Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights

Chapter 520: The Fourth Head

’What we deal with is no longer Godfrey.’ Cain’s voice sounded in Gabriel’s mind. He stood before a large circular window at the highest point of the tower. Paradise sprawled beneath him in all its beauty.

”I warned you.”

’I admit. I was wrong. What I saw troubled me. We do not face a man anymore but something closer to us, something far more insidious.’

”We need to return him to what he once was. Otherwise, we’ll have to inform the authorities and have Mountain and Ballista killed... permanently.” Gabriel said.

’If we have to kill his generals, we will. He’ll wage war against the authorities, and both sides will tear Earth. Then we rise as the saviors of mankind. We take what’s left. We rebuild. The product may be broken by then, but we will have him in the end. All that matters is that he dies.’ Cain said.

Gabriel nodded. ”My time in Paradise has ended.”

***

Ronald sat on a couch, staring at Valentina opposite him. There were others here. Percival, Lucy, Ms. Joy, Isaac and the boy they called Snow or was it Adonis?

He couldn’t pay much attention to those details right now.

His eyes remained fixed on the creature that had refused to let Valentina take control ever since it used her body to stab his son.

Isaac had been sent to the outside world and returned with news of the Unknown King. By now, they all understand what that meant. Godfrey had become him.

It was disturbing, but acceptable. Better than death. Yet the Unknown King was not truly his son, and whatever connection Ronald had shared with Godfrey was gone. The power that connection granted him had vanished with it, dropping him back to the tier of a Paragon.

But none of that mattered compared to what sat before him. The mana tree had been sitting there for days without a word. Her eyes were completely dull and white, giving away nothing of what moved behind them.

”Talk! Tell us why you’re doing all this!” Lucy screamed. Mrs. Joy held the young woman’s shoulders, calming her.

”Godfrey is Cain’s fourth head,” the mana tree said calmly.

”She’s not ready to—” Lucy froze. ”Wait. What did you just say?”

Ronald rose to his feet. ”He’s not!”

”I made him. Not you.,” the mana tree replied.

Percival’s eyes met Isaac’s. Neither seemed willing to accept what they’d just heard.

”Then why doesn’t Cain know our plans? About Isolde?” Snow asked, wearing a deep frown.

”There are no secrets in this world, you ignorant species. I know your thoughts, I can reveal them to whomever I please. You all blame me for it all but I never forced you to use me.”

Was she smiling? Ronald had never looked at his wife’s face and felt so much hate.

”You brought gates filled with monsters. What were we supposed to do?”

”Die. If you had all died, none of this would have happened. Instead, you leapt at the promise of power. Then you blamed the power for what you chose to do with it.” The mana tree replied.

”I know what you do. You manipulate people. You use one person to pressure the other.” Snow said.

”Of course you do. But I never took control of your hands. I never forced your choices.” The mana tree tilted Valentina’s head. ”A few little nudges, and all of you moved like horses answering the reins.”

”That still doesn’t make Godfrey Cain’s fourth head!” Isaac said loudly.

”Scared?” The mana tree looked at him. Neila appeared in front of Isaac at once, placing herself between them.

”You desperately want to believe your friend isn’t the very thing you’ve been fighting all this time. And you’re almost right.” The mana tree smiled faintly. ”Godfrey and the fourth head are not the same being. But they were meant to be connected. I simply tried to force that connection.”

”You had no right.” Ronald said.

The mana tree scowled. ”Godfrey is what the fourth head is supposed to be.”

”What?” Percival stopped grinding his teeth and looked up at her. What was she saying?

”Is he the fourth head or is he not?”

”He’s not.” The mana tree said.

Ronald’s pounding heart began to settle. Only then did Ronald realize he’d been holding his breath.

”He’s not?” Lucy stared at her.

”There is no fourth head. Cain killed it long ago, and it stayed dead. I lied to someone obsessed with lies, and he believed me.” The mana tree smiled.

Ronald still couldn’t tell whether the creature truly felt emotions, but whatever was on Valentina’s face looked disturbingly close to glee.

