There were two main lineages of dragons, the apex mystical beasts of Ganghwange.
The Five Dragons, born into their draconic forms, and the Ascended Dragons, who achieved their forms through rigorous cultivation and passage through the Dragon Gate.
There was no inherent difference in power between the two. While the Five Dragons carried ancient mystical power in their blood, those who ascended through the Dragon Gate, a feat said to occur only once in a millennium, were no less capable.
The distinction was akin to that between inherited nobility and self-made tycoons.
The problem lay in the undeniable discrimination between them.
The Five Dragons, revered as descendants of the Dragon God, enjoyed privilege and held power for generations.
Those who ascended, despite achieving equivalent power, received treatment no different from other mystical beasts. Even among dragons, there was only one, the Azure Dragon, who had ascended and earned a place amongst the leadership. The rest of the seats were distributed among non-dragon mystical beasts like the Kirin, Black Tortoise, and Nine-Tailed Fox.
This disparity was evident in the leadership of Golden Island, which governed the mystical realm.
As a coalition of various mystical beasts and yokai, the Island's leadership changed over time, but its size remained between ten and twelve members. However, nearly half of those seats, five to be exact, were permanently reserved for the Five Dragons.
Resentment was inevitable.
Yet, true to their nature as beings who transcended their limits through arduous cultivation, the Ascended Dragons rarely complained. They were more focused on pushing their boundaries than on political power.
However, not all were the same.
There were exceptions, like 'him.'
'Are they all fools? How can they accept this injustice?'
He couldn't tolerate the current reality. They argued that the Five Dragons, as descendants of the Dragon God, deserved their privileged status.
But he was also a descendant of the Dragon God.
Though unlike the Five Dragons, his bloodline was diluted, akin to a bastard child.
Before ascending through the Dragon Gate and being recognized as a true dragon, he was treated no differently than a common yokai, despite being of dragon lineage!
'And yet… After all the effort I put in to reach this point…!'
He had clawed his way to this position through millennia of grueling cultivation.
And now he was supposed to accept someone standing above him simply because of their lineage?
Every instance of subtle discrimination felt like a rash spreading across his being. He approached the Azure Dragon, a member of the leadership, but nothing changed.
The Azure Dragon merely chided him for his lack of cultivation, seemingly indifferent to his concerns.
'Am I wrong? Are they right and I am mistaken?'
He agonized over this question, but he couldn't find fault in his own reasoning.
Fueled by his exceptional ambition and desire to surpass his limits, resentment festered and warped within him.
'No, it's them who are wrong, practicing favoritism and discrimination. I am also a descendant of the Dragon God. I have the right and the qualifications.'
Rage against a system he couldn't change.
Envy towards those who enjoyed unearned privileges.
Greed for what he lacked and could never attain.
'Therefore—this sacrifice is necessary for reform.'
A heart demon, rapidly spawned, consumed him entirely. He didn't resist, instead embracing it…
And then, he committed an irreversible transgression.
Crack Crunch
If he didn't have it, he would take it.
It was easy to manipulate the naive young Red Dragon, still giddy from recently forming its Dragon Orb. It never suspected another dragon would harm it within the mystical realm.
'Such a fool.'
With two heads, he concealed the new one and continued his work. Empowered by his increased strength, he progressed faster than anticipated.
[W-What are you doing?! Gahk!]
Three heads.
His power grew exponentially. He should have done this sooner. The wasted time gnawed at him.
[You think you can be forgiven for this—!]
Four heads.
As expected, the results were outstanding.
With greater power, he could hunt stronger targets, expanding his options.
'This is what they call a virtuous cycle.'
Around the original green head, red, black, and white heads, each clutching a Dragon Orb, writhed and roared. They were still unruly. He needed to consolidate his power.
'…Or so I thought.'
The situation turned sour. Even if they were young dragons who had completed their coming-of-age rituals by forming their Dragon Orbs, the sudden disappearance of three dragons raised suspicion.
