When the plot-skips players into the game world

June 25, 1899, Parthian Ancient Country, 2:18 AM.

The future history is destined to remember this moment.

In the deep and tranquil night sky, a dazzling silver radiance suddenly flashed.

A thunderclap echoed across the desert sky.

All the people in the world—not limited to Transcendents, but all intelligent beings—heard that thunder at the same moment.

Those who were sleeping were all jolted awake at the same time.

It wasn't because the sound was so enormous, but because the violent tremor of the Dream Realm expelled everyone who was sleeping from the Dream Realm.

And if they looked at the night sky, they could see it turned an abnormal white. It was as if the clouds in the deep night had transformed into the steaming smoke of dry ice, making the night as bright as day.

Strands of silver-white lightning, as thick as giant pythons, rolled within the frozen clouds, interspersed with a few net-like blood-red forked lightning. The furious dragon roars resounded continuously from above the sky.

The Dream Realm continued to influence the Material Realm, and the Material Realm itself was also influencing the Dream Realm.

The victory in Heaven City had indeed changed the battlefield of the Dream Realm.

Just like the days when Arthur led the Knights of the Round Table to Avalon, proving that Authority is a form of violence more advanced than brute force... The Benevolent Lords who ruled the Parthian Ancient Country through the theory of the Path of Authority also met with disastrous failure due to the death-defying revenge of the Red Hand Gang.

When the outcome of this war was mapped onto the Dream Realm through a ritual, it finally caused the Crown Lord, who had been suppressed by the Calamity Demon Dragon for a long time and barely maintained Balance, to fall.

At this moment in the Dream Realm, the giant Ice Mountain where the Crown Lord once lay had completely shattered.

One red and one white dragon were biting each other in the sky—they were originally one person, now split into two entities.

One is the Red Dragon with the true name Arthur.

That one adhered to the Path of Love and Transcendence, more inclined to the identity of "Angel Envoy of the Serpent Celestial Marshal," the Calamity Demon Dragon.

The other is the White Dragon with the true name Voldemort, who used Arthur's name to descend to the Material Realm.

His self-identification leans more towards the identity of "Crowned Celestial Marshal"... a Silver-Crowned Dragon escalated to the status of Pillar God by crusading against the Giants.

—But neither the Red Dragon nor the White Dragon was their true self.

"The Crown Lord... didn't send the Knights here..."

Aiwass stood in the Holy Temple of Heaven City, looking up at the starry sky, murmuring softly.

Although Aiwass's left eye could only see the clouds, his right eye could see through them into the combat in the Dream Realm.

The Red Dragon and the White Dragon were tearing each other apart; it was a primal, beast-like brawl. No one drew the Sword that symbolized the Knights; both sides fought to the death in the most brutal and violent way.

Claws, dragon tails, grappling, striking—and Dragon Breath.

And as scales and blood shed, they turned into meteors falling toward the earth.

—That is the meteor shower of the Crown Lord's seat.

Besides Shasha, there was also Aleister, whom he summoned—someone who, in a way, is Shasha's birth mother.

It wasn't that Aiwass wanted Aleister to do anything.

He just thought... that at least at this moment, having Aleister witness this scene with him was quite meaningful.

Because the relationship between Arthur and Voldemort mirrored that between Aiwass and Aleister.

Now, the relationship between Aiwass and Aleister had become as close as family, while the bond between Arthur and Voldemort had deteriorated to a life-and-death struggle... Perhaps this was due to the Serpent Celestial Marshal's craftsmanship being inferior to his mentor Hourglass, or maybe it was intentional by the Serpent Celestial Marshal.

"After all, the Crown Lord didn't want them to die meaninglessly,"

Aleister also looked up at The Star, casually saying, "After all, they're all 'Arthur'. Once the Red Dragon occupies the Seat of the Pillar God, they're merely getting a new boss. How much does high-level conflict have to do with the working people anyway?"

"This also means that the Crown Lord doesn't believe he can win in his heart."

Aiwass murmured softly, "That alone means he's at a disadvantage."

The Crown Lord is extremely competitive—as the Pillar God of the Path of Authority, he is the most powerful and haughty monarch in the world. Although he can also reflect on himself, he will not allow any form of doubt.

If the Crown Lord believes he can win, then he will certainly call upon his Round Table Knights to help him in battle.

This is a "righteous brawl." Although it may sound a bit shameless, this is precisely the combat style of the Path of Authority.

Just like the "Preservation Arts" and "Excavation Skill" of the Path of Dusk, the "arts" of the Path of Beauty, the "spells" of the Path of Wisdom, and the "Alchemy" of the Path of Balance... the esoteric knowledge of the Path of Authority is called the "Art of Leadership."

