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Chapter 201
"Honestly, it's kind of creepy."
Coral's soldiers were chatting as they looked at the dozens of wagons lined up in a row.
"What is?"
"Those things... They look alive, but they don't move at all."
From an ordinary soldier's perspective, those things were bizarre to a disturbing degree.
The higher-ups kept saying that they would become an incredible strategic weapon, but understanding something and feeling it were two very different things.
Moreover, every time they saw those Dragon Soldiers, an indescribable unease crept up in them.
"Ugh, damn it. Every time I see those things, I get nightmares."
"Yeah, everyone's been saying that."
"I mean, seriously, they said they dug those things up from some ruins. Just imagine how horrifying it would be if they suddenly sprang to life."
"Enough already, just drink. Opportunities like this don't come often. We should just be glad. Those things, they're supposed to be incredibly powerful. They say that even with just 200 of them, they could turn an entire area into rubble."
"What if they suddenly rampage here?"
"There would be a catastrophe. Not that it's likely."
To boost morale before the upcoming battle, the command had distributed alcohol and meat to the soldiers.
Thus, soldiers everywhere were noisily drinking and feasting without a care in the world.
"All good and well, but it's just a bunch of dudes... So dull."
"At a time like this, what else do you expect? Quit whining and drink up. The only thing we should be worrying about is crushing Bata with those things, then coming home with all the loot."
"Hehehe, true enough. The Bata folks must be trembling in fear right about now, not knowing when we'll strike."
"Kuhuhu."
As the drinks kept flowing, so did the drunkenness.
Some were singing, others tearing into meat.
Then, it happened.
From beyond the dark mountains, a strange sound echoed through the air.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!
It sounded somewhat like a horn, yet it had a bizarre, unsettling quality to it, making all the soldiers and officers turn their heads at once.
"What the hell is that?"
With the pitch-black night, there was no way to see what was beyond the mountains.
But the sound clearly rang throughout the entire camp.
And then, when the sound cut off—
Something they hadn’t even thought possible happened.
The Dragon Soldiers loaded onto the wagons began to move.
One by one, they started to step off the wagons, and the soldiers looked on in confusion.
"Why the hell are those things moving on their own...?"
Whoosh... Crack!!
And the soldier’s question was answered permanently — as a Dragon Soldier’s halberd smashed his head to pieces.
The power contained within the horn was designed to only affect the control of the Dragon Soldiers.
Coral had somehow secured the bodies of the Dragon Soldiers, but they failed to acquire the controlling horn.
They had been confident they could secure the horn, but things had gone sideways, leaving the Dragon Soldiers as dangerous liabilities.
Even so, they couldn’t just send the Dragon Soldiers back after transporting them all the way to the front lines, so they had been kept loaded on the wagons.
And now, they had begun to move.
The Dragon Soldiers, without a moment’s hesitation, began attacking Coral’s own troops.
It was inevitable that the camp turned into a scene of utter chaos.
As the soldiers had said, each individual Dragon Soldier was a devastating weapon of war.
Meanwhile, the soldiers were unarmed, mid-party, drinking and feasting to boost morale.
Even a normal ambush would be deadly — let alone when most of the soldiers were drunk. There was no way a proper fight could form.
While the soldiers and officers tried to resist amid the one-sided slaughter, the Dragon Soldiers mercilessly harvested their lives.
"Shit! The damned Dragon Soldiers are on a rampage!!"
"Stop them!!"
"Aaaah!! Help me!!"
Blood spurted, screams echoed, and fires spread, turning the camp into complete hell.
Still, some tried to resist.
Clang! Kaang!
Some managed to barely fend off the Dragon Soldiers' heavy attacks by releasing their auras, but their expressions were grim.
Because the Dragon Soldiers’ strength was far beyond anything they had anticipated.
"Dammit! Even our aura attacks barely scratch them..."
And even when they managed to damage one, the Dragon Soldiers would somehow rapidly heal themselves.
At this level, even an Expert-tier warrior would struggle to deal with them.
The most terrifying thing about the Dragon Soldiers was that they knew no fear.
And the fact that they coordinated with each other with an almost chilling precision.
As the military camp collapsed in no time, I silently observed it.
They had no ability to pursue me, the one who had blown the horn.
They were too busy just trying to survive amidst the chaos, blood, and screams.
"I’ve been running into Dragon Soldiers a lot lately."
The first encounter had been the twisted Dragon Soldier created by the Dragon King Baril in the Holy Kingdom.
And now, this was the second encounter.
Considering that Dragon Soldiers were remnants of dragonkind, and dragons had long since disappeared from the world, it should have been almost impossible to run into them.
