The Billionaire CEO Becomes the Youngest Emperor-Chapter 27 - 26: Empire Wars LVL UP

Chris was utterly terrified—a painful sight to behold... but why?

"The lastborn of the dragons?" Lucian muttered the words without even realizing it.

He was lost in thought, still reeling from what Malveria had just said.

The lastborn of the dragons? Wait... dragon?

The novel mentioned that Chris came from a race as old as time itself...

So they were dragons?

Lucian hesitated. After all, it was a stranger who had made that claim. But Chris's submissive demeanor...

It proved the exact opposite.

He's really a dragon?

Lucian swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.

I... I ordered a dragon to do menial tasks?!

And Malveria immediately brought up Adrian's dragon... meaning Lucian's father had known all along?

That man is completely insane!!!

Dragons were considered nothing more than legends throughout the Empire. The novel mentioned them from time to time, but they had never actually appeared. They weren't even supposed to exist!

And yet, this woman... this Malveria...

She was capable of terrifying a dragon?

What kind of mess have I just walked into...?

I should stop thinking about it. My daily dose of shocking revelations has already been exceeded.

---

Malveria spoke softly, but every word dripped with contempt:

"I could have sworn your kind had been wiped out... but I suppose vermin never truly dies so easily."

Her tone was cheerful, her smile radiant... yet every word she uttered carried an icy, merciless cruelty.

At that moment, both Lucian and Chris understood.

They were not allowed to speak. Not without permission.

"I'll have to clean up the mess myself."

Chris, still on his knees, closed his eyes and waited for his fate.

He... he's not even trying to defend himself?! Lucian thought, stunned.

Why? No matter how powerful she was, Chris was ranked fourth in strength within the novel. He should at least be able to resist, even if just a little!

But he remained motionless.

Suddenly, a crimson light flared before Malveria, her smile never fading.

"I was just talking about you!"

An indescribable gleam shone in her eyes. A twisted excitement.

Lucian frowned. Again? What now?

The red smoke screen rose up to Malveria's waist... and from within, a silhouette slowly emerged.

"F... Father?" Chris murmured.

Lucian didn't miss that.

Father?

His gaze darted frantically to the source of the smoke. There, embedded in the ground, was a dagger.

The same dagger that had nearly stabbed him earlier.

Looking closer, he noticed its black blade, engraved with glowing red inscriptions.

As for the figure rising from the mist... it was entirely black, indistinct, like a living shadow. Impossible to make out any details.

But one thing was certain: it had teeth. Human teeth—white, eerie, standing out starkly in the darkness.

Then, a deep, almost amused voice resonated:

"It's been a while, Malveria."

"Oh yes, long enough for me to start missing the taste of your flesh, Kael Drazhar." she retorted with a predatory smile.

"Still as charming as ever, I see."

Who... who is he? The dagger... is it a communication device? Lucian wondered, still kneeling in the background, in a posture almost ceremonial—like a Japanese seiza.

Malveria continued in a calm voice, laced with amusement:

"I take it this whole spectacle was meant to kill me... Hm. Seems your memories of me have faded."

Malveria's smile stretched wider, more sinister than ever.

Chris, however, remained frozen, his eyes locked onto the crimson smoke screen. Silent.

"..."

The shadowy figure hovering within the scarlet mist didn't respond immediately.

Then Malveria, feigning innocence, spoke again:

"I suppose so... Well then, you won't mind if I start your extermination with this young sapling?"

She cast a mischievous glance at Chris, who still didn't flinch.

The dark figure slowly turned its head to the left, staring at Chris for a moment before letting out a sigh.

Then, he finally spoke.

"Leave the children out of this."

A heavy silence settled.

"...And yes, you're right. It's only natural to want to eliminate one's arch-enemy by any means necessary, isn't it?"

"..."

A glacial gleam flashed through his eyes before he continued, his tone sharp and cutting:

"But with pawns this incompetent... the expected results are always disappointing."

Malveria let out a small, mocking laugh, her smile still firmly in place.

"Even if the others had helped you, your plan wouldn't have changed a thing. It doesn't matter..."

She tilted her head slightly, savoring the moment.

"This day marks your ultimate end, dear Dragon-God. You've entertained me quite well all this time."

A cryptic smile formed on the shadowed figure.

"Stop."

A faint shiver rippled through the air.

"You won't be able to face us... not in your current state. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

Malveria's smile wavered slightly.

"So even... the draining of my essence was your doing?"

Silence.

Then, with icy certainty, she added:

"But tell me, do you really think that will be enough to defeat me?"

"Of course not, Tenebros. We are not that arrogant... But it's enough to trouble you, judging by how long it took you to hide."

The voice of the shadowed figure was calm, almost amused.

A sudden burst of laughter rang out.

"HAHAHA! I must admit, that was quite clever of you."

Malveria Tenebros' laughter echoed, filled with cruel satisfaction.

But the figure remained unfazed, continuing in an unwavering tone, completely ignoring the woman's outburst.

"...But my true intention is to negotiate with you."

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

No one was smiling anymore.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

They stared at each other, unblinking.

"One only negotiates when both sides stand as equals."

Malveria Tenebros' voice was soft, sensual... yet ice-cold.

"But since you'll be dead soon... I'll grant you the privilege of speaking before your end."

A shiver ran down Lucian's spine.

Kael, however, remained unfazed.

"You know as well as I do what the consequences of our last battle were."

He spoke slowly, weighing each word.

"Both of our sides suffered heavy losses... And since one of us must perish today, we might as well avoid another catastrophe like the last."

He paused.

Then, in a contemplative tone, he added:

"It would be a shame... This world has become quite interesting."

Silence.

"..."

Then Kael resumed, his tone as measured as ever:

"There's the "Empire Wars"... The one humans orchestrate every few years."

A sinister gleam flickered in his eyes.

"It will take place in five years."

---

I listened in silence, completely frozen.

I had decided to accept everything I was hearing, to absorb it without reacting...

Otherwise, I might just drop dead from shock.

These revelations... These truths about the world...

They were never mentioned in the novel.

And more than anything...

We are nothing but insects to them.

Malveria Tenebros and Kael...

They weren't negotiating for common ground.

They were negotiating which one of them would die.

Because a direct confrontation between them would destroy the world.

And they spoke of it...

With the nonchalance of aristocrats enjoying their coffee.

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"I want us to settle this dispute... by facing each other in the Empire Wars that the humans will hold in five years."

Wait...!

WHAT?!!!