Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 400 The Legend of the Azure Lion

Every monarch has his own legend.
Whether glorious or tragic;
But when the legend turns its final page...
We then realized,
Those glorious years were nothing more than an insignificant footnote in the grand scheme of fate.

—Excerpt from *The Secret History of the Trelian Royal Family: Henrian's Chapter*

The Castle of the Azure Lion.

The morning sunlight gently pierced through the thin veil of clouds, and the pale golden light, like fine dust, slowly drifted down onto the spacious balcony covered with flowers and vines.

A gentle morning breeze caressed the blooming flowers, and a faint fragrance drifted through the air, like a veil woven from distant dreams and reality.

Liseria sat quietly on the swing-style rocking chair on the balcony, which was carved with intricate patterns.

As the wind blew, her long, silky golden hair swayed gently. Her lowered eyes were gentle and serene, and her slender, white fingers lightly stroked the thick book on her lap.

The sunlight falls quietly on the yellowed edges of the book pages, as if listening to those untold stories of the past.

This is a royal history book that has just completed its first draft. It belongs to her father—the deceased, solemn and profound King of the Trelian Empire, Henrian Trelian.

At the beginning of the book, the old Duke von Hett's handwriting is vigorous and solemn, like the gnarled branches of an old tree in late autumn, writing heavy yet respectful sentences:
"This book is dedicated to the life of our King Henrian."

Liseria sighed softly, her voice tinged with a faint melancholy and sadness, as she slowly turned the scroll-like pages.
Wherever my eyes fall, my father's past, which had long been buried by the dust of history, vividly leaps off the page, as clear and bright as if it were yesterday.

"Henrian, the sixth in line to the throne of the Duchy of Trelian, is also the youngest and least noticed member of the royal bloodline."

Among the many royal descendants, he was as insignificant as a dim glimmer of light among the stars.

Young Henrian did not grow up peacefully in the gentle embrace of the Lion's Castle; instead, his childhood was spent in the desolate and vast wilderness and wasteland north of Alleston.
Like an untamed colt, he carried an innate restlessness and unease, overcoming countless obstacles to eventually become a brave and fearless young knight.

"Because his position in the line of succession was too low, he knew from a young age that the riches and honors of the White Court were ultimately out of his reach."

Unlike other noble scions, he did not indulge in the gentle yet hypocritical embrace of the castle.
Instead, they chose to follow the irrepressible urge within them, immersing themselves in a wider, more mysterious world.

"Young Henrian voluntarily gave up comfort and security, and with ten loyal knights, resolutely embarked on the journey to the world beyond the door."

At that time, the world behind the door was still like an unattainable star to the people of Trelian.
It exists only in illusory legends and insane fantasies.

They called that unknown place the "Unknown World," which was filled with a fearsome and mysterious atmosphere.

But Henrian, fearless, pushed open the door to the unknown void.

"He traversed countless doors woven from darkness and the unknown, witnessed truths beyond the reach of mortals, and explored taboos that ordinary people could not touch."

Years later, when he returned, he was riding a majestic, pale lion that symbolized power and glory.

And what he held high above his head was a mysterious card that radiated a profound, eerie light, powerful enough to rewrite the course of the world.

"Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Henrian confidently and authoritatively declared to the world:"
He was no longer an ordinary prince; from this moment on, he had embarked on a completely different path—the path of a mystic.

"On that day, the concept of 'mystery' entered the history of the Duchy of Trelian for the first time in a clear and distinct way. And Henrian himself began a new chapter for this land."

Liseria slowly closed the book, gently shut her eyes, and the breeze once again softly ruffled her hair.

In the stillness of the wind, she seemed to see that spirited young prince, riding a pale lion.

Bathed in the golden afterglow of the sunset, carrying the confidence and passion of youth, they returned triumphantly towards the Azure Lion Castle.

However, when she recalled her father, who was stern, silent, and unapproachable like a deep pool, a sense of loss welled up in her heart.

Is the young knight who bravely pursued the unknown and traversed the stars and the sea really the same person as the silent and serious father sitting on the throne?
Liseria gently opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the tome in her hands, a faint look of bewilderment and wistfulness appearing in her eyes.

A faint smile appeared on Liseria's lips as her fingers gently traced the yellowed pages of the book once more, as if piercing through the mists of time and returning to that pivotal moment in history.

"The day Henrian returned coincided with the darkest dawn in the Duchy of Trelian."

"Since when, a secret and sinister rumor, like an invisible curse, has been quietly spreading among the twelve duchies of the Rose Strait:"
The Lord of the Reflected World possesses a forbidden treasure; all who please Him with war and bloodshed will receive eternal life from Him.

"The allure of immortality, like a beacon burning in the dark night, illuminated the deepest greed and ambition in the hearts of those monarchs."
War then engulfed both sides of the strait like a raging inferno, and the Duchy of Trelian was naturally not spared.