In that sense, it really was quite the strange situation.
"Let’s go back, Luna."
"Unwanted guest."
At Luna’s words, I turned my head — and saw a knight, sword drawn and murderous aura brimming, stepping in front of me.
Even amidst the chaos, he had managed to pull himself away and pursue me.
"Are you from Bata, you damned invader?"
At his question, Luna and I exchanged a glance.
Then, we turned back toward him and opened our mouths.
"And if we are?"
"You bastard! How shameless! Do you really think you’ll get away with this?! You evil fiends!!"
His voice was thick with anger.
But regardless of how he felt, it didn’t change our situation either.
We were just living peacefully until they marched an army in to slaughter us.
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Who are they to call us evil?
Of course, I wasn’t going to speak nicely.
"So?"
"What?"
"So what are you going to do about it?"
At my question, his eyes widened in rage.
"Besides glaring at me and screaming while you fight off the Dragon Soldiers you brought yourselves... what else can you do?"
It's romance when I do it, and an affair when others do it, huh?
They tried to drench Bata in blood with their Dragon soldiers, yet now they're furious just because they’re the ones who got wrecked.
"You bastard!!"
Unable to contain his rage, he charged at us. Luna glanced at me.
Should I?
No, I'll handle it.
Even without exchanging words, we often synced up naturally.
The aura clinging to his sword, thrusting swiftly toward me, carried powerful force.
But I stepped forward with a single light move and closed the distance.
Grab!
"What the?!"
Snap!!
Wrapping my hand, reinforced with hardened energy, around his sword, I smoothly snatched and snapped it.
His eyes widened even further.
Sensing mortal danger, he tried to retreat, but my hand was faster, wrapping tightly around his throat.
"You brought these weapons to crush Bata, didn’t you? Should’ve taken better care of them."
"Guh…."
Boom!!
In a flash, I lifted him and slammed him into the ground.
His body convulsed violently before going limp.
"At this rate, they won't be able to start a war easily."
Even though it was just the vanguard forces, losing their Dragon soldiers and 20,000 troops would severely cripple Coral’s ability to initiate war.
What choices they would make next—time would tell.
* * *
Coral’s advance stopped.
Taking heavy, unexpected losses, they must have decided it was wiser to halt all military movements before fully starting a war.
They fell completely silent.
Of course, it’s unlikely they’ve entirely abandoned the idea of war.
Once they've reorganized, they’ll probably reveal their ambitions again.
But it won't be happening anytime soon.
In the meantime, Bata has gained precious time to stockpile strategic supplies and train its forces.
Of course, when actual war breaks out, I'll have to participate too—probably just taking out their leader will be enough.
"So it was a sudden raid, and because they weren’t properly armed, they took catastrophic losses?"
"For now. The survivors scattered in all directions, and many will probably become deserters."
"The Dragon soldiers were that strong? Weren’t there 20,000 stationed there?"
Twenty thousand was no small number.
Just lining them up would fill the surroundings densely.
And yet, they suffered near annihilation at the hands of merely 200 Dragon creatures.
"It wasn't just any Dragon soldiers—they were enhanced with magic."
"Enhancement magic? You mean holy magic too… Oh right, Luna was there."
These days, Luna’s been acting quite smug.
Watching her strut around made me want to pinch her cheeks out of pure annoyance.
"Well, anyway, good job. I’ll take care of the rest. You should get some good rest."
"Then it’s vacation time for me."
"Yeah. You’ve earned it, brother."
Melissa smiled lightly as she said it, making goosebumps erupt all over me.
"Call me that one more time and I’ll pluck every feather off you, you oversized bird."
"What are you even saying, you ant freak. If you’re done here, get going. Someone’s here to see you."
As usual, after exchanging insults, I finally stepped out of Melissa’s office—and there she was, waiting for me: a girl with black hair and blue eyes.
"Lord Leon."
"Lady Aurora?"
"You seem quite busy. Did I come at a bad time?"
If someone as busy as her came to see me, it likely meant she had business-related matters to discuss.
"I'm free now."
"That's good. Shall I give my report then? If you’re not up for it, I can handle it on my own discretion."
She giggled mischievously, but knowing she never took her work lightly, I nodded.
"Is it good news or bad news?"
"If I had to pick, I’d say good news."
I led her into the room.
Inside, Luna was sprawled across the bed, fully absorbed in a game within the Paradise Artifact for the first time in a while.
"Oh my."
Seeing that, Aurora covered her mouth with one hand and let out a sly chuckle.
"Please, have a seat."
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