◈ 676. [STAGE 40] Forgotten Season (2)
Night Bringer and Dusk Bringer
The first black dragon and the last red dragon.
People had that thought for a moment as they looked at the point where the two dragons’ breaths met.
When the world was created in the beginning, wasn’t there this light and this heat?
That much dazzling light and breathtaking heat poured out from the point where the two breaths collided.
Kwaaaaaa-!
In response to Night Bringer’s mythical breath, Dusk Bringer unleashed a cruel counter breath.
However, the difference in output between the two breaths was remarkable. In an instant, the collision point was pushed away.
A heat source that emits tremendous heat and light has approached the Crossroads. In people’s eyes, it looked like the destruction of the world.
The collision point, which had been pushed back endlessly, has now arrived right in front of the Crossroads walls. The walls, boiling red, fell down and lost their shape like snowmen under the sun.
“Ahh….”
But
“Aaaaaaa-!”
Dusk Bringer endured in the face of impending destruction.
Even as the horn melted from the immense heat and fell to the floor like candle wax, the skin melted, and the blood evaporated to create a red mist – it continued to vomit into the breath.
The ancient bandages wrapped around her body radiated an endless ominous light, supplying a curse to her body.
Dusk Bringer died and came back to life, died and came back to life, and continued to breathe.
The destruction stopped right in front of the gates of the Crossroads. Destruction knocked hard, but the Dragon Lady holding the doorknob did not open the lock.
She would not let destruction in, even if it meant she herself would be burned to death along with the door.
Saaaaa….
The Night Bringer’s breath, which felt like eons, finally stopped.
Dusk Bringer, which held out until the end, collapsed on top of the badly ruined southern wall.
Hot!
At that time, someone caught her fiery body as she was about to fall.
“sister.”
I couldn’t see anything with my eyes burned by light and heat, but when I heard the other person’s calm yet weighty voice, I immediately recognized who it was.
“…Traha.”
“Are you okay?”
Dusk Bringer chuckled at the emperor’s question.
Are you still asking this after seeing this?
“Yeah, it’s okay. If you rest just a little, your body will regenerate due to the curse of immortality, and then the next breath… I will block it.”
“….”
“So, put aside your unnecessary worries and use me as harshly as you always do to your people.”
“sister.”
“Until Ash returns, I will do whatever it takes to protect this city…”
To Dusk Bringer, muttering in a dying voice.
Traha said colder words than saying that he would rather protect the city even if he had to die.
“I think we should give up this city… Crossroads.”
“….”
My eyes opened.
My blood suddenly cooled, and my consciousness, which had been trying to subside, rose to the surface. Dusk Bringer gritted his teeth and raised his head to face Traha.
“…what?”
On top of the charcoal-like castle wall with blazing heat… Traha was holding Dusk Bringer, wrapped in his cloak, in his arms.
The man who rules half of the world spoke once more in a cold, voiceless voice.
“We must abandon Crossroads and retreat. right now.”
***
The will of the kings had already been gathered together.
“Let’s abandon Crossroads.”
Except for a few opponents, everyone was of the same opinion.
“There is no longer any justification for stopping him in this city.”
The reason they have been camped out at Crossroads to stop monsters is because this was the best place to stop monsters.
But what about now?
In front of the Black Dragon’s ultra-long-range breath, Crossroads was losing both its strength and function as a fortress.
It’s just a big target that can’t move and gets beaten up.
Even the World Defense Front’s main force and air force fleet have been completely wiped out.
The reason and power to stop the black dragon here were lost. Retreat was warranted.
“It seems better to draw him further into the continent, then surround him and take him down in one fell swoop.”
“Let’s move north, gather our forces, and prepare our troops at a nearby fortress.”
“He’s already close. We’ll reach the Crossroads in a day and a half. Before that, transport manpower and materials to the rear as quickly as possible…”
Boom!
At that time, someone opened the door of the bomb shelter where the kings were gathered and came in.
When the kings turn around, they see Dusk Bringer radiating heat from under his cloaked body. And Traha walked slowly behind him.
“I!”
Dusk Bringer suddenly shouted.
“I… will continue to block his breath!”
“…Archduke Bringer.”
“I blocked it this time too, and I can hold it off any number of times in the future! So, this city…”
Dusk Bringer’s legs lost strength and he fell to the floor, leaning his shoulders against the wall.
“You must not throw it away. “This city… of that child…”
“Grand Duke.”
But the kings’ opinions did not change.
“The Grand Duke must also retreat together.”
“….”
“Now, humanity doesn’t have many means to fight it. Prince, you must not waste your time here. Recover your body and prepare for the future battle together….”
“The further north he goes, the stronger he becomes.”
Dusk Bringer tried to sound fierce, but everyone noticed that her voice was trembling.
“As time passes, it becomes assimilated into the night and its strength increases endlessly… Retreating from here? Then it will become that much stronger. How on earth are we going to have a decisive battle later?”
“So do we have any way to deal with him now?”
“….”
“The entire force is dead or injured. All the measures we had prepared were completely destroyed. And most of all, Prince Ashe, who led us all these years… is no longer there.”
Dusk Bringer gritted his teeth. The kings continued.
“There is no one and no way to fight. Now it is best to retreat and die in battle. “Don’t you know, Grand Duke?”
Ash will return.
Because I promised myself.
So, everyone please stay here.
Please die here with me on this front….
I couldn’t bear to say those words. Dusk Bringer slowly lowered his head.
Because even she couldn’t know.
Is there really any meaning to all these deaths?
Will Ash, who walked down the thorny path of death on his own, really be able to return?
Dusk Bringer lowered his head and remained silent. The kings left her alone and began to make plans to retreat again.
Treeha stood quietly behind Dusk Bringer.
It was then.
“Your Majesty!”
