Reincarnated as a Dragon – The path of the Dragon God

Chloe let out a loud scream from the bottom of her lungs and heart as she fell through the air. Not to mention, there was an approximate one-kilometre distance between her and the ground. Naturally, being an individual that possessed no ability of flight, she would be scared shitless.

She had fought varied kinds of evil and terrible beings, people and monsters alike. She was no stranger to the brush of death. There was little in the world that could still imbue true fear into her heart, or so she thought. She was not afraid of heights but anyone would be if they were to be dropped from a height of around a kilometre.

Though her skin armour had protected her from bullets and blades, she knew things like gravity were where the limit was for her ability.

“Am I gonna die just like this?” Chloe muttered as she went into a freefall after exhausting her lungs from all the screaming.

“You forget, my love,” a voice said. “I am the king of the skies!”

Suddenly, she felt something warm, rugged, and hard wrapping her body as a large shadow loomed over her. She glanced behind and saw Henry, in his true form and all his splendour.

Now that Chloe had the time and opportunity to look attentively at Henry, she could finally appreciate just how big Henry was. She surmised he was as big as a double-storey bungalow or even bigger.

That was not all there was to her observation. She could feel some kind of oppressive and dominating aura exuding from Henry. Yet, she didn’t feel oppressed at all. She did feel a tad intimidated but not the terrible kind. It was the kind that challenged her to see what more the source had to offer aside from the dominating scent, and the source was, of course, Henry.

“A lovely scream you have there, Chloe,” Henry snickered.

Henry’s teasing snapped Chloe out of her stupor. “You know what would be lovelier? My foot on your throat,” she grumbled with a pout.

“Wow, I saved you and that’s the gratitude I’m getting?”

“Don’t think that I’m not aware that you deliberately let me fall for a few feet.”

“Busted~” Yula giggled from atop Henry.

“Guilty as charged,” Henry admitted. “How did you know though?”

“Yula wasn’t screaming for one and she didn’t look perturbed the moment we emerged from… whatever the hell that dark place was. Which means she knew nothing terrible would happen.”

“Even so, you still screamed.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Henry chuckled and put Chloe onto his back. He picked up his speed and flew straight to where his humble abode was situated.

“Hmm? What’s that?” Yula mumbled.

Chloe squinted her eyes in the distance. “Smoke?”

Henry’s gaze narrowed when he spied ropes of smoke trailing to the clouds from the ground. The smoke came from his nest. At first, he presumed trouble was amok but as he flew closer, the fragrant aroma that drifted into his nose assuaged his worries and trepidation.

The feast has already started!

That idea and notion sprang to Henry’s mind and he raised his speed even further.

“Hold on tight!” Henry yelled at the two on his back and dove towards his destination. He was no longer using his wings to fly. Murux covered his entire body and sent him surging across the air like a railgun.

Henry would not have used this method if the passenger on him was anyone else but Yula since she had her shadows to protect herself and others from falling off of him.

Henry reached his nest in a few seconds and his abrupt stop brought about a shockwave that sent the trees swaying.

Um… Oops…?

Due to his thoughtless action, quite a few of the feast’s decorations and ornaments were thrown out of their spots and positions. Thankfully, none of the dishes was disturbed.

The Lavans and the Kivus immediately switched to their battle formation the moment they felt the fast approach of a colossal and oppressive being. To their relief, it was only Henry.

Half of the Lavans and Kivus began to cheer at Henry’s arrival while nearly all of them dropped to their knees in reverence as if they were witnessing the descent of their god. To the four tribes and clans in Ulrum, Henry was akin to a god to them. Their divine guardian, one could even say.

“Whoa, what’s with them?” Chloe asked with a confused frown.

“This is normal,” Yula answered with a titter. “Sort of. They revered Henry as their god.”

“Touche,” Chloe muttered.

“We’re dropping down from here, so hold on to me tighter,” Henry said.

“Huh?”

Before Chloe had the chance to fully register Henry’s words, he had already reverted to his human form and his arms were wrapped around Yula and Chloe, one on each side.

“Henry, you ass—!” Chloe couldn’t finish her sentence as the rush of the air stole her voice.

They were falling through the air, right into the ground. However, they were not falling at the speed that would make their body go splat. If anything, they were floating down at a moderate pace.

The Lavans and the Kivus remained kneeling even after Henry made his landing. He glanced around for a brief while before saying, “Rise.”

Only then did the Lavans and the Kivus rise to their feet.

“Darling!” a girl with striking blue hair cried out cheerfully as she dove into Henry’s open arms. The girl was none other than Sarynn. “I missed you so much!”

“I miss you too, Sarynn.”

The two then shared a kiss. The kiss was brief but passionate and deep. Henry could hear the awkwardness amongst the audience but he gave not a single damn about their opinions.

“Welcome back, master,” Rayne greeted, who had walked up behind Sarynn.

Henry glanced around once more. “Where’s Alayne?”

Rayne glanced towards the cave.

“What’s she doing in there?”

“Why do you think, master?” Rayne returned the question. “She’s a human, amidst us… demi-humans.”

“Ah… I see.” Henry sighed. “I suppose I would want to retreat to a corner if I’m amongst strangers of different races.”

Henry used his enhanced senses to check whether Alayna was truly alright. When he sensed her presence in the cave, he loosened his shoulders. He would surely be pissed if any of the Lavans or the Kivus had oppressed her in his absence.

He knew they wouldn’t be so foolish but there was always the small chance of it happening.

