After surviving the assassination attempt, Aegon no longer needed to report to the Demon-Hunting Knights' headquarters on the Isle of Faces. Instead, he quietly waited for the situation to unfold.
Maegor's decision to send Aegon to the Demon-Hunting Knights had always been part of a larger scheme—to seize control of the order. Now, with the White Party caught in the scandal of kinslaying, they had walked straight into Maegor's trap. He pressed the advantage, forcing them to surrender authority over the Knights.
After the shock of the incident, both the commander, Little Aegon, and the vice commander, Viserys, found their positions hanging by a thread. The turn of events perfectly aligned with the plans of Aegon and Jaehaerys. Their pro-human alliance now had the chance to take control of a formidable armed force.
...Inside the inner court, Aegon was fully devoted to studying Davos's Explosive Sword Technique—a style that masterfully harnessed the properties of magic energy for devastating power, strong enough to threaten even the dragonborn.
Aegon possessed top-tier V-rank magic and an astounding 199 points of magic energy—enough to place him among the strongest of his kind. In his hands, the technique became even deadlier, his most decisive trump card. Explosions frequently echoed from the training grounds, the sound of his relentless practice.
During one such session, Aegon noticed something unusual—his vitality had risen noticeably since the battle at Xinhu Town, from 91 points to 93. Though it was only a two-point increase, it still gave his overall strength a meaningful boost.
His mind drifted back to that fight. When he had faced Viserys's lead blade, his dragon magic had entered a semi-awakened state. Although the Driftwood Crown of the Drowned God had forcibly pulled him back into human form, the half-awakening had left permanent changes to his body.
The thought struck him:
"If I were to enter a half-awakened state again, then use the Driftwood Crown to return to human form, and repeat this process... could I keep raising my stats? Could this be a hidden bug?"
Without hesitation, he acted. Aegon locked himself in his room, took the Driftwood Crown from his system's item space, held it in his palm, closed his eyes, and pushed his magic energy to its limits.
A torrent of magic surged from deep within, rising around him like steam. In the Knights' ranking system, his magic energy was V-rank, a staggering 199 points—on par with the dragonborn. Such reserves might have come from an atavistic trait in his bloodline, or perhaps from the mysterious eyes of Visenya.
This immense power granted him many strange abilities, including the capacity to freely mimic the magic energy traits of others.
The pressure of his magic energy was so great that the stone slabs beneath his feet cracked and splintered, fractures spreading outward like a spider's web. His body began to change—the corners of his mouth split open to reveal sharp fangs, and a pair of fleshy wings tore through the skin of his back and shoulders. From them, steel-like feathers grew one by one, gleaming coldly in the light.
He could feel every shift in his body. When a strange spiritual force began to gnaw at his consciousness, he knew the time had come. His magic energy was at 90% activation; any further and he would fully awaken, losing himself forever.
Without a second thought, he placed the Driftwood Crown upon his head, bracing against the power threatening to spiral out of control.
A strange, androgynous voice boomed once more in his mind. He forced himself to ignore the maddening whispers and felt the magic energy within his flesh being crushed down by a mysterious green force—like a caged beast—slowly retreating deep into his body.
"Why does the Drowned God's power clash so violently with dragon demon magic? Are the powers of foreign gods inherently incompatible with those of local deities?" Aegon wondered.
Moments later, his magic energy was fully suppressed, and the cold steel wings on his back withdrew into his body.
Opening his chip interface to check his stats, he saw that his vitality had risen again—now at 94 points.
"Sure enough, I've improved a little!" Aegon thought with quiet satisfaction.
"Aegon, what are you doing in your room? The imperial guards are here asking why you're fully activating your magic in the Red Keep," Rhaena's voice came from outside the door.
"Nothing, just testing a combat technique. Tell him to go back and report," Aegon called back.
He moved to the window, gazing at the guards outside his chambers, and sank into thought.
"It seems there are dragon kin in the Red Keep skilled in long-range sensing... or perhaps Maegor and Visenya themselves can detect magic energy from a distance."
Closing the window, he removed the Driftwood Crown and, without hesitation, activated his magic awakening again.
