45 The Ripper
– Melkway (Three-in-One!!)
When the Red Flame Dragon Race invaded the Silver Dragon Race, General Leon kicked off a wave of high-flying layoffs.
Not only did he physically “impeach” their boss Constantine, but also left very few of his formidable subordinates standing.
Now, they were desperately trying to fight back against various dragon races, but they were struggling to find any strength.
The only advantage they had was the home turf—knowing the terrain allowed them to hit and run.
The remnants of Constantine’s forces were looking for a hideout to make a comeback, but that’s not happening anytime soon.
The dragon races previously attacked by the Red Flame Dragon Race wouldn’t miss this golden opportunity, seizing the moment to take a good bite out of these weakened foes.
As for whether the Red Flame Dragon Race would retaliate in the future and steadily regain its power, well, that’s a tale for another day.
Dragons have always been madly obsessed with “revenge.”
Take for example when Leon’s bl**d Affection got Roswiser pregnant—she poured everything into reviving him, and when he woke up, she made sure to return every ounce of pain she felt times two.
Now, the dragon races that had been pillaged by Constantine felt the same way—they knew that “debt must be repaid,” but they didn’t care.
Revenge was ingrained in their dragon bl**d, and that obsession hadn’t faded after thousands of years.
Leon and Roswiser sat perched in the treetops, munching on popcorn and watching the show unfold.
Those dragons gathering for the ‘push the wall down’ gathering were working efficiently, forcing out the remnants of Constantine hiding in the shadows in no time.
Thus began a delightful game of cat and mouse.
Although the vengeful dragons weren’t crazy enough to think about gobbling up the entire Red Flame Dragon Race in one go, they could still irritate these morale-lowered, rudderless remnants pretty well.
After watching for a while, Leon scratched his head, “Why does it seem like besides Constantine, the Red Flame Dragon Race doesn’t have a fighter left, just being chased around?”
“Because the capable ones were all cut down by you, and those left are about as useful as a paperweight,” Roswiser explained.
She paused, adding, “Besides, I doubt it makes a difference to you whether they can fight or not, right?”
Leon blinked, pondering, “Yeah, I guess that makes sense…”
It’s like comparing students who scored 10 and 20 on an exam.
The one with 20 is definitely better than the one with 10 from an objective standpoint, but that’s just like the “fifty steps laughing at a hundred.” To a real scholar, they’re all failures.
To General Leon, anyone under Constantine from the Red Flame Dragon Race, whether a 10, 20, or 30, were all “failures.”
That’s why Roswiser said “it makes no difference to you.”
Rarely did the Mother Dragon compliment him, so Leon decided to ride that wave, “So now you see my prowess, huh?”
Roswiser rolled her eyes playfully, “Uh-huh, you’re great, you’re great.”
“Of course, I am.”
“Hmph… Silver Dragon Captive.” Roswiser mumbled.
“What was that?” Leon didn’t catch it.
“Nothing, just complimenting you.”
After a bit of idle chatter, the couple turned their attention back to the guerilla warfare below.
“Sherry found a suitable candidate while gathering intel before,” Roswiser stated. “He recently became the acting Dragon King of the Red Flame Dragon Race, and he’s part of Constantine’s faction. Even if he’s not the person from Morin’s memory, he must know a lot of insider info.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, not focusing on this person Roswiser mentioned, and instead asked, “So, are there different factions within the dragon race?”
Roswiser nodded, “Of course. Especially with a big and ancient race like the Red Flame Dragon Race, the internal factional struggles, while not exactly cutthroat, still get a little loud whenever there’s a chance. Like with Constantine’s downfall, his faction must have worked really hard to keep power secure and not let it slip away to other factions.”
“Even when the house is on fire, they’re still bickering in their own nest?” Leon exclaimed.
“Power is the most addictive poison in the world; no one can resist it.”
