A Body Forged by Heaven's Wrath
(Mission target locked, Soulforge Citadel: Supreme Empress Evelyn!)
(If you succeed in conquering Queen Evelyn's heart, you can get: True Number One Beast Spirit in the World!)
(Current mission progress: 0%)
Leon wasn't surprised when the system prompt echoed in his mind.
If anything… it felt overdue.
He had been waiting for this moment for a very, very long time.
Inside the quiet glow of the Genesis Lotus, his consciousness drifted calmly, untouched by panic, untouched by regret. Outside, the world had just witnessed what looked like his death—but to him, this was the beginning.
In fact, he had known about the system long ago.
It wasn't something that suddenly appeared.
It had always been there… silent, watching.
Waiting.
But the system was picky—no, cruelly strict.
It required a human body to bind.
And back then?
Leon had already cultivated for three hundred thousand years as the Five Eyes Fortune Dragon. His existence had long surpassed ordinary limits. Transforming into a human wasn't something he could casually choose anymore.
So the system waited.
And so did he.
That's why…
He endured.
He cultivated.
He pushed himself without pause, without mercy, all the way to the million-year threshold.
Not to become a god.
But to become something greater.
"Finally…" Leon murmured inwardly, a faint smile forming in his thoughts. "Everything lines up."
Other ferocious Magical Beasts chased ascension.
They dreamed of stepping into the God Realm.
Of becoming beast gods.
Of immortality.
Leon?
He didn't give a damn about that.
Because he understood something they didn't.
Ascending wasn't freedom.
It was just another cage.
A bigger one.
In the God Realm, Magical Beasts were still looked down upon, still suppressed, still forced into the lower ranks. Even someone like Anna—the Crimson Dragons Empress—had to hide her strength and wait.
So why would he go there… just to bow his head?
No.
If he was going to rise—
He would rise on his own terms.
So, he had long planned to use this catastrophe.
To destroy his old self.
And rebuild.
This twenty-fourth-grade sacred golden lotus—now known as the Genesis Lotus—was the key.
A treasure given by the system.
A weapon against fate itself.
Its purpose was simple… and insane.
At the peak of the million-year calamity, when the Heaven descended with its full wrath, the lotus would activate.
It would preserve his true spirit.
Then—
It would devour everything else.
The lightning.
The destruction.
His million years of cultivation.
All of it.
Crushed.
Refined.
Reborn.
Into something entirely new.
If an ordinary body was mortal…
Then what he would forge—
Would be something beyond even divine.
A Primal Divine Body Physique.
A body the world had never seen before.
A body that had never existed… not even in ancient legends.
Even Leon himself couldn't fully grasp what it would become.
And that?
That excited him.
"Let's see what kind of monster I turn into…" he thought, amused.
Sure, the Five Eyes Fortune Dragon was powerful.
Absurdly powerful.
But even that…
Would mean nothing in the God Realm.
There, strength had layers.
And he refused to be at the bottom of any of them.
Besides…
There was another reason.
A much simpler one.
"…I've been cultivating for so fucking long," he muttered internally.
Day after day.
Year after year.
Century after century.
Enough was enough.
"It's time to live a little."
His thoughts drifted lazily.
Love.
Women.
Chaos.
Maybe even beating that so-called chosen one…
"Yeah…" Leon chuckled softly. "That sounds a lot better."
His awareness flickered to the system panel again.
The mission target.
Supreme Empress Evelyn.
He raised a brow.
"Conquer her heart, huh…"
That would be hell for most people.
The ruler of the Soulforge Citadel.
A woman feared across Coreland.
Cold.
Untouchable.
Dangerous.
But for him?
Leon smirked.
They had already crossed paths.
More than once.
And not under normal circumstances.
"Not impossible," he concluded calmly.
Then—
Another thought.
"What the fuck is this 'True Number One Beast Spirit'?"
His curiosity spiked.
Was it stronger than everything he knew?
Stronger than the Prime Dragon Emperor Inner Spirit?
If not, it'd be disappointing.
"…It better be worth it," he muttered.
Beneath the lake in the core of the Starfall Woodland—
Hidden deep within silence and ancient power—
Was Anna's domain.
Her private chamber.
Her world.
The cave was vast, yet simple.
Elegant, but not excessive.
A massive jade bed rested near the wall, its surface smooth like still water. A round table carved from emerald agate stood nearby, faintly glowing in the dim light.
