"No tact at all!"
Souka huffed, "Standing before you is the one who inherited the Throne of the Star Dragon King, the new Creator!"
"Huh?"
The lizardman princess froze.
The sheer weight of the information overwhelmed her, leaving her mind blank.
What was that?
The Star Dragon King?
The Throne of the Creator?
"Well, whatever."
"With your limited perspective, you'd never grasp Lord Damien's greatness."
The three kijin women felt like they were talking to a brick wall.
It couldn't be helped... Damien's status was simply too far removed from the monsters of the forest.
They couldn't even share the full extent of his majesty with her.
Damien wasn't a deity, but in the hearts of his followers, he was a parental figure, the one true god!
"Ahem."
Damien, slightly embarrassed by the trio's lavish praise, said, "That's a bit much…"
"Tch~"
Rimuru muttered under her breath, "You're clearly loving this."
"Careful, Miss Rimuru. Talking back to the boss might get your pay docked."
"Ah!"
Rimuru instantly caved, bowing at a perfect 90 degrees. "Please forgive me this once!"
"…"
Ignoring Rimuru, who had taken on the role of comic relief, Damien turned to the lizardman princess. "The lizardman tribe stands at a crossroads of life and death."
"I hope you'll make the right choice."
"Please, guide me!"
The lizardman princess pleaded, "Whatever the conditions, as long as my people can be saved, I'll do anything!"
"From now on, you are the new chieftain of the lizardmen."
"Swear fealty to me and lead your people to become my subjects."
Hearing Damien's conditions, the lizardman princess looked up, her face full of disbelief.
Not because his demands were excessive.
But because they were too simple!
Becoming chieftain was nothing but a boon for her.
Pledging the lizardmen's loyalty seemed like a benefit Damien was entitled to.
"That's… that's it?"
The lizardman princess felt uneasy.
She almost wished Damien had made some unreasonable demands.
Such straightforward terms left her feeling insecure.
"Hm?"
Damien frowned slightly, realizing he'd overlooked this. "Then let's add one more condition."
"The Western human nations may soon wage war against the Jura Forest."
"I need you to lead the lizardmen to fight on the front lines as your pledge of allegiance to join my ranks."
"I'm willing!!!"
Without hesitation, the lizardman princess bowed deeply. "As long as it saves my people, we will be the blade in your hand!"
"Good."
Damien was pleased with her attitude. He gestured for her to rise. "I will name you, and you will lead the imprisoned lizardmen to subdue those who've been swayed."
"Naming?"
Honestly, the lizardman princess had never dreamed of such a windfall.
Yet it was happening, right here, to her!
"From this day forward, your name is Souka!"
Before she could react, Damien completed the naming.
The next moment, a surge of magicules flooded into Souka's body, reshaping it and pushing her faint dragon bloodline toward a higher evolution.
But the naming didn't end there.
Damien signaled the three women to dispel the isolation barrier, then released Souka's imprisoned comrades from the dungeon.
"You four, I grant you names."
"Haruka, Natsuka, Akika, Fuyuka!"
With each naming, the nearly 100 loyal lizardmen... close aides of the former chieftain... began their evolution.
[Lizardman (C+ Rank) Evolution Initiated]
[Detecting Namer's Dragon Factor, Commencing Evaluation]
[Dragon God Factor Evaluation Complete: Inheritance Failed]
[True Dragon Factor Evaluation Complete: Inheritance Failed]
[Dragon Lord Factor Evaluation Complete: Inheritance Succeeded]
"…"
Damien listened to the Voice of the World in his mind, rolling his eyes.
He wasn't surprised that the dragon factor inheritance could fail.
It had nothing to do with him... Souka and the others were simply too weak.
Mere lizardmen weren't yet worthy of receiving the full baptism of his dragon bloodline.
Among the nearly 100 lizardmen, only five, including Souka, could absorb his Dragon Lord factor (Haruka, Natsuka, Akika, Fuyuka).
They evolved from lizardmen to the highest tier of Dragon: Dragon Lords.
The Spring Dragon Lord, symbolizing the earth; the Summer Dragon Lord, symbolizing the blazing sun; the Autumn Dragon Lord, symbolizing the withering wind; and the Winter Dragon Lord, symbolizing frost.
And leading them was the Day and Night Dragon Lord, Souka!
[Souka]
[Race: Lizardman → Dragonewt → Dragon Lord]
[Magicules: 400,000 (Dragonewt Form) / 990,000 (Dragon Lord Form)]
[Unique Skills: Dawn Herald, Stargazer]
[Special Skill: Dragon Lord Transformation (Can freely switch between Dragonewt and Giant Dragon forms)]
"Souka!"
"Haruka, Natsuka, Akika, Fuyuka!"
"We pay homage to our Dragon God, Lord Damien!"
Led by Souka, the five Dragon Lords bowed respectfully to Damien.
Kneeling alongside them were the others who hadn't become Dragon Lords but had evolved into Dragonewt or Element Dragon.
Through their evolution, they learned of Damien's identity from his Dragon Lord factor.
The new Star Dragon God of Creation, served by both Storm Dragon God and Frost Dragon God, was the source of their power and bloodline.
Honestly, even after her evolution, Souka could hardly believe it was real.
Life's ups and downs were truly astounding.
One moment, she was imprisoned, desperately hoping Gabiru would come to his senses and stop his mistakes.
The next, she received the blessing of a Dragon God, becoming the mightiest Dragon Lord.
What incredible power…
Feeling the overwhelming strength coursing through her, capable of crushing anything, Souka found it surreal.
Such power was something she hadn't dared to dream of before.
"How does it feel?"
"I…"
Souka didn't dare look up. "Honestly, we feel unworthy of this power."
She had done nothing to earn such a boon.
Her inherited lizardman nature made her feel ashamed.
She had pleaded with Damien to save her people.
And he had fulfilled her wish... beyond her wildest expectations!
The lizardmen had evolved, with even the weakest now Dragonewt.
Those with greater potential had soared to the pinnacle of the dragon evolution path!
***
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