Vol 9. Chapter 84: Am I Even a Dragon?!

“The owner… of the entire Hall of Valor?”

It wasn’t just Noa. Even Noah looked utterly stunned by that claim.

“I always thought the Hall of Valor was created by you primordial gods, Ancestor.”

Tiamat shook his head.

“No. We did not create the Hall of Valor. All living things in this world die eventually. Even we primordial gods are no exception.”

Beside them, Apollo, the God of Light, walked forward at an unhurried pace and added:

“But unlike mortals, the Hall of Valor bears our souls after we fall, allowing us to find a sliver of existence between life and death. And the one who makes that possible is the master of the Hall of Valor.”

Noa’s gaze sharpened as she pressed immediately:

“Then is she also a primordial god of Continent Samael? A sixth god?”

Apollo shook his head.

“No. Strictly speaking, she is not a god. She is more like… the incarnation of a ‘concept.’”

“A concept? What concept?” Noah asked.

“Life and death. Good and evil. Strong and weak. Yin and yang...”

Chronos, the God of Time, also stepped up before them and spoke slowly.

“She stands at the exact center between any two opposing concepts. If I had to put it into words, the meaning of her existence is—balance.”

But before he could finish, the outlines of Noa and Noah’s bodies began to glow with a faint, pale-gold light.

The two of them froze.

“This is… what’s happening now?”

Tiamat lifted his brows, then smiled in relief.

“It seems your friends in the real world succeeded. They found a way to pull you back.”

Noa could barely contain her joy and excitement.

“Then we… what do we do to cooperate?”

Tiamat pointed her toward the path back.

“Return to the moment you awakened. From there, you can go back to the world of the living.”

Without hesitation, the three gods sent Noa and Noah back to the Hall of Valor’s entrance—the Pool of Passing.

White mist curled in the air. Water vapor drifted all around.

Noa and Noah stood atop the pool’s calm surface, gentle ripples spreading outward in rings beneath their feet.

The golden aura around them gradually faded. The three primordial gods watched with quiet satisfaction. After a moment, Tiamat said:

“This is not a place where it’s appropriate to say, ‘I look forward to your next visit.’ So instead, I wish you a brilliant future. And I hope you will use the Dragon God’s power well—take my place and continue to protect the dragonkin, and protect Continent Samael.”

Noah inclined her head and said respectfully:

“Yes, Ancestor. We will not disappoint your expectations.”

“And please pass along my greetings to Aurora and Safina as well.”

Noa nodded. “I will, Ancestor Chronos.”

“And don’t forget that descendant named Constantine. He’s not much of a talker, but I rather like him. I hope he can have an even better future,” Apollo said.

“Okay. I’ll remember, Ancestor Apollo,” Noa replied.

Once everything had been entrusted, Tiamat slowly raised a hand, and the surface of the Pool of Passing began to tremble.

“As for what Chronos was about to say earlier—leave it for you to explore at your own pace.”

Noa froze, then shook her head and smiled.

Of course.

She’d felt it ever since arriving at the Hall of Valor, and even now as she was about to leave—something was missing.

Turns out, what was missing was the classic “once you’re a god, you start speaking in riddles” routine.

Chronos had been just about to say it, only to be interrupted at the crucial moment.

And in the end, Noa and Noah still never learned who the Hall of Valor’s true master really was.

But that was fine.

Chronos had already left plenty of hints. Solving the riddle shouldn’t be difficult.

As the golden light grew brighter and more dazzling, the water beneath their feet was lifted by an invisible force.

The pool water spiraled up around their legs, forming two columns that enclosed them separately.

In the next instant, the columns collapsed. The golden light scattered into drifting motes across the water’s surface.

And their figures were gone.

Staring at the now-empty pool, Tiamat fell silent for a moment, then murmured softly:

“The younger generation is formidable.”

“And speaking of which, I’m getting more and more curious.”

Apollo turned toward the distant shrines.

“What kind of person will inherit Zeus’s divine power?”

Noa slowly opened her eyes.

