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"It seems that revealing ourselves to the entire world worked exactly as you intended, my love," Amaterasu laughed. "The people... their faith! Their hope! Itâs pouring new power into us!"
"Indeed," Drake nodded. "Weâre done here for now. I must return to Yggdrasil, and you as well, since youâre an Archetype bound to me in the end."
"Yes, letâs go. Iâm sure my main body is waiting for you," Amaterasu said. She quickly dissolved into light and merged back into Drakeâs Aura.
The Dragon King glanced down one last time.
"Just in case," he murmured, waving his hand. Nine elemental dragons materialized from his Aura and soared off in different directions. "Protect and watch over the world. Help mortals rebuild their civilizations. Report to me in a few years."
With that, he flew away. The Dragon Gods he had just created scattered across Zipangu, learning from its lands and its people.
Drake passed through the rift left by Hajunâs death, entering the Heavenly Realm that now belonged to Yuki. He used his powers to seal the opening tightly, ensuring it would cause no further trouble.
As he stepped into the realm, he immediately noticed the transformation. Though the Endless Castle still stood, even with more than half of it reduced to massive piles of rubble, the darkness and cursed miasma seas had vanished.
In their place bright golden light shone, pure white heavens, a radiant sun high above, and an ocean of flowing golden essence beneath their feet.
"D-Drake?! Youâre back!" Yuki cried, turning as he appeared behind the group just as they finished defeating Mitsuhide and helping her reunite with her other half. "Wow, I just received a flood of memoriesâwait, my Archetype helped you! And why is she calling you her husband?!"
"Isnât your Archetype simply another part of you?" Drake asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I-Itâs a manifestation of Amaterasu, which is me, so... technicallyâanyway, thatâs not important! I was so worried!" Yuki threw her arms around him, pressing her face against his warm, muscular chest. "Hajunâs gone and Zipangu is healed?"
"Yes, everything is fine now. We donât have to worry about Zipangu for the time being," Drake replied softly, stroking her long white hair and kissing her lips. "I love you."
"A-Ah, whatâs with that all of a sudden?" Yuki blushed. "B-But I love you too... hehe..."
They kissed again, lingering a little longer. Drake adored both sides of her: the majestic, noble Amaterasu and the cute, slightly bratty Yuki. Together, they made her perfect.
"Dadaaa!"
Yudra came running, wrapping him in her huge wings. Drake laughed warmly.
"Aaah, my baby! Daddyâs here!" he said, hugging her back. "Where are your siblings?"
"Right here!" Benladra called.
"Dad!" Drakda added.
"Papa!" Kate cried.
All three children rushed over in their dragon forms, squeezing their much smaller Dragonoid father between paws, fluff, and scales.
"Aaaaack! Y-Youâre crushing me! Hahaha! My kids really are gigantic, huh?" Drake laughed, overflowing with happiness at having such a loving family.
"Welcome back, dear!" Benladannâs voice rang out.
"Youâre finally back! What took you so damn long?!" Miranda demanded.
"Dear, we handled everything just fine. Fuyu and her crew are on their way," Andromeda said. "I... missed you a little."
"Aw, my queens, come here! I love you all!" Drake opened his arms wide. His wives rushed in, hugging him tightly and covering his face with kisses. "I knew you could do it. I never lost faith in you! Mitsuhide was a formidable opponentâIâd say he felt even stronger than Susanoo."
"He was! That bastard just wouldnât stay down!" Miranda grumbled between kisses. "Mooch, mooch! But kissing you makes it all worth it, hehe."
"Iâd love to keep kissing you, but weâre in a hurry, right?" Benladann said. "I hate to be the responsible one, but we canât waste time."
"Yeah, Dad!" Benladra agreed. "I heard a huge explosion over there! The battle between the dragons and that Venerable is still going on, and I think Oberon is about to wake up!"
"I donât know exactly whatâs happening either," Yuki admitted. "I just regained my powers, so I canât control them perfectly yetâitâs giving me headaches. We should head there right away and see for ourselves."
"Now that Hajun is gone and every threat from Zipangu is dealt with, we can focus completely on HĂ©luna, Uroboros, and Oberon!" Andromeda declared. "Iâve grown stronger too thanks to your evolution. You jumped straight to Rank 20 with your recent ascensionâyouâre already at the first level of the Primordial Realm, on par with the Ancient Gods, the three Primordial Titans, or the Primordial Dragon Mothers. No, Iâd say youâre stronger than most of them, somewhere between them and the highest Authorities like Odin, Tiamat, or perhaps Ymir."
"Yeah, and yet I still feel thereâs so much more inside me..." Drake said. "I need to quickly master all these new abilities. The power of Creation within me hasnât been fully tapped yet. But with the Sparks you all inherited, my understanding and control are growing faster thanks to you."
"So whatever we develop gets passed to you, Dad?" Benladra asked.
"Wow, so we learn for you!" Kate exclaimed.
"Exactly!" Drake nodded. "Your growth helps me comprehend my own powers better, and the same goes for the other dragons. Letâs moveâIâm worried. HĂ©luna is by far the strongest Venerable after Oberon! And above all, we have to rescue Helena!"
Just as Drake prepared to take off, a colossal robot made of rainbow and azure steel tore through the sky and halted in front of them.
"Hey, guys! Drake! Over here!" Charlotteâs voice boomed from the titan.
"HUH?!" Drakeâs eyes widened, a huge grin spreading across his face. "No way! An awesome super robot?!"
"Wait, that was Charlotteâs voice?!" Benladann asked.
"Waow," Kateâs eyes sparkled. "Charlotte, that looks incredible! Is this Fuyu? How did you turn her into steel? Can I help? I think that part needs repairs, and if we upgrade this section and that one..."
"S-Sure! Come inside! Weâll reach our destination much faster this way!" Charlotte called. "Iâll explain on the way!"
Everyone nodded, shifting to their Dragonoid forms and boarding Fuyu. They marveled at how her interior had transformed into a vast command center with rooms, stairs, and multiple control panels. Drake, Kate, and even Andromeda were fascinated.
"I somehow managed to manifest this from my Archetype!" Charlotte explained as the others gathered around her. "Itâs the Dracosea Captain! Did you get yours too?"
"I did! I hadnât realized, but this is even better than I imagined! Hahaha! You all make me so proud! Now letâs go!"
"Yeah! Full power!" Kate cheered, slipping on cool sunglasses that matched her fatherâs as they took the controls alongside Charlotte. Together they powered the titan to its limits, blasting through the white clouds at lightning speed.
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