Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 624: The Contamination Spreads
The Blue Dragon was fast.
Almost the instant Malvy finished speaking, it arrived above the fortress!
“Release the arrows—!”
With the commander’s roar, a dense rain of arrows shot into the sky. The fortress’s Mage Regiment was already channeling a wind wall behind them to impede the dragon’s advance. They had to block the Blue Dragon before the fortress to minimize losses.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
Arrows let out sharp whistles as they flew at high speed, while magic condensed into magnificent and complex auras in the air. Waves of energy rippled outwards, but they inflicted only negligible damage on the Blue Dragon.
“I shall spread the Truth to you! Why do you block my path!?”
Bryant ignored the incoming arrows. However, the wind shield-like magic greatly angered him. Once he tried to break through the fortress’s defenses, he would be rebounded by the flexible wind wall.
“Dragon, retreat!”
Malvy drew his long sword from his waist.
If it were not necessary, he did not wish to engage this adult Blue Dragon in conflict. He was merely an old Sky Knight. Even if his rank was close to that of the Blue Dragon, he had no confidence in gaining any advantage from the Blue Dragon.
He did not understand what the dragon was roaring.
It did not seem to be Draconic, but a language even more incomprehensible. Just listening to it sent a chill through his body, but he presumed the dragon must be cursing loudly.
The situation gradually became a stalemate.
The soldiers grew increasingly anxious. Their proud arrows, and even the ballistae, could not harm the dragon in the slightest. But the mages’ magic was finite, and their arrows would eventually run out.
Malvy gritted his teeth.
He knew he could not wait any longer.
A battle with the dragon was inevitable.
“Soldiers, send a message to the Mage Regiment to activate the anti-flight formation! We will force this damned Blue Dragon down from the sky!”
The soldier Malvy grabbed nodded frantically and, shivering, ran towards the Mage Regiment’s position.
Half a minute later.
“Boom—”
With a loud explosion and a tremor of the ground, the Blue Dragon lost its balance and fell from the sky.
“The anti-flight formation is activated!”
Cheers erupted from the soldiers on the city wall.
The anti-flight formation was a standard formation for almost every fortress in the Andor Empire, specifically designed to deal with powerful aerial monsters. At this point, the dragon had two choices: either risk death by continuing to fight, or retreat with its tail between its legs.
“What will you choose?”
Malvy watched the Blue Dragon tumbling in the dust, a cold glint in the depths of his eyes.
“Roar—!!”
A roar came from the dust. A bolt of electricity shot out.
This bolt of electricity was incredibly thick, like a flowing waterfall of plasma!
Malvy’s face changed. He almost immediately turned and shouted hysterically at all the soldiers: “Quick! Get down, plasma dragon breath!”
The roaring of the electrical arc was deafening, like the rumble of a car engine. It shattered the towers on the east side and, with the swing of the dragon’s head, rapidly spread towards the west. If this swept through, all the soldiers on the city wall would be finished.
There was no time for the Mage Regiment to provide support.
Malvy rolled off the city wall, holding his shield and long sword, and charged towards the Blue Dragon like a whirlwind.
“Beast! Shut your mouth!”
He gripped his shield tightly and smashed it towards the Blue Dragon’s maw.
“Clang—”
The shield collided with the hard dragon scales, emitting a dull thud. Malvy’s Qi surged into the shield, forming a fierce shockwave that even blasted the dragon’s chin upwards. The plasma dragon breath, which had been raging towards the city wall, changed direction and shot into the sky.
At this moment, Bryant was blinded by rage. He had forgotten that his mission was to enter Tantinger City and release the “Water of Omniscience.” All he knew was that this damned human had smashed his face with a shield! How hateful! He was a proud Blue Dragon! It was one thing for the King of Winter to slap him, but that was because he was a legendary figure. Now, even a Sky Knight was slapping him? Damnation, they would all die!
Bryant fiercely grabbed the shield with one claw and then lunged to bite Malvy’s arm. Malvy had nowhere to dodge and did not want to give up his shield. A golden light appeared on his body, withstanding the sharp dragon teeth.
But it still wasn’t easy. He gritted his teeth in pain, hunching over to try and break free from the dragon’s suppression. Instead, the dragon grabbed him with both claws and pulled him towards its mouth.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting your teeth chipped!”
Malvy cursed, kicked a dragon tooth, and abandoned his shield to escape. Simultaneously, he stepped on the dragon’s claws and scrambled onto the dragon’s head, raising his sword to strike its neck.
Just then, a strange bulge moved from under the dragon’s neck to its nape. Directly facing his descending sword tip.
“Squelch—”
A strange eye opened. It had no socket, no eyebrows or eyelashes, just bare and devoid of spirit, yet it fixed on him with extreme malice. Malvy froze. He felt his consciousness being wrapped by a spider web, drawing closer and closer, suffocating him! His body plunged into boundless darkness.
“TRUTH!”
A terrifying whisper echoed in the darkness, piercing his brain. Malvy collapsed, losing consciousness.
Bryant glanced at the fallen knight, then, tilting his head back, spewed plasma dragon breath onto the city wall.
“Boom—!”
The city wall was breached and collapsed, debris from the towers scattered everywhere. He flapped his wings and flew towards the interior of Tantinger City. The fortress’s Mage Legion had exhausted its magic. There was now nothing to stop him!
Above the city, people watched in terror as the Blue Dragon circled in the sky. Even though the Blue Dragon was simply flying quietly, a terrifying atmosphere was beginning to brew.
“I bring you Truth! Worship the Truth, embrace the Truth, become the Truth!”
Bryant tilted his chin up, spread his dragon wings, and took out the grotesque heart. He gently crushed it in front of everyone.
“Squelch—”
The heart exploded unnaturally. Countless foul-smelling black blood rained down. They writhed like dancing snakes, intertwining and scattering, sticking equally to every human, merging into every body.
People fled in panic, completely unaware that the black substance was spreading deep into their bloodlines.
Finally, the first monster appeared. Its eyes became two black holes. More eyeballs grew on its forehead, cheeks, neck, and body. Its lips and fingernails turned black and purple. The rough skin gradually turned pale, secreting foul-smelling mucus, which eventually formed a membrane covering its body. Then, the skin curled outwards, and eight sharp spider legs emerged from the scapulae with a “pop-pop” sound. Spider-like mouthparts grew from its chin, making it unrecognizable as human.
The mutation was complete. This monster looked up at the sky and, with a sharp roar, called out its lord’s true name:
“Atrakh-Nacha!!”
Normal Bryant
Mutated Bryant
Trivia:
Atrakh-Nacha is one of the Great Old Ones in the Cthulhu Mythos, the God of Spiders. It resembles a giant spider with a human-like face. It moves extremely fast on its many legs. It has a close connection to the Toad God, Tsathoggua.
