Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
The group didn't stay long in the human city.
Tohru transformed back into her dragon form and carried the others as they flew toward dragon territory.
Along the way, Setsuna marveled at how fascinating this world truly was.
Not only was there human civilization, but also settlements of demi-humans, beastmen, merfolk, and other races.
The forests, seas, and skies were teeming with strange and exotic creatures—
Sea monsters, griffins, wyverns, harpies... all the unique beasts of a fantasy world were on display.
Truly a vibrant, living world of fantasy.
But in Tohru's presence, nearly all living things fled in terror.
Beastmen barred their gates and shivered, merfolk dived into the sea, griffins screeched as they flew far away...
Dragons were overwhelmingly powerful beings in this world.
"Do you... eat them often?"
Setsuna teased Tohru.
"Commander! That's the natural order—dragons hunt for food when hungry!"
"Just like lions hunting antelope! It's totally normal!"
Tohru defended herself with a pout.
"Ever meet any real threats here?" Mio asked.
"Rarely."
Tohru thought about it.
"Poseidon, Hades... and the human gods were tough."
Her strength exceeded most beings. Her opponents were typically gods or demigods.
Unless she deliberately sought trouble, she had no real natural enemies here.
After chatting a while—
They crossed mountains and oceans, finally arriving at Tohru's homeland.
A mountain range hidden amidst clouds.
Dragons of various shapes and sizes soared overhead, greeting Tohru in their language.
"The Emperor of Demise is just ahead."
"He seems to be waiting for us," Kanna pointed forward while huddled in Setsuna's arms.
Whoosh—
Tohru landed in a secluded clearing.
Before them stood a massive red dragon with horns, easily many times larger than Tohru.
Its body was covered in dense scales, and its crimson eyes locked onto the group with an oppressive gaze.
The Emperor of Demise.
Leader of the Chaos Faction.
Tohru's father.
An immensely powerful entity who championed destruction and ruin.
He was known for mercilessly eradicating his enemies.
The red dragon raised his head high, looking down on the group with regal arrogance.
"You're back, Tohru."
His voice was deep and commanding, fitting for a proud ruler.
"Tell me—where have you been lately? And who are these people with you?"
He glanced at each of them. Kanna, a dragon, was familiar.
But Setsuna and Mio carried power foreign to this world—
He couldn't see through them, but instinct told him they were far from ordinary.
Absolutely not normal humans.
Fwoosh—
Tohru reverted to her humanoid form, clinging to Setsuna's arm with pride.
"He's a human... well, kind of?"
"This is my Commander—my husband and mate!"
"???"
The Emperor of Demise was stunned.
"Husband?! Mate?!"
"Tohru, are you joking?! Where have you been these past two years?!"
He snorted, jets of breath flaring from his nostrils.
Several other dragons circled down from the sky, landing around Setsuna and Tohru.
Normally, intruders into dragon territory would be incinerated instantly—but Tohru deserved some face.
"I'm serious!"
Tohru stood tall.
"The Commander saved my life! He took me to his world!"
"Oh?"
The red dragon tilted his head slightly.
Over two years ago, after Tohru was gravely wounded in her failed challenge against the gods, the Emperor of Demise had searched high and low for her.
He scoured this world and the human realm, all to no avail.
For a time, he thought the gods had slain her.
Now reunited, there was a flicker of relief in his eyes. His expression toward Setsuna softened slightly.
Flash—
A red light shimmered.
The dragon transformed into a tall man wearing a crimson coat, with a gray beard, standing before the couple.
Speaking in human form was his way of offering basic respect.
"You saved Tohru?"
"Mhm. Piece of cake."
Setsuna nodded casually.
"Where are you from? What faction do you represent?"
The Emperor of Demise asked cautiously.
"My identity, huh..."
Setsuna paused, thinking about which title to use.
"I'm the Emperor of the Starsea Empire, Commander of Azur Lane, Master of Chaldea, Conqueror of the Akame ga Kill and Demon Slayer worlds, Leader of the Fleet of Fog, Husband of the Spirits from Date A Live, Destroyer of the Black Bullet World, Savior of Lolis, Master of Angeloids, and the Nightmare of the Master of Synapse..."
"???"
The Emperor of Demise was stunned.
What kind of bizarre and domineering list of titles was that?
Even Tohru and Mio looked surprised.
"Commander, where did all these titles come from? What do you mean by 'Savior of Lolis' and 'Nightmare of the Master of Synapse'?"
The Spirit of Origin whispered curiously.
"Gudako came up with those. I think they suit me."
"..."
The Emperor of Demise took a long moment to digest it.
He finally pulled out the relevant bit.
"Commander? So you lead a faction?"
"Exactly! The Commander is even more powerful than you!"
Tohru didn't hesitate to take Setsuna's side.
"He built a civilization from the ground up and now leads his people across the multiverse."
"Not just between our world and the human realm—I'm talking true multiverse conquest."
She gave a concise version of her journey:
Failing to defeat the gods, being saved by Setsuna, returning to the capital, and then traveling across worlds with him.
Compared to the dull endless war between Chaos and Order, this life was far more thrilling.
"..."
The Emperor of Demise fell into contemplation.
He could tell she wasn't lying. Everything Tohru said rang true.
She hadn't been this happy in ages.
When talking about Setsuna, her eyes lit up as she proudly listed his feats.
Conquering a human world was child's play for the Emperor. He simply chose not to, given greater threats.
