Three figures stood outside an aging apartment complex. All three were so striking that many passersby could not resist stealing a second glance at them.
"This should be the place."
Jovian checked the address displayed on his phone. After confirming they had come to the right location, he took the lead and entered the complex.
Inside, they happened across an older woman carrying a grocery basket on her way out.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Do you know where Xia Mi lives?" Jovian asked.
"You're not from around here, are you? You sound just like a local!"
The woman initially looked surprised by Jovian's appearance, then praised his flawless accent.
"Haha, I've spent a lot of time abroad," Jovian explained with a smile before continuing, "Do you know where Xia Mi lives? I'm one of her classmates."
"You're looking for Xia Mi? She lives right over there. I saw her come back with her luggage a few days ago. Hold on, I'll call her for you!"
Mrs. Li was incredibly enthusiastic. As soon as Jovian explained why they were there, she hurried beneath the old apartment building and shouted at the top of her lungs.
"XIA MI! SOME CLASSMATES FROM OVERSEAS ARE HERE TO SEE YOU! HURRY UP AND COME OUT!"
Her deafening voice seemed to shake half the apartment complex.
"A sound-based EX?!"
Chime Gen, standing beside Jovian, recoiled half a step in horror as the terrifying sound waves struck him. With hearing far beyond that of an ordinary human, the woman's shout was practically torture.
"She's just loud."
Jovian laughed at Chime Gen's terrified expression. If that counted as a sound-wave EX, then every older woman in the complex had to be a hybrid. Truly terrifying.
"What is it, Mrs. Li?"
As the thunderous voice continued echoing through the apartment complex, one of the old windows suddenly opened. A cute, mischievous-looking girl poked her head outside and looked down at Mrs. Li, seemingly completely unfazed by the woman's volume. She had clearly grown used to it.
"Xia Mi, some of your classmates from overseas are here!"
Once the girl appeared, Mrs. Li's voice gradually returned to normal. She pointed behind her at Jovian and the others.
"See? Xia Mi lives right up there. I'll leave the rest to you young people. I need to buy groceries before I miss the discounts."
"Take care, ma'am."
Jovian inclined his head slightly as Mrs. Li hurried away. He then waved at the mischievous girl above.
"Hey, Xia Mi. The professor sent us to give you a mission."
"What? A mission?"
Xia Mi's face immediately fell. After a helpless sigh, she said, "Fine. Come upstairs."
"Let's go."
Once Xia Mi gave them permission, Jovian nodded to Chime Gen and Erii Uesugi behind him.
The three briefly exchanged glances before climbing the poorly maintained staircase toward Xia Mi's apartment.
When they reached her door, Jovian did not knock. He simply gave it a gentle push, and it swung open.
Waiting inside was the mischievous girl and an old but spotless apartment. Xia Mi smiled at them.
"Don't judge me too harshly. I'm broke, so I can't afford anything nicer."
"Don't worry. Neither can we."
Jovian gave her a friendly smile while casually taking a jab at the soaring housing market. The three entered Xia Mi's modest but clean and cozy home.
Click.
Xia Mi gently closed the door, then brought over several chairs for her guests. Unfortunately, there were not enough to go around, so anyone without one would have to remain standing.
In the end, Jovian and Xia Mi sat opposite each other while Chime Gen and Erii stood behind Jovian, one on either side.
"Aren't you curious why the professor sent me to find you?" Jovian asked with a smile.
"Hahaha..."
Xia Mi laughed.
"You really enjoy playing games, don't you? We've already come this far, so why keep pretending?"
"Or do you simply enjoy calling me your upperclassman?"
Before Xia Mi finished speaking, Chime Gen drew the dagger concealed behind his back and pressed its blade against her neck.
"You're one to talk. You haven't stopped calling me your underclassman either," Jovian said with a smile, crossing one leg over the other.
"You're really going to let your people bully me like this? I'm heartbroken."
Xia Mi put on an exaggeratedly wounded expression, but in the next instant, an immense power began awakening inside her body.
"What?!"
Chime Gen and Erii, both exceptionally sensitive to dragons, reacted with alarm. They exchanged a glance and immediately reached the same conclusion.
The being trapped inside this apartment with them was a genuine pure-blooded dragon.
Only a pure-blooded dragon could exert such overwhelming pressure on two hybrids with Emperor-class bloodlines.
"Don't you think you should tell your subordinate to put his weapon away?" Xia Mi asked.
The instant her words fell, her eyes blazed like fire, shining with brilliant golden light.
The terrifying radiance made Chime Gen and Erii's breathing falter. This was not merely a pure-blooded dragon. It was a first-generation dragon, one of the beings known as Dragon Kings.
The ancient, terrifying pressure it released was enough to plunge ordinary humans into despair.
"You're being too impatient, Xia Mi. Why reveal your identity so quickly? Perhaps I genuinely had no idea who you were."
Jovian gave Chime Gen a look. Chime Gen immediately withdrew his dagger and returned to Jovian's side.
Jovian then smiled at Xia Mi as casually as though they were discussing the weather.
"If you didn't know my identity, why would you bring such powerful backup?"
"Still, you don't seriously believe two super hybrids are enough to slay a dragon, do you?"
Xia Mi's gaze swept across Chime Gen and Erii.
Admittedly, these two hybrids were extraordinarily powerful. They were among the strongest she had ever encountered, super hybrids who stood at the very pinnacle of their kind and possessed enough strength to threaten dragons.
However, the one sitting before them was a genuine Dragon King.
They should not underestimate her.
Xia Mi was furious.
"The problem is, I never planned to kill you."
Jovian smiled faintly.
"You don't want to slay a dragon?"
Xia Mi restrained her aura.
Truthfully, she did not want to fight these three uninvited guests inside the apartment complex. She could not instantly kill either of the two super hybrids.
