Ancestral Lineage

A dark cloud approached Anbord at a fast speed. A speed that the security systems of Anbord almost failed to sense. It was so huge it almost blotted out the sky.

The alarm system on the Empire started releasing Red-Level Threat signals. The sirens blared, announcing to the people to prepare for an inevitable invasion. A Red-Level Threat was no joke.

The energy the systems received from the cloud was off the charts. It had crossed the normal threat levels. Whatever this was, only the upper echelon could deal with it.

The most the army could do was buy time.

...

Regnare and his team, the Knights of the Dawn Cross, were having another training session with Tyrant again. This time, the level was set to the real level of the Destruction affinity beast, and they were getting their asses whooped again. But the good part was, they weren't as pathetic as earlier. Rhask was still in a coma, so they were down by a number, but they still tried their best.

"Yamal sink it in shadows!" Regnare commanded as he decided to use a move he somehow despised using.

Yamal did as he was told and engulfed the ground in sinking shadows. Tyrant, with its massive form, fell in, but its aura of destruction was strong, destroying the shadows.

"If you have something to do, do it now! I can't hold it any longer!" Yamal exclaimed, his face showing severe fatigue.

"On it!" Regnare growled, his blue draconic eyes flaring with primal intensity.

A surge of power rippled through him as his body began to shift. His once-humanoid frame cracked and expanded, muscle layering over muscle as thick, obsidian-blue scales crawled across his skin like wildfire. His back arched violently as his spine elongated, growing into a powerful frame the size of a full-grown house.

His tail lashed out — a monstrous blend of dragon and wolf — long, sinuous, and armored with jagged spines. His legs bent backwards with a bone-snapping crunch, reshaping into beastly limbs capable of devastating pounces. His fingers merged into wicked claws, capable of rending steel like paper.

His face contorted and elongated into a bestial snout, rows of serrated teeth flashing as a growl deeper than thunder rumbled from his throat. His horns spiraled upward, stretching like curved obsidian-blue blades, glowing faintly with draconic sigils of power.

By the time the transformation was complete, Regnare stood like a living fortress, his immense draconic-wolf form towering over the battlefield. Each breath he took steamed in the air like smoke from a furnace, and his gaze locked onto the enemy with terrifying purpose.

Then he pounced.

This was a move his parents had told him to use in a fight. He felt it was dishonourable. After all, in this form, he was more powerful. This wasn't even the full transformation. He was a Draconic-Wolf Spirit, a hybrid of the Dragon and Youkai races, the first ever.

His real and true appearance was that of a Dragon-Wolf hybrid. The humanoid form was just for convenience, so it wasn't dishonourable or wrong to fight or battle in this form. Besides, who said battles were supposed to be honourable?

Your opponent wouldn't give a shit or damn about honour. He will use everything at his disposal, as Tyrant was doing, so if you think honour was a factor in the battle, then you will die a worthless death. A death you were trying to prevent with unnecessary factors like honour.

Regnare was well aware of this, as he had firsthand experienced a battle without honour or respect, but he still wanted to believe. It's good to believe in something good, but sometimes, that would lead you to ruination.

Honour be damned! His father had said in one of their discussions, but he was still stubborn.

Maybe the only way to change him from this idiocy was to experience it again. The battle that pushed him to his very limits, making him use his Youkai abilities when he was just 7-12 years. He needed that battle, that fight, that war.

As he clashed with Tyrant, the alarms blared.

[RED-LEVEL THREAT!!!]

The simulation shut down after the alarm, causing them to look at each other in confusion. A Red-Level Threat was either on the level of Tyrant or higher! This was something only the family head, High Sovereigns, the Kings, the Empresses, and the Emperor himself could face.

But the next announcement doused a bucket of cold water on their heads.

[Prepare for any possible battle. The Emperor and the Council are currently occupied.

The Knights of the Dawn Cross Are Tasked to be the main attacking force. Good Luck!]

Well, there goes it.

"What the hell!" Brayk exclaimed, his face contorted in fear.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" Nyarelle asked, her voice chilly.

