The group watched in paralyzed horror as Patrick's remains—only blood—splattered onto the stone floor. Patrick, the wise patriarch of the Dragon Nation, a genuine powerhouse, had been extinguished without a struggle. The casual, ultimate violence was a psychological weapon that left them utterly shattered.

​"He was noisy." Lilith stated, her tone bored, as if dismissing a buzzing insect. She turned her cool, predatory gaze to the kneeling group.

​"Okay... Let's play another game."

​With a thought, Casey was seized by an invisible force, rising into the air and floating forward, hovering just beneath the residual, blood of Patrick.

​Casey was inwardly horrified—the sight, the scent, the terror of immediate death—but her face remained an absolute mask of indifference. Not a tremor, not a hint of fear escaped her controlled expression. It was a practiced, desperate survival technique mastered during her years of training.

​"Hmm... You are a special child." Lilith purred, licking one of her clawed fingers. "I can feel your fear, the frantic rhythm of your heart, but I can't see it on your expression. Interesting. Not only that..."

​The force pulled Casey towards the steps, stopping her directly in front of Lilith.

​"You have the scent of that kid... What's her nickname again; yeah! Blood Queen... I can smell her on you." Lilith's head snapped toward the kneeling captives.

"Your mother isn't here, where is she?" She returned her focus to Casey.

​"I won't tell you anything! Just kill me!" Casey snapped, choosing defiance over revealing any information.

​"I could easily kill you. But I won't," Lilith mused, leaning closer. "Now, I want to see your mother. You don't have the smell of Lester on you, but a human smell... You are getting me curious."

​Leonardo flinched at the sound of Lester's name. The Great Mother pronounced it with undisguised contempt, as if referring to a weak annoyance.

'Who really is this witch?' He thought, the pain from his severed arm and the crushing weight of Patrick's death making his head swim:

'Where are you, Sunny? Don't tell me you're also dead.' He checked his internal clock. It had been over an hour since their arranged time.

​"My mother's name isn't Blood Queen!" Casey insisted, desperately trying to divert the conversation.

​"So is it Matilda?" Lilith asked, her casual pronouncement of the true name stunning Casey and everyone else in the room.

​"Fufufu... With your expression, I am right. The Blood Queen is indeed your mother. I will keep you back and wait for her to come over." Casey floated sideways, her body frozen rigid like a statue, her hands clamped to her sides.

​"Now... Let the game start—"

​Lilith abruptly paused, raising her head and fixing her gaze on the enormous floor-to-ceiling window. A flicker of irritation crossed her face.

​"So troublesome... Keep them busy." Lilith's tone hardened.

​"Yes, Mother!" Shadow nodded instantly, gesturing sharply to Xanor. The now two commanders under Lilith, vanished from the hall in a flash.

​"Gosh, I don't want to exhaust myself on those ants," Lilith complained with genuine irritation. "I am still waiting for him."

​"I thought you hate men?" Casey asked, compelled by confusion to speak.

​"Of course, I hate men," Lilith said, looking back at Casey, a hint of genuine obsession in her eyes.

"They're too weak. But God Wolf... He is something else. I want to meet him." She licked her lips again, a gesture of dark, eager anticipation.

___

​[Outside: Ogres' Nation]

​"Something isn't right here!" Sunil muttered, a heavy frown creasing his brow as his ship breached the atmosphere.

​"Yes... We passed through the barrier without trouble," Elvis, the Dragon Commander, confirmed, his voice laced with suspicion. He peered through the warship's camera, seeing collapsed buildings below, and ground soaked in blood.

​"What about the Ogres?" a worried voice asked from the control room.

​"This is even worse than I thought," the Xenon General snapped, her face grim.

"We must attack the castle from here, destroy the command center immediately!" Her pragmatism was absolute.

​"You?!" Sunil whirled on her, his loyalty to his princess overriding military logic:

"What if our rulers are in there?! We are not going to risk their lives!"

​"Yes, Sunil is right," Elvis affirmed, standing by the command to protect the hostages. "We are not going to attack the castle."

​BOOOOM!!

​The ship violently shuddered, throwing everyone off balance as an unknown object—something impossibly fast—struck the hull.

​"What the hell?!" Elvis looked up through the viewport, his eyes widening. Shadow and Xanor hovered before the lead ships, their auras radiating terrifying power.

​The soldiers looked behind them, their faces turning pale. Tens of thousands of flying Wendigos swarmed out from the castle, rushing toward the ships like an overwhelming army of black, chitinous insects.

​"Fire!!!!" Elvis yelled, immediately overriding all caution. The sheer volume of the enemy nullified any concerns about the castle behind them.

​BOOM!!

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

​The hundreds of warships and battleships instantly unleashed a blinding torrent of fire at the charging horde.

​"Useless," Shadow hissed, her speed a ghost blur. She vanished, instantly appearing on a battleship. Before the pilot could react, her dagger plunged into the ship's engine core, and she was gone again.

​BOOOOM!!

​The ship exploded, a blinding ball of fire and shrapnel.

​"Shit! Leave her to me!" Elvis hissed, his draconic instincts surging, seeing Shadow rapidly annihilating ship after ship.

​"If this continues, we will lose! I will take care of that man, Xanor," Sunil declared, his focus fixed on neutralizing the threat of the male commander.

'Are these two fools?! Those are two peak god rank warriors.' The female general thought, staring at the two with a deep frown.

​Before the two commanders could take a step toward their targets, a catastrophic sound ripped through the battlefield.

​BOOOOM!!!!

​A terrifying, earth-shattering explosion ripped through the air, instantly shattering the castle's massive outer defense barrier like fragile glass. Every moving thing—the soldiers, the commanders, even the charging Wendigos—froze, turning their heads toward the source of the blast.

​Emerging from the wreckage of the barrier, enormous and terrifying, were the massive claws of a colossal black scale dragon.

​"...?!?"

"What the?!"

​The combined forces of the allied soldiers and the Wendigos were stunned into speechless, unified confusion.

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