NOVEL WEB Chapter 199: Melissa!?
"Who is this?" Duke Igris spoke with a frown, his eyes blazing with alarm.
He instantly stepped in front of Synthia, joined by all the other dragons present, as mana brewed and distorted the air, already primed to strike if the figure before them showed even a hint of hostility.
"State your identity," Eleanor shouted.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to a young man with long golden hair, clad in the classic General's armor seen in every empire, and carrying a massive purple hammer.
"Relax. I'm not going to do anything," Zarek said with a shrug.
Even though he said this, every dragon remained ready to attack at a moment's notice. After all, he was a human here.
"He is the one who will help us," Drayken finally spoke in his deep voice.
"Prince Drayken…" Duke Igris halted and looked Zarek up and down.
"As expected of Prince Drayken, he was even able to easily capture a general of the empire and make him a slave."
Zarek casually shrugged.
Rowena looked at Zarek, her dog ears twitching as she tilted her head cutely.
'For some reason, this person feels so familiar.'
Even though Rowena was certain she had never seen this man or caught his scent before, he still felt strangely familiar, like someone close to her.
'But my close ones are very few, only Master and Mistress. He couldn't be either, is this just my imagination?'
Her eyes sparkled like stars as she looked at Zarek, leaving him confused about what she was thinking.
An uncomfortable silence hung over the entire cave for a moment before Drayken finally cleared his throat and spoke:
"So, the plan is this…"
Drayken began to outline the entire strategy, making everyone fall into a moment of deep thought.
"Hmph. Is his value even enough for it to work?" Eleanor said, her crimson pupils silently reflecting Zarek's visage.
"It will, as long as we have one important character," Drayken replied, his eyes glinting with meaning.
***
"Listen up, soldiers! These vile dragons have killed three Telekinetic Grandmasters, causing humanity to suffer terrible losses. No matter what, we cannot let them retreat. Both the princess and the prince of the dragon race must die today!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hundreds of soldiers shouted in unison, each radiating the presence of a Level Nine.
Individually, they might not amount to much but their combined might was what made them so formidable.
Humans had always relied on their overwhelming numbers to stand against dragons. In a one-on-one confrontation, even at a higher level, it was nearly impossible to defeat a dragon.
They soared through the skies, completely sealing off the path to the dragon kingdom.
Shortly after, Telekinetic Masters also joined in and with them came two more Telekinetic Grandmasters.
One appeared to be a thin, frail young man, while the other was a hunched old man.
The Falcon Empire had already lost three Grandmasters, and if they were to lose two more, the consequences would be devastating.
They wouldn't have a single Grandmaster left.
"Are we becoming this reckless? We've already lost so much just to raise the public sentiment of our kingdom. But if we lack the strength to follow through, it'll become a real problem," the thin, frail young man said with a frown.
"Don't worry. We've also invited the Telekinetic Masters and Grandmasters from other kingdoms. If they don't show up, we'll abandon this place and evacuate. Either way, we can sway public opinion, after all, we've already sacrificed so much for humanity," the hunched man said as he lit a cigar-like object and began puffing out smoke.
"Oh, alright then," the thin, frail young man replied, raising his brows in mild amusement.
As expected, after some time, flying ships descended onto the scene, and from them, many soldiers disembarked.
They were troops from every empire.
If they didn't act, their reputations would be ruined and the world itself would turn against them for failing to send troops. No empire dared to risk being seen as indifferent, letting humanity be crushed without resistance.
Not only would external enemies rise, but even internal unrest might follow.
This was the power of public opinion for humans.
Aboard the fleet of the Ragnarok Empire, a woman stood tall at the helm of a ship.
Her green hair fluttered in the wind, and her emerald eyes gleamed like precious gems. She wore tightly fitted armor that perfectly accentuated the curves of a fully mature woman.
Simply by standing there, she radiated a cold, unshakable presence that made everyone around her instinctively lower their eyes in quiet fear.
Who else could it be, if not Melissa?
After the ship landed, Melissa flew directly from the deck and approached the two Telekinetic Grandmasters without paying attention to anything else.
"Do you know what happened to the General of our empire?"
The two men glanced at each other and chuckled.
"Oh, the Princess of Carnage," the frail Grandmaster said with a sigh. "When I visited your kingdom, you were just a little child. I didn't expect you to grow into such a fierce woman."
"Answer my question," Melissa demanded, without a shred of respect in her voice.
"Umm," the frail Grandmaster rubbed the back of his head. "How would I know? I just got here."
"If you're talking about the General from your empire, then he disappeared, along with the generals from our empire and the others," the hunched old man spoke at this time.
"So… they all disappeared?" Melissa frowned.
"That's correct," the old man mumbled.
Just then, giant shadows appeared in the skies ahead, instantly causing a wave of excitement and tension to ripple through the crowd.
"They're here."
With nervous gazes, everyone looked up as massive dragons closed in, eleven in total, ten dragons over fifty meters long, with one smaller than the rest.
As they approached, the atmosphere grew heavy. Soldiers, Masters and Grandmasters alike swallowed hard, the tension so thick no one dared to even breathe too loudly.
Finally, the dragons came into full view, their colossal forms casting dark shadows over the battlefield. Everyone braced themselves, ready to act at a moment's notice.
But just then, Drayken swiftly shifted into his human form and…