It didn't take long for the others to recognize what these shadows were—they were all corrupted dragons.
Everyone watched with bated breath as the Scourge Dragons roared and formed a formation just outside the portal.
However, what caught the attention of everyone present was the long figure that was slowly hovering out from the middle of the giant portal.
A lone figure slowly hovered out from the portal's center.
He looked humanoid, standing upright with broad shoulders and a long black coat flowing around him. His skin was gray in complexion, and his face was hidden behind a dragonbone mask. Two massive black wings unfurled behind his back—bigger than any dragon's—and his mere presence made even the other champions restless.
The humanoid dragon raised a hand lazily.
The dragons in flight changed direction mid-air, flying in different directions—specifically toward the eight kingdoms.
"Is he controlling them…" Lumi cursed in a dazed voice.
"No," Nyxirith corrected softly. "He's leading them."
Drake's heart pounded in his chest. He hadn't encountered this type of Scourge dragon before—not even in the last fight.
This humanoid... that creature wasn't just a leader.
It was a commander—possibly second only to the Scourge Alpha, or maybe even above.
Suddenly, the masked figure slowly turned its head.
Though they were hidden behind the giant stone, everyone instinctively felt it.
"Get down!" Drake hissed.
Everyone ducked just in time as a sweep of corrupted wind brushed the outer edges of the ruin. They waited, tense, silent, unmoving.
Then the figure turned again, and with a wave of his arm, the remaining dragons followed him, heading back into the portal. At the same time, the champions repositioned themselves.
Drake stood slowly, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the outcropping.
"This is it," he said. "This is what we were meant to see."
"Now can we leave?" Galen asked, voice dry. Most of the Wind team nodded too, feeling as if their life was in constant danger just being here.
Everyone turned to him.
"We're not leaving," he said with determination, standing tall. "We're going in."
The silence was instant.
Flame frowned. "Excuse me?"
"We've come this far. That thing—whatever it is—it's leading an army of dragons into our realm. If we let them pass unchecked, there won't be a realm left to protect."
"Are you crazy?" Galen snapped. "We just saw Champions, mutated Scourge Dragons, and that monster! You want us to follow them into a place even the Monarchs didn't fully map out?!"
"Yes," Drake answered calmly.
Valkor narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable. "I agree with Drake," he said, shocking the others.
Drake looked down at the map again, his eyes tracing the line leading up to the base of the portal.
"That's it," he said, his eyes lighting up. "I think… I think this was always the real purpose of this mission. Not just to witness—but to breach it."
"But how do we even get in without being seen?" Raizilel asked with a frown on his face.
"Y'all are crazy!" Galen shouted and took a step back, shaking his head. "We've seen enough—too much. I'm returning."
He turned to the three other Dragonkin from his kingdom. "We're leaving. All of us."
The trio hesitated, but one by one, they nodded. The fear in their eyes was plain. One of them was already trembling.
"Weaklings." Someone from the Flame Kingdom clicked their tongue in disdain.
"Galen, don't be stupid. You saw what we just witnessed—" Zara tried to speak, but Galen interrupted her.
"I'm not staying here to die for someone else's obsession!" he snapped, glaring at Drake and Valkor. "We're not like you people from the Flame and Frost Kingdoms. We know when to quit."
"You're making a mistake," Zara said coldly.
Galen snorted and took to the air. The other three Wind Kingdom members followed suit.
Drake didn't stop them.
"Let them go," he said softly.
"If they're not committed now," he interrupted, "they'll only slow us down later."
They all watched in silence as the four took flight, soaring above the corrupted trees and heading east—away from the portal, away from the danger.
A blur of shadows shot across the sky like a whip of black lightning.
Before anyone could speak, one of the Champions moved.
A massive corrupted dragon with massive wings and bladed spikes shot through the air toward the four dots that had appeared in the sky.
Naturally, those four dots were the representatives of the Wind Kingdom.
"Shit!" Galen's eyes widened as he realized his mistake.
But it was already too late.
The four Wind Kingdom dragons didn't even have time to scream.
The Champion struck once—just once—and in that single motion, it cleaved all four of them out of the sky as a spray of blood fell like rain.
The group below stood frozen, horror written on every face.
Zara's hands trembled. Even Celestis went pale. Elise's mouth parted, but no sound came out.
"Damn it…" Valkor muttered.
One of the Light Dragons stopped in front of Lumi to shield her, not wanting her to witness such a gruesome scene.
The dragons that had re-entered the portal before now returned, forming ranks once more around its outer ring. Their massive bodies moved in practiced formation—roaring in rhythm like soldiers awaiting command.
Then came the masked humanoid again—drifting just above them all, arms folded behind his back.
The Champions bowed their heads when he passed.
His presence was like gravity—every second he floated above that portal, the very air around him warped, and cracks spread across the landscape where he hovered.
"Damn it, he's back, and if my guess is right, he's coming to investigate. We need to do something," someone cursed inwardly, blaming Galen for his recklessness.
And just as they had guessed, the humanoid Scourge Dragon had returned to investigate.
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