Chapter 2: The Tyrant's Ascendance and the Sleeping Dragon
Prologue: 18 Years Ago — The Elven Royal Mines
The atmosphere in the birthing chamber was suffocating. The seal had just been placed. The terrifying, galaxy-destroying eyes of the infant Valdorian had faded into the innocent confusion of a normal baby.
King Aelion, soaked in cold sweat, held his son. He felt a mixture of terror and overwhelming love. He had just named a monster—no, a god—as his son.
Suddenly, the mechanical voice of his own System rang out, louder and more reverent than Aelion had ever heard it.
[System Alert: The Sovereign is pleased with the Vessel's safety.]
[Message from the Source: "To the Guardian who shelters my slumber... accept this tribute for birthing this body."]
Aelion froze. The baby was asleep, but the will inside him was active?
[Reward Granted: "The Tyrant's World-Suppressing Art" (Grade: Transcendent)]
[Integrating...]
BOOM.
Aelion didn't even have time to brace himself. A golden light, invisible to the naked eye but blinding to the soul, shot from the sleeping baby's forehead into Aelion's mind.
It wasn't just a manual; it was an enlightenment. It was the understanding of domination.
For three hundred years, Aelion had been stuck at the peak of the King Realm. He was strong, but he was not an apex predator. The Great Emperors of the Human, Demon, and Beast continents looked down on him. The Elven Council undermined him.
But in this single second, that barrier shattered like glass.
His mana core expanded, turning from a liquid blue to a solid, terrifying gold. The pressure radiating from him cracked the stone floor beneath his feet.
[Breakthrough Successful.]
[Current Rank: Emperor Realm (1st Stage).]
Aelion gasped, feeling power coursing through his veins—power enough to crush a mountain with a single hand. He looked down at the sleeping baby Valdorian.
"You..." Aelion whispered, tears welling in his eyes. "You are barely a minute old, and you have already made your father a ruler of the world."
He gently kissed the baby's forehead.
"Sleep well, my son. With this power, I will crush the Council. I will silence the threats. I will build an iron wall around you so you can live a peaceful life... until you are ready to wake up."
Present Day: 18 Years Later.
The Human Domain — Azure Dragon Empire.
Starfall Academy.
The sun hung high over the floating islands of Starfall Academy. It was a beautiful day, perfect for training, studying... or napping.
In the back of the bustling cafeteria, Valdorian Cygnus Null chose the latter.
He sat by the window, eyes half-closed, watching the clouds drift by. He looked nothing like a Sovereign of the Multiverse. He looked like a painting of a lazy immortal brought to life. His pale skin, raven-black hair, and ridiculously handsome face drew stares from every corner of the room.
"Val! Wake up!"
A chubby hand waved in front of his face. It was Wang Bo (Fatty Wang), looking like he was about to have a heart attack.
"The lists are up!" Wang hyperventilated. "The Pre-Board Assessment matches are up! And guess who you're fighting? Varek! The guy who burns ants with mana just for fun!"
Valdorian yawned, stretching his arms. "Varek? The loud one with the red hair? That's unfortunate. I was hoping for someone quieter."
"Unfortunate? It's a death sentence!" Wang slammed the table. "Val, you have zero mana! You are the famous 'Mana-Cripple'! Varek is a 3-Star Spirit Practitioner! He's going to roast you!"
Valdorian rubbed his chin. He touched the black ring on his finger—a storage ring his father sent him. Every month, his father, the Elven King (though no one here knew that), sent him resources. Valdorian just assumed his dad was a successful merchant who worried too much.
"Don't worry, Wang," Valdorian smiled. It was a smile that disarmed anyone who saw it. "I'm very good at running away."
"You can't run in a duel arena!"
Before Wang could scream more, the temperature in the cafeteria dropped. Frost spread across the floor tiles.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
Liya walked in. The Ice Goddess. The Academy's number one beauty and number one genius. Her silver hair flowed like a frozen waterfall, and her blue eyes were sharp enough to cut glass.
She walked straight to Valdorian's table, ignoring the awe-struck gazes of the other students.
"You're not wearing your protective vest," Liya said. It wasn't a greeting; it was an accusation.
Valdorian looked up, his lazy demeanor softening. "It's itchy, Liya. And it ruins my silhouette."
"Your silhouette won't matter if Varek punches a hole in your chest," Liya snapped, but there was no bite in her voice. She pulled a chair and sat close to him—scandalously close. She placed a thermos on the table. "Drink. It's Spirit-Bamboo tea. My father... acquired it from the Elven borders."
