The country of Gael.

“Renacido! Renacido! Renacido!”

There was a parade of people marching and chanting through the streets of Gael. In the center was a trailer with some people standing on it. These people were Layla, Jason, Ace, Sora, Hina, Momo, and Miko.

“I still can’t believe that you guys were the crazy fanatics talking about Nebulous’s second coming.”

Momo was shocked by the impressive amount of people around them. They had left the capital and just reached their destination.

“What’s all more surprising is that you’re working for Miko now.”

She said to Layla.

“Well, stuff happens.”

Layla chuckled and waved.

“You really planned out everything, Miko?”

“No. It became like this because of everyone’s efforts. Without them, a huge war would’ve happened.”

“I know right? We’re amazing!”

Ace laughed joyfully.

“Yeah, you’re amazing.”

Ace’s eyes widened a bit and he turned to Miko. He smiled and started laughing even harder.

“Miko, I think we should move you to a safe location. Right now your power is still sealed. Also, you’re obviously weakened and only acting tough.”

“Thanks. See if you can remove these runes on my body as well. I need my strength back as soon as possible.”

Mono nodded. The trailer drove through the crowd, but before anyone realized it everyone on it had left. The crowd was left confused.

“Renacido, continue your celebrations. The Don has some business that he needs to deal with. He apologizes for cutting his appearance short, but bear with it.”

Layla’s voice rang out in everyone’s ears. They all looked at each other and decided to continue their celebrations.

Later that day, Miko was brought to Layla’s old base where she held Hina and the boys once before.

“Ugh?!”

Miko groaned in pain while strapped to a table. Momo was standing over him and using a scalpel to cut his flesh.

“Bear with it. These runes use Voodoo Magic as their base. It’s like a curse, so to remove it I need to remove the flesh they’re attached to.”

“But still, the Demon Nest sure lives up to its name. This is a brutal curse to place on someone.”

Layla was watching Momo from behind.

“Do you want any help? I’m not as great as you but I’m also a Spell Master. I also know the right way to cut the flesh.”

“No, I’m fine. It’s better if one person does it to prevent confusion. But I would like you to see if you can prepare some food with lots of nutrients. Despite how he looks, he’s suffering from malnutrition.”

“Hina is already on that.”

“Good.”

Momo continued to remove pieces of Miko’s flesh and placed them on a tray next to her.

“Miko, why did you act so recklessly during the trial? You’ve made a lot of enemies you know.”

“B-Because there’s nothing more terrifying than a madman with lots of power at his disposal. T-They won’t be able to predict my moves if they don’t understand what kind of person I am. This will buy me some time to do what’s needed to be done.”

“I see. It’s true l if I were them I wouldn’t do anything that could irritate you yet. There’s a chance you’d cause mass destruction in a fit of rage. There’s also the fact that you have dirt on a lot of people.”

“But the fact that you’re a threat to them is now clear in their heads. We’ve bought time, but they’ll start making their move soon.”

Layla added.

“That’s why a lot needs to be done before that.”

After a while, Momo had successfully removed the pieces of flesh, the runes were craved on, and treated Miko by casting various healing spells on him. He was currently laying in bed resting.

“Things are about to get dangerous from now on. Are you prepared for what’s to come?”

Layla turned Momo.

“I’m used to danger, so this is just another Thursday for me. But what about you?”

“What a stupid question.”

Momo clenched her fists.

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“I’m ready for whatever.”

Back at Dragna City.

“Hahahaha!”

Hysterical laughs could be heard coming from the palace.

“Drink! It’s a celebration!”

Nero and Nova had their arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders. They popped champagne bottles while laughing.

“I see. Retardation is indeed inheritable.”

Rouge nodded his head and sipped his wine.

“Well, Miko did do a complete turnaround, so I guess they must be feeling proud.”

Ecko caught the champagne the father-son duo was spraying in her glass. She drank it with a grin. All five branch leaders were gathered to discuss what happened.

“I gotta admit, Miko was really impressive.”

Andreas wore a small smile on his normally hardened face.

“True, but he gained a lot of enemies in the process. Things might get dangerous for him.”

Said, Alexus.

“I think Miko purposely drew all the attention to him to diffuse the tension between us and the Flameheart clan.”

Said Rouge.

“I think so as well. Which is why it was so impressive. This way we can focus on more important matters.”

Ecko cheered on Nero and Nova, who were chugging one champagne bottle after the other. They even poured champagne down each other’s throats.

“I’m curious how the Flamehearts will react to this new threat. They should realize that Miko won’t be easy to handle thanks to his new title and influence. If I were them, I would take a cautious approach and wait for a chance to strike back.”

Alexus added.

“I’m more curious about our dear uncle.”

Andreas grinned.

“Miko boldly declared that he will kill him one day after all. He must be pissed.”

“It’s the opposite actually.”

Nero finally joined the conversation. Though they couldn’t figure out when he stripped to his underwear. Behind him, Nova was still continuing his celebrations with fireworks, despite being indoors.

“Uncle is overjoyed by Miko’s development. If there’s anyone who understands how much of a danger Miko has become, it’s him.”

Nero grinned.

“I’m sure he’s excited there’s another obstacle in his way, one that can play him at his own game.”

