Duke Pendragon

Kwaah!

Soldrake’s horns ravaged the various parts of Biskra’s body. A Bone Dragon was basically immune to any sorts of damage from magic. Furthermore, all of the mana from its body was concentrated on the bones, improving the durability of the bones.

As such, Soldrake attacked Biskra by imbuing her horns and teeth with her spirit, and Biskra was helpless against Soldrake’s unrelenting assault. In the first place, Soldrake was bigger than Biskra by two or three times. No matter how much his bones had been strengthened, he was helpless in front of the Queen.

If Biskra had not been turned into a Bone Dragon, and if the two battled in the sea, Biskra’s territory, no one would have been able to predict the results.

However, both dragons were unable to exert their authorities in this place, and Biskra had already lost his intellect after being turned into a monster. In the end, even though the Bone Dragon was the most powerful of all magical creatures, it could not face the Queen of all Dragons.

Above all, Jean Oberon had only meant for the Bone Dragon to hold up the Queen, and it had served its purpose. As expected, Biskra soon fell to the floor after having his boned wings and chest shattered by the Queen’s horns.

Boooom!

“How could this be…”

Jean Oberon’s eyes, which were always as deep and empty as the sea, trembled noticeably. It wasn’t due to Biskra’s defeat. Rather, it was because Duke Pendragon had resurrected in front of his eyes.

“The causality… has been corrected?”

Jean Oberon muttered in disbelief.

But he had to admit it.

Duke Pendragon had possessed a power close to immortality before. In exchange for the Troll King’s death, Duke Pendragon had given up his powers. The cause and effect were corrected.

“Then… Is it not a twist in causality that a man who should have died has travelled back in time? Was it the intervention of someone who is allowed to involve themselves in the causality of the world…? Hmm!”

Jean Oberon’s displayed shock. He felt as if someone had smacked him on the head with a hammer. Soon, he lamented with a vain expression.

“In the end.. Was it I who caused a twist in the flow…?”

Jean Oberon felt his very foundations shake, the pillar which had provided justification for his actions thus far.

A mistake.

He had made an obvious mistake.

And that left him with only one choice.

[You who is without a name. Answer my question.]

Jean Oberon came to his senses at Soldrake’s words and turned his gaze. A furious energy soared above her wounded body. The Dragon Queen continued.

[My brother Biskra. When did he die?]

“…Two years ago.”

[Was the human called the monarch of the South also involved in the matter?]

“…..”

Jean Oberon remained silent.

However, the silence was nothing short of an affirmative answer, and Soldrake’s fury escalated even further.

[Disappear. Daring to sing Patima’s song in front of me and coordinating the flow of causality. I will not forget your arrogance. In the name of all dragons, I will condemn you.]

“…I look forward to it. But remember one thing. The fact that Queen has become the guardian of a human family called Pendragon in itself has shaken the foundations of the world and…”

Kyaaaaahk!

Soldrake’s spirit immediately soared into the sky and wrapped around the black sphere like a giant blade.

Puck!

Jean Oberon’s figure shattered into dozens of pieces along with the black sphere.

“Pendragon, remember that I still have the Queen of Death by my side…”

As the black shards fell to the ground, the voice of Jean Oberon echoed throughout the hall and scattered.

Craaack!

The Bone Dragon had been struggling to flap its wings. As the sphere shattered, Biskra’s bones also broke into thousands of pieces.

Passs…

The bone shards quickly turned into dust and scattered in the air. It was a vain end for the ultimate creature, the strongest undead that had placed terror into the hearts of many.

“W, we won!”

“We won!!”

“Whaaaaaaaa!!!”

The survivors of the desperate battle shouted triumphantly. More than half of the total forces had been sacrificed in the chaotic battle. The survivors all rushed towards one place with tears and snot running down their faces.

They ran towards their lord, to Duke Pendragon, who had led them to this great victory.

“Your exchleeeencccyy!”

“Keuk!”

