The Ice Dragons listened intently, their hearts beating with every word that left Max’s mouth.

They did not know why, but his words felt like a fresh breeze, stirring their exhausted souls. After so many years of suppression and being hunted down, with their numbers dwindling to barely one hundred, they had grown tired in a way that settled deep into their bones. The moment their bloodline awakened and they tasted that newfound strength, their bodies craved more.

They felt happy.

For the first time in a long time.

Yet nobody spoke. Their eyes fell on Rosalia. As the previous chief’s daughter, she had the most authority here, and after all, they had just found out that she was carrying Max’s child now. They wanted her to choose whether to forgive him or cast him out of their clan.

"Max, this—" She was lost for words, her heart in shambles. "My clan, I mean... our clan..." Her fingers tightened around her dress. "We thank you for this gift. And..." Her body began to tremble. "You will remain our leader, no matter what. Now more than ever, we need you. And since you share our blood, and we soon... will share a child... I can’t push you away."

Tears slipped from her eyes, rolling down her flushed cheeks. The others stood behind her, feeling her pain and struggle, yet none of them dared to interrupt.

"But... I can never forgive you for lying. Even if I stay by your side. Even if I carry your child. I’m sorry, but I don’t know if I can ever forget this betrayal..." Her voice cracked, and her fingers pressed harder against her dress. "You mean a lot to me, Max. To all of us. That is why it hurts so much."

She finally broke into tears, wiping them away with the back of her hand, but they kept falling.

Max felt his heart clench. It pained him to watch her cry like this. He swallowed his pride, took a step toward her, and pulled her into his embrace, his rough hand gently stroking her hair as he held her tightly.

"So please... never, and I mean it, never lie to us again. Never lie to your family... you fool..." Her sobs made the others behind her tear up too.

"I’m sorry. I promise."

Max felt his heart split in half. He was lying again. He knew that he would never be able to tell them about the system. About the full truth of his past world. And it made him hate himself somewhat.

But he decided it was for the best. A white lie was better than a malicious one.

That day, the Ice Dragons had united once more, but Max’s sudden transformation into an Ice Dragon was not brushed off by the other clans as a simple coincidence.

They were all separated into their factions and forced to camp before the broken castle in the volcano. Rumors spread quickly that the human possessed some strange power to absorb and upgrade bloodlines.

But nobody knew how. And yet, many of the more intelligent dragons had already decided to curry favor with their new leader, completely abandoning the thought of returning to their lands or their former rulers.

Yet there were also those who condemned such talks. To them, Max, or King Maximus, as they now referred to him, was nothing more than a tyrant who did not care about people at all.

They did not wish for such a leader to rule them for the rest of their lives. And the mana in the area was too sparse. Nothing would grow here, and sooner or later, hunger would force them to pay the price.

Over the next few days, suspicion did not vanish, but hunger, fear, and curiosity began to fight inside every camp.

Talks of revolt, secret escapes, and even assassination took place quietly.

But the moment they felt the sweet taste of rich mana on their tongues, their views changed.

Max was flying above them all, his hand extended outward as he gave mana back to the Fire Lands. Almost immediately, the lava churned inside the volcanoes.

The gray ground that had been nothing but desolate began to shift, cracking open as green life pushed through the ash. Clouds formed in the sky, gathering moist air from the surroundings and forcing it to fall upon the Fire Lands.

Rain struck the heated earth, and steam rose in thick white waves.

The land that was once known for its desolation and sparse mana had transformed into a paradise rich with life and greenery. The scorching air turned the region into a humid jungle, wild, fertile, and overflowing with mana.

He had to spend huge reserves to bring this paradise to life and gain some trust from the people he had brought here. He knew suppression alone would not last forever. He had learned that from history books back in his world.

The nature of intelligent beings was to seek freedom.

That day, all dragon clans basked in power that nurtured their magic souls, making them grow stronger and improving their overall health. Their bodies felt fuller, their breathing smoother, their minds clearer. Nobody talked about revolt anymore, because nobody wished to leave a paradise.

Max was no longer a tyrant, but a liberator who had brought them a miracle. To many of them, he was already like a god, a ruler who would one day elevate their bloodlines as well.

That day, almost everybody knelt before him, some out of worship, some out of fear, and some because they no longer knew the difference.

That day, Max became a true king.

And soon, it was time for the second part of his plan.

Because the two raging armies were closing in fast, their fury shaking the heavens and earth.

"Max!"

"Despicable human!"

Two voices boomed across the sky, making every single person raise their head toward the heavens. The Thunder and Wind Dragon clan members felt a lump form in their throats that they could not swallow. They were their emperors, the ones they should have begged to take them back home.

But not a single person spoke.

Instead, they felt fear. Fear that they would be torn away from paradise. Fear that the rich mana, fresh hope, and newfound strength they had only just begun to taste would be ripped away from them.

"We have come to take your life!" they roared together, blue lightning and crimson wind scorching the sky as they rushed toward the ruined castle. Thunder rolled through the heavens, while the crimson winds carved through the clouds like blades.

Max was sitting on the throne, contemplating how he should draw a map of his new kingdom, when he heard their roars.

"So... they are finally here..." He smirked, confidence settling deep in his chest. His body transformed into an Ice Dragon hybrid, and black void armor wrapped itself around his scales, horns, wings, and tail, making him look like an evil demon draped in frost and darkness. Then he rushed out of the palace to stand before the wrath of the two emperors.