People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 502 The Water Lizard's Audience and the Completed Awakening
Meanwhile, directly below Haiqi Island, lies Yuanxia Palace.

The distant sea was churning, and the unprecedented disturbance of water elements continued to spread, even affecting the Abyss Palace deep within the island.

As the water veins spread, the ancient dragon's authority, which was inseparable from the outsiders, gradually grew stronger, accompanied by an even more magnificent and vast aura of laws beyond the water element.

Unlike the panicked humans on Haiqi Island, the dragon lizard population located on the edge of Yuanxia Palace is more active than ever before:
—That is their king, the revered one who had longed for countless days and nights, the supreme leader with absolute power and authority.

"."

The ethnic movement stems from a rapidly awakening call from their bloodline.
Since being sealed in this isolated region, for an extremely long time, the water dragon that should have led them has never been born.
Without this crucial leader who possesses both strength and wisdom, the tribe faces only the fate of being driven out and captured by humans relying on their gods.

For some reason, the surge of energy in the dragon bloodline is now so strong, and the instinct to follow them no matter what is stronger than the ecstasy of the elemental dragons' return and the race's destiny being changed.

Sensing the source of the power, the dragon horde has already attempted to attack the seal at the entrance above the Serpent's Gut Path.

But no matter how hard these deep-sea dragon lizards tried to gather their elemental power, they could only let out anxious roars in the face of the solid barrier above, which was reinforced with a great deal of dark power.

"."

"Don't worry, I understand your anxiety, but there must be other ways."

"The seal here is very strong. Even if you use elemental power beyond your limit, there is no way to break it except to injure you."

A fluorescent path teeming with greenery and coral, in the center of a group of dragon lizards.

A girl with short, black, flowing hair, slightly pale skin, and dressed exactly like the shrine maiden above stood calmly, trying her best to soothe her restless family members.

What's really strange is that although the intelligence of the dragon lizard race has degenerated significantly, and this figure, apart from its slender pupils, is clearly not a dragon lizard,
But it's as if she's been implicitly accepted as the one making the decisions; over the centuries, this has become a habit.

Even the deep-sea dragon lizard, yearning to meet the king of its kind, had cast aside its own survival, hoping only to gain the attention of such a magnificent being.

But faced with their current predicament and the comforting words of the priestess beside them, the dragons gathered together fell silent for a brief moment.

"Above the seal lies the bright world of human activity, but perhaps the only way out for our race lies there."

"Random attempts are pointless. Please concentrate your efforts; I will try my best to find the weak point in the seal."
If that still doesn't work, then try to find a way upwards through the areas occupied by those Void Realm Apostles.

Sensing the unwavering belief of the dragon lizard tribe that disregarded everything else, the girl who named herself Agi did not intend to stop their attempt.

She is also a dragon lizard, and although her appearance is slightly different from her family members, she understands the tribe's thirst for and worship of power.

Since she became conscious, she has lived with the dragon lizards, and all her knowledge and history have come from the several boxes of books beside her.

Food, shelter, and protection when they were weak—all of this was provided by her family. To this day, based on the vocabulary she learned from the book, she is convinced that she has a “responsibility” to get them out of their predicament.

Even though records indicate that their own race once inhabited the land in ancient times, the dragon lizard's situation in the Abyss Palace was not good.

Where there is light, there is human activity, and when humans see dragon lizards, they only attack and capture them.
For thousands of years, the tribe has never given up on rescuing its companions trapped beneath the Great Sun Palace.

But after the barrier that had been preventing their advance finally disappeared, the Void Apostles, disguised as humans, used their overwhelming power to trap them here.
".?"

My thoughts were interrupted as I sensed an anomaly in the power of the ethereal realm.

Looking up slightly, I noticed that the dimensional barrier above was slowly dissipating.
Aqi paused, unsure of what those guys were planning.

"Above lies the world of light, where humanity resides. On the way to our final destination, many of our companions may perish. Are you all sure you want to leave from here?"

"."

"Okay, I understand. I will always be with you."

"Humans belong to their birthplace, but all we need is to find a place where we can survive."

"Now that the long-awaited turning point has arrived, let me accompany you in fulfilling this determination."

Without hesitation or lingering over this "ancestral land" that wasn't quite suitable for the dragon lizards, Aqi stood at the forefront, silently guiding the dragon lizards into the humans and light that they had once feared most.

"."

