"Rumble!" Dazzling scarlet lightning descended from the rolling clouds, becoming the sole light in the dim forest.
Red lightning is unique to the Ancient Dragon race. The ability to use red dragon lightning is even more authoritative in distinguishing Ancient Dragons from flying dragons than merely differentiating them by their appearance.
"Roar—" Lanssangx let out a long, powerful dragon's roar. Manifesting her dragon form made her extremely comfortable.
Her strong, powerful dragon tail swayed uncontrollably behind her. The massive tail, covered in pure white dragon scales, swept through the forest, snapping even the thickest trees like reeds in a storm.
"Quiet down! Too noisy!" Yu Jin pulled Lumine and Paimon, who had turned into statues, in front of Lanssangx and tapped her front claw.
"Sizzle!" The dragon lightning covering Lanssangx's body spread to Yu Jin, giving him a jolt.
"And you, put away that dragon lightning. Transforming and still releasing lightning, I don't understand you dragons."
Yu Jin said, looking at Lanssangx, who was covered in leaping scarlet lightning snakes.
"Transformations need atmosphere, alright!" Lanssangx retorted, arguing that simply changing from human to dragon would be undignified.
However, despite what she said, she obediently withdrew the dragon lightning that had spread through the Sky and around her body.
At this moment, Lumine and Paimon could finally see the appearance of this otherworldly dragon through the golden light on Lanssangx's wings.
Rock-like, pure white dragon scales were arranged in an orderly fashion on her body; a faint golden light shimmered from her four wings, whether reflecting the setting sun or due to some power contained within.
Lingering, terrifying lightning still clung to her massive dragon horns, and her downward-gazing dragon head exerted immense pressure on Lumine and Paimon.
If Dvalin was like a wind spirit from a fantasy, then Lanssangx before them was more like a beast, a beast called 'dragon.'
She didn't have Dvalin's light feathers that swayed with the wind, because enemies would pay more attention to her softness than anyone else—only rock-like scales could allow her to survive the battles in The Lands Between.
Lanssangx exhaled lightly, and the pungent, permeating scent made Lumine and Paimon cough a few times.
It was the smell of sulfur mixed with char, and the raging fire within her belly was a weapon more powerful than her dragon claws.
Her twisted, sharp dragon horns were both the source of dragon lightning and a sharp blade.
When the flames ceased and the dragon lightning no longer leaped, they could, along with Lanssangx's mouth full of sharp teeth and gleaming dragon claws, tear enemies to shreds.
There was no room for fantasy on Lanssangx's body; every structure was for greater strength. They combined to form a creature called 'dragon.'
Therefore, when Lanssangx lowered herself to gaze at Lumine and Paimon, both of them, without exception, felt immense pressure.
Lumine subtly swallowed. When she first met Dvalin, he also put great pressure on her, but that was purely pressure of strength. If a human or an ant possessed that power, the feeling would be the same.
But this dragon named Lanssangx was different. Although her aura had been greatly restrained, the pressure she exerted on Lumine was no less than Dvalin's.
Moreover, this pressure was more like the kind an organism feels when encountering a natural predator.
Deep enough to be unforgettable.
However, this pressure quickly dissipated like a gentle breeze. Lanssangx slightly raised her dragon claw, and a gender-neutral dragon voice came:
"The King's friends? Then you are my friends too, Lanssangx. And you?"
Lumine looked at the dragon finger, about her own size, before her. The sharp claws on it still gleamed, making one feel awe.
"Lumine, pleased to meet you, Lanssangx." Lumine extended a hand and shook the tip of the dragon's claw.
It was smooth and cold, like cast iron.
Lumine rubbed her hand as she pulled it back. She had expected Lanssangx's dragon claws to be rough and full of grooves. But unexpectedly, they were surprisingly smooth, cool, and quite comfortable.
"You... hello, my name is Paimon, and I have a very good relationship with him!" Paimon also mimicked Lumine, touched Lanssangx's claw, and then ran to Yu Jin, patting his chest and saying loudly.
"Hey! Quickly say yes!" Paimon, seeing Lanssangx's dragon eyes, protected by high brow ridges, looking towards him, immediately floated next to Yu Jin and whispered.
"Alright, alright, I have the best relationship with you!" Yu Jin pushed Paimon into Lumine's arms and said perfunctorily.
"The King commanded his subordinate to reveal her dragon form, may I inquire what your command is?" Lanssangx spoke, her words immediately formal.
This left Yu Jin full of questions. Do female dragons also have a few days each month where their temperament drastically changes?
"Did you take the wrong medicine? So formal." Yu Jin looked up at Lanssangx. Could she have eaten something here and undergone some strange transformation?
"Didn't you say you valued my identity as a High Priest? I remember priests are like this, aren't they? Are you still not satisfied?" Lanssangx stood on her hind legs, spreading her two front paws like a human.
This shocked Lumine and Paimon again. Shouldn't dragons stand on four legs? Standing on two legs like a human truly broadened their horizons.
If Lanssangx knew Lumine and Paimon's thoughts, she would surely mock their limited experience. Not only could she stand on two legs, but she could also wield a blade!
Back in the day, she could hack her way from the South Gate to the North Gate of the Royal City, one lightning blade in each hand, and she was standing the whole time!
"Your true self is superior to a High Priest, understand?" Yu Jin jumped up and tapped Lanssangx's head, then climbed onto her head and continued: "Take Lumine and Paimon, let's go back to Mondstadt!"
"No problem!" Lanssangx said, then lay down and said to Lumine and Paimon: "If you can't jump that high, you can grab onto the gaps between my scales to get up."
"Mm." Lumine nodded, but she wasn't that weak. She pushed off with her legs, taking a big leap onto Lanssangx's back.
Similarly, Paimon didn't need to, as he could already fly, albeit slowly and at a low altitude.
Seeing everyone ready, Lanssangx stood up and shouted: "All passengers, hold onto the gaps in the dragon scales, we're off—"
"Boom—, Boom—, Boom—" A tremendous roar of wind erupted. Even the largest bellows could not generate such a loud wind.
Dragons possess rock-like scales, and naturally, rock-like mass. For such a colossal creature to fly without external aid, the strength of its dragon wings is unimaginable.
The last sliver of light in the Sky also disappeared. In the darkness, Lanssangx's dragon horns began to glow red, illuminating the three people on her back.
"Wow! It's a never-before-seen landscape!" Lumine tightly gripped the gaps between the dragon scales, looking down.
She saw a sight she had never witnessed before. The land lay in silence and darkness, but in this endless darkness, scattered lights dotted the landscape, making the darkness no longer lonely.
"This is one of the meanings of travel." Yu Jin stood on Lanssangx's back, feeling the howling wind rushing past.
The distant lights were no longer scattered points, but a cluster—that was the location of Mondstadt.
"Senior, why does Lanssangx call you King?" Lumine glanced at Yu Jin, who had his arms spread, and asked curiously.
"Because the King pioneered the future and brought hope," Lanssangx said with a smile.
"Because they are old, and their minds haven't caught up," Yu Jin said, no longer standing, but sitting on the ground.
The Lands Between no longer needed a King. After removing the interference of the Greater Will, the long-standing system of one god and one king, as well as the Two Fingers system, had become outdated in The Lands Between.
As for why people still called Yu Jin 'King,' it was probably because he held a place in their hearts, but they didn't know where to put him.
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