she displayed in her frenzied state certainly rivaled that of many established Dragon Gods. However…

“I am not showing you the mutant. Look closely at the individual in the **Golden Mask**.”

“Hmm…”

“There is something familiar about that aura.”

“Wait, are those spirits based on the **’Spirits of the Soul’**?”

“No. Those *are* the Spirits of the Soul from the Heavens.”

The Spirits of the Soul were entities that existed exclusively within the Heavens. The immensely powerful **Heavenly God (Cheonsin)** utilized them as vessels, imbuing them with his own divine essence. They served as mediums to contain and channel a god’s power. For such things to be present in Pangaea was a shocking revelation. Most of the Council had long since lost interest in Pangaea, considering it a dying world.

“I suspect that the entity Truth is concerned with is the man behind that ‘Golden Mask’.”

The other Dragon Gods considered this. It was a plausible theory. Only beings on the level of the Heavenly God or Truth itself should be able to command Spirits of the Soul. It was possible they had bestowed them upon this individual to cultivate a fourth weapon.

“Isn’t he a bit underwhelming for someone intended to be the fourth weapon?”

The humans fighting the mutant seemed to be facing a losing battle. Against a dragon in a state of total rampage, their struggle was predictable.

“Just watch,” the first Dragon God replied, shaking his head.

The scene shifted to reveal a new development.

“What?”

“Is that…?”

“A Spirit of the Soul is consuming its own kind…?”

It was predation. The spirit was devouring other spirits—and not just one or two. Whenever a user of a Spirit of the Soul was incapacitated, the spirit belonging to the masked man would feast on the escaping essence and magical energy. Its presence was swelling without limit. This was a function of the spirits that even the Dragon Gods had never witnessed.

‘If it consumes everything there… it could truly become the fourth weapon of the Heavens.’

The Council realized this was a situation they could not ignore. Furthermore, the Golden Mask wasn’t the only thing worth watching. As the conflict raged on, they couldn’t help but feel a grudging respect for the Blade Dragon God’s martial prowess. She was outperforming many of their own peers.

—

Blade Dragon God Hana.

She had experienced this ‘frenzy’ once before, back when she lost her **Demon Blood Kin** at the hands of the **Second Monarch Lee Se-ra**. During that time, she was only pacified by the creation of an **Overlord** in the **Spawning Pool** using the hearts of Dragon God Lucaria and Lee Se-ra. But this time was far worse.

**[The ‘Dragon God – Worshiper’ is linked to the target of devotion, ‘Randolph’.]**
**[The ‘Dragon God – Worshiper’ only sustains injury when ‘Randolph’ is targeted. All other strikes are nullified.]**
**[Randolph’s essence has faded.]**
**[The ‘Dragon God – Worshiper’ status has ended.]**
**[‘Invincibility’ has expired; she has entered a state of ‘Frenzy’.]**

Randolph had vanished. His signature was gone from the world. The implication was clear: he was dead. In the wake of this crushing loss, Hana’s mind fractured. Though she had managed to save Lucaria, she could no longer restrain her own internal storm. A rage far more potent than her previous frenzy erupted within her.

‘You are the ones who took him.’

Every living thing in her sight was now a target for destruction.

“Aaaaaagh!”

“She’s insane! What is happening?”

Cries of terror echoed through the battlefield. This was not the same Hana who had first claimed her title; back then, she was clumsy with her power. But after integrating Lucaria and Lee Se-ra as ‘Overlords’ of the Demon Blood Kin and expanding her dominion, her strength had doubled. Even in her madness, she retained an instinctive mastery over her abilities.

“…She is a literal demon.”

“Two more are down.”

The high-ranking officers of the Evil Deity Cult were aghast. Two more executives, including the **Golden Pig**, had been slaughtered. That brought the tally of fallen leaders to four. The **Giant of Destruction** had been lucky; he hadn’t planned on dying there and had been pulled back by the other **Star Guardians**. The Blade Dragon God, however, was fighting with a total disregard for her own life.

‘She is a blood-soaked wraith.’

She showed no signs of fatigue. Her hunger for slaughter was so intense it would have horrified a devil. No opponent had ever pushed them this close to the brink.

‘But she isn’t indestructible.’

Her arm was mangled, her left eye was gone, and the blade-wings on her back were shattered. She was nearing the end of her endurance. Her ability to hold out this long against the elite of the Evil Deity Cult was staggering, and they certainly never wanted to face her again.

“Just fall already!”

With a thunderous crash, the **Golden Lion** landed a blow that sent the Blade Dragon God crashing into a stone wall in a burst of light.

“…Is it over?”

“Has the monster finally stopped moving?”

The Cult’s executives were breathless and weary. They had lost track of time. What they did know was that this single woman had annihilated three of their leaders and nearly 7,000 of their troops. All on her own.

“The losses are catastrophic.”

“…We’ll have to coordinate with the **Balrog Order**.”

The Golden Mask signaled his agreement. Their numbers were too depleted to conquer the **Labyrinth** now. Knowing the **Black King** would never cooperate, the Balrog Order was their only remaining option.

Then, a sound broke the silence—a sound that shouldn’t have been possible.

The Blade Dragon God began to lift her head.

“……This is a nightmare.”

“Is she incapable of dying?”

“Then we keep killing her until she stays down.”

The Dragon God was clearly at the end of her rope. But as they prepared to engage one last time, gasping for air, the world shifted.

**[All Demon Blood Kin surrender their life force to the Queen.]**
**[The power held by ‘Lucaria’ flows into the Blade Dragon God.]**
**[The ‘Blade Dragon God’ restores her mana through the ‘Monarch’ Trait.]**
**[The condition ‘Frenzy’ has evolved into ‘Frenzy (Despair)’.]**

Her shattered bones snapped back into place. Her flesh knit together, and her missing eye reformed. A deep, blood-red aura pulsed in her gaze. The blade-wings on her back erupted outward, growing twice their size, appearing like skeletal hands reaching out from a void of hopelessness.

The members of the Evil Deity Cult could only stare in paralyzed shock at the transformation.