The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 598 The Blessings of the Dragon God and the Emperors
"Hmm?" Kurt keenly noticed a massive energy source surging from his back, which startled him instantly.

"Land!" Anthony Doss also noticed the unusual state of Roland's body on the dragon saddle.

"Could it be the necromancer magic Corpse Explosion?" Kurt asked, his heart pounding. After all, only the necromancer's skill Corpse Explosion could unleash such terrifying energy from a corpse.

“This shouldn’t be!” Anthony Doss carefully removed Roland’s remains and laid them flat on the ground.

Because the corpse was wrapped in cloth, neither the man nor the dragon could see exactly what had happened. Finally, Anthony Doss gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, I have offended you!"

Anthony Doss reached out and lifted Roland's shroud, only to discover that the source of the energy was located on the ring finger of his left hand and the index finger of his right hand.

"The Holy Ring?" Anthony Doss was taken aback. Clearly, the Dragon Knight family was no stranger to this thing. A powerful Holy Ring was the ultimate goal pursued by every knight (after all, paladins rely on talent, while dragon knights rely on chemistry, and the only thing they could hope to obtain was the Holy Ring).
"This power makes my heart tremble! What are they? The Ring?" Kurt was stunned, clearly mistaking the terrifying energy for the Ring in Roland's hand.

"The Holy Ring, which stands in opposition to the One Ring! It is the ultimate pursuit of every knight with a righteous heart!" Anthony Doss shook his head. Although the conditions for obtaining the Holy Ring were very demanding, at least there was still hope.

"The source of this power seems to be related to our dragon race..." Kurt said suddenly after carefully sensing it. No wonder this thing felt so familiar! It turns out to be the purest dragon essence!

"In fact, the creation of this thing is inextricably linked to your dragon race..."

……

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before!" Roland squinted, trying to make out the figure's true appearance, but he could only make out a blurry image.

"Hehe! Little guy, it takes immense power to look me in the eye. You're not yet capable of looking me in the eye..." the golden phantom teased.

"Wait... You are the Dragon God!" Roland squinted and saw only a scale and a claw, finally guessing the true identity of the phantom in front of him! It is the Dragon God! No wonder he felt a strong sense of familiarity. After all, the aura of that golden phantom was grand and intimate, and a sense of recognition from bloodline was irresistible to him, as if it were a blood relative.

"A clever child." The remnant soul of the Dragon God laughed heartily, clearly pleased that his descendants could recognize him.

“You are not…” Roland hesitated, squinting his eyes, after all, what he was about to say was a bit disrespectful.

"Didn't I perish? Yes... I perished long ago. I was the first Dragon God in the world, and also the last Dragon God..." The Dragon God was clearly somewhat melancholy, but he was happy to chat with Roland.

"Then how can I..." Roland was a little confused. So the Lagranges really did go to see the Dragon God when they died!

"Why did you see me?" The Dragon God seemed to see through Roland's concerns and doubts.

"It's a long story, but perhaps it's fate that you were able to meet me..." The Dragon God shook his head, astonished by the harsh conditions under which the two met.

"First, you must be a pure-blooded member of the Lagrange royal family or imperial family..." the Dragon God began to explain.

"Huh?" Roland clearly didn't understand.

"Well... to put it this way, my blood flows in the veins of your ancestors..." The Dragon God organized his thoughts and then told Roland in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

"???" Roland was stunned. A true descendant of the dragon?
"The first Lagrange Emperor was my son." The Dragon God's voice was full of teasing.

Okay, now Roland understands! No wonder Lagrange is the land of dragons, no wonder the proud dragon race allows the birth of a large number of dragon knights. So they're all one family, huh? Doesn't this mean the dragon race is my family? Well, it seems the people of Lagrange really do that, at least the dragon knight families are one after another.

"Then you must be a dragon knight!" the dragon god's voice continued.

"Alright," Roland nodded. "It is indeed demanding. No Lagrange Emperor has ever dared to guarantee that he could become a Dragon Knight. After all, the Dragon Knight Contract cannot be forced; it can only be based on whether the dragon and the rider are compatible." "And then?" Roland asked curiously.

"Finally, you must possess the Holy Ring..." the Dragon God said nonchalantly.

"It seems that only the Lagrange Human Emperor can achieve this..." Roland was speechless. As expected, the conditions were harsh. He needed to be a pureblood, a dragon knight, and have a holy ring. Basically, only the Human Emperor met these conditions.

"So it's a miracle that you were able to see me!" The remnant soul of the Dragon God chuckled. The Holy Ring is usually in the hands of electors, human emperors, or top nobles. The only one who can meet all three conditions is the human emperor!
"The Holy Rings are artifacts I forged back then. The nine Holy Rings correspond to the nine powers and spirits of a knight. However, there is a Dragon Knight Holy Ring above them! It can summon the power of the nine Holy Rings and use it for its own purposes. It is the one that can resurrect you..." The Dragon God smiled and explained to Roland.

"Then I guess I have no chance..." Roland said dejectedly.

"?" The Dragon God was taken aback.

“I only have the rings of honor and mercy…” Roland said dejectedly.

"Do not worry about the child, the emperors are with you!"

Before the Dragon God could speak, a golden figure emerged from the void.

"My child, walk on bravely! The blood of royalty flows in your veins!"

Another golden figure appeared.

"Don't be afraid, the Emperor will bless you!"

"A reckless death in battle is always more respectable than a cowardly survival..."

"May the Dragon God and the Empire bless you!"

……

Thirty-one figures appeared before Roland's eyes, each emanating an aura of varying strength. The sacred golden light made Roland feel exceptionally comfortable and at ease.

"Your junior, King Roland of Romanian, King of Lagrange, and Elector of the Empire, pays his respects to all the Emperors!" Roland patted his chest in greeting, for before him stood a full thirty-one former Emperors of Lagrange! Unlike the Dragon God, whose face was obscured, the faces of the Emperors were clearly visible! Especially Emperor Karl the Great's distinctive face, which Roland recognized at a glance.

“Go back, child, fate brought us together… You are not destined to die, Lagrange’s hope still remains. Go back to where you belong, remember… live… only by living can you… have… everything…” The Dragon God’s voice grew ever grander, but to Roland it sounded utterly ethereal, as if fading into the distance…

Each of the Lagrange Emperors slowly melted away, eventually transforming into a golden primordial energy, while the indistinct Dragon God gradually faded and disappeared...

"Wait!" Roland reached out as if to say something, but his consciousness grew heavier and heavier, and then everything went black again.

……

Outside, Anthony Doss was looking at the glowing holy ring on Roland's hand with a puzzled expression. As the man and the dragon were studying it, the light of the holy ring suddenly intensified, and the dazzling light made Anthony Doss and Kurt involuntarily step back to shield their eyes.

"Huh? What happened?" Kurt stared in horror at Roland's corpse.

At this moment, Roland was slowly decaying; to be precise, his flesh turned into a ball of golden light and disappeared. Soon, a pure white skeleton appeared, and then fine golden lines crawled up his bones. His bones began to shine brightly, and his previously broken right arm also approached the break and fused with his torso in the light...

(End of this chapter)