VBNWDW - Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Although they were mentally prepared, they hadn't expected that after the lords above finished their discussion, they would decide to attack the Atl army the very next night.
The men below grumbled in their hearts, but the thought of a doubled reward made their anger vanish completely.
As the night grew heavy, the city gates opened slowly and silently. The lights in Nia City dimmed. Armor glinted in the moonlight; looking out, it was like a shimmering sea.
Harboring resentment for being driven out, the Maple Family was determined to make the other families suffer a great loss. They brought most of their family's Gifted with them, and even Nestor followed alongside, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
The moment the city gates opened a crack, the Maple Family's forces were the first to charge out, with the people from the Temple of Light following close behind. After them came the members of the various Council families.
They hadn't seemed so eager before. Metis took it all in, glancing slightly behind her.
Duke Ander, who was guarding the rear and planning to leave amidst the chaos to wait for them on the road, nodded at her.
Metis immediately rode out, and the troops around her surged forward.
In an instant, the Atl army, which had already been ambushed once, reacted. Brilliant magic tore through the darkness.
The sounds of chanting, war cries, hoofbeats, and explosions merged into one. It was impossible to distinguish friend from foe; all they could do was swing their blades forward with all their might.
A thousand meters up in the sky, a massive black dragon looked down, its gilded eyes taking in the entire scene.
In the end, she couldn't rest easy and couldn't even bear to stay on the city wall, so she had followed them.
She saw the enemy's Gifted hastily rise, only to be beaten back by a barrage of magic unleashed by the Maple Family, though it seemed they hadn't suffered any fundamental damage yet.
If there was one thing in this battle that was most troublesome, the thing Metis was most wary of, it was undoubtedly these few individuals.
The black dragon twitched her claws, tempted to add some truly fatal magic amidst the chaos, but she had promised Metis she wouldn't help…
Just then, the Maple Family tore open a fifth-tier scroll, and a cross-shaped wind blade immediately slashed forward.
The leading Gifted on the other side was furious. He cast several spells to block it, cursing inwardly at how much money the Roy Kingdom had to be throwing away life-saving items one after another.
Infuriated, he flipped his hand, and a scroll appeared in his palm. He tried to tear it open, only to find in astonishment that the scroll had suddenly turned into a blank sheet of paper.
"How can this be!"
In his shock and surprise, the wind blade was already upon him.
The black dragon, already knowing the outcome, lazily turned her head to look elsewhere.
After casting their spells, the people from the Temple of Light quickly retreated. It seemed they used a special magical artifact to conceal their presence before following behind the Maple Family and departing in a hurry.
The battlefield was chaotic. Fires lit everywhere illuminated the scene clearly as the two sides clashed, their blood flowing out to stain the ground crimson.
Mo Wen stuck close to Metis's side like the most reliable shield, blocking every sneak attack.
But Metis was not having an easy time. Her trademark blonde hair and blue eyes were far too conspicuous. Everyone knew she was the Queen of the Roy Kingdom and naturally wanted to capture her first to earn great merit. Thus, they were surrounded, layer after layer.
But Metis was not to be trifled with. Her constitution had been improved by a potion, making her extremely attuned to the fire element. Her body absorbed elements faster, making it less likely for her to be depleted.
Moreover, she had been personally tutored by a dragon. Those cumbersome incantations had been simplified for her, allowing her to cast spells faster. Often, while others were still chanting, her fireballs were already cutting through the air.
An intermediate mage like her was an extremely difficult opponent to face anywhere.
The black dragon shook her large head and hummed twice in satisfaction.
A thin cloud was swept up by the wind, drifting before the waning moon and obscuring it completely. Dry branches scraped against rapidly advancing armor, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
In a large pit concealed by the terrain, various tools were laid out on the ground. A roaring fire burned, and a magma-like liquid was poured into cold water, producing a violent sizzling sound.
The people around seemed somewhat relaxed, as if unaffected by the war raging not far away. They were all drenched in sweat, busily working.
Suddenly, the sound of urgent hoofbeats rang out. The surrounding elements fluctuated, and vines shot up from the ground, instantly binding them.
"Someone's here!" shouted a man carrying a bucket of water. The next second, a flying blade pinned him to the spot, dead.
Many people suddenly emerged from the low thatched hut, surprisingly wearing the armor of the Atl Kingdom.
Someone cursed loudly, "The people of Roy are all cunning liars!"
The Duke of Maple's pupils shrank as he suddenly realized something. With pale lips, he stammered, "What's going on! You… you're actually colluding with Atl!"
He turned his head hastily and shouted, "Kill them! Kill everyone here! Leave no one alive."
His expression was one of undisguised terror.
