Chapter 94
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 094
Chapter Title: Fallen Dragon. (1)
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Of course, it wasn't an assassination attempt. The Naga King wasn't foolish enough to try assassinating reinforcements on the eve of a major battle.
He was simply astonished by the situation.
"...Impressive."
His voice a low hiss, Beskan quickly regained his composure. It seemed he'd realized who exactly stood before him.
"Has your tribe's guardian returned?"
Knartash pondered for a moment before replying.
"He's on our side, sure, but he hasn't returned as a guardian. His allegiance has changed."
"Allegiance has changed..."
Beskan's gaze swept over Woojin's companions. Rolland and Cecilia. After appraising their attire, the Naga King spoke again.
"...Aren't these fools who serve the Old Ones? Why bring them along?"
As he spoke, Beskan toyed with his massive trident. Sensing a misunderstanding, Woojin signed in response.
—Not at all. Why would you think that?
"They look the part. Long ago, ones like them came and caused all sorts of trouble. At first, allying with them seemed beneficial... but they kept cozying up to the Old Ones."
Woojin had a rough idea of what happened.
'The Dark Cultists must have fallen out of favor with the Naga King.'
It appeared that long ago, Dark Cultists had pulled some stunt with the Naga tribe and gotten caught by Beskan, leading to their downfall.
Having grasped the situation, Woojin explained roughly.
—Those guys are exiles from the tribe. They caused trouble on our side too and got purged. We tried to kill them all, but a few slipped away.
Worshipping the Old Ones like gods wasn't normal to begin with. At Woojin's words, Beskan readily lowered his weapon.
"Fair enough... You're right. I had no intention of touching your companions anyway."
It tied into why he hadn't attempted poison earlier. Starting a conflict with allies before a big battle would be idiotic.
In that sense, the Naga messenger's prank on the Norn tribe last time hadn't been Beskan's doing.
"At the time, I was bedridden, poisoned by dragon venom. My subordinates were trying to buy time in a bad situation... It was a poor choice."
Even if it had succeeded, it would have been a problem.
They might buy a little time, but if the Norn tribe got massacred by the dragon, the Abominations would absorb their forces and grow even stronger.
Woojin nodded in understanding. The final puzzle piece fell into place.
'No wonder... It felt too sloppy for a Naga scheme. Now I get why.'
Beskan was the king the Nagas revered deeply. The oldest living being in the Demonic Realm aside from the Old Ones. It seemed the entire tribe had been in chaos while he was poisoned.
Knartash wore a sullen expression as she glared down at the Norn Queen.
"...You made them drink something that potent?"
"No need to worry. We diluted it properly to control the venom... They probably won't die."
Probably.
Beskan emphasized the word. Knartash let out a deep sigh.
"...This is going to be rough for a while."
Intentions aside, it was no different from being poisoned.
The Norn warriors drank the poison. To face the dragon, they needed to build resistance in advance.
Of course, drinking undiluted venom could kill them, so it had to be properly diluted according to each individual's tolerance before distribution.
"Give me something stronger than this."
Braknak declared competitively. He seemed to view drinking potent poison as a badge of honor. Woojin interjected.
"No empty beds left. Lying around in someone else's territory is a nuisance too, so take it easy."
They hadn't even started fighting, yet many Norn warriors were already bedridden. The dragon's venom was so potent that carelessness could be fatal.
Though disappointed inwardly, Braknak obediently followed Woojin's order.
'Dragon hunting will take some time to begin.'
With Beskan and the Naga warriors poisoned and under treatment, plus many Norns down, they'd have to wait for recovery before the hunt could start.
Fortunately, it wouldn't take long.
'Good thing I stocked up on inner cores.'
He'd accumulated them by subjugating beasts whenever he had time. The ailing Norn warriors consumed inner cores to regain strength, allowing them to rise from their beds without much trouble.
A week later.
The Norn tribe's warriors had gained resistance to the poison. It meant they were ready for the hunt.
"Open the gate."
Beskan muttered the command. In response, Naga warriors pulled on the ropes.
Grrrind, creeeak—!
The stone gate rose slowly. The Naga tribe's army slithered out beyond the barricade. Their numbers were beyond counting.
Roughly three thousand Naga warriors. Beskan had gathered seventy percent of the tribe's total forces.
Thud, thud, thud!
Three drakes marched forth majestically. Battle rhinos followed behind. These beasts had overcome the dragon venom and gained resistance.
Of course, since it was diluted, their endurance in real combat was uncertain.
'In the worst case... we'll have to end these beasts ourselves.'
If the drakes and battle rhinos turned into Abominations, the alliance would be in dire straits.
