21st Century Necromancer

Chapter 941: Chapter 934 Punishment

Akatsuki’s worry did not come to pass. Although a missile did blast Xiao Lan out of the sky, the Ancient Dragon’s body was still sturdy enough. It had sustained injuries but had not been completely devastated.

Even though the side of its abdomen was blown open to the bone and one of its wings was fractured, such wounds for an Ancient Dragon were merely superficial injuries.

By the time the group of ship-girls arrived at the small hill behind the Minato Ward where Xiao Lan had crashed, it had already regained control of its body. The flames caused by the fall and missile explosion had been extinguished, and its wounds were beginning to heal under the influence of Divine Power.

Seeing the ship-girls crowding around it, Xiao Lan’s expression turned somewhat awkward. After all, for a giant dragon to fall out of the sky was already embarrassing enough, but to be directly shot down—it was undoubtedly a humiliating chapter in its draconic life.

However, Xiao Lan could understand why the ship-girls had to shoot it down. Upon regaining control of its body, Xiao Lan noticed the ship-girls’ dormitory near the small hill. It realized that if it hadn’t been struck down, it might have crashed directly into their dormitory.

Still, the fact that Xiao Lan was shot down remained indisputable, and for a giant dragon, this was a deeply humiliating ordeal. The Giant Dragon Clan had always been immensely proud, and such disgrace was typically washed away with the blood of their enemies.

Yet, the ship-girls were not Xiao Lan’s enemies, and if responsibility were to be investigated, most of the fault undoubtedly lay with Xiao Lan itself.

This left Xiao Lan feeling especially mortified as it stared at the ship-girls surrounding it.

Ultimately, Xiao Lan said nothing. It simply nodded to the ship-girls before flapping its still-unrecovered wings and clumsily flying away.

Xiao Lan preferred to hide somewhere to heal its injuries rather than stay and endure the ship-girls’ scrutiny.

As they watched Xiao Lan take off, the ship-girls, who had been bustling all night, finally dispersed. Akatsuki, comforted by the other ship-girls, returned to her room together with the other children of the 6th Destroyer Squadron. Still, she found it hard to fall asleep, twisting and turning in bed.

But Akatsuki was only a child, and after struggling for a short while, she drifted off to sleep with adorable little snores.

When Akatsuki and the children of the 6th Destroyer Squadron were fast asleep, Xiao Lan had also returned to its lair, lying atop its pile of treasure. It let out a satisfied sigh.

For a giant dragon, there was no better remedy for pain than sleeping in a shimmering, golden heap of riches.

But just as Xiao Lan was about to settle in for a restorative slumber, Chen Yu appeared in its lair.

“Xiao Lan, you’re injured?” Chen Yu’s expression shifted into one of seriousness as he examined the wounds on Xiao Lan’s body. The fact that someone could injure an Ancient Dragon to this extent was no trivial matter.

“It’s nothing. I lost control during flight earlier and almost crashed into their dormitory, so the ship-girls shot me down. It’s just flesh wounds; I’ll recover after some sleep.” Although this was a disgraceful episode, Xiao Lan saw no point in hiding it from Chen Yu.

After listening to Xiao Lan’s explanation, Chen Yu nodded and put away his serious expression.

However, after addressing this issue, Xiao Lan turned to Chen Yu and asked, “Why are you here? If there’s nothing important, I’d like to sleep to heal my wounds.”

“I do have something to discuss, about Hiromi.” Chen Yu gave Xiao Lan a meaningful look and revealed his purpose for visiting: “She has already given birth to her child. I hope you can undo the Human Transformation Magic cast on her and, through your soul bond with her, bestow Divinity and Divine Power upon her to elevate her to the rank of Demigod.”

“Undoing the Human Transformation Magic is no problem, but right now, I can’t control my own Divinity. The power of the Storm Divine Core is too overwhelming, and I require more Divinity to harness it. I can’t spare any for her.” Xiao Lan’s reluctance showed as it responded to Chen Yu’s request. Clearly, Xiao Lan prioritized using its energies to strengthen itself and master the Storm Divine Core over separating Divinity and Divine Power for Jounouchi Hiromi.

Upon hearing Xiao Lan’s response, Chen Yu’s expression shifted slightly, becoming tinged with dissatisfaction.

He slowly raised his hands, as if merely observing his fingers, but this movement sent a chill through Xiao Lan, making its massive frame shudder instinctively.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood something. Though I promised to give you the Storm Divine Core, that doesn’t mean you’ve been freed from your role as Hiromi’s mount.” Chen Yu’s tone remained calm, yet his displeasure was palpable. “You are Hiromi’s mount. Everything you possess belongs to her—from your flesh and soul to all that you have, including this Divine Core. They are hers to command.”

As Chen Yu spoke, the Divine Core that Xiao Lan had supposedly fused into itself suddenly materialized in his hands, leaving Xiao Lan profoundly shocked.

The Divine Core had been fully integrated into Xiao Lan. By all rights, no one should have been able to extract it. The core was Xiao Lan’s treasured hope—the key to its ascension to Primordial Ancient Dragon status, its means of severing the soul bond with Jounouchi Hiromi, and the leverage to suppress her in turn.

Yet now, the object of its hopes had been casually pulled out by Chen Yu, an act that sent Xiao Lan into sheer terror.

Chen Yu leisurely toyed with the Storm Divine Core and said to Xiao Lan, “I brought you back to life; I can just as easily kill you. I gave you life, and I can take it away. As for this Divine Core…”

Here, Chen Yu chuckled. “Your soul is linked to that of my wife. Even if you had no disloyal intentions, I would still ensure precautions, let alone with you repeatedly showing aspirations of rebellion. Did you really think dragons are so foolish as to believe I would hand over a Divine Core without taking measures?”

“I never intended to rebel; I just hoped to break free from the contract!” Xiao Lan scrambled to explain, its massive dragon form shaking violently as its colossal head—large as a blue whale—bowed humbly before Chen Yu, hoping he would accept its plea.

Chen Yu, however, merely shook his head and replied, “Breaking the contract, attaining freedom—it all sounds like noble reasoning. But alas, from the moment of your resurrection, you were destined to be nothing more than Hiromi’s mount. Perhaps it’s the freedom I granted you that led you to mistakenly believe you could negotiate with me? Maybe it’s time for some punishment to remind you who your master truly is.”

As Chen Yu spoke, he balanced the Storm Divine Core in one hand while his other hand clenched in the void as if holding something invisible.

Instantly, Xiao Lan felt its heart being gripped tightly. The sensation intensified as Chen Yu’s fingers squeezed, causing unbearable pain that prompted agonized howls to erupt from the dragon.