CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 94: CITY ABLAZE

The Drow had no choice but to raise her twin blades in a desperate defense.

But rational as she was, she knew all too well the terrible consequences of taking a direct hit from the Red Dragon’s overwhelming power.

She hastily threw out all her life-preserving spells:

Stone Skin Technique

Shield

Armor Protection

The Drow, who had practically turned herself into a power-testing target at a martial arts training ground, was immediately sent flying. With a CRACK, the five stone greatswords struck her as if she were a golf ball, hurling her away.

After smashing through half a street of charred ruins, she soared in a parabola, only to crash down with a dull thud about three hundred meters away.

A few CRACKS echoed.

Under such terrifying impact, the five stone greatswords David had been wielding—with his claws and even the tip of his tail—snapped, their fragments scattering across the ground.

David lifted the tip of his tail to his forehead, glancing towards the distant, motionless crash site. Then, amidst the terrified gazes of the remaining Drow, he tossed away the broken swords. He murmured, his voice audible to everyone, "Buy one, get three free, huh? Given your enthusiasm, I won’t bother going over to check if you’re thoroughly dead, nor will I waste time finishing you off."

"After all, with that time, I could kill a dozen more Drow."

Immediately, he surveyed his surroundings and noticed that the group of Shadow Dancers and Drow, who had arrived with such ferocity, had begun to flee desperately towards Spider Nest City, throwing all caution to the wind.

[Wrath] consumed him, and he roared at the sky, "Run? Like hell you will! Get back here and die!"

"If I don’t kill a thousand of you Drow today to vent my anger, then I’m not Sed Ponga!"

Sed Ponga!

Ponga!

Ga!

This roar, filled with rage, killing intent, and unrivaled arrogance, echoed incessantly. It resounded over Wei City—quiet as a graveyard after two calamities—and even over Spider Nest City nearby.

For a moment, even the interior of Spider Nest City, which had been clamorous due to the commotion, fell into an eerie silence.

The next moment, from the lowest-ranking Drow to Drogsin’s other twelve Matrons, all of them cursed vehemently in their hearts: "Zenasania! (Motherfuckers!)"

They had been wondering why Spider Nest City, which had recently kept a low profile, would suddenly provoke such a terrifyingly bizarre monster.

So it was a lunatic from the Sed Ponga Red Dragon clan!

If one mentioned Sed Ponga alone, some might still be puzzled.

Is that surname famous? And it’s a Red Dragon surname, too.

But any Elf who had directly or indirectly participated in the ’Dung War’ years ago would likely never forget the name of that terrible crimson figure, not even on their deathbed.

Its first four cognomens were:

Lelendra Pafila Lufidologon Sed Ponga!

Zenasania! (Motherfuckers!)

Was that bitch Flavia’s brain addled? Why else would she provoke the offspring of that Crimson Calamity? Is it because the weather in the Gloomy Region isn’t chilly enough for her?!

David had barely taken a step when a voice came from a shadowy rooftop nearby. It was a frail voice, clearly trying to boost morale, yet anyone could hear the forced calm and bluster, "Lord David Uthos, you are being so presumptuous before our Spider Nest City. Aren’t you afraid of repercussions from your mother?"

Upon hearing this, the other Matrons of Spider Nest City cursed Flavia’s entire lineage eighteen generations back.

This disaster is of your Flavia family’s making; don’t drag our entire Spider Nest City into it!

"You finally decided to show yourself!"

"So it was you, you short, dark-skinned runt, sabotaging things behind the scenes, wasn’t it?"

"And you dare try to play dirty with me?!"

David lacked even the desire to negotiate. His blazing red eyes, like searchlights, immediately fixed on that shadow. With a stomp of his hind leg, he vanished.

[Shadow Instant Step]

He suddenly appeared before the Drow Matron. She was petite, her expression a mixture of slight astonishment and a hint of anger. David loomed over the short, dark-skinned Drow, growled, and clenched his dragon claw.

"Die for me!!!"

At the same time, he roared half-mockingly in his heart towards a certain great entity in Barto Hell:

You want me to offer treasures, don’t you? I’ll sacrifice the entire Spider Nest City to you right now! Do you dare accept it?! Tiamat!!!

In that instant, David wasn’t sure if it was an illusion.

A delicate laugh, seemingly laced with faint disdain yet filled with pleasure and delight, as if traversing the barriers of countless planes, echoed by his ear:

"Then, as you wish, my child."

Of course, this might have been Tiamat’s most restrained response ever.

She practically stopped short of saying outright:

Go ahead and flaunt your power. If anything happens, Mommy dearest will bloody well cover for you!

Instantly, on David’s clenched right wrist, a draconic inscription lit up, glowing like molten lava.

In the dim Gloomy Region, it was so conspicuous, so dazzlingly brilliant.

A trace of crimson light flowed from it, instilling in all onlookers an urge to kneel in submission.

[Wrath of Tiamat]

Divine Radiance!

Madness! Their Drow Spider Temple is right there in the most conspicuous part of Spider Nest City! Is the Chromatic Dragon Queen preparing to start a divine war?

All the Drow, including Matron Flavia, were shocked. The next moment, feeling that throb of death, Matron Flavia disregarded everything else. She unleashed all the escape skills she had mastered—[Mist Shadow Instant Move], [Thunder Step], [Blink], [Long-Distance Instant Step], and [Dimensional Gate]—desperately fleeing towards the interior of Spider Nest City.

Just as she used her final [Dimensional Gate] to arrive atop a magic tower spire three kilometers from Spider Nest City, Matron Flavia turned back. She saw a terrifying scene she would never forget.

The cavern ceiling high above Wei City—a city once under her control but now strangely calm—was suddenly pierced. It was as if an extremely bright flash of light had shot straight through the overlying rock, striking David’s tightly clenched right claw.

Under the Red Dragon’s contemptuous gaze, this terrifying crimson light instantly illuminated the entire cavern ceiling above Spider Nest City.

It was as if they had returned to ancient times when they lived on the surface, bathing in sunlight.

But the next moment, that dragon-shaped sun in mid-air rapidly expanded. The Gloomy Region, with its usually muted monochrome hues, witnessed such a vibrant spectacle for the first time.

The expanding dragon-shaped sun outlined the explosion’s epicenter. The air around Wei City suddenly shimmered with a layer of scorching blue radiance.

On this path of death, everything vanished.

Then, a shockwave powerful enough to tear anything apart spread outwards. The already ancient Drow structures shattered under its force, turning to dust.

The Drow nearby had no time to react. They were lifted by the powerful shockwave, their terrified faces turned skyward. The buildings of Wei City were dismantled block by block, like Lego bricks on a carpet being yanked away. After anything valuable was plundered, the remaining debris scattered like autumn leaves.

Even though that terrible crimson inferno had not yet dissipated, all the Drow knew.

The prosperous Wei City, which Matron Flavia had meticulously built over a hundred years... was no more.

But it wasn’t yet time for the Drow to breathe a sigh of relief.

Perhaps it was because David had offered too much treasure to the Dragon Queen this time.

The dreadful wave of destruction showed no signs of dissipating. Instead, defying magical conventions, it expanded even faster, surging towards Matron Flavia’s position like a fiery tsunami.

"Why has it come to this?!"

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

Matron Flavia only had time to scream before once again employing all sorts of escape skills, fleeing desperately towards the Spider Temple in the center of Spider Nest City.

But perhaps she was already tired, as her movements were still half a beat too slow.

Her entire back was scorched black by the city-consuming light, including her once-soft backside.

It was probably medium-well by now.

All her valuable and luxurious equipment was stripped clean.