The Devouring Dragon-Chapter 32: The Dwarven King’s Last Stand

"W-Wait! We can come to an agreement!" Velrissa stuttered, scooting her thick ass backward through the snow as I walked toward her.

"Eh? But, I already gave you your chance to surrender," I hummed, gingerly hefting up my greatsword, "It's a bit too late for words now, right?"

"A contract! I'll make a contract!" Velrissa said hurriedly, looking up with no small amount of fear as I walked toward her, "J-Just like they did! A Master-Slave contract!"

"You said I was 'stupid and a traitor' for making one," Momo giggled, apparently enjoying the sight of her Queen in such a precarious situation.

"W-Well, I had no idea that the B-Beast King was so powerful," Velrissa tried to explain, looking up pleadingly at me, "I-I'm sorry for trying to control you, Your Highness! O-Obviously someone as lowly as myself should be serving someone as great as you!"

I watched with a mixture of amusement and surprise as Velrissa tumbled forward, pressing her face into the snow and bowing down to me.

She had given off more of a 'proud and arrogant Queen' type of vibe, so to see her bowing to be was a bit of a shock.

But, I suppose fearing for your life does that to someone.

And, in all honesty, her show of submission was working. She was only level 100 - saying 'only' and level 100 in the same breath was a bit ironic - which meant she wouldn't give me a crazy amount of stats. Moreover, I didn't need any skills from her - I'd get all the unclaimed succubi skills just for completing the quest by making her submit to me.

If she had continued to act arrogant and struggle until the end, then I wouldn't have considering trying to force her to serve under me - she was essentially just a stronger version of Momo and Kyon. Helpful, but not necessary if forcing her loyalty was more trouble than it was worth.

But, if she was offering the same contract that Momo and Kyon had, then I had no reason to decline. Her loyalty wouldn't be an issue, and I wouldn't have to worry about her trying to sneakily use [Charm] on me. Another powerful succubus under my control was nothing but useful.

And, the biggest pro that came from sparing her - Benemue.

I glanced over my shoulder at the unconscious woman, who was still slumped in a small crater. She was powerful - far more powerful than any subordinate I had by a mile. By more than a mile - by over a hundred levels.

But, making the partial leader of the Grigori serve under me was a stretch. Any skills and the high amount of stats I'd get from using [Devour] on her was probably worth more than the trouble of trying to keep the woman loyal to me.

However, if I made the Master-Slave contract with Velrissa? Benemue would still be under her control, and Velrissa would be serving me. Essentially, I'd have the Cadre-ranked Fallen Angel under my rule.

Benemue had also been weakened during her fight with me, as [Aura of Devour] and [Devouring Stab] had already claimed a lot of her stats. I'd still get a good amount from using [Devour] on her, but not enough to outweigh the benefits that came from having such a strong subordinate.

So, as I turned back to Velrissa, I opened my mouth to accept her offer.

However, before I could speak, I suddenly heard the stomping of boots come from my left. I glanced over, expecting a Succubus Princess or General to be trying to save their Queen, but instead, I saw...

Is that...

"Strike while the iron's hot, Beast King!" A muscular dwarf yelled, barreling towards us from a destroyed section of the city. He was covered in blood, letting me know that the succubi living in the Meadow of Love hadn't let him invade the city freely.

"Thrain?" I muttered, confused why the dwarf was here. He didn't answer my words, instead lunging at Velrissa with his huge mace.

"Crashing Hammer!" Thrain yelled abruptly as he swung the mace into Velrissa's head, catching the woman off guard as she raised her head to look at the commotion and causing a loud 'bong' to ring out.

Did he say 'Crashing Hammer?' He knows he's using a mace, right?

Velrissa stared forward blankly for a moment as the mace slammed into her face, and then fell backward and slumped over in the snow as a small stream of blood flowed down her face.

As I glanced down at the slumped Queen, I silently was relieved to see her well-endowed chest still rising and falling - she was knocked out cold, but not dead.

"Hah! The Queen has been defeated!" Thrain yelled victoriously, grinning over at me, "Did you like that attack, Beast King?! Sneak attacks are cowardly and dishonorable, but if you announce the name of your attack, then it's no longer a sneak attack! Genius, right?"

I looked at him blandly, "...Yeah, I had this handled but... good job? I guess?"

"It looked like it, but I had to ensure she wasn't tryin' to control ya!" Thrain nodded still grinning widely, "She can't do that if she's unconscious, right? Wait..."

Thrain's face turned deathly serious, glancing back down at Velrissa as he raised his mace, "Maybe she can... we should kill her to be safe!"

