"That's... that's the Black Emperor's…!"
Seeing Nidhogg's flesh with his own eyes, Norton couldn't help but feel deeply shaken.
To humans, this kind of thing might be considered a sacred treasure, a beacon of hope for studying how to kill the Black King. But to dragonkind, such a thing only invoked greater fear, because the return of Nidhogg was a supreme fate—an unstoppable one.
"Mm, you could call it the Black King's flesh, or an 'egg.' The difference is minor." Lu Mingze spoke casually, like friends chatting over dinner, as if he were discussing tonight's menu while talking about the flesh of Nidhogg.
"The Black Emperor's body surpasses worldly understanding. For Him, a drop of blood, or a scrap of meat, is equivalent to an egg. He is the All-in-One, the Almighty—the supreme 'god.'"
"I assume your Number One Heroic Spirit, Melusine, already seems perfect to you. But is that truly the case?"
Lu Mingze snapped his fingers lightly, and under the wary eyes of the two Dragon Kings, he casually placed the box right next to Melusine's coffin.
Then the little devil spoke words that even surprised Norton—information that only Emiya had privately revealed to him before—
"The existence known as a Heroic Spirit is permanently recorded in a higher-dimensional Throne, called the Throne of Heroes. These Heroic Spirits are essentially data, or records."
"Their true form is a kind of 'record tape'—a comprehensive collection that corresponds to the Heroic Spirit's true name, their myth, the impressions they left behind in history."
"Thus, their official name is actually the 'Boundary Record Tape' (Ghostliner)."
Noticing Norton's surprise, Lu Mingze waggled a finger.
"Don't be too shocked, and don't ask too much. I'm merely a higher-level observer… Yesterday, today, or tomorrow—they are all simultaneous events to me. I can see the truth of the world by following the four-dimensional space. Time flows, but to me, it is but an illusion."
Unlike Norton, who had to rely on information from Emiya, Lu Mingze was on a completely different level from these monarchs. He was a superior observer.
"Oh… if you someday reach my level, you won't need to cling to your primitive 'Crown' titles anymore. You'll be able to proclaim yourselves as true 'gods.'"
That… was the true path to godhood.
Lu Mingze's words made it clear: to humans, Dragon Kings were gods. But to these Dragon Kings, the one born from the world itself—the Black Emperor—was the true god, the ultimate high-dimensional observer.
Lu Mingze had the qualifications to ascend to Nidhogg's throne. That supreme position was not a metaphor—it was a literal divine seat.
"..."
But his words were met with thunderous silence from the two Dragon Kings.
The concept was too profound. Summer began to feel lost again, like someone drowning in an ocean of knowledge while everyone else swam freely.
But Norton nodded slowly, deeply thoughtful.
Indeed, higher levels of power equated to higher-dimensional observation. It matched the human scientific theories of multiverses and observer effects.
His own "high-speed computation" could predict the future, but nothing like the casual omniscience of Lu Mingze.
But Norton had long abandoned the path of devouring his kind to reach the throne. He had his pride… He was determined to reach "apotheosis through alchemy."
Dragon Alchemy was also a method to observe higher dimensions. Its strength was that it wasn't bound by bloodline—what it lacked was merely talent and perseverance.
As a hardcore tech maniac, Norton had just received exactly the kind of insight he was looking for, and thus his hostility toward Lu Mingze softened.
"An insightful explanation. So the flaw in the Throne of Heroes project… is related to this, I assume?"
"Bingo!"
Lu Mingze snapped his fingers. The box marked with the flourishing World Tree symbol began to emit an even more intense aura of supreme darkness, vibrating dangerously.
His expression remained calm—after all, he stood as an equal to the Black King. But both Norton and Summer could feel an ominous dread rising within them.
It was the attack of dead memories.
Or more precisely, the horrifying memories of the Black King's oppressive might from ages past, revived in their minds.
"Norton, King of Bronze and Fire, I know—no, I've observed—your Throne of Heroes plan. But it's merely a disguised Nibelungen. It's far from a true high-dimensional Record Tape."
"You store Heroic Spirits within a Nibelungen, but due to the vast amount of spirit bodies to collect, upload, and store, your so-called Throne has severely reduced concealment."
Lu Mingze pointed to the approaching fleet of the undead. "In the future, you'll face this exact problem."
Norton frowned. "The Nibelungen will be invaded?"
"Yes. You seem to think that as long as only key holders and mark-bearers can access the Throne, it's foolproof. But once the form of the Servant is understood, your kind can attach marks to summoned Servants externally."
"In other words, once a Servant is unsummoned and returns to the original Spirit, any mark on that spiritual body will infiltrate your Throne's database. If they're prepared, altering your records will be a piece of cake…"
Lu Mingze systematically dismantled Norton's experimental-level Throne of Heroes from every angle.
"If I understand correctly, you have a perfect, near-invulnerable Throne model?"