Thus, if things looked grim, they'd retreat immediately or slay the beasts and extract their inner cores.
To prevent such a disaster, Woojin rode a drake, overseeing the battlefield.
'High up, so visibility's great.'
The drake's massive size made scouting from its back far easier.
Rolland, seated beside him, muttered.
"...Creepy how many there are."
In the distance... grotesque masses of flesh filled the plains. As the alliance army advanced, the Abominations sensed them and mobilized their horde.
At their center stood an Abomination resembling a massive dragon. Seeing it, Rolland asked.
"Is that the monster you mentioned?"
"No."
It was too small to be a true dragon. From its appearance, it seemed a mutated drake Abomination.
"...That's small?"
Rolland muttered. The enemy Abomination was nearly one-and-a-half times larger than the drake they rode.
Apparently, after mutating, it had grown by devouring prey.
"Groooaaarrr—!!"
The enemy drake let out a roar. Urged by the cry, the Abominations charged. In response, Naga and Norn warriors hurled their javelins.
Spearheads rained down on the Abominations' heads. But javelins alone couldn't halt their advance.
'No barricade means they'll break through fast.'
A tactic effective only when defending from barricades. Even if spears stopped the front ranks, the rear Abominations mindlessly pressed forward.
One impaled and writhing Abomination was shoved over. Screams erupted. But undeterred, the horde trampled their comrade's corpse and advanced.
Climbing the mound of carcasses, the distance between armies shrank rapidly.
"Prepare for melee!"
Beskan commanded. At the Naga King's order, warriors drew their scale weapons in unison, as if they'd been waiting.
Weapons forged from Naga shed scales were tougher and sharper than steel. The tribe's pride. Thousands of blades aimed at the approaching foes.
And they clashed.
Instantly, an indescribable hellscape unfolded. Slicing sounds, shouts, thuds of bodies hitting the ground, screams, more screams...
Fortunately, most screams came from Abominations. Naga warriors were seasoned fighters. They slashed and stabbed incoming enemies with mechanical precision.
Rolland didn't stint on praise.
"Well, damn! A proper army indeed!"
"They're warriors trained their whole lives, after all."
Though Naga physical prowess lagged behind the Norns in many ways, they compensated with numbers and weapon mastery.
Thus, Norn warriors barely needed to engage. Attritional warfare was the Naga tribe's role as the war leaders.
But formidable foes that taxed even Naga warriors appeared amid the fray.
Thud, thud, thud!
Heavy footsteps boomed repeatedly.
A massive drake Abomination charged. An unstoppable foe. Frontline Naga warriors hurriedly parted left and right.
Similar footsteps echoed from the allied lines. A blue-scaled drake. The Naga King atop its neck aimed his trident at the enemy.
"Fire!!"
At the command, the drake gaped its maw wide. Azure energy swirled up from its endless throat.
Frost Breath.
Chilling frost blasted from the drake's mouth. Valiantly, the Abomination ignored it and charged, but its speed visibly slowed with each step.
Thud... thud...
The footsteps grew sporadic. Suddenly, the drake Abomination halted. Icicles sprouted from its blanch-white frozen head.
Naga King Beskan leaped. He thrust his massive trident with both hands.
Kraaack!!
The prongs pierced deep into the Abomination's brow. Cracks spread. Beskan twisted the shaft forcefully.
Fractures proliferated, crumbling the head. Soon, the headless corpse toppled limply to the dirt.
Ruuuumble!!
The drake Abomination was felled. Beskan landed back on the ground and turned this way.
Witnessing it, Rolland's eyes widened.
"...A monster himself. I expected heavy losses... but one-shotting that?"
"We'll achieve our goal without much trouble at this rate," Rolland said. Woojin, seated beside him, shook his head.
The situation wasn't wholly optimistic.
"Frost Breath can't be used often."
It had a long recharge time.
The drake had expended much frost to freeze the enemy, so refilling would take time.
One of Beskan's trump cards was spent. A significant loss.
'But morale's boosted.'
Dispelling a powerful foe instantly lifted the Naga warriors' spirits.
They steamrolled the enemy. Abomination screams showed no sign of stopping. The alliance army advanced north smoothly.
But if those were all the Abominations... the Nagas wouldn't have humbled themselves to request Norn aid.
A massive shadow loomed in the distance.
A monster crested the ridge. Sulfur-green eyes flickered. Trees and rocks clung to its enormous body tumbled down the slope.
Each step boomed thunderously, momentarily silencing the battlefield din. Like thunderclaps.
'...It's here.'
The Dragon of Heavenly Punishment.
The most dangerous foe he'd toppled in the past had returned.