Chapter 22
"...Is the dragon yours?"
The deputy regimental commander's voice was hoarse.
The boy in black really has too many secrets.
He was like a mysterious treasure that suddenly appeared in the world. No one knew his origins; the boy's identity and background were a mystery.
Despite their numerous speculations about the boy's identity, they couldn't find one that matched his appearance. Even their guess about him being the crown prince of the British Empire seemed...
Not enough.
When they looked at the boy, his gaze was fixed on the girl beside him, as if all his attention was on her.
Hughes quickly tightened Xia Qian's cloak, saying, "You'll get cold later."
The moment Hughes finished speaking, the temperature in the air suddenly dropped significantly.
Snowflakes even drifted down from the sky, scattered here and there, one snowflake landing on the tip of her nose, feeling icy cold.
Xia Qian was about to reach out her hands to brush the snowflakes falling on her nose when a large hand reached out even faster than hers.
His fingertips were as cold as snowflakes, yet slightly warmer. They rested warmly on the tip of her nose and gently wiped it away.
Just then, a series of footsteps suddenly came from behind.
Before the deputy commander and commander could turn around, respectful voices came from behind them in unison, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The regimental commander and deputy commander were taken aback. "Your Highness?"
The regimental commander and deputy regimental commander turned around and looked in the direction from which the sound came.
That was a formidable force, a legion of knights composed of extremely high-level superhumans, whose combat prowess was no less than that of any mercenary group.
They were all clad in silver-gray mecha uniforms, with an emblem representing glory engraved on their chests—a giant sword, a giant sword surrounded by fire. The commander recognized this symbol; it was the symbol of the Empire.
Fire represents the bright flames bestowed upon the empire by the gods in its early days, while the greatsword represents the first kingdom established by the empire's founder. The flames burn and the sword remains ever-powerful; together, they form an everlasting empire.
The imperial legion respectfully nodded to Hughes and even addressed him as His Highness the Crown Prince!
What does this mean?
At that moment, they realized that the young man in front of them was not actually unknown.
He is very famous.
So famous, yet they were actually not worthy of speaking to him at all.
The shadow guards, leading a group of men, came to a steady stop in front of Hughes and Xia Qian. "Your Highness,"
Before Hughes could respond, the leader of the Shadow Guards led his group of Shadow Guards to kneel down on one knee to apologize to Hughes.
Their faces, which had always been expressionless, were now bowed in shame. "Your Highness, we have not been able to find any trace of the flame."
An open flame only appears once every thousand years, and it only lasts for one hour, but now half an hour has already passed.
The guardian beast, the fire dragon, is right here, so why is there no flame?
The empire initially rose to power through open-fire methods, surpassing the United Kingdom and becoming unrivaled.
Although they no longer need open flames, they are still their symbol. Not to mention how troubled they would be if that flame representing the empire were extinguished...
Hughes's purpose in coming out for this training is to obtain the Bright Flame and silently replace the empire's dying flame.
However, Hughes didn't seem to be in a hurry at all.
There was only half an hour left before the flame went out!
Seeing the self-reproachful expressions on the faces of the shadow guards, Xia Qian hesitated for a long time before finally unable to resist suggesting, "...If they're not here, Ming Huo might be on the fire dragon."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Qian felt everyone's eyes fall on her. Even Hughes turned his head to look over. Every time his narrow eyes fell on her, Xia Qian always felt a sense of aggression.
She braced herself, met his eyes, and continued, "After all, the fire dragon is the guardian beast of the open flame; it can't be too far away from the open flame."
Unless, it carries an open flame on its own body.
Otherwise, the fire dragon wouldn't be so free.
That's how it is in the book.
When everyone else was at a loss for words, Hughes was the first to discover this clue.
Then he faced off against the fire dragon, and then the fire dragon was subdued, and Hughes successfully obtained the new flame.
However, now...
The male protagonist stood motionless beside her.
Just then, the roars of the fire dragon, sounding as if it were wounded, echoed through the air.
Everyone then turned their gaze to the two figures battling in the air, while Hughes's gaze also drifted indifferently toward the flying dragon.
His voice fell softly, "Alright, come back."
The next second, he was answered by the ethereal cry of the flying dragon.
The white figure in the air didn't linger for a second. Hughes said he would withdraw, and the next second it flew towards Hughes, accompanied by a fire dragon that was unwilling to admit defeat.
It's like a bomb, it goes berserk and attacks everyone it sees.
