MY 10,000× DIMENSIONAL SYSTEM

Chapter 100 Dignity

dignity

so far, the only other race christopher hadn't transported into his dimension since the beginning of his insane plan was the dragon race.

there was no special reason why... or rather the reason was rather unique. literally any one of his subordinates would have been able to handle it at this point, but he still waited until after the void had been dealt with and all the other races had been subjugated.

'i'll return all of you to the dimension, i have something i need to deal with.' he said to his cohort telepathically and after they acknowledged the instruction, everyone on the battlefield vanished.

christopher stretched.

"ugh, when all of this is done i'm gonna sleep." he sighed. he went from multiple short battles to one very long and endurance based one. the strain on his mind was still there, regardless of his rise in strength.

still he was sober enough to go and complete this next task by himself.

with a thought, he teleported off the battlefield to another area.

***

when christopher reappeared, he was high in the air. looking down, he saw a massive mountain chain that stretched for almost a thousand kilometres, the mountains themselves being pale white colour and oddly smooth.

it was then christopher realised.

'right, it's not a mountain chain, it's a spine.' he sighed and looked around.

indeed, the whole landscape was actually the skeleton of a gargantuan dragon of the past, and judging by how there was a clean cut from its upper left wing to its lower right leg, it was easy to assume that it had been sliced in half. and it had been, by the legend sword, all those years ago.

the dragons of today had made the skeleton of their ancient ancestor their home.

'not sure if that's sweet or morbid.' he sighed and turned his head in a certain direction, specifically towards the skull of the ancient dragon.

there, he felt a powerful and oppressive presence. and he was sure that it was by far the strongest aura he'd felt from any being on this world besides sinestra and yggdrasil now known as eidrasil.

the void didn't count as it had no aura.

the aura instantly locked onto him and christopher remained stationary, showing no signs of letting his aura flare up or subdue it. simply leaving it as it was.

after a few seconds, a powerful voice boomed in his mind.

'come.' it sounded aged but powerful, which was a common thing among dragon's as most of the active ones were the older ones. but this one far surpassed the others by miles.

with a sigh, christopher didn't teleport and instead flew forward. fast enough to cover the distance in a dozen seconds or so, but not so fast that he caused a scene.

as he grew closer, christopher felt more and more auras lock onto him, each stronger than the last, though weaker than the one he was approaching.

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soon, christopher reached the top of the skull and briefly glanced around. four towering horns rose up a dozen miles into the sky casting dark shadows on top of the skull. but that wasn't what he paid attention to.

on the skull near the front, a throne that seemed to be carved out of bone could be seen. the throne was massive, at least three miles wide . but it wasn't odd when one saw the being on it.

when he spoke with the voidwalkers, he acknowledged that forcing loyalty could breed resentment, even if the dimension could quell such a thing.

one has to not that the dimensional enslavement made it so that his subordinates were loyal to him in the sense that they couldn't defy his orders or try to hurt him. and to him, that's what distinguished subordinates from slaves. he could force them to follow his orders and they wouldn't be able to refuse him. but that would make them slaves.

instead he preferred that they followed his orders of their own volition.

similarly, with the dragons, christopher recognised the inherent dignity and storied legacy they held as apex beings of the world.

some time ago, christopher had reflected on their race as a whole. what made them unique as well as comparing their pride and power to the other races he'd encountered thus far. and he realised that, in his opinion, the dragons' legacy of strength and autonomy made them more than just another species to be assimilated.

they represented a concept few other races could claim to possess. and that was how they stood at the apex, not because of manipulation or subjugation, but through their own might and will. forcing their submission would cheapen everything they represent, and in a way, dishonour them.

'the dragons are the very definition of what it means to be unyielding. i could indeed just force their loyalty like i did with some of the others, but in a way, that would diminish what they are. beings at the peak do not bow. and i won't step on their pride by forcing them into my service. so i either make them join willingly, or not at all.'

subjugating without respect breeds contempt. that was his logic.

he knows his dimension ensures loyalty, but loyalty born from force lacks substance and is thus pointless. the dragons are beings who have pride imprinted on every cell in their bodies. and that pride could spark defiance if handled incorrectly. and even if their submission is guaranteed, such defiance could ripple through his carefully constructed balance. it's not really fear of rebellion, but instead understanding that the dragons' greatness lies in their autonomy. he doesn't see them as potential tools, but potential allies that while under his rule, can still make their own choices.

'i ain't no hero, but i'm not gonna reduce these guys who have earned their place at the peak to simple tools of my will. asking for loyalty and not giving respect in return will breed resentment, and don't want to rule over ashes.' as such, christopher decided to approach the dragons in a different manner. rather than simply absorbing them into his dimension, he decided he would give them a choice. an opportunity to see his goals and align with it of their own volition. by doing this, he wouldn't compromise his authority, but instead, he'd strengthen it with genuine allies.

'pride, can either be a barrier or a foundation. if they choose to align with me willingly, their pride becomes a strength that would aid their service to me. if they don't, then i'll leave them be. i won't gain anything if i break what is already whole.

his approach mirrored his philosophy with the voidwalkers. power without wisdom is reckless, and loyalty that isn't born from respect and understanding is empty.

as such, he made the decision to make the dragons choose.

instead of speaking, he transmitted his intent into lihanna's mind directly and she took a moment to digest it. and when she did, a trace of surprise shone through.

"you... are quite considerate." she spoke and christopher nodded.

"i wouldn't be where i am if i wasn't." he said simply and the dragon smiled again, however, it was more genuine this time.

then, she inhaled, raised her head to the sky, and roared.

it was a powerful roar filled with dignity and undefiled power.

it lasted roughly ten seconds, and then, roars started to sound from different parts of the ancient dragon skeleton. roars of agreement.

zephyr let out a small sigh, then raised his head to roar as well, and the brown dragon followed suit.

soon, the entire dragon population was roaring in unison, and christopher couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed.

lihanna stared at him as the roars subsided, and she nodded.

then she bowed down her head, and zephyr, the brown dragon, and every other dragon within the ancient skeleton bowed their heads as well.

seeing this, christopher touched his chest where his heart was and could feel it racing. then a genuine smile bloomed on his face.

"i accept your loyalty."