Crossed Battlefields (2)
Dragons began soaring through the skies.
Yushin observed Salamanka's evil dragon from the shadows high above, hidden from view alongside Allen. Tattered scales. A grotesque face and wings worn to the point of falling apart. Without a doubt, this ragged beast was a dragon that had violated its clan's laws. It bore the Pale Curse inflicted on those who broke the rules.
Yushin watched the dragon's rampage closely, scanning for any exploitable weaknesses.
"Dragons that defy their clan's laws all end up cursed without exception. They become crippled, unable even to use the mana accumulated in their own hearts as they wish," Yushin explained to Allen. He listed the curses afflicting rule-breakers, pointing out potential weak points.
"The amount of mana they can use at once is severely limited. With their heart's energy frozen, dragons that broke the rules are doomed to suffer from mana shortages."
A dragon that could spam spells nonstop for dozens of days without running out—mana shortage? Of course, this didn't apply to normal dragons. It was a fate reserved for ugly fugitives who betrayed their kin and shattered the laws.
Dragons knew full well the price of betraying their clan and defying the rules, so none ever became fugitives. That's why a cursed outcast like this was an incredibly rare case. Yushin had only heard tales until now—this was his first time seeing one in person.
"Can't we just smash it?"
"How do you plan to drag that thing down from the sky? Hold your horses for now."
The dragon was clearly targeting them. No question about it. It had started rampaging right after they rescued the elves nearly devoured by monsters. But it didn't know their exact position, firing spells blindly at empty wastelands or blasting breath attacks at mountain ridges—like some mindless thug lashing out at random.
"It's coming down."
Sure enough, the dragon, exhausted from its barrage of spells from the sky, slowly folded its massive wings and began descending.
Now was their chance. Yushin quietly drew the Lightning Sword Karus, holding his breath. Allen, on the other hand, made no effort to hide her presence, readying herself to charge with Dragon Pursuer unsheathed.
"Where do you think you're going? Wait."
Yushin grabbed Allen by the scruff of her neck, stopping her just as she lunged forward.
Salamanka's evil dragon had descended to the ground to catch its breath. Its mana was half depleted. Grinding its teeth, the dragon lamented its crippled state.
How had it fallen to this ragged mess? It, who had once unleashed near-infinite mana in barrages of advanced spells?
The evil dragon gnashed its teeth, cursing the Dragon Lord who had inflicted this horrific curse upon it.
—Find them. Sniff out where those vermin are hiding.
Kuduk. Kugrrrk.
Clods of earth parted as skeletons in tattered armor emerged. Dragon Guards—Dragon Fang Soldiers, the mythical warriors from legends who served dragons.
Originally, Dragon Fang Soldiers were clad in armor bound by a dragon's mana. But those summoned by Salamanka's evil dragon looked like defeated remnants. With its master's mana reduced to scraps, the soldiers it raised were equally shoddy.
"We obey your command."
"Humans... and elves... we shall find them."
The Dragon Fang Soldiers, born from its authority, scattered. Ordered to hunt, they would scour the unexplored zones for the hidden humans and elves. They wouldn't stop until the mission was complete. They would track down every trace.
Salamanka's evil dragon commanded them to report back upon discovery—and to raze any villages they found.
"It won't be long before I shed this pathetic form. Once I capture those elves and devour their fresh mana, I'll return to my true self."
The evil dragon, polymorphed into human form, muttered as it clenched its fists. Memories of its dark past surfaced—the humiliation at El Seed's hands.
Centuries ago, it had roamed Libria Peninsula, devouring countless elves alive. Not out of cannibalistic fetish, but to chew their flesh and squeeze out the faint mana lingering within.
It had gained infamy by consuming over three thousand elves, but in the end, it was subjugated by the elves' hero, El Seed, and cast into the unexplored zones.
"El Seed, I'll make you watch as the Liberia Elf Kingdom crumbles. You'll weep tears of blood. And Dragon Lord—you too, someday."
The dragon ground its teeth. Centuries later, its thirst for vengeance hadn't dulled. If anything, time had fanned it into a raging wildfire, growing fiercer by the day. Soon, that inner blaze would sweep through the elf kingdom like an inferno.
"Fugitive dragon."
A black-haired human approached. The dragon, lost in vengeful thoughts with the lightning-sheathed sword dangling at his side, faced him.
The dragon couldn't hide its shock at the human's sudden appearance. Even deep in reverie, it should have sensed him approaching—but it hadn't. Astonishing.
