The human army stopped in front of the high tower.

The continuous rain hindered the march. After a meeting among the generals, it was decided that the army would camp at the foot of the mountain. The civilian houses of Hero Town were requisitioned and became the temporary command post.

The black dragon had been contemplating how he should temporarily halt these containers at a certain location.

The rain gave him a reason. The time and place were right.

Nathaniel stood in the rain, still feeling the drizzle falling on him, soaking his clothes.

Strangely, the rain had always been moderate, neither too heavy nor too light, but it showed no sign of stopping.

Nathaniel liked the rain. He squinted his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the rain falling on his body.

If he could, he would love to turn back into a dragon and play joyfully in the rain.

Unfortunately, he was not like the blue dragon. He couldn’t freely change his appearance. The current body was a skin he had stripped off, a one-time use.

Nathaniel was a bit displeased.

The blue dragon had such power, and he did not. If he were to change back into a dragon right now, he would lose his human form.

He had to endure, but the black dragon hated enduring. He couldn’t even explain why he needed to endure.

Nathaniel impatiently scratched the back of his head, and the smell of blood spread through the rain.

He furrowed his brows, looking down at his hands.

His palms were stained with black and red blood. Nathaniel lowered his head and sniffed his clothes.

There was a faint smell of decay on him.

He couldn’t wait anymore. He needed to get the human mages to work. His body was about to rot.

Nathaniel exhaled a breath.

Just a little longer.

He would soon achieve his revenge.

No, not just revenge.

The demon that had burrowed deep in his heart whispered.

“Do you remember?” the little demon reinforced Nathaniel’s dark side. “We’re going to bring demons into this world, we’re going to bring demons into this world.”

“You and I, Nathaniel.”

The little demon repeated over and over again.

Since Nathaniel was a dragon, it wasn’t easy to control him completely. Luckily, when he was restoring his power, he had devoured quite a few demons. The bodies of the demons were digested by the dragon, but their consciousnesses weren’t entirely destroyed. They took root inside Nathaniel’s body, becoming little demons.

It was thanks to Nathaniel being someone who derived pleasure from slaughter. Compared to him, the little demon wasn’t strong, but it was still able to control him.

Yes. He wanted the demons to come to this world.

It would be an unparalleled hunting game.

“Karl, it’s your turn to perform.” Nathaniel whispered softly. “The high tower mage who broke through on his own. I should be in for a surprise, shouldn’t I?”

The rain still hadn't stopped.

However, Nathaniel didn't dare to stay in the rain any longer. He put on a hat to shield himself from the pus leaking from his scalp, quietly watching the figure emerging from the high tower.

"Mira." Lance walked out of the high tower, giving Mira instructions as he walked. "If they attack the high tower, do as I told you."

Mira nodded.

She trusted Lance.

Nathaniel, unwilling to discard the human Duke Bona's skin, would not strike immediately. He planned to wear down Lance using humans, something they had already anticipated.

Nathaniel didn't care about the lives of the human soldiers. Ordering them to kill innocent townspeople was meant to plant seeds for demons to grow in their hearts.

Maria had fought against humans tainted by demons in another world. She had experience in this area.

Lance had already used teleportation to quietly send them to the town. Those left in the high tower needed to buy enough time for Sam and Maria to eliminate the dark thoughts in the humans.

Mira needed to observe everything until Nathaniel couldn't resist acting, until whatever was hidden inside his body took action.

"I understand."

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"The stars will help you," Lance said, smiling in a way that was completely unlike someone preparing for a tough battle.

Nathaniel saw it all clearly.

He squinted, the cruelty in his eyes rising. The little demon quickly began to spread.

Just like how the Heart of Shadows would trigger dark thoughts in people's hearts, the tainted demon souls could also infect others with these dark thoughts.

How could he still smile at a time like this? Nathaniel only felt anger; it seemed Lance completely disregarded him.

Mira looked at the magic hub mage in front of her, and they saw her as well.

At the moment when greed and desire surged, Mira took a step back.

"Don't be afraid," Lance said. "They won't be able to step forward."

Mira nodded heavily.

Yes, they wouldn't be able to step forward.

Lance had this kind of power. What she needed to do was protect the high tower and use that magic at the right moment.

The high tower was their home.

Lance had already told Mira about this in advance.

The black dragon was a simple-minded, physically strong creature. Only when he truly revealed his dragon form would the battle officially begin.

Everything before that was preparation. No matter how much he and Karl fought, Mira didn't need to worry.

Lance would teach Karl a lesson, and he knew exactly how far to take it.

Lance walked into the rain, and the magical energy evaporated the rain around him.

His gaze shifted across the mages before him, their mediums shimmering in the rain.

Lance squinted, focusing his eyes on Karl.

"Hand her over." For Karl, the reason he had allied with the black dragon was to reclaim her.

That was the reason he had given.

The black dragon understood the inside story and didn't doubt it.

Although he didn’t know why Lance was involved with the human girl, just seeing the blue dragon suffer put him in a better mood.

Let the humans and the blue dragon tear each other apart; he just needed to wait for the right moment to seize the high tower.