However, the one who truly made Xia Mi feel threatened was Jovian.
He had worn the same faint, unreadable smile from the moment he arrived. Her instincts warned her that this man could kill her.
Xia Mi found that sensation difficult to accept. Dragons were supposed to be the only beings capable of killing dragons. She could hardly believe that some unknown Dragon King had awakened, openly allied himself with hybrids, and come all the way here just to flaunt his power in front of her.
"Xia Mi, you don't really want to devour your brother to evolve into your complete form, do you?" Jovian asked.
"What? Do you have a way to obtain another Dragon King's Dragonbone Cross for me to devour?"
Xia Mi paused, then narrowed her eyes. Jovian's proposal suddenly sounded promising.
"A Dragon King's Dragonbone Cross is already within reach."
Jovian chuckled, giving Xia Mi a meaningful look.
"Heh."
Xia Mi slumped back, immediately losing interest.
"I thought you had another Dragonbone Cross. After all that, you're still talking about Constantine's?"
"Exactly. Constantine's."
Jovian nodded.
The Dragonbone Cross he sought was Constantine's. At present, it was the only Dragonbone Cross in the world whose location was publicly known.
"You didn't need to tell me about Constantine's Cross. I already know where it is. Why wouldn't I simply take it myself?"
Xia Mi clearly had no intention of cooperating.
"Because you can't obtain it with your strength alone."
"You're welcome to try. You can go to Cassell College and attempt it yourself first. Just remember that if you fail, our cooperation will become impossible. Once the first attempt fails, any later attempt will be far more difficult. You understand what I mean."
"So here's my proposal. Why don't we work together and steal that Dragonbone Cross from Cassell College?"
Jovian directly revealed his objective.
"Work together? You and me?"
Xia Mi looked displeased.
"There's only one Dragonbone Cross. How are we supposed to divide it?"
"Fifty-fifty."
Jovian proposed an equal split.
"Fine. Deal."
After briefly considering it, Xia Mi immediately accepted. She had attended Cassell College before, so she knew exactly how difficult it would be to seize the Dragonbone Cross from the institution.
"When do we move?" Xia Mi asked.
"One week from now. Come find me here."
Jovian smiled and handed Xia Mi his address.
"Huh?"
Xia Mi stared at the address in surprise. She then pulled out her phone and searched Jovian's identity on Google.
Commander of U.S. Forces Japan, three-star Lieutenant General Jovian Grayson...
Xia Mi froze as she read information that was publicly available on Wikipedia. A chill soon crept down her spine.
Assuming Jovian really was a dragon, he had somehow risen to this position within human society.
Compared to him, the other Dragon Kings seeking to control the world might as well have been playing in the mud.
Meanwhile, Jovian returned to the military base in Japan with Erii and the others.
Inside the vast facility were countless hybrids submerged in tanks filled with liquid. Every one of them was a member of the Devil Clan.
Jovian was using a biological purification process to extract and refine the dragon blood flowing through their veins.
Among the vast collection of materials was a corpse with a hole blown through its head, a handsome middle-aged man sleeping soundly, and a massive cocoon.
It was a dragon's cocoon, the cocoon of a king among dragonkind.
There were also countless corpses of hybrids who had transformed into dragons, the creatures known as Death Servitors, as well as the remains of second-generation dragons, powerful pure-blooded members of dragonkind.
Some of these materials had been inherited directly from Jung von Herzog. Jovian had obtained the rest in an extremely short time.
With the United States supporting him and enormous authority in his hands, Jovian could plunder the world's black markets without restraint.
"Jung von Herzog, you would feel deeply honored if you were still alive. Everything you accomplished ultimately became the foundation for the arrival of a new king. Cheer up."
Jovian stood before Jung von Herzog's corpse, the one whose skull had been pierced by an alchemical bullet, and spoke with a smile.
Erii stood beside Jovian, looking at the dead body with a complicated expression.
She remembered how Jung von Herzog had cared for her throughout the years. Even now, she found it difficult to believe that he had raised them only so that he could eventually devour them.
"Erii, are you ready to become the new king?"
"Through the ritual within this enormous pool of blood, you will rise from a mortal into a truly immortal god."
Jovian gently ran his hand through Erii's crimson hair.
Erii raised the small notebook in her hand. Four neatly written words appeared on the page.
"I AM READY NOW."
"Excellent. Everyone, let us witness a miracle."
Jovian had Jung von Herzog to thank. Herzog had already prepared nearly everything for him.
All that remained were the additional materials and the completed procedure. Any flaws in Herzog's unfinished research were insignificant. Jovian had already spent an enormous fortune and called upon his vast network of connections to perfect every missing detail.
Where had the money come from?
For that, he needed to thank the ever-helpful Japanese government and its major families. As for the remaining funds, he had the American taxpayers to thank.
They had all contributed to the descent of a god.
The shrine maiden removed her elaborate clothing and leaped into the pool of blood.
A beautiful cocoon formed before everyone's eyes. Countless crimson tendrils instinctively began hunting and devouring every offering Jovian had prepared around it.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Listen.
Those were the drums heralding a god's resurrection.
One week later, Xia Mi flew from the capital in economy class and arrived at the base to meet Jovian.
The moment she saw the girl standing before her, Xia Mi froze in place.
So you were the one standing behind them from the very beginning?
Could it be that you never died at all?
Xia Mi could hardly believe her eyes. She was staring at a being who should no longer have been alive, someone who should unquestionably have been dead.
Yet now, that great existence stood directly before her, breathing steadily.
Alive.
What the hell was happening?
Xia Mi's thoughts raced wildly. However, after her brief panic subsided, she began noticing several subtle clues.
There was something wrong with the person standing before her.
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