Thunder That Shakes the Heavens
"Boom!"
A single thunderclap split the heavens, rolling like the roar of an ancient God.
The Astral Forest, once bathed in tranquil sunlight, darkened in an instant. Above the vast canopy, the sky churned as if a cosmic beast had opened its maw—dark clouds spiraled outward, swallowing light and sky alike. Bolts of thunder writhed within the storm like crimson serpents, streaks of blood-colored lightning pulsing with a destructive hunger.
Felberta stared upward, her pale fingers curling into trembling fists. Even her voice—normally cool and commanding—wavered.
"N-Nux… your final lightning calamity… are you sure you'll survive this?"
Nux blinked, momentarily startled. In all his years beside her, he had never once heard the Moonborn Dragon Queen stammer.
She pressed on, her voice cracking despite herself. "I'm asking you, Nux! Say something!"
For an instant, he didn't answer. The girl who towered over the magical beasts of Spirita, who could cow even the Mountainborn Ape-Lord and Skyox Serpent with a glance, stood before him now with wide, violet eyes filled with raw fear. And somehow, that sight dragged him back—to another life.
Earth…
He still remembered flashes of it: a world of iron and glass, of endless nights and ceaseless noise. No matter how many centuries seemed to pass here, he had never forgotten where he came from. Spirita was not his home—but it had become his battlefield.
No "time-travel cheat." No ready-made system. Only himself. Only the relentless grind to survive. And yet fate had laughed and given him a form unmatched even among magical beasts: the Trisight Dragon, the Emperor of Auspicious Beasts.
Born with impossible talent. His very presence elevating beasts around him. Untouched by natural enemies. Untouchable… until now.
And Felberta—so cold and imperious to others—had been a strange companion. The Moonborn Dragon Queen herself, coaxed into laughter, even warmth, by his human wit. They had grown close, closer than either had meant to. But now…
Another thunderclap cracked the air. "Boom!"
The sound jolted Nux back into the present. Felberta's lips were pressed tight, her violet eyes never leaving him. "Nux… are you sure?"
He let a breath escape, calm and unshaken. "What if I'm sure? What if I'm not? When soldiers come, I block them. When floodwaters rise, I dam them."
Felberta bit down on her lower lip so hard it trembled. She clenched her fists tighter—then felt his warm hand close over hers, gently prying open her fingers.
"Relax," Nux murmured with a smile. "It's just a little calamity. I'll break it."
She shook her head violently, memories flickering like shards of light in her mind. The God Realm's cruelty. The endless suppression of magical beasts. Her voice turned sharp, almost a hiss.
"The God Realm has no virtue! They won't even allow us to ascend. This isn't just a tribulation—it's a slaughter. You think they'll let you survive your million-year calamity so easily?"
Nux only smiled faintly, black hair whipping in the rising wind. He raised his head to the heavens, every line of his tall frame radiating defiance. "Fel, it's not like you and I don't know what kind of bastards sit in the God Realm. If they want to make it hard for me—let them come. I'm not afraid."
For a moment, she stared at him—the man who stood as if carved from iron, black hair wild against the storm, eyes blazing like twin stars. Her silver hair rose around her like a banner, their gazes locked. And for the briefest heartbeat, her chest tightened.
"Boom!"
The clouds boiled. Blood-colored thunder-dragons writhed through the sky, their roars shaking the earth. Across the Astral Forest, millions of magical beasts trembled, bowing low to the ground as an oppressive, ancient force pressed down upon them.
Nux rose, his body lifting into the storm, his voice rolling out like thunder.
"This calamity comes for me alone. Be still. Do not panic!"
The command reverberated for miles, calming even the wildest hearts. Yet Felberta could only watch, her violet eyes wide. "Nux! How likely are you to overcome it?"
He glanced back at her over his shoulder, a playful glint sparking in his gaze despite the swirling doom above.
"Actually? Not so sure…"
Her breath caught.
"…It's just one hundred percent."
"You—!" She stomped her foot on the silver platform beneath her, silver light flaring with the motion. "You're going to die and you still have time for jokes?!"
But the teasing fell away as he turned back to the storm, his expression hardening.
