Chapter 54

Merlin Rouge and Leon were in the clan’s castle. The avatar of the god sat in his gleaming white armor of pure mithril, a golden hand engraved on the chestplate now shimmering in the sunlight. In real life, Merlin practically lived in an office, and even now, he wore similar attire—an expensive white shirt and a stylish leather vest, with a stack of papers in his hand completing the picture. He was reading reports from the negotiators' group.

The massive castle walls, six layers deep, turned the entire mountain into a colossal fortress with numerous towers and moats. Inside were warehouses, barracks, siege engines, and even a vast inner pond. It was more of a city than just a clan stronghold. They had even installed a permanent teleport. The local population had suggested opening a branch of the dwarven bank and setting up their own market stalls. But now, desolation reigned—the fortress looked abandoned. The streets were empty, save for shadows flitting between houses and alleyways. All the castle’s shields were raised and operating at maximum capacity. And yet, everything had started so well.

Two months ago, they had wanted to increase the influx of faith energy and decided to conduct propaganda campaigns in several cities. The problem arose when all three cities, located in one long valley, asked them to kill a dragon that had been extorting livestock and gold as tribute from the locals for years. The massive beast consumed an enormous amount, and the people suffered greatly because of it.

After reconnaissance, a strike force of two thousand was assembled, mostly archers and mages. The green dragon was incredibly resilient and had a level of 1,200. A vast hoard of gold, epic items, and entire sets of jewelry were found in its cave. The entire clan celebrated in the central fortress, but no one foresaw the consequences. Dragons were intelligent—and extremely vengeful.

First, four individuals arrived and asked ordinary clan members what the celebration was about. The fortress’s inhabitants openly told them that the leadership was celebrating their victory over the dragon and the spread of faith in Leon’s god in the three cities.

"And you killed a dragon just for that?" The man with long silver hair and a burgundy leather armor was part of the group. His experience and wisdom were evident in every movement, word, and gesture… and he was disappointed.

"What do you mean? Look at all the loot we got—everyone got their share!" a clan member replied.

And then, hell broke loose. These were gold dragons who had taken human form and come for revenge. All four were level 3,000—and in a very foul mood. Their first spell incinerated everything within a hundred-meter radius. With a single coordinated attack, they created a blue sun twenty meters above the ground. Houses, tents, armored warriors—everything burst into flames like matches and burned to ash in seconds. A minute later, the dragons began cleansing the castle. They slaughtered everyone at the celebration—and not just there, but in every other clan fortress as well. This was a coordinated assault on the entire clan and its lands.

After the dragon faction added the Golden Hand clan to their list of enemies, the gravity of their mistake became clear. The dragons had besieged the fortress for a week now, expelling all clan members from the cities and barring their return. Dragons circled overhead, hunting for enemies. The locals feared their wrath far more than that of the young god. To be cursed or killed—the choice was slim. And they chose the god’s disfavor.

The dragons had no intention of destroying the fortress, though they easily could have—just by willing it. The massacre of the Golden Hand clan served as an example of what would happen to anyone who dared raise a hand against dragons.

"Merlin, don’t take it so hard. We just weren’t prepared for this. My strength is enough to kill a couple of dragons, but then they’ll overwhelm my avatar. Gods don’t resurrect. We’ve lost reputation in the cities, but our believers haven’t abandoned us. We’ll rebuild our standing and move forward. Our goals haven’t changed over something so trivial."

"Trivial?" Merlin glared at the god. "Leon, we poured vast sums into reputation grinding—hired warriors, completed quests, even organized humanitarian aid. And now it’s all gone to waste because of rash decisions."

"You’re not angry about that."

"I’m terrified of total ruin. The moment the dragons lift the siege, other clans will attack us. Right now, civil wars are raging across the world. The locals won’t interfere—they have their own problems. Humans and elves are feuding over something—they wiped out an entire village on the outskirts. Dwarves are clashing with orcs. And now we’ve got dragons and war on our doorstep. It’s coming, Leon. It will start. We won’t be able to gather forces for a decisive strike. The moment the dragons leave, we’ll be attacked. Right now, everyone’s scared of their attention toward our clan, but once we’re weakened, it’ll be the perfect opportunity."

"We’re ready. I’ve assembled a group of master swordsmen and mind mages. We have two dozen warriors with obsidian weapons. Any magical assault will be suppressed, and the debuffs they’ll suffer after death will make them think twice about attacking again. Removing those debuffs requires a ridiculous amount of divine energy. It’s easier for me to resurrect ten people than cleanse one such victim. That’s our trump card against young gods and mages. The rest, we’ll crush."

"War is expensive. Are you really willing to go through with this?"

"I’m prepared to invest far more for my goal. We haven’t even completed ten percent of the plan, and I see no real danger. Merlin, you’re not looking at the bigger picture—we have no problems. We can wage war on our own terms."

Silence stretched as Merlin buried himself in calculations again. He truly believed in Leon’s plan and sought reassurance in the numbers. They always calmed him. Just then, a servant entered and handed Leon a message.

"What’s the news?"

"The dragons will lift the siege in a week. We’ll discuss the terms of reparations in an hour outside the fortress."

"Finally."

"Call in the allied clans. We’re about to start the bloodiest war this world has ever seen."

Leon stood and looked out the window. The shadow of a dragon flying overhead momentarily blotted out the light—and Merlin caught a glimpse of the god’s predatory smile.

"The dragons will support us."