Chapter 251: Ch 250: So Close and yet So Far

"We are so close! Just a little bit more and we will be at the center. Does anyone feel sick?"

Seraphina asked as she erected a holy barrier around the group. Leon was cutting a way through the corruption while the Saintess was making sure they would be able to get through this annoying pressure.

They truly were the saviors of the human race, and Kael felt bad that he had not helped them out in his past life when he had the chance to.

But that was why Kael intended to make it up to them in this life.

He could see that Seraphina was starting to falter, so he quickly grabbed her hand to steady her.

Seraphina looked startled by his sudden touch and looked back at him, only for Kael to flash her a reassuring smile in return.

"Don’t worry. You can do this, Seraphina. I believe in you and your strength."

Kael assured her, and Seraphina nodded before continuing to move forward slowly.

The corruption was so dense now that it was impossible to see where they were going, so Leon cut through it all using his holy aura, and for a second, they caught a glimpse of the dragon emperor.

"Brother-"

The female dragon on top of Kael yelled as she pointed in the direction. Then, it was only a matter of following her instructions, which should be easy enough.

It was a slow process, but they somehow made their way to the center of the corruption and looked at the suffering dragon.

The poor thing looked like he was about to die at any second, and Kael felt sorry for him. He reached out to touch him, but Seraphina tugged his hand back.

"Don’t reach out and touch that dragon. He’s filled with corruption. At worst, it might end up possessing you as well."

Seraphina’s concern made Kael pull his hand back, and he nodded.

"Tsk, so now that we are here, what are we supposed to do? I doubt we can cure this beast of the corruption. The best thing we can do for him is kill him."

Lyra pointed out in a tired voice as she rubbed her forehead. The effects of the corruption were getting to her as well. But weirdly enough, she was handling the situation too well for a demon.

"Don’t say such stupid stuff, Lyra. If we kill the dragon emperor, then we will instantly make enemies of every dragon. We need a way to purify him."

Elena reminded the demon queen, causing Lyra to turn toward her with an annoyed sigh.

"You...can you not try to correct me for one second? Ugh, forget about it! Anyway, what are we going to do about this situation?"

She asked, not wanting to talk to Elena anymore.

But she did have a point. What were they supposed to do about this situation in the first place? There was not much that came to mind...

"Should I try to purify the dragon emperor? I know that it’s considered impossible, but if I try in earnest, then I-"

"Seraphina, have you gone mad? You might be the Saintess, but even you do not have an endless supply of divine energy inside you. You will drain yourself dry pouring divine magic into a black hole. It would be far better to let the dragon emperor rest in God’s embrace."

Leon pointed out, and the female dragon let out an unconscious growl at that thought.

She quickly caught herself, and she even knew that Leon was right in this regard. There was nothing that could be done for her brother.

But her instincts were not ready to lose her brother yet.

"I...is there truly no other way we can do this? I know that my brother is not in the best condition, but he has a divine blessing. If we invoke it-"

"There is no way we can do anything at this point. The only way we can help is if the dragon emperor’s authority shifts and we clean this place up-"

Kael started to speak when he suddenly paused as if he had an idea.

The female dragon understood what he wanted from her all of a sudden, and she quickly shook her head to show that she was not ready to agree to his proposal.

"No! I know what that look means, and I do not agree with it! The dragon emperor’s authority is sacred, and one cannot take it by force-"

"But you can challenge your brother for it, right? The demon queen’s authority is also something that is given by the gods, but that does not mean one is born into that role. You all have just never tried to claim it yet."

Lyra told the female dragon before she grabbed her and brought her over to her brother.

"You see your brother’s cold and lifeless body. Don’t you want to save him? This might be your only chance to do so. Are you still going to hesitate?"

The demon queen asked in a low but seductive voice, and it made the female dragon pause. She knew that Lyra was right, but that did not mean she fully agreed with her, and—

"Your hesitation is not only putting your brother, but the whole dragon race, in danger. Now, make a choice. Would you like to inherit the authority, or watch your whole race suffer?"

Lyra was playing the villain, and she was playing a very convincing one.

Even Kael had to admit that he found Lyra terrifying when she acted like this. So there was no way the female dragon would be able to handle this pressure.

"I...if I do this, will the dragon race truly be saved?"

She asked in a low voice, and Lyra nodded.

"As long as you remain strong and don’t lose yourself, it will be fine. I also lost my way once, but I was able to pull myself back because I had someone who believed in me. You should be able to do the same as well."

Lyra told the female dragon, and she finally nodded before placing her hand on her brother.

"I will save my brother! I promise I will do it!"

And then, the challenge began.