CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 42: WHO WON?

“Hey, sis... I’ll count to ten.

Choose now, or I won’t hesitate to kill you.

One... two... three... four... five... six... seven.”

“Enough!” Orillana’s voice trembled. “I agree. I will give you my blessing. But on one condition: we swear the oath of life and death.”

Elenius narrowed his eyes. “Fine,” he said. “But I have a condition. No matter what happens, neither you nor your future children may ever seek revenge. After this, we owe nothing to each other. Every tie between us will be severed.”

“ And as for me, sis, all I want is my freedom... my ambitions. I don’t hate you, sister. But this is the way of our blood.”

Eat or be eaten. Betray or be betrayed.

“...Then let us chant the life and death oath.”

Their voices intertwined in unison.

“We, the Crimson-Eyed White Serpent Clan, the last heirs of our bloodline—Orillana and Elenius—swear upon our hearts and our offspring: never shall one kill the other, nor shall our descendants seek vengeance upon one another. I, Orillana, grant my blessing ‘The Crimson Serpent Empress’ to Elenius, who shall willingly inherit the full throne of our clan.”

As the final word fell, chains of white fire materialized. Two wrapped around Elenius—one at his heart, one at his loins. Three bound Orillana—one to the unborn child within her womb, one to her heart, and one to her very body.

In unison, they declared, “We will harbor no hatred toward each other.”

The chains ignited in a blinding flame, and a crown of light formed on Elenius’s left hand. White fire engulfed him, remolding flesh and bone. His body stretched upward until his height reached one hundred and eighty centimeters. His hair lengthened, glazed with white flame. Two horns speared upward, thirty centimeters long. His crimson eyes blazed brighter than ever. His muscles twisted and hardened, as if the lord of serpents had awakened within him.

He raised his head and smiled coldly. “Sis... I have a surprise for you.”

In his hands he held two blessings—the Blessing of the True White Flame and the Crimson Serpent Empress. Then he began a secret chant. Symbols of an unknown language appeared on his hand, burning in white flame. They fused into one.

“Ssha’rath vo len’kaar.

From the ashes of the first sin, and the dawn of the first flame,

I awaken thee, Serpent of the Covenant.

Ssha’thel ra khu’marr.

Blood of the Empress, fire of the True Flame,

unite beneath my will and carve a new law upon creation itself.

Ssha’ven or dra’thuun.

Hear me, Ancient One, who slithered through the suns before light was born,

whose scales reflected both salvation and ruin.

Ssha’karra en li’vath.

I offer you my heart as a vessel,

my soul as the chain that binds the heavens and the abyss alike.

From the left hand—flame without purity.

From the right—blood without mercy.

May the white blaze devour the crimson,

and the crimson infect the white.

Let purity rot into wisdom,

and sin burn into lordship.

By the tongue that once spoke the truth of Lords,

by the eyes that beheld the birth of serpents,

by the name that was erased from the Book of Light,

I, Elenius, call upon thee!

Ssha’mirath co’venaar.

Rise, O Covenant Serpent,

who dwells between death and eternity.

Bind me with your flame,

crown me with your blood.

Through pain, I ascend.

Through ruin, I am reborn.

Through betrayal, I become truth itself.

Let all the heavens bear witness—

the Serpent’s Covenant is forged anew.

Flame and fang, sin and salvation,

merge and awaken as one.

Ssha’vorth en darrash.

With this oath of flame and blood, I break the old chain.

With this tongue of the Serpent, I seal the new one,

and become the New Heir,

who carries the ambitions of his ancestors

and will defend our pride.”

“This secret—how to form our ancestor’s legendary blessing, The Serpent’s Covenant—I discovered it when I was ten years old. After that, I formed my assumptions. Since you could give birth, there was no reason to keep me alive. Then I noticed your searches in the ruins and the library.

I was curious about that secret only the maids seemed to know, and no one else.

I read every book I could find until I discovered one piece of information:

that if a queen gives birth to two talented boys and a girl, the original blessing of our ancestor can be reforged by fusing their blessings.