"Henrian's father, the old and proud king, was also unable to escape the temptation of fate. He spread the flames of war to all sides, hoping to conquer the neighboring small countries."

However, those who attempt to manipulate fate often end up being devoured by it.

When Henrian stepped out of the world behind the door and onto the soil of Alleston once more, what he saw was no longer his once prosperous and peaceful homeland—it was a scorched earth, burned and ravaged.
The sky was dark and heavy with thick smoke, and the cries of people in pain and despair echoed from the ruins of the city. The air was filled with the stench of death and decay.

Henrian's homeland and people are being relentlessly besieged and trampled by the armies of four united duchies, teetering on the brink of utter destruction.

"Anger, like a volcano about to erupt, surged through Henrian's chest. He could not help but roar to the sky, his roar as powerful and awe-inspiring as a lion's roar, tearing through the endless darkness of the battlefield."

Without hesitation, and needing no hesitation, he turned to face the six loyal squires who had followed him, solemnly gave the order, and launched a resolute charge.

"To the astonishment of the allied soldiers, the seven knights swept through the tens of thousands of allied troops like a whirlwind."

Like a gambler who has gone all in, or an adventurer who has stepped onto the wheel of fate, they plunge into the abyss of certain death.

However, the mysteries of the life system endow them with power beyond that of ordinary people, and neither swords, spears, halberds, nor even cannonballs can harm them in the slightest.

Wherever they went, only blood and the enemy's fear bloomed wildly at their feet, a dazzling sea of ​​crimson flowers.

"On that day, the fate of Trelian took a turn. The city of Areston was reclaimed from the brink of destruction by a hero known as the 'Lion'."

Liseria slowly closed the book, her heart surging with a mixture of pride and respect.

She slightly raised her head, gazing out of the castle at the still-prosperous yet weathered city of Areston, and a barely audible murmur escaped her lips:

"Praise be to our King."

She reopened the book, her fingertips continuing to glide slowly across the pages, and as her gaze fell upon that glorious yet somber history, it once again clearly resurfaced:

"After the war, some of Henrian's predecessors had died on the battlefield, while others voluntarily relinquished their right of succession."

Everyone knew that only Henrian, returning riding the pale lion, was the one who could lead Trelian out of darkness and into a new life.

"On an ordinary yet destined-to-be-extraordinary night, Henrian received the crown that symbolized Trelian's supreme power."

He stepped atop the high city walls, looking down upon the loyal knights and subjects of the city, and declared in an unquestionable tone:

"'The secrets of the Reflecting Lord should never be the future that Trelian pursues!'"

That night, the young Lion King made a decision: he would personally unify the four kingdoms and twelve duchies of the Rose Strait and crush the war that had dragged everyone into madness and greed.

He sternly denounced those monarchs who were obsessed with war and slaughter, and who sought to please the reflected king in order to gain immortality, declaring that they had betrayed the honor and dignity that a king should possess.

"Afterwards, Henrian personally rode the Azure Lion to travel through various duchies, conquering the hearts of every duke with his astonishing courage and undeniable charisma."

Wherever he went, everyone was awestruck and impressed by the majestic lion.

He presented each duke with a simple yet irresistible choice: "'Submit to the lion, or die at its feet.'"

Henrian's boldness and decisiveness completely won over all the dukes.
They flocked to Areston and solemnly swore an oath to remain forever loyal to the Lion King, in the name of the Duke.

"From then on, the twelve divided duchies were united under the banner of the Azure Lion."

A powerful nation known as the Trelian Empire quietly emerged in the long river of history.

Liseria closed the book again, gazing into the distance.

Her thoughts traveled through time, returning to that legendary era, and she was filled with emotion.

At this moment, the morning breeze outside the window blows gently, carrying a barely perceptible whisper—perhaps it is history itself, silently and subtly telling a mystery of fate that has yet to be solved.

"At the very beginning of the empire's establishment, Henrian's first choice was to completely sever the source of the rumors about the Reflection King—the Harlan Islands and the Harlan tribe that occupied the shores of Mirror Lake."

"On that day, King Henrian of the Azure Lions, in his unparalleled form as a twelve-star master of esoteric arts, set foot alone on the Mirror Lake Holy Land shrouded in shadow."

In desperation, Queen Harlan was forced to summon the illusory image of the Reflection King, Sazarath, even though the power of that supreme world-lord had once commanded countless monarchs to submit to its majesty.

Before the sword's fiery edge, burning like a roaring lion, all that remained was a humiliating and helpless retreat.

"The starlight shattered, the Mirror Lake churned, and on that day, the Harlan Islands knelt completely at the feet of the Azure Lion."

Queen Harlan, feeling she had no other choice but to marry into the Trelian royal family, using her bloodline, beauty, and submissive demeanor to demonstrate her submission and loyalty.