He needed to accelerate his plans.
'Damn it.'
Five heads. The situation deteriorated.
Golden Island's investigation closed in. He thought he had been thorough, but they were faster than he anticipated.
'Foiling me at every turn! Only the Yellow Dragon remains…!'
He hadn't been exposed yet, but it was only a matter of time. It was now or never.
He had to act quickly and escape, regardless of exposure. With heightened security, targeting young dragons was no longer feasible. He needed to take a risk.
He lured and ambushed a mature Yellow Dragon investigating the disappearances.
[You! How did you obtain such power?!]
Perhaps the Yellow Dragon was caught off guard because he had only targeted younger dragons before, or perhaps his rapidly growing power was greater than he'd realized.
The battle was easier than expected. He devoured the Yellow Dragon, completing his sixth head.
[Hah— You've become a true monster. Why would you do this…?]
[Completely consumed by demonic energy. It's a wonder you managed to hide it for so long. We've grown complacent.]
[Tsk, it's because of his origins. This is why we shouldn't accept just anyone.]
His identity was exposed, and he was surrounded. Golden Island considered his actions a grave threat. Three members of the leadership—the Azure, Black, and Red Dragons—confronted him personally.
Everyone believed this monstrous dragon would be vanquished, and peace would be restored.
[Kha! Origins? Origins?! How dare you! You of all dragons!]
But the situation took an unexpected turn.
ROAR
An energy far beyond anything he had displayed before erupted from the Six-Headed Dragon, like a volcano. It wasn't simply the combined power of six dragons. He had achieved something more, transcending his previous limits.
[Indeed, five was not enough. Now that I've started, I might as well devour all of you Five Dragons!]
Normally, even after consuming five dragons, he shouldn't be able to fully absorb their power. There were inevitable losses during the absorption process, and the Dragon Orbs, the source of a dragon's mystical power, were far less effective when used in multiples.
[I see now! This is the most efficient method! If all Five Dragons disappear from this world, if I devour and absorb all 'descendants of the Dragon God'…!]
However, there was a variable. His own origins, predating his transformation into a dragon.
He was a descendant of the Dragon God, albeit a bastard.
Not only that, but through millennia of cultivation, he had proven his worth and awakened the power within his blood by seizing the karma of other dragons.
[…I will be the Dragon God's sole true heir!]
His origin was 'Greed.' He was a monster from legend, said to have devoured everything, even itself.
"So? What happened next?"
"…Underestimating his power proved to be a mistake. Many perished, including the Red Dragon of that era. The Azure and Black Dragons were severely injured and forced to retire. The Greed Dragon also lost several heads and barely escaped with its life."
At Horus's eager prompting, the Azure Dragon continued her story, her voice gentle, as if telling a bedtime story.
It was indeed an old story, at least fifty or sixty years past.
"Horus, why are you so curious about this? It's rare for you to show such interest."
She tilted her head, questioning Horus. The incident was a significant event in Golden Island's history. It had sparked numerous reforms addressing discrimination and conflict.
However, those reforms were now irrelevant after the Master of Heaven's Turn Society massacre, which decimated Golden Island, including many dragons. This current crisis, threatening their very existence, had united everyone, putting aside past grievances.
"Ehehe… Simply rebuilding the Dragon Heart isn't the end, right? We need to gather information on the bad guys. That nasty dragon is probably plotting something evil, waiting for an opportunity!"
"…Indeed. You're right. He hasn't shown himself, but we can't be complacent."
The Azure Dragon nodded thoughtfully, stroking Horus's soft, fine hair.
"I've learned a lot from you, Horus. We were so focused on the immediate threat that we neglected this. We need to prepare for him."
"Ahem!"
"Hehehe… We're short-handed, but it's better than facing a bigger problem later. Even if it means working ourselves to exhaustion."
Lost in thought, the Azure Dragon continued stroking Horus's head, her eyes closed.
