Chapter 92

Crack-crack.

The ground roared and trembled as fissures split open, triggering an earthquake.

Meta, the ‘Goblin Shaman,’ stared down coldly at the cracking earth below.

‘Pull yourself together. They’re the ones trying to attack Lord Oscar. Not a single one should be spared.’

Ever since pledging allegiance to Oscar, Meta had undergone three types of training under him.

First was physical conditioning. Following Oscar’s advice that a male body should be as robust as possible, Meta, though having renounced his masculinity, diligently performed basic physical exercises. As a result, despite his unchanged height, his physique became so bulky it could rival even a dwarf’s.

Second was mental discipline. Upon hearing the counsel that transcending one’s species required breaking through the goblin mindset, Meta spent three hours each day meditating. Though not intended by Oscar, this practice ultimately laid the groundwork for Meta to unlock necromancy.

“Hold on everyone. Not yet, just a little longer.”

Third was the manipulation of magical energy. Although goblins are naturally devoid of mana, after forming a contract with Oscar, Meta gained the ability to borrow Oscar’s mana like Beatrix.

Originally, Oscar wanted Meta to focus this borrowed power on enhancing physical abilities…

Rumble-rumble.

“Here they come. Just a bit more, hang in there.”

Possessing the talent of a shaman, Meta naturally excelled in necromancy as he grew.

Boom!

“Now! Everyone rise!”

Kwaaa-kwaaa!

Now Meta commands four legions of undead beneath him.

No matter how many times they die, their numbers grow stronger with each battle, and they never tire no matter how fiercely they move. An army of immortal undead was at Meta’s command.

Crackle!

A massive chasm split the earth, swallowing up the advancing monster horde. Only flying creatures could escape this canyon-sized pit.

Within the chasm, thousands of undead monsters lay in ambush. On Meta’s command, they emerged from digging tunnels and charged the new arrivals with fangs and weapons bared.

“Ka-a-aak!”

Sirens in the sky sang curses, but when Meta raised his hands,无形的魔力 squeezing their entire bodies before dragging them into the pit.

Meta wasn’t just a necromancer – while skilled in raising the dead, he was also proficient in various dark magics.

Kaboom! Crack! Crackle!

The undead legion slaughtered the monsters. Though individual undead were weaker than in life, when one was insufficient, two or three would do. No matter how many broke apart, they would regenerate. And every slain monster would become a new undead soldier for Meta.

“Leave none alive. Kill them all.”

The skeleton king’s sword swings, the cyclops’ devastating kicks, and the medusa’s petrification magic struck down the monsters. They were the commanders of Meta’s fourth, third, and second legions respectively. Even after being defeated by the Oscar party, they retained enough power to decimate these beasts as undead.

As the drakes’ order to “kill the demon and his companions” drove the monsters forward, reality proved that determination alone couldn’t win battles.

Boom!

Victory in the first clash between the Oscar party minus Oscar and the Seven Dragon forces tilted toward the former.

***

A cold wind brushed against Aru’s cheeks, her long hair flowing wildly down to her toes.

Perched atop Uriel’s back, Aru shouted.

“Don’t stop! Take out the ones with one head first!”

“One-headed is Sylkizray, two-headed is Sigrmund. You should at least know the names of your prey.”

“Grrrr!”

The shadow drew closer, its overwhelming presence making one’s whole body tingle just from looking at it. A direct hit would likely shatter every bone in their bodies.

But Aru didn’t falter. Centuries of hunting had honed her predatory instincts, making her mouth water at the sight of even such formidable dragons.

“Glug.”

“…Girl, don’t tell me you just swallowed saliva?”

“Grr!”

“It must be dryness from the wind, right? There should be. Confidence is good, but arrogance will only trip you up.”

Aru nodded briefly at Uriel’s warning. She was right – with not just herself but a young demon’s life at stake, they couldn’t afford mistakes.

“I can’t hear anything. Grrr.”

“Whose voice?”

“The young demon’s voice. They’ve gone somewhere. With some big human.”

“That… Is everything going smoothly over there? I thought something was happening.”

“Can’t hear. So I don’t know. Grumble, don’t worry about it. Focus on these guys.”

“Understood, Inseok. We’re almost there.”

Though there was still considerable distance left, when Aru was about to ask what Uriel meant, a circular pattern formed beneath her feet. It was made of converging white energies.

Uriel kicked off from the circle with a powerful flap of her wings, gaining speed akin to a streak of light. The distance between them and the two dragons rapidly closed.

“What the hell are you-!”

Recognizing the approaching Aru and Uriel, Sylkizray shouted. The two-headed dragon Sigrmund immediately unleashed his dragon aura.

Dragon Aura. A technique where dragons release their overwhelming presence in an instant. While many races have their own forms of aura, dragon auras are especially potent. Those affected experience immediate paralysis, difficulty breathing, and loss of fighting spirit.

“GRRRRRR!”

“Aura?!”

“Hmph, if we hadn’t already set up a barrier with divine power, we would have been completely immobilized. This is why fighting dragons is troublesome.”

“These guys… They’re the ones we were supposed to hunt. Though only the wolf hybrid and the angel are visible.”

“So? Since they released the aura, they must be ready for battle.”

When the distance between Aru and the dragons closed to about thirty meters, Aru drew a hidden dagger from her waist. Its blue blade glinted in the sunlight.

“GRR!”

Bang!

