Chapter 981

After eliminating the dragonkin, the second division advanced further toward the center of the continent.

Our goal was the castle of Trismegistus, and we wiped out all the antidemons appearing along the way.

I couldn’t say for sure if Velmeria and her mother Tilanaria were really captured there. Frederick, however, seemed to have some sort of certainty, so he headed for the center without hesitation.

I thought we might see more enemy interference the closer we got to Trismegistus’ castle, but there were no dragonkin in sight.

The only beings attacking us were antidemons. It’s possible the Dragon King was controlling these antidemons, but there’s no way to tell for sure if he’s really to blame.

More antidemons always showed up in the center of the continent, and it’s possible the appearance of the titans increased their presence even further.

In the end, the second division found Trismegistus’ castle without encountering any dragonkin aside from the first group.

However, it seems we played right into their hands.

「Hey, this is quite an enthusiastic welcome.」

「Dragonkin, lots of them.」

We were confronted by an army of dragonkin right before reaching the castle. Our destination was already visible in the distance, less than an hour away.

「Well, what now? Doesn’t look like they’re going to listen to us……」

「There must be at least 200 of them, and they look pretty strong. Should we try making our way around?」

「Nah, they ain’t letting us go.」

The closer we got, the stronger the aura of hatred emanating from the other party. There could be no doubt about their hostility.

Izario and Fran led the way, with the adventurers and soldiers lining up in formation behind them. Shikimi began preparing under the assumption that a battle might suddenly break out.

She was right.

When the distance between the two groups reached about 200 meters, the dragonkin moved into action. They immediately spread out and came running toward us.

「Tch!」

Izario stepped forward and released a wave of magical power, probably his Provocation skill. However, he didn’t manage to reach the entire army.

He only managed to grab about 30 or so.

「All hands, weapons at the ready! Vanguard, take cover with your shields!」

Shikimi gave the order, and everyone readied themselves for battle.

However, the dragonkin exerted strength far exceeding our expectations.

「Gaaaaaaaah!」

「Rugaaaah!」

It seems they’ve already lost their sanity in exchange for a boost to their stats. Although it didn’t show up in my Appraisal, I think they’re in a state similar to Potential Release.

Furthermore, I could feel evil energy inside them, despite them not being evil dragonkin. There’s definitely something weird going on here.

The old soldiers, who managed to take on all kinds of opponents on equal terms, were blown away at the first clash. The adventurer shieldsmen tried their best to stop the dragonkin, but they were completely outmatched.

From the looks of their equipment, the dragonkin here must have originally been veteran warriors. After massively boosting themselves up, their strength was far superior to the novice warriors defeated by Izario.

「Urushi! Back everyone up!」

「Woof!」

「I’ll take him!」

Fran stared at a dragonkin radiating a terrifying amount of mana. We’d take significant casualties if he got any closer to our lines.

The man was a strange-looking fire dragonkin whose entire body was covered with toxic-looking red scales. The weird part was his arms being twice as big as they should be, in both length and thickness. I had to doubt if he actually transplanted a real dragon’s arms onto himself.

His balance seemed so bad that I wondered if he even could move properly. The rest of his body was normal, with only the arms being weirdly big.

But he was strong. We could tell just by his aura.

Perhaps he fully mastered this Sacrament of the Dragon God potion that Frederick mentioned.

「……You shall not advance any further.」

「Are you normal?」

「I have sworn allegiance to the Dragon King!」

The dragonkin shouted as he closed the distance between us. Was he the commander? Well, he’s way too much for the other adventurers, so we’ll have to take him ourselves.

That’s when we heard Frederick’s voice. He gave us a warning while taking on several dragonkin by himself.

「Black Lightning Princess! That man is Resalva, the elder of the northern dragonkin! He ranks among our most powerful warriors! Stay on your guard!」

It seems the man was actually an elder. Scales covered his entire body, including his face, so it was hard to tell his age at first glance. Since dragonkin were a race with long lifespans, age had a direct correlation to strength.

And if he received a further boost over that, he must be very tough.

「You traitor! All dragonkin should bow down before our king!」

「What fool would bow down to a self-proclaimed king!?」

「Insolent bastard! You are next after I tear this girl apart!」

I first thought he wasn’t being controlled, but he had as quick of a temper as the others. Though he may have managed to keep his sanity, the mental manipulation seemed to be taking a toll.

Well, that doesn’t mean we’ll go easy on you. I mean, I don’t think we could afford to in the first place.

「You won’t reach Frederick because you die here.」

「Hah! Little bitch! Try saying that again after I murder you!」

「You shouldn’t say things you can’t do. That makes you a liar.」

「Nrgrah!」

Fran decided to follow Izario’s example and provoke her opponent. After all, an opponent blinded by rage had simpler patterns and became easier to fight.

But even if his movements were predictable, they were unusually fast.

「Diiiiiieee!」

「Kuh!」

Fran saw him coming, but she had no choice but to block the hit with my blade instead of avoiding it. She couldn’t react fast enough.

『Fran! He’s boosting himself with a flame geyser on his back!』

It was the same as the instantaneous acceleration Colbert had shown in the martial arts tournament. He dashed not with his muscles, but the force of those flames.

Fran’s timing was off because of this, so she had to block the thrust. Moreover, the blow had tremendous power behind it.

That reduced my durability considerably.

『It’s not just his strength, that sword’s enchanted!』

「Nn.」

Though his sword had no special effect, the attack power exceeded 800 with mana conductivity A. That’s clearly a high quality magic sword.

「I’ll tear you to shreds!」

「That’s my line!」