Belial sensed the specialized weapon he had sent out earlier. While he could not see or hear through it, he could judge the condition of that body belonging to the Lord. The staff was designed to participate in a Magic cycle to absorb excess Magic and suppress crystal cell growth.
"It is more effective than I expected. They should live until I die naturally, and their body is healthy, though I might not even die of old age."
Sensing that Miss Witch was still lively, he nodded in satisfaction. As for the other little one, there was no need to worry, and he could finally sleep in peace. Still, the energy he lacked at this scale was enormous, far beyond what a few meals could solve.
"It would be best to find a less eye-catching place, like burying myself underground. I will not suffocate anyway."
The answer was obvious, to keep searching for underground magma veins. With his current mastery of Magic, designing an efficient heat circulation Magic Array was not difficult. He prepared to leave, reminding himself to restrain his strength.
His powerful hind legs bent slightly as he crouched, then he flapped his wings. A flash of white light erupted, and the massive Great Dragon body wrapped in magnetism launched like a Electromagnetic Cannon shell. The ground below was smashed into powdered Shard, leaving a scorched, crystallized crater-like mark, and tremors spread across hundreds of kilometers.
blockbuster-level trees fell, and the cries of birds and beasts echoed. Thanks to Belial's current Electromagnetic Catapult and the initial completion of his System cycle, his control over Magic had greatly improved, reducing power leakage. Otherwise, using his previous rough takeoff combined with Starburst Crash would have been far too cruel to the local monsters.
Flying forward, even without full effort, his speed exceeded Mach 15. He still slowed occasionally to scan for magma veins below. He no longer needed to divert his mind from the Lord, as his body physically remembered flight habits and Magic, automatically forming cloud cover with concealment effects.
Even the thick mist ahead had its water molecules adjusted at a microscopic level into one-way lenses, allowing him to see clearly with the naked eye. Lightning no longer jumped around randomly, since magnetic control had stabilized things, though the clouds were now electrically charged smoke. Any bird colliding with them would at least be electrocuted into convulsions.
"I think I found a suitable magma vein. Wait, why does this place feel familiar?"
Belial looked down and analyzed the terrain. It was near the area where he had fallen into that self-service meal before. Massive trenches stretched for dozens of kilometers, with blockbuster black molten scars and mountains inexplicably cut shorter, their surfaces smooth as mirrors.
He landed and investigated the magma vein below, and the result was unexpected but made sense. When he fought Biollante before, he had to uproot everything, and the invasive roots had already disturbed the crust and absorbed some magma. Combined with his scorched-earth tactics and repeated Spiral Heat Ray blasts into the ground, magma had been drawn upward, creating new flows that could have formed volcanoes in the future.
"But now that I am here, I can help restore the environment."
Promoting plant growth was simple. He broke down some seeds, reorganized them at blockbuster scale, scattered them, and then used Ecological Corrosion to rapidly mature them. Instantly, the scorched land turned into dense forest, and the burnt solid rock was restructured back into soil.
He then pulled over some rain clouds, created a few lakes, and breathed out a couple of Heat Ray streams to form rivers. The ecosystem was mostly restored. He carefully controlled the growth so nothing strange would appear while he slept.
After half-burying himself near the surface, he pulled over a section of mountain as a blanket and fell into peaceful sleep. The surrounding ecology quickly stabilized under unreasonable power, and even the borrowed mountain blended seamlessly into the land. A long time passed.
Under the cycle of sun and moon, a bright day arrived. "That royal procession team is nearby. Good, it should be about time."
More than a hundred kilometers away from a certain blanket-like mound, Ham transformed into a black-haired girl, knocked out an accompanying noble maid, and changed into her uniform. She quietly slipped into the grand group of attendants. "Third the Lord… hehe, I am here. Soon I will be a notorious evil dragon."