”You can’t blame him.” She shrugged. ”I made Godfrey in the image of what the fourth head once was. A kind, benevolent man. His hair, his appearance, all of it was borrowed from the dead head.” Her smile widened.

”And Cain took the bait.”

Ronald watched her look from one person to the next, meeting each of their eyes in turn. Those dull, white eyes full of thoughts and emotions that could not be deciphered.

”Cain was born from the mind of a man and Godfrey was born from Cain. So, in a sense, you could call him the fourth head. If you have a sense of humor.”

”You’re deranged.” Lucy spat.

”You long for power, little girl. I gave you yours. Now shut up while I speak.” Her white eyes moved across the room. ”That includes every single one of you. I am the reason you are what you are.”

Her gaze settled on Percival. ”You would have become your father. Another dog at the authorities’ feet. Ronald, you would still be dead or nothing more than a name remembered by a handful of people if I had never come to Earth.”

Her eyes shifted to Isaac. ”And you. Weak-minded then. Weak-minded now, despite all that strength. You possess enough power to dominate worlds, yet you cannot bring yourself to use it fully.” Her lips curled. ”Pitiful.”

Finally, she looked at Snow. ”And you, Adonis.” She scoffed. ”You already know what you are.”

”I pity all of you. Mere lifeforms wearing titles of gods, clinging to flickers of powers while standing against my creations.” She smiled faintly.

”You would not stand a chance. My sons will break this world. Cain the Gray and Godfrey the Golden.” Her eyes moved over them.

”Beings greater than anything life produced at its dawn... Your kind.”

She reclined on the couch as though preparing for a nap. ”You can kill them. I gave Earth two summoners capable of wiping out all life, and your leaders are already using both of them.”

Her gaze returned to Ronald. ”All you have to do is meet your son again. Make him normal.” She blinked softly. ”Then slit his throat.”

Ronald scowled. ”Cain will be the one to die.”

”Is that so? Go ahead. Try. He’ll return. How he does it doesn’t matter. He will return. If you truly want Cain dead, find the man that created Cain.”

Ronald frowned. He had no need to watch the others around him because he knew they were equally confused.

One of you did.” Her eyes wandered across them. ”He lives inside your mind. You continue his story. You are obsessed over it. You cannot live without it.”

”She’s lying.” Lucy said.

”Am I?” The mana tree gave a quiet chuckle. She turned her white eyes toward the ceiling. ”I am done with this world. It has failed.”

”So—” Ronald stopped.

Water burst out from Valentina’s mouth. Her eyes bulged and began to tear up.

Ronald lunged forward and grabbed her. ”Don’t. She’s my wife. Don’t you dare!”

He pinned her spasming body to the couch while Percival tried reached for the water with his power.

It didn’t respond.

More of if kept pouring from her mouth as the healing water flooded her trachea.

The very substance meant to heal was being used to kill her.

She spasmed.

”Don’t! Please don’t! Don’t take her from me. Just leave us! Leave her!” Ronald’s voice broke as water spilled from her nostrils.

Her body gave one final convulsion, then she went still.

Ronald pressed against her chest, trying desperately to force her heart back into motion, but water continued spilling from her mouth.

Percival stood frozen. For the first time water had refused him. The healing water was not ordinary water, it answered only to its creator.

The room went quiet. Too quiet for Ronald. He remained on his knees, soaked, through, staring into the lifeless eyes of the woman he loved.

His vision blurred.

No one could speak. Only Ronald’s trembling sniffs echoed in the room. His shoulders trembled, then his power began to fall.

His tier collapsed until only that of a Divine Tier Summoner remained.

Days ago, Ronald had possessed the power of a Demigod. Now he could barely keep himself upright.

He had known this day would come. Knowing had done nothing to prepare him for it.

She was gone. Valentina was gone and so was the ancient being from which she had grown. She couldn’t torment his son anymore.

Ronald felt relief. The realization hurt almost as much as her death.

There was no separating one from the other. No mana tree he could hate without hating some part of his wife. No Valentina he could mourn without mourning the being that had hurt his son.

There had been no other way.