Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1416 - 1415 - Gathering in Flames

The Throne of Defiance was an enigma. The fact it had been established so quickly and over such a large area was unprecedented. According to the old records, a Throne would start quickly at the core of it but would take centuries to stabilize and grow.

Yet it was all done in a day for the Throne of Defiance. Many understood that Lind Frey could not leave right away but the revelation he had been active in the last 2000 years shocked them more than anything.

It upended all they had discovered about Thrones and how they worked.

The only person who left it, Ethry Frey, never spoke a word about what was inside but like many Thrones, its border was related to its particular facets that established it.

The emerald flames were not just a colored fire. The feeling of Dao was powerfully felt by any that approached. Peak Sovereign tiers felt small just being near it!

Many powers stationed forces around it and manipulated the land to make it advantageous for them if anyone emerged but it seemed to have been pointless.

There had to be another exit no one knew about and on the day of the Convocation, they truly understood their error.

The Throne of Defiance was not just in the Sovereign Lands but extended down into the Hollow Lands to the Under Lands! How had no one known?!

The bastard had truly still been growing his Throne without anyone being the wiser!

A group of humans huddled near one of the roads newly made to accommodate the caravans coming to the meeting.

They were the former commanders and had been ordered to wait for their superiors to arrive.

Many of them were sweating visibly as they knew their lives could very well be forfeit.

"How did he get past us? Did no one have scouts underground?" A slim man in pure white robes spoke up but the others glared at him like he was an idiot.

"Once again, you well know we all did but none of us found anything. The bastard somehow hid the growth of his Throne from all of us!" The fact was, the moment before the True Lords called for the Convocation, the emerald flames suddenly dove downward in front of their forces.

It was only at that point that they realized they had been fooled by powerful illusion arrays unlike anything they had encountered before.

They had been going in circles or moving around the Throne entirely underground without realizing it!

"We just nee–" Another was about to speak when they all felt a shift in the air. Tears in space began to open as the street began to rumble beneath their feet.

The caravans were arriving!

The man in white trembled as the crest on the first wagons were the golden dagger of his kingdom.

He went to kneel when his head went flying!

"The rest of you should probably run." A young man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes appeared where the now headless man lay. Disturbingly, no blood flew from the neck wound, yet they all saw the skin shrivel as they realized he had been crippled before he was killed!

No soul would survive now!

"Merciless as always, little Brother. I did have some questions before you killed him." A slim girl with similar features appeared and the survivors all nearly fell.

The Blood Twins of the royal family of Golden Destiny Kingdom! They were infamous even in mortal circles!

Their kingdom was one where nobility ran roughshod over the commoners but the Blood Twins were the oldest children of the current King! They had plotted to kill their own mother but had been stopped due to the breakout of war!

They only killed her later during the war when an opportunity arrived and then bragged about it! Their father had rewarded them for their ingenuity!

The pairs of blue were devoid of anything human but more auras arrived to distract them. A few more of the commanders were killed or crippled but it was just a handful.

"Weaklings. They should not allow failures to–" The brother twin was sneering when a woman with crimson eyes suddenly appeared with a blade at his throat.

All froze as the many auras locked onto the confrontation but the blue eyes barely moved before a tired sigh left him.

"Maiden Sera, by the rules of the Convo–" A strike to his skull finally caught him off guard but the expected retaliation never came.

"There was nothing about beating you to within an inch of your life in the rules! You will suffer for what you have done to my Sisters!" Rather than help, his twin sister looked on amused.

"I did warn you not to mess with the Heavenly Maiden Sect, dear brother." He looked at her in irritation but the trio felt peak Sovereign Tiers appear and they looked up to see an unfamiliar bald man with an open vest showing his muscles.

His bestial aura was clear but it felt weaker to the other peak tiers they had met.

"I knew you were spoiled up here, but it is worse than I realized." Sneers crossed the twins but the Maiden saluted him with her sword tapped to her left shoulder.

He landed and was followed by other beasts and plants.

The latter did give the twins pause. Plant Immortals were dangerous.

"True Lord Frey rules here. It would be best not to antagonize him." Her milky white eyes looked at them with no anger or condescension. Yet, the twins did not dare turn their backs on her.

"The Throne starts over there, twig. So long as they don't kill each other, it does not seem to matter." An older man with gray and dark hair emerged from the carriages nearby. His peak Sovereign Tier aura left no doubt who he was.

A sudden bloodlust made even the twins pale as they realized the bald muscle man was a tiger! Even weakened from being in the Under Lands did not make them that inferior!

"I am Barbatos! Fight me!" The king sighed but before anything else could happen a chorus of roars shook the sky.

All turned in unison to see the emerald wall part and Immortal dragons flew beyond it! They were of all colors but that was not what made every Immortal pale.

Their auras were all in the Shard Tier! All of them! In just 2000 years they had come so far!

Further, the power they could sense meant each dragon could fight a Radiant Tier! Some had wings, some had spines, and everything in between but their flames did not correspond to their scales or eyes.

It was extremely powerful to the point that all recognized what they were seeing.

"Harmonic flames. They really are Harmonic Dragons." The sister twin looked excited but then voices rumbled over them all.

[Any further violence will be punished. The True Lord has commanded that any fights will be met with lethal resolution going forward.] Maiden Sera turned crimson in anger but the next words made them all flinch. [However, any legitimate grudge may be resolved in the Pits. Life and death can be pursued in the Pits without retaliation.]

For the first time, the twins looked scared. Many enemies were coming together but they thought they would be safe. Now, they were in danger.

"In that case–" The sister Blood Twin tried to retreat but a new wall of flames sprang up and all space locked down.

[No one leaves. If you die in the Pits, you die.] The dragons then vanished with ease as they tore through space but the opening remained.

"Arrogant lizard! We are not the leaders of our people–" Laughter suddenly drew their eyes as Maiden Sear pointed at their father.

"You are the next in line. Nothing is decided so you have to be here regardless. I will be coming for you Darien. I will make you remember why the Heavenly Maiden Sect is so feared!" She sheathed her sword and moved to enter as many others were already doing.

The twins and their father were eventually left until only they remained.

"Father, we cannot stay–" The boy was slapped suddenly and launched into a tree. No one stopped it nor was there any reaction from the Throne. It seemed being an idiot was accepted as a reason to hit someone from the same power.

"Cowards, the both of you. Do you think you can kill and not face the fact that the more powerful can kill you at any time? You so brazenly have killed your way across the 4th layer but always chose weaker opponents or fished in troubled waters. If you speak of retreating again, I will kill you myself." Both twins looked at their father in horror before gathering themselves.

They were far more solemn as they realized their death awaited them if they were not careful. The trio returned to their carriage and entered the opening in the wall of flames.

It now felt like a trial by fire literally. The twins looked pale while their father sneered at them.

Do not kill unless you are prepared to be killed. The family motto made so much more sense to the twins.

It seemed they would find out just what kind of people they were in the next few days.