Before leaving, he hesitated slightly, glancing at the several boxes of books and a pendant he had neatly packed, but ultimately only wore the latter, no longer pondering his fate as an outcast after finding the elemental dragon:

—In any case, as long as the descriptions in the records are true, the elemental dragons truly possess supreme power.
So even if there are many sacrifices this time, once the audience is completed, everything should take a turn for the better.

"So, Xin Hai, are you saying that, according to historical records, there really were dragon lizards on Haiqi Island?"

"Based on our previous knowledge, dragon lizards seem to be subordinates of elemental dragons. Since there used to be many dragon lizards on Sea God Island, could the ones appearing in the sea now really be dragon lizards?"

On the edge of the cliff, a white fluffy ball, feeling itself getting soaked, floated between two opposing forces, exchanging information with its inner sea beside it.

The impact of this incident was so widespread that even the mortal goddess who usually doesn't leave the Coral Palace came to the coast in person.

Facing two allies beside him who had offered initial conjectures and were seeking his historical verification, Xin Hai, who frequently perused history books, paused slightly, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy:

"To be honest, the inhabitants of Haiqi Island originally lived in Fukushita Palace. It was only by breaking off the coral on his body that Lord Omikami was able to bring us to the surface."

"According to the records of the ancient people at that time, the number of dragon lizards was once so large that they occupied most of the area of ​​Yuanxia Palace."

"While I don't know where your concept of 'friendly elemental dragons' comes from, the relationship between the dragon lizards and humans on Sea Spirit Island has never been friendly; in fact, it's fair to say that they've mostly been fighting each other."

"The space for survival is ultimately limited. In order to seize the area for survival, the people of the White Nights in ancient times hunted dragon lizards in groups in the light, while the dragon lizards would drag away every lone human in the darkness."

This situation continued for a very long time until the appearance of the Great God, which secured humanity's victory.

"If what appears before us is truly an elemental dragon capable of confronting the general, and if its attitude is the same as the dragon lizard's attitude towards humans, what should we do?"

Suddenly everything went black, and I inexplicably felt that Haizhi Island had suffered far too many disasters, and a feeling of exhaustion suddenly washed over me.

From the very beginning, he never intended to become a leader; he simply wanted to quietly hide somewhere and study military strategy.

At most, I'll be a strategist who quietly offers advice and spends most of my time slacking off and resting; I have no desire to show my face in public.

But now, not only am I forced to shoulder the vast majority of affairs on Haigi Island and with the resistance army, my luck is also so bad.
They were already practically waiting to die under the general's imposing presence; what if another elemental dragon appeared that they couldn't handle?
"."

He fell silent for a moment, understanding that schemes and plans could only achieve so much, and even strategists weren't omnipotent.

No matter how she thought about it, this kind of problem was simply beyond her capabilities given the current conditions on Haizhi Island. Even disregarding a direct invasion, she felt that if the one in the sea were to unleash a tsunami, the resistance that had just begun to show signs of improvement would be wiped out.
"Um, is it really that bad? It seems like things would be a little better if it weren't for elemental dragons?"

"Xin Hai, don't worry too much. I think even if there were dragon lizards before, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's who's appearing now."
After all, if it really were an elemental dragon, the dragon lizards would definitely swarm over.

"—Report! Lord Xinhai! A gap has suddenly appeared at the entrance to Yuanxia Palace, and a large number of dragon lizards are approaching in droves!"

"—According to General Goro's intelligence, they seem to be led by a strange shrine maiden wearing a mask!"

Xin Hai: "."

Paimon: "."

They exchanged a glance, and the white fluffy ball lowered its head guiltily.

I've run out of things to say, and I feel like I'm almost used to it.
Xin Hai felt that if she weren't in front of everyone, she might have found a corner and curled up into a ball, acting like an ordinary seashell that only blew bubbles.

"--Roar!"

Inside the island of Haiqi, a small path beside the Abyss of Moon Bathing.

Apart from the juvenile dragon lizards and their imprisoned companions, almost all the deep-sea dragon lizards escaped from the Abyss Palace.

There was a time when the number of dragon lizards underground was not so scarce. As the most adaptable species, the dragon lizard population was once far larger than that of humans.

However, after being sealed off, the area of ​​Yuanxia Palace gradually shrank, and due to the previous rampant hunting, the number of new dragon lizards born gradually decreased.

Apart from the few other members of their kind scattered on the ground, these hundreds of adult dragon lizards now constitute almost the entire population of Haiqi Island.

Even though her individual strength surpassed that of humans, Aqi was certain that her side was at a disadvantage against the military formation, so she never intended to engage in direct confrontation from the beginning.