With Killian at the front, all the knights and soldiers knelt before their monarch. They had been standing far away, but they all saw it. Their lord had sacrificed his own life to destroy the vicious Troll King.

“Everyone…”

Raven was unable to continue as he looked around at the soldiers of the Pendragon Duchy. They had suffered through countless trials as they followed him to the Great Forest and fought with their lives on the line.

Various emotions filled his head and heart.

For what reason had they followed him and fought for him?

If the duchy had been under attack, they would have lifted their blades to protect their family. However, this place was a foreign country located more than a thousand miles from the duchy.

Even if the South fell, it had nothing to do with them. Moreover, even if Raven died, there would be no direct adverse effects on the knights and soldiers of the duchy.

However, they still risked their lives and dutifully followed Killian’s command, having moved forward with bravery through their tough journey.

Finally, they fought and grasped victory.

“…..”

Raven clenched his fist as he felt something hot filling his chest. It might have been in the heat of the moment. However, the feeling was not only captivating him, but instead engulfing everyone that was here in this place. It was something he had never felt in the demonic army. It was ‘comradery’.

“Everyone… Thank you.”

Raven barely uttered the words as he felt his eyes tearing up.

“Your Excellency…”

Everyone trembled at the words of the empire’s duke, a distinguished monarch with the noblest of status. Someone slowly stood up and shouted, banging their left chest.

“Pendragon, forever! Long live the great land, the Duchy of Pendragon!”

Killian’s boisterous shout.

Soon, everyone, regardless of their status, stood and joined Killian’s shouts.

“Pendragon, forever!”

“The great land! Long live the great land, the Duchy of Pendragon!”

Those who were able to stand stomped the ground and banged their chests, and the injured shouted while sitting or lying down, hitting the blunt ends of their weapons against the ground.

The shouts of victory started to spread to the other races.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Ancona Orc warriors began to strike the ground with their steel maces. The Red Moon Valley elves had barely survived after the duchy’s reinforcements arrived. They, too, joined in by blowing on their horns.

“Uwaaahhhhhh!!!”

The hymn was finally complete as the great victors and the survivors of the desperate battle all joined in. The triumphant shouts drove away the last remaining evil energy of the labyrinth.

***

After defeating the Troll King and the Bone Dragon, Raven continued to search the labyrinth with the rest of the survivors. He recalled searching the labyrinth in the past with the coalition. They had come across a considerable amount of gold, silver, treasures, and precious objects.

Naturally, the southern nobility and knights had claimed everything they found in the pasta, but things were different now. Anything that was discovered belonged to the Pendragon Duchy.

Meanwhile, the monsters were freed from their shackles after the Troll King’s disappearance. They either hid or fled to the depths of the maze or to the outside world in fear, as far away from the Dragon’s Spirit as possible.

All the monsters that the group encountered on their exploration ran away screaming as soon as they saw Raven and the troops, so they were able to search through the labyrinth without further battles.

Several piles of jewels and gold were discovered, and several swords and armor emitting unusual auras were also discovered. Such worldly treasures were not very meaningful to the Ancona Orcs or the Red Moon Valley elves, so the discovered items naturally fell to the Pendragon Duchy.

Raven fairly distributed everything that had been gained from the labyrinth to the knights and soldiers who participated in the expedition, regardless of whether they were dead or alive.

Everyone was touched by the generosity of their lord and gladly received his grace. However, Raven had not expected the following event.

All of the survivors decided to put forth half of their share to compensate the families of those who fell bravely while fighting.

Raven was once again deeply moved by their actions. The warriors of the Pendragon Duchy were true comrades.

The Ancona Orc warriors did not want anything. In fact, they were more than satisfied that Raven had kept his promise, allowing them to fight to their heart’s content against strong enemies, spreading the name of the Ancona Orcs all over the world.

Naturally, quite a few of the warriors had crossed over the river to the side of the Earth God, but the warriors did not grieve. It was the fate of an orc warrior to die while fighting in battle.