Just before reaching full awakening, he quickly placed the crown back on his head.
He repeated the process several times. The voice of the Driftwood Crown in his mind grew fainter each time, as if calling from far away.
When his vitality finally broke past 100 points, a sharp crack rang out. A fissure split across the crown, and the green seaweed twined around it had withered to a dull yellow.
Aegon understood at once—this vital tool was on the verge of breaking, its divine power nearly drained.
Breaking the 100-point mark meant he had surpassed the natural limits of his species, gaining a rare chance to upgrade his talent—and possibly gain an entirely new one. His [C-Class – Dragon Demon (Unawakened)] talent shifted into [C-Class – Dragon Demon – King of Burning Steel].
According to the records of the New Citadel's mystics, the "power of kings" had always been a hallmark of the dragonborn.
Although his Dragon Demon talent hadn't advanced in grade, it now carried an unprecedented royal power. But for now, he was still exploring, unsure how to wield the Burning Steel.
He guessed this Burning Steel was akin to Aenys's Silver Power or Viserys's Platinum-Lead Power, with similar functions. He even wondered if the magic nature behind Davos's formidable Explosive Sword Technique was an incomplete form of royal power—perhaps gained when Davos broke the human species limit, but never perfected due to the weaker awakened flesh he had transplanted.
Taking up his steel sword, Aegon tested the new ability.
The blade didn't change form, but he felt a distinct connection to it—as though a pulse beat at its core, like a heart pounding within.
He didn't yet know the exact effect, but he was certain its power would be remarkable.
...In the days that followed, Aegon threw himself into relentless sword training while also probing the mysteries of the Burning Steel.
Meanwhile, negotiations between the White Hall and the Red Party over Viserys finally reached a conclusion.
The White Party stood firm, refusing to hand over the Demon-Hunting Knights. To them, Viserys, despite his standing as a dragonborn, was now nothing more than a pawn to be sacrificed.
The Red Party, cornered, proposed a compromise—a trial by combat.
If the White Party won, Viserys would be acquitted. If the Red Party won, Little Aegon would surrender his position as commander of the Knights, and Viserys would be executed.
Knowing the Red Party's dragonborn fighters were far too powerful, the White Party added a crucial rule: no dragonborn could participate.
Once the wager was set, both sides began choosing their champions.
Maegor, without hesitation, named Prince Aegon for the Red Party. His performance at the Battle of Heart's Bounty had been witnessed by all—escaping the combined assault of a high-ranking Awakened One and a dragonborn proved his strength. In the rankings of all dragon kin, he was easily within the top five.
For the White Party, Queen Rhaenys chose Larissa Velaryon, ranked No. 1 among the Demon-Hunting Knights and hailed as the strongest dragon kin.
Larissa, born of House Velaryon, had been close friends with Rhaena since childhood, inseparable until, at age twelve, she was suddenly summoned back to Driftmark and then vanished.
Years later, she reemerged in the Knights, challenging and defeating the top-ranked member with overwhelming force, seizing the position as the order's strongest warrior. From then on, the name "Speed Sword Larissa" spread throughout the Targaryen dynasty.
When Aegon learned he would face trial by combat in seven days, he was surprised. He hadn't expected Viserys, after pushing things so far, to still have a sliver of hope.
He immediately summoned the royal court's current Master of Whisperers to gather intelligence on Larissa.
In Maegor's ten years of rule, nearly all of Aegon's old ministers had been replaced. Queen Mother Sharra of the Vale was now elderly and infirm, resigning her position and returning home. The former Hand, Lord Torrhen of the North, had gone back as well—rumor had it he had transplanted a piece of Maegor's awakened flesh to maintain his strength against the wildlings, becoming a dragon kin himself.
Had the realm's lords known the truth of the awakened ones, a man like Torrhen would surely have rebelled upon learning Maegor was eating human flesh.
The current Master of Whisperers was a woman from Pentos, deeply connected to Maegor—his lover. They had met when he first took the throne, during a rebellion in the Western Protectorate, and at court she was known as Tyanna of the Tower.