“‘Mhm. By the way, where’s Kimiko?”

Rouge asked.

“She left with Sasha to handle some stuff. So I’m free for the time being!”

Nero burst out laughing.

“That’s until she hears about all the stuff you did in her absence.”

Ecko added.

“Don’t worry. I already wrote a list of things I want to do before I die.”

Nero took out a long piece of paper

(He literally wrote his bucket list…..)

His cousins all thought in unison.

“Junior, get the baby oil ready! We’re going turtle surfing next!”

Nero turned away and joined his son with two giant turtle shells in his hands.

“…..You know, I’m seriously starting to feel concerned about his mental health….But at the same time, I just wanna see what stupid thing he’ll come up with next. It’s a strange feeling.”

Alexus said. The others nodded in agreement.

Lushun, Flameheart Residence.

“This is a disaster!”

The Flameheart clan was having an emergency meeting after leaving the capital.

“All of our clan’s secrets are now in the hands of a stranger, and it's someone who’s antagonistic towards the clan to make it worse.”

Said one of the Flameheart elders. Currently, all of the elders and core members were gathered along with Darwin at a single round table.

“We must strike before he does anything that can harm us.”

“Calm down. That would only come back to bite us. We must remain calm and think of a solution.”

Said Jeffery.

“How can we be calm?! Our clan is at stake.”

“Elder, raising your voice will get us nowhere. Calm down.”

Maria said.

“Grand Elder, what do you think we should do?”

“I’m not the one you should ask that.”

Maria turned to Darwin, who was in deep thought.

“I said this already, but since I’m related to Miko through marriage, my judgment might be seen as biased. As such, I’m not directly taking part in any decision-making.”

“My lady, I also believe that you should give your opinion. Darwin is the clan leader but he’s a child when compared to you.”

“Jeffery, How could you refer to the Clan Leader in such a disrespectful way?!”

One elder shouted. Jeffery ignored him and looked at Darwin. He realized all eyes were on him.

“Hm? I don’t really mind though. What Jeffery said is true. I’m a mere child in front of Lady Maria.”

Maria looked at him for a bit before speaking.

“Then, leave him be for the time being. Miko’s performance at his trial was to send a message, he’s not afraid to clash with any of the three clans. Even if he can’t defeat us directly, if we clashed with him it could lead to too many casualties. It’s not worth it.”

Everyone was silent. Many disagreed with Maria, however, being who she was they were afraid to express it. Even so, Maria could sense their dissatisfaction.

“See? It seems like I’m being biased right?”

“No. I agree with you, Lady Maria. There are too many risks to consider when dealing with Miko. As such, I propose a wait-and-see approach. If the opportunity to strike arises then we’ll take it.”

Back at Gael.

“Mhmm….”

Miko slowly opened his eyes and looked at the roof above him.

“Hey.”

He turned and saw Tia laying next to him.

“Hey.”

He sat up.

“How long have I been out?”

“Around 6 hours. I thought you would need more after everything, but looks like your anxiety woke you up.”

“That’s a funny way to word it.”

Miko got out of bed and examined his body.

“The runes were removed successfully I see.”

He clenched his fists.

“Looks like my strength is back too. Well, I still had my dragon abilities to rely on if I needed to.”

“Well, you did spend months understanding and improving your dragon techniques. Thanks to that. you were able to beef yourself up despite suffering from malnutrition.”

Tia handed him his shirt and blazer, which he took and began putting on.

“They could seal my magic and my Vita, but my dragon traits are parts of my physical attributes. They can’t completely suppress them. When I figured that out, I focused on controlling and increasing the dragon blood in my body.”

Azure dragon scales appeared on the side of his face.

“Because of that, I’m pretty much a dragonman on the verge of turning into a true dragon. My physical abilities have reached another level compared to 3 months ago.”

The scales disappeared and Miko’s normal skin reappeared.

“So now you’re free, what’s the next move?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Miko grinned.

“I’m going to create my own country right here in Gael.”

Elsewhere, Krow was inside a secret room sitting in front of a monitor.

(Miko’s free? Well, isn’t that good news?)

He was having a voice call with the person who was known as R.

“Yeah. It seems he’s making a stronghold in Gael. He probably used some of my old pawns and those three to make it happen.”

(Probably? I doubt you didn’t realize what was going on. You let it happen didn’t you?”

“Well, my curiosity got the better of me. I just wanted to see what he was going to do. I gotta admit though, he didn’t disappoint.”

Krow showed a smile.

(Oh? Looks like you find him interesting, even more so than Darius. But Krow, don’t get too distracted. Remember that your nieces and nephews are already aware of your involvement with us. They should be preparing to destroy us and you together. As long as they have their Guardian Beasts, the Dragna Clan won’t fall that easily. Especially now that Tiamat has chosen a proxy.)

“I already know that the Guardians will get in the way, but it’s not like we can’t counter them.”

(Yeah, But it’ll be costly. We’ll need to fully reveal ourselves to counter those monsters. Then again, we’ll have to eventually. After all, we need to broadcast to the world that the old era is dead.)

“Right?”

Krow smirked.

“This is the era where we drag those arrogant bastards at Summit Of the Gods off their thrones and reshape the world.”