Volume 4 Chapter 98

Volume 4 + Chapter 98: Devouring

From the moment they fell into Xia Yi’s trap and were lured into the enormous magic array, the defeat of the rebel forces seemed all but inevitable.

Leonard’s final counterattack also carried the unmistakable air of a last, desperate struggle.

All the rebels’ hopes had been placed on him, yet Xia Yi still displayed overwhelming strength—defeating Leonard head-on without resorting to any other means.

Now, victory and defeat have been decided.

“All members of the Northern Rebellion Army—cease fighting.”

Leonard raised his voice so that everyone could hear him clearly.

“The leader has surrendered?”

“Are we… going to surrender to the Dragon Clan royal family?”

“Are we going back to the northern mines, to become prisoners again? No—please, no!”

Every member of the Northern Rebellion Army was unwilling to accept this reality.

But at this point, who could possibly turn the tide?

Among the Northern Rebellion Army, no one dared to speak anymore—not even Leonard himself, let alone the Silver Dragon Princess.

“So this is your choice, Leonard.”

Xia Yi gazed at the man who represented the supreme leader of the Northern Rebellion Army.

“Silver Dragon Princess, this time our Northern Rebellion Army was indeed outmaneuvered by you. You successfully exploited Scott’s greed and base nature, leading us straight into your trap.”

Leonard acknowledged it and lowered his head.

“I am now ordering my subordinates to stop fighting and formally declare our surrender to you.”

“You’re serious about this?”

“I am.” Leonard nodded.

Hearing Leonard’s declaration, the members of the Northern Rebellion Army felt their hearts sink into despair.

They silently discarded their armor and weapons onto the ground, announcing their surrender without words.

“That’s great—we’ve won! We’ve won! The rebellion has been suppressed!!”

On the side of the remaining Northern Pacification Army forces, loud cheers erupted.

“Black Knight, thank you. Go back and rest now!”

Xia Yi quietly expressed her thanks to the Black Knight in her heart, then dispelled the summoning magic.

The red glow surrounding the Black Knight gradually dimmed, and his figure slowly faded from view.

It seemed that this battle had ended just like that.

But…

Had it really ended so simply?

Leonard had clawed his way up from nothing in the extreme north, step by step, until he sat in the position of a warlord. How could someone like him simply accept his fate so easily?

Though he had lost this time, it did not mean the Northern Rebellion Army had been completely destroyed.

This clash had not involved all of the Northern Rebellion Army’s main forces. Across the extreme north, many remnants still remained.

First and foremost, he needed to survive.

As long as he lived, the Northern Rebellion Army would not collapse and there would always be a chance to rise again.

“Your Highness the Princess! Please wait a moment!”

Chelsea hurried to Xia Yi’s side, clearly having something urgent to say.

“Chelsea, what is it?” Xia Yi asked, slightly puzzled.

“Your Highness, please be extremely cautious of Leonard. He is the supreme leader of the rebels and an exceptionally dangerous individual. Before you defeated him, throughout the extreme north, all Dragon Clan members trembled at the mere mention of his name!”

Chelsea stared fixedly at Leonard.

“To avoid any future trouble, you should execute Leonard right here and now!”

“Now that you mention it…”

Xia Yi began to think it over.

Leonard spoke in a low voice, “Silver Dragon Princess, we have already chosen to surrender. Yet you still intend to kill us of the Northern Rebellion Army—don’t you think that’s going too far?”

“Leonard, you dare talk about what’s ‘too far’? When your Northern Rebellion Army was persecuting civilians, where were you then? How did you not think that was excessive?!”

Chelsea angrily rebuked Leonard’s words.

“Your Highness, killing me brings you no benefit whatsoever. If I die, my subordinates will lose all control and do anything imaginable to avenge me,” Leonard explained. “On the contrary, if you spare my life, I can stand on the side of the Dragon Clan royal family and actively assist Your Highness in cleaning up the remaining rebel forces. After all, in the entire extreme north, no one understands the Northern Rebellion Army’s arrangements better than I do—nor is anyone more capable of mobilizing them.”

“……”

Xia Yi fell silent, closing her eyes as if weighing the pros and cons.

Leonard laughed inwardly. Once he laid out these bargaining chips, it would be difficult for the Dragon Clan royal family to refuse.

As for allegiance and cooperation?

That would only be temporary restraint. Once he found the right opportunity, he would strike back at Xia Yi without hesitation.

“Well, Your Highness? My proposal should be quite attractive, shouldn’t it?” Leonard urged Xia Yi for an answer.

Xia Yi opened her eyes, seemingly ready to respond.

But at that very moment, an abrupt change occurred.

Crack—!!

Following a crisp shattering sound, Xia Yi’s entire body jolted, and her expression changed drastically.

“How is this possible?!”

The enormous magic array she had painstakingly constructed was actually breached by an overwhelming force. Before everyone’s eyes, the array above them disintegrated.

Shock appeared on the faces of all the Dragon Clan members as countless black shadows manifested out of thin air, collapsing downward like a falling sea.

In almost the blink of an eye, the black shadows surged like an avalanche, engulfing the entire space.

……

The black shadows within this space seemed almost alive, crawling onto the bodies of every living being.

“No… no…”

“No, this can’t be…”

“These people… no…!”

Xia Yi lay unconscious on the ground, as if trapped in a nightmare. Her face twisted in pain as she muttered indistinct words under her breath.

The black shadows seemed to react to Xia Yi’s voice.

Perhaps because of her words, the shadows withdrew from some of the Dragon Clan members.

Those spared were Elly and the remaining Northern Pacification Army troops who followed Xia Yi.

But the other Dragon Clan members were not so fortunate. The remaining dragons were all ensnared by the black shadows.

The shadows began to mercilessly devour the living.

“I don’t want to die!”

“Ahhh!!”

“Help—help me!!”

The rebel dragons could feel their lives rapidly draining away. They were utterly incapable of resisting this terrifying power that transcended ordinary life.

Even Leonard could no longer remain composed. As he sensed true death descending upon him, his face contorted with extreme terror.

He recalled the dreadful legends of the extreme north—his earlier sense of unease now seemed fully realized.

This was… a mysterious colossal beast!

“I don’t want to die! Let me go—let me go!!”

Leonard struggled desperately against the black shadows, reaching out with all his strength to tear them away.

But all he managed was to rip off a fragment of shadow, which fell into his palm.

What he saw was a scene of unspeakable horror.

The shadow writhed in his hand, emitting a sound that drove reason itself to the brink of collapse.

Bzzzzzzzz—

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!”

Leonard’s sanity shattered. He screamed, instinctively trying to flee. After taking just one step, he felt his lower body turn cold and empty, and he collapsed to the ground.

Then, his remaining upper body slowly sank into the black shadows, until it vanished completely from this world—never to make a sound again.