Tyanna was striking, with raven-black hair and skin pale as snow—a true beauty.
After speaking with her briefly, Aegon found his first impression of her to be quite favorable.
"You mean the awakened flesh transplanted into Swift Sword Larissa actually came from the Emperor?!" Aegon asked, his face full of shock.
Tyanna gave a slight nod to confirm, then picked up a cup of milk tea, took a small sip, and said unhurriedly, "I once obtained some fragmented remnants of Blood Sorcery from the bastard son of a Valyrian Dragonlord.
I was one of the main developers behind the transplant surgery your Dragonkin now use.
I know better than anyone where the transplanted flesh comes from.
"When the Emperor and the Silver King fought their final battle, a small amount of blood and flesh was left on the battlefield. Most of it was consumed in later research, and only a small portion remained, which became the source of power for a few Dragonkin.
Perhaps it was because House Velaryon already carried the blood of the Dragonlords.
Among all the test subjects, only Larissa survived."
Aegon frowned.
"Then what exactly is the Swift Sword? What makes it special, and where does its strength lie?"
Tyanna replied calmly, "The essence of the Swift Sword is actually an expression of the Emperor's ultimate regenerative ability.
Before his awakening, the Emperor's body was in rapid decline due to illness. But after awakening, he gained not only an extraordinary power of recovery, but also merged with the strange power contained within the plague in his body.
This regeneration is incredible—severed limbs can grow back as if they were never lost."
"When a dragon descendant awakens, the ability they gain is often shaped by their deepest desires and their physical condition.
Perhaps at that time, the Emperor's most urgent wish was to regain mobility and restore his health, and so such terrifying regenerative power was born within him.
"To perform the Swift Sword, the user must use magic energy to stimulate the arm muscles to an extreme far beyond what most Dragonkin can endure.
Only the Emperor's near-indestructible regeneration could sustain such a technique.
Anyone else attempting it would have their arms crippled in an instant."
"Through overclocking her body with magic energy, Larissa's speed and strength surpass all other Dragonkin. Even dragon descendants can't match the speed of her sword.
"For example, someone like Viserys—whose strength is on the weaker side—wouldn't last more than a few exchanges against her."
Aegon nodded slightly, muttering, "A sword skill this strong truly deserves the title of the strongest Dragonkin."
He pondered for a long time, searching for a way to counter the Swift Sword, but found nothing.
As the saying goes, in all martial arts, nothing is unbreakable—except speed.
The Swift Sword's sheer speed alone could defeat most opponents.
From a purely technical standpoint, he saw no real flaw in it.
Still, he thought his V-level magic perception might give him some advantage.
But he knew full well: even if he could sense the opponent's sword path, if his body couldn't match their speed, there was no way to evade—it would be useless in the end.
That was the true terror of a fast sword: there was no real defense against it.
Seeing Tyanna still sipping her tea with composure, Aegon suspected she might know a way to break it.
He looked at her expectantly.
"Is there any weakness in this sword technique?"
Tyanna smiled faintly.
"No."
Aegon nearly hurled his teacup at her head. Acting so calm when she had no solution—he had thought she'd at least have some clever plan.
Then Tyanna set her cup down.
"Her sword technique may be flawless, but… we have a treasure that can counter her extreme regeneration."
Aegon put down his cup as well.
"What treasure?"
"The Emperor's Spine Sword," Tyanna said seriously.
She clapped her hands lightly, and two imperial guards outside entered, carrying a two-meter-long black wooden sword case. They handled it with extreme care, placing it on the tea table between them.
Tyanna's lips curved into a faint smile as she took out a golden key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently. With a few clicks, the lock popped open.
She slowly lifted the lid, and at once a sharp, foul stench hit them.
Caught off guard, Aegon sneezed several times.
His eyes locked onto the weapon inside—a strange sword made from a spine.
The blade was formed from segments of bone-white vertebrae, joined seamlessly as if they had grown that way naturally. Following its length, it resembled a winding white-bone serpent.
Each vertebra had rib-like branches curling around the spine, giving the weapon a look both terrifying and grotesque.
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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