Chapter 451: Dragon’s Ascension

The moment Gracia uttered the words "Dragon Lich," Ron felt the Gray Mist within his body, which had long since fallen silent, begin to stir once more. As if to assure Ron it wasn’t a hallucination, the Gray Mist swirled violently for some time before slowly calming down again.

The little princess of Purgatory gave Ron a deep look—or rather, she looked deep *inside* him. The Gray Mist, which seemed not to exist on the Material Plane, made no attempt to hide its presence; on the contrary, it unmistakably revealed its origins.

’So you have a stake in this too... Well, this isn’t so bad. Although more players are vying for a piece of the pie, the chances of success are also higher.’

’Not to mention, I never planned on actually taking my share.’

Gracia retracted her gaze, a glint of greed flashing in her eyes before vanishing. She was no saint. Her "indifference to fame and fortune" up to this point was only because nothing that truly enticed her had ever appeared.

"A Dragon Lich hunted by multiple factions?" Ron frowned. He had speculated a great deal about this Banker’s identity, so this possibility wasn’t completely unexpected.

Still, it was "just" a Dragon Lich. What could it possibly have done to provoke a hunt from the Fungal Queen? Besides, judging by Gracia’s tone, it wasn’t just the Demon Lords from the Abyss who were after it.

"It’s no ordinary Dragon Lich. It’s one that seeks to become a god," Gracia said, her expression turning serious, apparently displeased by Ron’s faint skepticism. "Moreover, because the previous Lords sent it so much sustenance, it is now extremely close to taking that final step. That’s why it’s so desperate that it’s willing to risk revealing its whereabouts to influence you all."

"After all, beings like me don’t typically waste time staring down a single world. Under normal circumstances, it would take me at least several years to go from detecting its leaked aura to locking down its location. By that time, it might have already accomplished its grand design."

The Purgatory Duke’s eyes held a hint of mockery and a great deal more greed. "Cadrianum Er Aijun, also known as Karian Ruin. Before its death, this Dragon Lich was a powerful Ancient Black Dragon. Many years ago, it pledged its service to the Dragon Queen Tiamat. And this wasn’t mere lip service; it followed Tiamat’s path into Avernus, serving its queen with unwavering devotion."

"Although Black Dragons aren’t as favored by Tiamat as Red Dragons, they are still the product of her considerable efforts. You can imagine the level of trust placed in an Ancient Colorful Dragon that voluntarily followed Her. Rumor has it—and I heard this from Zarell, so you can take that war maniac’s word with a fifty-fifty chance of being true—that Tiamat had even prepared special measures. She planned to wait until it had lived for twelve hundred years, became an Ancient Dragon, and reached the Ascension Realm. Then, She would personally intervene, allowing it to fuse its echoes from the numerous worlds of the Material Plane into one, elevating it to become one of the most powerful members of the Dragon Race."

Ron recalled the relevant information Jilannis had taught him: there were some of the most ancient Colorful Dragons who, after living for twelve hundred years in the mortal realms and amassing treasure hoards worth millions, could reach an Ascension Realm. They did this by fusing all the incarnations of themselves that had been created across the worlds they had visited, thereby gaining new power comparable to one of Tiamat’s own mighty avatars.

However, achieving such a goal was far from easy. Vendettas within the Dragon Race and interference from Adventurers prevented most Colorful Dragons from ever reaching that tier of power. Metal Dragons were also unlikely to sit back and watch such a phenomenon unfold. Once a dragon was targeted, just escaping with its life was considered a stroke of luck. Those who defied the odds and succeeded were exceedingly rare.

A well-known example today is the Black Dragon named Kronipus. He currently resides in the Outer Realm and is sometimes considered the God of Destiny.

Meanwhile, the story of another red dragon, Ashadron, is widely sung across the various worlds of the Material Plane. He was possibly the first being to elevate himself by devouring his own echoes from other worlds.

"Was it trying to emulate Kronipus?" Jilannis asked, looking toward the Duke. Her knowledge on the subject was even more detailed than Ron’s. "But based on the result, it seems..."

"It failed, yes," Gracia nodded. "It failed due to various interventions, and in the most tragic way possible: not a single one of its echoes across all the worlds survived. It was annihilated before it could devour even one of its own incarnations. Tiamat attempted to intervene, but she was met with fierce resistance."

"Most beings believed it was completely and utterly dead, but what they didn’t anticipate was that one of the reasons it was snuffed out so easily and thoroughly was because it had spent too much Energy creating an escape route for itself."

"It transformed into a Dragon Lich," Ron concluded, stating the obvious.

"However, that Undead Dragon Species form had a profound impact on it, making it more tyrannical, paranoid, and extreme. It became convinced that the whole fiasco was Tiamat’s fault, and so it defied and betrayed Her. After stealing the secret to creating Abisharon Demons from Her territory, it wandered for some time before finally escaping to this world and going into hiding."

Ron and the others all turned to look at the two unlucky wretches who had been discarded by the black mist. They resembled Abisharon Demons, yet they were different. This was likely the masterpiece of the Black Dragon Lich.

"Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Its betrayal naturally brought the Dragon Queen’s hunters after it, and the Metal Dragons also noticed its movements and launched an investigation. Even though it has hidden itself with extreme care, after so many years, its discovery was inevitable."

"But it wasn’t completely unprepared. After failing to ascend into an Ancient Dragon, it immediately set its next plan in motion: it would try to become a god by devouring civilizations, one by one."

"And you all are its final step."

"If that’s the case, should we just disband?" Victoria asked. "That would surely delay its plan..."

"Disband? What gave you that idea?" Gracia shot her a strange look. "If it loses you, it will undoubtedly go back into hiding, and the Delusional Land will become a total stalemate. The movements of you mortals are unpredictable. It only takes one more unlucky group to wander in here for it to complete its final step!"

"So, you absolutely cannot leave. In fact, you must continue to grow your presence here, and you need to be even more aggressive about it!"