Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 214 The Approaching Collapse

The White Palace is not white; on the contrary, it is an ancient palace that is almost black. It is called the "White Palace" because behind it is the majestic statue of the White Snake Woman Mona. The awe and reverence for this famous snake woman are also attached to this ancient palace.

No one knows exactly when it was built. All that is known is that the oldest known ancient snake-man king ruled the entire underwater world from here. Generation after generation, the White Palace has gone through 34,000 years and 43 periods of rise and fall. During this time, a total of 479 snake-man kings, 23 sea giant kings, 14 mermaid kings, 3 fish-man kings, and 1 sea fairy king have ruled the sea here.

The reigns of each king varied in length, ranging from four or five hundred years to less than a day before being forced to abdicate. However, most kings ruled for a century before automatically abdicating, a period known among the sea creatures as the "Hundred-Day Golden Age." During this time, the magnificent White Palace was once burned down by the infamous tyrant, the arrogant fish-man king Usomoqi, but it was eventually restored by his successors. For most sea creatures, being able to step into the White Palace was something that only happened in their dreams.

However, since the snake people mysteriously became extinct 600 years ago, no snake king has been born for a long time. There is only the Venerable Council that "rules in place of the snake king".

Now, the atmosphere inside the White Palace is solemn, awaiting the entry of the three earthly beings.

……

"Say..."

With the sound of metal rings clashing, three earth creatures stepped into the hall.

"Atlanteans..."

Upon seeing the man and woman, the numerous Venerables, each with their own distinct appearance, couldn't help but whisper among themselves. The hall buzzed with excitement as various surprised and suspicious gazes were cast upon the couple.

They wore brass shackles on their feet and brass handcuffs. Although they looked somewhat haggard, they were clearly the Atlanteans, the nemesis of the snake people.

In the ancient mythological era, before the wise King Unogaya went mad, the serpent-men of the sea were enemies of the Atlanteans on land.

In that era, the Serpent People harnessed the power of steam and brass. Towering floating warships could blot out the sky, countless mechanical giants tens of meters long were built, and mobile fortresses stretched from the seabed to the land. The Serpent People, skilled in using the power of steam, had even begun to explore the sky where the gods lived.

That was the peak era of the Serpent People, and the enemies they faced were the "barbarians" of Atlantis, whom the Serpent People looked down upon, because the Atlanteans were still very primitive and fought using primitive bows, swords, and armor.

However, the Atlanteans were adept at using magic. The combination of cold weapons and magic allowed them to slice through thousand-ton mechanical giants with swords, to exchange fire with magically modified catapults and floating warships with their cannons soaring through the sky, and to render the serpent people's reconnaissance machines impossible to hide through astrology. Even the most powerful serpent people commander could be beheaded by an Atlantean hero who was enhanced with invisibility magic...

Ultimately, the millennia-long war between the serpent people and the Atlanteans ended in a compromise where both sides took a step back. The Atlanteans were wary of the serpent people in the sea, while the serpent people were hostile to the Atlanteans on land; the millennia-long war made them sworn enemies.

But not long after, a massive disaster brought an end to the story of these two sworn enemies...

The records left by the serpent people regarding that great catastrophe are few and vague. King Unogaya's madness destroyed the already limited records, and the Venerables only vaguely knew that it was related to the Father of Serpents.

After that, the Serpent People lived in the underwater world built by the ancient Serpent People, with little contact with the successors of the Atlanteans. They only vaguely knew that their former nemesis had lost much of its technology and fallen into barbarism.

Now, two living descendants of Atlanteans have entered the White Palace, which has moved these sea-dwelling venerables.

Princess Ya'anjemu, the snake-woman who sat high on her throne, paid no attention to any of this. Her gaze remained fixed on the tall humanoid figure shrouded in a cloak. It stood beside the two Atlanteans, its face hidden, yet it stirred a strange feeling in Ya'anjemu, an almost innate sense of closeness.

That innate sense of closeness is without reason, yet exceptionally genuine.

"That figure is..."

Beneath his crowned, solemn and dignified face, a complex mix of emotions was already surging within him.

After a brief commotion, the gazes of the many Venerables finally turned to the "protagonist" of the event—the tall humanoid figure shrouded in a cloak—and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became serious.

"Outsider, lift your cloak and reveal your true face."

Inside the magnificent hall, the high priest's deep, hoarse voice rang out.

The tall humanoid figure paused for a moment, then lifted its cloak...

A deathly silence fell. Although this had been confirmed through the news, the primal instincts that led the many venerable ones to actually see the snake still instilled in them an indescribable sense of awe.

His body was covered in snake scales, his forehead was protruding, and his pupils were upright and needle-like... Although he had only seen him in portraits, just one glance was enough for everyone to confirm his identity: a snake, a snake-transformer, a primitive snake-man.

The reason is simple: they felt the oppression that came from those in power over those in lower positions.

Among the many retinue of the Father of the Serpent, the Serpent People are the most devout in their faith in him, because they are the embodiment of his will, and the most honorable among them are the Serpent Children, or the Serpent Transformers.

They are often not snake people, but rather other races that were inspired by the father of snakes to transform into snake people, and their offspring will also be snake people. Therefore, it is said that the oldest snake people are the snake-transformers, who are also called "primitive snake people".

