NOVEL NEXT Chapter 141: Expelled?
Rudos, Felix, and Irina's eyes widened at the sudden revelation.
"What! Ryuzen is a dragon?" Irina exclaimed in disbelief.
Felix only chuckled, crossing his arms. "Well, I'm not too surprised. I always thought his fire-breathing skill was abnormal… this clears everything up."
Rudos slapped his forehead and laughed. "Haha… everything makes sense now."
But then, as if remembering something, his expression darkened with suspicion.
"Wait. If that's true, then what you told us about Captain Luthor's death doesn't add up. What exactly happened that night?"
The room fell silent. Everyone turned their eyes toward Ryuzen. They had wondered about it before, but now the pieces didn't fit. If he was really a dragon, why hadn't Azathoth killed him too? Why had it only targeted Luthor?
The six commanders exchanged glances, their understanding unspoken.
Finally, Noah stepped forward, his eyes narrowing on Ryuzen. His voice carried the weight of judgment.
"We already knew Luthor wasn't a dragon. So why don't you clear this up for us? What really happened that night? Tell us, Ryuzen… did you kill Captain Luthor?"
The air turned heavy, so dense it felt like a mountain pressing down on Ryuzen's shoulders.
Dama's sharp eyes drilled into him, glittering with accusation. Lugh's usual smirk faded into something colder, more calculating.
Even Aurora, who had defended him moments ago, wore a look of wary silence.
Dama leaned forward, her laughter gone, voice dropping into a low growl. "Answer us, boy. If Azathoth wanted dragons dead, why did it leave you breathing that night?"
The weight of their doubt crashed over Ryuzen like a tidal wave. He could almost hear his own pulse hammering in his ears. That night—the night Captain Luthor fell—flashed vividly before him. The Void Lord. The darkness.
Venus instinctively stepped forward, but Noah raised a hand, silencing her. His booming voice shook the chamber.
"Don't shield him. This is his trial. If he lies, we'll know. If he speaks the truth, we'll decide what to do with it."
Six pairs of eyes locked onto Ryuzen, suffocating him with their collective pressure. It wasn't just suspicion—it was judgment.
Finally, Ryuzen lifted his chin. His golden slit-pupiled eyes burned with restrained fury. "You think I killed Luthor?"
Noah's gaze didn't waver. "We think you're not telling the whole truth."
The silence stretched like a blade across the room.
Ryuzen's fists clenched, his claws threatening to pierce his palms. "Luthor died because of me… but not by my hand." His voice cracked, raw with emotion, yet steady in its conviction. "That night, Azathoth didn't come for him. It came for me. He saw it first—he chose to stand in the way. He… he bought me the time to live."
Aurora's eyes softened, but she said nothing.
Rudos's brows furrowed. "So you admit it. You were the real target."
"Then why?" Rudos snapped, his suspicion burning hotter. "Why spare you? Why did he let a dragon live?"
Ryuzen's lips curled into a grim line.
"Fine… you want the truth? Then listen closely."
The room tensed as his voice dropped lower. He no longer tried to hide it. Before the eyes of these legendary commanders, another lie would only make things worse.
He told them everything—how Luthor had stumbled upon his dragon form, the shock and fury in the man's eyes, the fight that followed, and how Luthor was ultimately defeated.
"But when he tried to retreat toward the camp…" Ryuzen's voice hardened. "Azathoth appeared. I tried to save him, but Luthor became a sacrifice caught in the crossfire. In the end, I barely escaped using a rare ability. That's all there is to it."
The room fell silent. The juniors exchanged uneasy glances, while the commanders' expressions grew unreadable.
Felix's eyes narrowed. "So you're telling us… Captain Luthor didn't die by your hand, but by Azathoth's?"
"Yes." Ryuzen answered without flinching.
Dama frowned, her voice cutting like ice. "Convenient, isn't it? He saw your dragon form, and the very next moment, he's dead. How do we know you're not just twisting the truth to cover yourself?"
Ryuzen's golden slit eyes flickered dangerously. "If I killed him with intention, I wouldn't be standing here confessing it to you now."
Lugh leaned forward, suspicion still sharp in his gaze. "And this ability you used to escape—why won't you tell us about it? What are you hiding, Ryuzen?"
"I don't owe anyone the secrets of my survival," Ryuzen snapped back. "What matters is that I'm alive—and so is the junior Blood Legion. Would you rather I died with him?"
The tension thickened, the air charged with hostility.
Then Nimo finally broke the silence, his voice deep and steady like an abyssal bell.
"He speaks the truth."
Everyone turned to him, startled.
"You mean you're certain?" Noah asked, brows raised.
Nimo nodded slowly. "His words carry no falsehood. Luthor fell in Azathoth's presence. The boy's bloodline saved him. Nothing more, nothing less."
The commanders exchanged heavy looks.
Ryuzen drew in a breath and met their gazes, unshaken.
"So…what now? Will I be getting expelled from the Blood Legion?" Ryuzen asked, his voice calm yet heavy with challenge.
The commanders hesitated, silence stretching unbearably.
Venus suddenly stepped forward, her face tightening. "If he's getting expelled, then I want to get expelled as well." Her tone was fierce, protective—like a sword drawn in defiance.
The room froze.
Irina's hand clenched into a fist. Her voice trembled with stubbornness, but her resolve was iron. "I'm not staying either. If Ryuzen is out, then I'll leave too."
Mikael whistled low, grinning. "Well, looks like you've got yourself some loyal girls, Dragon boy."
Dama slammed her palm on the table, her voice booming. "Do you three even understand what you're saying? This isn't a game! The Blood Legion is bigger than one boy, bigger than your friendships. You're ready to throw it all away for him?"
Venus shot back without hesitation. "He's not just 'one boy.' He's the reason I'm still alive today. If you think I'd abandon him over a technicality, then you know nothing about love and loyalty."
Irina added sharply, her eyes blazing, "You talk about the Legion being bigger than us, but what is the Legion without trust? If we betray our own at the first sign of trouble, we're already nothing."
Aurora raised a brow, leaning back with arms folded, amusement tugging at her lips. "Hah… fiery little brats. I like it. But you're not making things easier for us commanders."
Nimo's voice finally cut through the heated air, calm yet resounding. "Enough. None of them will be expelled. What Ryuzen carries is not a curse, but power. And power like his… belongs to the Legion, not outside it."
The room stilled again.
Ryuzen's golden eyes flicked toward Nimo, then to the others. He let out a low breath, half relief, half wariness.
"So it's settled then," Noah said, chuckling as if to break the tension. "The Dragon stays… and so do his shadows."
"But… can you two at least show us your Dragon form?" Aurora said, her eyes shining with anticipation, almost like a child begging for a storybook to come alive.
The room went dead silent.
Ryuzen's gaze snapped toward her, his golden eyes narrowing. "You… want me to reveal it here? In front of everyone?"