A soldier rushed over in a huff and bowed down in front of Traha. Traha looked down at the soldier with puzzled eyes.
“What’s going on?”
“That is…”
The stuttering soldier posted a devastated report.
“People who previously left for the north… are coming back.”
“…what?”
At the unexpected report, all the kings also looked this way. The soldier continued.
“Everyone who left Crossroads for the north is coming back. “With the people of the Aryan Kingdom at the forefront…”
“No, what does that mean? “Didn’t the Aryan Kingdom lead the departure?”
Isn’t it true that the Arian Kingdom and its king, Miller Arian, actually left the World Defense Front and returned to their hometown after being angry and throwing tantrums, saying they could no longer fight in this battle?
Following the departure of the Aryan Kingdom, many small kingdoms and forces left together.
That already happened 12 hours ago.
But are they coming back?
“Why are you coming back instead of running away? Has there been a coup? What about Miller Ariane?”
“That is…”
The soldier continued his report shakily.
“King Miller Aryan is leading everyone from the front.”
“…?”
Everyone in the room looked bewildered.
“No…”
Even Traha of the world said this with an expression of bewilderment.
It was one word that represented everyone’s doubts.
“why?”
***
6 hours ago.
North from Crossroads. On a snow-covered road.
“…what?”
Miller Arian, who was leading the forces that had escaped from the World Defense Front back together, had his mouth dropped open.
He repeatedly asked the large communication magic device in front of him.
“what…? “Report straight again.”
“There is tremendous snowfall and avalanches, Your Majesty!”
It was a device that could use emergency communication magic. Just as the priests of the Goddess Church secretly used communication magic, the Aryan Kingdom was also operating this device.
Even when Yun was ordered to return home, he communicated with his home country through this device.
At that time, he was in a position to give orders from his home country, but now Miller Arian was in a position to hear about the situation in his home country.
And the situation in the Aryan Kingdom was urgent.
“Just yesterday, daylight disappeared in the central part of the continent, and this morning, even the northern part was covered with night…!”
“You just have to endure without light for a few days, right? “What a big deal-”
“As soon as daylight disappeared, the temperature began to plummet! “I thought the snowfall was increasing, but now it’s pouring down so much that I can’t see!”
Miller Arian’s already white face became even more bloodless.
“The snow has accumulated so much that the buildings are collapsing under its weight, and the snow accumulating from the top of the mountain range cannot bear the weight and is falling as an avalanche!” He
thought that this Black Dragon invasion was a problem only for the southern part of the country.
I believed that this would end at some point, with the southern continent burning and lives lost in the south.
He decided that Northerners’ blood could not be shed for problems that had to be solved in the South, and he returned home after being scolded.
But no.
The black dragon cast a curtain over the skies across the world and stole daylight from the world.
Then, the northern part, which lost daylight last, began to suffer first the damage from General Dong’s visit.
Miller Arian realized it too late.
It was my own misjudgment.
The world has never been divided along directions. Those were just human standards.
The destruction that had enveloped the entire world was hitting everyone equally without discrimination.
“I can’t hold on like this for long, Your Majesty! The entire kingdom… froze….’
The communication system started crackling and said,
‘If this continues, everyone will die… Your Majesty, what should I do-‘
Suddenly.
It was cut off.
“….”
I slowly put down the dead communicator.
Miller Arian slowly looked back. His men and the kings who had fled with him were looking at him with thoughtful faces.
King Aryan’s eyes closed tightly and then opened.
He was a short-sighted and narrow-minded person who did not like to suffer even the slightest loss, but he was by no means a fool.
“…the black dragon.”
He knew what he had to do now.
“We must defeat the black dragon.”
“Your Majesty….”
“Everyone must go back! To the Crossroads!”
The other kings who came here with him protested.
“What on earth does that mean, Miller…!”
“Heavy snow is a northern thing. “As a Westerner, it’s none of my business!”
“We have already lost our will to fight. Go back there! We will return to our hometown like this….”
Sreung!
But they could not conclude their words.
Before we knew it, Miller Arian had taken out a large ax and was aiming the black blade at the kings.
“You all have to go back and fight on the front lines against the black dragon.”
“Hey Miller! Find reason! This problem can be solved by-”
“Shut up. “Because I always maintain my senses.”
Miller Aryan was a selfish king.
He absolutely hated it when his country suffered even the slightest loss compared to other countries, and he could not endure a situation where he had to make sacrifices for other regions that his country did not belong to.
That is why.
This was the result of the most ‘selfish’ decision for his country.
“Return to the World Defense Front!”
Miller Ariane roared, his voice cracking.
“The world… we must save the world!”
***
《Going back?》
Looking at the people of the Aryan Kingdom and other minor kingdoms who are urgently preparing for a retreat.
The Black Dragon’s Shurin Skarian looked like he was dying of fun.
They were taking refuge in the north together, but in just a few hours they changed their attitude and went back to fighting again.
Is this what it feels like to watch ants struggling right next to each other in a collapsing anthill after being hit by water?
Skyrian, who was covering his mouth and laughing, looked to the side.
《Is this what you did, Violet?》
I spread the illusion realm and showed the kings an illusion to give them a reason to fight again and force them to retreat.
Maybe that’s why Violet followed this evacuation procession?
The Skarian asked as he thought about it.
“yes?”
Claws of the Black Dragon Lying down on top of Parekhian.
Violet, who was chewing beef jerky with a foolish expression, blinked curiously.
“Isn’t it?”
《….》
“I didn’t do anything? Oh, by the way.”
Parekhian and Violet had already left the evacuation procession and were hiding in the grass.
Violet hissed with her finger on her lips.
“Are we going to keep running? Let’s hide here for a little while.”
《…Aha.》
The smile on Skalian’s lips grew even deeper as he looked at Violet.
