Chapter 2: Return
"They have unsealed the Dragon God."
The words settled into the chamber like a curse—
heavy… suffocating… inescapable.
Yura's eyes narrowed.
Just a fraction.
His expression, however, remained unchanged.
"So…" he murmured, voice low and steady,
"they finally went through with it."
Hyuri's composure cracked.
"Yura, how can you stay this calm?" he snapped.
"Do you even understand what that means?"
Yura leaned back slightly, unfazed.
"Panicking won't seal him again."
His tone was lazy—almost indifferent.
But beneath it…
Something cold lurked.
Hyuri clenched his fists.
"Nine hundred years ago," he began, his voice heavy with history,
"ten powerful kingdoms united to face the Dragon God."
His gaze darkened.
"And even then… they barely managed to seal him."
A pause.
"Seven kingdoms were completely erased."
Silence consumed the room.
"Only three survived," Hyuri continued.
"And those three became what we now call… the Three Great Kingdoms."
Yura's eyes lowered slightly.
Shadowed.
"One of those seven destroyed kingdoms…" he said quietly,
"was the Demon Kingdom."
The air froze.
"And the other two survivors—"
his gaze lifted, locking onto Hyuri—
"were yours."
Izuha stepped forward, unease clear on her face.
"If ten kingdoms together could only seal him…" she whispered,
"then how are we supposed to face him now?"
Hyuri inhaled slowly.
"This time… we won't be alone."
Yura tilted his head.
"And why would other kingdoms risk themselves for us?"
Hyuri's eyes hardened.
"Because this time… the threat isn't limited to just us."
A beat.
"If the Dragon God regains his full power—"
His voice dropped.
"All forty-seven kingdoms will fall."
For the first time—
The room felt truly heavy.
Elsewhere
Darkness swallowed everything.
A vast hall, consumed by shadows.
Two figures knelt before a throne hidden deep within black mist.
Kers lowered his head.
"Captain… the stone has been secured."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
A faint glow pulsed within the darkness.
"Good."
The voice that answered was deep… distorted… ancient.
The shadows themselves trembled.
"Soon…"
A pause.
"The Leader's vision will finally be realized."
A low laugh echoed—
Twisted. Hollow. Wrong.
Back to the Meeting Chamber
Yura rose from his seat.
"Then we prepare for war."
Hyuri nodded.
"But there's a problem," Yura added.
"We don't know where the Dragon God will strike first."
Hyuri's expression sharpened.
"I have a plan."
Yura raised an eyebrow.
"I'm listening."
"You know Yuri can create teleportation portals."
Yura nodded slowly.
"We place portal anchors across every kingdom willing to cooperate," Hyuri continued.
"The moment the Dragon God appears—"
"We respond instantly," Yura finished.
A brief silence followed.
Then—
Yura frowned slightly.
"Yuri doesn't have enough energy to move entire armies repeatedly."
Hyuri's gaze shifted.
Locked onto him.
"But you do."
Silence crashed into the room.
Yura stared at him.
Seconds passed.
Then—
A faint smirk appeared.
"So… you want me to power the entire war."
"Yes," Hyuri replied without hesitation.
Another pause.
Then—
"Fine."
Yura turned away slightly.
"That problem's solved."
Izuha exhaled softly, tension easing from her shoulders.
Hyuri straightened.
"Then this meeting is adjourned. Preparations begin immediately."
Chairs scraped softly as they rose.
Yura glanced at Yuri.
"Let's move."
In flashes of light—
They disappeared.
Another Dimension
Darkness.
Endless.
No sky.
No ground.
No sound.
Then—
Crack.
A fracture echoed through the void.
Something ancient stirred.
Slowly—
Two golden eyes opened.
Cold.
Ancient.
Aware.
A voice followed.
Low… echoing through existence itself—
"So… they survived."
Space began to warp.
Cracks spread across the dimension like shattered glass.
Chains of radiant light appeared—
Binding something unseen.
Then—
They began to break.
One.
By one.
Each shattering sent ripples across reality itself.
Far away—
In the real world—
Yura suddenly stopped.
For the first time—
The laziness in his eyes vanished completely.
End of Chapter 2