Chapter 91

Dozens of wyverns were flying across the sky in a long line.

“Hurry up!”

“By now, the Captain and Theo would have already charged into the main base of the Ceres Trading Company. There might be the Sacred Demon Church, so it’ll be tough, but just push a little harder!”

At the forefront of the formation, Selperd and Arin urged their comrades forward.

The 5th Squadron of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.

Due to their wide activities across the northern regions, it was rare for them to gather in one place, but now most of them had come together.

‘I can’t believe I’m witnessing such a sight…!’

Holcus looked at his teammates with a face almost in a state of rapture.

‘I helped bring all of them together like this!’

His grin spread wide.

It seemed like his mouth might stretch all the way to his ears.

Watching her brother, Erika shook her head.

‘There he goes again.’

But even though she didn’t show it, she was just as proud inside.

The White Armored Dragon Cavalry was far more appealing than she had initially thought.

‘Everyone’s giving their best effort. They’re united in mind and spirit. Even though the summons must’ve been sudden, no one voiced any complaints.’

After Erika and her brother had delivered the promotion test order to Theo, their subsequent task was simple yet challenging.

—Gather as many members of the 5th Squadron scattered across the northern regions and join up with Captain Evelyn.

The goal of this mission was to catch Ed Troyban’s tail.

Naturally, this would inevitably lead to armed conflict, and depending on the situation, they might have to annihilate several forces entirely.

That was how influential Ed Troyban, as the Director of Central Intelligence, had become in the northern regions.

From the start, this wasn’t a mission that would end simply by attacking the headquarters of the Season of the Snake.

‘But now, with the entire 5th Squadron gathered, the operation was supposed to start as a follow-up mission… but thanks to Theo’s suggestion, we’ve moved much earlier than planned.’

Originally, this decision was made because both Kleve, the field commander, and Evelyn, the 5th Squad Captain, deemed Theo’s suggestion reasonable.

For the youngest member, who had to gather the squad members, however, the past few days had been nothing short of hell.

Thanks to that, hadn’t he memorized almost all the geography and terrain of the northern region?

‘If what the reports say is true, and the Ceres Trading Company really has allied with the Sacred Demon Church, it won’t be easy to face them. So… we have to move faster.’

Selperd and Arin knew this well, which was why they pushed the pace even harder.

Guiding the exhausted wyverns with whatever coaxing and calming they could manage.

“Nuna.”

“What?”

Erika watched her brother closely, wondering what nonsensical thing he would say next, knowing his head was filled with nothing but flowers.

“When we show up with a bang, Theo’s going to be totally shocked, right?”

“Probably.”

“Hehehe…! What if he begs me to become his sword?”

“……”

“Oh, that’d be so awkward. If I accept too easily, it wouldn’t be very charming. But if Theo keeps pleading with me for help, hehe, I shouldn’t give in so easily.”

Holcus even twisted his body as if to contain his excitement.

In the previous mission, he hadn’t been much help and couldn’t bring himself to offer to be Theo’s first sword.

But this time, he seemed determined to prove his worth.

“And, and…! I’ll get introduced to someone who works for Theo’s mother and marry a really beautiful bride! How about that? Isn’t it the perfect life plan?”

“……”

‘Ugh, so in the end, he’s more interested in getting a wife than anything else.’

Erika didn’t bother to respond, just shook her head in exasperation.

It wasn’t worth engaging.

Screeee—

Meanwhile, the formation accelerated even more.

* * *

「What on earth are you doing, son-in-law!?」

Naban’s sudden betrayal was a major shock to the Ceres Trading Company.

Though not widely known, Naban was also a master swordsman of the highest rank.

On top of that, he had once been hailed as a genius, even considered Torkel’s rival.

Naturally, if he switched to Ragnar’s side, the power imbalance would only widen.

Whoosh—

Naban lightly flicked the blood off his sword and sneered at Quadrach and Lily.

“What reason would a weirdo have for doing something? He just lives as he pleases.”

“……!”

“……!”

