Fates Parallel Chapter 412 - Standoff (Patreon)

Yoshika bowed respectfully to the Dragon Lord.

“It’s good to meet you face to face. I have quite a few names, but please call me Yoshika.”

He regarded her with a pensive expression.

“You have changed your appearance, but I recognize you from Shen Yu’s entourage. You were the one who warned of Do Hye’s treachery.”

She bowed her head in acknowledgement.

“That was me, yes. Though my cooperation with Sovereign Shen Yu was a matter of circumstance—as is my cooperation with Do Hye. I understand how it may look to you, but I am doing the best with what I have.”

“And you would make of me another such ‘ally of circumstance’? I think not. The path you have chosen is fraught and open to exploitation. You’ve made yourself into a useful tool for the likes of Shen Yu and Do Hye, but a poor ally.”

Yoshika shook her head.

“I disagree. Shen Yu and Do Hye do not offer cooperation in the truest sense. Their aid is purely transactional, and I’m not so blinded by my nature that I don’t recognize that. I have no obligations to Do Hye beyond the exchange that he offered, and the conclusion of my business with Shen Yu has left him as my enemy for life.”

“Yet here you are, trying to bargain with me.”

“Bargains and exchanges allow cooperation between parties that would otherwise be opposed. They are a useful tool, but only a tool. The bonds of Unity and Cooperation that I seek to form aren’t so shallow.”

The Dragon Lord glanced at Long Ruiling, who averted her eyes, then pursed his lips and returned his attention to Yoshika.

“You remind me of the man of Qin—the one who accompanied the Snake to ‘warn’ me of the attempt on the tomb. I knew better than to trust Do Hye, but that man was genuine—I could sense the strength of Truth and Obligation in his domain. I should have guessed that he too was being deceived. How can I be certain the same is not true of you?”

“Elder Qin Zhao is my master—or one of them. We learned a great deal from him, and I’m honored to have my domain compared to his. The cooperation I propose is no mere obligation or political arrangement—I want to be friends.”

He raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“You realize that’s a much more significant request than alliance, yes?”

“Of course. And I’m not suggesting that you should trust me right away, but as Ling said, I’d ask you to give me a chance. Based on her faith in you and the respectful way you spoke of my master, I think I might be able to trust you as well. That’s why I’m taking the time to do this even though Yan De is...already attacking my shield—damn it, Zheng Long...”

Not that she blamed him or anything—he’d done more than she could have ever expected from him, despite owing her nothing—but it was frustrating having to deal with so many things at once.

The Dragon Lord snorted and shook his head.

“You hide it well, Lady Yoshika, but you are cornered and desperate. You came to me because I am the one who is least certainly your enemy, and you are taking the time to appeal to me because you believe I am your only hope.”

Yoshika shrugged.

“None of that changes what I’ve said. I didn’t take the Sovereign’s Tear for myself, or for any master. I did it to preserve the world we live in and to protect my friends and family from those who do want it for their own selfish ends. That’s not you, is it?”

“No, it’s not. But our goals do not align the way you think they do. There have been others who learned of the Tear and sought me out—such as the sword you carry. No sense pretending to be inert, Jianmo—I know you’ve broken the seal I placed on you ten thousand years ago.”

Jianmo chuckled, their metallic voice ringing out in sardonic amusement.

“I wasn’t trying to hide or anything, I just thought I’d let the girls do the talking. How’s it been, big guy?”

Yoshika closed her eyes and took a deep breath, burying the frustration within her.

“Jianmo, you could have warned me that this is literally the man who sealed you in the cave on Geumji.”

“I could have, but this was a lot more fun.”

She shook her head.

“Why did you seal Jianmo back then? Is knowledge of the Tear so dangerous?"

“No. When Qin came to me seeking aid, I agreed to seal the demon away in order to put an end to its rampage. It was a danger to both our lands.”

Yoshika glared at Jianmo, and they chuckled wryly.

“Not my proudest moment, I admit.”

She sighed, returning her attention to the Dragon Lord. She was running out of time.

“What are your goals, then? You obviously care about your people enough to protect them from a rampaging demon, but not from a world-ending threat?”

“The Tear is not just a threat to this world, but all worlds. The Bloody Sovereign’s campaign of bloodshed nearly brought the entire divine realm to its knees, and it was only the intervention of the demiurges themselves that saved the universe from annihilation. I cannot allow such power to fall into any hands. Not yours, not mine, and especially not any of the three lords.”

“Not even the Father of Dragons?”

The Dragon Lord stared straight into her eyes and answered without hesitation.

