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Chapter 43
Talia stared at the dark silhouette revealed beneath the fading sunlight, her eyes wide with terror.
The massive body wrapped in scales contracted like a volcano on the verge of erupting, then shot upward. The colossal reptilian head perched at its apex blazed with crimson eyes, glowering down at them from on high.
Talia's legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground. As the ‌‌‌‌monster exhaled scorching breath and unfurled its wings—shrouded in a membrane of impenetrable darkness—the entire world ‌‌‌seemed swallowed by shadow.
Barcas drew his sword and cried out in a sharp voice.
"Prepare the subjugation equipment at once!"
Before his command had even finished echoing, knights burst forth from among the panicked, scattering crowd. ‌‌‌‌
They surrounded the monster and drove iron stakes into the ground, then fastened thick iron chains to their ends. Moments later, dozens of steel harpoons flew like arrows toward the beast's colossal body.
Talia covered her ears. A deafening roar erupted from the monster's gaping maw, its head held high.
Each time the massive body bound by dozens of chains ‌‌thrashed violently, the earth trembled, and several stakes—unable to withstand the force—were torn free and hurled skyward.
"Everyone, take cover!"
As someone's ‌‌‌‌‌shout rang out, the monster, having snapped its restraints, lashed one wing with terrible force.
Talia screamed. Two tents were torn away by the creature's wing, and half a dozen servants who had no time to react were flung aside like paper.
One of their bodies, twisted at an unnatural angle, rolled to a stop near her. It felt like a nightmare.
"Bring more equipment!"
Barcas's ‌‌‌‌rough voice barely kept her consciousness from slipping away. Talia forced ‌‌‌strength into ‌her trembling legs and managed to stand. With a hollow expression, she watched as Barcas charged forward like a flash of light toward ‌the rampaging monster.
He was rushing straight at the creature's enormous jaws—a beast whose body alone appeared to exceed thirty krevets, roughly nine meters.
"Barcas!"
His name tore from her lips as a scream just as the monster's wing lashed toward him like a whip.
Talia watched the scene unfold, her eyes frozen with dread.
The massive black wing, vast enough to blot out the sky, engulfed Barcas in an instant. Her entire world ‌‌‌turned pitch black. But in the next moment, the ‌‌pale blade in ‌‌‌‌his hand tore through the thick membrane like paper.
In a heartbeat, Barcas severed the monster's wing horizontally, then continued through to sever the thick bundle of muscle connecting it to the body.
The moment it lost one wing, the creature lost ‌‌its balance and staggered violently.
Seizing the opening, Barcas drew a chain sickle from his waist and hurled its hook-shaped blade ‌‌‌‌into the creature's grotesque maw, bristling with needle-like teeth. Then, sliding ‌smoothly to the side, he fastened the chain to a stake fixed in the ground and yanked it with brutal force.
The monster, its lower jaw caught on the chain sickle, collapsed helplessly like a fish hooked on a line. Talia's mouth fell open in astonishment at the incredible strength emanating from that slender, dancer-like frame.
Barcas gripped the iron chain with both hands and bellowed to his subordinates.
"Finish it!"
Immediately, dozens of harpoons embedded themselves in the creature's body.
The black-scaled ‌‌‌‌beast writhed desperately, its ‌‌‌house-sized body convulsing in resistance, but it was helpless against the relentless barrage of attacks.
In moments, the creature—now ‌resembling ‌a porcupine—extended its tongue and collapsed limply to the ground. Only ‌‌then could Talia release the breath she had been holding.
"Are you all right?"
A Guard Knight ‌‌‌‌came rushing over from somewhere, looking down at her ‌‌with concern. He too ‌‌‌held a sword in one hand, having apparently ‌‌‌hurried to the battlefield while searching for her.
The man quickly sheathed his blade and extended his hand to help her up.
Talia brushed his hand away roughly and approached Barcas, who was recovering equipment from the creature's body.
Barcas, coiling the loosened chains in one hand, glanced at me with only his eyes, scanning me from head to toe. Even in that gaze—dry as if inspecting the condition of some acquired object—there was no anger. Without thinking, I asked in an anxious voice.
"Are you... are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"
As I examined him closely with trembling eyes, I noticed dark red bloodstains smeared on his neck.
I reached out and touched his neck to ‌check. Fortunately, it didn't appear to be his blood. ‌‌‌‌I exhaled in relief, but suddenly my scalp tingled.
When I looked up, I found Barcas gazing down at me with slightly ‌‌widened eyes, ‌‌‌and I hastily lowered my arm.
His silence made cold sweat bead across my skin. ‌‌How absurd that a woman who spent all her time hitting my face or throwing things at me would now pretend to be concerned. Flustered, I mumbled ‌‍‌‌something like an excuse.
"I... when someone you've known for nearly a decade is right before your eyes and something happens to them, it haunts your sleep. I don't ‌‌‌want to have nightmares because of you."
"...Then it's fortunate ‌‌‌that I shall have no reason to appear in Your Majesty's dreams."
Her characteristically sharp retort somehow brought a wave of relief ‌‌‌‌‌‌washing over ‌‌‌me.
Talia, having been wound far too tightly, let her shoulders sag as the tension drained from her frame.
Just as Barcas, gazing down at her quietly, was about to speak, a scream pierced the ‌air from ‌the distance. Talia's head ‌‌‌snapped toward the sound, and she drew a ragged breath. The sky ‌‌itself was consumed by a writhing mass of obsidian creatures.
The Guard Knight murmured in stunned ‌‌disbelief. ‌‌‌
"Why would wyverns appear at this time...."
"Stop wasting time on questions—fetch ‌‌‌the suppression equipment! Your Majesty, this way!"
Barcas, composure instantly restored, barked the command in a sharp voice and seized her wrist, striding swiftly across the Campsite.
Talia pressed close against his back, her legs pumping as though flames licked at her heels. The stench of blood and fire hung thick ‌in the air around them.
Chaos. The very chaos I had waited and waited for was finally unfolding.
Yet ‌‌‌‌‌I could feel ‌‌‌‌no exultation—only a paralyzing terror that coursed through my veins.
"Count Sierchan! We've erected a defensive barrier over there!"
As the creatures ravaged the Carriages and Tents indiscriminately, someone cried out in a panicked voice. ‌‌‍
Barcas immediately changed direction toward the sound.
"You must not leave this place under any circumstances."
Barcas, guiding the half-dazed Talia ‌‌‌‌‌to the center of the Campsite, spoke with unwavering resolve.
Talia turned to survey her surroundings. Dozens of supply Carriages stood in a long line like a rampart, and a group of people sheltered before them.
"Defensive enchantments have been installed on the Carriages. You will be safe here."
"What about you? What are you going to do?"
Barcas, dismissing ‌‌‌her question without truly hearing it, immediately turned to leave.
Talia grabbed him urgently.
"Have you lost your mind? Where are you going right now!"
"The defensive magic will not hold for long. The monsters must be ‌‌‌eliminated before it fails."
Barcas firmly extracted his wrist from her grasp and rushed toward the chaos of battle.
Talia watched his retreating figure with a dazed expression before ‌‌‌immediately breaking into a frantic pursuit.
"No! Don't go! Barcas! Barcas!"

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Brought to ‌‌‌‌you by Valir Scans! ‌‌To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly ‌‌on our official site: valirscans.org
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