Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 237 Dragon Break - Part 5

Wu Chen saw Hera once again—he saw a different version of her than before. She still wore that topped witch's hat, but her scarlet hair reflected an eerie green light, her light red eyes were tinged with the gray of the deep sea, and her entire body was overflowing with an alien and powerful force.

Beyond the realm of legends, and even beyond that power.

That power belonged to another demon god, to the oldest among the demon gods, Hermes Mora. And once this fact was confirmed, the eerie green tentacles that had torn apart the walls of the Cold Harbor plane grew even stronger!
Because wearing armor requires observers, it requires power that is acknowledged.

Wu Chen chose Ramaya, who was rebelling, as his observer, along with the hundreds of thousands of souls he had released and the death god Akai, whom he summoned using the divine authority of death on Earth. Hera Mori, on the other hand, chose Morag Bal, the demon god himself, as her observer.

Her identity was confirmed, for a demon god acknowledged her. The clash of powers was fleeting, and she, with her calculated advantage, was clearly stronger at this moment.

The eerie green overwhelmed the deep blue, like water splashed on a candle flame. Even the incarnation of a demon would be defeated at this moment, collapsing instantly in this tide of dark green tentacles!

'Whoosh—' The wind howled.

"Hermes!" roared from the bottom of the green tide.

The cleaved Cold Harbor territory responded immediately. Eerie blue flames surged from every corner of the earth's depths, tearing at the dark green tide; yet the attacker's objective had already been achieved!

She came to his side, and an invisible force lifted him up in one swift motion. A potent potion, faster than any healing spell, was directly transferred into Wu Chen's digestive system, accompanied by a dramatic shift in space and time!

'Boom—!' Flames burst through the tide, but failed to catch the attacker's tail. A huge rift was torn open in the realm of conflict, and on the other side of the rift lay the surface of Nirn.

"Don't even think about... taking my prey!" It stretched its hand out of the rift, and then a ghostly blue flame exploded in its palm.

That was a curse, and also the power of a demon.

Even if it can no longer descend its true form into the land of Nirn, it still has ways to punish the targets it has marked!
..............................

Flames suddenly burst into flames, the eerie blue fire erupting from the depths of Wu Chen's soul—the inevitable price that the armored demon god had to pay. Even though he had changed bodies several times, his soul would still retain the demon god's influence.

Just like Hera.

Hera raised her hand, and a dark green aura flowed down from her sleeve—the azure flames that erupted from Wu Chen's body were thus suppressed, but dark green patterns silently crept onto his body.

'Thump—' He was thrown to the ground—he was on the summit of a snow-capped mountain overlooking Windhelm. Not far away stood the altar of Talos, its holy light radiating divine brilliance.

“…Why did it have to come to this?” Wu Chen got up, looked at his palms, and then focused his gaze on Hera. The dark green aura was spreading over her body, and she, too, would have to pay an irreversible and enormous price.

He hadn't expected her to come—he couldn't fathom what reason she might have. From their first meeting until now, he and Hera had only known each other for a little over a week. And neither of them had ever delved into the other's life, nor had they ever discussed each other's inner world in the slightest.

“I didn’t come for you, Dust.” Hera’s gaze merely swept over him lightly, and her lips held her usual gentle, yet slightly mysterious smile. “We just happen to be on the same path.”

A tremendous roar came from the far distance, and the sky was silently tinged with a dark green glow—she raised her hand and waved it, and an invisible barrier immediately covered the two of them. The next moment, in Wu Chen's eyes, a phantom-like giant tentacle silently swept past the place where the two were standing.

It is Hermaeus Mora.

Its will was slightly disturbed by the altar of Talos as it swept across this land—even the most ancient demons could not ignore the power of the Holy Spirit.

“I can temporarily shield myself from their gaze, so we still have a little free time.” Hera’s gaze lingered on the altar for a moment. “…Dust, leave this world. Don’t come back until you’ve grown strong enough.”

Wu Chen pursed his lips and remained silent.

"...Can't you do it? Is there a time limit, or can't you leave here for too long?" "Both, I guess." Wu Chen sighed. "I can't leave here for the time being. I also have things I need to do on this land."

“Is that so?” Hera nodded and walked towards the direction of Windhelm. She made an inviting gesture, and Wuchen followed her.

The invisible yet tangible wall that separated them from each other was moving down the mountain with their steps.

“You have been cursed by Morag Bal. Once this barrier collapses, it will only take it a few seconds to seize control of your soul. However, I have interfered with it using the power of Hermes Mora. Therefore, the time should be able to be extended to some extent.”

"So, you don't have many choices now." Her steps were swift, as if an invisible wind swirled beneath her and Wu Chen's feet. In a mere instant, they had reached the foot of the mountain from the summit. "The Demon God of Conflict or the Demon God of Knowledge; the latter should be treated slightly better than the former. But whichever you choose, your soul will be firmly grasped by them, and your heart and mind will be twisted. In the days to come, you will expand their territory until you face eternal death."

"...What's the difference between this and being dead?"

"Even demons have their moments of defeat. Perhaps one day, you will regain your freedom and be liberated in an unexpected accident."

She suddenly stopped.

Suddenly, without warning, a large expanse of land sank in, and translucent tentacles swept across the ground. One after another, enormous, dark green eyes appeared out of thin air, surveying the surroundings. The closest of these eyes was less than half a meter away from the invisible barrier erected by Hera.

“If I were the kind of person who would place my hopes on others, I wouldn’t have come back.” Wu Chen sighed, unperturbed by the situation. “Is there another way? Like seeking the protection of the Holy Spirit?”

“I can’t.” Hera shook her head, standing there quietly waiting for the dark green eyes to fade from the air. “You should know the true nature of the Holy Spirits. They are long dead; what they are now are merely entities of power sculpted by faith. They do indeed protect their followers, but I feel that you have not a shred of faith in the Holy Spirits.”

This was a fact, almost negating Wu Chen's unexecuted escape plan—the holy spirits, sculpted by faith, never took the initiative. They lacked agency, passively maintaining their own order. Therefore, even though they were the most powerful primordial spirits, the ravaged planet Nirn was always ravaged by the power of the demon god. Unless…

— Auduin.

But Auduin is still trapped in the turbulent flow of time.

He was now completely unable to leave this land, and even his 'friends' could not offer any help. But...

"Any suggestions?" he asked.

"If I have no suggestions, what are your plans?" Hera continued forward, heading towards the direction of the wind helmet.

"I think I can still become a dragon priest, even if it's a dead-end job."

That was indeed a path, a path of utter defeat, a path of abandoning everything except one's own will, a final, irreversible path.

Would you be willing to embark on that path?

"If I had a choice, I would still hope for a more novel destiny."

They had arrived at the gates of Windhelm.

Windhelm, undestroyed, protected by the Stormcloak. Everyone in the city seemed to be caught in a hazy, unpleasant dream—a touch of chaos, a certain unease. But ultimately, the city remained under order.

"Then, come with me."

She moved forward, and the dark green of her clothes grew even more intense.

(End of this chapter)