At the center—
A square pool.
Filled with spiritual liquid.
Mist curled upward endlessly, rich with life energy so dense it almost felt tangible.
And within that pool…
The Genesis Lotus floated quietly.
Golden.
Radiant.
Alive.
"It's cheap for you… these are all my treasures."
Anna's voice carried a hint of annoyance as she stood nearby, arms crossed, her crimson eyes fixed on the lotus.
Her long red hair fell over her shoulders, catching the soft glow of the cave. The curve of her figure—full chest, narrow waist, long legs—was outlined subtly by the dim light, but her expression remained tight, controlled.
"Now you can explain to me what's going on."
She sat down beside the table, elbows resting on it, chin supported by her hands.
Her eyes blinked slowly.
Curious.
Suspicious.
And just a little… relieved.
Leon gave a concise explanation.
No system.
No deeper secrets.
Just enough.
"I didn't want to ascend, so I chose to reshape and rebuild. This golden lotus is the treasure that can help me reshape and rebirth."
Anna's brows instantly furrowed.
"Are you stupid?" she snapped. "You could've succeeded in overcoming the calamity! Why the hell would you stab the Heaven like that?!"
Leon didn't answer.
He just let her vent.
Because he knew—
This wasn't anger.
It was fear.
"Do you know that if you succeeded, you would become a god?!" she continued, her voice rising slightly. "You would stand above everything!"
"What's so good about becoming a god?" Leon asked calmly.
Anna froze.
Then quickly replied—
"Becoming a beast god means ascending to the God Realm! You can live forever!"
She even counted on her fingers, like she was listing treasures.
Cute.
Ridiculously cute.
But also… stubborn.
"Yes, the God Realm has everything, but..."
Leon paused.
Then said quietly—
"The God Realm does not have you."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Anna stood there.
Frozen.
Her crimson eyes trembled slightly.
"You… what did you just say?"
Her voice was softer now.
Unsteady.
"Nothing."
Leon brushed it off.
Too casually.
Too quickly.
Anna's expression shifted.
Something warm flickered—
Then disappeared.
"Then you're very capable," she said coldly, masking everything. "So why did you poke the Heaven to seek death?"
Leon replied lightly—
"Then when I shattered it… were you happy?"
That hit.
Hard.
Anna's breathing faltered.
Her body trembled slightly.
Emotions surged.
Uncontrolled.
"Millions of years of cultivation… gone…" she whispered. "Was it worth it?"
"Why don't you ask me if I regret it?"
"Then do you regret it?" she asked immediately.
"Not regret."
That answer—
Shattered something inside her.
She was about to speak—
"Hahahaha!"
Leon's laughter suddenly echoed from the lotus.
Bright.
Carefree.
Breaking the tension instantly.
"Why are you laughing?!"
Anna frowned, brushing her hair back in irritation.
"You're impossible—"
Leon's voice came again, teasing.
"Silly girl… I was just teasing you. My transformation has a purpose."
Anna's eyes ignited.
"You—! You're playing with me?!"
She stood up immediately, clearly annoyed.
Leon chuckled.
"By the way… did you feel like you fell in love with me just now?"
Anna froze for half a second.
Then scoffed.
"Heh! I, Anna, don't understand human love. Fall for someone? Impossible in this life."
Leon let out a relieved sigh.
"That's good. I was worried you'd fall for me. If I end up liking other girls, you might chop me with a hatchet."
Anna's expression stiffened.
"Don't be ridiculous! Why would I fall for you?!"
Leon laughed lightly.
"Yeah… I'm not good enough for you."
She opened her mouth.
Almost said something.
"…Bastard."
But in the end—
She just snorted coldly.
And looked away.
Yet deep in her eyes…
Something lingered.
Leon fell silent.
His thoughts turned inward.
His system…
His path…
It was inevitable.
He would walk among women.
Form bonds.
Increase favorability.
That was his road.
"…Sorry, Annie," he thought quietly.
Then—
A promise.
"When you become a god… I'll help you crush them all."
What he didn't know…
Was that dragons never believed in one partner.
Three days later—
The cave trembled slightly.
The spiritual liquid in the pool had completely vanished.
Every drop.
Absorbed.
The Genesis Lotus spun violently, radiating blinding golden light. Spiritual energy from miles around surged inward like a tidal wave.
The air screamed.
The ground hummed.
And then—
There was a bang!