Once I learned that, I began searching before you could find it and kill me.

I suspected Mother had already told you. That’s how our clan’s bias works.

Why should I accept all your rules?

Female rule—I didn’t care.

But killing males?

That’s when I found it.

The library’s floor was shaped like a serpent, visible only once a year.

I uncovered this secret through sheer hunger for knowledge.

I waited a whole year.

Then, on the day the crimson eye of the serpent lit, I went to its head and used my white flame to open it.

Inside, I found the chant that taught how to fuse blessings.

But I destroyed it after absorbing it. You’ll never find it. You’ll never use it against me.

That’s why you kept me alive, isn’t it?

All these years, I kept up the façade of someone who knew much but wasn’t an enemy.

I played my cards carefully to remain within your sight.

I kept that lovely, admiring persona.

When your husband asked whether anyone could possess two blessings, I thought it was a test from you—to see how much I knew.

And since you saw me in the library every day, I decided to give him an unbiased answer, especially with your maids watching.

But in the end, I manipulated all of you.

That boy, Lin—he’s already discovered half my plan.

And I let it continue, as if it benefited him.

It’s terrifying how he hasn’t even lived here for a full year and already discovered so much.

But since we each have our own goals, we never became enemies.

I know the cruelty of our clan—its chains, its torment, its abuse of males.

So I schemed. Layer upon layer, plan upon plan... until now.

The only thing I never expected was that you would love a man without killing him.

But that’s no longer my concern.

I’ve achieved my goal. I will follow my dreams.

And now, you will witness the rise of the future King of the Serpent Clan.”

His aura erupted, crushing down on Orillana. The air split. Her breath faltered. Screams tore from her throat under the weight of his presence.

“I know you were hesitant to kill me.

I will leave you now. We will never meet again. But to repay my debt...”

A crimson-white flame flared in his palm. With a snap, he sent it toward her. The fire wrapped around her body—burning and healing at once.

“Use this chance... give birth. Your life or death rests in your hands. If you can escape, go east. You’ll reach Nivara in ten minutes from here.

Farewell, sister.”

The flame lingered, coiling around her like a living serpent, feeding her strength.

Orillana’s body convulsed as the time came.

Her screams split the night as blood and light intertwined, while shadows surged from within.

Her once-white hair bled into black, her aura writhing with chaos.

It was as if the queen had fallen from her throne of grace.

A cry tore from her throat—a sound of agony, defiance, and something far older.

With a scream that shook the cave and the mountains around it, two children came into the world.

Gasping for air, Orillana whispered hoarsely,

“The forbidden blessing... the Bloodbath Pool... activate.”

The cavern quaked as her words echoed.

A boy emerged—hair black streaked with white, like midnight snow; eyes dark as the void.

A girl followed—hair pale as snow streaked with black, crimson eyes burning like fire.

Orillana collapsed, her breath ragged. Power burst uncontrolled from her body, and from deep within, the forbidden blessing revealed itself.

It was a power no one alive knew of—a trump card Orillana had hidden for decades, her final path to vengeance and rebirth.

A blessing dangerous enough to consume both her and her children.

With iron will, she forced it back into silence, gathered her newborn twins in her arms, and staggered into the darkness.

Step by step, she fled.

At last, she stumbled onto living earth.

The night was silent—until the cries of her children rose, twisting into the wind like a prophecy that could not be stopped.

Far from Nivara, only a few kilometers away, an elite dragon rose into the sky—Escanor, the Dragon of Magma.

A towering beast a hundred meters high, bearing the authority of the Dragon of Destruction itself, charged with punishing anything that unbalanced the living system.

His wings tore the clouds as he flew at impossible speed, his expression grim.

He had sensed it—the eruption of a dark, monstrous energy.

He roared, a sound so deep that even Isphyriela, the White Dragon Queen, felt fear.

A roar that sent all of Nivara trembling, startling even Equilen in mid-flight.

Equilen narrowed his eyes.

“My master was right. A dragon this strong in the way... he predicted everything.”

Equilen felt no fear—only awe at how the Forgotten One had orchestrated it all.