Chapter 160: Lower Lifeforms
Iron Fortress.
Skele-Pride and Skele-Gluttony crossed paths on the thoroughfare after finishing their respective handovers. United by the same objective, they walked side-by-side toward the teleportation node.
Gluttony suddenly rumbled, "I've been meaning to ask you something."
Pride's rhythmic clicking didn't falter. "Speak. I'm listening."
Gluttony turned his massive skull toward Pride, his Soul Fire flickering with curiosity. "Why do you enjoy provoking Wrath so much?"
Pride tilted his head. "There is no profound reason." He paused, his Od fluctuating with the weight of a petty memory. "Back when I was a mere Tier 1 Skeleton Soldier, the Master ordered us to perform a combat demonstration. That hot-headed idiot kept targeting my left arm on purpose."
Gluttony looked down at Pride's left arm—the one currently composed of shimmering, translucent blue energy.
"Ah. That explains everything," Gluttony nodded, his tone dripping with understanding. "If I were in your position, I'd harbor a grudge too."
"It isn't a grudge," Pride corrected calmly. "I simply find his existence irritating. Besides... watching him lose his composure is quite entertaining."
The two skeletons continued their walk, the conversation shifting toward the mission at hand.
"The Master has deployed six Generals simultaneously. He is taking these dragons quite seriously."
"You are mistaken," Pride countered. "He does not value the dragons. He values the Code. The rules set by the Master are the foundation of this Empire. Any creature that dares to fracture those laws must be erased."
Just then—
The sky went dark.
A gargantuan shadow blotted out the light of the streetlamps, swallowing the thoroughfare. Pride and Gluttony looked up in unison.
A Red Dragon was circling above. Its massive wingspan seemed to drape the entire sky in a shroud of leathery crimson.
High above, Ignius looked down upon the city.
Prosperous. That was his first impression.
Even deep into the night, the city was a sea of light. The streets hummed with activity and vibrant life. It was the antithesis of the "Undead Empire" he had envisioned. He had expected a graveyard of stagnant ruins, populated by enslaved meat-bags and mindless, rampaging ghosts.
But the city below...
A Skeleton Mage was currently engaged in a heated, high-stakes debate with a human merchant over the price of a copper coin. A Ghoul was patiently providing directions to a lost Orcish child. A Vampire was offering an elegant, courtly bow to an Elven lady.
The living residents showed no fear. No despair. They looked as though they had existed alongside the dead for generations.
Ignius's brow furrowed.
Harmony. Too much harmony.
Undead should look like monsters. The living should look like prey. This intermingling of species made him feel a visceral, inexplicable discomfort.
After a moment, Ignius shook his head. Whatever. The survival habits of ants are of no concern to me. He was here for the hoard, not to study the sociology of lower lifeforms.
He scanned the streets. Most of the creatures below possessed zero ranking—weaknesses so profound they were practically non-entities. To strike at them directly would be a stain on his honor. Draconic pride forbade it.
However, the prosperity of the city suggested a vault overflowing with gold and gems. The temptation of the tribute made it impossible to leave empty-handed.
Ignius circled the sky, his mind a battlefield of conflicting impulses. Finally, his gaze landed on a large clearing within the city. A gargantuan structure was under construction, surrounded by scaffolding. It was clearly the skeleton of a massive landmark. More importantly, because it was past the working hour, the area was devoid of "insects."
Perfect.
Ignius formulated a plan that satisfied both his pride and his greed. He would use a single burst of Dragon's Breath to vaporize the unoccupied building. The display of world-shaking power would serve as his announcement. Once the ants witnessed his might, they would surely offer up every coin in the city just to appease his fury.
Surrender to the strong. It was the only logical outcome for an inferior race.
Satisfied with his own brilliance, Ignius unhinged his jaw. Seething, white-hot heat gathered in the back of his throat.
He would announce his arrival with the fire of the Gods.
The Breath erupted!
A pillar of crimson inferno tore through the night sky, the temperature so extreme it distorted the atmosphere into a shimmering haze of death.
Just then—
From the street below, a calm, heavy voice resonated through the air.
"[Authority: Immovable Fortress]."
BOOM—!
A massive, translucent geometric barrier manifested out of thin air, intercepting the Dragon's Breath. The flames lashed against the shield, showering the district in a rain of sparks, yet the barrier remained as unyielding as a mountain.
Ignius froze.
He peered downward through the smoke. Two Tier 6 skeletons stood in the middle of the street. He hadn't even noticed them until they moved.
On the ground, Gluttony maintained the shield, glancing toward Pride. "That is the Evernight Mall, personally planned by the Master. It cannot be allowed to burn."
"However," Gluttony added, "slaughter is not my forte."
Pride stepped forward, his Soul Fire flaring with a sudden, intense heat. "Leave it to me."
Gluttony nodded, holding the Immovable Fortress steady. He would act as the anchor, isolating the shockwaves of the coming battle to ensure the capital remained undisturbed.
Pride looked up at the Red Dragon. Ignius stared back.
Their gazes locked in the void between earth and sky. One was a draconic prodigy who had peaked at Tier 6 within a century. The other was a General of Evernight, holding the same rank.
The air between them vibrated with a sharp, murderous tension.
Pride spoke, his voice carrying a note of dark amusement. "A Red Dragon?"
"I hope you prove more entertaining than the 'Hero' I dismantled recently."
Ignius let out a snort of pure derision. A mere bone-rack. It dares to address me with such condescension? He lifted his crested head, his voice booming with the weight of a superior species.
"Skeleton?"
"By what right do you believe you are worthy of speaking to me?"
Pride offered no verbal rebuttal.
The ground beneath his boots shattered. He became a bullet of obsidian bone, launching himself toward the heavens with the force of a detonating cannon.
Ignius's pupils constricted. Fast!
He beat his wings to retreat, opening his maw to unleash a secondary blast of fire. But Pride was already there. He blurred through the air, sidestepping the inferno with mechanical grace. His right fist clenched, and he delivered a devastating strike aimed directly for Ignius's skull.
THWACK—!
The impact was thunderous. Ignius's massive frame lost all stability, hurtling downward as his internal equilibrium shattered.
The dragon was driven directly into the wasteland outside the city walls.
BOOM!
The earth groaned as Ignius slammed into the dirt, sending a plume of dust and debris hundreds of feet into the air.
In the sky above, Pride hovered motionlessly where the dragon had just been. He looked down upon the figure struggling within the smoke, the Soul Fire in his sockets as calm as a frozen lake.
"What's wrong, little lizard?"
"Have you forgotten how to fly?"
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