Leon thought for a moment, then asked, “So does your Silver Dragon Race have—”
“Shh~ New developments.” Roswiser’s finger went to her lips, urging Leon to look down.
The new development conveniently cut off Leon’s question.
Roswiser knew he wanted to ask if, since the Red Flame Dragon Race had faction disputes, her Silver Dragon Race had them too.
The answer was indeed yes.
But Roswiser had managed to subdue or reconcile them well.
Power struggles are quite dirty and dark, with trickery and underhanded tactics abound, and Roswiser didn’t want Leon to be exposed to that right now.
She genuinely wanted her pretend husband to understand the dark side of the world gradually, to prevent him from being backstabbed or caught off guard later on, but that’s a process—you can’t rush things.
Otherwise… it could push Leon, the bright and cheerful big guy, into depression.
Returning her thoughts to the present, Roswiser pointed at the intense flames below, “Looks like they’ve found their leader and are surrounding him.”
“Is it the guy Sherry reported?”
Roswiser nodded, “Probably.”
Leon looked down at the panicking fleeing Red Flame Dragons, a smirk creeping onto his face, “When the sky falls, let the tallest get crushed first. This Dragon King position isn’t an easy chair to sit on.”
“After all, he’s only the temporary acting Dragon King. Stepping up to manage things during such a chaotic situation is already quite commendable. If he survives this period, making a comeback isn’t impossible.”
Roswiser turned to Leon, “Now, let’s hear your brilliant plan.”
“No genius plans to speak of, but it’ll definitely work. They seem to be quite at ease with their guerilla warfare, so it looks like they need more pressure.”
“All ears, moonlight group 64936135.”
The couple melted into the shadows, ready to strike.
Meanwhile, the external dragon races pursued the remnants of the Red Flame Dragon Race.
“Chase! Catch them! Revenge time is here!”
“Hey, those leading Red Flame Dragons, I liked your rebellious style before; could you bring it back?”
“……”
On the Red Flame Dragon side, although they were forced to retreat out of anger, they had no choice.
“d*mn it, these guys swarm us like flies, not sending heavy troops to hit us, not absorbing us all in one go, just bothering us like pesky gnats.”
“Hmph, a bunch of small fries, wanting revenge yet wary of the dying embers of the Red Flame Dragon Race. Not worthy of being called dragons!”
“Bro, quit bragging, let’s cover Aug’s escape to the safe house in the back; we should be able to lose them there.”
Aug was their chosen acting Dragon King.
As Roswiser said, he was a paper pusher—there were no warriors left because they were all trimmed by General Leon.
A few subordinates had some combat ability, but if they really got into it with the tailing pests, Aug would be left vulnerable.
So during this moment of weakness, it would be best to just hide and grow stronger.
“d*mn it, they know the terrain here, it’s hard for us to keep up!”
“But we have to annoy them. If we don’t bite off a piece of meat from them now, once they regain their strength, it’ll be tough.”
“Wait! Looks like one Red Flame Dragon was taken down? Who did it? There’s a reward when we get back!”
The dynamics of this chase suddenly shifted.
The retreating Red Flame Dragons, using the advantage of the terrain, had been skillfully fending off their pursuers.
Yet, mysteriously, their numbers were dwindling one by one.
“What’s going on? Are there ambushes in the shadows?”
“Just a bunch of useless rats! Sneaky attacks don’t mean anything! If you were real dragons, why not face me head-on?”
“Bro, the more you blow, the worse it gets; just run!”
Aug, the acting Dragon King, was getting closer to the safe house with his Red Flame Dragon followers shielding him.
However, as these kin noted, the numbers were indeed decreasing slowly.
This indicated that there were swift-moving assassins among the pursuers with power far superior.
To k*ll so many people silently… which dragon race could it possibly be?
Aug contemplated—was it the Silver Dragons? After all, only Roswiser’s race had such ghostly-like speed.
