Chapter 216 - 216: The Dragon’s Deception

"The deepest evil often wears the brightest mask."

At the very edge of the Oort cloud, the solar system's icy frontier, a combined fleet of TRC and UEDCC warships burst from warp. Dreadnaughts, carriers, battleships, and cruisers, their hulls dark against the distant stars, materialized in a silent, sudden display of force. They positioned themselves 0.3 AUs away from the golden dragon, a safe but watchful distance.

On the bridge of the UEDCC dreadnaught Vigilant, Fleet Admiral Yamada stood. His posture was rigid, his gaze fixed on the colossal golden form of the Dragon. He was a veteran, his face etched with the lines of countless battles, but this… this was new. He leaned into his comms, an open channel broadcasting across every known frequency, hoping for some sign of non-hostile communication.

"This is Fleet Admiral Yamada of the United Earth Defense Coordination Command," his voice, calm and authoritative, echoed into the void. "You are trespassing human space. State your intentions. Identify yourself."

A moment of silence stretched, thick with tension. Then, throughout every ship in the human fleet, a voice appeared. It was slightly static, deep, resonant, and ancient. It vibrated in their very bones, a sound that was both majestic and unsettling.

"I am Mainu, the Dragon of Light," the voice rumbled, seemingly from the Dragon itself, though no mouth moved. "I seek cordial intent and cooperation with humanity. I bring peace and protection. I seek refuge in exchange for protection and cooperation. I bring myself unto you."

Mainu, the Dragon Emperor, smiled internally. His thoughts echoed through his vast, ancient mind. No race ever refuses the protection and cooperation of a superior being like me. These insects are primitive, but ripe. I just need to convince them, and then I can peacefully drain this very ripe planet. A simple transaction and deception.

On the bridge, Yamada turned to his comms officers. "Is the information right? Is that monster, the very real Emperor of the Krills?"

Officer McThorne, a young man from Scotland, quickly confirmed. "Yes, sir. Marshall Dela Cruz from Terran Retribution Command confirms it, sir. Cross-referenced with the ancient classified data. It's him."

Yamada's jaw tightened. "Send a message to the rest of UEDCC and TRC: full alert level five. The Krills themselves are already manipulative. Who knows what this monster is trying to pull. This isn't a negotiation; it's a probe." He then ordered, "Check that monster's energy reading. As soon as it elevates, even a pico-joule, give it hell. All batteries, ready to fire on my mark."

Admiral Yamada did not smile back. He had seen enough Krill deception to know that grand pronouncements often hid darker truths. He leaned back into the comm. "Unfortunately, Earth is closed today. But we thank you for your offer."

Back at Mars Command Center, the atmosphere was grim. Admirals, generals, and fellow marshals gathered in the secure war chamber. Prime Minister Franz Müller, his face etched with concern, was also present. The holographic projection of the solar system, with the golden dragon hovering ominously at its edge, dominated the center of the room.

"What do we have on this Emperor?" Prime Minister Müller asked, his voice grave.

Marshall Feliciano Dela Cruz, a representative of the Terran Retribution Command, stepped forward. He swiped a datapad to the center console. A holo-projection shimmered, displaying classified files and ancient symbols. "Prime Minister, this is the Dragon Emperor Krill Mainu. According to our classified files, on the surface, he is at the very least, one point five billion years old. He interacted with ancient Earth four hundred fifty thousand years ago. He had a cordial intent among other Federation members of the said faction of the Orion Arm called the Federation of Planets, during this time. His records show him as a benevolent, if aloof, cosmic entity."

Dela Cruz paused, letting the data sink in. "But suddenly, he acted differently. No one knows why. It is said here, he waged war with the ancient people of Earth, at that time. Lemuria, Atlantis, Maharlika, and other states, were no match for the Krill technology during that time. The Dragon Emperor was nowhere to be found during the actual conflict, leaving his Krill subordinates to do the dirty work. This was the start of the Krills' 'harvest' on humanity, a systematic draining of our planet's resources and our people's blood."

He swiped again. "Then, fifty thousand years later, " he showed an image of the city of Atlantis. It burst in purple energy. " The mantle surged, and Earth was engulfed in sea. The Great Flood." Everyone in the room gasped. The sheer scale of the destruction, the casual way it was displayed, was horrifying.

"How did you get this information?" Prime Minister Müller demanded, his voice tight. "If this is real, it changes everything."

Dela Cruz's expression remained unreadable. "It is classified where I got it from. Rest assured, its authenticity is beyond doubt." He continued, his voice grim. "That was how the first Human-Krill War ended. Then, three hundred ninety thousand years later, the first human civilizations rose from the great flood, without the knowledge of the Krills. The Krills began their deception at this time, manipulating the next generation of humanity, up until our war with them 4 years ago, guiding our development for their own purposes."

Just then, the heavy blast doors of the command room opened. Three ancient people walked inside. Their marks on their bodies pulsed with a soft, internal light. Every eye in the room turned to them.