Seizing the gold mine would only frustrate the other families. But if they found out the Maple Family knew about this, not a single person in their family would escape! They would stop at nothing to destroy all evidence, including the bodies!
Everyone's expression turned grim as a murderous aura filled the air.
The people from the Temple of Light, using their artifact, boldly hid ten meters away from the Maple Family. Witnessing this scene, they were all utterly shocked.
The leader swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "We'll attack when they're exhausted. Tomorrow—no, tonight, after this is over, Carter, you leave immediately. Report to the Temple Head that the Council families are colluding with the Atl Kingdom."
Carter immediately agreed.
Further away, Talia watched coldly, waiting quietly.
The black dragon flapped her wings, looking at the Gifted from the Council families who were still resisting stubbornly. With two factions having left, they were the only ones left fighting the enemy mages. Although they hadn't realized it yet, they were already beginning to feel the pressure.
Fortunately, the great mage had been seriously injured and ordered away by the commander. He was already a hundred meters from the battlefield, seemingly being sent away directly.
Another blade swung over, the sharp edge grazing Mo Wen's cheek. Before she could react, just as she thought she was about to be struck, she suddenly felt a force push her sideways to dodge. Then her arm was lifted, and she struck the enemy's neck squarely, sending blood splashing.
She glanced up at the pitch-black sky. Without time for further thought, she hurried to follow.
Scorching flames surrounded Metis. With a longsword in hand, she cut a bloody path through a mountain of corpses.
At this moment, none of the people involved knew how much ink future historians would use to solemnly record this battle.
This was the beginning of the Roy Kingdom's declaration of war against the Atl Kingdom, the first step in Empress Metis's conquest of the plains, and indeed the entire Chryse Continent. The fires of this battle would ignite the whole continent, carving her immortal name into the long river of history.
And the black dragon who accompanied the empress for her entire life was not mentioned in the records of this battle. It wasn't until someone discovered the notes written by Sir Mo Wen in her later years that they finally understood everything that had been hidden in the darkness of that night.
Flames engulfed tent after tent. Crazed, savage faces were starkly clear in the sea of blood. Amidst the glint of blades, only the sound of war cries remained.
Metis had already charged before the Atl commander. Blazing flames rose with her incantation, and her longsword fell.
Mo Wen raised her sword to parry a blade swinging in from the side.
Just as the Maple Family's forces had cornered the people from the mine against a stone wall and were about to unleash a slaughter of magic, the people from the Temple of Light appeared from behind.
Talia gritted her teeth and took out the scroll from her robes, her palm slick with sweat.
Death arrived as scheduled, and the river of the underworld surged forth, revealing itself to the world.
The head of the Atl commander fell to the ground. The army that had been fighting desperately just moments before instantly fell into chaos. Fear spread, and someone—it was unclear who started it—suddenly threw down their armor and blade and ran. Then, the entire horde fled.
Two consecutive days of crushing defeat had shattered their strained nerves, leaving them with no will to resist.
But Metis did not recall her troops. She pointed her longsword to the sky and shouted, "Pursue!"
The soldiers immediately raised their blades and charged forward.
Corpses with eyes wide open in death piled up on the yellow earth. The coveted gold lay buried beneath, soaked in blood.
Nestor's face was pale, his body trembling. He was surrounded by the bodies of his own people. He had been protected at the very back, but there was no escape.
The blades of the Temple of Light were raised once more. The light they had once relied upon had become a sword of slaughter.
His eyes widened as he prepared to accept a hopeless death.
A sixth-tier fire magic spell suddenly appeared. A giant fireball fell like a meteor shower. The surrounding earth, battered repeatedly, finally gave way and collapsed into the pit.
Screams rang out once more. A crazed smile tugged at Nestor's lips, and the next second, he was buried by the earth.
In a daze, a sliver of dawn appeared on the horizon. The morning mist rose, shrouding all things within it.
Metis's steps faltered for a moment before she was pulled into an embrace.
"Metis, you did very well," a deliberately lowered voice said gently.
She turned her head and saw a strand of silver-white hair. She let out a sudden sigh of relief and turned back with a smile. "I told you to stay in your room. Why did you run out here again?"
The dragon didn't speak, only held her tighter.
On the other side, the horn to recall the troops sounded abruptly, its call echoing across the entire plain. The closed city gates opened once more.
The next day, all matters were put on hold.
Nia City fell into an unprecedented silence. No matter how many remains littered the battlefield outside, the city itself was filled with nothing but the continuous rise and fall of snores.
On this day, the common folk of the city tacitly chose not to open their businesses, keeping all noise to a minimum.
In the Duke's manor, behind a locked door, a soft bed sank under the weight. Metis was held in Yueqing's arms, her long, slow breaths falling gently.