But the speed of the Silver Dragons came at the cost of their frontal combat abilities, so even if they were fast, it wouldn’t be possible to take down a Red Flame Dragon and retreat without being noticed.
Who could it be…
Aug didn’t have the luxury to think longer—he had to hastily retreat towards the safe house.
Yet before he barely took a few steps, a streak of icy blue light zipped past him, killing intent grazing the back of his head, and one of the Red Flame Dragons behind him fell dead.
Aug immediately turned around and unleashed a dragon flame.
But behind him was eerily empty.
The remaining Red Flame Dragons surrounded Aug to protect him.
“Such speed… is it a Silver Dragon?” Some guessed it was the Silver Dragon race causing trouble.
“No, that attack just now was definitely lightning magic… Since when do Silver Dragons practice lightning magic?”
“Have you lost your mind? Forget how our previous King Constantine fell? Wasn’t he taken down by someone in armor using lightning magic—wait… does that mean… that guy is here?!” It turned out he was the one panicking.
The guards grew anxious, scanning their surroundings warily.
Aug stared into the night, realizing he hadn’t ever seen the armored, lightning-wielding figure his kin were talking about.
On the day King Constantine set off, he’d been left to guard the fort.
Paper pushers aren’t made for battle.
And that very decision had saved Aug’s life; otherwise, based on the survivors’ descriptions, that armored figure probably would’ve taken him out too.
But escaping the first and not the fifteenth… the one who killed King Constantine… had finally arrived.
Aug’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sharp bird cry.
But by the time he snapped back, another two of his guards had fallen.
“It’s him! It must be him!! Lightning Rush… so fast!”
“A small lightning trick like that won’t scare me?! Step out now, let me rip you apart!”
“Bro! You’re so… whatever, let it all be destroyed.”
Cold sweat trickled down Aug’s forehead.
Pressure.
This was the real pressure the survivors were talking about…
Even without seeing the armored lightning user, he felt it palpably.
That exaggerated power… no wonder King Constantine fell to him.
And he… was just a human.
“There’s movement over there! Quickly pursue!”
Hearing the lightning rush, the pursuers quickly caught up.
The remaining guards shielded Aug.
“Run, head to the safe house, as fast as you can! We’ll draw those guys away!”
Aug didn’t dare linger, turning and racing toward the safe house.
Not much later, the sounds of magic blasts came from behind.
After running some distance, the lightning user hadn’t shown up again, presumably successfully diverted by those guards.
Aug stopped, looking back—far away, the battle still raged on.
“King… what should I do…” Aug muttered.
“If you want to know how your King would answer, I wouldn’t mind sending you over to join him.”
A strange voice came from behind.
It felt as if a current had run through Aug’s spine; he froze there, every pore of him throbbing with fear.
Footsteps approached slowly.
Aug’s heart began to race.
Grinding his teeth, he mustered all his strength to turn around and released a blazing dragon flame.
But the opponent’s lightning was clearly far superior, easily shattering Aug’s dragon flame.
It dawned on Aug who the figure before him was.
“Leon Casmod…”
“Oh, I’m really famous, huh?”
The master of lightning emerged from the shadows, his right hand sparkling with blue arcs, indicating he could strike at Aug anytime.
Aug forced himself to calm down, taking a half step back.
Confirming that Leon hadn’t noticed his little movement, he suddenly spread his dragon wings, intending to escape into the sky.
This human was powerful, but he couldn’t fly.
With the dragon pursuers also drawn away, Aug could easily retreat to safety from the air.
But the good plan met reality with a slap.
Just as Aug raised his head, a silver figure plummeted from the sky.
Boom—
The ground kicked up thick dust.
As the dust settled, Roswiser stood over Aug’s arm, with a pair of extended silver dragon wings behind her.
“Alright, I see you know I can’t fly, so you’re trying to fly up.”
Leon clapped slowly in a symbolic manner as he walked toward Aug, “But my wife can fly, didn’t see that coming, huh?”
