'Cipher' was unaware of the conversation between Herta and Ruan Mei that took place after her departure.
Screwllum, observing from the sidelines, wasn't about to give her a live broadcast of it either.
--+--
It had been a long time since she'd visited the Herta Space Station.
It wasn't for any particular reason.
Mainly, Amphoreus was guarded by Irontomb, and the Xianzhou Fanghu had General Xuanquan watching over it.
And while the Herta Space Station's defensive measures weren't weak, it was situated right next to The Blue, which meant they couldn't deploy any truly heavy firepower.
Lately, Herta had been so obsessed with her research that she hadn't paid much attention to the station. Without an Emanator holding down the fort, its strength was relatively thin.
So, after weighing her options, 'Cipher' chose to come here.
Following the instructions provided by AI Herta, 'Cipher' appeared on the scene.
Immediately, she saw a colossal Draconian parked right across from the Space Station, facing off against the station itself—which had transformed into a two-head tall chibi Herta clutching a giant hammer.
Hideous, pitch-black, cool, and radiating aggression and danger.
That was 'Cipher's' first impression of the Inferno Dragon.
The second impression was its sheer scale.
One had to keep in mind that the Space Station's transformed state was even larger than its original volume, yet the dragon before her could go toe-to-toe in size with the upright Herta Space Station.
A Doomsday Beast was only about big enough to claw at the platform; compared to the station, its size was child's play.
But this Infernalian... just its eyes alone were almost enough to fill the entire platform's field of vision.
No wonder they were called Great Dragons out there.
If this frame was just the average size within the Infernalian race, they certainly lived up to the name.
And then there was one far, far larger than even this dragon: the Death Dragon, Typhon.
If 'Cipher' remembered correctly from the intel she'd seen in the past, this massive Inferno Dragon would look like a tiny ant in front of the Death Dragon.
Just thinking about Typhon's size was a bit staggering. It felt like it could almost reach the criteria for a wandering planet.
Perhaps because the Inferno Dragon hadn't done anything out of line since arriving, the station staff were currently shivering in fear while simultaneously marveling at the sight.
They were directing robots—transformed from various equipment—to scan and record the dragon's data.
As 'Cipher' sized up the beast, the big guy noticed her appearing out of thin air.
Then, the dragon opened its massive maw. Along with a roar, Imaginary Energy rippled outward, carrying his voice with it:
"You look powerful. May I ask who you are?"
"Weren't you looking for me?"
"You are Madam Bai Ming? But your appearance..."
The dragon stared at 'Cipher' with suspicion, feeling like he was being played.
However, his instincts warned him that the person before him was a powerhouse he couldn't afford to provoke, so he suppressed his impatience and continued.
"If you'd investigated my intel, you'd know I almost never show my true face."
'Cipher' left it at that without further explanation.
As for the upright Space Station nearby, it gave 'Cipher' a little wave. Then, it promptly lay back down, deactivated its combat alert, and returned to its working state.
The Inferno Dragon fell into thought for a moment, appearing to be in contact with someone.
Just as 'Cipher' thought he was verifying the intel, suddenly—
A gargantuan entity surged out from a warp channel.
Its immense volume and mass were so great that merely approaching The Blue's star system nearly caused the planetary orbits to shift.
Just as the various defense systems of The Blue and the Space Station were about to trigger automatically, a surge of power expanded outward, smoothing over the interference the massive weight had caused to the system.
The celestial-sized entity unfurled.
Wings that seemed to blot out the stars stretched across the cosmos.
'Cipher', who had captured this information across light-years and projected it before her eyes, widened them in shock:
"That big?! It can't be that the Death Dragon Typhon came in person??"
It was meant to be a simple exclamation, but the Inferno Dragon nearby responded:
"Indeed, it is our Father and King, whom you outsiders respectfully call the Death Dragon Typhon! Whether you are Madam Bai Ming or not, your strength is sufficient for my Father to appear in person."
He was actually seventy percent sure 'Cipher' was the Bai Ming they were looking for.
According to the news from the Fanghu, the target had used this exact appearance there a few days ago. But since there was no other way to definitively prove it, he didn't dare be certain.
Regardless, the level of danger his instincts perceived made him realize that even if she wasn't the one, an existence like this could only be handled by their Father and King.
"..."
The Death Dragon, Typhon.
A titan so large it was like a celestial body.
The "massive" Inferno Dragon could only be called tiny in his presence.
His mere appearance outside the star system had almost thrown the entire system into chaos. If he hadn't used his power to negate the gravitational effects, Herta would likely have rushed over in a rage by now to salvage The Blue.
"My son, return. I shall handle things here."
Typhon did not step into the star system where The Blue resided. Instead, from light-years away, he sent a message to his offspring.
"You are that second Aeon, Bai Ming, designated by the Aeon of Elation, correct?"