The light of dusk peeked through the curtains, flowing across the floor and casting a golden, brilliant shadow.
A bird perched on a branch, having preened its feathers for a long while, finally flapped its wings and took flight.
"Mmm…"
A weary sound arose, then paused, followed by the rustling of fabric.
Yueqing opened her eyes. Before she was fully awake, she had already tightened her hold on the person in her arms and looked down.
Metis pressed close against her, sleepily nuzzling her shoulder and neck. Her soft, thin lips slid across Yueqing's collarbone as she hummed again.
Yueqing couldn't help but chuckle. Who would have thought that the majestic Queen from the night before would now turn into a lazy little kitten?
She didn't rush her, waiting until Metis had pulled herself out of her half-asleep state before patting her and saying in a low voice, "Time to wake up."
Metis hummed twice in dissatisfaction, pulling the other's hand over her own ears, her actions clearly showing her reluctance to get out of bed.
Yueqing let her be, casually pulling the blanket up to wrap her in her embrace.
Metis lay there for a while longer before groggily lifting her head. Without needing to open her eyes to search, she pressed herself directly against the corner of the other's lips, her voice hoarse with sleep. "What time is it?"
The dragon had always been greedy, never satisfied with a light touch. She lowered her head and pecked a few more times before lazily replying, "It's almost evening. Talia came by once, but she left when she saw you were still asleep."
Metis acknowledged her, though it was unclear if she had really heard, and simply tilted her head up to respond to Yueqing's kiss.
It was hard to say who crossed the line first. A cool hand slipped under the edge of her clothes, climbing up her spine.
Metis hummed, pressing against the soft rise and fall through the thin fabric.
Yueqing wanted to continue, but then she saw someone open their eyes pitifully and say with a wronged tone, "My hand hurts."
She lifted her hand. The web between her thumb and forefinger, which had gripped a sword hilt all night, was rubbed red, and it hadn't faded even after so long.
Perhaps because the sleepiness hadn't fully dissipated, her flushed cheeks had a hint of childishness, and her light gray-blue eyes were covered with a layer of mist, making the dragon's heart melt into a puddle.
She reached out and took Metis's wrist, lowered her head to blow on it, and coaxed, "I'll put some medicine on it for you later."
"It hurts so much," Metis muttered again, it was unclear if she heard.
A certain black dragon's heart began to ache, and she started nagging, "I told you not to show off. If you had let this dragon go, I would have solved it with one swipe of my claw."
Metis just smiled, pressing even closer against her. "I know you're the most powerful," she said in a husky voice.
Yueqing raised an eyebrow, her thoughts suddenly straying. "Powerful in that way?"
Her Majesty the Queen glared at her, rebuking her with no real force, "You're being improper."
"What does a dragon need to be proper for?" the other one retorted righteously.
Before Metis could argue, she felt the unfinished business from before starting up again. She hastily tried to dodge, saying, "No, there are things to do. Talia must be looking for me for something important."
So she had heard after all.
The dragon could only collect a small bit of interest, nipping Metis's cheek as a small punishment before saying discontentedly, "You'll have to make it up to me later."
The other person felt she was getting the short end of the stick and argued with a smile, "When did I ever owe you anything?"
The word "rogue" was etched into a dragon's very bones. Feeling not the slightest bit of guilt, she immediately said, "You just do."
And so Metis argued with her.
The sunlight on the floor stretched long, illuminating the casually drifting dust particles. A breeze blew in, bringing a refreshing coolness.
The two of them argued over this topic for a long time. In the end, Her Majesty the Queen was no match for the black dragon's thick skin and gradually lost ground, inexplicably agreeing to two unequal treaties.
A short while later, someone came to inquire again. Most people were awake, and many matters required Metis's attention.
The black dragon could only sullenly let go, watching as Metis washed up and changed her clothes.
Just before she left, Metis leaned over and kissed her, telling her that they would light a bonfire tonight to celebrate the victory and that she would take her out for a bit of fun. Only then did the dragon's dissatisfaction fade. She waved a lazy claw, telling her to hurry up and go.
The closed door was then opened. Just as Metis stepped out, Talia, who had been waiting for a long time, walked quickly to her side and briefly recounted the events of last night.
Metis, who had been smiling relaxedly just moments before, frowned. Perhaps it was an illusion, but the earlier childishness had vanished, leaving only an icy majesty.
The sound of footsteps faded from the small courtyard. The red sun was pulled down, and the quiet city finally became lively again, filled everywhere with the joy of victory.
Only in the prison in another part of the city did the surviving members of the Maple Family look utterly devastated, crying and shouting to see the Queen.
But Metis turned and walked instead to the room temporarily serving as the council hall, where everyone had already taken their seats.
The orange light of dusk spread out, tinting everything with its color.
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