“Well, I feel bad for the lady. To be honest, she’s not really my type. She’ll have to find someone else to prove her heart to.”

“You…!”

Lily’s clenched fists trembled with rage.

Quadrach shouted out.

“We have no choice. Now that it’s come to this, kill them all! Don’t let a single one escape!”

At that moment, the Blood Priests, who had been watching carefully, simultaneously unleashed their , sending a barrage of Black Iron Hands toward Theo and his group.

The entire area was instantly enveloped in a blood-red glow.

“So, you’re planning to kill us all and erase any trace that we ever came here? Bold move, advertising your rebellion so openly.”

Kleve read Quadrach’s intent, smirked, and adjusted his grip on the sword.

However, he didn’t let his guard down.

Even a rough count of the number of Blood Priests present here easily exceeded ten.

‘Could it be that an entire district has come over?’

If so, they were outnumbered.

Even if Naban joined them.

Kwaaaang!

In an instant, a cloud of dust enveloped the surroundings, and Quadrach, taking advantage of the confusion, hurriedly spoke to Lily.

“Lily, you must quickly go to the 4th storage room and burn everything inside. We cannot let them find any of it.”

“But, Father!”

“Don’t say anything unnecessary. Go! Quickly!”

Lily bit her lower lip hard, glaring fiercely in the direction where Theo and Naban stood before turning the other way.

“Theo Ragnar.”

As she controlled her magic power in the way she had been taught by the Sacred Demon Church, her right arm began to throb again.

“Please spare Theo Ragnar. I need to cut off his right arm too and throw it to the dogs.”

“I understand. I will remember that.”

Paat!

Only then did Lily’s expression relax as she kicked off the ground.

The 4th storage room, which Quadrach mentioned, held not only documents related to Ed but also various precious items that must never fall into the hands of the Ragnar.

– But, there was a gaze watching this.

‘There.’

Theo’s eyes glinted coldly as he moved.

Paaaat!

Centered on his feet, a gust of wind began swirling around him, and in an instant, it kicked up dust as it propelled Theo straight towards Lily’s location.

“Dammit…! Theo! Block that bastard, Theo Ragnar! Now!”

Quadrach’s face turned pale as he realized Theo had been waiting for the moment Lily moved.

The position of the 4th storage room might be exposed!

“Where do you think you’re going—!”

“How dare you!”

Swaaaak!

Two Blood Priests leaped in front of Theo, blocking his path.

Their eyes were blazing with madness, wrapped in a sinister aura.

It was clear that their possession had reached a state just before rapture.

[“Skill: Lesser Drake Fear” sharpens its killing intent and overlays it on the blade.]

[You can now infuse magic power into the blade.]

[The blade burns with immense heat.]

Tsss…

In an instant, the Drake’s blade, as if it had been thrust into a furnace, grew red-hot, emitting steam.

The Meridian Enhancing Technique was added, showcasing Theo’s signature form.

The blade exploded in a flash of light.

Kwaaaang!

The powerful swing of his sword, empowered by his [Superhuman Strength], roughly pushed back the two Blood Priests.

Even the Black Iron Hand, known for its hardness comparable to that of diamonds, was scarred, and a look of shock briefly passed over their faces.

“Evelyn! Naban!”

At Theo’s shout, two gusts of wind followed closely behind him, one moving to the left, the other to the right, trailing after the Blood Priests who had been flung aside.

Both Evelyn and Naban were Advanced Swordsmen, the pride of the Ragnar.

Taking down injured Blood Priests was hardly a challenge for them.

Boom, boom!

During the chaos, Naban glanced slightly toward Evelyn.

He could sense it instinctively.

‘So, he wants me to be the second sword, huh? This person must be the first sword.’

Although the current chain of command may have placed Evelyn above Theo, there was something extraordinary about Evelyn’s skill in supporting Theo.

And then,

Thanks to the path created by the two, Theo swiftly closed the distance to Lily.

[Allocating 10 bonus stat points to Agility.]

[Agility: 89 → 99]

[Your movement speed increases significantly.]

