Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 226 The True Hero

What Rean is facing is actually a dead end.

Lex's destiny was destined to entangle him; to be precise, his reincarnation was, in a sense, a forced act to clean up Lex's mess.

But the Thousand-Faced Dragon doesn't care about the outcome of the sweep.

It is entirely acceptable for the reincarnated "Li Ensu" to die several times, for the kingdom to fall, and for a new one to be born.

Anyway, it wasn't the first time; it was just another generational change. And in the eyes of the Thousand-Faced Dragon, the kingdom's destruction was a well-deserved example.
"My reincarnation has returned to this kingdom. The source of all this is actually that my junior, Lena, is very powerful. She found the sleeping body of the 'Great Red Dragon'."

No one knows how she did it. It might be a deal with the Whisperer, or it might be that her "single-mindedness" (locking onto a target and pursuing it to the end) ability has broken through all limitations, but she just did it.

She overcame the limitations of mountains and seas and found the legendary "Great Volcano".

She awakened the great red dragon.

The Thousand-Faced Dragon is invisible, but the traces, clones, and remains it left behind are not necessarily the same great red dragon that once unleashed the Dragon Plague. It is buried deep in the slumber of a volcano, which can be seen in a sense as the Thousand-Faced Dragon's gateway to the mortal world, or as its tool for forcibly interfering in the world when necessary.

It's stupid, really stupid. Even though it's just one of the Thousand-Faced Dragon's incarnations, the Great Red Dragon is still a planet-destroying weapon, a complete ultimate killing machine.

Each time it awakens, it brings only destruction, whether it be a kingdom, a plane, or even an entire world.

As a hero, she not only actively awakened the dragon, but also chose to reason with the completely unreasonable dragon.
"You destroyed the kingdom; our people should not suffer such a fate."

No, you all deserve your fate. The true cause of all this misfortune lies with the king and the people of the kingdom; what truly brought about your destruction is your ignorance and arrogance.

The malicious dragon mocked the hero's ignorance, ridiculed the kingdom's rampant crimes and the wicked's false accusations, and planned to fall into a deep slumber once more.

But can we really ignore it? The arrival of the hero is like dumping the mess made by the reincarnation of the Thousand-Faced Dragon in front of Him, asking Him how He could have done such a terrible job, how He could have been so stupid.

"You owe us, and you should repay us. I'm willing to give everything I have, just for a chance to change things."

No, you have miscalculated cause and effect. It is you who owe Lex Thorne, but while Lex does owe cause and effect, it is not for you. We will make amends, but not for you who have fallen into arrogance.

But eventually, Rean Sudak, the reincarnation of Lex Thorne, appeared within the kingdom's borders.

He was given the "main quest." As he followed the guidance and became entangled with beasts and kingdoms, Lex's destiny was destined to find him.

Once the key moments and starting points of destiny are determined, what is meant to happen will happen; the process itself is not important.

As for whether it can be handled properly? Nobody really cares. The Thousand-Faced Dragon keeps moving forward. Dying a few times to repay karma or even becoming a sacrifice is really nothing.

Even if the world changes, even if kingdoms fall, even if the ruling race changes, as long as the world and humanity depend on each other, the Thousand-Faced Dragon will forever move forward.

"Luckily, I drew the snake, otherwise 'Rean' would be dead for sure."

The trouble Lex caused was far beyond Rean's ability to handle.

In fact, if it weren't for the "one-day agreement" tricked by the snake, he and the kingdom would both be dead by now.

The agreement for one day meant that his body and mind were entirely entrusted to Lex Thorne for that day, just as an ancient spirit used his young body.

The strength and upper limit of that are different from normal hero spirit possession.

In a normal case of possession by a heroic spirit, the spirit at most accounts for 30%, and it's similar to a "navigation system" when driving. It can offer suggestions, provide guidance, and even proactively plan routes, but whether or not the spirit follows the instructions depends on the driver.

No matter how well others explain it, the actual implementation is bound to be a mess. Some things are beyond the limits of "navigation" from the very beginning.

No matter how advanced the navigation system is, he can't expect a tricycle driver to turn into a supersonic fighter jet and perform a rattlesnake-like maneuver in the sky.

But at this moment, Rean's body, having gained "one day," is now completely under the control of the Heroic Spirit Rex. How much he can unleash depends on the Heroic Spirit's own level.

The hardware is a bit outdated, but it'll do. My sword still has some power reserves, which is good.

A solar weapon? Not bad, Senior Snake is a kind person.

Not enough. Burn my soul, it's useless anyway. The duration of the Heroic Soul Card has already been burned by half without me even realizing it.

If the hardware isn't enough, the software can make up for it. In the end, when the "invincible hero" reappears, all the problems will naturally be solved.

Even if this power is destined to be short-lived, and may only last for a few minutes or tens of minutes, he is still the continent's hero who shakes the entire continent.

In fact, Rosalind made the right choice. When she saw "Lex", she did not hesitate to abandon part of herself and the tribe she was attacking.

