Streams of fire soared into the sky, bursting and exploding in the high air like a grand fireworks show.
The blazing light was incredibly striking beneath the dim night sky.
So dazzling.
The warm firelight reflected on Fido's face, and only then did a heartfelt smile appear on his face. At this moment, even his mouthful of fangs didn't seem so terrifying.
It was as if...
...he had returned to the past.
Returned to that very night.
That day, the firelight had reflected on his face just like this.
“It has been fifty-one years...” Fido suddenly murmured in a low voice. Though they were simple words, they felt as heavy as a mountain coming from his mouth.
Step... step...
The sound of footsteps echoed as Gar walked over. Looking in the same direction, he finished Fido's thought: “You have finally returned.”
“Boom!”
In the distance, the bloated mountain of flesh suddenly exploded. Like cow dung hit by a firecracker, massive chunks of flesh and blood splattered in all directions, raining down a localized shower of gore.
Immediately after, a figure cloaked in raging flames soared into the sky!
Only when she reached the high sky did the figure gradually slow down, finally halting abruptly beneath the full moon. Under the moonlight, her beautiful face was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.
In her hand, the chainsword named Frostmourne had erupted into raging flames.
The flames burned so fiercely that they ignited the bits of flesh and tissue clinging to her white robe.
This caused the highly infectious mutated tissue to completely lose its last shred of vitality.
“You have angered me.”
The cold, clear voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire world.
Hovering high in the air, Irene slowly turned around and looked down at the vast earth.
Her eyes reflected the drow mountain of flesh, which was twisting, struggling, and wailing under the burning flames.
In a calm, unhurried tone devoid of any emotion, she delivered her final judgment:
“I, Irene Afra Christina, grant you eternal slumber!”
As the last word fell, her body began to rapidly expand amidst a bone-chilling sound of grinding skeleton.
A terrifying Dragon Fear instantly erupted with Irene at its center, sweeping wildly in all directions.
Every mutant caught in its wake was pinned heavily to the ground as if struck by a massive warhammer.
And when the mutants struggled to lift their heads to look up at the source of their agony...
...what met their eyes was a colossal behemoth that covered a small half of the sky.
What a terrifying existence this was!
A hideous head, razor-sharp claws and teeth, muscles that perfectly balanced power and beauty, and a massive body with a wingspan of a full twenty meters—all of it clearly proclaimed her terror!
Without a doubt, this was a dragon!
The magical beasts at the very top of the food chain—dragons!
Faced with such a terrifying, massive beast, even though the mutants had lost their minds, they still trembled uncontrollably.
It was a fear that came from the depths of their souls.
Their souls, imprisoned within their mutated bodies, were screaming, roaring, and howling!
Run! Run faster! Leave this place immediately!
But these pitiful souls were no longer the masters of their own bodies.
Furthermore, even if they were to turn tail and run right now, it was already too late!
High in the sky, the hideous, massive creature slowly parted her jaws, aiming directly at the mountain of flesh.
At this moment, even before the breath had descended, a decaying aura already blanketed the world.
The skin on the surface of the mutants' bodies began to rapidly age and peel off, as if a layer of invisible matter was swiftly corroding them!
The same went for the drow who made up the mountain of flesh. Their skin, which would have otherwise inspired endless fantasies, became ugly and filthy as if eaten away by acid.
Yet, they seemed completely oblivious to it.
Or rather, the moment Irene revealed her true form, they had all frozen in unison, their gazes locked onto the black dragon in the sky.
Even as the raging flames burned their flesh, even as the aura corroded their skin, and even as this black dragon was about to deliver her judgment upon them...
...these drow still did not react.
It was as if... they were scared witless.
Unfortunately, Irene had no pity for fools.
Once the acid in her glands accumulated to a certain level, she finally released her control over it.
A cone of acid breath erupted from her mouth!
This breath, which had accumulated for fifty-one whole years, was so terrifying that the instant it was unleashed, it completely enveloped the mountain of flesh and a massive crowd of surrounding mutants!
They...
...had nowhere to run!
“Boom!!!”
In the final moment before the dense acid rained down, the drow making up the mountain of flesh only had time to let out one last inhuman shriek: “Black dragon!!!!”
Then, under the intense corrosiveness of the acid, they rapidly rotted away, completely dissolving amidst their futile struggles!
It even corroded a massive pit into the ground.
Not even a single shard of bone remained!
Silence—
The world fell silent.
After this single dragon breath, it was as if the mute button had been pressed on the entire world.
The mutants that had been climbing the city walls, and those that had been crowding and fighting over the flesh of their own kind...
...all stopped what they were doing.
Even the Black Knights on the city wall.
At this moment, everyone looked up in unison at the massive beast high in the sky.
It was as if the world had become a massive stage, and Irene was the sole protagonist on it!
Yet, at this very moment, a beastly howl suddenly shattered this rare tranquility.
The mutated beasts that had been frantically charging the city walls turned around in unison. Even the few mutants that had already scaled the walls jumped back down under the dumbfounded gazes of the Black Knights.
As if they had received some command at the same time, they let out piercing screeches. Their eyes turned blood-red, and like rabid dogs that had lost all reason, they threw themselves wave after wave toward the massive creature in the sky.
Even though these mutants basically lacked the ability to fly.
Whoosh— whoosh—
Slowly flapping her dragon wings, Irene looked down like a deity at these “ants” attempting to slay a dragon.
Her brilliant golden eyes were devoid of joy or sorrow.
Instead of choosing to fly away and leave these foolish mutants with nothing to strike, she mobilized the power of faith within her body.
Then, she tilted her neck back.
“Roar!!!”
A blinding pillar of white light suddenly shot into the sky, carrying a majestic dragon roar. Like a sharp arrow, it pierced straight through the thick clouds under the night sky, illuminating rings of white light.
It penetrated the entire world!
And then...
...the pillar of light simply vanished.
It vanished into the vast clouds.
As if nothing had happened.
Looking back at Irene, she closed her eyes, slowly flapped her wings, and hovered in the air without making another move.
It was as if that single pillar of light had completely drained her of everything.
The mutants immediately let out excited howls. Glaring with bloodshot eyes, they began to pile frantically on top of one another.
Like a swarm of ants, they madly stretched out their claws and bared their fangs, eager to be the first to tear a piece of flesh from this massive black beast.
In a short span of time, the distance between them closed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Just as the closest mutated murloc stretched out its webbed forelimb—
Flash!
The sky suddenly lit up.
The surface of the murloc's large, smooth eyeballs reflected the scene in the sky.
It was...
...hundreds of millions of... arrows!
Arrows made of light!
They fell densely from the sky like raindrops, covering the entire heavens, piercing through the clouds, and lighting up the world!
At the same time.
Endless mutants pounced like starving tigers toward the black dragon right before their eyes.
At this moment, the scene seemed frozen into a beautiful oil painting.
It felt as though a long time had passed.
Yet, it also felt like only an instant.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!
The rain of arrows descended!
As if equipped with tracking radar, these light arrows accurately shot toward each mutant!
Just a moment before they could touch the black dragon, the arrows brutally pierced through their bodies, and the powerful momentum dragged these filthy creatures down toward the ground!
The mutants could only watch helplessly as they missed the massive black beast. Then, during their fall, they were ignited by the power of faith, turning into blazing fireballs.
Like petals made of flame.
They turned to ash as they drifted down.
Scattering over this barren land.
And so.
Amidst the falling light arrows that illuminated the entire sky, and amidst the unwilling wails of the mutants!
The Queen of the Empire declared her return.
Rate on N.U.
