Beneath the vast expanse of sky, a serpentine dragon with powerful, muscular wings soared gracefully. Its innate mastery over the wind shielded it from the rushing gales, leaving an unnaturally calm, windless zone behind its body.
On its broad head stood a black-haired, golden-eyed boy, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an aura of command and composure. Behind him, perched on the dragon's neck, sat a blonde-haired girl, grinning ear to ear like she'd just won the lottery.
"Stop laughing already! You look ridiculous!"
Muria, with little to occupy his mind amidst the uneventful scenery, found his attention drawn to the overly cheerful girl behind him.
"You're about to ruin my mother's image for me. If you keep acting like this, how am I supposed to face her when her consciousness wakes up?"
"Sonny boy, you've made so many of my dreams come true. How could I not laugh?"
Unfazed by his words, the girl continued to beam, her tone laced with delight.
"Honestly, I've finally realized how amazing it is to have power. When you're strong enough, you can do whatever you want."
"That's true," Muria replied matter-of-factly. "With enough strength, nothing can stand in your way." As a Titan by blood, he too adhered to a philosophy that revered strength above all, though not with the same single-mindedness as pure Titans.
"You know," Arina mused, resting her chin on her hands, "it's not just about being strong yourself. Having a ridiculously powerful son works just as well."
She glanced at Muria with a cheeky smile. Thanks to him, even the most outlandish fantasies she'd entertained as a child had been brought to life.
"Hmph," Muria snorted softly.
After using his overwhelming strength to single-handedly secure the marriage of Arina's brother to his commoner lover, Muria had asked if there were any other unfulfilled wishes she had. Adding fuel to the fire, he'd said, "Even if it's something unrealistic, just tell me."
Arina, half-jokingly, had quipped, "I want to be an empress for a few days."
True to his word, Muria had taken her directly to the imperial capital. Without bothering to hide his presence, he stormed the heart of the empire—a sprawling kingdom that governed a vast portion of this world.
With no divine-level powers present to challenge him, Muria easily overpowered the empire's defenses using his epic-level control over legendary-tier strength. As a result, Arina found herself seated on the throne, utterly dumbfounded, fulfilling her whim of "being an empress."
Under Muria's watchful eye, she lasted less than three days in the role before fleeing from the throne as though it were cursed. She handed the reins of power back to the original emperor, who remained bedridden from his injuries, unable to rise.
"Son, thank you for indulging me in my nonsense. I never thought you'd actually make my wildest daydreams come true," Arina said with genuine gratitude.
"It's nothing," Muria replied simply.
"To think, I always believed being an emperor would be the most comfortable job in the world. Turns out, it's exhausting," she remarked with a sigh, recalling the grueling days she spent as empress.
"If you're a self-indulgent, incompetent ruler, then yes, it's an easy life. But a diligent, responsible emperor bears the weight of an entire nation. They're the most overworked person in the empire," Muria explained, turning to face the girl who now seemed lost in thought.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration. Despite her seemingly carefree demeanor, Arina had made a genuine effort to govern responsibly during her brief stint as empress. Perhaps it was the lingering influence of the golden dragon consciousness buried deep within her.
"But how could an emperor only think of themselves?" Arina replied, tilting her head quizzically. "That wouldn't be right."
"No, it wouldn't," Muria agreed with a small nod.
"Jordan, the chieftain wants you to come back."
Amidst a chaotic cacophony of beasts' cries and roars, a giant approached another giant, who was engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand battle with a massive beast. The messenger's booming voice barely managed to rise above the noise.
"Tell him to wait. I'll come after I finish this fight," the pale-skinned giant called back without turning, his voice thick with exhilaration. He was utterly immersed in the primal thrill of combat, showing no signs of stopping.
"It's urgent! There's an invasion, Jordan. The chieftain sent me to summon you immediately!"
"What?" The pale-skinned giant, Jordan, froze momentarily. The word "invasion," long absent from his tribe's lexicon, was enough to snap him out of his bloodlust.
With a single hand, he grabbed the beast he had been grappling with and hurled it aside. The massive creature skidded across the ground, carving a trench into the earth before coming to a halt.
"An invasion? Who would dare invade us now?"
The giant, whose perfectly proportioned physique was etched with sharply defined muscles, looked genuinely puzzled. As far as he was concerned, every creature within the tribe's territory had already been subdued under his fists.
"It's a group of peculiar little beings. They look somewhat like us, but they're tiny and ridiculously weak—like the caterpillars that nibble on grass."
The messenger struggled to describe the invaders, gesturing with his massive hands as he spoke.
"Weaklings like that are invading us? Why bother calling me, then? Such feeble creatures aren't worthy of being called enemies."
"It's not that simple, Jordan. These little beings might be weak, but they have strange steel contraptions. The attacks from those contraptions hurt—a lot. Many warriors have already been injured."
"Weaklings wielding steel weapons that can harm our warriors?" Jordan chuckled, his interest piqued. "Alright, let's go. I'd like to see these caterpillars capable of wounding giants."
Roar!
As the giants began to leave, the beasts Jordan had been pummeling refused to back down. One particularly stubborn creature, its body battered and bleeding, roared defiantly as it limped toward the pale giant.
Just as the beast lunged, its gaping maw aiming for Jordan's waist, his iron-hard fist came crashing down on its skull.
The impact sent shards of broken teeth flying, and the beast's head twisted grotesquely under the force of the blow. It swayed unsteadily for a moment before collapsing to the ground.
As the creature's consciousness faded, it vaguely heard the giant muttering: "Patience, patience. Can't kill them all—otherwise, I'll have no sparring partners left."
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