Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 291 Mission: 08-5 Wrath of Justice

"Stop running."

A cold voice called out to Old Tang from behind—no, he was already Norton. Just now, amidst the flames rising into the sky, he recalled a thousand years of memories, recalled his true self, and also recalled his flesh and blood relatives.

Fine copper-green scales appeared on his face, and his pupils emitted a golden light like a spotlight. Nero looked into his eyes without fear, facing him head-on with a knife.

"Your Bronze City is gone, and the dragon servants guarding it are dead."

Facing the silent Norton, Nero calmly stated provocatively, "You just lost your brother. You're completely alone. Where else can you go?"

Norton's teeth chattered, and the ashes of the charcoal fire burning in the mountains rose in the wind, roaring angrily with him.

"Be angry, it's your right. But that's how war works. No one apologizes for killing until one side is completely defeated."

Not long ago, Constantine, struck head-on by Nero's Yama Blade, the "Slash That Severed the World," collapsed on the burning grass, completely dead. A dragon king in human form is inherently more fragile than a dragon, and Constantine, not to mention his incomplete human form, could not possibly survive after being beheaded. Nero had also fulfilled his promise, sparing him from further torture before his death.

After killing Constantine, Nero didn't join the others in cleaning up the battlefield. Instead, he followed the mountain path and finally found the awakened Norton in the flames that shot up into the sky. Because, as she said, the Bronze City had destroyed itself, and if Norton ran away this time, no one would know where he would go.

To prevent the mad Norton from causing more harm, Nero will not let him leave.

"what are you?"

Standing in the vortex of flames and ashes, Norton asked in a hoarse voice: "I can't understand your knife, nor can I understand you."

"I'm a human," Nero replied matter-of-factly, "just a human who's gained a little bit of power."

"nonsense……"

Norton certainly didn't believe Nero's words. Humans were weak and powerless, creatures that should be ruled and enslaved by dragons. Even the hybrids were just a few leaders picked from a group of ants.

But Nero was too strange. The mysterious power similar to the "Word Spirit·Judgment" was enough to kill the Dragon King, which meant that if she was a mixed-race, her bloodline was even higher than the Dragon King's!

How could something like this be human?
"Then what do you think a human is?" Nero didn't rush to draw his sword, but instead asked him, "What's the difference between Dragon King Norton and the human Old Tang?"

"It's just... a fragile illusion!"

Norton roared, raising a gust of flame. The billowing waves of fire, as black as ink, surged like a tidal wave, rushing straight towards the enemy who had killed his brother. He didn't react at all when he heard the name "Old Tang," and he wasn't even interested in knowing how Nero knew the name.

It also confirmed his own opinion on this matter: it was just an illusion. A dozen years of memories were nothing compared to tens of millions of years of life. The real him was always just Norton.

"Norton, the Dragon King" was the epitaph he chose for himself.

The cold blade pierced the flames, deeply etched into Norton's body. Even with the added strength of dragon blood and scales, his body couldn't withstand the blade's spatial force. But the scalding dragon blood quickly healed the wound. Its immense vitality and terrifying resilience were unmatched by a humanoid being. The boundless energy used to fill the wound seemed to defy the first law of thermodynamics.

It's like a perpetual motion machine that can create endless light and heat out of thin air.

On the other side, the metal particles in the earth were captured by some invisible "field", mixed with the burning carbon elements, and suspended in the flames, turning into countless tiny, hot balls entangled with electric light.

The forest's terrain wasn't ideal for Norton's use, and he could only unleash half of his "Bronze and Fire" powers. Norton roared and extended his hand, sending tiny, boiling metal bolts blazing with lightning, mingling in the flames and making them difficult to discern.

But Nero didn't need to identify it. She took a deep breath, swung her knife and cut the thread of time, and suddenly everything fell into silence.

"Sure enough, it's you."

Amidst the scorching flames, Nero discerned faint wisps of a deep, inky darkness—the very scent of rage she sought. In a frozen space, Nero leaped lightly, dancing through the flames. She spun, her blade raised, her silver hair gleaming in the dim moonlight.

Demonic wings emerged from behind her, and her dark blue skin shredded the flames. A shadowy figure swallowed the fragments of the flames and sang with Nero:
In the silent world, Nero sang: "When we were alive, the air was mild and the sun was shining. But we had a hard time getting along with others, and there was a fire in our hearts——"

Behind her, the shadowy figure sighed, "Now we are miserably submerged in the black water and mud—"

Two cold lights flashed and Nero, who had returned to his human form, appeared behind Norton.

Time began to flow again. Nero stood up, sheathed his sword, and whispered the final line of the poem.

"—his entire body was illuminated by the eternal fire of hell."

It's truly tragic. Having had everything taken away from him, Dragon King Norton's anger should have been perfectly justified. Instead, he ignited the dark fire of "unjust rage," incinerating himself along with it.

Behind Nero, the flames died out, and Nord's body broke into three pieces and collapsed.

It's tragic, yes, but it's not worthy of sympathy. After all, they stood firmly against humanity, choosing to be the "evil" side, refusing communication and understanding. Nero wouldn't say that humanity is inherently just, but justice often requires comparison to be clearly understood. The "absolute justice" that exists at the end of this comparison already defines the positions of both sides.

The faint shadow behind Nero dissipated, bringing with it wisps of black energy that gathered at her fingertips, condensing into a jet-black gem. Then, she flipped her fingers, swallowed the gem, and turned her head to look deeper into the forest.

"I'm so sorry."

She chuckled and said to the woman hiding in the darkness, "You are a step too late. Dragon King Norton is already mine."

Then the aura quickly faded away. In the darkness, it seemed as if someone said with resentment:
"People who steal other people's business are the most annoying."

(End of this chapter)