While still trying to maintain a serious demeanor, Roswiser nearly broke character at “my wife.”
She shot Leon a glare, her face flushed.
If not for their pre-discussed “brilliant plan,” she would have already mentally scolded Leon a million times.
Roswiser refocused, then kicked Aug to Leon’s feet, folding her wings and moving to stand beside him.
Aug awkwardly sat up, glancing at Leon, then back at Roswiser.
“I can’t believe as a Dragon King, you actually married a human… what a disgrace to the dragon race.”
“We—”
“What about it?” Roswiser’s voice turned cold, “I married a good husband, my daughters have a great father, and I don’t understand where you see disgrace in that.”
Hearing this, regardless of Aug’s state of mind, Leon was genuinely surprised.
Because Aug knew Leon was human, so there was no need for them to continue acting in front of him.
Leon’s earlier “my wife” was imbued with the triumph of the victor.
Thus, when Aug commented that “marrying a human is a disgrace,” Leon had intended to retort with something about “winners and losers.”
But unexpectedly, Roswiser had just gone and dished out the affectionate vibes…
This Mother Dragon also has a protective husband streak, huh?
Hiss—
Women, truly complex beings.
But throwing out love bites was of course a harmless retaliation for Aug.
With a scoff, he remarked, “I have no interest in your romantic relationship. Do as you like, whether to k*ll or torture.”
Oh, now we’re rushing to the ‘k*ll or torture’ bit?
Didn’t expect the old chap to be a loyalist at that!
Leon squatted down, looking at Aug, “Killing or torturing can wait. Before that, I have a few questions to ask you.”
“Do I look like a captive who’ll answer any questions?”
“Come on, let’s—”
Before Leon could finish, Roswiser send a kick to Aug’s chest, knocking the old coot down to the ground.
Leon was dumbfounded, staring up at Roswiser, “What are you doing?”
“He doesn’t deserve the term captive.”
“Ah?”
“Ah what? Keep interrogating.”
“Oh…”
Leon moved forward, dragging Aug to a giant tree.
The distant sounds of magic blasts still echoed in their ears.
“I know you won’t speak easily, but you are in our hands now.”
Leon’s tone was relaxed,
“You and your subordinates were running toward here, indicating that there’s probably a new base or safe location ahead. But clearly, you’re not making it there now.”
“So if we can’t get any information out of you, you’ll be handed over to those dragon races you Red Flame Dragons have invaded before.”
“While eliminating completely isn’t my style, perk your ears up, your subordinates are about to be defeated by those vengeful dragons. Once they fall, you’ll be next. Just because I won’t k*ll you doesn’t mean they won’t.”
With the competence of the dragon races, capturing Aug while they were away from home was indeed impossible.
But who would’ve thought Casmod showed up?
Capturing Aug was like catching a piglet, completely not comparable to those outside dragon races.
And if Leon handed Aug over to them, his fate wouldn’t be hard to guess.
d*ath might very well be the best escape.
“Ha… you think that by presenting these unfavorable conditions in front of me, I’ll spill what you want to know? You seriously underestimate the Red Flame Dragon Race, huh?”
After all, Aug held a key position under Constantine, his lips were sealed tight.
Leon scratched his forehead, putting on a troubled expression, “If that’s the case, I guess we’ll have to take a more forceful approach. You know about the memory-exploring magic, right?”
Aug raised an eyebrow, sneering, “You think you can use that on me? Fine, I’ll just resist the moment your magic enters my brain, two powers clashing will burn my brain in the blink of an eye, and that’ll be an escape for me.”
The old coot was determined to d*e.
“No, no, no, everyone knows the limitations of exploration magic; as you said, a clash of magic is definitely fatal for the interrogated.”
Leon responded, “But we can begin using it once you’re too weak to utilize your own magic.”
“Planning to torture me? Laughable, I’m not even afraid of d*ath, what’s there to torture me for?”