The black-haired girl giggled foolishly, drawing attention before closing her mouth. Dressed in a splendid the Lord gown and receiving praise from those around her, Vera only smiled faintly. Her attention was clearly elsewhere.
"Preparations complete," came two voices. "Escape measures are ready too," came another two. "Now we just wait for you to take the bait, little the Lord, little evil dragon."
The city used for diplomatic events had only risen in the last ten years, sitting close to the border between Faris Empire and Paraten Empire. It had once been nothing more than a small town and transport stop, but the rapid military expansion of Faris Empire and several Demonkind races pushing outward had already sparked small clashes. With the sense of danger growing, Paraten Empire turned this former backwater into a frontline stronghold.
Although it was called diplomacy, the military presence was far from light, and the bearing alone showed it. Every soldier looked elite, with equipment ready to turn the table at the slightest conflict. On Paraten Empire's side stood rows of newly issued magitech equipment, steam venting from thick armor plates studded with Gold Rank bronze rivets, massive cannons mounted on the imposing Imperial Tank.
This meeting was treated with special importance because the diplomatic envoy was the Empire's famous magitech prodigy, Third Princess. The Crown Prince was stationed on the eastern border, prepared to confront the Demonkind at any time, and Regent Prince could not leave the capital. That left only the Third Princess.
"So tasty… I really should stop eating and keep blending in," Ham muttered. She had switched to yet another servant identity, but instead of doing her job she drifted between venues, sneaking food wherever she could. To be honest, her so-called precise infiltration plan was full of holes and should have failed at the very first checkpoint.
Yet strange things kept happening. Guards on her route slipped on banana peels left from poor cleaning and missed the small tail slipping past. Inspectors were replaced by random stand-ins with stomachaches, who waved through Ham just because she had black hair. Monitoring devices failed due to jams or Magic line shorts, always fixing themselves right after she passed.
In the end, she somehow wandered all the way to the area near the Royal Family members, feeling proud of her own brilliance. "See, all those dragons who looked down on Ham were idiots," she thought. "This unmatched genius proves it." She was also pleased that the little old lady hadn't shown up yet, which meant things were surely stable.
Atop the High Tower, a Magic user who had scanned guests with Mental Power glanced at the foolish girl rushing past, then calmly looked away again. With that naïve look and decent appearance, she was probably just some noble's silly daughter here to play. It was safer not to interfere, so he let her through.
Checkpoints like this were everywhere, dozens at least, each manned by experts at least at Silver level. Together they formed a seamless detection net that even a Gold Rank specialist thief would struggle to breach. Elite troops surrounded the area as well, clearly showing how seriously the Empire took this event.
By all logic, someone this clueless should never have gotten in. And yet, here she was. Ordinary Great Dragon could transform into humanoid form and retain some power, but Ham's transformation truly turned her into an ordinary girl, unable to use even a trace of Magic. Her level was effectively zero.
She slipped through not because she hid well, but because she did not hide at all. Anyone scanning her could clearly see normal bones and channels, and since she only wandered banquet halls instead of barracks or gun platforms, they simply ignored her. After all, many nobles were here just to watch, and as long as they avoided sensitive areas, no one cared.
"Welcome, guests of Faris Empire. On behalf of Paraten Empire, I raise this glass…" Elegant crystal chandeliers lit the hall, noble figures clustered around round tables, wine shimmering in their cups. At the center stood the Third Princess, smiling gracefully and parrying every verbal probe with ease.
Beside her stood a guard disguised as Gold, actually a temporarily assigned Ascendant Hall-level watcher scanning the surroundings. His mood was far from cheerful, knowing that a Demonkind spy had recently been caught in the city. Even without answers, it suggested trouble might erupt during this very meeting.
Nearby, a noble reached for a plate of macarons, only to stare in confusion at the empty tray. Ham stood there chewing, wearing an ill-fitting dress with mismatched decorations. Others mistook it for bold fashion and even praised her, not wanting to look unsophisticated.