He poured all the bonus stat points he had earned during the fierce battle into [Agility] and reached out towards Lily.

A look of shock crossed Lily’s face as she glanced back.

‘Got her…!’

But just before his fingertips could grab Lily’s neck, an unexpected intruder suddenly appeared between Theo and Lily.

Kwooooooom!

Boom!

A single punch, so powerful it easily deflected even Theo’s sword strike, which was brimming with heat.

Theo was sent flying, struck by a shockwave so strong he feared his body might break apart. He clenched his teeth and barely managed to regain his balance after being thrown back a considerable distance.

‘Damn it! If only I had one more point in [Agility]!’

If that were the case, his agility stat would have surpassed 100, unlocking a new special ability that could have helped him avoid the interference.

“Haha! So the rumors about a promising young dragon appearing from Ragnar were true, and that must be you, huh?”

The person who had knocked Theo back was drenched head to toe in blood, with crimson hair and eyes, as if soaked in it.

Lily, barely surviving Theo’s grasp, let out a deep sigh of relief, her face exhausted.

‘A District Leader…!’

In the Sacred Demon Church, which ranked its members from Apostle → Cardinal → Archbishop → Bishop → District Leader → Blood Priest, the District Leader, who oversaw an entire district, wielded far greater power than three or four Advanced Swordsmen combined.

On top of that, they were believed to hear the voice of the gods directly.

Not someone to be taken lightly.

However,

“If we let you live, you’ll surely hinder the will of the gods in the future—a seed of chaos that must be eradicated.”

The real reason the District Leader was feared by the world was entirely different.

“Servants who hear the word of God, heed the call—!”

At the District Leader’s shout, more than twenty Blood Priests and slightly weaker, yet still formidable, believers revealed themselves on the rooftops of the buildings that now surrounded Theo.

Tss tss tss—

The Bloodlight they exuded stained the air crimson.

-Deliver the message to us!

-Deliver the message to us!

Echoes resounded from all directions.

So densely, they filled the headquarters of the Merchant Association.

The Blood Demons’ Night Parade.

Wherever the District Leader went, dozens, sometimes hundreds, of crazed devotees followed him like a horde of monsters.

And, as they always brought calamity and massacres wherever they went, people called them ‘Blood Demons.’

‘Those, those madmen…! I specifically told them not to come out until I gave the signal!’

Quadrach trembled, his face pale.

The appearance of the District Leader and the Blood Demons meant that the other merchants of the Northern Merchants Association, stationed around the headquarters, would now discover the true identity of the Sacred Demon Church.

Originally, those fanatics had been summoned to brainwash all the association members once they gathered in one place with the .

After the brainwashing was complete, they had planned to send one or two Blood Demons back with each merchant on their return to their respective branches to them as well.

If it had worked, the Northern Merchants Association would have fallen completely into the hands of the Ceres Trading Company…!

But the problem was that these impatient fanatics had jumped out without any warning.

There was no way to reason with them, no matter how much he tried.

After all, they were lunatics from the beginning!

“Kill all the unbelievers, slaughter the dragon’s spawn! Bring joy to God with their blood—!”

-Holy Demon Conquest!

-Holy Demon Conquest!

The Blood Demons, along with the Blood Priests, shouted in unison and were about to charge into the chaotic battle.

Fwaaaaash!

Suddenly, a thrilling sensation ran down Theo’s spine.

But that familiar feeling was trying to tell him something.

Keeeek!

Even Umbra seemed to sense it, causing the shadows to ripple violently.

“It’s over.”

Theo smiled broadly, raising his head high.

Above them, and over the headquarters of the Ceres Trading Company, dozens of shadows began to descend.

Theo raised the flag he held in his left hand high into the air.

As if to say, this is the place.

As if to welcome them.

The flag in Theo’s hand caught the attention of those in the sky.

-Is that new recruit the one holding the flag?

-Yeah, looks like it. I’ve never met him before either.

-I heard rumors he’s a genius with incredible talent. Let’s go meet him.

With a few brief exchanges,

-All units, descend.

Squad 5 of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry had arrived.