“Lord Henry, welcome back. We have yearned for your return.”

Henry immediately spun his face towards the familiar voice calling out to him. His eyes were greeted by a beauty in a habit that covered her long and lustre whitish silver hair.

“Lady Iluna, it has been a while,” Henry returned the greeting with a smile that came so naturally to his face.

Iluna’s smile turned wry but only for a brief moment. Being the one that leads her people, she couldn’t let a fault be known, not even for a short moment or trivial reasons. For reasons unknown to herself, her heart felt heavy when she sensed distance in Henry’s greeting as if he was merely addressing a close acquaintance.

Given what they had been through together, Iluna figured they were more than just acquaintances at this point, or was it all just her own wishful thinking, her own presumptions?

“Milady, what’s wrong?” Iora asked in a whisper upon noticing the slight change in her older sister’s countenance. She was also her personal guard.

“It’s nothing, Iora,” Iluna answered with a plastered smile.

Of course, Henry caught Iluna’s split second of unrest but he said nothing of it yet. Exposing her right in front of so many people would be the epitome of scummy.

“Lord Henry, we are extremely honoured and delighted to be basking in your presence,” greeted the matriarch of the Kivu Tribe, Tiana, as she strutted up to him. Out of everyone here who was not part of Henry’s clique, she was the only one whose heartbeat did not turn erratic on his arrival.

“Your Majesty,” Henry gave a light greeting along with a nod. Looking behind the queen of the Kivus, he saw another familiar face and someone he was quite fond of. He also gave that individual a light greeting.

Hmm… if Vira is here,  then that could only mean—

“Henry~!” came a loud and cheerful cry.

A small figure dashed through the crowd and leapt towards Henry before anyone could fully register the jovial and sonorous voice.

Unlike when Sarynn dove at him, Henry did not receive the Rinea with open arms. Instead, he stepped out of the way and let her fall into Yula’s bosom, who was standing just behind him.

“Oh my,” Yula muttered as her big pair of mounds was depressed and deformed by the weight of the little princess. Being the spouse of a True Dragon, Yula had enhanced physical prowess, which was why she barely budged when Rine fell unto her.

“Hmm? Since when are you soft and squishy, Henry?” Rinea muttered to herself as she gave Yula’s breasts a few squeezes, seemingly still unaware of her oversight.

“Princess Rinea, cease this,” Vira said and came over to pry Rinea off from Yula.

“Huh? Who are you?” Rinea asked upon realising she had dove into the wrong arms, or rather, the wrong chest.

“Princess, you are being rude,” Vira admonished her instantly. “This lady here is one of the brides of Lord Henry, Lady Yula.”

“Oh, my future pole sister then!”

The surroundings and the peanut gallery fell silent. Those who weren’t casting their gazes here also stopped their conversations. Even Sarynn, Yula, and Rayne were dumbfounded by the crude word that just escaped the Kivu Princess’ lips.

“Princess, you can’t just simply say such things!”

While Henry was thinking of a way to alleviate the awkwardness, he felt a tug on the hem of his shirt. It was Chloe.

“Who are they?” she asked.

I will give you a deep kiss if I can right now.

Henry was thrilled and grateful that Chloe gave him a way to dispel this uncomfortable mood.

“This little one here is Princess Rinea and the person holding her is Vira. As you can see, she’s the princess’ na— I mean, personal guard. The older woman is the queen of the Kivus and Rinea’s mother, Tiana.”

“Should I be kneeling or bowing?” Chloe asked quietly.

“There’s no need for such formality, dear human,” said Tiana, who apparently had overheard their conversation, not to Henry’s surprise. “You are clearly someone close to Lord Henry here. By default, you stand above us. We should be the ones kneeling and bowing.”

“Uh… no…” Chloe stammered, struggling to respond to the humility from Tiana that was laced with regality. “You can just stand… or sit.”

Chloe’s difficulty with her words was not because she was inept at being social but due to the fact that no one here was a human except for Yula. It was incredibly hard for her to avoid staring at the Lavans and the Kivus' glaring racial features, such as their tails and ears.

“Your kindness is appreciated,” Tiana said. “Would you grant us the honour to know your name?”

“Chloe… I’m Chloe.”

“Lady Chloe, a pleasure to be acquainted with you.”

“Y-yeah… thanks.”

After giving Chloe’s introductions, Tiana shifted her attention to Henry. “Lord Henry, I hope you won’t take offence to the careless words of my daughter. Please forgive her.”

Henry grumbled inwardly, hoping that the topic would have been forgotten but alas, it was not. “Do not worry. I did not take those words to heart.”

Hearing that, everyone expelled their breaths, sighing in relief. The festive mood then returned and everyone turned their focus back to whatever they were doing before.

“Hey, I’m not joking. I was being— mmh!!”

Vira cupped Rinea’s mouth halfway through her sentence which could bring about another strained moment.

“Is she always like this?” Chloe asked.

“Kinda but never this… intense? I suppose her fondness towards me has only increased with time.”

“What about her?” Chloe pointed at Iluna. Her eyes were inevitably drawn to her head, which had a pair of sheep horns.

“This here is Iluna, she’s the… leader of her people, you can say.”

“You overstated my introduction, Lord Henry,” Iluna said. “I’m no leader. I’m merely a guide for my people. However, I am the chosen of the moon. I am the Apostle for Luvier. Pleased to be of acquaintance with you, Lady Chloe.”