667. [STAGE 40]
A few hours after the Avengers breath bombing.
Hotel Crossroads. temporary meeting room.
“Let’s run away.”
The king of the Aryan kingdom, Miller Aryan, insisted repeatedly with a pale complexion.
“No, I will run away. I’ll pack up right away and head back north!”
Quite a number of kings were agitated, but a larger number of kings were agitated.
“Shut up if you’re going to talk nonsense like that, Aryan!”
“Let’s go out and fight the monster!”
“Tell that coward out of the way!”
As the kings pointed their fingers, King Arrian laughed with a trembling mouth.
“Sounds like a coward. You guys can’t see reality.”
“what?”
“A monster is coming who will ride on a horse and spit out its breath from a distance of three days to break through the walls and burn the city.”
King Aryan pointed his finger at the south, a bloodstain erected in his neck.
“You can’t calculate how much damage you’ll get if you confront it?”
“So you’re not going to fight? If we don’t stop here, we’ll just watch him ravage the world?”
“All over the world… be honest. the southern part of the continent It should be as far as the middle. The North has nothing to do with this disaster!”
The faces of the kings now began to show murderous intent rather than anger.
“Miller Aryan! What the heck from before…!” “Compared to the courage your daughter showed
,
you really are-”
However, King Aryan didn’t look ashamed at all.
“What my daughter showed me was courage, not courage. What’s left in the end? What else is left besides the loss of a flower-like life during the installation in another’s war?”
“what?”
“It has always been like this.”
King Aryan shouted in anger.
“Usually, they don’t care about the North, but when something goes wrong and fire falls on the proud Everblack Empire’s feet, then they unite in the name of ‘World’ and force them to sacrifice together.”
“….”
“It has always been like that, always! What do you think is the difference between the south and the west? Think carefully. Do you think we would have gathered like this if this monster inundation had occurred outside the Empire?”
Amidst the chatter and angry shouts that filled the venue, King Aryan declared.
“Why should the people of the North give their lives any longer to kill that hideous monster? I’m trying to make a more reasonable choice as the king of the Aryan kingdom… Both money and honor! We fall now.”
Miller Aryan said no more.
When the angry kings rushed in, the adjutants and soldiers rushed between them to stop the fight, and the warriors of the Aryan kingdom hurriedly took the king and escaped the venue.
The atmosphere finally calmed down when King Aryan left the venue. The chief of the western nomadic tribe ‘Mirage’ sighed and asked.
“How is the damage in the city?”
“Citizens have already been evacuated, so there is no damage… but the rest of the damage is severe.”
An adjutant waiting to report to the kings briefed them on the situation in the city.
“Five warehouses caught up in the attack were completely burned down and ten were destroyed. Most of the soldiers escaped harm, but one newly built barracks was caught up in it… about 500 lives evaporated at once.”
Kings groaned. The adjutant continued his explanation.
“There was a large hole in the southern wall, and hundreds of soldiers standing guard at the time were killed or seriously injured. Prince Valen, who was on top of the castle wall, was also seriously injured, but luckily there is no damage to his life.”
Opening the next page of the report, the adjutant swallowed dryly.
“…The southern wall at least survived, but the northern wall collapsed when the breath that crossed the city pierced it.”
Unlike the southern wall, which was thoroughly reinforced by bringing the wall of New Terra and building it from scratch, the northern wall was originally the same as the wall of the Crossroads.
Since the fortress was originally built to block monsters coming from the south, the northern wall was constantly renovated, but its protection was much lower than that of the south.
When the breath that penetrated the city broke through the northern wall, it could not stand it and collapsed.
“Aside from that, the damage to private houses and buildings… has not yet been counted. There are still many places that have not caught fire.”
“The city is very shattered.”
Kings glanced out the windows. The city, which had been dark for the past week, was now bright. It was because the fires that had spread everywhere were still not extinguished.
“How’s the black dragon’s dynamics?”
When the chief of the Mirage asked, the Ilsoon venue became quiet.
The adjutant swallowed dry saliva and answered in a trembling voice.
“After the breath was fired, it continued to stop in place… but it is said that it started heading north a little while ago.”
“…!”
No one opened their mouths, but the air in the venue rippled with visibly anxiety.
“However, because of its huge body, it is not very fast. It is said that they are not flying and are slowly heading north along the road. … The reports received so far are ideal.”
After the report, the adjutant closed the file.
The Chief of the Mirage looked around at the other kings.
“…What should I do?”
The kings exchanged glances dizzy.
The commander who gathered them here and led the front line – Ash was currently absent.
“I hear rumors that Prince Ash… went missing during the operation.”
When someone spoke cautiously, the atmosphere in the venue suddenly became chaotic.
“Doesn’t disappearing during an operation actually mean death…?”
“Be careful with your words! The Crown Prince is the best expert on monster warfare on the front lines here, having killed countless monsters. Will you die that easily?”
“But the words I hear are…”
“If Prince Ash really died…”
“Then how would we…”
The man waving the flag in front disappeared. The existence that pointed out the direction of the wire with certainty was gone.
The agitation of the kings was natural. Before long, the kings vehemently vomited their opinions.
“There is an outpost near the Black Lake. Let’s hit him there!”
“Hasn’t Prince Ashe and the expedition failed to subdue him already? Even the elite, who were good at hunting monsters, failed, so how can you fight it?”
“You have to push through the numbers. Now here at Crossroads, troops gathered from all over the world are mustered. The army of the mighty Everblack Empire is also stationed there.”
“You mean to attack the black dragon with soldiers? I hear you can’t even hurt him unless you have special equipment?”
“From ancient to modern times, the most powerful thing in warfare is numbers! No matter how hard the scales are, if you poke them, they will inevitably break through. Let’s surround him with an overwhelming amount and destroy him at once.”
