"When did I say anything about helping people because I was forced to?" Mikoto Misaka's face flushed slightly. "Of course I help because I want to!"
Touma Kamijou smiled, but his eyes were serious. "Exactly. The key isn't whether they should take on the responsibility, but whether they can freely choose to."
"If both Bailu and Dan Heng are stripped of their freedom to choose because of the 'Dragon Sovereign' title, causing unrest among the Vidyadhara, the fault doesn't lie with them… It's the tradition of the 'Dragon Sovereign succession' that's the problem."
——
["The Dragon Sovereign is the closest thing to immortality among the Vidyadhara," Dan Heng recalled. "According to records, achieving the Dragon Sovereign succession requires performing the secret ritual of the [Transmutation Arcanum] and using a sacred relic known as the [Dragonheart]. Once the succession is complete, the former Dragon Sovereign forms an egg for rebirth, and the new Dragon Sovereign manifests dragon traits."]
[Dan Heng gazed at the distant Ambrosial Arbor. "However, Danfeng's ritual failed. His power remained in me… and for some reason, it also created you."]
[Bailu sighed as well. "Looks like that guy was like a quack doctor messing with a prescription. Now he's not only hurt himself but dragged others down with him."]
[Seeing that Bailu couldn't recall anything, Dan Heng decided to focus on sealing the Ambrosial Arbor first.]
["To halt the revival of the Ambrosial Arbor, to end the calamity of the longevity plague, and to command the waters of the ancient sea, I, by the authority of the Dragon Sovereign, hereby suppress the mysterious roots!"]
[Dan Heng wielded the Abyssal Pearl, but the sensation was completely different from when he had undone the seal. The Ambrosial Arbor showed no reaction whatsoever.]
[Meanwhile, Bailu, seeing his struggle, mimicked his actions and attempted to seal the Ambrosial Arbor herself.]
[As Bailu chanted, her childish voice intertwined with Dan Heng's solemn tone. In an instant, the seal on the Ambrosial Arbor was completed. At the same time, a strange sensation surged through Bailu's body… She looked at her hands in disbelief.]
["You… did it! No external validation is needed—this alone proves you're the true Dragon Sovereign," Dan Heng said, looking at Bailu with relief.]
["Did you recall anything while re-establishing the seal?"]
["Hmm…" Bailu rubbed her head. "It was like a tide rushing through my mind. I felt huge, like the entire Scalegorge Waterscape was responding to my voice, resonating with me."]
[Just as Bailu was about to ask Dan Heng to teach her more techniques, the air around them began to tremble. A group of assassins slowly materialized from the air, having silently surrounded them.]
——
The Outcast——
"Whoa, are these assassins from the Tang Sect or something? Those moves… don't they look like our sect's Phantom Veil?" Tang Wenlong stared curiously at the assassins. If Dan Heng hadn't pointed them out, he wouldn't have noticed anything unusual in the air.
"Even if we don't know how they did it, their stealth techniques seem… somewhat more sophisticated than the Phantom Veil," Zhang Wang said calmly from the side. "If it weren't for Dan Heng, the Dragon Sovereign, no one would've noticed them."
"Master Wang, are you saying these weird-looking guys are better at stealth than us?" Ma Long, sitting beside Zhang Wang, found it hard to accept.
"Hmph, nothing to be upset about," Zhang Wang snorted, closing his eyes. "When it comes to stealth and evasion, there are bound to be masters outside the Tang Sect who surpass us. If someone's better, just learn from them humbly… if you can."
"Besides, on this Xianzhou, no matter how outrageous the techniques are, I'm not surprised anymore… Compared to Phantylia casually blowing up stars or Jing Yuan summoning the Lightning Lord to cleave enemies, these odd-looking assassins actually feel kind of familiar."
——
[These assassins, like the previous group, came on aggressively but clearly underestimated the Dragon Sovereign's power.]
[With a mere flick of Dan Heng's finger, countless surging water dragons tore the assassins to shreds. The group didn't even have time to groan before they perished on the spot.]
[After dealing with them, Dan Heng remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings. "Using Cloudhymn to manipulate mist for visual deception… Just like when we arrived, this place was probably rigged with assassins long ago. It seems someone's reached their limit with our presence."]
[To be safe, Dan Heng suggested retreating for now.]
[On their way back, Dan Heng's group encountered an un dissipated mirage. Sensing the immense power within Dan Heng, the mirage's aged voice trembled slightly. "Danfeng… Is it you? You've returned?"]
["You've mistaken me for someone else," Dan Heng replied coldly.]
["No mistake… I recognize your voice. Hmph, have you come to the holy land to repent?"]
["The pride of the Vidyadhara, the great hero of the High-Cloud Quintet… Heh, you fought us your whole life, only to fall to such a pitiful state?"]
["You misused the Transmutation Arcanum, creating that sinful dragon that nearly destroyed Scalegorge Waterscape!" The mirage's voice carried a hint of smugness. "If your comrades hadn't banded together to slay it, the Ambrosial Arbor's seal might've been lost. Did watching it fall break your heart?"]
["As the Dragon Sovereign, you were supposed to lead us out of the cycle of reincarnation, onto a new path. Yet you were ensnared by empty titles… willingly debasing yourself, associating with Xianzhou natives and even short-lived species…"]
——
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End——
"The High-Cloud Quintet… Just the name alone sounds insanely powerful. That's Jing Yuan, Jingliu, Danfeng, and Blade, right? Who's the fifth?"
"If I recall correctly, I think someone mentioned… a starskiff pilot, probably a Foxian like Yukong," Frieren mused. "It seems Foxians have a particular talent for piloting starskiffs."
"So why did Danfeng use the Transmutation Arcanum to create a dragon?" Fern asked, puzzled.
"Fern, have you forgotten the Vidyadhara's predicament? For a race like the Vidyadhara, if someone dies, the population permanently decreases. Due to their self-sustaining reincarnation, no new lives are born."
"…Maybe it's also related to the war with the Abundance's followers?" Frieren speculated. "When the Vidyadhara suffered significant population losses, Danfeng, as the Dragon Sovereign, had to find a way to ensure their continuation."