A triumphant light flashed in Berkis's eyes.
"Give me the Saintess's statue. That wretch is deeply enamored with the Saintess, so if we
use the statue, we can effectively force him into submission."
But Cranus shook his head before Berkis could even finish speaking.
"That is out of the question. Though she has severed her ties with the world, the Saintess is
Lord Berhazel's eyes and ears that remain in it. I cannot agree to that."
"We would merely be using her. The Saintess's statue will come to no harm."
Cranus looked at Berkis with a deep, steady gaze.
"Are you afraid of the Dragon Slayer?"
Berkis was at a loss for words for a moment. In truth, he was. Fleeing Arcadia as if escaping, he had
felt a slowly rising fear toward the human named Damon. The human's tenacity and relentlessness made
Berkis tremble without even realizing it. But this was not a place where he could honestly
admit the truth. Cranus's voice continued to resound toward the silent Berkis.
"As you said, dragons are a great race. Therefore, I advise you not to employ such sordid schemes as using the Saintess. For dragons to be respected, Dragon Slayers must also be duly respected.
Do you understand?"
Berkis looked at Cranus's face without answering. It was not an opinion he could readily agree with,
but neither could he find suitable words to refute it. The dragons said nothing
and quietly watched the scene. After a long while, the first to speak was Berkis.
"Very well. I will follow the Lord's words. However, to destroy the portal, the assistance of several
dragons is necessary. What will you do? Will you help us?"
But Cranus refused even that request.
"As you know, I am old and cannot wield my strength properly. Moreover, do you not have three
dragons following you? No matter how great a Dragon Slayer, I do not think he can stop four dragons."
"………."
Cranus met Berkis's gaze without a word.
"One must reap what one sows. Was it not you who created the Dragon Slayer in the first place?
Therefore, I believe it is right for you and the dragons following you to handle this matter."
Berkis's burning gaze turned toward Cranus.
"The orc race now faces a life-or-death crisis. With their strength alone, they cannot
defeat the humans. If we do not hurry to their aid, Truvenia will fall back into human hands.
To the very race we struggled so hard to eliminate 500 years ago."
Cranus smiled bitterly and gestured toward the dragons lined up.
"You seem to be mistaken. From the beginning, I have had no authority to order the dragons about.
I can merely offer advice. Five hundred years ago, the dragons here
participated in the Racial War because they accepted my advice.
Of course, there were many who did not agree……."
"But you cannot deny that the Lord's advice exerts immense influence over the dragons, can you?"
Cranus shook his head with a sorrowful expression.
"Advice must remain advice. The decision belongs strictly to the dragons. Five hundred years ago,
you fiercely condemned the dragons who refused to fight the humans, but that was never
how it should have been done. Pressuring those who disagree with your opinion is what humans do."
"………."
"As I did 500 years ago, I intend to leave the matter of participation in this war to each dragon's free
decision. In other words, I mean to treat this as a different matter from then."
Berkis, who had been listening, clenched his fist tightly.
"I cannot agree. This war is strictly on the same continuum as the Racial War of 500 years ago. We must use this opportunity to annihilate the humans………."
Cranus firmly cut Berkis off.
"Neither you nor I have the authority to force another dragon's actions. Whether to participate or not is a matter for the dragons themselves to judge. I intend to leave this matter to their autonomy. Do you understand?"
Berkis closed his mouth. There was nothing more to say to the Dragon Lord, who had already firmly made up his mind.
"Understood. Then I will destroy the Dark Portal first with the dragons following me.
Please inform me swiftly of the matters decided."
Cranus nodded silently.
"So I shall."
"I shall take my leave now."
Berkis turned away without even showing courtesy.
Cranus watched his figure with a profound gaze.
Berkis walked out of Cranus's Lair with three dragons. He had wanted to
observe the meeting process before departing, but eliminating the Dark Portal was an urgent matter.
Since he would find out anyway, Berkis decided to put out the urgent fire first.
"We must destroy the portal before more troops and supplies cross over."
Ryushike of the same Red tribe cautiously comforted him. Ryushike, who took the form of a voluptuous woman with red hair, was still a young dragon who had not yet reached the Ancient class.
"Doesn't it truly make your blood boil? The sight of those old dragons holding back is truly an eyesore………."
Berkis looked at Ryushike with a sharp gaze.
"Refrain from such words. The Dragon Lord is the spiritual pillar of all dragons.
I will not tolerate any insult to him."
Ryushike closed her mouth with a sullen expression. But on her face, a look of clear disagreement was evident. A short while later, a blue-haired young man looked at Berkis. Myusius was the youngest, a Blue Dragon.
He too was one of the four dragons following Berkis.
"But is this human called Damon truly that strong?
I cannot acknowledge that a mere human could be so powerful."
Berkis quietly responded.
"You must acknowledge it, Myusius. That wretch thoroughly knows how to fight dragons.
Therefore, abandon any thought of attacking the human alone. Do you understand?"
"………."
"The power of the Bone Dragon and Death Knights he possesses cannot be underestimated in any situation.
Did not Roselrant already fall to him and become a Bone Dragon?"