Instead, they planned to lead their herd to the waterways as quickly as possible, using the dragon lizards' high mobility in the water to overcome the obstacles and reach the sea:

—The purpose of this operation is not to fight a decisive battle with humanity, but merely to pay homage to the long-absent leader.

'.'

He fell silent for a moment, fully aware that as an anomaly among the dragon lizards, he had never been able to attract the attention of the "chosen king" from the very beginning.

Aqi decided to lead a small group of elderly tribesmen to stay behind when necessary, in order to buy time for their companions:
—The balance of power between the dragon lizards and humans has now been reversed, and they have no chance of winning against a well-organized army in the enemy's stronghold.

At this moment, the inability to make a decision will most likely result in total annihilation.

Although his spells could only delay the inevitable for a short while, they were still better at protecting the lives of most of his able-bodied companions than for everyone to rush in blindly.

".roar!"

A dragon lizard hovered around her, growling and begging her to leave with it, indicating that it would stay behind as a replacement.

Aqi shook her head, and in her final moments, she removed the pendant from her body, making her final statement:

"Take this with you when you leave. The dragon lizard will have a new leader and will no longer need to rely on me, this freak who is too similar to humans."

"Although I have never thought that human language and writing are useful, nor do I think that such a form is a gift, there is no doubt that only I can buy more time. If you stay, you will only start fighting immediately."

The value of being able to communicate with humans is fully revealed at this moment.

After placing the pendant on the dragon lizard in front of her, Aqi turned to look at the soldiers who were forming an encirclement in the distance.
Although the opponent will most likely attack directly, treating her as a monster no different from the dragon lizards around her and killing her instantly,

However, since the community no longer needs individuals, then as a necessary cost for the continuation of the community, individuals should naturally remain in the places where they can best realize their value.

"--Roar!"

The young leader, adorned with a pendant on his dorsal fin, roared loudly, leading his people with all their might toward the sea.

It was unaware that the difficult battle was due to the fact that Haizhi Island was filled with soldiers who had returned victorious from previous battles, and that it was the time when manpower was most abundant.

I only hope that, in such a predicament, no matter how much sacrifice the community makes, there will eventually be an individual who will be able to successfully complete the audience.

He turned and glanced back at those "humans" who, despite being incredibly powerful, inexplicably made way for them.
Feeling that the road ahead had become much clearer, it canceled its plan to split up and block the way, and decided to take the lead and head straight to the seaside.

"General Goro, are you sure you want to let them pass? But they've clearly injured so many soldiers."

"No need to question it, notify the other teams to carry out the order immediately."

"As instructed by Lord Coral Palace, since they have not shown any aggression towards humans, let these dragon lizards pass."

He gave a straightforward affirmative answer. Although Goro didn't know what Lord Shinkai was thinking, he was certain that there must be a reason behind the order not to kill too many dragon lizards.

"I understand, but some teams encountered the dragon lizards too early, and the battle has already begun. It's probably not going to stop now."

"The first wave of fighting near the Moon Bathing Abyss appears to be the most intense."
It is said that a strange, masked witch is assisting the opposing force. Although the enemy is outnumbered, both sides have suffered considerable casualties.

"."

"Go there as soon as possible to try to stop the battle. Lord Coral Palace's order must have a reason."

After hesitating for a moment, unsure of the consequences of killing too many dragon lizards, Goro felt it was best to avoid such things as much as possible.

"."

"Hmm? What's wrong? Is there anything you don't understand? Why are you asking?"

It felt like the surroundings suddenly became inexplicably quiet for a moment; even the slight noises of rain and insects disappeared.
Somewhat puzzled, Goro turned to look at the soldiers standing there dumbfounded, and found that they were all staring at the sky with a dazed expression.

".?"

Suddenly, I felt as if my entire body was bound by some kind of force, making even moving extremely difficult.
Goro, vaguely realizing something, looked up at the sky, and then, like the guards beside him, froze, because what he saw was too far beyond his comprehension:
—Above the clouds, an unprecedentedly enormous figure appeared in the sky, its golden vertical pupils formed by elemental force slicing through the dark clouds above, freezing everything on the island with just a glance.

Perhaps this great being sensed that it still had some devout believers left behind on the island, which is why it attracted attention.

Unable to think any further, Goro could only maintain his current posture, helplessly watching the azure light summoned by that being in a single thought spread across every corner of the island in an instant.

(End of this chapter)