---
Scarlet Dragon King – Chapter 10: A Flame Watched by Heaven
The summit was over.
But its consequences rippled through every realm like a shockwave.
The gods had spoken in whispers and warnings. Now, their eyes turned outward.
To him.
To Eric Aivor—the Scarlet Dragon King.
—
Far below the celestial realm, in a quiet garden in Kyoto, the stars shimmered just a little too bright.
Eric sat alone beneath a half-bloomed sakura, crimson eyes lost in the dark sky. The stillness around him wasn't peace—it was pressure.
He could feel it.
The weight of judgment.
The cold gaze of unseen watchers.
Footsteps—soft, deliberate—approached from behind. He didn't turn. He already knew.
Yasaka.
She sat beside him, her golden tails trailing gently in the breeze. "It's begun, hasn't it?"
Eric didn't answer at first.
Then, quietly: "They've decided to test me."
She frowned, not at the gods—but at their arrogance. "A summit of pantheons. You've shaken the heavens without even raising your sword."
"I didn't want war," Eric muttered. "But they can't stand that I didn't beg for their approval."
"They fear you," Yasaka said, brushing her fingers against his hand. "Not because you're powerful. But because you're free. And that freedom... is contagious."
Eric finally looked at her.
She wasn't angry. She wasn't scared.
She was resolute.
"You don't have to face this alone," she whispered.
"I know," he replied, gripping her hand. "But they're not just coming for me. They're going to test all of you."
She nodded slowly. "Then we face them together. As we should."
Just then, the air shimmered.
Not with heat—but with divine attention.
Above them, a glowing sigil formed in the sky—an ancient seal of the Concordat, the pact between divine factions. It pulsed once, then dissolved into golden motes.
The warning had been given.
The gods weren't just watching.
They were moving.
Eric stood. The wind stirred his hair, his crimson aura burning faintly in the moonlight.
"Then let them come," he said, voice low and sharp. "Let them test my flames."
Yasaka stood beside him, her nine tails spreading like wings.
"Let them see why the Scarlet Dragon King has no equal."
And above them, the stars dimmed—preparing for a fire greater than any heaven had ever known.
TGot it—no Hindu pantheon at the Divine Summit. That keeps Shiva's arc and loyalties more focused on her personal connection to Eric, rather than political divine drama.
Let's dive into Chapter 9, opening the next arc with intensity and a brewing war.
---
Scarlet Dragon King – Chapter 9: The Gods Who Whisper War
In a pocket realm suspended above all realities, a ring of divine thrones floated like stars around a burning sun-shaped core. The space itself warped under the weight of divinity. Silence reigned—until Michael, Seraph of Heaven, stood from his radiant seat.
"The boy is no longer just a dragon," he said, voice calm but heavy. "He has become something else."
Across from him, Odin, ancient and weary, chuckled with grim amusement. "The lad's bedding goddesses. If he sneezes too hard, reality might split."
The Greek Pantheon's emissary, Athena, leaned forward. Her silver eyes were sharp. "Eric Aivor has upset divine balance. First the Gremory girl, then the Queen of Kyoto, now even Death herself bends toward him."
Amaterasu, matron of the Shinto, spoke next. "He holds our Celestial Kitsune now. Yasaka is not easily claimed. She chose him willingly."
"And that concerns us more," Athena snapped. "Loyalty born of charm, not pact? Dangerous."
A ripple echoed through the space as the throne of the Biblical God remained still—empty, yet ever-present. Only Michael bore that weight now.
"I do not speak against him," said Michael slowly, "but if his path leads to chaos, Heaven cannot ignore it."
A voice slithered in from the shadows of the chamber—a god not formally invited.
Loki.
"The dragon boy's not just gathering lovers," he smirked. "He's assembling weapons. Each woman is a divine force. The Grim Reaper? The Sun herself? That's not a harem—it's an army."
Michael's wings flickered.
Amaterasu's eyes narrowed.
Odin remained silent—but didn't laugh again.
Then came the final voice—one that wasn't invited, yet always arrived.
Nyx, primordial goddess of night, hovered in the distance.
"He is not building a kingdom," she said softly. "He is becoming a crucible. The gods burn around him… and something new will be born."
Silence fell again.
The verdict?
Watch. Prepare. And if necessary… strike.
---
The air split like thunder.
One moment, Eric and Yasaka were still beneath the sakura tree. The next—a tear in reality bloomed above them, gold and violet light bleeding from its edges. Divine energy poured down like a waterfall of pressure.
Yasaka stood instantly, her tails bristling.
Eric's eyes narrowed. "They didn't waste time."
From the rift stepped a figure in white and gold—Metatron, scribe of Heaven, radiant and unreadable. His wings shimmered with script from forgotten languages, each letter glowing like starlight.
He landed silently, his presence causing the very grass to flatten.
Yasaka positioned herself beside Eric.
Metatron spoke, his voice emotionless but heavy with law.
> "Eric Aivor. Scarlet Dragon King. You are summoned by decree of the Divine Concordat."
> "You and your bonded flames are to be judged in the Trial of Realms."
> "This is not a request. This is balance."
Eric took a step forward. "And if I refuse?"
Metatron didn't blink. "Then all pantheons reserve the right to strike you down, as a destabilizing entity."
The wind howled around them. Yasaka's golden aura shimmered defensively.
But Eric… smiled.
"That's the best they've got? Fine." His eyes flared crimson. "We'll play your game. But I don't lose."
Metatron raised a hand, and eleven sigils appeared around Eric in a circle—each one shaped for a member of his harem. Magic etched with the essence of their bonds.
> "Each flame shall face their mirror."
> "Each soul shall walk through their greatest truth or perish."
> "The Trial begins in three days' time. Prepare."
And just like that, Metatron vanished. The sigils remained, orbiting Eric like divine satellites.
Yasaka stepped closer. "This… is more than a test. It's a trap."
Eric's aura surged. "Then we'll break it."
He looked toward the horizon, where crimson clouds began to gather.
> The gods were watching.
> The flames had been chosen.
> And soon, the trial would begin.