Even though it was injured, it refused to admit defeat and chased after the flying dragon, following it all the way here.
Therefore, we have not learned enough lessons from it.
The roar of the fire dragon grew louder as it approached, its flames already faintly illuminating Hughes's overly pale profile. He turned his head to look at her, his gaze focused.
Hughes squeezed the small hand he was holding. The hand was small, soft, and warm.
"Do you still want to stay with me?"
As Hughes spoke, Xia Qian felt a surge of heat approaching her. Before she could react, Hughes had already pulled her behind him.
The roar of the fire dragon was still lingering, but Hughes had already stood in front of her. His long, black hair, reaching his waist, swayed in the air like fine silk, black and shiny, gleaming with a faint light like black jade.
The dragon's angry roars, fueled by its injury, grew louder and louder, but Hughes stood there, seemingly incapable of feeling fear.
For some reason, Xia Qian recalled the description of this scene when she first read it.
Young people are arrogant.
His tall, slender figure stood there, the firelight illuminating his handsome face. All the shadow guards held their breath, as did the group of elders who had rushed over from a distance.
He was so close to the fire dragon that he could be burned to death by the heat emanating from it at any moment.
But the boy was unharmed.
With his usual indifferent expression, he stared directly at the fire dragon. "Will you spit it out yourself, or do you want me to dig it out myself?"
The boy's cool voice had barely faded when a sharp aura suddenly swept over them. The fire dragon had no time to react and could only dodge.
When it came to its senses, it saw that the boy had somehow acquired a giant sword in his hand.
The greatsword was heavy, but the boy wielded it with ease. He pointed the sword at the fire dragon, and on his exceptionally handsome face, a mark was faintly visible on his forehead—the mark of divine blood.
The cold firelight surrounded him. Unlike the fiery dragon's blazing flames, the fire was like an ice wall, strong and stubborn, preventing the dragon from attacking it and giving it a chance to give in again.
The indifferent youth had already lost his patience. He released his grip on the sword, but the greatsword seemed to have its own consciousness, thrusting straight at the fire dragon, about to pierce its throat.
Everyone gasped in surprise, even the fire dragon was caught off guard. Before they could react, the fire dragon let out a painful cry, and the next second, its flames suddenly went out, and it shrank to Hughes's feet.
In mid-air, a bright flame burned, the size of a bead, yet even more dazzling and radiant.
What is that?
That was the open flame they had been searching for.
Before they could examine the flame closely, they saw it fly towards Hughes, as if it had already recognized him as its master, and stop in front of him.
The next second, the indifferent boy simply extended his palm, and the bright red flames automatically arrived in his palm, reflecting the mark on the boy's forehead.
The bright moonlight shone on Hughes, as if draping him in a layer of detachment.
The gazes of everyone looking at him were a mixture of envy, jealousy, admiration, and complex emotions.
Undeniably, everyone felt inferior in his presence.
After all, the boy was truly favored by God.
He is the chosen one.
How much God must have favored him when He created him, to make this young man shine so brightly.
Everyone fell silent.
The way they stared at Hughes changed.
If someone is favored by God to this extent, what else can he be besides the title of Son of God? What can he become?
The answer is, he can become a god.
The god of this world.
Then they replaced the God they saw with God. —Excerpt from "The Supreme Evil God"
Everything was just like the plot described in the book.
Xia Qian stared at him blankly, momentarily forgetting to react.
She only came to her senses when the boy turned around.
She instinctively wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, her mind went completely blank.
The next second, a gust of cold wind swept in, and Xia Qian's body reflexively sneezed.
It was a soft, low meow, like a kitten meowing in front of him, trying to get its owner's attention.
Hughes's eyes darkened.
Xia Qian sniffed her slightly red nose, feeling embarrassed, and looked away. "...It's so cold."
After saying that, the girl lowered her head.
Like countless times.
In his presence, they always appeared particularly reserved and timid, hesitant to speak.
Hughes took a step forward, suddenly grabbed her hand, and before she could react, he had already taken her hand in his.
A warm feeling washed over her, and Xia Qian didn't even have time to see what Xiu Si had stuffed into her hands.
The boy's voice came from above her head, "Here, this is for you."
The boy held her hand tightly.
Xia Qian looked down and saw a ball of fire resting on her palm; it was an open flame.
Xia Qian's small hand instinctively recoiled, and she met his eyes in bewilderment, "Hughes..."
The boy's expression remained indifferent, but he never let go of her wrist. He looked at her earnestly and said, word by word, "Keep warm."
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