The force of Aru’s leap pressed into Uriel’s back. In an instant, Uriel dived downward while Aru shot forward like an arrow, swinging her dagger.

Zzziiip!

A red slash appeared in Sylkizray’s eyes. As the cut spread, his vision became obscured by a red haze.

“AAAAGH!”

Sylkizray let out a roar that shook the plains and scattered clouds. Despite being so close to the sound, Aru remained unfazed as she landed between the dragon’s eyes.

Whoosh!

“Sylk! Watch out!”

“I, this guy is… KWAH!”

With the dagger reversed in her grip, Aru plunged it down. A silver flash cut vertically through the air, leaving another mark on Sylkizray’s right eye.

A crimson cross. A cross from which blood gushed forth. Realizing Aru’s position too late, Sylkizray swung his front claws at his own head, resulting in the embarrassment of striking himself. Losing even more vision was painfully costly.

“GRR!”

Falling through the air, Aru called out to Uriel. Having tracked Aru’s movements throughout the fight, Uriel flew underneath her just in time.

Thud!

“GRR! Good job! Excellent!”

“…This brat, using the sovereign’s words on me.”

“GRRR! Likes praise! Works better with praise!”

“This brat, do you think I’m a wolf like you? Or some less intelligent creature?”

“GRRR? Aren’t you dumber than me?”

“…Let’s focus.”

Uriel began serious flight, creating divine platforms wherever she stepped, moving at speeds comparable to supersonic. The large-bodied dragons with limited vision couldn’t fully track her movements.

Zzziiip!

Shred!

Shiik!

Every time Uriel carrying Aru passed near Sylkizray’s body, a new wound appeared. Even small cuts that exposed flesh were excruciating.

Occasionally, Aru would jump onto Sylkizray’s body. Too slow and clumsy to react in time, the dragon suffered. Moreover, Aru’s seemingly small blade easily sliced through the supposedly steel-hard dragon scales like paper, forcing silent gasps from Sylkizray.

Gradually, dragon blood stained the surroundings. Jumping off his wing and landing back on Uriel, Aru continued attacking Sylkizray with Uriel’s assistance as the storm of attacks intensified, gradually wearing down the dragon.

“YOU BASTARDS!”

Realizing helping now might endanger Sylkizray too, Sigrmund had remained quiet until now. But seeing his companion struggling, he finally entered the fray. His dragon roar tore through everyone’s eardrums and filled the space.

“!”

“Keek!”

Snap!

Bright red blood flowed from Aru’s sensitive ears. Before the two smaller beings, four eyes – two red and two blue – swirled menacingly.

Their pupils began shaking left and right. A level beyond dragon aura, the exclusive domain of dragons – the dragon roar revealed its true power.

Like ants fearing humans or mice sensing cats, the overwhelming terror of superior beings seeped into Aru and Uriel’s entire bodies.

“Grgh!”

It was Uriel who regained her senses first.

“How dare I feel fear before mere lizards like these! I who battled the dragon form of Lucifer!”

Uriel’s divine power takes the form of flames. She branded Aru’s thigh with fiery red heat, snapping her back to awareness instantly. Lowering her upper body, Aru assumed her wolf’s unique battle stance.

However, Sylkizray had already bought enough time.

“Sylk! Fly! Just rain breath attacks from above and they can do nothing!”

Whoosh!

Both dragons spread their wings and ascended to heights far beyond reach.

After putting sufficient distance, Sigrmund turned to examine Sylkizray. Blood dripped from numerous wounds across his body.

“Check your body first, Sylk. We shouldn’t engage in close combat.”

“Grgh… Indeed, they’re not to be underestimated. How long has it been since I’ve been cornered like this? Trying to gauge their level cost me dearly. But all this resistance is meaningless…”

Mana coursed through the dragon’s skin. Green mana seeped into every wound. Sylkizray wore a despicable smile.

“I’ll show you exactly why dragons are called the masters of magic!”

“If mere hybrids could kill dragons with just enhanced physical abilities, you’d be the supreme beings. Sylk, I’ll prepare my breath attack while you heal.”

“GRR? Angel, what are they saying?”

“…Damn it, we should have finished them off earlier when we had the chance. Now we’re back to square one. Worse, they’ve learned our tricks.”

From the start, Sylkizray intended to analyze the attacks of these two insignificant enemies. Though the damage was higher than expected, nearly preventing him from retaliating.

“GRRR? He’s bleeding. Why is it square one? We inflicted many wounds.”

“Lord, don’t you know about dragon mana?”

“Roar?”

“Dragon mana possesses near-omnipotent regenerative abilities. Especially against injuries from lower beings. This power that places dragons in a semi-immortal state and atop all races. Unless killed instantly, minor wounds will simply vanish.”

Upon hearing Uriel’s explanation, Aru tilted her head in confusion. Sylkizray smirked and covered himself in mana, intending to heal all his wounds from Aru’s attacks as explained.

Swish-swish.

However…

“This, why isn’t it working?!”

“…! The wounds are rejecting the mana! Something’s wrong!”

Not a single injury healed – neither the tattered body, the gouged-out eye, nor the torn wing membranes. Sylkizray’s green eyes darted around in panic.

As the two dragons floundered in confusion, Aru bluntly contradicted Uriel’s previous statement.

“Growl! Arrogant talk!”

“I am the king, king of wolves!”

“There’s no way exceptions exist in the prey of the king!”

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