CHAPTER 40 – ALIENTECH DRAGON
LYSANDER FARADEISS
The icy sensation of sweat trickled down my back, and a shiver raced through my bones. Each strand of hair on my arms seemed to stand as if charged by electricity. A chill ran down my spine at the sight of the Alientech Dragon, its presence defying all logic and understanding.
Though I had pored over countless images and videos of this mythical beast from past timeline, the tangible reality of its form now before me was an entirely different terror. Whispered stories spoke of those who'd crossed paths with it, their tales forever silenced. Every skyranger and Erudite held a shared dread for this creature so fearsome that humanity's directive was clear and absolute: flee at the mere sight.
"Move! Now!" My voice cracked with urgency.
Confusion clouded Hiraya's eyes momentarily. Then, as if yanked from a trance, she rallied her senses and barked a swift order to the Nova Dragon. "Alris, retreat!"
"Why should we be concerned about that dragon?" Alris questioned, a hint of skepticism in its tone. "It might be imposing, but where's its rider?"
"I sense danger, Alris. We need to leave, now!" Hiraya's urgency was palpable.
Taking heed of Hiraya's urgent plea, Alris unfurled its wings and executed a sharp turn in mid-air. We plunged downward, our speed escalating to a dizzying pace. Yet, for all its ominous presence, the colossal Alientech Dragon made no move to follow.
High above, Johnny and his Harpy Dragon streaked past the Alientech Dragon. With a swift motion, Johnny nullified the Vesryn Pulse, reverting his dragon form to that of a human—revealing Maggie.
Maggie's eyes widened with relief, her voice tinged with gratitude as she exclaimed, "Supreme Leader! Your arrival is truly a blessing."
Johnny's brows furrowed, a look of puzzlement overtaking his features. "Supreme Leader?" He echoed, uncertainty lacing his voice.
As our descent accelerated, the increasing distance and gusting wind obscured the exchange between Johnny and Maggie, making their conversation a distant murmur.
"Lysander," Hiraya's voice pierced the mounting tension, filled with apprehension, "what exactly is that?"
I held my tongue, letting the weight of silence hang between us. Revealing the truth wasn't a burden I was ready to bear. That towering Alientech Dragon symbolized more than mere danger; it epitomized the darkest threats to humanity's existence. And it held a bond with Hiraya, a Dragon Lord connection I dreaded.
The thought haunted me: should they cross paths, should Hiraya align with such a malevolent force, humanity's fate could be sealed. It would be a catastrophic endgame for us all.
Ahead, Tasty Town loomed on the horizon, its silhouette clear against the backdrop, roughly twenty kilometers distant. Encircling its outskirts, the formidable infrastructure of the empire's military camps sprawled out: rows of tanks, anti-aircraft vehicles, missile platforms, and mages clad in military garb wielding both rifles and enchanted staves.
"We could seek assistance from the Imperial Forces down there," the Nova Dragon proposed, hope evident in its voice.
As we sliced through the night sky, the military encampment below sprang to action, soldiers summoning twin luminous rods, signaling for us to halt. Their reactions made it clear: the sight of a dragon knight in nocturnal flight set off alarms. Amplifying their voice through a megaphone, one of the officers addressed us with authority.
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"Unidentified Dragon Knight, you are within Imperial territory. Halt your advance. This is a checkpoint under the decree of her Imperial Majesty," the stern voice echoed through the night air.
With a gentle deceleration, the Nova Dragon gracefully touched down before the imperial officer, distinguished by his anti-magic vest and helmet. The imperial guard thrust his hand forward, voice echoing with authority, demanding, "Reveal your identity, Dragon Knight!"
But just as we prepared to answer, a chill ran down my spine, an instinctual warning surging through me. I noticed a palpable shift in the soldiers' demeanor; their gazes fixed skyward. Following their line of sight, Hiraya, Alris, and I turned our eyes upward, our expressions a mirror of astonishment.
A cascade of green shooting stars, each leaving an elongated trail, painted the night. Though reminiscent of a meteor shower, their brilliance and proximity defied the spectacle's usual calm. There were scores of them, nearly fifty, blazing a path that seemed eerily intentional.
