Chapter 178: Come Out
Ignius lay sprawled on his pile of gold coins, listening to the increasingly dense dragon roars outside. Within those sounds were anger, defiance, and a battle-frenzy that made Ignius deeply uncomfortable.
He wanted to stand. He wanted to charge out. He wanted to tell his kin, who were about to face the enemy, just how terrifying those foes were.
But his wings felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
"What's wrong with me..." Ignius looked down at his claws, the same dragon claws that had torn countless enemies to shreds, now trembling slightly. Not from anger. From fear.
The skeleton's image reappeared in his mind. That sense of utter suppression, the despair of being unable to resist no matter how much he struggled, seemed etched deep into his soul.
"They are invincible." Once this thought emerged, he could no longer suppress it. Ignius closed his eyes.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside his cave.
"Quick! Get inside! Squeeze in further!"
"This is Lord Ignius's lair! The safest place in the entire Dragon's Nest!"
"Don't push me! My scales are going to be ripped off!"
Ignius's eyes snapped open. What was happening? He crawled out of his gold pile and went to the cave mouth to look out. Dozens of juvenile dragons, escorted by adult dragons, were surging towards his lair. These little ones usually adored him, always crowding around him, asking questions.
A small red dragon, running too quickly, tripped over a stone and tumbled to the ground, rolling several times before stopping.
"Wuwu..." The little one scrambled up, tears welling in its eyes, but not daring to cry aloud. Ignius watched the scene, an indescribable feeling swelling within his heart.
Soon, the juvenile dragons were settled into a specially constructed sanctuary next to his lair. It was a massive natural cave, with a narrow entrance but a spacious interior, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It was Ignius himself who had initially proposed building a sanctuary here. At that time, full of youthful vigor, he had told Elder Basaka, "If even my lair is breached, then nowhere in the entire Dragon's Nest will be safe."
Thinking about it now, it was truly ironic.
"Lord Ignius!" A robust blue dragon, responsible for escorting the juvenile dragons, immediately flew over to him. "The enemy has already begun landing on the island! The Elders are organizing defenses! You..." The blue dragon's words trailed off midway. He saw the flicker of hesitation in Ignius's eyes. Such an emotion, appearing in this genius dragon.
"What's wrong with you?" The blue dragon's brow furrowed.
Ignius opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately nothing came out. The blue dragon waited a few seconds, seeing no response, and could only shake his head. "Never mind. You rest well; the Elders will handle it." With that, the blue dragon turned and flew away.
Ignius stood blankly. He could feel the disappointment in the blue dragon's eyes. "I..." He wanted to explain, to say he didn't not want to go, but... But the words caught in his throat, unable to be spoken.
Inside the sanctuary, dozens of juvenile dragons huddled together, whispering. "What's happening outside?"
"It seems... it seems like many, many skeletons are attacking!"
"Skeletons? You mean those bone-bags that crumble with a squeeze? What's there to be afraid of?"
"I don't know... but Uncle Tigor, who escorted us, looked very serious. He said the enemy is terrifying."
"What's there to fear! This is Lord Ignius's territory! Lord Ignius will protect us, right?"
"Right! Lord Ignius is the strongest genius of the Dragonkin!"
These innocent little ones had no idea how brutal the battle outside truly was. They only knew that this was Lord Ignius's territory. As long as Lord Ignius was here, there was nothing to fear.
Ignius listened to these conversations, a new emotion, one he hadn't experienced before, stirring within him. He turned, wanting to return to his pile of gold. But as he took two steps, a very childish voice called out from the sanctuary.
"Lord Ignius!"
It was the same red dragon hatchling that had fallen earlier. The little one lay at the entrance of the sanctuary, looking up at him expectantly. "Lord, you'll drive away those bad guys, right?"
Ignius's steps halted. He turned, looking at those trusting eyes. "I..." The words reached his lips, then he swallowed them back down.
Seeing him remain silent, the little hatchling, thinking he was pondering something important, immediately added, "They all say the enemy outside is terrifying, but I'm not afraid! Because Lord is here!"
"Lord is the strongest dragon in the entire Dragon's Nest!"
"Those bad guys definitely can't beat Lord!"
The other juvenile dragons chimed in. "Yeah! Lord Ignius is invincible!"
"Lord will definitely burn them all to ashes!"
"Go, Lord!"
These childish voices echoed in the cave. Ignius stood motionless. His claws clenched tighter and tighter.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed in the distance. The entire Dragon's Nest island trembled. Then came the agonizing screams of countless dragons. Battle had already begun. And by the sound of it, the Dragonkin were in a very dire situation.
The juvenile dragons were startled by the sudden noise, huddling deeper into the sanctuary. Only the red dragon hatchling remained at the entrance, looking at Ignius.
"Lord... are you going to fight the bad guys?"
Ignius looked into those eyes. In them, there was no doubt, no hesitation. Only pure trust. He took a deep breath. Then, he slowly turned, facing the direction of the battlefield outside. His wings were still heavy. His claws were still trembling.
But this time, he did not retreat into his lair.
"You all... stay inside. Don't come out." Ignius's voice was soft, but every word was crystal clear. "I'm going to take a look."
With that, he flapped his wings and flew towards the battlefield. His speed was slow. His flight posture was even a little unsteady. But he flew out nonetheless.
The red dragon hatchling watched his receding figure, its eyes sparkling. "I knew it! Lord Ignius is the strongest!" The other juvenile dragons cheered. "Lord is going to fight the bad guys!"
"We're definitely going to win!"
They just didn't know. What was truly on the mind of the red dragon flying towards the battlefield at that moment?
Ignius flew in mid-air, clearly seeing the battle situation on the distant coastline. Dozens of adult dragons were attacking the landing skeletal legion. Dragon breaths intertwined into a sea of fire, dyeing the entire beach crimson. But the skeletons, like a tide, continuously poured from the ships. Skeletons burned to ashes by dragon breath reassembled themselves within seconds. Skeletons torn to shreds by dragon claws regenerated in the blink of an eye.
This was not a battle at all. This was a slaughter. And the ones being slaughtered were the Dragonkin.
Ignius saw a robust green dragon, surrounded by dozens of Skeleton Kings, its wings severed, plummeting from the sky. He saw an ancient black dragon unleash its full power in a dragon breath, only to be cut in half by a blue slash. He saw that familiar figure, standing at the prow of a ship on the shore, calmly observing it all. The skeleton who, with just a few punches, had rendered him utterly helpless.
Ignius's body froze in mid-air. He wanted to charge down. But his body wouldn't obey.
"I... I can't beat him." This thought once again surged into his mind.
Just then, a voice called from below.
"Ignius! You finally came out!"
Ignius looked down. It was Aug. A red dragon in his prime, and Ignius's seventeenth defeated subordinate in the Dragon's Nest.
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