"Let's go. I'm sure Father is aware of this," Regnare said with a sigh, transforming back to his human form.

"Prepare for battle. Let's show the Emperor what he got!"

...

Kaldaroth, who was actually the Red-Level Threat, the dark cloud, was amazed at what he was seeing. Anbord had changed greatly since the last time he saw it, and that was when his King had the glorious battle with the Wind Primogenitor of the Blade family head.

"Amazing! In just a few weeks, my King has managed to make Anbord into an Empire. I wonder how he's doing..." Kaldaroth said to himself, oblivious to the loud and blaring sirens all around him. Like hell, he cares. He was back home! And that was that.

...

"Yo man, are you sure of this? They are not ready to face him. No, they can't face him!" Trevor said to Ethan, his crimson eyes glowing slightly with worry.

"Yeah. Kaldaroth is too powerful. Just his aura can curse them," Lamair added, eyeing Ethan like he was a psychopath. Which father in their right mind would allow their son to commit suicide?

The answer was right in front of him, Ethan!

"Haha! Chill guys. Kaldaroth is already aware of this. This is a test for all of them. It seems Tyrant isn't enough to push them. They haven't experienced the battles we experienced back in the days. What would they be like if I sent them to the Beast Plane as delegates to other territories on behalf of the Will Clan? They will die without knowing how they died."

"True, but still, Kaldaroth is different. Even you suffered a bit before you defeated him," Seraphis said as she brought Ethan a cup of orange juice. Such a loving wife!

"Please marry me!" Ethan exclaimed, his eyes glowing like golden stars.

"Th-that's not what we are speaking of!" Seraphis exclaimed in embarrassment, her blue skin turning a shade of red. Her man was so something.

"So you won't marry me?" Ethan feigned tears as he fell on the floor, clutching his chest dramatically.

"Sometimes I wonder how we had this idiot for an Emperor," Trevor said, preparing to slap Ethan to oblivion, but someone beat him to it.

"Ethan Kael'Dri Smith! Snap out of it!" Seraphis bonked his head, making him groan in pain.

"Sorry! Sorry! You lack a sense of humor, ice giant!" Ethan exclaimed, rubbing his head.

"I'm sorry, but this is about our son and his friends. Kaldaroth is a being tied to you, almost on the level of a Spirit Beast. He grows alongside you, even if he's clearly weaker. And, what do you think would happen if Onyx learns of this?" Seraphis said, massaging Ethan's head between her huge breasts. Even the baggy hoodie couldn't hide their massiveness completely.

"It will be fine, but what's this with Onyx?" Ethan asked in confusion.

"So you're dumb now?" Lamair said, looking at Ethan like he was the dumbest being in the whole universe.

"Wait! Don't tell me..." Ethan exclaimed, fearing the worst.

...

Kaldaroth continued to enjoy the scenery. His King, Ethan, had already contacted him the moment he entered Anbord, so he wasn't in a hurry. Plus, he had one last errand to run for him.

"The Prince, eh? I wonder how strong he is. Should I use my beast form or my knight form?"

Kaldaroth was in a dilemma on how to fight the Prince and his friends. His knight form was his strongest form. The beast form was his initial form, in which he once fought Ethan.

It was left with his true evolution, where he will become the true Kaldaroth, as Ethan had named. He didn't know what would become of him, but he was anticipating it.

"Beast Form, it is then. I can't risk killing the Prince."

As he came to a conclusion, a massive ball of black energy hit his cloud form, blowing him away.

BOOM!

The sound generated was so loud, the windows of the buildings in the area exploded into fine glass dust. Luckily, the people had evacuated, and it was an empty zone. That was also the reason why Kaldaroth came here.

Ethan strictly commanded that there be no casualties or injuries to the citizens.

A pair of deep red eyes appeared in the dark cloud, followed by a fang-filled mouth, smiling eerily.

"Nice! Curse magic, eh? Let's see how you fare against me!"

The cloud spoke as it suddenly began to shrink.

The battle was about to begin!