A hint of confusion clouded the soldier's face as he turned to his companion, "Was there any mention of a meteor shower tonight?"
His comrade shook his head, certainty in his voice, "No. Tonight's forecast predicted clouds, with rain likely by dawn."
A surge of overwhelming mana pulsed through my senses, a foreboding signal that something catastrophic loomed ahead. The luminosity of the supposed meteors intensified, casting an eerie glow.
"Take cover!" The urgency in my voice pierced the night.
Drawing upon every reservoir of mana within herself, Hiraya conjured an emerald magical circle that expanded into a protective dome above us. "Wind Barrier!"
With a speed that defied comprehension, the green meteors descended, obliterating Tasty Town's infrastructure in an onslaught of destruction. Buildings crumbled, military equipment disintegrated into molten wreckage, and the once-familiar highways were now scarred with gaping craters.
The resounding booms of impact echoed relentlessly, a cacophony that threatened to overwhelm my senses. Yet, amidst the chaos, Hiraya channeled every ounce of her mana, fortifying the Wind Magic Barrier that shielded us.
When the final meteorite plummeted, the aftermath was nothing short of apocalyptic. Tasty Town's once-thriving military base and its environs lay decimated—a haunting tableau of ruin and desolation. The soldiers who'd stood firm moments ago were now mere remnants, their forms consumed by the inferno, their once-vibrant presence reduced to charred remains. The acrid blend of burnt flesh and sulfur pervaded the air, a grim testament to the devastation wrought. Not even the imperial officer, stationed a mere few meters away, had been spared, his figure transformed into an unrecognizable, charred silhouette.
"No... This can't be..." Hiraya's voice quivered, tears blurring her gaze as she struggled to comprehend the devastation unfolding before her eyes. "It's... it's unthinkable."
A profound sense of loss washed over me as I beheld the ruins of Tasty Town, now reduced to smoldering debris. Dread gripped my heart, thoughts consumed by the safety of my family and the home we once cherished.
But before we could fully process the magnitude of the catastrophe, darkness once again descended. The colossal form of the Alientech Dragon eclipsed the moonlight, its luminescent green circuits pulsating ominously—a testament to the cataclysmic magic it had unleashed. Its haunting red eyes, set against a backdrop of black sclera, bore into Hiraya with an intensity that sent chills down our spines.
Perched atop this behemoth were Johnny and Maggie, their gazes cold and dismissive as they surveyed the devastation below, treating us with the disdain reserved for insignificant pests.
"Hiraya Misteltein... You have been elusive," the telepathic voice of the Alientech Dragon resonated, each word causing the very ground beneath us to tremble.
Hiraya's breath caught in her throat, her voice barely a whisper, "You... you recognize me?"
"Not personally," the voice echoed, tinged with an enigmatic resonance, "But I am acquainted with your inevitable fate."
As if shedding its draconian guise, the immense figure of the Alientech Dragon shimmered and contorted, morphing into a more human-like form. In its place stood a man, striking in appearance with an ashen complexion and hair that melded shades of brown and white. Clad in a sleek black suit accentuated by a worn, dark cape, his chilling crimson eyes set against the abyss of black sclera bore into us with an intensity that sent shivers down our spines.
Recognition flashed across my face, a chilling realization that the architect of our world's upheaval stood before us.
"Gazelle Lockwood," I spat out, the name heavy with disdain.
"The very same Gazelle Lockwood? Leader of Neo Arcadia?" The Nova Dragon's voice quivered with a mix of disbelief and apprehension.
I held my tongue, a torrent of emotions threatening to overflow as I processed this dire revelation.
With an unsettling calmness, Gazelle Lockwood nodded, his smile betraying an unsettling mix of benevolence and malevolence. "Indeed," he began, each word dripping with conviction, "I am Gazelle Lockwood, the guiding force behind Neo Arcadia. I am destined to reshape empires, to save the world and perhaps even doom this humanity. I am… the First Dragon Lord."