Dragon’s Bloodline

Chapter 118

Ria-chan.

Maal was dancing.

Her arms and legs moving spiritedly, she was dancing in delight.

Something shed seen long ago.

The cat beastkin were dancing and laughing around Ria and the others.

Something shed seen long ago.

Ria-chan.

Maals figure became more distant.

Please, take care of the children.

Wait. Its too soon.

She knew that they would one day have to part. However, it shouldnt have been this soon.

Its too soon!

Maal vanished, smiling.

And then Ria woke up.

Oh, you woke up?

Shizuna was there, watching over her.

What happened?

Ria sat up and used the cuffs of her shirt to wipe away her tears.

The immigration has resumed. Its even gotten to the point that teleportation magic can be used again.

How long was I out?

Two whole days.

Trying to stand up from the bed, Ria staggered and was caught by Shizuna.

Whats everyone doing?

Everyones doing their jobs. Im useless though, so Im here.

It was half a lie. Shizuna, having heard what happened from Ohma, stayed next to Rias bedside the entire time.

And Maal?

Placed in a coffin, Maal was cleaned of blood and gore, making her look as if she was sleeping peacefully.

Standing beside her were her husband and children. They were engrossed with the sadness of losing a family member.

Irina, not understanding what happened too well, was staring at Maal with a vacant expression.

Maal

She had made a mistake. Somewhere.

She didnt know where or when, but she should have been able to avoid this.

You can stay here in the court. When this is all over, we can think about the future.

Tears overflowing and desperately trying to keep herself from breaking down, Ria looked up and spoke to the rest of Maals family.

You humans are too serious. Souls will all get reincarnated eventually.

Ohma was sincerely trying to be sympathetic. She, as a God Dragon, just couldnt understand.

Ive said it before, but youre way too impulsive, even for an impulsive person. You caused immigration to stop for a while.

Rias attack had caused large-scale meteorological disasters across almost the entire planet.

When asked how many people were dead, the responses ranged from anywhere between one and two billion.

How many innocent humans no, even things that werent human, just how many lives had she taken?

It was a mistake. Even if the Earth would eventually perish, instantaneous death was very different from a cruel one.

Well, the results not much different anyway. Its just needless worrying.

Ohmas way of thinking was something that Ria could not accept.

Her traveling companions visited Maneshs palace.

Carlos and Lulu arrived together.

Her face buried in Carlos shoulder, Lulu cried silently.

Gig had a bouquet that looked very out of place for him and placed it beside Maals body.

Irina still kept on caressing Maals forehead, her face expressionless.

Serge came last, kneeling in front of the coffin with a fatigued face.

Maals three children still didnt entirely understand what had happened.

Looking at their mother inside the coffin, they clung to their father.

Their final farewells given, Maal was buried.

Simultaneously with that, a terrifying sense of despondence overcame Ria.

She sat down on a chair in her office, looking up into the air.

Ria, even if youre sad, a ruler still has to fulfill their role.

Guinevere spoke. She spoke of pragmatic things, not comfort.

You can only do what is before you, after all.

Guinevere, where did I make a mistake

If I had to say, it would be when you decided to help those of Earth.

Although Guinevere wasnt much of a gentle person, unlike Ria, she could view things cool-headedly.

If the God Dragons destroyed Earth the moment our worlds touched, then at the very least, your friend would still

Even if she didnt continue, Ria still knew how the sentence would end. However, she had stopped Ars from doing it. In order to allow Earths humans to migrate over.

What a horrible story

Yeah, its a hopeless tale. But Ria, you shouldnt have done anything. If you did if you did cause the human-demon war, you would have decreased the number of this worlds humans. Then, among those dead humans, many may have been your friends.

It was an increasingly hopeless tale.

Perhaps you just have to keep what is important to you nearby

What do you consider important to you?

My son, and this country. Thats all.

Ria also had important people to her. The companions shed traveled with, the people she met in her journeys, her family, and this world.

Shed seen acquaintances died many times.

There were many beastmen who were killed by Cordovas cruelty.

Even so, none of that was comparable to this sadness.

Im so weak

Ria

Carla tried to embrace Ria, but she was refused with a gentle motion.

Please, dont comfort me right now.

If she had a shoulder to lean on right now, she might be able to get back up.

She would live, holding this feeling of loss close to her heart. If Valis words were true, she would live for hundreds of millions of years. Tens, hundreds of people, including everyone she knew.

She would see them off.

Ria wasnt certain that she would be able to endure it.

Carla gripped her hand.

Time passed.

It was only a week until the deadline Ars had given.

Under those circumstances, Shifaka and Valis were visiting Ria.

We have accommodated three million people on the floating continent. Considering how long we have left, that is the limit.

The final battle is about to begin.

Battle.

It was something that Ria was good at.

Even if her opponent was a godrather, exactly because her opponents would be gods, she would be able to finish it without any pangs from her conscience has she destroyed them in battle.

It wouldnt be the atrocity of killing wantonly, but a death match with her life on the line.

Old and young dragons flew in the sky.

Black dragons, fire dragons, wind dragons, water dragons. They numbered well beyond ten thousand.

Following the dragons, Machine Gods descended upon the Earth.

And although few in number, so did those who could stand toe-to-toe with dragons.

In the end, only somewhere around five million people were evacuated from the Earth.

Only five million. Upwards of 99% of Earths humanity were destined to die.

Ria did her best and staying calm despite that fact.

Immediately next to her was Carla. Not giving Ria a greeting, she just looked at her.

A conspicuously black Machine God came from the preceding Machine Gods and stood next to Ria.

[Yo, I want to talk about something.]

Ars was speaking with telepathy, so Ria returned in kind.

[Yet I dont.]

[Good, Ill do the talking then. In the unlikely event that I die in this battle, Id like you to rule the Demonlands.]

Ria looked at the Machine Gods face in spite of herself.

[Even if Ive civilized the Demonlands, that only holds so long as there is an absolute existence, a Demon King, ruling them. There are many hot-blooded races.]

Ria couldnt respond. Ruling the Demonlands, something far larger than even Ogress, wasnt something that Ria could do.

Breaking off their conversation himself, Ars moved forward again.

Seeing Ria place her hands against her forehead, Carla moved over to her.

Did something happen?

Just something troublesome. Well talk about it later.

Saying that much, Ria hugged Carla.

Carla dont die, okay?

Mm.

Smiling like a goddess, Carla responded as though there was nothing to worry about.

Dragons danced about Earths skies.

The dragons looked similar to the devils of the west. Many people dropped to their knees and prayed to their respective deities.

Peoples prayers began to take shape and, born from the Earth,theyappeared.

Various gods of various lands.

Existences that were simply impossible, what could only exist in legend. Those very existences now appeared.

Although those humans had no hope left, they still clung to what they could.

Following the gods movements, the Earth rumbled as well.

Giant earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and thunder assaulted not the dragons flying in the sky, but rather the people on the ground.

What appeared wasnt limited to the various pantheons gods.

What also appeared were the existences known as devils.

Even though they appeared, the dragons were challenged to battle.

The final battle had begun.