Flames.

Fire was all Miko could see in this hell.

No, there were also countless corpse. These corpses were acting as fuel for these demonic azure flames.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Miko suddenly heard a scream in this hell.

He ran through the flames and passed hundreds of burning corpse.

After running for a while he reached the source of the scream.

There he saw a group of people cowering in a corner.

They all had azure and purple hair. If you counted the fact that they all had blue eyes and tanned skin, it was obvious that they were members of the Dragna clan.

When Miko looked at what had frightened these people so much, he saw a dragon.

This dragon had shining azure scales and gold eyes.

The strange thing was that this dragon looked like it was crying.

“Please, grandmother! We were wrong! We didn't intend for this to happen!”

A man who looked to be oldest stood out and begged on his knees.

Miko looked at this man and felt like he looked strangely familiar.

“Silence!”

The dragon, Tiamat, roared.

Her voice was filled with grief and anger.

“Because of your father, everything is ruined! My children are dead! My husband is dead!”

“We also grieve for our family as well grandmother! That's why I admit that we were wrong!”

The man shouted with tears in his eyes.

“I said silence!”

With one swing of her claw, Tiamat slapped the man away.

He crashed into a burning wall all bloodied.

When they saw that, the other Dragna members were ashen.

“You think I want to do this?! You think I take pride in killing my own grandchildren?!”

Tiamat's wails grew more depressing.

“Why?! Why can't I enjoy a bit of happiness in peace?!”

She swung down her claw and blood sprayed in the air as the people screams echoed through the building.

“Why?! Why did Augustus had to do die?!”

She then released a breath of azure flames and turned the people to ash.

“Why?! Why do my children always try to hurt me, even when I do everything I can to love them?!”

As she screamed that, Miko recalled the story of Tiamat.

She was the mother of the first gods. Her children and grandchildren then suddenly rebelled and killed her husband. In a fit of rage she led an army of monsters against the rebel gods.

However in the end, she was slain by the storm God Marduk, who was also her great-grandson.

Her body was used to make the heavens and the earth, and her weeping eyes were used to make rivers.

If one looked at from her perspective, it was a sad tale.

From what he could see here, it was obvious that history had repeated itself.

Tiamat was betrayed by her children and lost her husband.

This made one have to wonder if she was cursed.

“Why?!”

She moved towards the man that she swat away.

As tears poured from her eyes, she lifted her claw.

“Wait, Grandmother!”

It was then someone appeared in front of her and shielded the man.

Miko was surprised.

He recognized this person as Rouge.

“Move, Rouge!”

Rouge immediately went on his knees and groveled on the floor.

“Please, grandmother! Spare Rohan! He's the only sibling I have left!”

“I said move, Rouge! I won't kill you because you fought with us from the start and never took your father’s side, but Rohan is different! He must die!”

“Please! I beg you grandmother!”

Tiamat looked at Rouge and Rohan with hatred and grief.

Either because she couldn't bring herself to kill Rouge or she was done kill her own flesh and blood, she brought her claws down and turned away.

She gave Rouge and Rohan one last look and disappeared.

When she disappeared Miko watch as Rouge helped his brother up with a sour expression.

“Sniff. Haaa! Sniff.”

Even though she was no longer here, Miko could still hear Tiamat's wails.

He moved away from Rouge and searched for Tiamat.

After a while, he found her curled up in a corner in her human form.

He slowly approached her.

“Claudius, Garcia, Tilly, Demario, Judos…”

As he approach her sobbing voice was filled with more and more heart wrenching grief.

“……..”

He stood in front of her and looked down on her.

Her pure white dressed was stained in blood.

He could tell that this blood belonged to her love ones.

“Augustus…please don't leave me alone.”

He watched her trembling body. In his eyes he didn't see a might dragon goddess.

All he saw was a single frail woman.

“Augustus….”

He didn't know when but his hand started stretching out towards her. He was overwhelmed with the urge to caress and protect her as his own.

But as his hand touched her, his mind shook.

*Crack!*

The ground under him suddenly cracked and started to crumble.

Before he could even do anything, he fell into a bottomless pit while screaming.

A bright light then appeared in the pit as he fell.

Miko's eyes were widen in shock as he saw something fly out of the light.

It was a majestic bird with feathers that looked like they were fire itself. It left a trail of golden light as it flew towards Miko.

“A Phoenix?!”

As the Phoenix passed him, the light devoured his consciousness.

The last thing Miko saw the Phoenix looking at him with gentle eyes.

“Hah!”

When Miko opened his eyes again he was inside his room.

His entire body was covered with cold sweat and he was breathing heavily.

(Miko, what's wrong?)

It was then he heard Tiamat's voice in his head.

(Eh? You're crying?!)

Tiamat said with a surprised voice.

