ushernet Side Stories: Chapter 22
Side Stories: Chapter 22
Side Stories: Chapter 22
“What in the world is happening?!” The cardinals next to the Pope exclaimed, but no one could answer that question. Lubella was also stunned, but thanks to the experiences she gained with Zich, she quickly regained her calm and assessed the situation. Bellu’s evil stench reeked everywhere, and this smell originated from the dragon that began moving which clearly showed what happened.
“It’s those damn Bellids! They turned the dragon into an undead!”
“An undead?”
Usually, an undead wasn’t a very fearsome existence for the Karuwimans since these creatures were extremely weak against the Karuwimans’ holy power. Yet, the Karuwiman people were still tense because they had never met an undead made from a dragon’s corpse. Furthermore, there were types of undead that had a strong resistance to the Karuwimans’ powers depending on the creation methods. If a dragon’s corpse was used as an ingredient for an undead, it was probably not made with any normal means.
“How in the world...no, we have to block that immediately!”
As long as it was controlled by the Bellids, the undead dragon wouldn’t act as how they wished. The Pope tried to order his people, but the rest of the Karuwimans thought another matter was even more important.
“L-Let’s move His Holiness to safety first!”
“The holy knights should guard His Holiness to safety!”
The Pope didn’t like how his cardinals were acting. “What are you all thinking?! We have to protect the people first! Why are you prioritizing my safety?!”
Yet, the cardinals didn’t back down.
“We apologize, but your Holiness’ safety is our first priority! We will take care of that creature here, so please evacuate to a safe place!” Nobody could allow the person in the highest position among the Karuwimans to stay in a dangerous place like this. The holy knights moved and they seemed determined on moving the Pope to a safe place by force if needed. The Pope let out a sigh in the end. He resisted at first thinking about the damages that would be done to the city and its citizens if the undead dragon wreaked havoc, but he wasn’t foolish enough to not know the value of his life. Before he retreated, he did what needed to be done.
“Dispatch all the forces we can and protect the people! Don’t consider things like property damage at all...!”
Then, a cardinal looking at the undead dragon shouted, “The Miftil Kingdom’s knights are moving!”
People’s eyes focused on the knights’ movements and hope rose in their eyes.
“Ohhh, if it’s those guys...!” “The Miftil Kingdom is a great military nation!”
Yet, not everyone was hopeful about the situation. People’s responses were split in two: those who had witnessed the dragon’s strength before and those who didn’t.
“You can’t rush forward from the front!” Lubella shouted, but it was too late. Whoosh!
The dragon swung its front legs. The legs looked small and weak compared to its massive body, but to the Miftil knight who jumped up high to aim for its head, it was basically like the god of death leading them to the underworld.
Bam!
The knight fell to the ground at a much higher speed than he had jumped. The hard stone floor cracked from the shock and the knight’s body also broke. Between the crumpled and contorted armor that the knight wore, crimson blood flowed out. The people staring at them hopefully looked disheartened. An elite knight of the Miftil Kingdom had died instantly like a fly being whacked onto the ground.
“...That’s why I said you can’t,” Lubella said regretfully.
However, the Miftil Kingdom’s knights didn’t give up. They courageously rushed forward at the dragon, but they couldn’t do much against the dragon’s gigantic movements.
“We need to help them!” One cardinal shouted. Everyone could see that the Miftil Kingdom’s knights were embodying the definition of heroism and sacrificing their lives for the safety of the city and its citizens. It seemed only natural to help them, yet someone argued,
“Let them be.”
“...Sir Zich?” Lubella looked at him in surprise. People suddenly realized that Zich was with them.
“Happ!”
The knights raised their swords with a strong shout. Strong mana flowed through their swords, and their faltering confidence flared up again. They charged toward the dragon once again.
Thud!
“Aghhh!” However, two knights were hit by the dragon’s simple kick. Their hard armor was easily torn by the dragon’s sharp claws. Although they didn’t die, it was no longer possible for them to continue fighting with their shattered and torn bodies. In an instant, three elite knights were immobilized. Moreover, anyone could see that dragon was not moving properly at the moment. A sense of crisis prevailed. However, the knights’ sacrifices were not in vain as some knights were able to get right under the dragon’s feet.
“Haaaat!”
“Haaaap!”
The knights swung their swords at the dragon with all their might. It was a powerful attack that could even cut through hard steel. However, their efforts were in vain.
Bang! Bang! With a loud metallic sound, the knights felt a huge rebound in their hands.
“It’s not working?” With only a slight scratch, their attacks failed to penetrate the dragon’s scales. Then the dragon’s retaliation followed immediately after.
Swoosh! The dragon made a simple kick again, but this simple movement turned into a brutal attack with only the dragon’s strength, speed, and durability.
“Ugh!”
“Ack!”
The knights saw how their comrades had ended up with just a simple kick, and they desperately twisted their bodies away. Thus, they were able to receive only a fraction of the force of the dragon’s kick by raising their swords and defending themselves.
“Ughhh!”
“Aggggh!”
Their swords broke, and the knights fell back. However, thanks to their quick defense, they were able to fare better than the previous knights—although their injuries were still fatal.
“Knights! Don’t be afraid! Attack with your life as a knight of the great Miftil Kingdom!” Wesker cried irritatingly.
“Sir! The dragon slayers!”
At Feijadiru’s words, Wesker looked at the VIP seats. The dragon slayers were beginning to move. Were they planning to attack the dragon? However, judging by their movements, it seemed like they were moving to protect the safety of the citizens first. For a moment, Wesker became conflicted. Should he hold out like this and get cooperation from the dragon slayers, or should he attack a little more forcefully while they were focused on the safety of the citizens? The first was a stable and secure plan, but the second one allowed him to gain more merits.
Wesker glanced at the undead dragon and thought, ‘It doesn’t seem like it’s back to normal yet.’
The dragon pulverized a couple of knights, but its movement was still simple. It wasn’t at the level that he had heard in stories yet.
‘Since it hasn’t been long since it’s been revived, it might not be able to use all of its strength.’ Wesker made his decision. All of this was for his glorious merit anyway.
“Everyone attack...!”
At that moment—
Whoosh! The dragon showed a completely different move than before.
Baaam! Its enormous tail swung toward Wesker.