"What do you mean by all this?"
One of the alien kings, dragged before Muria by his colossal divine beast, couldn't hold back his question. Words like Titan and Epic sounded incomprehensible to him, yet their mere utterance carried an aura of mystery and weight that left him unsettled.
"It means nothing," Muria replied nonchalantly. "It's not about you. I was just chatting with my father—it has nothing to do with you."
Muria glanced at the alien kings and then offered a faint smile. "You're quite perceptive, I'll give you that. You've realized that we are different from this world's humans. But this difference is something we've chosen not to hide. At this stage, there's no point in keeping it concealed."
"What exactly are you?" The king who spoke had a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes, buried deep beneath his guarded expression. Though these beings were shrouded in mystery, their actions suggested they might not harbor overt malice toward his kind.
"Hmm, how should I explain this to you?" Muria rubbed his temples, pretending to think. Then his expression softened into a smile. "You know what? Words won't suffice. I'd rather show you. A direct experience will make things much clearer."
At that moment, the true body of Muria, nestled deep within his heart like a dormant star, slowly opened its eyes. Simultaneously, the Muria before the alien kings raised a hand and made a simple grasping motion.
The alien kings' vision blurred momentarily, and when clarity returned, they found themselves standing in a vast cosmic expanse. The void stretched infinitely, and the stars twinkled in the distance. Confused, they looked around in awe, only for two radiant golden suns to suddenly appear before them.
It took them a moment to realize that those suns were not celestial bodies, but the eyes of an impossibly colossal being. The entity towered above them, gazing down at them from an unfathomable height.
A wave of indescribable awe and terror crashed into their hearts. The kings, overwhelmed, felt their instincts compelling them to kneel and bow. This response was an involuntary reaction—a primal acknowledgment of a being whose existence utterly eclipsed their own.
Before they could react further, their surroundings shifted once more. The shattered city, their panicked kin, and the three enigmatic humans standing before them returned to view as though nothing had changed.
"Well, how was that?" Muria asked, his trademark smile unchanged as he observed the alien kings.
"What… what was that just now?" one of the kings muttered, his voice tinged with a mixture of reverence and bewilderment. The memory of what he had just seen left him shaken to his core, as though he had glimpsed something utterly beyond his comprehension.
"What you saw was my true form," Muria answered simply, clearing up their confusion. But his reply only deepened the kings' shock. A few of them trembled slightly, sensing their very souls quiver. However, one of the kings, Ryan, seemed to have fallen into deep contemplation.
"Great being, your true form is so majestic," Ryan finally said, his voice filled with awe. "But why do you now wear the form of a human? Why lower yourself to such a mundane guise?"
"It's a mere coincidence," Muria explained casually. "In this world, I can't appear as my true self. I must inhabit the body of a native species."
Since the Golden Dragon Lady planned to bring this alien species under her command, Muria patiently explained the situation. Otherwise, as an Epic, he wouldn't have bothered conversing with Legendary-level beings, as there was no meaningful common ground between them.
"If that's the case, then why didn't you choose to inhabit the form of our species?" Ryan asked, regret evident on his face. He couldn't help but imagine how things might have turned out if these three beings had appeared as members of his own kind. Surely, they would have elevated his race, ensuring its dominance in this world.
"That's a matter of numbers," Muria said with a shrug. "To us, your species and humanity are no different. But the odds of all of us reincarnating into your race are slim. Humanity simply has a much larger population than yours."
He added, "And with that, enough about us. It's my turn to ask: Are you willing to lead your species into submission? If you agree, we can take your people out of this world and find a more suitable one for you to thrive in."
Hearing this, the alien kings exchanged uncertain glances. Memories of what they had just witnessed flashed in their minds, prompting some to show hints of resolution in their expressions.
"Submit to you?" one of the kings asked cautiously.
"Not to me," Muria clarified. "I'm not interested in your species. However, my mother finds you intriguing. She wants to make your race her vassals, selecting warriors from among you to serve as her battle slaves in her campaigns." He gestured toward the Golden Dragon Lady, whose divine avatar stood calmly by his side.
The alien kings hesitated as they processed his words. While the familial connection suggested that the mother should be more powerful than the son, they couldn't dismiss the possibility that Muria might have surpassed her. Such things were not uncommon, after all.
"Why the hesitation?" The Golden Dragon Lady raised an eyebrow. "Let me make this clear: you have no choice. Neither my husband nor my son has any interest in you. I'm the only one whose standards are low enough to find you useful."
"If you refuse to submit to my mother," Muria added bluntly, "your options are limited to fleeing into the void as nomads or staying here to face annihilation."
At these words, the alien kings no longer hesitated. They glanced at Anselor, who was standing nearby, his piercing gaze locked on them. His stance made it clear that any refusal on their part would result in immediate execution. Without their leadership, their species would inevitably fall to humanity.
"We are willing to submit to you," Ryan declared, bowing his head. "We beg for your protection and will do whatever is required to ensure the survival of our race."
"By submitting to me, I can only guarantee your species' survival," the Golden Dragon Lady said, her voice calm but commanding. "Anything more will depend on how much you contribute to my cause."
Having forced the alien kings to submit under Muria's pressure, the Golden Dragon Lady continued, "Oh, and one more thing: the form you see now isn't my true self either. This is merely an avatar derived from the body I'm using in this world."
Muria smirked. "Were you hesitating because you thought my mother might be weaker than me? If so, let me assure you, you have nothing to worry about. My mother reached Epic long before I did. She's definitely stronger than me."
Hearing this, the alien kings visibly relaxed. Even in submission, they would rather follow a strong leader than a weak one.
...
"The biggest conflict in this world has been resolved," Muria remarked as he strolled atop a cloud-filled sky alongside his family. "Once we unify humanity's three major factions, we can finally leave this world."
"We could leave now, really," the Golden Dragon Lady said with a smile. "I've had my fun here."
"It's still too soon," Muria said, shaking his head. "There are too many loose ends. If the Descended Species leave with you, this world will be left with only humanity. Without external threats, they'll need to unify on their own, and that will likely lead to endless wars."
Muria's tone turned resolute. "We need to ensure that humanity achieves unity peacefully. The more we intervene positively in this world, the greater our reward when the time comes to collect source energy."
"Fine," the Golden Dragon Lady replied with a dismissive wave. "I've already gained what I wanted here."
Muria gave her a curious look. "What could you have gained to make you so indifferent to source energy?"
"A divine avatar," she replied smugly. "I've acquired a fully-formed divine avatar, and through it, I've glimpsed this world's operational rules."
Hearing this, even the usually silent Anselor turned his head slightly, raising an eyebrow. They had come to this world using a refined version of the Heavenly Demon Secret Art, aiming to accelerate its development and harvest its source energy. But the true prize was always the fleeting connection to the world's fundamental laws, allowing them to glimpse its underlying mechanisms.
This was what they truly sought. For the Golden Dragon Lady to have already achieved it meant she had little reason to remain. Only source energy remained of interest to her, and even that was optional, given the vast reserves held by her mother, the Dragon Queen Arista.
"Whenever you're ready, we can leave," she said, her voice carefree. "It's all the same to me now."
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