This meant abandoning more than half of her war-accumulated resources and giving up her plan to destroy the country in a decisive battle. She knew that in the face of an invincible warrior, there was absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on battle.

"Don't worry, she won't be able to become a demon anytime soon. She was almost killed when the Great Red Dragon breathed on her, and I just finished her off with another blow. She should be badly injured." Lex unleashed most of his power on Rosalind, so even if she has a clone, she should still be severely injured as a result.

From the very beginning, the hero system involved "restraint against death" and "cause and effect". Once you are hit, you will be affected no matter how far away you are.

As for why he wasn't killed on the spot, it's hard to say.

"Lex" sighed, sprawled out on his back, and didn't want to move at all.

He had just unleashed a rather fierce attack. It seems that after this physical body is fully possessed, it will need major repairs. He was still wearing the large red dragon armor, but he had removed his helmet, revealing his face.

But at least he still had some consideration for his "juniors," summoning a dragon armor that borrowed the bloodline of a red dragon (in a sense, turning Rean into a dragon armor as well), and also donning the mask from the portrait. Now, he looked even more like Rex in the portrait.

"Father... are you really my father?"

"Yes, I am Lex. But I am also dead. I am now like a spirit, and I must return in one day."

Lex sighed as he spoke cruel words to the crying girl, gently stroking her familiar blonde hair.

He noticed the snake-patterned ring on the girl's chest and seemed to understand something.

"We really have to thank Senior Snake."

In fact, if it weren't for the snake's interference and schemes, Radiant City would probably be nearly wiped out by now, followed by the destruction of the entire kingdom.

Then, he slowly stood up.

Although it was only one day, it was enough for him.

"Let's talk later, I need to clean up first." Without waiting for his "family's" reaction, he disappeared again.

And so, on this day, the residents of Radiant City truly saw the sun.

The red dragon knight spreads his wings and hunts throughout the city.

Whether they were owl-like beasts or demons, powerful monsters or tiny ratmen, none could withstand a single blow from the Red Dragon Knight's wielding longsword.

That invincible face behind the mask, that weapon radiating the glow of the sun, that fiery hair, that sword of a hero that shines like a lighthouse across the sky—all of these evoke images of a legendary hero.
"Hero! Lord Lex, wait a minute!"

The fact that the city lord was chasing after them everywhere completely confirmed this conjecture.

Ancient heroic warriors once again venture into the world to save a city-state from collapse and destruction, bringing the legend to life, though this particular heroic warrior seems rather old.

"Lex" was busy going back and forth, not only slaying the beasts and intruders, but also dealing with some cultists.

He even lifted collapsed buildings to rescue injured children, and dug through the ground to rescue prisoners who had been abducted underground by the ratmen.
"Is this the hero? The legendary hero?"

"You, you've returned! Can you save our country and guide us back to the right path?"

"Waaaaah, finally! The kingdom is saved!"

Only those middle-aged and elderly people truly understand the significance of "Lex the Brave"—he was a symbol of an era, the most prosperous time in the kingdom's history.

Could it be that everything has come back to normal?
"I will soon return to Valhalla; my time has passed." But this was the disappointing answer he received.

He was so busy rescuing people that he didn't even have time to check on the Queen and Princess.
"You're not hiding, are you? You'd rather waste time outside than face your wife and daughters?"

The sudden question made Lex slow down.

You always know yourself best, and the questions that come from within yourself are probably unavoidable.

"Don't say it if you see through it. Show some consideration for the senior, kid."

Yes, Rean remained conscious at this moment.

Now, it's his turn to become the "driving navigation system," only able to see and talk, but unable to interfere with anything.

When their lips meet, the one who feels most embarrassed is actually himself.

"Well, the senior should be respected. I'm cleaning up your mess now, so you should at least thank me."

"Thank you, and then?"

The same scene of self-contradiction played out on Rean's side. With this shameless hero giving up, Rean really didn't know what to say.

After some thought, Rean found Lex's weakness, just as Rosalind had said.
"Consider Dania. Her situation is terrible. You need to let us know what really happened back then."

"If I knew everything, why would I need you to help me find the truth?"

Lex remained unmoved; there were some things he intended to take to his grave.

Since his death has been abstract enough, let's leave him with some posthumous reputation.

"Rosalind will come back, won't she? You can't just let her kill Dania again. I've seen your dreams; don't you love Rosalind?"

Lex fell completely silent, and for a long while he didn't say a word.

"You've seen my memories, haven't you? You know I watched her for a long time before gradually falling for her. Do you really think a night owl, the beast with the strongest night vision, couldn't see a fool secretly watching her through countless dark nights?"

Lex sighed, recalling the past; his life was full of dark history.

What hero? The bloodshed, sins, and folly on his hands surpass even that of the Demon King.

"Perhaps there was never a second princess; from the very beginning, she was a demon sealed in human form."

(End of this chapter)