Because they are not snake people by blood, but snake people who were inspired by the father of snakes, they are regarded as "messengers of the father of snakes" and "life closest to the father of snakes". These snake children are born with the mission given by the father of snakes. Their numbers are extremely small, sometimes there may not be one in several centuries. And now there is a living snake child in front of them.

Among the sea creatures, there is a strict hierarchy, with superior races having a natural sense of oppression over inferior races. Inferior races will unconsciously submit to superior races; this is their nature.

Therefore, a mermaid with some snake-human blood can be regarded as a snake-human princess, making the entire underwater world submit. But what happens when a snake appears?
"The father of snakes, that is..."

A sea creature with a head resembling a seahorse gazed at the figure, so excited he could barely speak. Many sea creatures were thrilled by the appearance of the serpent, but some sea creatures were deep in thought.

Six hundred years ago, the Serpent People, who were considered to be the manifestation of the will of the Father of the Serpent, suddenly perished, and no one knew why. But six hundred years later, a new Serpent Transformation has been born. Does this mean anything?
On the throne, the beautiful crowned creature looked at the serpent before her with a complex gaze, filled with jealousy and resentment. She was unwilling to accept that despite her hard work, she had lost to someone else because of her innate bloodline. This was the first time in her life that she had tasted the bitterness of jealousy. But after a long while, a sense of relief and liberation, as if a heavy responsibility had been lifted, gradually welled up in her heart.

Yes, the twelve generations of kings before her were forced to bear the responsibility of being the "last bloodline of the snake people," desperately trying to continue the snake people's bloodline, but now it seems that it is no longer necessary.

"Congratulations, new king."

Inside the main hall, under the watchful eyes of many, the proud and beautiful creature stood up and bowed slightly to the snake in front of her.

……

"It... just did that to become Aquaman?"

Even after the shackles on her body were removed at the behest of the new Serpent King, Joan still found it hard to believe, as if she were in a dream.

Just a few days ago, the three were prisoners, and suddenly one of their companions became the Serpent King of the Deep Sea? Without any examination, without any power struggle, without even further questioning, and without even knowing Ubeto's true nature, simply because Ubeto revealed his face, those Venerables directly acknowledged his identity as the Serpent King. The old king abdicated, the new king ascended the throne, and the news spread throughout the four corners of the sea.

Isn't that strange? Is the throne of the underwater world decided so casually?
Young Joan said she couldn't understand your snake-people civilization.

But Roberts clearly didn't think so. His expression was silent, and he had already realized something.

“Qiong, based on my experience, if things are developing so hastily and urgently, it may not be a good thing.”

As he spoke, he looked up at the palace not far away. Not far from the White Palace was the palace of the Sea King, where the snake-woman princess used to live, but now it was occupied by Uberto—the new snake-woman king.

Inside the palace, Uberto, who had just become the new king, leaned against the bath, his crown casually tossed aside. He had also ordered the more than one hundred servants who attended to him to leave, leaving him all alone in the spacious bath.

Even after becoming the Snake King, he didn't seem happy; all that could be seen on his face was silence and gloom.

"time is limited."

The world of hellish lava reappeared before his eyes. The angel, seated high on the throne of swords, was covered in blood. Ignoring the clamor of the monsters below, its gaze was fixed on Uberto's direction. Its lips moved slightly.

Uberto didn't answer, but subconsciously scratched his neck. Since he had gradually become snake-like, the scales under his skin had been growing continuously, causing him unbearable itching every time.

But what his hand touched were only some remnants of human skin and newly formed snake scales.

Power surged from the angel pendant hanging on his chest, clashing with the power surging from his body. The conflict between the two forces had reached a level unimaginable to ordinary people, and it was precisely because of this that he was able to maintain his rationality and not be consumed by his instincts.

"I can't suppress it for long."

As if sensing Uberto's pleading gaze, the angel's lips moved slightly.

"Find the statue containing the sealed heart as soon as possible, bring it to that... crater, and I will seal it away in this forgotten world..."

This was a plan that the two sides had already devised. The angel, who was forced to stay by the side, and the talented human, joined forces to seal the heart that was about to be unsealed. However, the signs of that "thing" being unsealed are becoming more and more obvious, but the plan has been delayed in being completed.

When he obtained the World Key, Uberto thought he was only one step away from success, but it was taken away in the end. Now he is somewhat shaken. Was that feeling of being one step away from success just an illusion given to them by that "thing"?

"Can it really succeed?"

He murmured inexplicably.

"Don't waver, human. They are monsters most adept at bewitching and deceiving. You are indeed only one step away from success. Don't doubt yourself, or else..."

Before the angel could finish speaking, the illusion shattered, replaced by a pair of cold, vertical pupils.

Gazing into those vertical pupils, Uberto felt a profound and vast aura, like the ocean or the universe. Such a grand thing strolled by, crushing even the smallest insects into dust.

It wasn't out of kindness, nor malice; it was simply disdain...

Before those pupils, before this overwhelming thing, Uberto felt naked in the universe, surrounded by emptiness and darkness, insignificant and insignificant in humanity, and a deep fear and unease filled his heart.

Just then, a warm current emanated from the pendant on his chest, dispelling the fear in Uberto's heart.

The image before me returned to reality...

"time is limited."

Until the very end, the angel's voice simply repeated the same thing.

Uberto's breathing was rapid and erratic. Unable to speak, it could only gasp for breath, biting its lower lip. Unbeknownst to it, cold sweat had already seeped through its body.

(End of this chapter)