"From then on, King Henrian of the Azure Lions truly achieved the unification of the four kingdoms and twelve principalities of the Rose Strait, thus creating his unparalleled legend."

Liseria's fingertips paused slightly on the page. She slowly closed her eyes, a complex and indescribable emotion welling up deep within her—a heavy feeling mixed with pride and sorrow.

She understood that the once mighty king, who had dominated the world and possessed an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers, was now nothing more than a faint memory and a dusty book.

She took a deep breath, looked up at the deep sky, and murmured softly:

"Father, may your glory be as eternal as the stars."

A gentle breeze swept by, and the book turned to its final chapter. The handwriting on the page suddenly became messy and painful, the ink scattered and disordered, like a silent cry written by a tormented hand.

Liseria felt her heart skip a beat, and an ominous premonition loomed over her.

Her voice trembled slightly as she read slowly and heavily:

—The following is an excerpt from His Majesty Henrian Trean's handwriting, which is messy and appears to have carried intense pain; much of it is illegible.

"When I, as King of Treian, ascended to the pinnacle of the Mystic Mastery, wielding the Life-type Mystic Card 'Azure Lion,' the World-type Mystic Card 'The Thirteenth Silent Island,' and the World-type Mystic Card 'Ghost Ship - Saint Treian Royal Rose,' the Cataclysmic Calamity finally descended upon me as fate would have it."

"The alien host—that cursed seed from beyond the stars—has parasitized my flesh and blood without warning."

"I can still vividly recall the despair and fear I felt when I was first parasitized by an alien:"

A faint but persistent wriggling sensation emanated from my veins, like countless greedy insects crawling and gnawing beneath my skin.
That unquenchable anxiety and itching forced me to examine my increasingly unfamiliar body countless times.

"What's even more terrifying is that persistent whisper. It murmurs incessantly in my ear day and night, urging me to offer the blood and souls of the living to appease its greedy desires."

At first, I could clearly distinguish between illusion and reality, but day by day, that boundary gradually blurred, and I felt my reason, like grains of sand on the edge of a cliff, silently falling into the abyss.

"Yes, I was terrified."

"Not only because of the horror of this parasite itself, but also because of the distant and alluring path to godhood—the legend of the Land of the End."

That place is where gods and demons, reality and illusion meet; it's an adventure destined for madness and destruction.

"Although the power of the 'Azure Lion' has given me endless courage and decisiveness, I am still afraid when faced with such a vast and unknown abyss."

I fear that once I embark on that path, I will no longer be able to exist as the King of Trelian.

"The whispers of the alien have never ceased, and its desires have only two possibilities—the flesh and blood of the innocent, or my own body."

But I am king, the Lion King of Treion. I cannot sacrifice my people, even if the price is my own life.

"So I chose to use my own flesh and blood to feed the mad monster that was living inside my body."

I would rather let it consume my life than harm any innocent person.

"Later, I briefly set foot in the Land of the End, a mere half-day, but in Trelian it felt like three years (the fifth year of the new Trelian calendar, the first year after the conquest of Harlan, when King Henrian had mysteriously disappeared for three years. — Duke von Hett's note).

There, I met the Lord of the Gate, a being who transcended even the Star Calamity.

“I expressed to Him my desire to give up the path to godhood.”

Ultimately, the Lord of the Gate, with His supreme power, sealed my path of calamity and safely returned me to Areston.

"Since then, I have never possessed a strong life force again, and my life force has gradually withered away."

On our parting, the Lord of the Gate asked me: 'Henrian, will you regret it? Giving up godhood and immortality, enduring endless pain, watching yourself be devoured by alien parasites.'"

My answer was without hesitation—

"I've never regretted it."

"Even though pain tormented me every day, I never regretted my decision."

The alien host whispers in my ear constantly, tempting me to sacrifice any life for a moment of ease.

"But how could I, the King of the Lions, do such a despicable thing?"

Liseria's fingertips trembled slightly, her eyes reddened, and glistening tears seemed about to fall.

She held her breath and continued reading the last few lines of text remaining in the journal:

"To my children—whichever of you embarks on the path of the astral calamity, remember this: do not slaughter my people in order to ascend to godhood."

She slowly closed the note, her gaze gradually becoming deep and resolute, as if she were gazing at that great king across time.

She looked up at the sky and whispered:
“Father, why do you suffer for the sake of so many living beings? Why are you so cowardly? I have already seen the sweetness above the Star Calamity, and I have no intention of backing down.”

"The moment you truly become king,"
You will understand the greatness of the king.
It is not about conquest and glory.

But in the darkest hour,
They also dared to use their own flesh and blood.
Go and protect the land and people behind you.

—Excerpt from the last page of Henrian Trean's journal

(End of this chapter)