Feliciano Dela Cruz, with a respectful bow, introduced them. "Prime Minister, Generals, Marshals, I introduce you: Elder Motep, Elder Bnopon, and Elder Cogun. They came from the tribe of Leukaria in the Lemurian City-state. They are survivors of the first war."

The three male elders, dressed in simple, indigenous robes, bowed deeply. Their faces were ancient, wise, and filled with a sorrow that transcended time. Everyone stared closely at them, trying to comprehend how did they survive and live that long.

Dela Cruz gestured to the central console. "Elders, please, can you share what you found?"

The two elders, Motep and Bnopon, glanced at each other and nodded. Bnopon reached into a pouch and pulled out a knowledge crystal. It pulsed with a faint, internal light. The guards in the room, startled, alerted and aimed their weapons.

Dela Cruz quickly intervened. "Please, gentlemen! Stand down! They mean no harm!"

Elder Bnopon spoke, his voice surprisingly clear and resonant. "I apologize if we alerted you, but please, I assure you what we're about to do is purely harmless. It is merely a shared memory, a glimpse into the past."

The two elders began chanting. Their voices, low and melodic, filled the room. The knowledge crystal in Bnopon's hand glowed brighter. Then, everyone's vision shifted. The command room dissolved. They were no longer on Mars. They were somewhere else, deep in grassy plains, under a sky that felt impossibly ancient.

Everyone inside was surprised. They looked around, felt the wind, smelled the earth. They felt they were truly there, except they weren't. It was a shared psychic projection, a memory made real.

Elder Bnopon, holding the glowing knowledge crystal, explained. "We are somewhere what you would call four hundred sixty-nine thousand of your years in the past."

Then, a golden dragon appeared. Smaller than the Dragon they had just seen at the Oort Cloud, but still colossal. It radiated warmth, light, and a profound sense of peace.

Elder Motep's voice, a soft whisper, filled their minds. "This was Earth's dragon guardian. She is called Terralia. She has been born since the first life on this planet rose. Before then, this part of the galaxy was teeming with dragons. All had their own homes, each dragon was unique and had been coexisting with each other for as long as they lived. They were the true guardians of life, of balance."

The vision shifted. They saw other dragons, vibrant and diverse, living in harmony with nascent civilizations. Then, a shadow fell.

"That was until," Elder Cogun's voice chimed in, filled with ancient sorrow, "the Chaos Dragon was born. Rumored to have been seeded by a dark dimensional entity, born to consume all life, all energy. Each time it consumes life, it grows stronger. It reached to a point where even it can absorb a dragon's life force. It grew stronger, eliminating all dragons out of existence, leaving a trail of barren worlds and dead stars."

The vision showed a brutal, cosmic war. Dragons, once mighty, falling before Mainu's relentless hunger.

"It then found Terralia, the Dragon of Light and Life, a dragon opposite to the Chaos Dragon," Motep continued, his voice heavy. "We later learned that Terralia had been secretly fighting the Chaos Dragon Mainu, trying to protect Earth. And ultimately lost. Mainu absorbed its essence, its very light. And it reached a point where it can absorb planets."

The vision showed Mainu, now larger, consuming a world whole, its golden scales flaring with stolen energy.

"Initially we thought Terralia was still Terralia," Bnopon's voice explained, "that was when it ate a human child and sided with the Krills. Its accusations were us humans committed a crime of murdering Terralia. We were quite confused at that time, why Terralia suddenly changed. That was throughout the war, we realized it hadn't been participating the battle, it wasn't present throughout. That was when one of the Federation ships, saw and revealed a footage of the Dragon, absorbing the neighboring planet Mars. We don't know why it didn't absorb Earth, but in my opinion, Earth wasn't ripe enough, and had no force to distract its enemies while it absorbed every planet it can get its hands on."

As the elders showed every vision of what he said, from the vibrant ancient Earth to the horrifying consumption of Mars, everyone in the war room was speechless. They couldn't make sense of it all. The fear and the dread were palpable, a cold wave washing over them. The sheer, unimaginable power of the Chaos Dragon.

Then, their visions shifted back to the war room. The elders stood before them, the knowledge crystal dimming.

Motep spoke, his voice now filled with a desperate urgency. "So I tell you, this being, if it absorbed planets during that long four hundred thousand years, this being is not to be trifled with. If I were you, evacuate humanity and run towards a star system it can't find. It is your only chance."

Prime Minister Franz Müller scoffed. He looked at the elders, then at the grim faces of his military leaders. "Thank you for your visions and insight, Elder. Truly. But even if we were as powerless as you, our ancestors, your descendants do not run without a fight. We're humanity. We too have been fighting wars that could've ended humanity, but we transcend to that. And now we're fighting as one planet, united. We might all die, but we will die not as cowards, but as a species fighting for survival, against those who are a threat to our society and order. We might be cordial, but we aren't pussies. So as my son says, fuck around and find out."

A grim murmur of agreement ran through the room. The fear was still there, but now, so was a fierce, defiant resolve.