But to create a civilization from nothing, build starships, and conquer other worlds? That was beyond comprehension.
Dragons had little regard for weak humans. But a leader who could conquer worlds? That was someone the Emperor didn't immediately reject.
From what Tohru described, Setsuna's methods even sounded... similar to his own.
"Human. Show me what you can do."
The Emperor stared at Setsuna.
He wanted to know what kind of power had earned his daughter's devotion.
"Alright."
Snap—
Setsuna snapped his fingers.
Fwoosh—
The silhouette of the Eternal Snowfall appeared overhead.
The ten-kilometer-long starship blanketed the sky, causing an uproar among the dragons.
Their hundreds-of-meters-long bodies looked puny in comparison.
It was a technological marvel like none they'd ever seen. Its sheer scale emanated an oppressive aura even to dragons.
"A summoning technique?"
The Emperor of Demise was puzzled.
He'd seen summonings of familiars, elemental beings, and skeleton armies.
And the stronger the summoned creature, the more complex the rituals required.
To summon a colossal starship out of thin air without any casting process was beyond absurd.
"You could see it that way," Setsuna said casually. "But the Eternal Snowfall is part of me. I control it directly with my will."
He had no intention of explaining Mental Cube technology. A simpler analogy would suffice.
"A puppet technique, then..."
The Emperor of Demise pondered, vaguely understanding what Setsuna meant.
"How powerful is it?"
"The main spinal cannon of the Eternal Snowfall can pierce through a continent. At full power, it could destroy a small planet."
Setsuna answered calmly.
"Impressive. I suppose you're qualified to stand beside Tohru."
The Emperor nodded slowly.
His dragon instincts told him this man was speaking the truth—and being entirely forthright.
Using destructive power as a metric for strength was perfectly reasonable in his view.
As the leader of the Chaos faction, he wouldn't allow his daughter to marry some feeble, ant-like human.
A man with the power to annihilate planets certainly counted as strong.
"And the Commander will only become stronger! He'll definitely surpass you one day!"
Tohru pouted, clearly displeased with her father's superior attitude.
Leaning against Setsuna, she spoke with conviction.
"Oh? Based on what?"
The Emperor snorted, thinking his daughter was simply infatuated.
"When it comes to technological creations, all we have to do is improve the tech and upgrade the Eternal Snowfall."
Setsuna explained briefly.
"We don't need to train like mages or dragons. Even those without talent or noble bloodlines can benefit from technological advancement."
"Hmm?"
The Emperor grew intrigued.
He knew much about the arcane arts.
In this world, everyone's power ceiling was fixed at birth—determined by species and innate talent.
Dragons were naturally superior to all other beings, in both strength and intellect.
Spells they casually weaved took human mages lifetimes to understand.
The concept of surpassing natural limits through external tools was new to him.
"Tell me more. What else do you have on your side?"
The Emperor conjured a table and chairs, inviting Setsuna to sit.
"Glad you asked."
Setsuna brightened, opening a holographic interface.
"Right now, Eternal Snowfall uses standard spinal cannons. We're working on colossus-class tech—even bigger planet-killer ships."
He began introducing the mad science of Paradox war criminals.
"This is a Neutron Sweep. It floods a planet's surface with neutron radiation, wiping out all life and organics while preserving buildings. Very efficient for exterminating alien pests."
"Hmm..."
The Emperor nodded slightly.
Calling a weapon 'efficient' aligned very well with his own philosophy.
He liked some of those high-efficiency spells too.
"Next, the World Cracker. It fires high-energy beams straight into a planet's core, blowing the entire thing to bits. Perfect for turning your enemy's homeworld into raw materials."
"Excellent..."
Hearing that Setsuna was researching such apocalyptic weapons, the Emperor was even more pleased.
His pursuit of overwhelming power and ruthless destruction fit the Chaos faction's ideals perfectly.
"Then there's the Devolving Beam. It emits a particle stream that scrambles genes and neural pathways, reducing enemies to primitive, instinct-driven husks."
Setsuna continued.
"Wait, what?! What's the point of lowering their intelligence?"
The Emperor frowned.
"Obviously, for easier management. You capture them, plug them into the grid as bio-generators, turn them into humanoid batteries."
"Or genetically modify them until they taste like crispy chicken, can them, and sell them to other alien civilizations."
Setsuna said matter-of-factly.
"?"
A question mark slowly appeared above the Emperor's head.
Feeding the power grid? Canning enemies as food? This was a little too cutting-edge for him.
"And if that's not enough destruction, we also have the Star-Eater. It destroys stars, collapses suns into black holes, erasing entire solar systems."
"If your enemies can't flee between planets, they're toast."
"??"
The Emperor was momentarily speechless.
He wanted to say: We just want to wipe out the Order faction. Why the hell are you blowing up stars?
"Oh, and there's the Endgame Wonder: the Aetherophasic Engine. Once activated, it drains the power of the Void Realm (The Shroud), allowing your entire civilization to ascend to the highest dimensional level."
Setsuna continued.
"The tradeoff is that the universe gets destroyed by the engine's backlash. But since I can punch through dimensional walls, I'll just use it in someone else's world..."
"???"
The Emperor of Demise was silent for a long time.
What was this man planning?
What kind of tech tree did he unlock? Was it always this terrifying?
Starting with continent-level annihilation, then stars, then solar systems... and now he's talking about erasing entire universes?
And apparently he could destroy more than one?!
Are you seriously not a bit too extreme?!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven