Novel Full Chapter 648: Leave.
Chapter 648: Leave.
"A human from another land stands in my territory.
A human who should not be here.
Bold indeed."
The Steel Dragon commented and Astrael—
He flinched, he however, couldn’t stay silent. Not in the presence of a Steel Dragon, he needed to explain himself before his body was pierced through by steel that he would have no way to resist.
"I-I only came because my people were captured."
He explained himself, though his voice no longer had the certainty it had before.
At those words, the Steel Dragon’s gaze shifted from Astrael to Aurelia, then to the other Sky Kingdom soldiers standing together with the Velmourns.
The Soldiers, including Aurelia, shook at his gaze, but the Dragon didn’t care, he only looked, then his gaze returned to Astrael.
"They should not be here either."
He spoke without a single change in his tone.
"Take them away."
He ordered as his golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"Before I make them disappear."
"!!!"
The Sky Kingdom Soldiers widened their eyes in terror, but none of them dared to say anything, they only kept their heads low and stayed silent.
The silence stretched.
And the Steel Dragon only gave a single command.
"Now leave."
Astrael’s fists trembled.
It was very obvious that he wanted to retreat, every instinct in his body was screaming at him to leave, to not stand in front of this entity—
But—
He could not leave.
Not after coming this far.
Not after having a legitimate reason to take Kael with him.
It was a matter of his Kingdom’s survival.
So, as terrified as he was, he took a deep breath, calming his nerves, raised his head and spoke again.
"My people were captured.
I cannot just leave.
That will make my Kingdom a laughing stock in all of Nerathis."
The Steel Dragon stared at him, almost lazily as if the talk about politics bored him.
"What do you want?"
He asked.
"I want Kael and Lavinia."
And the answer came almost instantly, almost as if the Demi God was afraid that the Dragon would lose patience if he delayed for even a short second.
The Steel Dragon’s gaze moved.
It looked at Kael.
Then at Lavinia.
And in that moment, Astrael smiled as he realised something.
"They should not be here either, Lord Dragon."
He spoke again, a little fast now.
"The Girl is a Dragonborn and the Boy is a Hero who isn’t even from this World, they do not belong to this place."
The Steel Dragon ignored him, his eyes kept moving between Kael and Lavinia, Lavinia flinched at that gaze but Kael—
He looked back.
His blue eyes met the Steel Dragon’s golden eyes, then the next second—
Flap
Igni flew in the air and appeared right beside Kael, staring at the Steel Dragon with his amber eyes.
The two Dragons stared at each other and for the first time since the Steel Dragon appeared—
He moved his eyes away and—
"They are Velmourns."
He declared directly.
"What...?"
Astrael blinked, unable to believe what he was hearing.
The Steel Dragon did not care, he did not even look at him, he instead, turned towards the Velmourn Matriarch.
"Are they Velmourns?"
He asked.
Morvain froze for a moment, then, she very quickly straightened her back as she stepped forward and—
"Yes."
She answered firmly.
"They are."
The Steel Dragon turned back toward Astrael.
His golden eyes glowed faintly.
"You heard it, human."
He spoke in a low but authoritative voice.
"They are Velmourns."
Astrael clenched his teeth at those words.
"They are not Velmourns, that is not how it works..."
He spoke what he said before, just that this time, his voice was much, much less certain than before. Honestly, with how lowly he spoke, even the Sky Soldiers at the very back of the Sky Army didn’t hear him.
Though the Dragon did not have that problem, he only chuckled.
"That is how it works here."
He answered in a disdainful tone full of cold amusement.
Then, he looked at Astrael standing in front of him for a good long second, then—
"You are amusing, human."
He spoke.
"First, you march into my territory with an army and the clear intention to use force, breaking the Treaty your ancestors signed. Then, standing in my sky, with my wind touching your face, you dare demand that I hand over two Velmourns to you?"
His tone turned far far colder than before, but then—
He laughed again.
"Humans from the Mainland have indeed grown bolder."
And Astrael—
He lowered his head and clenched his fists in frustration and helplessness.
"They are not... Velmourns."
Astrael spoke in a very very low voice.
Then, he slowly raised his head, looked into the Steel Dragon’s eyes and—
"They do not have Velmourn Blo—"
"I said they are Velmourns.
So they are Velmourns.
That is how it works here."
The Steel Dragon declared.
Astrael’s body shook, then, the Steel Dragon looked at him with his eyes shining in cold, almost amused light and—
"Or... must my territory now bend to the customs of your world... because your world can destroy mine in a matter of minutes?"
The Dragon asked and the instant those words were said—
Astrael’s body shook.
After all, he recognised those words, and he recognised them well.
He was the one who spoke them.
The Dragon was repeating what he said.
That meant...
He heard the entire conversation.
He heard how he was looking down on the Velmourns, he heard how he threatened Kael and this entire land. He heard how he... threatened his territory.
And that alone, gave the Steel Dragon all the right in the world to pierce his body with Steel and no force in the world, not even the Sky Kingdom, would ever consider it wrong.
Astrael lowered his head, his breathing became uneven and for the first time in his long life—
He felt scared.
He might actually die today.
And no one, not the family he built, nor his Kingdom—
No one would be able to protect him.
And as he thought about it, his Seraphel beneath him trembled even harder than before, almost as if it could read his mind.
The Steel Dragon looked at the two and the army behind them in silence.
Then—
"I will say this one last time, human."
He spoke, giving Astrael one clear warning.
"Leave."
He commanded and this time—
"Y-Yes."
Astrael did not argue.
He left, together with the Sky Army, and Aurelia and the other captured Sky Soldiers.
And just like that—
The Heights, that was facing complete annihilation—
It survived another day.
*The Steel Dragon Picture*