“Not even my father.”

Yoshika shouldn’t have been surprised, but it’s not like that changed anything. So what if he was the son of one of the ultimate rulers of the divine realm? Shen Yu and Longyan were already two out of the three anyway.

“Even if I agreed with you, I think it’s too late for that. Someone is going to have the Tear from now on. If not you or me, then one of those three lords, or Yan De, or maybe the Emperor of Qin. Wars are going to be fought over it, and I don’t want anything to do with that.”

“Then why are you holding it? And why are you trying to convince me to allow you to continue holding it?”

“Two reasons—first, if the wars are going to be fought regardless, then I’d rather be at the center of it all, fighting to protect the people I love instead of being swept aside as collateral damage.”

He inclined his head slightly.

“I can respect that, I suppose. And the second?”

“If someone has to hold it, would you rather the artifact be in the hands of a bloody conqueror, or in the hands of someone who ‘shows mercy to her most dire enemies, and dotes endlessly on her friends’?”

The Dragon Lord seemed to be considering her words, but before he responded Yoshika felt a painful twinge in her soul as Yan De broke through her defenses. If only she could make them as strong as the real ones.

“Shit! I’m out of time—just consider giving me a chance before you smash your way in and tear apart my soul fighting over which ruthless tyrant should rule the world.”

She vanished without waiting for a response, reforming her avatar to cut off Yan De’s passage through the broken shield formation.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well hello there, Miss Yoshika. I was beginning to think you were snubbing me on purpose.”

“Well you’ve got my attention now—what do you want?”

“The Tear, obviously. Did you really think you were strong enough to hold it yourself? Obtaining it was impressive, but your role in all of this is concluded. You might have had a place in the new world, but you were quite firm—and quite graphic—in your denial of my invitation. You had your chance.”

Yoshika gritted her teeth. The others had noticed the breach, and they were all rushing towards it. Longyan wasn’t fooled by Heian’s constructs anymore, and Yoshika had no idea whether she’d managed to convince the Dragon Lord.

This was where she’d have to make her final stand.

Longyan and the Dragon Lord arrived at the same time, and the three ancient immortals sized each other up warily, practically ignoring Yoshika herself.

Before any of them made the first move, Master Ienaga Yumi and Zheng Long arrived as well. Ienaga took a stance next to Yoshika without hesitation, and Zheng Long cast a nervous glance at Yan De before taking his place on Yoshika’s other side.

She was surprised by his decision, but grateful for the support.

Ostensibly, it was three against three, but Yoshika’s enemies were worlds apart from her and her allies. She’d give her own side even odds against just one of their opponents, much less all three together.

They stood for a moment in an uneasy standoff before the Dragon Lord broke the silence.

“It has been my solemn duty to maintain the order of this realm for as long as I’ve drawn breath. Every one of you is a threat to that order, but if I am to fail—if the future of this world is to be determined on this day—then let it be determined by the people of this world.”

He bound forward, transforming into his fully-sized draconic visage. The Demon Lord barely had a chance to react before being trampled by a thousand tons of dragon. Longyan’s retaliation was swift and brutal, but even as his beams of Destruction cut into the Dragon Lord’s flesh, he was carried away into the sky.

Yan De watched in bemusement as their battle raged overhead, then returned his gaze to the three assembled before him.

“How unexpected. Zheng Long, are you truly taking your betrayal this far? I’d prefer not to kill you, but there are limits. Does she really inspire such loyalty that you would throw away your entire future?”

Zheng Long shook his head.

“I’m not doing this for Yoshika.”

“Ah, to be young and in love. Such heart demons are the downfall of many men of great potential.”

“I’m not doing it for Yue, either. I simply no longer believe in the kind of future you would create.”

Yan De laughed.

“So be it, then. Show me your determination. Hold nothing back, because I don’t intend to either!”

The temperature around them instantly spiked, the grass withering and igniting in a circle around Yan De as his power asserted itself upon the world.

Sacred Art: Awakening of the Dragon’s Heart

The patriarch of the Awakening Dragon sect exploded into flames, transforming into a serpentine dragon of flame as large and imposing as the Dragon Lord himself. His presence alone ignited the air and melted the earth.

Perhaps it had been inevitable, ever since that first fateful duel with Yan Zhihao, that Yoshika would one day have to face off against the leader of the most powerful sect in Qin. Somehow she’d always known it would come down to this.

She’d dreaded the moment for years, but now that it had come she felt at peace. She braced herself for the fight of her life and prepared to settle things with Yan De once and for all.