Inside the massive ice tower, the corpses of dragons frozen to death were scattered everywhere. The group did not stop their steps, hurrying quickly upward. The higher they went, the clearer the furious roars of dragons became, and even the tower itself trembled slightly.
When they finally reached the top floor, they saw dragons locked in a fierce battle.
And the one fighting against the dragons was a petite dragonkin.
She didn't look very old, and her appearance bore some resemblance to Guleya. She had short ice-blue hair, a white dragon tail, but no wings. Instead, a pair of curved horns grew backward from her head.
At this moment, the dragonkin girl swung her battle axe, commanding monsters formed from solid ice to fight against the Evil Dragon Legion. She summoned blizzards that filled the sky to clash with the dragons, while the dragons opened their mouths, spewing blazing breath to contend against her frost and snow.
One after another, the ice-born monsters melted under the roars and breath of the dragons. The dragonkin girl herself was clearly struggling. She harvested dragon lives mercilessly with her long-handled battle axe, but ultimately, two fists could not beat four hands, and she was already near her limit.
"We're going in!"
Although Duanmu Huai did not know who the dragonkin girl was, the enemy of his enemy was a friend. He would not allow the dragons to break the seal and release the Flame Demon Dragon. With a command, he led his companions into the battlefield.
The sudden arrival of Duanmu Huai's group startled the dragonkin girl. Yet, when she saw them attacking the Evil Dragon Legion, a hint of doubt flickered in her eyes, but she quickly turned away and focused once more on the enemies before her.
With the reinforcements joining, the fierce-looking Evil Dragon Legion was quickly exterminated. Of course, this was partly because they had already lost many forces when entering the ice tower. Otherwise, even with Duanmu Huai's strength, the battle would have been more troublesome.
"Boom!!"
As the last dragon fell, the battle came to an end. Duanmu Huai raised his head and looked forward. The dragonkin girl stood not far away, gripping her long-handled battle axe, staring at them warily.
"Hello, dragonkin lady."
After thinking for a moment, Duanmu Huai decided to approach her and explain things clearly. But just as he stepped forward, the dragonkin girl raised her axe and pointed it at him.
"Leave here. This is not a place you should come to."
Her voice was as cold as eternal ice — indifferent, without fluctuation. But Duanmu Huai didn't mind. He stopped, raised his hand slightly, and spoke.
"Alright. But I have something important to tell you, so please listen carefully…"
Without waiting for her answer, he quickly explained the situation of the continent — how Fafnir was leading the Evil Dragon Legion to attack humans, and how they were attempting to release the sealed Flame Demon Dragon. From her attitude, Duanmu Huai could tell she did not welcome intruders into the tower. Whether she was a guardian or something else, he wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict, so he explained his purpose first.
"..."
The dragonkin girl's expression did not change after hearing him, but the axe in her hands lowered slowly. She was clearly listening.
"In short, that's why we came here. May I ask your name, and what you are doing here?"
"..."
She remained silent. But suddenly, a small figure popped out from behind her. It was no bigger than a human palm, with wings like a butterfly — clearly a fairy-like being.
"Filene, I don't think they're bad people. And they helped you defeat the intruders. You could at least talk to them."
"..."
The dragonkin girl still didn't reply, but the little fairy seemed to take her silence as agreement. She flew forward to Duanmu Huai.
"Hello, scary-looking knight sir. That child's name is Filene, and she is the guardian here…"
The fairy then explained Filene's situation. Long ago, an evil dragon had ravaged these lands, destroying villages and towns. It was too powerful to kill, so it was sealed inside the ice tower instead.
As the chieftain of her people, Filene took on the duty of maintaining the seal. She converted her own life into magical power to sustain the tower's seal, never leaving here. Apart from the fairy, she had no friends.
"I see."
After listening, Duanmu Huai frowned, pondering for a moment.
"But… this can't go on. Fairy, you heard what I said. Fafnir intends to conquer this world. He sent the Evil Dragon Legion to release the Flame Demon Dragon. We drove them back this time, but they will surely return."
Before he finished speaking, a cold voice cut him off.
"When that time comes, I will destroy them again."
Duanmu Huai turned his head. Filene had silently walked closer, staring at them. But he shook his head.
"That's meaningless, Miss Filene. You can destroy them once, twice, but how long can you endure? Just now, you were already on the verge of collapse. The fairy told me — you are burning your life to maintain the seal. If you die, won't the seal collapse anyway? Even if you kill them once or twice, eventually you'll be slain by the dragons. Then the seal will break, and your sacrifice will be wasted."
"..."
Filene bit her lip lightly, but said nothing. At this moment, Olgis looked at Duanmu Huai and asked.
"Then, master, can you solve this problem?"
"There's only one solution."
After thinking for a while, Duanmu Huai came to a conclusion. Everyone, including Filene, looked at him.
"What solution?"
"Kill the Flame Demon Dragon."
"…Eh?"
Everyone froze at his resolute tone. Lorena quickly spoke up nervously.
"B-but… didn't the fairy say the dragon was too strong to kill, so it was sealed instead?"
"That was then. Just because they couldn't kill it in the past doesn't mean we can't kill it now."
Duanmu Huai turned to the group.
"Look at us — Anne, Guleya, Lorena, plus me and Olgis. And you think we can't take down one dragon? Besides, if Fafnir wants it as his servant, then clearly it's weaker than him. Our true goal is defeating Fafnir himself. If we can't even handle one Flame Demon Dragon, then forget the dream of slaying Fafnir. We might as well pack it up and wait for death at home."
"This…"
Everyone looked at each other.
Come to think of it… didn't that make sense?
"The knight is right!"
Anne immediately raised her hand in agreement.
"Our goal is to destroy Fafnir. How can we stop at a mere demon dragon? If we can't even defeat that, then defeating Fafnir is just a joke!"
As expected of youthful recklessness, Guleya nodded as well.
"I… agree with Anne."
These two always stuck together.
"I'm willing too."
"Of course, I obey my master's command."
Lorena and Olgis also gave their stance.
As for Owen… well, as Anne's guardian knight, his strength was actually the weakest of them all. Even Lorena could beat him with one punch. In this group, he was basically just the guy who carried luggage.
Once everyone had agreed, Duanmu Huai turned back to Filene.
"So, Miss Filene, as you heard — I believe this is the best solution. If we kill the Flame Demon Dragon, the problem ends. The Evil Dragon Legion won't have a chance to replenish, and you will be freed. What do you think?"
"…Freed…"
Filene stayed silent for a moment, then seemed to make a decision. She looked at Duanmu Huai.
"Then I demand proof."
"Proof?"
"That's right. Prove to me that you can extinguish the flames of the demon dragon!"
As soon as she finished, an explosion of cold wind and ice burst from her body. In the blink of an eye, Filene vanished, replaced by a massive dragon made entirely of solid ice.
"Well… not exactly surprising."
Looking at the towering ice dragon, Duanmu Huai exhaled and gripped his Thunder Warhammer.
"None of you interfere! I'll take her alone!"
In the end, it still came down to reason through strength.
(End of Chapter)