Valdorian took a sip. "Delicious. Your father has good taste."
"He hates that I give it to you," Liya mumbled, looking away. "He says I'm wasting resources on a..."
"A trash?" Valdorian finished for her, grinning.
"On a mystery," Liya corrected firmly. She looked him in the eyes. "Everyone sees a cripple. I see someone who doesn't care enough to try. There's a difference."
"Well, well. If it isn't the Princess and her pet dog."
A mocking voice cut through the air.
Varek stood near the entrance, surrounded by his sycophants. He was smirking, tossing a ball of fire between his hands.
"Liya," Varek sneered. "Stop feeding the stray. Tomorrow at the Assessment, I'm going to mop the floor with him. It'll be ugly. You shouldn't watch."
Liya stood up. The air crackled with ice mana. "Varek. If you injure him permanently, I will declare a clan war."
The cafeteria gasped. A clan war? Over a mana-less student?
Varek's face twisted in jealousy. "You'd go that far for this waste of space? Fine! I won't just beat him. I'll cripple him so badly he won't be able to walk off the stage!"
Varek, fueled by rage, didn't wait for tomorrow. He wound up his arm. "Eat this! Flame Palm!"
He launched himself at Valdorian. It wasn't a duel; it was an assault. The fireball in his hand roared, aiming straight for Valdorian's handsome face.
"Valdorian!" Liya screamed, her ice magic flaring too late.
Valdorian sat there. He didn't blink. He watched the fire approach.
In that split second, the world slowed down.
Deep within the seals of his soul, the Sovereign's combat experience—honed over a billion years of conquering realities—leaked out. Just a drop.
'Amateur,' a voice echoed in his mind. 'Footing unstable. Breath irregular. Too much wasted motion.'
Valdorian's body moved on its own.
He didn't use mana. He didn't use speed. He used efficiency.
As Varek's flaming hand came within an inch of his nose, Valdorian simply tilted his head to the right. The fire singed his hair, but missed his skin.
Varek's eyes widened. He dodged?
Valdorian didn't stop. As Varek's momentum carried him forward, Valdorian extended his leg. It was a subtle, almost invisible trip. At the same time, he raised his hand and lightly tapped Varek's shoulder—hitting a pressure point that mortals shouldn't know existed.
Thud.
Varek's arm went numb. His balance collapsed. He face-planted spectacularly into the stone floor, sliding five meters and crashing into a garbage bin.
Silence. Absolute silence.
Valdorian sat back down and took another sip of tea. "A bit spicy," he commented to Liya.
Varek groaned, trying to stand, but his arm hung uselessly at his side. "You... what did you do?!"
"You slipped," Valdorian said innocently. "The floor is slippery when it freezes. Right, Liya?"
Liya stared at him. She knew ice didn't make people's arms go limp. She saw the tap. It was precise. Surgical.
"Yes," Liya said slowly, playing along. "He slipped."
Varek scrambled up, his face red with humiliation. "This isn't over! Tomorrow! In the arena! No luck will save you there!" He ran out, clutching his arm.
Liya turned to Valdorian. Her eyes were searching his face. "Val... that wasn't luck."
"Of course it wasn't," Valdorian winked. "I have excellent balance. Now, finish your tea before class starts."
That Night.
Valdorian's Dorm Room.
Valdorian lay in bed, staring at his hand.
"Why did my body move like that?" he whispered. "I didn't think. I just... knew."
A strange sensation pulsed through the room.
Hummmm.
Valdorian froze. He looked under his bed.
He pulled out the "scrap metal" he had kept since he was a baby. The pitch-black, rusted sword. It was vibrating.
For the first time in 18 years, the rust on the hilt cracked. A piece fell off, revealing a surface so black it looked like a tear in the fabric of the universe.
[System Activity Detected.]
[Host adrenaline spike recorded.]
[Seal Integrity: 99.7%.]
[Weapon 'Nihility' is awakening from slumber.]
Valdorian touched the exposed black metal. A shockwave of cold, ancient energy rushed up his arm. It wasn't mana. It was something... heavier.
"What are you?" Valdorian asked the sword.
The sword didn't answer, but for a brief moment, the shadows in the room seemed to bow toward him.
Tomorrow was the Assessment. And for the first time, Valdorian had a feeling he wouldn't be able to stay a "sleeping dragon" much longer.