"Hmph!" Muria felt two warm streams of liquid flowing from his nostrils. He wiped them away gently and looked at his hand—dark red, viscous blood glistened before his eyes.
"How pitiful!" It wasn't just his nose; Muria could feel warm liquid trickling from the corners of his eyes and his ears as well. This was the price he paid for communicating with the world's will.
"But it was worth it!" Even though his body felt on the verge of collapse, Muria's lips curled into an uncontrollable smile.
"Hahahaha!" He couldn't suppress his joy any longer, tilting his head back and laughing loudly. At the same time, deep within his heart, his true form—eyes tightly closed and body curled up—slowly opened its eyes. A similar smile spread across its face.
Then, from the center of his true body's forehead, a drop of golden blood emerged, shining brilliantly before shattering into countless golden beams that shot outward.
Simultaneously, Muria's Ikonan reincarnation, with its black hair and blue skin, began to change. A series of divine patterns glowed on his skin, but starting from his chest, golden light began to spread, gradually overtaking the pure white patterns.
His once black eyes slowly transformed into golden slitted pupils, and a palpable sense of majesty radiated from him, spreading in all directions.
His body also started to undergo changes. His bones grew, extended, and reinforced themselves, while his muscles expanded and tore apart under the strain of newfound power, only to heal and grow stronger once more.
For the first time, Muria understood what his subordinates felt when he bestowed his blood upon them. The increase in power was exhilarating, but the fundamental transformation of his body brought immense pain.
In short, it was a painful yet joyous experience. After Muria's brief communication with the world's will, his true form had been partially unsealed, allowing him to exert some of his original power in this world.
Muria chose to release a drop of his true form's blood and merge it into his reincarnated body, enhancing its foundation and granting it greater strength.
Boom!
A golden beam shot into the sky from the area where Cloudview Peak's divine tree stood, its immense force stirring the surrounding clouds. A staggering pressure spread from the divine tree across Cloudview Peak.
All the powerful creatures and Ikonans living on the mountain were alarmed. The Ikonans, in particular, reacted with fervor. Those who could still move frantically rushed toward the divine tree's location.
When they arrived, they saw a sacred figure bathed in golden light standing above the tree. Behind him, a massive golden halo slowly rotated.
The overwhelming pressure that spread across Cloudview Peak, compelling every living being to submit, emanated from this figure.
The Ikonans looked up at this presence with awe and confusion, unsure of how to react. They witnessed their revered divine tree resonating with this being, as streams of what their King Ur called "radiant power" continuously flowed from the tree into the figure, steadily increasing his strength.
At that moment, a large, purple-black beast with wings flew in from the distant palace, accompanied by its attendants. The beast fixed its gaze on the golden figure in the sky, its eyes filled with uncertainty.
Meow!
Meisha let out a tentative cry, feeling a strange but oddly familiar energy from this powerful presence. Its curiosity piqued, it cautiously observed the figure.
"Meow King, you've come just in time!"
Weakened from his earlier communication with the divine tree, Muria now felt like his body was about to burst after merging with a drop of his true form's blood.
In fact, his body was nearing its limit. Like a cup filled to the brim, it couldn't contain any more power.
Of course, his impending collapse wasn't due to the drop of blood he had merged with. Muria had full control over the amount of power his body could handle. He knew exactly how much energy he could safely integrate.
The problem was that, as he neared his limit, the divine tree beside him was far too enthusiastic. It didn't care whether he could handle it or not, recklessly absorbing the radiant power of Cloudview Peak and pouring it into his body.
"Get over here, now!" Muria shouted in delight when he saw his curious companion, Meisha, approaching. He had just found a way to release the overwhelming energy surging within him.
But as soon as Meisha heard Muria's call, it flapped its wings and instinctively backed away, then turned to flee. Something felt wrong.
"Not listening, huh?" Muria wasn't going to let Meisha get away. He reached out with his hand, and the winds around Meisha shattered instantly.
Thunder rumbled, and countless bolts of lightning erupted around Meisha, forming a chain that bound the massive beast and pulled it toward Muria.
Meow!
Feeling the irresistible power gripping it, Meisha let out a despairing cry and drooped its wings and legs in defeat, completely resigning itself to its fate.
Crackling!
The blue-white lightning chain connecting Muria and Meisha began to change, with the source of the transformation being Muria himself. Golden lightning surged from his body, and ferocious golden serpents of energy snaked along the chain toward Meisha.
In the blink of an eye, the lightning serpents reached Meisha's body, coiling around it before merging into its flesh.
Meow!
A pained howl escaped Meisha as the serpents, brimming with immense energy, began to transform its body. Similar changes to Muria's began manifesting in Meisha's body. Golden patterns spread across its purple-black skin, and its dark eyes gradually turned gold.
Because of its dragon-like form, Meisha's transformation went even further than Muria's. As its body grew larger, smooth scales began to appear on its skin—black with golden patterns.
Two bumps formed on Meisha's once-cute, harmless-looking head. These bumps grew larger and sharper, eventually breaking through the skin as two black horns emerged, dripping with fresh blood.
Roar!
The rapid growth of scales and the sudden emergence of horns—these bodily transformations, akin to a complete reshaping, inflicted unbearable pain on Meisha.
But these external changes were only part of the story. Inside, Meisha's skeleton was forcibly twisted and reshaped by a domineering power. New bones sprouted alongside the old, and its organs underwent similar transformations. New ones even formed in its throat.
Meisha was evolving from a dragon-like creature into a true dragon.
Roar!
As its life form was continuously elevated, Meisha let out a deep, resonant roar, each cry more powerful than the last. The roar attracted the attention of its attendants, the Phantom Knights.
But like the Ikonans, the Phantom Knights were equally baffled by the sight of their king's transformation. In their confusion, some made a bold decision—they rushed forward, attempting to sever the lightning chain connecting their king to Muria, hoping to end the king's suffering.
By then, Meisha had realized that its voice had returned to its original roar, even stronger than before. With a sweep of its now-scaly tail, it effortlessly knocked away the knights trying to intervene in its evolution.
Roar!
Whether in pride or warning, Meisha let out another roar, this time directed at its confused attendants. Gaining strength and growing larger didn't matter—what mattered was that its voice had returned, and its presence was becoming more majestic.
"It's a shame, though. Such a cute voice, gone after evolving!" Muria sighed with a hint of regret. Truthfully, he had grown fond of Meisha's previous meows.
"King Ur?"
When Muria finished merging his true form's blood and completing his advancement, the Ikonans who had been watching cautiously approached. They stared at the now somewhat familiar face and tentatively called out.
"Don't be too surprised. I've grown stronger with the divine tree's help," Muria said truthfully, using the most authoritative explanation to justify his new appearance. "This form is thanks to the divine tree!"
"Oh, great Mother Hader..."
Upon hearing Muria's words, all the Ikonans immediately knelt, their faces filled with reverence and fervor as they worshipped the divine tree, which was about the same height as Muria.
"Why are you worshipping it? It just lifted a small part of the restrictions on me!" Muria, now standing at a towering five meters tall with black hair and golden totemic patterns across his body, thought to himself with mild exasperation.
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