Down on the canyon floor, a thick blanket of smoke and ash had completely choked the air. Standing atop Fafnir's head, Jeanne could barely discern what was happening beneath the haze, though she could clearly make out the glowing sphere of fire wrapping around Talulah.
Something feels a bit strange down there, Jeanne mused, unable to fathom the exact nature of the transformation overtaking the leader. Since she couldn't exactly leap into the inferno to verify if the Draco was still breathing, she chose to place her faith in her spiritual insight, which whispered that her friend was perfectly safe. Turning her attention back to the ridges, she focused on crushing the remaining resistance.
By this time, Jeanne had already dispatched her smaller wyverns to hunt down the fleeing squads. Left by her side, the smaller reptiles served as little more than decorative companions anyway; their ancient instincts forced them to harbor an immense dread whenever they drew too close to Fafnir's sovereign majesty.
Down in the gorge, the private army of the high nobles had dissolved into absolute chaos. The mercenaries scattered like blind insects, fleeing the cascading rain of fire in a desperate bid to survive the localized Catastrophe.
Yet, escaping a blanket of fire that covered the entire canyon was an impossible task. Most could only watch in horror as their companions were overtaken by the heat, agonizing for a brief moment before hardening into charcoal.
If there was any solace to be found, it was that Fafnir's elements burned with such terrifying intensity that the victims perished almost instantly, sparing them a prolonged struggle—a final, grim mercy on their last day.
"There is an old mining tunnel over here! Get inside, quickly!"
A lucky handful of soldiers discovered a reinforced shaft cut deep into the rock wall, left behind by miners from a previous era. They tumbled into the darkness headfirst, hoping the stone canopy would shield them from the furnace outside.
"What kind of demon is that? Do those high nobles in the capital wish for our deaths? Sending us on a suicide assignment with nothing but false reports!" a disgruntled mercenary hissed, gasping for breath as he collapsed against the stone wall. The surrounding survivors lacked the energy to join his complaints, their lungs burning as they fought to draw oxygen from the smoke-choked air.
Further inside the tunnel, a soldier running his hands along the dark wall felt his fingers brush against something cold and brittle. He pulled the object closer, utilizing the faint amber glow from the tunnel mouth to examine it, only to recoil as he recognized a withered, blackened arm encrusted with Originium crystals.
"What the—!" The man tossed the severed limb into the depths of the cave, swearing violently as he frantically wiped his hands against his uniform, terrified that the contact might transmit some foul pathogen or trigger the Oripathy within his own flesh.
For a mercenary, contracting the infection was a fate far more miserable than a clean death on the field.
Furthermore, the arm likely belonged to one of the infected outcasts their employers routinely hunted, or perhaps some unfortunate captive who had succumbed to the crystal plague within these dark cells. Who knew if the vengeful spirit of the deceased was still lingering in the dark?
The tossed limb sailed through the shadows, striking a heavy mass resting at the back of the tunnel. The impact startled a colossal resident who had recently chosen this quiet, collapsed vein as a comfortable spot for a nap. Annoyed by the intrusion, the grand creature rose to inspect the disturbance.
It was an earth drake—a particularly lazy specimen that had tunneled into the mountain the previous evening, completely sealing the passage behind it.
"Curse it, what did you just stir up?"
"Stop talking and run!"
Roar—!
A column of flame erupted from the drake's maw, instantly filling the narrow confines of the shaft. Not a single mercenary managed to escape the furnace.
It was a strange twist of irony; a collection of enforcers who had spent their careers hunting down the infected had ultimately met their end at the hands of a subterranean beast, all because they stumbled over a fallen outcast's remains.
Similar scenes of chaotic retribution unfolded across every corner of the valley. A few squads attempted to break for the outer ridges, but the winged stalkers circling the peaks refused to grant them quarter, systematically diving to eliminate anyone who fled into the open.
Ultimately, an army traveling on two legs could never outrun a host commanding the open skies.
"We surrender! We yield! We are willing to pay whatever ransom our families can provide! Have mercy, just grant us passage this once... Ah!"
A soldier attempting to present his terms to a Reunion squad was instantly silenced by a crossbow bolt. The vanguard had zero intention of taking captives today.
