My Dragon King System-Chapter 387: A Night Among Champions

The evening had arrived with a grandeur that felt fitting for the occasion.

The Citadel of Gods, which had floated above the battlefield for the entirety of Stage One, now served as the setting for a grand feast. The gods had brought everyone up; every champion, every king, every ruler who had participated in the Holy Grail War.

And the floating island itself had been transformed as several tables stretched across the open, each one laden with food and drink.

Torches burned along the edges, casting light across the gathering.

At the high table was Adam, the All-Father, flanked by the Archons who had accompanied him to this dimension.

Below them, the tables were arranged not by continent, but at random. Kings and rulers mingled freely, seated among champions they had once faced on the battlefield.

It was a deliberate choice, one meant to foster camaraderie rather than division.

One of the Kings had even raised his cup and said, "To Valaross. And to the warriors who carried them through."

The other kings raised their cups as well, and they all drank.

Nearby, at another table, a group of warriors exchanged stories of their battles in voices and tones that carried across the area.

One of the warriors leaned back in his seat and said, "I have to admit, your weapon magic is no joke. That greatsword nearly took my head off."

The other grinned and "And your beast nearly tore my arm off. Fair trade, I’d say."

They both laughed and clinked their cups together.

——

At another table, Talen, Ursula, Thamoryn, and Dunn sat together among a handful of other champions.

Dunn leaned back in his seat, holding a cup of wine in one hand. He looked far more relaxed than he had on the battlefield, and his expression was cheerful.

"So," Dunn said, grinning at Talen. "You really thought that distortion field was going to work on me, didn’t you?"

Talen raised an eyebrow. "It did work. You just refused to stay still long enough for me to finish you."

Dunn laughed. "That’s called strategy, my friend."

Ursula smiled. "You two fought each other to a standstill. I’d say you’re evenly matched."

Thamoryn nodded. "It was impressive to watch. Even from a distance."

Dunn took a sip of his wine and said, "Well, I have to admit, when you two showed up together, I knew I was done for"

Talen allowed himself a small smile.

Dunn leaned forward and said, "You know, I’ve been thinking. If we ever meet again outside of this war, we should spar properly. Just you and me."

Talen considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."

Ursula raised her cup. "To worthy opponents."

The others at the table raised their cups as well, and they drank.

Dunn set his cup down and grinned again. "Alright, alright. Enough serious talk. Let me tell you about the time I accidentally teleported myself into a bathhouse in Lesedor."

The table erupted into laughter as Dunn launched into the story, gesturing wildly with his hands. His timing was perfect, and by the end of the tale, even Talen was smiling.

——

On the other side of the grounds, at a table where most of the Ravens Grave members had gathered, the atmosphere was warm and lively.

Kayden and Innis sat beside each other, their shoulders nearly touching. They spoke quietly, as though their conversation was separate from the louder chatter around them.

At one point, Kayden reached for his cup, and his hand brushed against Innis’s. He didn’t pull away immediately. Neither did she, and their hands lingered there for a moment.

Innis glanced at him, her cheeks flushed. Kayden kept his eyes forward, but there was a faint smile on his face.

Eventually, he moved his hand to pick up his cup, and she did the same. But the moment stayed with them.

——

Across from them, Piers and Katherine sat together. Laela, Arianna, and Uriel had also joined the Ravens Grave table, sitting with the other members of the guild.

The conversation flowed easily. Aeris was in the middle of recounting one of her battles when she paused and looked around.

"Where’s Aiden?" she asked.

Laela, who had been holding Tristan in her lap, glanced up. "I think something important came up. He had to leave."

Aeris nodded and returned to her story.

——

Nearby, Azam at the other end of his table was scanning the crowd. He had been doing that the entire night until finally he saw her.

Kaia was actually walking toward him in a simple dress instead of her combat robes.she wasn’t merged with her beast now, just plain simple Kaia

She stopped in front of him and smiled. "Hey..."

"You’re even more beautiful" Azam complimented"

Kaia then said, "Do you want to get out of here?"

Azam grinned. "Yeah."

They both stood, walked some distance away and then vanished in a blur of motion, moving so fast that most people didn’t even notice they had left.

——

Back at the Ravens Grave table, Piers had been watching Katherine for the past several minutes.

She hadn’t touched much of her food. And most notably, she hadn’t taken a single sip from her drink.

Piers frowned. That wasn’t like her.

He leaned closer and said gently, "What’s wrong, my love?"

Katherine looked up at him and forced a smile. "Nothing. I’m fine."

Piers didn’t buy it. He studied her face for a moment, then said, "I’ve been married to you for three years and have loved you longer. Even if I had my eyes shut, I’d still know something was wrong."

Katherine’s smile faltered, and a blush spread across her cheeks. "You’re embarrassing me, Piers."

Piers grinned.

Katherine’s gaze drifted across the table and met Elena’s. The guild master gave her a smile and nodded encouragingly.

Katherine turned back to Piers, her expression softening. She leaned closer and said quietly, "I want to speak to you. Alone."

Piers’s grin then turned into something more serious. He nodded. "Of course."

Katherine motioned her head away from the table, and the two of them stood.

Piers placed a hand on the small of her back, and they walked away from the feast together, moving toward a part of the Citadel where the crowd thinned.

——

The feast continued well into the night.

At the high table, Adam raised his cup and spoke in a voice that carried across the entire gathering.

"To the champions of the Holy Grail War," he began. "You have proven yourselves worthy. You have fought with honor, with strength, and with courage. Tomorrow, the war continues. But tonight, we celebrate."

The entire crowd raised their cups and drank.

Cheers erupted across the grounds, and the festivities carried on.

At one table, a group of Zahka warriors challenged a group of Amazons to an arm-wrestling contest. The Amazons won, and the Zahka warriors good-naturedly demanded a rematch.

At yet another table, Queen Arnarra sat with her daughters, all of them laughing as one of the younger elves recounted an embarrassing story from a short time on the battlefield.

Syra was sitting alone at the edge of one of the tables, watching the celebrations quietly. She didn’t seem to mind the solitude. In fact, she looked content.

At one point, a young mage from Xathia approached her nervously and said, "Excuse me, Lady Syra. I just wanted to say... thank you. For everything you did out there."

Syra looked up at him and nodded. "You’re welcome."

The young mage hesitated, then bowed and walked away.

Syra returned her gaze to the crowd, with a smile on her lips.

——

At the Ravens Grave table, the conversation had grown louder and more animated. Oliver was in the middle of telling a story about one of Elena’s early battles, and Elena was laughing so hard she had to cover her face.

Laela and Arianna were speaking quietly with Uriel,with their children surprisingly asleep in their arms.

Aeris leaned back in her seat and sighed contentedly. "This is nice."

Rin, who sat beside her, nodded. "Yeah. It is."

——

At the table where Talen, Ursula, Thamoryn, and Dunn sat, the conversation had moved on to other topics.

Dunn was in the middle of another story that had the entire table laughing.

Thamoryn shook her head, smiling. "You’re a menace."

Dunn grinned. "I prefer ’adventurous.’"

Ursula raised her cup. "To adventure, then."

They all drank.

——

The night carried on, and the champions of the Holy Grail War celebrated together.

For tonight, at least, the war was over.