Soul of the Dragon Emperor Reincarnated to destroy

THE FALLOUT

Marcus drew his sword, cutting down the first two. Emily ran for the horses, trying to circle around. James stood his ground as twenty men charged him.

He moved like Davis had moved. Like water flowing around stones. The guards' weapons passed through empty air. James's strikes landed with precision, each one disabling without killing.

But there were too many. And these weren't common soldiers. They'd been trained by Lucas himself, cultivated to Dragon Soul stage. Not full power like Tega, but enough to be dangerous.

A blade cut James's shoulder. Another grazed his ribs. He was strong but he wasn't invincible. Not yet.

Marcus went down, overwhelmed by numbers. Emily screamed as guards grabbed her.

"Stop!" James's power exploded outward, throwing everyone back.

Except Vivian. She'd shielded herself, the stolen Dragon Soul protecting her.

"Impressive," she said. "But exhausting, yes? How much power can you spend before the fragment Burns out? You're not a true Dragon Lord yet. Just a boy with a dead man's memories."

She was right. James could feel his reserves depleting. The Dragon Soul wasn't fully integrated yet. He had Davis's knowledge but not his cultivated strength.

"Let them go," James said. "Your fight is with me."

"My fight is with everyone who benefited from Davis's heroism while I suffered in his shadow." Vivian's face twisted. "Do you know what it's like? Being second best? Vivian the support. Vivian the helper. Never Vivian the hero."

"So you became a murderer instead."

"I became powerful." She raised her hand. The stolen Dragon Soul flared. "And I'm not done yet. Dragon Nation was the beginning. Now I'll build something better. Something where strength matters more than nobility."

"You'll never make it past the border," James said. "I'll hunt you down."

"With what army? Dragon Nation's forces are scattered. Lucas's loyal soldiers are hiding or dead. You're alone." Vivian smiled. "But I'm not. I've spent twenty years building alliances you never knew existed. The eastern territories aren't lawless. They're organized. And they're mine."

She turned to leave. Her guards formed a protective circle around her.

"Vivian," James called.

She looked back.

"Davis's family. You said you had information."

Her smile widened. "I lied. They're dead. All of them. I killed them myself while Lucas kept Davis distracted. Want to know their last words? They begged. Especially the children."

The rage that filled James was beyond anything he'd felt in the arena. Beyond human. This was Davis's fury, twenty years compressed into a single moment of absolute clarity.

The Dragon Soul awakened fully.

Power erupted from James like a tidal wave. Golden light turned white, then something beyond color. The clearing disintegrated. Trees vaporized. Guards caught in the blast simply ceased to exist.

Vivian's shield cracked. She staggered, eyes wide with shock.

James appeared in front of her, moving faster than thought. His hand closed around her throat.

"You killed children," he said in Davis's voice. "For that, you deserve worse than death."

Vivian choked, trying to speak. James squeezed harder.

"James!" Emily's voice cut through the fury. "Stop!"

James looked at his sister. She was bruised, bleeding, but alive. Marcus was pulling himself up, sword ready but not attacking.

"If you kill her now, you'll regret it," Emily said. "I don't know how I know that, but I do. Please. Trust me."

James looked back at Vivian. Her face was purple. She'd stopped struggling.

He could kill her. Should kill her. End this before she caused more damage.

But Emily's words penetrated the rage. James released Vivian. She collapsed, gasping.

"You're weak," Vivian coughed. "Just like Davis. Your mercy will destroy you."

"Maybe." James's power retreated, though it took effort. "But it won't destroy me today."

He turned away from Vivian, toward Emily and Marcus. That was his mistake.

Vivian moved. The stolen Dragon Soul flared as she poured everything into a final technique. A spear of dark energy, aimed at Emily's back.

James saw it. Couldn't reach in time.

Marcus could.

The old soldier threw himself in the spear's path. It punched through his chest, exited between his shoulder blades. He collapsed.

"No!" James caught him before he hit the ground.

Marcus coughed blood. "Told you... she was dangerous."

"Don't talk. Save your strength."

"For what?" Marcus smiled. "James. You have Davis's memories. Tell him... tell him his last student kept the faith."

"You can tell him yourself. I'll heal you. The Dragon Soul can—"

"The Dragon Soul can't reverse death." Marcus's hand found James's. "Listen. Vivian's heading for the Shadow Empire. Eastern territories are just her first stop. Stop her before she reaches them. Promise me."

"I promise."

"Good." Marcus's eyes started to close. "Davis. If you can hear me. If any of you is still in there. I'm sorry. Sorry I couldn't save you. Sorry I didn't stop them."

"You have nothing to apologize for," James said, but Marcus was already gone.

James lowered the body gently. When he looked up, Vivian had vanished. So had her remaining guards. They'd used Marcus's sacrifice as a distraction to escape.

Emily knelt beside Marcus, crying. "He saved me. Why did he save me?"

"Because that's what heroes do." James stood, power gathering around him again. "And because Vivian needs to pay for every life she's taken."

He looked east, toward where Vivian had fled. The wilderness stretched for hundreds of miles, eventually giving way to the Shadow Empire's borders.

Shadow Empire. The name stirred something in Davis's memories. An old enemy. A powerful threat. If Vivian reached them, if she allied with their forces, Dragon Nation wouldn't survive.

"We need to go back," Emily said. "Gather an army. Do this properly."

"There's no time. Every hour we wait, she gets further away." James pulled Emily to her feet. "You go back. Lead Dragon Nation until I return."

"Alone? James, I can't—"

"You can. You're stronger than you know." He met her eyes. "In the arena, when I was dying, something in you reached out. Some power I felt even through death. You have Davis's bloodline too. It's dormant, but it's there."

Emily stared at him. "That's impossible."

"So is a dead man returning to life. But here I am." James hugged her. "Go home. Protect Father. Rebuild what Lucas destroyed. Trust me."

He released her, mounted his horse, and rode east without looking back. If he looked back, he'd see Emily crying. If he saw that, he might not leave.

And Vivian was out there. Planning. Growing stronger. Allying with forces that wanted Dragon Nation destroyed.

The hunt had begun.

Behind him, Emily watched until he disappeared into the forest. Then she knelt beside Marcus's body and whispered a promise.

"I'll be ready when he returns. I swear it."

The Dragon Soul fragment inside her, dormant for twenty-one years, flickered in response.