84th Adversary: The Great Dragon- Ušumgallu

Miko left Renacido and arrived at the Empire's capital, Dragna City. He didn't bring anyone other than his swords. Not even, Tia. Miko's reason was the meeting he was going to have was too important. He couldn't allow any unforeseen incidents to occur before his meeting. It might sound like he was calling the others burdens, but Miko had his reasons.

"I wonder if I should've left Ishma?"

He muttered to himself.

"Huh? What was that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're a troublemaker."

Regis started teasing her.

"You're not much different."

Regis deflated after hearing Miko's words.

They arrived near the royal palace without drawing any attention. They were disguised by a deception spell. It was cast on them by Layla before they left. This was a spell that even Momo didn't know. It was pretty useful for covert operations.

(Momo is a high-ranked Spellmaster. In terms of pure talent, Layla was ordinary when compared to her, yet Layla has her own strengths which could make it look like she was the talented one. She's more fitted for warfare than Momo, who studied magic because of her pure love of it…..If I combine the two of them they'll make a powerful asset.)

Miko approached the gates that led to the royal district with this thought. As he expected, there weren't any guards. The only person there to greet him was a man dressed in a blazer suit. He had black hair, golden slit eyes, a handsome face with a beauty mark under his right eye, and an elegant smile on his face.

"Raven."

Miko walked up to the man with a smile.

"It's been a while."

Miko spoke with a respectful tone. One he barely used when talking with other clan members. The reason was simple. The man in front of him had just as much authority and influence in the clan as Krow and the branch leaders. He was also someone Miko had always respected as a powerful individual and looked up to when he was a kid.

"Hey, Miko."

Raven approached Miko and placed his hand on Miko's shoulder.

"I haven't seen you in a while. I see that you've grown."

He looked at Miko from head to toe and nodded with a satisfied smile.

"You've grown quite a bit."

He turned around.

"Come, I'll lead you to where the meeting is being held."

Miko nodded and followed behind him.

"I heard all about it, Miko. You almost caused a huge war between us and the Flameheart clan."

"The fault doesn't lay with me. Everything was just the result of a man's manipulation."

"Oh, you mean Krow."

Raven spoke Krow's name without a hint of fear or caution in his voice. Only someone of his status could do that.

"Yeah. That bastard."

"Oh? So you hate him?"

Raven glanced behind at Miko who was following close to him. They were already near the palace. The guards saw them and immediately made way. They flinched when they heard what the two were talking about.

"Of course I hate him. I plan on killing that bastard Krow in the future."

What Miko said was a very dangerous thing to say and to someone like Raven much less.

"Kill him? That'll be tough. That man has an abnormally strong will. You don't know how many times I was certain that he was dead only for him to be back on his feet in an instant."

"Even a cockroach will die if you continue crushing it to pieces."

The two didn't enter the royal palace. They went into the yard and started heading outside of the palace grounds and into the domains of the five branches.

"Hmm….I don't think that'll work with Krow. Even if you defeat him, it will be meaningless if you don't crush his spirit."

"Then-"

"Anyway, I heard that you captured Gael."

"….Yeah."

They came across a fork road with five different paths. From left to right, the paths will lead you to the Primus, Secundus, Tertitus, Quartus, and Quintus branches respectively. Miko and Raven stepped onto the first path without hesitation.

"That's impressive. That means you're pretty much a king now, right?"

"They call me the King of Monsters."

"Oh? It got a nice ring to it. Maybe I should start calling myself that as well."

Raven laughed.

Miko became silent. He didn't like how Raven changed the conversation from Krow. It felt like he was telling Miko in a roundabout way that he should give up on Krow. Miko didn't like that. Krow was currently the person Miko hated the most. He inherited Darius' hatred towards him but also started hating him on his own. After all, Krow had tried to kill him using his lackeys after he became a proxy. Raven didn't speak either. The two continued to walk in the Primus dominion. The Primus dominion seemed like it belonged in an entirely different world.

"Let's fly since it's faster."

A pair of black dragon wings appeared on Raven's back. He took to the sky. Miko released his wings and flew after him. While the two were flying, Miko looked around at the place he was born in but barely visited in recent years. He could see several mountains, valleys, and golden rivers. On the flatlands, he could see settlements like towns and villages. The sky was vast and filled with floating islands and all kinds of flying beasts.

"Hm?"

One of these beasts suddenly changed its path and flew towards the two, more specifically Miko. It was a giant bird with colorful feathers. The feathers at the tail reminded one of a peacock. Miko recognized this bird.

"A Fenghuang?"

A Fenghuang aka the Chinese Phoenix was an immortal bird that was said to signify the reign of a new emperor. It was also a part of the Chinese zodiac and believed to be the female partner of the Chinese dragon.

"You recognize it?"

Raven asked seeing Miko looking at the bird with a smile.