It was that simple.

Lance didn't speak but simply extended his hand towards Karl. The meaning was clear.

If you have the ability, come and take it.

Karl didn't waste words.

Eleven mediums appeared behind him, and the necklace around his neck glowed brightly.

The strongest human mage was confronting the blue dragon.

Facing the high tower mage, Lance wasn't at ease. He hadn’t fought the high tower mages in human form before. Though Karl didn’t yet have his high tower, he was still a genuine high tower mage.

This battle had to be real.

Good luck, human.

Lance floated up, the magical energy swirling behind him, moving straight towards the mediums floating behind Karl, without needing an incantation.

The weakness of human mages was their mediums.

"You all, pry open the high tower's door." Duke Bona ordered the remaining mages. There was no need for extra words. As soon as they saw Mira, the greedy mages no longer had any intention of letting the high tower go. Now, the high tower contained more than just the magical dragon's treasures; it also had her.

Though the news that the dragon could transform into a human had surprised them, her existence was even more important.

Mira returned to the high tower and cast a spell, appearing in the library.

The stars were already waiting there.

The high tower was the mage's tower for high tower mages, places with unique defensive systems. Lance's high tower was naturally one of them.

Mira grasped her scales. She closed her eyes, and an almost invisible light shield immediately enveloped the high tower.

Mira stood by the water basin in the library, and the clear spring water slowly began to flow.

The spring water split into three parts, revealing three images.

The situation outside the high tower, the battle between Karl and Lance in the sky, and the situation in the town at the foot of the mountain.

Maria's sword blade emitted a faint red glow in the rain. It was the soul of a hero in action.

The army stationed near Hero Town had completely lost the vitality of the living. Under Nathaniel's influence, they were now nothing but husks. Once the demon army arrived, the consciousness of these corpses would be completely devoured, becoming the first feast for demons to enter this world.

What Maria was doing was severing their connection to Nathaniel. She knew the power of demons and had witnessed their methods of awakening ugliness.

The hero’s soul, born from the heroes' pursuit of noble virtues, had an inherent advantage in fighting against the demon's soul.

Her and Sam's goal was clear. They first targeted those with the hero’s soul who had been controlled.

There were many former heroes in Hero Town. The more hands they had, the quicker they could work.

Nathaniel would soon realize the problem.

The performance he was watching had to be brilliant, and the actions behind the performance had to be swift.

Above the clouds, the battle between the blue dragon and humans soon reached a boiling point.

Lance and Karl didn’t stop attacking each other with their spells.

Occasionally, blood mixed with rainwater would fall from the sky.

With a long, muffled howl, the dragon's body appeared, faintly visible in the clouds.

Nathaniel showed surprise.

He looked up, and the human body limited his use of the Dragon's Eye, but in the clouds, the dragon's form was still faintly visible.

The human mage's ability was surprisingly good.

However, Nathaniel also knew that Karl had reached his limit. The smell of blood in the air was growing stronger, and the human was clearly more severely wounded.

It didn’t matter. The black dragon laughed, wanting a little more, much more.

Mutual destruction was what he truly wanted to see.

A deep chant echoed in the clouds, like a pure holy hymn.

The blue dragon needed to chant a spell to cast magic.

It was a forbidden spell!

Even the black dragon was surprised.

To force Lance to use a forbidden spell, the human mage had exceeded his expectations.

The opportunity had arrived.

He had had enough of this human body.

The black dragon laughed. The human duke stepped off the war chariot.

He removed his hat, and while the human mages on the ground were hurriedly attacking the high tower's shield, no one noticed Nathaniel's strange behavior.

Mira saw this scene through the water basin.

The skin on his face had already begun to rot, and corpse spots had appeared on his forehead. His limbs had long since stiffened.

And now, Nathaniel no longer needed to endure.

The black dragon abandoned his frail human shell.

He planned to kill Lance, then seize Karl's body.

Nathaniel revealed his dragon form.

Before the human mages noticed anything unusual, he easily ended their lives.

Another dragon soared into the sky.

Mira tensed up instantly.

She sent a message to Maria through the high tower. They had to move faster. At the same time, she clenched her scales.

Nathaniel seized the moment and attacked Lance.

The black dragon excelled at close combat, his body three times the size of Lance's, and the close distance was also meant to allow the little demon to invade.

Lance's body suddenly froze.

A chill invaded, and a swaying demon tail slowly formed in Lance’s vision.

Evil thoughts were contagious, just like how negative emotions are felt in a negative environment. In a brutal environment, hostility would be released for no reason.

"Lance."

Nathaniel lowered his voice. He didn't speak aloud, but the words appeared in Lance's mind.

Gradually, the voice became sharper, more piercing.

"Evil thoughts are contagious."

"You're not pretending to be a magic dragon, are you? You'll become a true magic dragon."

Die. Die in the high tower, carrying those infamous names. The world will cheer and welcome the arrival of the new king.

Die. Aren’t you blue dragons fond of playing saviors?

Die. Just like your foolish mother.

Die.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

It was the sound of someone knocking at the door.