"ROAAAAAAAARRR!!!"
Two dragon roars—one golden and one black, one righteous and one demonic, one representing the sacred soul of the rivers and mountains, the other representing a foreign ambition—echoed in unison, shaking the entirety of the Thang Long Imperial Capital. The night sky seemed to be torn in half. One half blazed with resplendent, upright golden light. The other billowed with yin-cold, evil black qi.
The illusory golden dragon, bearing the Dragon Might of the past emperors and the indomitable will of the Lac Viet legacy, plunged without a shred of hesitation straight into the black dragon formed of demonic arts.
There was no earth-shattering explosion as one might have expected. There was only "Purification."
When the two dragons collided, the black dragon, despite its ferocious and vicious nature, reacted like a block of black ice meeting the scorching sun. The golden radiance of the golden dragon spread outward, enveloping it. The entirety of the resentful energy and demonic qi within it let out one final, agonizing shriek before being slowly, very slowly, washed away, incinerated, and dissolved into nothingness.
"NO! IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD THE TRUE DESTINY OF THE SACRED DYNASTY BE DEFEATED!!!" the Huyen Envoy roared in sheer terror. He coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. The Black Jade Seal in his hand let out a CRACK before shattering into fine powder.
The golden dragon, after utterly obliterating the black dragon, did not stop. It raised its head high, its majestic dragon eyes locking onto the Huyen Envoy, before opening its maw of pure light and swallowing him whole. Within the golden radiance, the physical vessel condensed by the Huyen Envoy's demonic arts began to disintegrate.
"Tran Kien..." a final sliver of his consciousness echoed. "You have won... But do not rejoice too soon... This is only the beginning... The Sacred Dynasty... shall never..."
Before the sentence could be finished, his soul was completely crushed and purified by the Dragon Might, leaving not a single trace upon the mortal realm.
When all had concluded, the golden dragon let out one final roar before dissolving into countless golden motes of light, returning to the depths of the earth, to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Tran Kien, having unleashed such an earth-shattering strike, had also reached his absolute limit. His entire body went limp, and he collapsed, slipping into a deep coma. At that exact moment, Uncle Sword, Thiet Phu, and the others—having finished off the Protectors—hurriedly rushed over, forming a defensive circle to protect their commander.
The battle at the Imperial Ancestral Temple had ended. But the tempest in the capital had only just truly begun.
A few days later, within the Qianqing Palace (Càn Thành Điện).
The Emperor sat upon his throne, listening in silence as Tao Chinh and Duke Dinh Quoc reported the entire sequence of events. His expression did not change. Upon hearing the conclusion, he merely issued a series of imperial edicts.
The Marquis of Vinh An, guilty of colluding with the Demonic Path and plotting rebellion, was sentenced to the extermination of his nine generations. Duke Dinh Quoc and Tao Chinh, bearing the merit of saving the sovereign, were rewarded lavishly.
And finally, Tran Kien.
"The Marquis of Lac Viet, Tran Kien, bearing the ancestral legacy, holds monumental merit in eradicating demons and saving the realm. He is hereby specially granted the fiefdom of Fallen Leaf Province, and permitted to build the Lac Viet Guards to garrison the source of the Dragon Veins. Furthermore, he is rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand bolts of silk. The Marquis of Lac Viet is commanded to return to his fiefdom immediately and is forbidden to leave without imperial decree."
A lavish reward, but also a masterful house arrest.
One month later.
Tran Kien, having fully recovered, stood before the gates of Thang Long, preparing for a new journey. Lam Vy, now officially recognized as a Commandery Princess, had personally come to see him off.
"Big Brother Tran, you must take care."
"You as well."
They spoke few words, but their eyes conveyed a myriad of unspoken promises. Uncle Sword, Tao Chinh, and Duke Dinh Quoc had also arrived. They knew this capital was far too small for this dragon.
Tran Kien bowed deeply to everyone one last time. Then, without a shred of hesitation, he turned and walked away. He did not walk alone. Behind him followed the entirety of the Blood Fiend Guards, the Sea Dragon Guards, as well as Ly Tin, Trinh Cong, and Old Whale. They had chosen to follow the Marquis of Lac Viet to his fiefdom.