"Huan. It's Momo's pet. She named it Huan because she brought her much joy and satisfaction."

The Divine bird made a happy cry and started flying around Miko before rubbing its face against Miko's.

"Fenghuangs are the most loved animals of you Dragnas. You're naturally drawn to them, and they're naturally drawn to you. The reason is because of your dragon blood. Phoenixes and dragons are considered to be equals and partners in many legends. While they are only a sub-species of the Phoenix, fenghuangs are phoenixes the same."

Raven said.

"What? You want me to ride you?"

Raven suddenly heard Miko ask Huan a weird question.

"You can understand it?"

"Kinda. Since I was a kid, I had an affinity for animals. Rather than understanding them, I can vaguely feel their emotions."

Miko climbed on Huan's back and put away his wings allowing the bird to fully support him.

"Momo said that Huan was her main means of transport in this dominion. I can see why, she's pretty comfortable to mount."

Miko started petting Huan who purred like a cat. Raven smiled and continued to fly toward their destination. Huan followed behind him closely.

They flew for nearly an hour before Miko could see an enormous palace. The yard space stretched over a hundred miles. In fact, it looked like it took up nearly half of the entire dominion.

"Xia."

Miko muttered the name of the palace and the residence of the main family of the Primus branch. The place looked like it came out of ancient China. Miko could see countless people dressed in Chinese clothing.

"I heard a story once. Apparently, the first son of Augustus and Tia, Claudius Dragna married a woman from Han. To make his wife feel at home, Claudius ordered his subordinates to adopt the Han culture which included their clothing, language, and cuisine. From then on, the Primus branch stuck with the culture."

Han was this world's version of Ancient China. It was located on the Day Continent and severed as one of the powerhouses of the world. One of the reasons for this was the fact that the almighty Buddhist Alliance was stationed there.

"The story is true. Claudius wife is Nero's mother, Xiao Yun. She was a very beautiful and graceful woman."

A hint of sadness could be found in Raven's eyes. However, he quickly snapped out of it. They flew past Miko's old home, Xia Palace, and went deeper into the dominion. They flew into an area that looked like it was isolated. There were barely any settlements that could be found there. After a while, Miko spotted a black mansion in the distance. The two immediately headed for it. Miko knew this place, but it was only his third time coming here. They landed in front of the mansion and waited. Their host should've long sensed their presence and was going to approach them.

*Swoosh!*

Miko suddenly heard something cutting through the air. He was covered by a massive shadow. He looked up and smiled. Above him was a massive and majestic beast. It had two wings that stretched for a mile each. Its body was almost the size of its wings. It was covered in azure scales and had the face and mane of a lion. Its tail turned gold near the end.

"It's still amazing seeing it close up."

Miko mumbled. The monster glanced at him and turned its body to land not too far away from him. The monster brought down its massive head. Miko was reflected in its golden eyes. Miko stood firm and didn't flinch when facing the monster's glare. After a while, the monster was engulfed by a golden light and transformed before his eyes.

What stood in front of him was a woman in an azure gown. She was tall, beautiful, had azure and gold hair, golden dragon eyes, and a single sharp fang peeking out her mouth.

"Miko, long time no see."

Said the woman.

"It's nice to meet again, Great Dragon, Ušumgallu."

Ušumgallu was one of the eleven supreme monsters created by Tiamat when she fought against the rebel gods. It was nicknamed the Great Dragon. It was said to be a Lion-Dragon-Demon with incredible strength and was the oldest dragon second to Tiamat.

In other words, she was a Higher Being.

"Call me Gallu like you used to."

Gallu walked up to Miko and placed her hand on Miko's shoulder.

"You grown."

The way she looked at Miko was similar to the way a mother looked at her long-lost child. She then looked around.

"Where's mother?"

"I made Tia stay behind. I'm sorry, you must've wanted to see her since you guys haven't met in 10,000 years."

Gallu shook her head.

"No, that's fine. I have many opportunities to meet her in the future now that she's in the mortal realm."

"Well, I wanted to meet her."

Raven said.

"I mean, I don't even remember how she looks."

"Just look at Miko."

Gallu retorted.

"Oh, that's right. Regis, Ishma."

Two of Miko's swords transformed into their human forms and stood in front of him. Raven and Gallu were surprised to see the two. Miko pointed at Regis.

"Regis looks exactly like Tia."

"…So these are your famous swords?"

Ishma turned to Gallu.

"Ajax's sister, huh? It's been a long time."

Gallu greeted Ishma who only nodded and didn't say anything in return.

"So, Miko. The Queen and the Princess went to great lengths to have me meet with you. I kinda have an idea what for, but I'm still going to ask. What do you want from me?"

The Queen and Princess referred to Kimiko and Sasha, who were the queen and princess of the Primus branch.

Miko showed a sly smile.

"I want you to side with me, Gallu."

"Side with you? Meaning you want me to choose you over the Dragna clan?"

