Long Guang stared at Long Gu for a long time. As though time stopped for the two of them, none really gave up on this staring competition. However, Long Gu’s eyes showed terror like no other. He knew that without the help of the other Dragon Princes, or even with their help, Long Guang had already grown into someone they could not force to kneel to the ground like a kid brought up without a parent’s supervision.

The air Long Guang alone exuded was something enough to dominate someone like Long Gu, who had been at the top of his game for a long time—both in his excellence and his status in the palace. Long Guang came from an unknown origin and they didn’t want him to succeed as their next Dragon Emperor. Moreover, he had only been within the palace for a short period. Unlike them, Long Guang was basically a newbie and they could not let someone like him rule over them like he owned the palace since the very start. This was, however, only one of the reasons why they would work together against him.

Now that the Dragon Emperor had been in a coma for a few years, they had been pressuring him to step down and let any one of them compete for the title—and when they said that—of course, Long Guang was excluded from the ‘any one’ they referred to.

“You!” Long Gu blurted out, afraid that he would drown under the dominance Long Guang was exerting on him. It was suffocating and it felt like he wanted to vent out the frustration from that. “Why are you killing all my men?!”

“Long Gu, I should be the one asking that question to you all,” Long Guang calmly replied. “What about the men stationed to protect me in my own palace? Did you show them any mercy even when they were under the orders of the Dragon Emperor, whether or not with his presence, that they would protect me?”

“I…”

“No, you did not abide by the orders of the Dragon Emperor. Apart from the fact that you only left a few of them, most of which had defected from my side, your disregard of the Dragon Emperor’s decree alone is an implication of insurgence. You’re only fortunate that the Dragon Emperor had been out of the picture for quite a while.

“However, now that I’m back, on behalf of the Dragon Emperor, I hereby order you all, as the Dragon Son of the Dragon Emperor Palace, to surrender and wholeheartedly serve your Dragon Son without mistake. Any sign or act of refusal will immediately be deemed an act of mutiny against the palace.”

“You! You cannot order us like that!” Long Gu’s face turned red as he furiously looked at the young dragon before him. “You don’t have the right—”

Long Guang snickered and said, “Oh, did you forget about the decree of the Dragon Emperor already, didn’t you, Long Gu? What did the Dragon Emperor say? Anyone who fails to recognize the orders of the Dragon Son, unless the orders are unreasonable, will be adjudged as a rebel and will therefore be punished accordingly by death sentence.”

Long Gu’s face turned pale as he bowed his head down. Although he was being bold a few years ago, that was only because Long Guang did not have anyone to support him. Now that the other party already had the strength to back up the decree made from years ago, he was afraid that everything would backfire if he would continue to pursue the matters at hand.

He could not afford to offend Long Guang, especially when he just confirmed how strong he had become. Only when they bested through the backdoors could they gain an advantage over the young dragon. However, would they be able to do that? Would they be able to maintain their honor as dragons if they would resort to these backdoor and shameless acts?

No!

Dragons were proud creatures. They would never bow to anyone, only to those they respected because of their strength. If they found someone stronger than them, they would acknowledge him or her as their new ruler. That was how it was. Schemes and such in the Dragon Emperor Palace would not prevail as dragons would always like to resort to raw power—not an intellectual one.

“This lowly subordinate, Dragon Prince Long Gu, greets Your Highness.” Long Gu finally found the last of his resolve as he knelt with dignity in front of Long Guang. He was convinced. If there was anyone who could rule them, with the absence of the Dragon Emperor, it could only be the Dragon Son in front of him.

“Good,” Long Guang affirmed as he nodded his head. “Inform the other Dragon Princes that the Dragon Son is ordering them to be here right at this moment. If one of them would be late by a minute, I would not hesitate to kill one of you randomly.”

Long Guang believed that if he would not use a threat against these prideful dragons, he would not be able to make a stand over them. He must form a large barrier around himself and an air that they could only admire and look up. That was the power of dominance!

“Yes, Your Highness!” Long Gu pulled out his communication tokens and sent messages to the Dragon Princes. He then realized that he had long sent them a message. “Your Highness, it seems like they’re already on their way here. I have long sent them a message, only the message was for—”

“For assaulting me, the Dragon Son, you say?” Long Guang cut him off. “Do not try to best me just because I look like a kid. I know what you’re up to even when I am not looking.”

“Uh…” Long Gu lost all the color on his face and did not even think of going back up from kneeling. He was so hungry for power that he forgot about the difference in status between him or them and the young dragon before him. He should not have listened to the other Dragon Princes when they tried to persuade him to act against this young dragon—who now acted like a tyrant.

“It won’t help if you feel awkward about all the things you’ve done—oh, it seems like they’re already all here…” Long Guang looked outside the palace and sensed the arriving oppressive auras. “It seems like they’re also here to capture someone, huh?”

“Definitely not, Your Highness!” Long Gu immediately intercepted. “They’re not here—”

“Oh, would you look at that? I actually like it when they are like this. The more oppressive they are, the stronger I become.” He was amused. “Because this is my path!”

Before he even let Long Gu speak for them, Long Guang disappeared in front of him. Swiftly, as though space and time were his best friends, Long Guang appeared on top of the palace and looked at the surrounding dragons who were coming to capture or worse kill him.

“It looks like you’re all here now… thanks to you… you all save me from the trouble of coming to all of you to make you all serve me,” Long Guang spoke normally. However, due to the heightened senses of the dragons, all of them heard what they said.

One Dragon Prince could not hold it in and immediately lashed out with words that were served to infuriate the young dragon. “You piece of shit! Just because you’re the Dragon Son, you’re already allowed to do things like these? Aren’t you being too arrogant?”

“Oho!” Long Guang was truly amused. He felt like he was playing a game as a kid. “I wonder, though, with all of you here, surrounding a young dragon like me, can you even make me lift my finger? Do you want to try it? I don’t mind killing any one of you if that means erasing all those who dared to defy the decree of the Dragon Emperor. Rebels.”

“You! You do not deserve the protection of the Dragon Emperor Palace—”

“Shut up for a while,” Long Guang cut him off as this specific Dragon Prince shuddered the moment his eyes landed on him. “I’m not here to argue with you. I am here to make you all submit to me. As for you…” He looked at the Dragon Prince who had been trying to talk nonstop, always trying to antagonize him. “You’ll become the example for everybody—and as a reminder for all the deeds you all have been doing in these few years…”

“Ka-boom,” Long Guang playfully uttered.

SPLAT!

Like meat paste, to everyone’s horror, the Dragon Prince was squished midair and was turned into nothing but blood.

[Ding! The system has discovered an SSS-Class Genius!]