“The damage will be great. Why don’t you go a little more discreetly?”
“Isn’t that better than sitting still and burning to death?”
It was a time when the meeting continued with such a buzz.
“Bo report!”
A soldier hurriedly rushed into the meeting room and reported.
“Black Dragon has fired a second breath!”
“…!”
“…?!”
The inside of the conference hall went into a state of confusion at once. Several frightened kings hurriedly crawled under the table. The Chief of the Mirage, standing still, shouted.
“Are you heading towards the crossroads again?!”
“No, this time it’s towards the advance base in front of the Black Lake…!”
Several kings tried to breathe a sigh of relief, but were stopped by the words that followed.
“That outpost was engulfed in flames in a single blow… and contact with the troops stationed there was also cut off….” “
….”
A chilling silence filled the venue.
Even the forward base, which could be said to be the best place to attack the Black Dragon, was lost.
So now… what should I do? It was
then
.
With clear footsteps, someone entered the venue. Everyone looked back at them without even realizing it.
“I’m sorry about this. I was late because I had some business to take care of.”
Emperor of the Everblack Empire.
Traha ‘Peacemaker’ Everblack waved his cape and entered the meeting room.
Some of the kings who were usually against Traha raised their voices.
“Traha! The situation is at a critical point, so why are you so late?”
“We didn’t even lose our forward base in the delay…!”
“What on earth do you believe in so shameless-”
But the kings had to stop when the kings next to them urgently stopped them, and they soon realized why the other kings were stopping them.
The Everblack Empire is currently in a situation where Crown Prince Ash is missing during an operation.
Traha has lost a son.
Kings hated the empire, but before that, they were someone’s parent and someone’s child. So the kings kept their mouths shut.
“What? Why? i’m fine It’s true that I was late for the meeting, so you can reprimand me.”
Rather, Traha laughed.
“Above all, I believe in my son.”
“…!”
“No matter where he gets lost, he will eventually reach the destination I desire.”
Traha smiled dangerously, revealing his characteristic fangs.
“And… I haven’t heard back yet. The answer to my question.”
“…”
“I can’t dare to run away from the trials the emperor has given me. If it was a guy like that, he wouldn’t have been appointed crown prince from the beginning.”
Traha shrugged his shoulders after saying something that was hard to tell whether it was a joke or a serious one.
“A rescue team has been dispatched. Loyal warriors have just left to search the site of my son’s disappearance.”
Traha grabbed one of the chairs randomly lined up in the conference room and sat down tiredly.
“So let’s put aside our worries about me and my son and talk about the problem at hand. After all, the problem boils down to one thing.”
Traha, who looked around with cold, sunken eyes, simply organized it.
“Will you go out and fight or stay inside the fortress? Or will you run away at all…”
“….”
“If you sort it out, will you die quickly or slowly? After all, isn’t that the problem?”
A cruel smile crept across the emperor’s lips.
“Like our lives do.”
***
Lake Kingdom Dungeon.
A passageway between the 9th and 10th depths. in front of the bridge.
“…”
The leader of the prince’s rescue team made up of volunteers was Lucas.
Heroes scrambled to apply, but most were severely injured, so few could move freely.
As the deputy commander, Lucas selected the least injured personnel and arrived here safely.
Lucas took the lead and arrived in front of the bridge. Then he raised his torch and slowly looked around.
Kung Khu Gung….
On the ground below the intermittently vibrating lake.
The ancient bridge built over a thousand-way precipice was stained black. Could it be dried bloodstains or burnt ashes?
I didn’t know, and I wasn’t interested. Lucas’ gaze was fixed on a single sword pathetically stuck in the dirt in front of the bridge.
X Carnival.
Even if he asked for it, he said it was too dangerous, and Ash didn’t even pretend to hear… that demonic sword of predation.
Instead of scattering vicious fraud as usual, poison and blood escaped, leaving him pale and tired. The magic sword was powerlessly stuck there.
“…”
Lucas approached and looked around.
It was at this spot that Ash and the Night Bringer had a meeting. And…
it didn’t take long before Lucas found out.
Massive bloodstains left on the floor. And that the bloodstains lead down the cliff.
There was not a single drop of blood spilled by the evil dragon. All that spilled onto the floor was human blood.
It was the life his master had shed.
“….”
Lucas closed his eyes as his mind went blank and echoed blankly.
Kung Koo Goo Palace…
Once again, the entire Lake Kingdom shook.
Maybe the dungeon here is also trembling knowing that the end of the world has come.
The ground shook loudly, and aftershocks followed. Like Lucas’ own wavering heart.
Kuilan Verdandi Kellibey, who came to the rescue together, also kept his mouth shut without saying anything.
He gritted his teeth as he saw Ash’s bloodstains leading down the cliff.
Quylan’s molars made a grinding sound, and Belldandi quietly shed bloody tears. Kelly Bay’s beard stood up.
All three of their eyes had already lost their original color and were dyed a perfect golden color.
“…Let’s go back.”
Lucas stretched out his hand. It was his left arm that was wrapped in bandages.
The X-Carnival stuck in the floor was grasped in his hand and pulled out. As if he had waited, dark energy poured out from the magic sword and stained Lucas’ left half.
Power returned to his left arm, which had been unable to move properly due to being swept away by the Dark Flame of the Night Bringer.
Lucas gripped the grip of the magic sword tightly and accepted its power without hesitation.
Haaa…
Lucas let out a long breath. Pale breath escaped from his chapped lips.
Through the disheveled blonde hair, Lucas’ blue eyes no longer belonged to humans.
“To get revenge on him.”
Those eyes were those of a beast.
