Timeless Assassin

Chapter 992: Debt Repaid

For several long seconds, Moltherak said nothing.

He simply regarded Leo with steady, ancient eyes, weighing the intent behind his words as silence stretched between them, before a low rumble escaped his chest and deepened into a slow, measured laugh that rolled through the chamber like distant thunder.

*Draconic Chuckle*

"After being imprisoned for so long," he began evenly, his voice carrying the weight of centuries, "I understand the price of freedom better than most beings in this universe."

His gaze remained locked onto Leo’s.

"And for the role you played in returning that freedom to me, I will always acknowledge it. That debt is real, and it will not be forgotten."

He said with a warmth in his tone, however, that warmth did not linger for long, as it soon cooled into a chilly warning.

"But understand this clearly, boy."

Moltherak leaned back slightly, the faintest edge entering his voice.

"The Dragon King has never stood at another’s beck and call, and he never will."

The air in the chamber grew heavier, as dragons along the walls shifted uneasily beneath the shift in atmosphere.

"If you expect me to rush to the Cult’s defense at the first sign of danger, or to answer your summons as though I were one of your Commanders, then you misunderstand the nature of what I am."

His golden eyes hardened.

"I will move when it suits me to move. I will intervene when it aligns with my interests. And if fate decrees that you fall before that moment arrives, perhaps I will avenge you afterward."

There was no cruelty in his tone.

Only clarity.

"I am not Soron," Moltherak continued calmly. "The Cult is not my creation, nor my responsibility."

He tilted his head slightly.

"I respect you. I may even call you an ally, should our paths continue to align."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"But I am your friend at best, Leo Skyshard. Never your servant."

The smile faded.

"And I would advise you to remember that distinction, before pride tempts you to test it."

He warned as Leo smiled at his words.

It wasn’t that Leo did not understand the nature of what Moltherak was, or that he expected him to be ready to protect the Cult whenever the Cult needed him.

However, what he did understand was far more troubling.

Moltherak’s stance meant uncertainty.

It meant that in a moment of true crisis, the Cult could not rely on the Dragon King with absolute confidence.

If intervention depended on personal interest rather than shared obligation, then any calculation involving him became unstable.

He was neither adversary nor shield, but something far more dangerous in military alliances—an independent variable.

Leo could not build a future on "perhaps."

He could not promise his followers security while leaning on a force that might arrive late, or not at all.

And yet, he did not retreat.

Instead, his smile deepened slightly.

"Of course I understand all this very well, Dragon King," Leo replied evenly.

"Which is why I am not here to extract a promise of protection."

His eyes sharpened.

"But rather to inform you of my future course of action."

A faint ripple of interest moved through the hall.

"You see, I have promised my Cult that within this century, I will reclaim every lost Cult planet."

His voice remained calm.

"And perhaps claim a few more."

There was no bravado in his tone. No exaggeration. Only intent.

"I came here to tell you that I intend to keep that promise."

He held Moltherak’s gaze without flinching.

"And if your Draconic Empire wishes to avoid conflict with me, then I would advise you to leave Cult planets untouched."

Silence.

Then—

Moltherak burst into booming laughter.

The sound shook the chamber, braziers flickering as the ancient dragon threw his head back, clearly entertained.

Through his mastery of aura, Moltherak felt no deception in Leo’s words. No hesitation. No empty posturing. The ambition radiating from him was steady and real.

As that was what fascinated the ancient Dragon.

Leo stood before him as a Monarch-tier warrior, someone who, in a direct clash, would not survive against the Dragon King as he was now, for the difference in raw power between them was undeniable.

And yet—

He did not shrink or soften his claim.

He did not frame his ambition as negotiation.

He stated it as fact.

As it was that spine, that refusal to bend, that gained him Moltherak’s respect.

For when Kaelith had proposed dividing the universe, he had done so cautiously, suggesting shared dominion and measured expansion.

While Leo did not suggest it.

He declared.

There was no talk of halves. No polite distribution of territory.

He demanded space for his rise.

And it was precisely that distinction which separated the two in Moltherak’s eyes.

Kaelith sought alliance to preserve balance.

Leo sought growth regardless of consequence.

And though Moltherak did not say it aloud—

He respected the latter far more.

"I will inform my people not to meddle in Cult territories," Moltherak said at last, his voice steady and authoritative as his golden eyes remained fixed on Leo.

"In fact, your Cult may become the only human faction the Dragons actively trade with.

The universe is vast enough for both of us while greater enemies still roam it.

However, understand this clearly.... if that balance ever shifts, the nature of this understanding will shift with it."

There was no threat in his tone, only truth.

Leo held his gaze without hesitation, sensing no deception within the Dragon King’s aura.

This was not loyalty, nor was it subservience. It was alignment born of mutual ambition and temporary convenience.

"That is fair," Leo replied calmly.

"Thank-you for your time, Great King, I do appreciate it."

He said before turning to leave, as Moltherak stared at his retreating form for a couple seconds before suddenly asking him to wait.

"Wait...."

Moltherak said loudly as Leo paused, the Dragon King’s expression serious and slightly reluctant as he tossed him a package wrapped in thick cloth.

"With this, consider the debt I owe Soron paid.

It’s just you that I owe to now."

The Dragon said, as Leo raised an eyebrow in confusion as to what the package was?