This time, what she saw was not that unfamiliar paradise beyond the world.

It was a star-filled night sky.

Her senses returned little by little, and she felt as though something heavy was pressed against her chest.

When she looked down, a big lump of blue filled her vision.

“Um?”

“Sister? Sister, you’re awake!!”

Moon’s shout came right after Noa’s confused murmur. For a split second, with her brain still not fully awake, Noa almost thought Um had called her “sister.”

“Sister… Big Sis!”

“Noa, are you okay? Medical team! Hurry, get over here!”

Moon, Aurora, and Muse all rushed in together and hugged Noa tightly the moment she woke.

“Cough—easy, easy. My sweet sisters…”

“…I really don’t want to pass out again.”

Back then, she had entered the Hall of Valor in soul form, so the injuries on Noa’s body hadn’t affected her senses.

But now that she was back, coming home was a good thing—except the backlash from the Dragon of Ascension came with her.

“Waaah—okay. Sorry, sister.”

Moon knelt beside Noa, crying with relief.

“You scared me to death, sister. I thought… you’d never wake up again.”

Noa gave her a weary smile, lifted a hand to wipe Moon’s tear-streaked face, then pinched her cheek gently.

“Sorry for making you worry, Moon.”

Moon rubbed her face into her sister’s palm and pressed Noa’s hand tightly to her cheek, as if afraid she would disappear again.

“It’s fine as long as you’re okay. As long as you’re okay.”

Noa smiled, then looked at Aurora.

“Was it you, Aurora?”

Aurora knew what her big sister meant—using the authority of time power to forcibly rewrite reality.

But there were too many outsiders present to ask directly, so Noa had phrased it vaguely.

Aurora shook her head.

“Not me, Big Sis. Just now, Aunt Claudia kept channeling primordial magic into you.”

Noa nodded slowly, thoughtful.

“Is that so…”

As she spoke, she turned to look at Claudia, who had been guarding her side as well.

“Thank you so much, Aunt Claudia.”

“In truth, I didn’t help that much. The Primordial Force I injected into you just now could only stabilize your vital signs temporarily.”

Claudia reached out and smoothed Noa’s messy hair, then continued:

“But how you actually escaped danger…”

As she spoke, Claudia flicked an almost imperceptible glance toward that patch of blue at Noa’s chest, then went on:

“We still haven’t figured it out. But like Moon said—what matters is that you’re okay, Noa.”

“Mm… oh, right. Have my parents arrived?”

Claudia glanced at her wristwatch.

“About half an hour more. Let’s get you to the infirmary first so we can treat your injuries.”

“Okay.”

Moon and Helena supported Noa’s arms from left and right. Aurora picked up Um, and Muse followed alongside.

Noa moved through the crowd as cheers and shouts rolled over her in wave after wave.

“Senior Noa!! You’re the hero of Saint Heath Academy!”

“Thank you, Noa.”

“Thank goodness you protected us—thank you so much, Senior Noa!”

So this was what it felt like to be needed.

Back then, Dad had once stood bathed in this same light and glory.

As she marveled at how she was drawing closer and closer to her father’s heights, Noa’s steps suddenly halted.

“What’s wrong, Noa?” Helena asked anxiously. “Can’t you walk?”

Noa shook her head. “N-no, it’s not that.”

As she spoke, Noa looked around.

Everyone was celebrating and cheering for her. In the distance, Samantha was arranging manpower to clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded.

Everything looked completely normal.

“But it feels like something’s missing,” Noa murmured.

Moon blinked. “Nothing’s missing. Everyone’s here—wait, it does feel like someone’s missing…”

With Moon’s reminder, the others searched their memories fast. In the grand ending of this battle, who was missing?

In the end, they all faced one another and shouted in unison:

“Principal Wilson!!”

At the same time, Principal Wilson—knocked out and tied to the floor by his desk—finally used every ounce of strength to spit out the wad of cloth gagging his mouth, then screamed at the top of his lungs:

“Am I even a dragon or not?! Am I even a dragon or not?! Someone help! Help me, hey!”