Ren Asakura seemed to have thought of something amusing; the corners of his mouth practically split with his grin.
"It's definitely going to be fun."
Mai felt like her whole world had gone dark.
They had only enjoyed a few days of peace, and now they were about to dive into something dangerous again.
Old Tang, who carried Norton's memories, had a relatively good understanding of the King of Earth and Mountains.
After all, they were both part of the Four Great Elemental Dragon Kings.
"Jörmungandr is really smart. Fenrir, although mentally immature and rather simple, possesses enough power to easily shift the heavens and the earth. That's the power of the earth itself! And if I remember right, Fenrir has always been in a fully dragonified state—this isn't like the half-human, half-dragon state that Constantine and I had. A fully dragonified Dragon King is extremely dangerous."
Ren Asakura patted Old Tang on the shoulder.
"No worries. Actually, this makes things even better. After all, Lu Mingfei's supposed to become a Dragon Rider. It'd be embarrassing if the dragon was too small to ride, wouldn't it?"
Lu Mingfei: "...!"
Riding a Dragon King while wielding the dragon-slaying artifact, the Seven Sins—
Just imagining the scene leaked pure dominance.
But realistically, the dragon in question was basically still a kid.
Riding on a little kid's back to look cool...
What a ridiculously awkward image.
Lu Mingfei said, hesitating,
"Actually, I don't have to become a Dragon Rider, right? It's not like I need a spirit beast mount or anything…"
Ren Asakura shook his head firmly.
"A proper cultivator without a mount? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you? Plus, tricking a three-year-old sounds way too fun to miss!"
Lu Mingfei could only sigh helplessly.
After all, strength was a person's ultimate guarantee—
and the source of their courage to stir up trouble.
---
Night fell.
At a small town, by a riverside, near a fence—
two brothers stood side by side, looking up at the starry sky, savoring a rare moment of peace.
Old Tang and Constantine, living as ordinary people now, truly cherished this simple life.
Back when they were Dragon Kings, they had been relentlessly forced forward by fate.
Constant battles, endless strife.
After a thousand years, they were utterly tired of it.
But now, the Iron Throne had appeared.
The Black King's return was inevitable.
When that time came…
"Right now, I'm just an ordinary guy with the memories of a Dragon King. I hope that day doesn't come too soon…" Old Tang muttered.
Dragon Kings weren't immortal.
As long as they didn't enter the egg phase, once they were killed, they were truly dead.
Old Tang's worries weren't unfounded.
At some point, Ren Asakura had appeared, slinging an arm around Old Tang's shoulders.
"Hey, Old Tang, what's with that gloomy look?"
Old Tang raised his head slightly and saw Ren Asakura's carefree smile.
Normally, Ren Asakura was so plain,
so misleadingly harmless.
"I... I was thinking about my future. I want to take my little brother somewhere safe. There's an old saying—'The world is vast; surely there's a place for me somewhere.'"
Ren Asakura nodded seriously.
"Nope. Not a chance!
As long as you're the King of Bronze and Fire, you'll always be the King of Bronze and Fire.
Don't underestimate human greed. You think hybrids just popped up naturally? You, of all people, should know that dark history better than I do.
Humanity would do anything to seize the power of dragons.
And you—especially now that you've lost your power—are an even easier target."
Old Tang fell into silence.
Constantine shrank back behind Old Tang, clearly frightened.
Even without his powers, the King of Bronze and Fire was still the King of Bronze and Fire.
If they got caught, Old Tang and Constantine wouldn't even make it to the Black King's return—
they'd die on an operating table, dissected by some psycho scientist.
Sliced up like lab rats.
"But what the hell can I do now?!"
Old Tang's eyes dimmed a little.
Even without the seal, his strength couldn't stop the wheels of fate from turning.
He turned to look at his adorable little brother—
that pure and innocent gaze still had no idea how cruel the future would be.
Ren Asakura patted Old Tang on the shoulder.
"Relax, you're my little brother, and I've got your back.
As your big brother, how could I just stand by and watch you get played like a fool?
Come on, I'll give you something good!"
Ren Asakura pulled out two watches from behind his back.
The watches were red.
A crimson dragon, wreathed in flames, wrapped around the surface,
its huge dragon claws clutching the watch face tightly.
The craftsmanship made it look full of metallic texture—
so vivid it felt like the flame dragon was alive.
"What's this?" Old Tang asked.
"Flame Dragon Armor Summoner!
I made them myself.
It's the key to unlocking the seal inside your bodies.
It also converts your innate authority and power into the strength of the Flame Dragon Armor.
The more power you channel into it, the stronger the armor becomes—
and the more the seal will loosen."
Ren Asakura explained proudly.
In fact, the Flame Dragon Armor he made had a very special feature—
one that solved a thousand-year headache for Old Tang.
Honestly, what Ren Asakura really wanted to see was a deadly serious dragon-slaying battle—
Where Dragon King Norton would roar furiously:
"How dare mere ants touch the dignity of the King! Courting death!"
And just when everyone was tensing up for an epic clash—
Dragon King Norton would suddenly whip out the Flame Dragon Armor summoner,
cross his arms dramatically over his forehead, perform a transformation routine,
and shout at the top of his lungs:
"Transform! Flame Dragon Armor Fusion! Flame Dragon Warrior, on stage!"
That scene would be priceless.
Old Tang took the watch and, as instructed by Ren Asakura, strapped it to his right wrist.
In that instant, it was like the key slipped into the lock.
The seal resonated.
A flash of golden light appeared in Old Tang's pupils.
The aura of the domineering Dragon King Norton started to return.
Life is complicated.
So is personality.
Human nature, divine nature, beastly instincts, demonic impulses…
Old Tang was Norton, and Norton was Old Tang.
Everyone harbors a devil inside.
But in front of Ren Asakura—
even dragons were reduced to scrubs.
Old Tang quickly suppressed the surge of fury rising within him.
"Sorry... I suddenly got a little angry."
Ren Asakura waved it off casually.
"No worries!
Now come on, let me teach you how to transform!"
First like this, then like that, then do this move…
After a whole set of demonstrations and detailed explanations,
Old Tang fell silent for a long moment, then said stiffly:
"...Do I really have to do it this way?"
Ren Asakura nodded seriously.
The transformation required ridiculously embarrassing moves,
a dead-serious expression,
and loudly shouting "Flame Dragon Armor Fusion!"
with a voice over 100 decibels.
Only by doing all that could the transformation be completed.
One good thing though:
During the transformation, the user was completely invincible.
Ren Asakura had included that special feature too.
"And I even prepared a secret bonus!
I guarantee you'll be thrilled,"
Ren Asakura said with a mysterious grin.
Old Tang had no choice but to clench his teeth and push through the crushing embarrassment.
He crossed his arms, struck the poses swiftly, and roared out:
"Flame Dragon Armor Fusion!"
The thunderous roar shook the air, like a Dragon King's rage.
"Seal released, Armor fusion complete!"
A scorching electronic voice echoed from the Flame Dragon Watch.
Then, fiery light and shadows rose up and surrounded Old Tang.
A crimson suit of armor emerged from the flames.
°°°
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