Horus, puffing out his chest with pride, glanced away.
'…Seriously? Not a single normal dimension. Auterica had that Human God causing trouble, and here, we have this bastard child of the Dragon God wreaking havoc.'
While the Master of the Heaven's Turn Society had dealt a critical blow to Ganghwange, Ya Yulhwan's influence as the Demonic Cult's strategist couldn't be ignored.
And based on the story, he had the potential to become a calamity on par with Auterica's Immortal King.
'His severed heads have regenerated. I didn't see any dragon corpses at the Demonic Cult's headquarters. Did he devour them all?'
The Master of Heaven's Turn Society and the Heavenly Demon knew he was a yokai, so they likely tolerated his consumption of other dragons.
Of course, without directly hunting them himself, there would be limits to the karma he could absorb. He wouldn't have grown as exponentially as the stories suggested.
That was a relief.
'Hmm, at his current level, he's still within my projections.'
Horus smiled, nodding to himself. Right now, he wasn't at the tranquil Golden Island headquarters…
He was observing the fierce battle raging in the demonic realm.
[Gwaaaah—! These insects! How annoying!]
A thunderous roar echoed, unleashing a storm in all directions.
Rumble
Those with insufficient cultivation coughed up blood and stumbled, overwhelmed by the intense emotional waves contained within the storm.
But the undead army, shrouded in thick abyssal energy, merely paused momentarily before resuming their methodical slaughter.
The Demonic Cultists bore the brunt of the damage, but the Six-Headed Dragon couldn't maintain his composure.
Because…
[Groaaaaar—!]
A ferocious roar answered his own, echoing from the front lines. An unearthly sound, saturated with the thick energy of death.
KABOOM
The familiar wave of destruction crashed down upon him.
[Kuh! No you don't!]
The six Dragon Orbs glowed, weakening, distorting, and scattering the incoming attack. It dissipated before breaching his defenses.
This exchange had been repeated countless times.
But the situation wasn't as simple as it appeared.
'What is this?! What kind of monster is he…!'
The Six-Headed Dragon's six heads snarled, scanning their surroundings. When he had revealed his true form and joined the battle, the Demonic Cultists had retreated, leaving only the dead.
An army of elite monsters, each radiating a thick aura of death.
'If it were a one-on-one fight, I would have crushed him…!'
The most prominent figure was a massive, winged lizard skeleton. It was the source of the previous attack.
A formidable opponent, proficient in close combat and constantly spewing deathly breath.
And it wasn't alone.
Unfamiliar Black Jiangshi and familiar Yokai Jiangshi circled him, waiting for an opening.
All of them were cloaked in a deadly aura of pure death.
That was the biggest problem.
'This accursed energy is inexhaustible!'
The ominous black flames surrounding them were poison to the living, but a potent weapon for the dead.
It amplified their attack, defense, and all other attributes. It granted rapid regeneration, even from grievous injuries, and inflicted devastating damage to the living with a mere touch.
A perfect weapon, both offensive and defensive.
'Damn, I shouldn't have eaten them in a fit of rage!'
He was experiencing the effects firsthand. Annoyed by their constant regeneration, he had consumed parts of a few Black Jiangshi and the skeletal lizard…
Gurgle
A loud rumbling echoed from his massive stomach. He, who had never experienced digestive issues, was suffering from indigestion for the first time.
'Ugh!'
It was a disastrous situation for him, who had no anus, because he perfectly absorbed everything in his body.
He possessed the power of Gluttony, so this too would eventually pass, but…
"Kuku— You seem to be in quite a bit of pain. That's what you get for eating everything in sight."
[Guh… You…!]
The problem was, he didn't have the luxury of time.
Along with the voice of the culprit behind all this—
KABOOM
Strange symbols, now surrounding him, unleashed another wave of destruction.
Chains, lightning, flames, thorns, fangs, beasts, axes…
Countless forms of death, too numerous to comprehend.