It was an honor that they were able to die while fighting against enemies who were stronger than orcs.

Above all…

“Hey, Pendragon scarecrow. You’re not going to tell me this is the end, right?”

Karuta’s words conveyed the sincerity of all the Ancona Orc warriors. All of them were still craving battles and blood.

Meanwhile, the Red Moon Valley elves wanted nothing, just like the Ancona Orcs. They had already achieved their purpose in fighting alongside Raven.

They were satisfied that they had crushed the monster armies and the king of the mountain giants that threatened their home. They were grateful to Raven and the troops of the Pendragon Duchy. They were also able to realize that not all humans nor orcs outside the Great Forest were their enemies.

Rather, after fighting together, the elves took the Ancona Orcs and the Pendragon Duchy as their life-long brothers. The orcs and humans had made a greater sacrifice than themselves in the last battle.

Eltuan stepped up to express his eagerness to help the wounded back, and the rest of the elves quickly agreed with their leader. In the wider world, elves were known to be rigidly hostile towards humans and elves. However, there was a rare scene where elves carried injured orcs on stretchers and carried them with all of their heart.

***

“The earth be split…”

“…..”

“I am so embarrassed that I won’t be able to raise my head in front of the Earth God…”

“…..”

A blood vessel popped in Eltuan’s neck in response to the constant mourning and sighs. Karuta shouted.

“Hey, you orc bastards! If you know to be embarrassed, then get up and walk on your own feet even if your legs are broken.”

“Do you think everyone is like you? All brawn, no brain!?”

Eltuan finally shouted loudly, unable to stand it any longer. Karuta turned his head with a frown. His entire body was covered with herbal medicine and bandages.

“Huh? Aren’t you…”

“That’s right! I was the one who said I wanted to have a fight with you.”

“Heul? So you managed to stay alive. Not too shabby for a scrawny elf girl, keheul!”

Karuta grinned and spoke as if he was proud of her.

However, Eltuan wasn’t able to recognize it as a compliment. She took on a fierce expression.

“I acknowledge your strength and skill, orc warrior. But shouldn’t you be worrying about your own people? They suffered injuries while battling bravely.”

Eltuan shouted as she pointed towards the injured. Three or four elves stuck to one orc, helping them walk or carrying them on stretchers. At her words, the wounded Ancona Orcs nodded their heads. They had suffered broken limbs or had severely damaged organs.

“Well spoken, elf scarecrow.”

“Yeah. Maybe Karuta could walk on broken feet. He may be able to do that. His body is basically like a monster.”

“Who knows? Maybe he ate the heart of a troll bastard without telling us. He is always taking care of his own body.”

“What did you say? You little orc bastards, you…”

Karuta’s nostrils widened expelled steam. The orc warriors quickly feigned ignorance, turning their gazes away from him at the same time. At the ridiculous sight, Karuta started shouting once again.

“Hey, you damned orcs! Why don’t you go eat shit on the ground instead!? What’s so good about being carried by elf scarecr… Keugh!”

Karuta continued to talk excitedly before screaming in pain.

Eltuan had snuck up to his side and poked his waist with an arrow made of a buffalo’s horn.

“Y, you crazy elf girl…!”

“It hurts, right?”

“W, what?”

“You screamed because it hurts.”

“No, when did Karuta… Keugh! S, stop it! Stop it, you crazy elf!”

When Eltuan lifted her arrow once more, Karuta screamed and backed away.

“Remember who treated your wounds, strongest warrior of the Ancona Orcs. Get well soon. Then you can finally keep your promise with me.”

“What, this… Oh, I got it! Stop it! Stop it!”

Karuta hurriedly moved along.

Who would have imagined Karuta would act like that? He was more impatient and hot-tempered than anyone else. The scene looked quite unbelievable at first glance, but the other orc warriors knew what was wrong with him.

Karuta considered himself a true man. Even if he was on the verge of death, he would never fight with a woman.