Norton suspected, based on all the high-dimensional talk from before—was it truly possible to create a Throne of Heroes?
Or… did Lu Mingze's "observation" of higher dimensions also grant him some level of intervention?
Lu Mingze shrugged. "Under normal circumstances, without paying an equivalent price, it's impossible. Alchemy does not accept inequivalent exchange."
That's why he needed to use the Black King's flesh as the price.
What, did you think he'd fuse with his brother Lu Mingfei as a sacrifice? No way.
At that moment, the flesh inside the box began to emit mist, glowing with a dreadful crimson light. Hallucinations of terror began seeping into reality—anyone, even without a bloodline, could "see" the Black King roaring to the heavens… and die instantly of fright.
"Watch carefully. I will use this as the price to unlock the limited path to the World Tree—the origin system of dragons, humans, and all beings. I will use the Grail you selected—Frigg Zero—as the key to open this connection."
(*Note: This is a fictional addition. The World Tree here refers to the highest-order origin system of the dragon world, akin to the Tree of Life in Evangelion, with Nidhogg analogous to Adam.)
Lu Mingze gently tapped the writhing blood, calming it. He chanted low, in ancient Dragon Tongue—not loudly, but incomprehensibly layered, beyond Norton or Summer's understanding.
But a secret was already revealed: Lu Mingze, born from the World Tree, knew the way to link to it. The Throne atop the Tree was the divine throne—the endpoint of godhood.
…At that moment, the dark flesh within the box rose, shooting a bloodline into the crystal coffin, piercing into Frigg Zero's body.
Inside, the already awakened soul of the White King screamed silently under external spiritual interference. Weakened and sealed, the White King was nothing but meat on a chopping board.
The key-shaped brand had already fused with the soul—irremovable.
Then, the Black King's flesh began to scream. It had foreseen its fate, burning with Nidhogg's wrath. Never before had anyone dared use the Black Emperor as an alchemical sacrifice!
Even a scrap of this flesh caused resonance with the world elements. It reacted like a sentient egg, triggering a terrifying local phenomenon—highways cracking, skies storming, seas rising into roaring tides.
But Lu Mingze ended the madness.
He stretched out a hand and grasped the writhing blood, halting everything.
In Norton's tight gaze, the flesh began to shrink, regressing like time reversed—returning to an embryonic state, like it was re-entering its "mother womb."
Norton knew: that womb was the World Tree—the origin of the planet, where the Black King was born.
The process lasted several seconds.
Norton was ecstatic. Summer was completely lost.
"It worked!"
She finally heard them cheer. Success? What success? Where was the Throne? She didn't see anything!
Norton explained that this was a return to the World Tree—giving it back to the world itself.
But Summer was overwhelmed. She felt like some low-tier corporate employee, struggling to read a tech doc, relying on genius seniors to feed her scraps. Then suddenly, a new, god-tier expert showed up, hijacked the entire project, and made her completely irrelevant.
Summer: "…Can I at least be part of this? The Throne is built, and I feel useless now."
She then watched Lu Mingze approach Melusine, gather the leftover blood fragments, and feed them to her while chanting:
"With the blood of the Emperor, I grant you rebirth."
Melusine's face contorted, then relaxed. The powerful energy of the Black King flowed through her, transforming into a regal and innate aura.
That was… the Gift of Blood!
Summer knew that the Gift could elevate someone's bloodline from nothing to full dragon.
Even though Melusine was mostly dragon, that 1% human DNA was an uncrossable chasm. Dead Apostles were tragic hybrids.
Normally, exposure to dragon blood mutated some hybrids into strange species. Rarely did they become pure dragons.
But the Gift of Blood was different.
It could elevate anyone—even hybrids—to pure dragons.
Because this power belonged to the Black King… no, to the "Three" born of the World Tree. Not even the White King could do this.
So when Lu Mingze spoke, Melusine instantly evolved—from a dead apostle to a noble Black King descendant. Summer estimated she was now at least a third-generation Ancient Dragon.
Then, the tiny bit of flesh she had consumed activated again, optimizing her blood and soul even further… Second generation… First generation…
Whoa—she's basically a Grand Caster now!?
"All done. The Throne is built. Oh, and I included a complimentary base-stat optimization for Heroic Spirit #1. Of course, the Record Tape is still empty—you'll have to upload the data and perform the summon yourselves."
Lu Mingze clapped his hands clean, like he'd just done a trivial task.
"Anyway, since the only key—the Grail—is in your hands, as long as it's not lost, it'll be nearly impossible to hack into the Throne."
"Because this isn't a Nibelungen. Interfering with the World Tree is like altering the world's core itself. Not happening."
"Well then, this concludes today's service. If you've got time, leave me a good review."
Lu Mingze actually turned to leave, without demanding anything in return. This stunned the two Dragon Kings.
Realizing something was off, Norton called out, "Why cooperate with us… no, why help us for free?"
(End of Chapter)
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