"The chessboard in the capital has concluded," Tran Kien murmured, looking toward the distant Fallen Leaf Province. "But the true chessboard—with the rivers and mountains of Dai Viet as the board, and the destiny of the nation as the wager—has only just truly begun."
The journey back to his homeland lasted for over a month. Compared to the prosperity and clamor of the capital, the road leading to Fallen Leaf Province grew increasingly desolate and barren. Bustling citadels gradually gave way to impoverished villages and parched fields.
When Tran Kien's elite army and fleet, banners blotting the sky, appeared in Fallen Leaf Province, it caused a terrifying shock. The commoners here had never seen such a mighty army in their entire lives. Terrified, they bolted their doors shut, assuming a foreign army had arrived to conscript and plunder.
Tran Kien did not allow his army to enter the town. He ordered them to make camp in a valley a few miles away. Then, alone, donned in the official robes of a Marquis, he slowly walked into the place where he was born and raised.
The sight before him caused his iron heart to clench. Fallen Leaf Town, compared to a few years ago when he left, was even more desolate. The ore mines had been completely abandoned. The crooked thatched huts looked as if a strong gust of wind could blow them down. The people were emaciated, their complexions sickly, their eyes devoid of life, holding only resignation and despair. This was not a territory. This was a grave, slowly dying away.
He walked the familiar streets, finally stopping before an empty plot of dirt where his home had once stood. He stood there in silence. Uncle Sword and the others watched from afar, daring not to disturb him. They could sense a profound sorrow radiating from their commander.
"Father, Mother," he murmured. "I have returned."
The next day, an unprecedented grand assembly was held in Fallen Leaf Province. The entire populace, under the "invitation" of the Lac Viet Guards, gathered in the largest square. Frightened and bewildered, they had no idea whether this new Marquis would bring them disaster or fortune.
Tran Kien stood upon the high dais, looking down at the tens of thousands of his people. He did not speak empty, grandiose words.
"I, Tran Kien, am a man of Fallen Leaf," he called out, his voice amplified by Primordial Chaos Qi, echoing far and wide. "I was born here. I grew up here. I know intimately the sufferings you have endured."
"I return today, not to act as a high-and-mighty Marquis. I return to rebuild our homeland!"
He proclaimed the abolition of all taxes for three years. He promised to redistribute the land, and to have the army assist the people in reclaiming the wastelands. He promised that no one would ever starve to death again.
But he knew words alone were insufficient. He needed a miracle.
He brought out the "Seed of Legacy." Using his own life-blood infused with the Dragon Vein, and his Primordial Chaos Qi, he activated it. A surging, emerald-green wave of intense vitality spread outward from the seed, sinking deep into the earth.
The entirety of Fallen Leaf Province quaked. The parched, cracked earth slowly, very slowly, mended, becoming rich and fertile. Dried-up streams burbled and flowed once more. The spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth surged in from all directions, transforming an entire land of death into a true sanctuary.
Tens of thousands of people stood stunned, and then erupted into tears of joy. They prostrated themselves on the ground, kowtowing endlessly, shouting in unison: "A miracle!"
Having secured the absolute loyalty of the people, Tran Kien initiated a comprehensive reform. He established the "Lac Viet Estate," dividing it into four main departments.
Trinh Cong took charge of the "Agriculture & Education" Department, overseeing land distribution, teaching the people to cultivate Spirit Grain, and establishing the academy. Old Whale and Ly Tin managed the "Military & Commerce" Department; one oversaw the development of the Lac Viet Guards, while the other opened maritime trade routes. Thiet Phu headed the "Shadow & Law" Department, forming the Shadow Guards to manage intelligence and uphold the law. And finally, Tran Kien himself. He oversaw the "Industry & Forging" Department, personally directing the mining of spiritual ores and the forging of divine weapons.
A nascent kingdom, with a fully realized structure, began to take form upon the most barren of lands.
Tran Kien stood atop the peak of the Endless Mountain Range, looking down at his homeland, now brimming with vitality. A new era did not begin from the resplendent thrones in the capital; it began from the very seeds sown upon the most impoverished earth.
Lac Viet... was truly being reborn from the ashes.