It was only after she said that, that Miko realized that tears were running down his cheeks.

He quickly wiped them away with his hands and calm down his racing heart.

“I-I'm fine.”

(Are you sure?)

Tiamat's voice was filled with concern.

This tone of voice made Miko feel like his heart was being pierced.

(Did you have a nightmare or something?)

“….Yeah. I dreamt that I caught you naked in the shower. It was a terrifying experience. There were flab and tentacles everywhere.”

Miko then looked like he was shivering.

(Y-Y-You!)

He could hear Tiamat's angry voice.

(You little brat! I'll have you know that my naked appearance is enough blind people and shatter their minds!)

“Then you must really look hideous then.”

(Argh!)

He could tell that she was furious.

He subconsciously sighed in relief.

“Anyway, forget about your hideous body.”

(Its not hideous!)

“I have a question.”

(…..What is it?)

You could tell from her tone that she was still upset.

“I've read a lot of books since I came here on the different species of the world and major events that surrounded them. But there's one mythical creature that I didn't see any records of.”

(……..)

“Hey, where are the Phoenix race? There's Fenghuangs (Chinese Phoenix) and vermillion birds, but no Phoenixes. Why’s that?”

(……The Phoenix race disappeared several millennia ago.)

“Disappeared? Not extinct?”

It's hard to kill a Phoenix, but it shouldn't be impossible.

(They didn't die out. They just got up and disappeared during the war.)

Said Tiamat.

“All of them? What about Phenex? Did he disappear as well?”

In demonology, Phenex was a Great Marquis of Hell that had twenty legions of demons under his command. He is depicted as a phoenix, which sings sweet notes with the voice of a child, which brings misfortune to all who hears it. He also said to be a wonderful poet and knew a lot sciences. He's also said to be of good nature.

(Phenex disappeared as well. He didn't even inform Lucifer or Beelzebub where he was going.)

Tiamat words caused Miko to think.

‘Why did the Phoenix race just disappear? Did they go into hiding? But for what reason? Were they being threaten by something or someone? And why did one appeared in my dream?’

Miko felt like he needed to learn the answers to these questions eventually, otherwise something serious might happen.

As for his dream about Tiamat, he'll keep that to himself for now. He didn't want to dig up bad memories for her.

“Well, whatever. Today is the day we start training for the battle for the thrones. I gotta put my all into it.”

(Ah, I forgot.)

“What is it?”

(I don't want you to use [Primordial Chaos Lord] in your battle against Dario.)

“Why?”

(It's incomplete and unstable. The last time you nearly died using it. But if you want, I can give you your Regalia now. I did promise to give you when you reach [B Class] anyway.)

“Nah. I don't want to reveal that I'm your proxy until after I become king. So keep it, for now. I also plan to use it with that demon sword you told me was sealed in the palace.”

(I see. But be careful of that sword Miko. It can be really annoying at times, and we don't get along.)

‘Don't get along? Can the sword talk or something?’

Miko thought to himself.

(Speaking of unfinished techniques. How's the development of that ultimate technique coming along?)

“Not so good. It looks like it will be taking longer than I expected.”

(Oh? How long do you think it will need?)

Miko then put on a pondering expression before saying-

“At least 100 years.”

(Wha?! So long?)

“I told you. It's literally the ultimate technique. If I complete this technique, I would be able to kill all the gods, demons, beast, and heroes in the world. This technique is equivalent as becoming the ‘Ultimate Evil’.”

(But isn't the development taking too long?)

“That's why I'm breaking it down into 5 stages. After I complete each stage I'll gain a new form with overwhelming power.”

(So how long will each stage take?)

“The first two stages won't be a problem. I'll finish the first stage in less than a year, the second in about a year and a half.”

(What about the third to fifth stages?)

“The third one is were there will be a lot of problems. I'll need to literally create an entirely new category of magic or power on a whole. This will take a long time to do. As for the fourth stage I'll need to raise myself to the realm of a Higher being and wield a combination of all kinds of sinister powers….”

(And the fifth?)

“I'll need to recreate myself into an all new species that doesn't belong among none of the existing races. In other words, an unique entity outside the laws of the universe.”

(……Sounds impossible.)

“I agree. But for some reason I believe I can do it. Even these ideas for this ultimate technique just came to me in a dream, with a detailed plan on how to create them.”

(?!)

Miko could feel that she was shocked and anxious at the same time.

‘Well, that's the normal reaction I guess.’

“Well, this technique is nowhere near finished so let's leave that for the future. Right now, there's a throne I need to win.”

He then smiled.

“I also need to keep my promise to you and help this country.”

(Thank you.)

He could feel her happiness as she said that.

When he imagined her happy face, he couldn't help his heart from racing.

“Hm?”

This made Miko confused as he placed his hand over his heart.

“It couldn't be….”