“Don’t speak too soon, old man.” Leon leaned closer to Aug, then turned to point at Roswiser, “You know her, right? The Silver Dragon Queen.”
Aug shot him a glare.
This human kid is lecturing me about Dragon King trivia here?
“Seems you’re aware—so do you know her nickname?”
“What…”
“The Midnight Ripper, Melkway!”
Roswiser: ……
Aug’s eye twitched. “Ripper?”
“Indeed. My wife has a quirk; she gets antsy if she doesn’t k*ll a dragon every month.”
“I never knew the Silver Dragon King had such a quirk…” Aug questioned.
“Of course not; you outsiders wouldn’t know. I’m her husband, living together for three years; I definitely know her little secrets.”
Leon sounded as if it was entirely real, “Funny enough, it’s been exactly a month since my wife dealt with someone.”
Upon hearing this, Aug gulped nervously, still trying to play tough, “No need to scare me; I’ve said it already—do as you wish.”
“Hey, how stubborn can you be? I’m helping you here.”
Leon said, “Now if you don’t cooperate, once my wife’s itch kicks in, she’ll start by chopping off your arms and legs, then slowly slash from your gut to your stomach.”
While speaking, he stuck his finger on Aug’s belly, measuring.
“Next, she’ll rip open your stomach—note that verb, rip—so your intestines and liver might just spill out.”
“But don’t worry, I’ll cover your eyes and give you a shot of adrenaline so you can hang on a bit longer.”
“Rest assured; I’ve helped my wife do this several times, I’m familiar with the routine.”
“I estimate you can last a minute or two. By then, you’ll definitely be too drained to use magic, and we can employ the memory-exploring magic on you.”
Leon shrugged, “So, this isn’t what you call torture; it’s merely a fun game between my wife and I, you know, we’ll have a great time with it.”
Cold sweat trickled down Aug’s nose; he shrank down, glancing nervously at the Silver Dragon Queen beside him.
She stood there, having pulled out a small kn*fe, its blade shining a cold gleam as she casually filed her nails, looking extremely relaxed.
Aug shut his eyes, letting out a long breath.
Leon thought he had persuaded him, but Aug wasn’t done.
“I won’t be frightened! Is it just about opening up my belly? What’s so big about that?!” Aug adopted a martyr’s attitude.
“Old man, you—”
“Leon, step aside, I’ll take care of it. Let’s chop off this old coot’s arm first.”
Roswiser approached with her small kn*fe, quickening her step.
Aug was so scared he curled his tail, trembling under the tree.
“Wait!”
Leon rushed to block Roswiser, “Give me another shot; we can definitely extract the information peacefully.”
“But I haven’t killed anyone in a month, Leon; I’m feeling so pent-up,” Roswiser pleaded desperately.
“Don’t rush, darling, just endure a little longer.”
“No! I can’t hold back anymore, I must take this guy’s insides out today! Anyway, he’s not going to say a word, so he’s useless.”
Without further ado, Roswiser tried to walk around Leon.
“Whoa, whom, darling, please! He’s about to talk! And besides, your drying line can still do its job; it was made from the last person’s ligaments!”
“I don’t care! He won’t talk! I—”
“I will talk!”
Finally, Aug cracked under the pressure.
These psycho couple scared him so much; any loyalty fell flat in their presence.
They didn’t care how stubborn Aug was; it seemed they were more interested in “the game” they were about to play.
What was this about ripping open stomachs, drying cords made from intestines, ligaments… just hearing that was painful!
Well, clearly they hadn’t done anything yet, and Aug was already at his limit.
The old dude might be loyal to the Red Flame Dragon Race and be prepared for torture.
But as Leon said, what awaited him was not torture but a game prepared for the Ripper, the Silver Dragon Queen.
It’s like having all the grand truths in the world, but would you lecture a madman about them?
No, you wouldn’t.
So…
No need to keep a tough front in front of two crazies; it wouldn’t earn any benefits.