The one-sided engagement concluded within two short hours. An army that the vanguard had struggled to contain through traditional warfare had been completely erased by Jeanne with ridiculous ease, the entire process unfolding as smoothly as a casual stroll through the market.
Witnessing the display, the common soldiers within the host finally grasped the immense chasm that separated their own capabilities from the young saint's power. They realized that for months, they had merely been participating in low-intensity skirmishes under her protective shadow.
The realization thoroughly humbled the inflated egos that had begun to spread through the ranks. The warriors understood they possessed very little worth boasting about; the vast majority of their historical triumphs belonged entirely to Jeanne, while they had simply followed in her wake to claim the spoils.
Perhaps elite units like the Shieldguards or the Yeti Squad could claim a share of that military glory, but it was certainly not something the newer recruits had earned the right to bear.
At the same time, the survivors recognized how utterly ridiculous those companions who had abandoned the city to strike out on their own truly were. To leave such protection out of a desire for individual glory was a display of intolerable foolishness.
The soldiers stood in solemn silence, their eyes filled with reverence as they looked up at the colossal entity circling the mountain peaks, their gazes searching for the faint, invisible silhouette standing atop the dragon's brow.
They felt incredibly fortunate to count the young lady as their champion, yet a deep sense of shame stirred within their hearts regarding their own current weakness. In that quiet hour, a new fire was ignited within the souls of the populace—a burning desire to emulate the figure who guarded them.
They resolved that one day, they would no longer stand on the sidelines as mere spectators to her majesty. They would train until they could step into conflicts of this magnitude, earning the right to stand as true brothers-in-arms beside the holy virgin.
They refused to remain permanent children sheltered beneath Jeanne's mantle, lest the world forever view them as dependents who could only draw a blade when her giant beasts cleared the path.
"Very well. It appears the remaining resistance has been cleared," Jeanne announced, descending to the valley floor while cradling Fafnir, who had already returned to her human form.
As she addressed the gathered commanders, she couldn't help but notice the profound, almost spiritual reverence gleaming in the soldiers' eyes. The way these tough fighters were looking at her... felt remarkably unusual.
"Leave the field to us, Big Sister Jeanne! Go and take your well-deserved rest; managing the wreckage is a minor chore best left to our hands!" one of the senior squad leaders called out.
The surrounding units murmured their agreement before turning to march across the scorched valley, sorting through the remains of the imperial battery positions.
Good grief, a significant portion of you are old enough to be my senior uncles! Jeanne thought, her lips twitching slightly. Calling me 'Big Sister' feels entirely inappropriate. I'm only a nineteen year old girl!
She had a strong suspicion that the troops had been thoroughly corrupted by the linguistic habits of the Yeti Squad, who frequently used the title when addressing her. She resolved to give those mischievous scouts a proper lecture once they returned to the barracks.
"FrostNova, do you have any insight into what is happening with Talulah?" Jeanne asked, walking over to join the Cautus caster beside the crackling sphere of fire.
The Draco leader remained entirely enveloped by the intense elements. Jeanne worried that the girl might have succumbed to asphyxiation within the dense shroud, and she was already contemplating leaping into the flames to drag her out.
Given the terrifying temperature of the aura, any common warrior lacking significant resistance would have been reduced to ash and bone within seconds.
Yet FrostNova could only shake her head, her expression mirroring Jeanne's confusion as she monitored the heat signatures, waiting for a definitive shift.
"Her inheritance has been shaken awake," Patriot stated, his heavy footsteps crunching against the scorched earth as he approached the circle. He stared intently at the shifting patterns of the fire wrapping around their leader.
"An inheritance... awakened?" FrostNova repeated, her curiosity piqued. Talulah's mastery over her fire arts was already formidable; could such power undergo a secondary evolution?
"Yes. The Draco lineage is an ancient, Elder bloodline," the veteran captain explained, his deep voice carrying a distant solemnity. "Much like the inner wisdom of my own ancestors, their blood holds many ancient wonders, and this display is the first step of its revival."
Patriot's gaze remained fixed on the flames. In truth, he didn't possess an intimate understanding of the Draco's specific biology, but the ancient memories preserved within his own Wendigo heritage offered a clear understanding of the phenomenon.
"There is no need to worry for her safety. No Draco has ever perished from the heat of their own awakening. Once she stirs, her command over the elements will have advanced by several orders of magnitude. It is a magnificent development for our host."