It is mysterious knowledge about how to rule and manage others. It includes both tangible and intangible teachings on behavior and speech, as well as mind control, telepathy, memory search, intimidation, contracts, and other content involving extraordinary powers.

——A follower of the Path of Authority without subordinates is no different from a general without soldiers, or an emperor without ministers.

When the Silver-Crowned Dragon chose not to deploy the knights, his defeat was already certain.

"Once, human warriors followed the Path of Strength of the Supreme Heaven and became the 'strongest' among humans..."

The voice of the Lord of Scalefeather rose softly beside Aiwass.

Aiwass turned around and saw him also with hands behind his back, gazing at the sky with him.

The Lord of Scalefeather calmly said: "And at that time, Arthur realized the limitations of humans.

"Even if humans train to the extreme and reach the fifth energy level of the Path of Strength, they still cannot compete with giants and dragons of the same level. This is an innate, absolute unfairness from birth.

"He wanted to transcend this limit. He thought of many methods... such as using a magic potion to enhance his muscles, or equipping alchemical devices externally on his body, or augmenting himself with blessings through divine arts, or learning the combat skills from the Path of Adaptation that push the body's potential to the limit...

"However, all of this failed. Strong is strong, and weak is weak. A warrior of over a hundred kilograms can never contend with a dragon weighing dozens of tons, even if the young dragon is only at the fourth energy level... its strength is already several times superior to a fifth-level warrior. He revered the Path of Strength, aiming to gain power surpassing all.

"Just as a baby, no matter how many drugs it takes, cannot tear apart a Gundam with bare hands—unless the baby grows as large as the Gundam."

The Lord of Scalefeather hinted: "And the Serpent Celestial Marshal gave Arthur an opportunity. To let this baby become as large as the Gundam—even to personally pilot a Gundam."

That was the original motivation for the Crowned Celestial Marshal to become a dragon.

To slay dragons with a mortal's body, to absorb the dragon's essence with the power of an Ascension Sorcerer... thus becoming a dragon.

"When he was still mortal, he could kill a dragon; so how powerful was he when he became a dragon? No one dared defy him. Even the emperor of the Helasal Empire at that time surrendered his crown, throne, and authority to this dragon."

When everyone is utterly terrified of the ruler, the governance runs particularly fast. And if the ruler is incredibly strong, this fear quickly transforms into admiration and pride.

"The Helasal Empire's present territory was conquered by the Crowned Celestial Marshal in the past. He was really powerful... enduring numerous assassinations and curses that couldn't shatter his mighty body or his absolutely correct rule. Eventually, he broke through the world's barriers physically, entered the Dream Realm, and became the Crowned Celestial Marshal of the Path of Strength—since he wasn't resurrected from the Source River, even the Supreme Heaven had no chance to strike him."

The Lord of Scalefeather spoke leisurely: "But a great warrior who admired, envied, and coveted the grandeur of a dragon's shell when he was still human... how could he bow to the Supreme Heaven?

"Just as dragons surpass humans, Pillar Gods surpass Celestial Marshals. He once seized the dragon's shell; why couldn't he go further and seize the Seat of the Pillar God?

"Thus... the plan of the Serpent Celestial Marshal arose. It was the first ceremonial execution of the Ring of Ouroboros, a trial operation mode of the Ring of Ouroboros... half of the Crowned Celestial Marshal was severed and placed into an ordinary human body. He named his reborn self 'Voldemort'—meaning 'Great Lord,' 'Supreme King,' which is essentially the original meaning of 'Crown' in 'Crowned Celestial Marshal.'

"But when he regained a human shell and reacquired the ability to dream and progress... his ambition began to swell. Perhaps he could be more than Voldemort... perhaps he could also be Arthur? Perhaps he could be the Crowned Celestial Marshal?

"Perhaps... he could become a future Pillar God? A monarch would not wish to share power, and so is Voldemort."

At this point, the Lord of Scalefeather glanced at Aiwass and Aleister.

The implication was clear.

If one tries to rule over another self as a monarch, that other self will also wish to rule over them; if one loves another self as a lover, that other self will love them too.

Just as the Serpent Celestial Marshal wants to kill Aiwass, and Aiwass wants to kill the Serpent Celestial Marshal.

Overly similar "Twin Mirrors" will inevitably lead to a repulsive reaction to each others' attitudes.

"——And this notion is the beginning of the entire story."

The Lord of Scalefeather sighed: "Today is the end of the story.

"Just like a drop of wine or a spoon of wine dregs, cannot return to being a grape...

"Whether it is Arthur or Voldemort, even if they devour each other, they cannot return to their former selves."