Chapter 195 – Chapter 41: Discovery
Among the children of the demon king, the first one to arrive at Aegis Gate was 1st Prince Baikal Ragnaros.
He had a mission in the north, so this was an inevitable result.
There were fewer transportation formations near Aegis Gate than in any other area, but there were several reasons for this. The two most common reasons were:
Firstly, the flow of magic power in the north was much more complicated in comparison to other regions; and secondly, there were few civilians living in the north. Additionally, most of the places there were military facilities.
The entire transportation formation network which enabled long-distance spatial movement was more detailed and complicated than imagined. It was so delicate that the flow of magic power around it was likely to cause problems in terms of stability.
The main users of the transportation formations were the Demon King’s Palace and the VIPs of each species. If there were to be an accident during the transition, then an unnatural death would occur. So, it couldn’t be operated with low stability.
The second reason was that it was a matter of efficiency. There was a limit to the volume which could be transported at once. In emergency situations, they were activated several times to transfer a large number of troops and materials. However, considering the amount of magic power required to activate the transportation formations, this was unreasonable during peacetime.
When considering just the efficiency, the railway operating in the north was far superior for transportation. Instead of installing low stability transportation formations in the north, the Demon King’s Palace relied on land transportation such as railways for the movement of supplies.
Baikal was interested in the many new technologies which could affect the lives of the people in the Demon World. Therefore, he had chosen to use the railroad, instead of heading directly north.
‘It was well worth it.’
As he recalled the railroad, Baikal sat down at his desk and wrote a letter in a graceful and clear handwriting. It was a letter of reply to Anastasia.
Of course, considering the time it would take for the letter to be sent and Anastasia’s arrival in the north, it would be better to wait a few days and talk in person. However, Anastasia’s letter was fascinating. As he thought about the pleased expression Anastasia would have when she received the letter, he didn’t feel troubled about writing a reply.
‘I think that many things have improved.’
Unlike her usual letters, this one talked frequently about the other children of the demon king. Felicia was Anastasia’s prized sister, so she appeared regularly. However, this time, Shutra’s and Caitlin’s names were mentioned for the first time.
‘Rather, doesn’t Victor appear less this time?’
Before receiving Anastasia’s letter, Baikal had already received a report about what happened in Curtis. Victor and Anastasia had both moved rationally, so there were no complaints about each other’s actions. However, the regrets and upset feelings would still remain. Perhaps it was a reflection of her heart that she wrote so little about Victor in this letter.
“Shutra…”
Baikal deliberately said aloud.
Anastasia wasn’t honest in person, but she was quite frank in her letters. Her tone was more youthful, like a child, and there were occasions where she seemed to be smiling. Thanks to that, Baikal was able to know about it. No matter how hard she tried to pretend in the letter, Anastasia seemed to like Shutra quite a lot.
Baikal put his pen down for a moment as he thought about Shutra.
‘A soulless child.’
Someone had said that once, and it described Shutra accurately. However, Shutra had changed. It wasn’t just his personality, but he was also becoming stronger at a fearsome pace.
‘Disturbance Shutra.’
That was Shutra’s nickname recently. It was because he raised a disturbance everywhere he went.
Moreover, Shutra boasted a great charm. He had been able to sway Chris and Caitlin to his side, and he even gained Felicia and Silvan in the end. Based on this letter from Anastasia, Shutra was also charming her.
A powerful competitor had appeared, but Baikal’s thoughts were different. As he said to Anastasia, the children of the demon king weren’t enemies. They were good competitors. Baikal would be satisfied if a better candidate appeared and made the Demon World into a better place.
‘Of course, I have no intention of giving up.’
Baikal laughed as he suddenly looked out the window. A blizzard was occurring.
“Zephyr isn’t here yet.”
The last time Baikal heard news about him was a fortnight ago. He heard that Zephyr caught the ice dragon, Quanta, but he had no news since. Even though Zephyr was the most powerful prince, he was just a blunt and brusque little brother to Baikal.
“I hope he doesn’t get hurt.”
Baikal mumbled with concern before picking up his pen again. The he thought about Anastasia’s happy face and smiled.
&
Baikal was indeed Zephyr’s older brother. While he was looking out the window at the blizzard, his worry was being realized at the Northern Limit Line.
‘Wicked wretch!’
A new white dragon burst out angrily. His roar shook the heavens, but those who faced his wrath felt bliss, rather than fear. It was because he was obviously weakened from when he first appeared.
“Just a little more!”
“Push!”
The commanders cried out excitedly, and the soldiers responded with loud shouts, with the 3,000 troops of mixed species shouting at the same time. Their cries pierced through the blizzard and caused an avalanche.
White Dragon Callosa…
He was an evil dragon famous for his nightmare-like avalanches. The White Dragon Callosa had lived twice as long as the ice dragon, Quanta, and reigned over the Shubilli Mountains for thousands of years.