"Ah, I understand."
Having finished speaking, Berkis looked at the blond young man walking right beside him.
Judging from his hair and eyes, he was presumably a Gold Dragon.
"Renius. Your role is the most important in this matter. To annihilate the widely deployed humans at once,
your wind must harmonize well with Ryushike's Flame Breath. Do you understand?"
The Gold Dragon called Renius nodded without hesitation.
"Do not worry. Did Ryushike and I not already coordinate our movements many times 500 years ago?"
"I trust you."
Berkis patted Renius's shoulder as if to say he was reliable. Having reached the Ancient class through this cycle of slumber, Renius was the oldest after Berkis.
A fleeting light of regret flashed across Berkis's eyes.
'If Roselrant had not fallen, his deadly poison breath would have been of great help.'
Although more than ten dragons were holding a meeting in Cranus's Lair, Berkis did not
trust them greatly. Their attitudes during the Racial War 500 years ago had varied greatly.
There were dragons who intervened as wholeheartedly as Cranus, but there were also many dragons who merely pretended to fight half-heartedly. Of course, there were also dragons who did not participate and stayed cooped up in their lairs…….
Among the dragons, the four dragons including Berkis had participated in the Racial War with the greatest passion.
They were the very ones who had stolen the humans' Oath Stone. Therefore, Berkis
had no choice but to trust them completely.
"Once the Dark Portal is destroyed, the dragons will have made their decision as well. If even half of the gathered dragons participate, the destruction of humanity is a foregone conclusion."
Renius, who appeared the most cautious, wore a worried expression.
"But I do not know what decision the Dragon Lord has made."
"There is nothing to worry about. He may say such things, but he lost a hatchling because of the humans.
Having already isolated the two continents with a storm, he naturally has no choice but to participate."
Having finished speaking, Berkis clenched his fist.
"Dealing with the humans, I leave to them.
And before anything else, we must find and eliminate the wretch called Damon."
Myusius smacked his lips in disappointment.
"If we had gotten our hands on the Saintess's statue, we could have easily lured him."
"It cannot be helped. If he appears during the process of destroying the Dark Portal, it will be easily
resolved, but he probably will not appear.
Because he is likely planning to crush us thoroughly, one by one."
Berkis's eyes gleamed with a certain resolve.
Near the outskirts of the Elven Forest, a large-scale base of the punitive army was established. There, a massive army of no less than 100,000 troops was assigned to guard the portal day and night without rest.
Damon and the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps were staying right there at the punitive army base. For a time, they rested while waiting for the moment to be deployed in battle against the dragons. In name, it was a rest in reward for their merits, but hidden behind it was Count Perushtein's other intention.
The Count's intention was to have them closely guard the Dark Portal, which was most important to the punitive army, and Damon and the other members were well aware of this fact. There was no way to bring in troops and supplies from Arcadia except through the portal, so it was no different from a lifeline for the punitive army. Because of that, Count Perushtein had positioned as many magicians and archers as possible around the portal.
Damon guarded the portal together with them, devoting himself to recharging to face the dragon.
Of course, the members were immersing themselves in training as always, and they now had a new sparring partner.
"Haaht!"
With a heavy battle cry, armor shattered and sound rang out. The figure clutching its side and staggering backward was, surprisingly, not a human. Dull black armor, chilling eyes gleaming through the gaps in the helmet visor—it was a Death Knight. As if proving itself a being of darkness, the shattered armor was slowly restoring its original form.
The Death Knight, having completely restored its wounds, brightened its eyes and readied itself to fight. However, its movements were awkward, showing that it had sustained considerable damage.
"Hahaha. A Death Knight isn't all that much, is it?"
With a clear, ringing laugh, the one swinging his sword every which way was Michel. When his opponent took a defensive posture, he poured out fierce attacks as if he had been waiting. The Death Knight faltered and continuously retreated before Michel's sharp attacks, which combined elaborate techniques with swift hand speed and the countless real combat experiences he had accumulated until now.
The Death Knight, a byword for terror, was suffering humiliation at Michel's hands. Michel's superiority continued for quite some time. Until the Death Knight's shield, continuously denting, shattered to the point where its form was no longer recognizable…….
The Death Knight with the completely shattered shield threw away the handle it had been holding. Then it grasped its sword with both hands and took a dual-wielding stance. At that moment, a heavy voice resounded throughout the hall.
"Enough."
His face flushed red, Michel caught his breath and stepped back. His face, stained with sweat, was filled with confidence. A shadow that had been watching that figure approached him. The one who had stopped the sparring a short while ago was also a Death Knight. The Death Knight, watching Michel with bizarre eyes, quietly opened its mouth.
"It seems the opponent was easier than expected."
Michel thumped his chest and spoke boastfully.
"Well, I wouldn't even call it an opponent. If Lord Helvertron had not stopped the spar, it would have already ended."
"Are you saying that a Death Knight is no match for you?"
"………."
"Then there's no help for it. I shall have to show you the true power of a Death Knight myself……."
Seeing Helvertron fumbling at his waist to grasp his sword hilt, Michel grew frantic.