The Dragon Summit 2.0 was held on the same floating island as before, but this time the atmosphere was electric. Hundreds of ancient dragons—gold, silver, storm, flame, every color of the rainbow—hovered in a massive circle. The Dragon King himself, a colossal crimson beast Level 612, sat on a throne of solidified clouds.
I landed in the center in full juvenile glory, Lirael at my side. My presence alone flattened every dragon under Level 300 like pancakes. The Gold Dragon who had sneered at me last time coughed blood and looked away.
I didn't waste time. "Hi, uncles and aunties. I'm Kurogane. I break things. Heaven is coming in twenty-six days. Join Team Voidreaver and get infinite stat shares. Stay neutral and become collateral damage. Betray us and I'll personally turn your hoard into modern art."
The Dragon King laughed so hard the sky cracked. "Lirael… you have birthed the end times. Very well. The bloodline stands with the Voidreaver."
Half the summit roared in agreement. The other half looked nervous but didn't argue. One ancient storm dragon tried to challenge me to ritual combat anyway. I won in 0.8 seconds by simply existing harder than him. He bowed and joined immediately.
After the summit I flew straight back to Eldoria—human form, incognito at first. Princess Elara met me at the palace gates in a simple gown, eyes sparkling with excitement and a hint of fear.
"The king is panicking," she whispered as we walked the gardens. "He's sending every knight and mage he can spare to the mountain. But the nobles are split. Some want to side with heaven for 'balance.' Others think you're the only thing that can stop the descent."
I summoned a floating ramen stall right there in the garden—System chef included. "Then let's give them a reason to choose right. Free food and infinite power tend to sway opinions."
We spent the afternoon in full diplomacy mode. I fixed the kingdom's economy by casually dropping infinite gold bars into the treasury (the System auto-generated them with "legal tender" stamps). I healed the sick with a tiny Domain pulse. I roasted a few corrupt nobles who tried to plot against me by turning their mansions into very expensive glass sculptures.
By evening the entire capital was chanting "Voidreaver! Voidreaver!" from the rooftops.
Elara and I ended up on a balcony overlooking the city, sunset painting everything gold and red. She leaned against the railing beside me.
"You're not what I expected from an OP isekai protagonist," she said softly. "You're… fun. Snarky. Like you actually remember what it felt like to be human."
I shrugged, sipping tea. "I remember the overtime. The despair. That's why I'm not going to let heaven take this second chance away. Stay with me, Elara. We could use a half-elf spirit mage who knows what it feels like to die and wake up broken."
Her hand brushed mine. "I think I will. But only if you promise to teach me how to punch gods too."
The moment was perfect—until the sky split again.
A small vanguard of Thrones—higher-tier angels, Level 450 each—crashed the festival. They demanded the princess as "hostage against the dragon." I didn't even finish my tea.
I grew to full dragon size in one breath, Voidflame erasing three of them instantly. The rest fled when I activated the new ×1.5 multiplier and turned the entire plaza into a temporary void pocket.
Elara stared up at me, eyes wide but smiling. "Okay. Definitely staying."
Back at the mountain that night, Lirael had prepared a war council. Maps of Aetheria floated in the air. The first tribute caravans had arrived—gold, weapons, and one very confused group of reincarnators who had heard the global alert and wanted in.
Sato Kenji was among them, looking sheepish. "I… I leveled up. A lot. Can I join? I don't want to fight you anymore."
I patted his head again. "Welcome to the team, hero. Just don't try the holy sword on me again or I'll turn it into a pretzel permanently."
The timer ticked.
[Time Remaining: 25 days]
Ramen diplomacy had worked. The first alliances were forming. Royal panic had turned into royal support.
But heaven had only sent the first wave.
The real descent was coming.
And I couldn't wait.