No one had dared to challenge him in the last several hundred years. So, his authority in this area was inviolable, like a god. However, yesterday…
“Bite!”
Zephyr’s soldiers cried out like they were the gods. Callosa was lying on the ground with chains covering him, while Quanta sat on his chest. She had made herself bigger so that she could crush him. As her sharp claws pierced Callosa’s back, Callosa shouted,
‘This bitch! You have forgotten the pride of a dragon!’
Instead of responding, Quanta aimed a cold breath at Callosa’s neck. The cold air permeating his throat gave Callosa terrible pain. Callosa shook violently, but he couldn’t get rid of Quanta. The chains tangled over his body were a problem, but there was an even bigger issue.
There were powerful curses suppressing Callosa. Horrible monsters hung on his body and interrupted the circulation of his magic power.
“Ohh! Ohhh!”
Commander Sektum cheered. The creatures he had created were showing a better performance than expected.
He had combined the bodies of a drake, ogre, wyvern, and other species to create these masterpieces. It was an ogre with a wyvern’s head, with the strength of a giant and more power than a drake.
Since Thunderdoom’s crazy dwarves were destroyed, those who hunted dragons had disappeared. In some cases, heroes would appear to face a dragon, but it was literally a confrontation. This hunt was different.
Sektum was excited. A hunt was unfolding in front of him right now. It was a hunt for the best species, a dragon!
100 magicians cast spells at once. No matter how strong the Dragon Words were, the magicians raised at the Demon King’s Palace expertly obstructed his magic. Some of the magicians who interfered with Callosa’s magic collapsed due to the backlash of magic power. This meant that Callosa was in an urgent situation.
Callosa and Quanta bit at each other. Zephyr looked on from the back of his nightmare and pulled out his Dragon Slayer sword slowly.
It was time to settle this.
“Altesia!”
Zephyr shouted from aboard a nightmare. His strong cry wasn’t disturbed by the snowstorm and was conveyed to the ears of the waiting Altesia. Altesia responded with a cry full of divine power instead of acting as promised.
“My fiance! I love you more!”
The bright and cheery voice resonated through the battlefield. Half of the soldiers looked in Altesia’s direction while the other half stared at Zephyr anxiously. Sektum looked at Zephyr, but it was as expected. Instead of shouting Altesia’s name again, Zephyr glared horribly. Although it wasn’t aimed toward him, Sektum felt like he couldn’t breathe.
Instead of following orders regarding the angry dragon, Altesia shrieked,
“Kyak! Creepy! I am attracted to things like this!”
As expected from Zephyr’s self-proclaimed fiancee. She wouldn’t be able to declare something like that unless she had nerves of steel.
Fortunately, Altesia now followed Zephyr’s orders, instead of provoking him more. She stretched out her hand and aimed all types of curses at Callosa.
Callosa shrieked soundlessly. He had lost his voice due to a curse Altesia had cast on him.
Altesia’s curses were devious, yet powerful. After his voice, Callosa lost his sight and smell as well. His power weakened, and some of his body parts aged and didn’t function properly. Additionally, his weakened scales were torn off. He would have normally used magic or shaken the attacks off, but that wasn’t possible now. Callosa had already become the prey of Quanta.
However, this was Callosa, a nightmare who had reigned over the Shubilli Mountains for thousands of years. Collosa brought the power of his dragon heart to the peak and removed all the hindrances, including the curses. After hitting Quanta with his tail, he was able to get on his feet. Neither could the chains restrain him any longer.
He exhaled into the snowstorm. It was a cold breath which caused nightmares. Frost Breath froze everything in its path. Even the atmosphere seemed to be frozen. Dozens of magicians coughed up blood and collapsed. Additionally, the creatures Sektum created couldn’t survive as they were frozen.
However, Altesia was still smiling, and her gaze was concentrated on only one person.
The nightmare’s dash exceeded the speed of Frost Breath. The nightmare poured down from above and ran faster, becoming the wind itself. As he moved through the air, Zephyr concentrated all his strength on the sword in his hand.
The sword Dragon Slayer from the dragon slayer series… The will of the strongest dragon killer was inherent in it! A light flashed. There was a thunderous sound, and an avalanche occurred in the Shubilli Mountains.
White Dragon Callosa collapsed, there was a big hole in his chest.
Then Altesia raised her fist and cheered. Thousands of soldiers shouted at the same time, worsening the avalanche. Quanta transformed into a gandharva to avoid being caught in the avalanche. She watched a fellow member of her species die, but she said nothing.
Zephyr dismounted from the nightmare. He grabbed Dragon Slayer and approached Callosa’s open chest.
The heart was what made Callosa exist as a creature, and because he had controlled his aim, it still remained.
This was the biggest reason why Zephyr was hunting the White Dragon Callosa. Zephyr reached out a hand, and he grabbed the heart of White Dragon Callosa.
&
“So, this is a fairy?”
“Yes.”