Fallen Dragon (1)
Naturally, it had not been an assassination attempt. On the eve of a major battle, the Naga king was not foolish enough to try killing his reinforcements.
The only surprising thing was what had just happened.
"…Impressive."
Veshkan hissed quietly. The Naga king quickly regained his composure. It seemed he had realized exactly who stood before him.
"Has the guardian of your tribe returned?"
Krnartash thought briefly before answering.
"He stands with us, but he hasn't returned as our guardian. His allegiance has changed."
"Changed allegiance…"
Veshkan's gaze shifted to Woojin's companions—Roland and Cecilia. After studying their appearance, he spoke again.
"…Aren't those fools who serve the Ancient Ones? Why bring them here?"
As he spoke, Veshkan idly stroked the shaft of his massive trident. Sensing the misunderstanding, Woojin responded in sign language.
—Not at all. Why would you think that?
"They look similar. Long ago, ones who looked like them came and caused quite a bit of trouble. At first, they seemed useful, so we formed an alliance… but they kept trying to consort with the Ancient Ones."
Woojin could roughly guess what had happened.
So the dark-side priests earned the Naga king's resentment.
It seemed that long ago, certain heretical priests had attempted some scheme involving the Naga clan, only to be discovered and crushed by Veshkan.
Understanding the situation, Woojin explained concisely.
—They are exiles from their own tribe. They caused trouble on our side as well and were purged. We tried to wipe them out completely, but a few survived and fled.
To begin with, worshiping the Ancient Ones as gods was hardly normal behavior.
At that explanation, Veshkan lowered his weapon without hesitation.
"Indeed… that makes sense. Since they are your companions, I had no intention of laying a hand on them."
The same logic applied as before—starting conflict with allies before a decisive battle would be idiotic.
In that sense, the earlier attempt by a Naga envoy to scheme against the Gnoll tribe had not been Veshkan's will.
"At that time, I was bedridden, poisoned by the dragon's venom. The situation was unstable. My subordinates likely acted to buy time… but it was an unwise attempt."
Even if the scheme had succeeded, it would have been disastrous.
They might have gained time temporarily, but if the Gnoll tribe had been annihilated by the dragon, its forces would have absorbed the Gnolls and grown even stronger.
Woojin nodded.
No wonder the Naga's strategy felt unusually clumsy. There was a reason.
Veshkan was deeply revered by the Naga. Excluding the Ancient Ones, he was one of the oldest beings in the Demonic Realm. With him poisoned and incapacitated, the entire clan must have fallen into confusion.
At that, Krnartash glanced down at the venom with a doubtful expression.
"…You're telling me to drink something that dangerous?"
"No need to worry. It has been properly diluted to control its potency… you will probably not die."
Probably.
Veshkan emphasized the word deliberately.
Krnartash let out a long sigh.
"…This will be unpleasant for a while."
Regardless of intent, it was effectively the same as poisoning themselves.
****
The Gnoll warriors drank the venom.
To fight the dragon, they needed resistance in advance.
Of course, consuming poison of too high a concentration could kill them outright. It had to be carefully diluted and distributed according to each warrior's strength.
"Give me a stronger dose than this."
Braknark spoke with competitive fervor, apparently viewing stronger poison as proof of superiority.
Woojin cut him off.
"There are no spare beds. Collapsing in someone else's territory would be a nuisance. Don't overdo it."
The battle had not even begun, yet several Gnoll warriors were already bedridden. The dragon's poison was so potent that the slightest carelessness could be fatal.
Though inwardly disappointed, Braknark obediently accepted Woojin's words.
It will take time before we can begin the dragon hunt.
Veshkan and many Naga warriors were still recovering from poisoning, and now several Gnolls were as well. They would have to wait until everyone's condition stabilized.
Fortunately, the wait was not long.
Good thing we brought plenty of mana cores.
Whenever possible, they had hunted demonic beasts and stockpiled their cores. Warriors in poor condition consumed them to replenish their strength, allowing them to rise from their sickbeds without major complications.
One week later.
The Gnoll warriors had developed resistance to the poison. It was time to hunt.
"Open the gate."
At Veshkan's command, Naga warriors pulled on thick ropes.
Grrrk… groooan—
The massive stone gate slowly lifted.
The Naga army slithered beyond the wall, their numbers almost beyond counting.
Roughly three thousand Naga warriors—Veshkan had gathered seventy percent of his entire military force.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Three drakes strode forward proudly.
Behind them marched war rhinoceroses. These demonic beasts had also endured diluted venom and gained resistance.
Of course, since it was diluted poison, there was no guarantee how long they would endure under real conditions.
If the worst happens… we'll have to kill them ourselves.
If the drakes or rhinoceroses transformed into abominations, the allied forces would be in serious trouble.