"Human...!"
You must be the one...
The dragon opened its mouth and reached out, hurling a spell at Yushin. But in that instant, a blue-haired knightess struck from behind, seizing its arm.
Its outstretched hand halted, the dragon spat a grunt and tried to pull back. Snap!! Its arm shattered entirely. The bone snapped like sugarcane—not hyperbole. With its hand twisted fully backward, the dragon had no time to feel pain before Allen grabbed it.
"Gahk!!"
Allen slammed the cursed dragon to the ground. She stomped down. Trodden by a mere human, the dragon strained with all its might to rise, but it was pinned like a boulder on its back. Allen stomped mercilessly, grinding its face. Each blow mangled it further, blood spurting. Skin tore away in gruesome strips.
"Dragon, what the hell are you doing rampaging here?" Yushin asked.
The dragon ground its teeth. Humiliation burned under the human's arrogant gaze. If not for the curse suppressing its power!
It spat hatred, convinced its full strength would have spared it this disgrace. But Yushin and Allen didn't budge.
"Do you know who I am...!!"
"Some bitch who ditched her clan and plays queen in a monster-infested backwater."
"How dare you!"
Boom!! As the dragon thrashed wildly beneath her foot, Allen dropped Dragon Pursuer. The massive blade's edge landed inches from where the dragon lay prone.
Forced to stare at the razor-sharp greatsword—lethal to dragons—the beast gulped dryly, body trembling.
The dragon-slaying sword... Why does this human have this abomination?! The Dragon Lord collected them all...!!
A blade that crushed the near-immortal lives of dragons. The dragon's resistance ceased. The deadliest weapon to its kind dangled right before it. One slash to the throat in polymorphed human form, and it was done. Polymorph was meant to revert on near-fatal damage, but Dragon Pursuer was designed to sever a dragon's life entirely, magic and all.
"Urgh... Grraaah...!!"
The dragon abandoned resistance. For the first time in centuries, fear of death gripped it. It had to survive. Survive to avenge. Devour mana-rich humans and elves to reclaim full power, even briefly. Then it could repay this humiliation tenfold—no, a hundredfold.
"Stupid lizard, what balls do you have charging in like this? Hole up in your village playing queen too long, lost your mind?"
Allen's question flushed the dragon's face with shame. It considered releasing polymorph. But it knew the sword would claim its neck first. Cornered, salvation came from Cordova's familiar.
A skeletal undead knight of blackened bone targeted Yushin from behind. But Yushin shattered it instantly with a lightning-infused kick.
"Impressive. To think a human has reached the hero realm. Have you been tailing us?"
A lich in ornate robes tore open space, its hollow-faced skull emerging. Sensing its familiar with Salamanka's evil dragon had vanished, Cordova rushed to join.
"Who the hell are you, bonehead?"
"Don't answer a question with one, human."
Cordova extended both hands, unleashing streams of dark mana. Hundreds of razor chains erupted, filling the air. Their tips honed in on Yushin and Allen, infused with deadly curse poison—vicious enough to instinctively alarm even Allen.
"Fall back."
"Got it."
At Yushin's word, Allen released the dragon she'd been crushing underfoot. Simultaneously, it reverted to its true form, unfurling massive wings. The gray-scaled, tattered dragon spat humiliation, unleashing every ounce of energy it could muster.
Kuooooooooh—!!!
Rage, enmity, hatred poured from the grotesquely twisted, filthy dragon.
Liana arrived at Leon. She had pierced through hundreds of ferocious monsters on her warhorse. The guards on the walls gaped at her blood-soaked form.
Thinking her a monster at first, they hesitated—until she flashed the 12th Sword Captain's insignia. The gates opened.
"How's the front holding?"
Liana, wiping blood from her face and chest, asked Leon's guard captain. His face darkened. He stammered, unsure how to break the news.
"It's precarious overall. Every elf kingdom force is marching to Maherith now."
The frontlines holding back the Demon King Army lay perilously close to the elf capital, Maherith. A breakthrough could come anytime. Thus, the Yetzirah Council issued a full mobilization, conscripting provincial troops.
The elf kingdom's greatest threat was the Demon King itself—an undead, immortal being. Without slaying the Raging Flames Demon King, the army's advance wouldn't halt until Maherith fell.
Liana urgently needed to inform Yushin of the dire situation.
"Give me your fastest horse."
"Right away!"
Having barely survived to reach Leon, Liana mounted a fresh steed, plunging back into the unexplored zones.