"Watch closely, Fel. What I'm about to do today… isn't merely overcoming the tribulation."
His voice dropped to a growl that echoed through the clouds.
"I'm going to overturn the sky."
She froze, her breath stalling. In that moment, she understood—perhaps for the first time—why she had let this man under her guard. He had no reverence for the God Realm. No chains around his heart.
"Boom!"
The sky split. Blood-colored thunder-dragons rained downward, each bolt the size of a mountain, promising annihilation. Across the forest, despair flickered in countless eyes. Even the Skyox Serpent and Mountainborn Ape-Lord exchanged glances heavy with dread.
"Brother…" the Ape-Lord rumbled, clutching the serpent's tail. "Can Lord Beast God really shatter such a storm?"
"Idiot!" the Skyox Serpent hissed, tail lashing the ground. "Look at those clouds. That's not a tribulation—it's a death sentence. Even Lord Beast God…"
He trailed off, eyes dimming. "How can any beast defy the sky? And yet… that pride. We can only bow our heads and hope."
"Hold your head high!"
Light exploded.
A phantom soared upward—a divine beast a thousand feet tall, scales blazing with golden fire, claws carving arcs of light. Its roar split heaven and earth as it hurled itself not away from the thundercloud but straight into it.
The Skyox Serpent's jaw dropped. "By the stars… he's charging it?!"
Felberta's scream tore across the sky. "Nux, are you insane?! What are you doing—igniting your soul core? You'll burn away your million years of cultivation!"
"Crash!"
The Trisight Dragon's phantom plunged into the heart of the blood-red storm, golden flames clashing with crimson thunder. The sky itself seemed to rip apart under the collision. Then—
Light.
Pure and dazzling.
The thunder vanished. The clouds shredded like paper, sunlight flooding the Astral Forest once more. The stars beyond gleamed as though nothing had happened.
"It's done! It's really done!" the Mountainborn Ape-Lord bellowed, voice shaking with exhilaration.
"Shut your mouth, fool!" The Skyox Serpent's tail slammed across his back. "Can't you see? Lord Beast God burned his soul core… he's—he's gone…"
The Ape-Lord froze, his massive body trembling. "No… no way…"
Felberta hovered in the sky, her hair whipping in the quiet wind, scanning every inch of the clearing below. A crystal tear slipped down her cheek. She didn't even feel it. Her fists clenched until her nails bit into her palms, drawing blood. Her voice was ice.
"God Realm… you slaughter my kind, and now you destroy the one I…" Her lips trembled, blood seeping where she bit down. "I swear I'll bury you."
Then her voice broke, twisting into something raw. "Dog man… if you couldn't do it, you could've asked me for help! Pretending to be dead just to look impressive—bastard!"
"Who's the jerk?"
She froze. "Nux…"
"Hm? Who's talking?" she murmured, eyes darting wildly. Then she saw it—suspended beside her, a twenty-four-petaled golden lotus blooming in midair, its petals glimmering like molten sunlight. It pulsed with a heartbeat she could feel in her chest.
Her pupils shrank. What is this? She'd never seen anything like it—neither gold nor jade, yet radiating an aura that was both sacred and alive.
Then a familiar voice—muffled, irritated—drifted from within.
"Little Fel, mind explaining what you meant by 'pretending to be gone'?"
Her eyes widened. "Nux? You're inside? What is this—what happened?"
She reached out and brushed the lotus with her fingers. It was solid yet warm, a material beyond her understanding. Her heart raced.
"Take me back to the cave first," the voice inside said, half-exasperated, half-weary. "I need time to recover. I'll explain everything once I'm safe."
Even as he spoke, another voice echoed inside his mind, cold and mechanical.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for finally transforming into human form. Wife Taking System has officially begun binding!]
[Ding! System bounds successfully!]
[Ding! Host may now obtain God-tier rewards by raising the favourability of Goddesses through his strength. Task target locked—]
Felberta's eyes blazed as she clutched the lotus close, her heart hammering. Whatever had just begun, she knew one thing for certain: the man she thought lost had just stepped into an even greater destiny.