Miko nodded.

"After the War For Supremacy reached a cease-fire and the proxy system was implemented, Tia ordered five of her 11 Supreme Monster Children to stay and protect the Dragna clan. Primus had you, Secundus had Bašmu, Tertitus had Sirrush, Quartus had Lahmu, and Quintus had Mušmaḫḫū."

Miko pointed at himself.

"However, I'm Tia's Proxy. Since her blood continues to alter my body, I'm pretty much your little brother. Shouldn't I rank higher on your list of who you need to protect than the Dragna clan?"

"Hahahaha!"

Gallu burst out laughing.

"Do you know how shameless you sound?"

"Of course, but there are times when shame only gets in the way."

Gallu nodded.

"I agree that I'm more closely related to you than anyone in the Dragna clan. However, I served mother not you. As such, I can't just abandon my duty to protect the clan because you want me to."

"Then, Don't."

"What?"

"I never said I wanted you to abandon the clan, I only want you to side with me when the time comes. I don't wish to destroy the clan or anything. I have too many loved ones that I would need to fight. I want to avoid that."

"That's why you want me to side with you?"

Miko nodded.

"As things are going I'm destined to oppose the clan and war will break out between us. If that happens in the future, even if I die, I'll take the clan to hell with me."

Miko's words were completely serious. He honestly believed that he could destroy the Dragna if he sacrificed his life to do it.

"I want to avoid that, but our clan is full of maniacs. I'm unable to prevent it from happening on my own. So I need someone who can help me keep those maniacs in check."

"So you want the Guardian Beasts."

Miko nodded.

"I want you all to side with me for the future of the clan."

Miko placed his hand over his chest.

"I wish to break away from the Dragna Empire, but that is just preparation for something much grander. I want to become the Clan Leader. I want to take up the role that only Augustus Dragna held before."

Gallu's and Raven's eyes widened after hearing Miko's goal.

"Why do you want to become the Clan Leader?"

"Because I want to reach the top. If I have the clan, I can do that."

"You know that becoming the Clan Leader is pretty much impossible, right?"

"I'll make the impossible possible."

"...…"

Gallu looked at Miko from head to toe in silence. After a while, she spoke-

"Miko, this is the third time we've met. The first time we met you were only a child, you were full of innocence and shone brightly. The second time we met you were about to become a teen, you were dead inside and seemed like you hated everything and everyone. This time…."

She paused a bit before speaking.

"This time you seem more mature like you've finally accepted yourself and everything around you. You're no longer overflowing with hate."

"The innocence of a child, the troubled phase of adolescence, and the maturity of adulthood, huh."

Raven commented.

"Miko, I'm sorry-"

"Primordial Chaos Lord."

"….?"

Gallu was left confused after Miko interrupted her.

"Gallu, do you know the reason why the clan really wanted to obtain Tia's proxy? It's because her proxy would have a terrifying ability."

He smiled.

"You know what that ability is right?"

"...."

Gallu was quiet. She figured out what the ability was, and trembled inside.

"Gallu, if the Dragna clan turns on me I will use this ability without hesitation. When that happens, me, you, and everybody else will take a family picnic in hell."

A sharp light appeared in Miko's eyes.

"Think carefully about what you're about to say. If you truly want to protect the clan then don't pick the choice that will lead to everyone's demise."

"....."

"Mother."

While Gallu was quiet Raven approached her.

"Mother, I think we should side with Miko."

"Why?"

"It has much more pros than cons. Also, Miko is smart, the fact that he has everyone on their toes despite his small strength is proof. Him becoming Clan Leader isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Raven…."

Gallu looked at her son and then at Miko. He had a smile on his face that said that he was okay with either reply that she would give. That made it even clearer that he was completely serious about destroying the clan if they turned on him.

Honestly, Gallu liked Miko and found her mother choosing him understandable. But there was one thing that held her back. It was the image of a man she once called her stepfather.

Augustus Dragna. Everyone thought that Miko was very similar to Nero or Tiamat, but Gallu saw it differently. Both Tiamat and Nero were similar because they were greatly influenced by the same man. That was Augustus. Miko was different from those two who were influenced by Augustus. He never met him in the first place. He was naturally like this.

(Looks like blood really doesn't lie.)

She thought to herself. While Augustus wasn't what you would call evil, he was a chaotic person. If things went his way then everything would be fine, but when they didn't…..even the heavens will bleed. Miko showed a similar trait multiple times already. This trait was what made the two extremely dangerous.

However, Gallu soon realized something. If the clan really turnt on Miko, it won't end prettily. However, if they teamed up, the clan might return to its peak when it could challenge the world with confidence. If Miko was really like Augustus then…

(It was worth the gamble.)

"Alright, Miko."

Gallu looked at Miko and smiled.

"We'll side with you. However, don't blame us if things don't go the way you wanted."

Miko smiled in response.

"Of course."