Chương 117: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 117 - Greedy Humans

Hiding in ditches, were they? Scattering and running, were they? Su Nian was a Black Dragon. His ancestors had already played every breath trick imaginable. There wasn't a variation they hadn't mastered. He shifted his breath form again. This time, he kept the dragon breath liquid in a high-temperature, semi-combusting state, not yet fully ignited, because it hadn't made enough contact with the air. Thicker than the mist-flame variant, with slightly less spread and range, but the consumption was enormous.

When it left his mouth, it rained down like magma. Coverage, yes. But also penetration. It seeped into everything. Like a showerhead, aimed at hell.

"ROAR, —" Scorching liquid breath poured across the ground. Gray smoke began rising from every direction, steam from the heat, and smoke from burning bodies.

"Spread out!"

"Help me, ugh, AHHH, it HURTS, —" Any mercenary the high-temperature liquid touched became living kindling. Rolling on the ground did nothing. Jumping into water did nothing. The corrosive flames clung like rot, refusing to be shaken, devouring everything they touched.

"I can't pick up my weapon — why?!" Some mercenaries tried to fight back. They reached for their weapons and came up empty. These men had lived hard lives for decades and had never encountered Draconic Magic that stripped weapons from a fighter's grip. They couldn't even begin to understand it. Wasn't Draconic Magic basically the same as regular magic? Just a bit more powerful? What in the hell was this Black Dragon? Su Nian rampaged through the mercenary press without needing to bite or lunge.

The bone spikes and horns jutting from his massive body did the work on their own. Anything too close simply ceased to exist.

"O Lumiere sainte qui brille, eclaire-moi le chemin devant moi......" [Holy light that shines, illuminate the path before me, let darkness recede] A soft, gentle voice rose at his ear. Anna, chanting with unhurried ceremony, her words coming fast. The Illumination spell coalesced almost as quickly as an instant cast. BANG,, In Su Nian's blind spot, every mercenary who had been creeping in for a sneak attack suddenly found themselves staring directly into the sun. Nothing but light. Endless, searing light.

"Anna, well done." Su Nian flicked a claw. One mercenary went airborne with a metallic CLANG and burst into red mist. He said it plainly, without ceremony, his praise cutting clean through the noise of battle.

"Hehe~ Then Brother has to give Anna a reward~""No problem." It was a battlefield. Their exchange was short. The sweetness was not.

"Black Dragon. Why are you attacking my mercenary group." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A man's furious voice rang out from a distance, from the top of the Feliner Holy Wall. Su Nian didn't spare Gus a glance. He had his Draconic Breath active. One breath poured into the drainage ditch and cooked the large cluster of humanoids sheltering inside it alive. Only after that did he look toward the Feliner Holy Wall. Still as imposing as ever.

The thing was genuinely massive. If the Saint Olister garrison hadn't been so thoroughly incompetent, a wall like this could have held off every neighboring nation of comparable power for ten thousand years. Su Nian didn't like being looked down on. He took Anna skyward and rose until he was level with the upper face of the Feliner Holy Wall, then stopped there, and finally got a clear look at the leader of the Black Beast Mercenary Group. Gus.

A powerful man, middle-aged, far broader and heavier than Su Nian had expected from the anime he'd watched in his previous life. Dark skin, dense knotted muscle, a short scruff along his jaw. Black matte half-plate armor. A great black sword strapped across his back. Genuinely imposing. You didn't keep that many humanoids in line without the presence to back it up. Su Nian activated Insight and pulled Gus's panel.

[Gus: Level 35, Black Knight (Without that wall, this trash would barely warm you up)] The System's Insight was thoughtful like that. It also flagged the real threat: the siege weapons mounted along the top of the Holy Wall.

"Black Dragon!" Gus had noticed the dismissal. His expression darkened further, his eyes fixing on the sky with cold fury. Su Nian had no intention of wasting time sparring with Gus here. He wasn't stupid. He could absolutely go through Gus, but that meant taking risks, and he wasn't feeling generous with risks today. More importantly, his little wife was on his back. Recklessness was not on the table.

"Human." Su Nian's voice rolled out like a slow thunderclap.

"Your wall displeases me. It forces me to fly higher than I'd like."

"Today is merely a warning. If this wall is still standing when I return, ""I guarantee it."

"I will burn every last one of you to ash."

"ROAR,,!" For emphasis, he angled his head upward and breathed a long cone of fire into the sky. His pale gold eyes cut back to Gus with open contempt. When had the leader of the Black Beast Mercenary Group ever been treated like this. And the infuriating part was that he couldn't do a thing about it. The dragon was in the air. It was hovering at exactly the distance where the wall's siege weapons couldn't reach, not by accident, either. Flying. Big deal. Think being able to fly means you can do whatever you want?

Gus's face went flat. One hand moved behind his back. He made a few short gestures to his men. [Wait until it closes in.] [Target the wings.] If he could provoke or tempt the dragon into approaching the wall, the siege weapons would have a shot at the wings. Ground a creature that size and the fight changed completely. With the plan in place, Gus let the fury drain from his face and replaced it with a wide, genuine-looking smile. White teeth caught the sunlight.

"Mighty dragon, I believe there may have been some misunderstanding between us."

"This wall was built by Saint Olister, not by us. We are the ones attacking this country."

"I, Gus, have always had a great appreciation for powerful creatures. I don't define myself by my humanity, as you can see, my company is rather varied."...... Down on the Feliner Holy Wall, Gus was pouring his heart into the performance. Up in the sky, the Black Dragon was chatting with the elf girl on his back. Not a word was reaching him.

"So what does my precious Anna want for her reward?"

"Say it right now?" Anna tilted her head, nibbling on one pale, soft finger, her fuzzy fox ears twitching back and forth. Her expression was genuinely uncertain. She'd said the reward thing mostly on impulse. She hadn't actually thought it through. She turned it over for a moment. Then she remembered how happy Brother had seemed while helping her bathe last time. And honestly... she'd felt pretty good too. If neither of them disliked it, if both of them liked it, then why not just ask for that? Her face went warm.

She pressed her soft hand gently against the Black Dragon's scales and murmured, voice small and sweet:"How about... we go back and take a bath together, Brother? Would that be okay?" There's a reward like this? Su Nian blinked. He nearly forgot to beat his wings. Was Anna actually asking for a reward, or was she the one doing the giving?......

"Dragon sir, are you listening?"

"In summary, we are willing to form an alliance with you."

"After we take Olister, we split the country's wealth and women. You receive ninety percent. We take ten." Gus was certain this would land. No dragon in existence didn't love treasure. And if they weren't moved by treasure, they were moved by other appetites. The dragon in the sky let out a sound like a thunderclap.

"ROAR,, ""Greedy humans." The voice fell like a hammer.

"You dare claim ten percent for yourselves? All twenty portions belong to me."

"When I return, I expect to see this kingdom's treasure and women waiting for me. Right here. In the open."

"If they are not, ""I will burn you all to ash!!" Under Gus's stunned stare, the Black Dragon blew a lazy smoke ring into the air, turned, and flew away without a backward glance, heading in the opposite direction of Saint Olister entirely, departing with absolute, unhurried confidence.. PS: Everyone, Penguin-san has received your power-ups, keep them coming, and Penguin will keep coding on borrowed kidneys! Lots of you seem curious what he actually looks like, well, there you have it.

➤ Next: Cutting Off the Retreat