If things showed signs of turning disastrous, they would have to retreat immediately—or kill the beasts and extract their mana cores.
To prevent such a disaster, Woojin mounted a drake and observed the battlefield from above.
Being this high up… the view is excellent.
Because the drake was so massive, riding on its back made it much easier to survey the battlefield.
Roland, seated beside Woojin, muttered,
"…There are disgustingly many of them."
Far in the distance, the plains were filled with grotesque masses of fused flesh. As the allied army advanced, the abominations, sensing their approach, gathered their own forces in response.
At the center of the enemy ranks stood a massive creature shaped like a dragon.
Roland narrowed his eyes.
"Is that the monster you mentioned?"
"No."
It was too small to be called a true dragon. Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be a corrupted drake.
"…That's small?"
Roland muttered in disbelief. The enemy drake-abomination looked nearly one and a half times larger than the drake they were riding.
It had likely grown in size after mutating—gorging itself on prey.
"GRAAAARGH—!!"
The enemy drake roared violently. As if driven forward by the sound, the abominations surged ahead.
In response, the Naga and Gnoll warriors hurled their spears.
Blades rained down over the heads of the abominations like a storm. But thrown spears alone could not halt their advance.
Without a wall, they'll break through quickly.
This tactic was effective only during a siege. Even if the front ranks were skewered, those behind mindlessly shoved forward.
The impaled abominations were forced down, trampled by their own allies. Screams erupted—but the horde paid no heed, climbing over the pile of corpses and pressing on.
The distance between the two armies closed in an instant.
"Prepare for close combat."
The moment Veshkan gave the order, the Naga warriors unsheathed their scale-forged weapons as if waiting for it.
Weapons crafted from shed Naga scales—harder and sharper than steel. The pride of their race. Thousands of blades leveled toward the approaching enemy.
And then they collided.
In an instant, chaos erupted—slashes, shouts, bodies hitting the ground, screams layered upon screams.
Fortunately, most of those screams belonged to the abominations.
The Naga warriors were seasoned fighters. They swung, cut, and thrust with disciplined precision. Their movements were uniform, as if produced on an assembly line.
Roland let out an impressed breath.
"Hah! That's a proper army!"
"They've trained for war their entire lives."
Though the Naga were physically inferior to the Gnolls in many respects, they compensated with numbers and refined weapon techniques.
As a result, the Gnoll warriors scarcely needed to step forward. This kind of attritional warfare was the responsibility of the Naga, who had initiated the campaign.
Still, among the enemy were foes even the Naga found difficult to handle.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps pounded across the field.
The massive drake-abomination charged forward—an enemy too powerful to block directly. The Naga at the front hastily parted to either side.
Matching footsteps thundered from the allied ranks.
A blue-scaled drake advanced. Upon its neck sat the Naga king, trident leveled at the enemy.
"Fire!"
At his command, the drake opened its jaws wide. A swirling blue aura gathered deep within its throat.
Frost breath.
A torrent of freezing air blasted forth. The abomination charged bravely into it—but its speed visibly slowed with each passing moment.
Thud… thud…
The heavy steps faltered.
At last, the enemy drake froze solid, its head encased in white ice, jagged icicles protruding outward.
Veshkan leapt.
With both hands gripping his massive trident, he drove it forward.
CRAAASH!!
The blade pierced deep into the frozen creature's brow. Fine cracks spread outward.
With a powerful twist of the shaft, the fractures multiplied in an instant.
The abomination's head shattered apart. Its headless body toppled limply to the earth.
BOOOOM!!
The drake-abomination was slain.
Landing lightly, Veshkan turned back toward the allied lines.
Roland stared, eyes wide.
"…A monster indeed. I expected heavy losses… and he killed it in a single strike."
If this continued, they might achieve their objective without much difficulty.
But Woojin shook his head.
The situation was not so optimistic.
"Frost breath cannot be used frequently."
It required a long recharge.
The drake had poured out freezing air for quite some time; it would need a long interval before it could do so again.
Veshkan had effectively expended one of his trump cards.
Still… morale has risen considerably.
Defeating a powerful enemy in a single blow had invigorated the Naga warriors.
They pressed forward with unstoppable momentum. The screams of abominations showed no sign of ceasing as the allied army steadily advanced northward.
However—
If that drake had been the extent of their opposition, the Naga would never have bowed their heads and requested the Gnoll Queen's aid.
In the distance, a vast shadow loomed.
A colossal figure crested the mountain ridge.
Its green eyes glowed like sulfurous fire, blinking slowly. Trees and boulders snagged against its enormous body, ripped free and tumbling down the slopes.
Each step it took shook the battlefield.
The thunderous sound of its footsteps drowned out the chaos of war.
…It's coming.
The Dragon of Heavenly Punishment.
The most dangerous enemy they had once slain—had returned.
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