'Cipher' glanced at the Inferno Dragon as he obediently retreated.
Then, she stepped out, turning into a streak of light that shuttled between planets. In a few moments, she stood before Typhon.
Coming close and seeing Typhon's condition clearly against the pitch-black backdrop of space, 'Cipher' fell into a brief silence.
Within that colossal dragon frame, a crimson sphere of light pulsed like a heart amidst a lattice of ribs.
Aside from the skeletal frame supporting the body and that crimson light, no flesh could be seen in the entire chest cavity...
If this fellow were naturally a bone dragon, that would be one thing, but his limbs and tail were thick and powerful.
'Cipher' didn't know much about Death Dragons, but she at least knew about Permanence.
The Permanence had created the Draconians at the cost of their own fall; they wouldn't have made them look like this monstrosity.
"Are you... perhaps using your own flesh and life as the price to maintain the prosperity of the Infernalians?"
"As expected of a woman chosen by an Aeon; your insight is indeed sharp. The world believes my form is natural, calling me by the name Death Dragon, yet they do not know that I am merely following the example of the Father God to ensure our existence remains permanent."
Typhon's voice was funneled specifically into 'Cipher's' ears, shielded from all other beings.
"Imitating the Permanence's 'One dragon falls, ten thousand things are born'? But even so, when your own flesh is exhausted, your kin will eventually pass away."
"Hahaha~ Precisely. That is why I have come to see you. I am not the Father God; how could I possibly be without selfish motives?"
The Death Dragon Typhon gazed at 'Cipher', who was as tiny as a speck of dust compared to him.
Yet, he didn't dare harbor even a hint of contempt.
'Cipher' didn't know what he actually wanted. Her cache? Or the cache of the Inferno people after his death?
But before discussing that, 'Cipher' looked up at the dragon, which was so large that just looking at him felt exhausting:
"Can you make your body a bit smaller? It would be more convenient for a detailed chat."
"I can."
Typhon nodded.
He was here to ask for a favor, so it was only right to accommodate her habits rather than making her look up at him constantly. Besides, the size difference was indeed a bit impractical.
Thus, crimson power erupted from his chest, layers of it enveloping Typhon's body before it rapidly shrank.
On a macro level, the power of Permanence could be seen as the opposite of Nihility, pursuing a dynamic eternity. This Path itself had a deep connection to existence.
To put it bluntly, Permanence possessed the ability to alter matter.
In the past, the Vidyadhara could freely change biological properties and material characteristics, though that ability eventually spiraled out of control. But for an existence of Typhon's level, he still held a firm grasp on it.
Though he had never done it before, simply making his body smaller—or even taking a human form—was nothing more than a qualitative change applied to himself.
And it was the kind he could easily change back at any time.
Typhon didn't actually like human forms; after all, he had been a dragon since birth.
However, considering he was the one asking for help and the other party was human, he mimicked the human posture to reconstruct his body.
'Cipher' watched as the Death Dragon before her shrank again and again.
From the size of a planet, he gradually became a figure about two meters tall.
(T/N: Idk why the inferno dragon switched from father to a woman, but thats how it's written from now. I assume Typhon originally used a more gender neutral pronoun leaning to male in chinese, but when they took human it changed to female pronouns)
As the light dissipated, a black-haired woman with wings on her back and jet-black dragon horns and a tail appeared before her.
However, her gown was split from the neck down to the lower abdomen, and the center—just as before—was filled by ribs and that red glow.
It had a sort of terrifying, macabre beauty to it.
Seeing 'Cipher's' surprised expression, Typhon smiled somewhat unnaturally and explained:
"I am different from the Vidyadhara; I was born in dragon form. This appearance is a first for me, created only for the convenience of communication."
"..."
'Cipher' actually wanted to ask where all that mass and matter went after shrinking from such a massive size.
But she keenly spotted traces of distorted space and horizons faintly visible on Typhon's surface. So, she chose to change the subject:
"Where shall we go to talk?"
"Find a place you are comfortable with. The environments I favor... ordinary people cannot adapt to them."
Typhon seemed quite easy to talk to. Of course, it might have been because he needed something from her.
"Then let's talk on a ship. No need to worry about being disturbed by others."
As 'Cipher' spoke, she used Phase Flame to bring out a small warp-capable ship directly from the Herta Space Station.
At 'Cipher's' invitation, Typhon entered the cramped ship.
They sat down in the luxurious lounge.
'Cipher' looked at Typhon and took the initiative:
"So, why have you come looking for me?"
Typhon mimicked 'Cipher's' sitting posture across from her and said with a smile:
"Naturally, it is because you are strong. And in all these years, you are the first person who could allow the Vidyadhara to multiply at such a minimal cost. I could not let this opportunity pass."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL