First Demonic Dragon-Chapter 1246: Marching Orders

Gandora watches her master get dressed in relative silence.

Sitting on her hind legs, she waits patiently for him to be done while never taking her eyes away from him.

His mocha brown skin darkens into an umbral black, making his bold red hair seem even more pronounced. His ceremonial skirt and fur collar appear on his body as if by magic.

When done, he turns to his pet, seemingly surprised to find her waiting for him.

"...What? Not been fed yet?"

The creature stamps her foot and lets out a snort in response.

"What? You want to come with me?"

Obviously. The creature seems to say.

Abaddon adjusts the dark fur collar sitting across his shoulders. "You sure? No snack breaks along the way. I mean it this time."

Gandora shows no visible reaction. She knows her master will give her whatever treats she desires if she makes her eyes big enough.

"...Alright then, come on." Abaddon begins heading towards the door and Gandora follows behind, her tail swishing along happily.

As the two of them head downstairs to the front door, they find a large crowd already gathered and saying their goodbyes.

Abaddon was surprised that there was so much drama.

"You know we’re all coming back today, right?"

Imani and Yara glare at their son.

"...But it’s still nice to say goodbyes like this, so take your time."

Fearing for his hide, Abaddon walked around and hugged each of his children before stepping outside with Gandora.

Waiting for him on his front lawn was a fearsome sight to behold.

A hundred of Tehom’s greatest warriors, clad in black metal armor kneeled in a perfect formation. Their locusts sit at their side, just as disciplined as the riders.

Kanami and Monica are at the head of the group, and just like the rest of their men, they have their heads lowered.

They lowered their heads even further as Abaddon walked through the rows and came to a stop at the edge of the floating rock.

As he stared out into his new domain, he clasped his hands behind his back and exhaled deeply.

"...Have the wraiths already started moving?"

The shadow at his feet stirs, and Zheng rises from the depths of the darkness to stand just behind him.

"We have... But I think you should know, there are some... anomalies."

"The kind that’ll give me headaches or the kind that’ll be a delightful surprise?"

"..."

"...Shit."

Zheng falls silent and waits for Abaddon to stop rubbing his temples.

"...Right then. What exactly is the matter?"

Zheng moves to stand beside Abaddon and joins him in staring out into the world.

"I suppose it’s because you and mothers-in-law were here for so long before things changed, but... I suspect your aura has somehow seeped into the ground and altered the terrain when exposed to Asherah’s magics."

"...Altered it how?"

"Well... to put it simply, the world beyond the borders of the state looks a little different. There are certain... entities roaming about that complicate the war. I suspect they’re all staying away from this place because they can sense you three... or thirteen."

"Zheng, if you keep holding me in suspense, I am going to fill your lungs with coal and throw you into a river." Abaddon says impatiently. "Who is they?"

"...Have you talked to Bashenga today?"

Abaddon’s brow wrinkles. "No. I thought that it would be best not to bother him, considering.."

"Right." Zheng sighs. "Well, to put it simply... I believe they’re out."

Abaddon blinks. It takes a while for him to get the grasp on what Zheng is saying, but once he does, he is understandably concerned.

Zheng sees Abaddon’s face darken. He wishes he didn’t have to, but he continues speaking and makes the dragon’s headache even worse.

"I already have reports of a few sightings and I believe it’s a safe bet...The Greeks put many pantheons to the sword and sealed them behind the black doors. The angels even more so. If they are all roaming about as we suspect, then-"

"They will be noticeably different upon receiving their freedom." Abaddon finishes with a scowl. "All that time inside a prison realm, with nothing to subsist on but negativity and the agony of being forgotten... Very troublesome indeed."

The dragon is quiet for a moment until he hears a swishing sound come from behind him.

On his heels, Gandora’s tail is spinning like a propeller. Her teeth are bared ferociously as drool spills from her maw.

"...Blood thirsty little thing, isn’t she?" Zheng notes.

Abaddon smiles as he scratches underneath his beast’s chin. "She lives for the challenge. I guess she believes it’s been too long since she has known one."

Once again, Abaddon turns his attention out into the horizon, far beyond what the human eye can see.

"Tell my wives I’m going on ahead."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite."

As if realizing it was time to go, Gandora grows until she is well over fifteen feet tall.

Abaddon leaps atop her back in one swift motion.

"Ah, right... Tell Mira to bring the Unongendi to Earth."

Zheng raises his brow. "Are you sure?"

"If the prisoners of Tartarus are free, then they will certainly come in handy."

Abaddon glances at the black soldiers still waiting on his lawn.

"Keep up."

The ground underneath Gandora cracks as she leaps into the sky. Sonic booms fill the air as she runs across the sky with nothing to hold her up.

In an instant, she is beyond the boundaries of the city.

As she races across the sky, her excitement is so palpable that Abaddon can feel her heart beating even through her back.

"Patience, girl... I’m sure we’ll find you something to do soon enough." Abaddon chuckles.

Patience is not one of Gandora’s strong suits. She begins to run even faster than before.

The euphrates catch up to Abaddon after only a short time.

Kanami and Monica fly on either side of Abaddon and speak to him over the roar of the wind.

"So, what are we killing first??" Kanami asks.

Her brother can only shake his head at her bloodlust. "Hopefully nothing. We’re just exploring a bit and following up on what the scouts have reported. It’s a simple errand."

It would, in fact, not be a simple errand. But Abaddon was due to learn that soon enough.

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Okay, really quick, I just wanted to say sorry for the erratic upload schedule lately. Basically, I’m trying to get into this new routine and be more organized with my novels so I can maximize my eficiency and at the same time, I’m trying to boost this novel back up and get visibility for my new one, so it’s just a lot. But I hope this double upload makes up for things at least a little bit. And if it doesn’t... how about another one?