"You go first," Cassiopeia said, pushing Draco forward.
Draco shot her an irritated glance. It was obvious she was afraid of the white dragon and wanted him to lure it out.
Despite his annoyance, he said nothing and stepped toward the cave.
Stopping at the entrance, he took a deep breath and let out a powerful roar.
Instantly, the cave shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Draco took a fighting stance, with Cassiopeia standing behind him.
Boom!
A crashing sound echoed from inside the cave, sending a tingling sensation through both of them.
Second after second passed. Finally, the massive figure of the white dragon emerged from the cave.
Roar!
Its roar came like a sonic wave, destroying everything around it.
Draco and Cassiopeia were stunned by its enormous size.
But instead of fear, excitement filled their eyes.
"Come on, Draco!"
Cassiopeia shot forward like a bullet toward the dragon.
Not wanting to be outdone, Draco’s body erupted in flames. A red dragon, slightly smaller than the white one, emerged from the explosion.
Together with Cassiopeia, he attacked the dragon with all his might.
An hour later...
"Hah... hah... hah..." Cassiopeia gasped as she stared at the dragon’s lifeless body. "We... did it!"
Draco reverted to his human form, his body covered in injuries.
"Yes, we did it..." he sighed in relief before collapsing onto the snow beneath him.
At last, the exhausting battle was over. He had to admit it—the dragon was truly powerful.
Even he and Cassiopeia had been forced to use their trump cards to finally defeat it.
"By the way, Draco, did you feel something strange about the dragon earlier?"
Cassiopeia’s hesitant voice pulled Draco from his thoughts.
"Strange? What do you mean?" he asked, glancing at her in confusion.
Cassiopeia stepped closer and explained, "The dragon was indeed very strong. But its attack patterns were easy to read. And the power it unleashed wasn’t as destructive as I expected. Considering that even Sylvia was defeated by it, doesn’t that feel strange?"
Sylvia was undeniably strong. At first, Cassiopeia had thought the fight would drag on until the very last drop of blood.
Yet, unexpectedly, the two of them had managed to end it without suffering serious injuries. Frankly, it felt odd.
Draco considered her words and found them reasonable. However, he couldn’t think of a clear answer, so he offered a simple explanation.
"Maybe the dragon was already exhausted from fighting Sylvia earlier. After all, it must have taken a lot of injuries in that battle."
That reasonable explanation quickly dispelled Cassiopeia’s doubts.
"In that case, let’s head to the border. We still need to wipe out the armies of those two kingdoms."
Draco nodded slightly. Moments later, their figures vanished from sight.
Not long after they left, a man clad in a black cloak emerged from the raging snowstorm.
He approached the dragon’s corpse and placed a hand on it.
In the next instant, the body dissolved, transforming into a massive white horn.
’The plan is almost complete. Just one final step remains,’ he murmured.
...
At the border of the Kingdom of Kaldarion, troops from the two kingdoms—Baldrum and Korovtar—continued their relentless assault.
City after city in the border region fell into their hands. Most of the inhabitants were enslaved, while others were slaughtered without mercy.
The women and children, meanwhile, were taken to satisfy their twisted desires.
The scene was so horrific that anyone who witnessed it would feel a chill crawl down their spine.
They were innocent people, yet the armies of the two kingdoms carried out such atrocities without hesitation.
"Hahaha! We’ve finally conquered the last border city! All that’s left is to push into the inner regions, and we can officially claim this kingdom!"
Inside a tavern, a tall, burly man with a fierce face laughed loudly.
He wore heavy white armor, marked with a white lightning bolt emblem on his right chest—the symbol of the Baldrum Kingdom’s army.
"You’re right, Hrilmor. This conquest is ridiculously easy. I’d say it’s nothing more than a warm-up," replied another burly man seated across from him.
Unlike Hrilmor, he wore blue armor emblazoned with a horned whale.
He was Iskar, the war leader of the Korovtar Kingdom.
Since the two kingdoms had joined forces to conquer Kaldarion, they had become temporary allies.
"Pfft! You’re arrogant—but I like that!" Hrilmor burst out laughing.
He raised his beer mug in a toast to Iskar, then drained it in one gulp.
"By the way, I’ve acquired two new slaves—a mother and her daughter. They’re in excellent condition. I’m sure they’ll be to your liking," Hrilmor said, licking his upper lip.
"Oh? You already have them?" Iskar looked intrigued. "So, how much do you want?"
"Not much—just a thousand gold coins."
"A thousand gold coins?" Iskar frowned. "Are you trying to rob me?"
"Don’t jump to conclusions, my friend. The mother and daughter are both very beautiful. I guarantee they’re worth the price," Hrilmor said with a smirk.
Iskar fell silent for a moment, weighing the offer.
"All right. I accept."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a sack of gold, and handed it over.
"Bring them to my place. I want to see for myself how valuable they are tonight."
Hrilmor took the sack of gold and grinned widely. "Don’t worry. I always keep my promises. You know what kind of man I am, right?"
Iskar nodded slowly without saying a word.
The two resumed their conversation when suddenly a soldier rushed into the tavern, his face pale with panic.
"General! Danger! It’s serious!"
Hrilmor and Iskar were both startled and immediately fixed their gazes on the soldier.
"What happened?" Hrilmor asked coldly.
The soldier struggled to catch his breath as he pointed outside the tavern.
"I just received a report. All of our prisoners escaped at the same time. The entire population of this city has vanished!"
Hrilmor froze at the words. He slammed his right hand onto the table, splitting it in half.
"What!? How is that possible!?" His voice carried such overwhelming pressure that the soldier trembled.
"I... I don’t know either, General! When I was on patrol, everything was normal. Then, in an instant, they were all gone."
Hrilmor’s expression darkened. Just as he was about to issue an order, a soldier from the Kingdom of Korovtar rushed in, his face just as pale.
After hearing a similar report, Hrilmor and Iskar realized this was no ordinary incident.
"This is clearly unnatural," Iskar said grimly. "Let’s check it ourselves."
Hrilmor nodded. Together with Iskar and two guards, they immediately left the tavern.
However, before they had taken ten steps, a blinding light suddenly illuminated the sky, startling everyone.
A gigantic lotus flower, spanning five kilometers in diameter, appeared above the city, as if it were about to devour it whole.
The soldiers’ eyes widened in disbelief.
"That—" Hrilmor tried to speak, but the giant lotus had already descended.
Boom!
The explosion was like an atomic blast, instantly reducing the entire city to dust.
Not a single living being remained.
High above the ruins, Cassiopeia turned to Draco and said quietly, "Let’s go."