"No," I shook my head, casually reaching out and catching Thrain's mace with one hand as he tried to finish off Velrissa. His eyes went wide, staring at me with slight awe as I so easily stopped his blow.

"Leave her alive," I said simply, "She surrendered - she won't try anything."

I'll just have to make the contract with her later. It was a bit annoying, but I couldn't be mad at Thrain for doing what he thought was protecting me.

"If ya say so," Thrain merely grunted, but then turned to Momo and Kyon with his raised mace.

"They surrendered as well," I waved him off, and Momo and Kyon both held up their hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Hah! I'd expect nothin' less from ya, Beast King," Thrain grinned, turning back to me, "You took down the queen, and made these two generals submit? You've even got a fairy here! Us dwarves have some catching up to do!"

I glanced back at Thrain at his words, as I had a more important question.

"What are you doing here?" I asked bluntly, "Why aren't you with Vargan and the other generals?"

"Well, they were handling things pretty easily, so I came to assist ya," Thrain answered with a nod, "When I left, Baldrek and Skarn were finishing up with two of the generals, and the last two had shown themselves. By now, I'm sure they've finished up with them and are on their way here!"

I blinked, taking in his words.

It was good that the frontline assault was going so well, but they had only seen four generals? I had taken care of two of them, being Momo and Kyon, so that still left another two, along with the four princesses.

"We need to head back," I said bluntly, leaning down and picking up the unconscious Velrissa, then turning around to do the same to Benemue, "I'll take these two with me in case they wake up. Momo, Kyon, escort Thrain and Talia back. Sorry, but you'll slow me down if I don't go alone."

"On it," Momo nodded.

"Yes," Kyon agreed readily as well.

"Eh? What's the rush back?" Thrain grunted, looking curiously at me, "With the generals and Queen down, my King and the rest of the army must be cleaning out the remaining foot soldiers on their way here. I appreciate yur concern, Beast King, but I don't think yur help is necessary."

"Because there are not only four generals," I said bluntly, nodding at Momo and Kyon, "You said the main army had already fought all four, right? And yet those two are right here. Do you get what I'm saying? There's not four - there's eight."

Thrain's eyes widened as realization dawned on him, "Y-You're right! But, still, with their Queen defeated a couple more shouldn't be enough to cause my King any worry."

"It's not the last two I'm worried about," I shook my head, tensing my legs to start running, "There are four Princesses, who are even stronger than the Generals, unaccounted for."

Thrain's eyes widened, but I didn't stick around to hear his thoughts as I shot through the city back towards where the main army was - Velrissa and Benemue being carried bridal-style in my arms.

I had expected for at least one Princess, and possibly two, to remain behind to protect the Queen. But, no one aside from Benemue was here - meaning either Velrissa had enough confidence in Benemue to protect her against any assassins, me in this case, or the Princesses were needed for a different plan.

I hoped that Velrissa was merely placing too much faith in the Cadre Fallen Angel and that the Princesses were all guarding the Fairy Queen. But, I couldn't bank on it - and I couldn't ask Velrissa herself, since she was knocked out cold in my arms.

In the worst-case scenario, Vargan and my forces would be fighting against four generals, four princesses, and all the charmed servants that came with them.

If any of the princesses had any subordinates even close to the level of Taka or Yono, then they would be in danger. Mainly - Raya would be in danger.

I grunted, my legs strained as I forced them to move faster. I burst through the city, a vortex of wind forming around me from the pure force of my body ripping through the air.

I could only hope that Vargan could hold out until I got back.

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Vargan POV.

"Hah, is this truly the end for us, Baldrek?" I grunted, reaching up and wiping a stand of blood from my mouth. It wasn't only my face that was bleeding - my entire body ached, wracked with bruises and cuts as even my armor couldn't continue to hold up against the onslaught it had taken.

"It would seem so, Your Highness," Baldrek merely grunted, lashing out with his mace toward a large spear of light hurtling at him. It crashed into the spear, breaking it into pieces.

All around us, the carnage of the battle could be seen. Piles of corpses - dwarven, cyclops, wolf, devil, fallen angel, dragon, and monster alike - laid scattered around the bloody forest.

The once monstrous 40,000-strong army lay in pieces - I was being generous in assuming even two thousand soldiers were still breathing. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't protect those fighting so valiantly for me.

The other side had taken a huge amount of casualties as well - the once ten-strong Earth Dragons was now zero. The once thousands-strong collection of charmed monsters was now in tatters, with only the occasional stronger monster still standing as they clashed with one of the few remaining dwarven or wolf soldiers.

The number of succubi and fairies, which had numbered in the thousands as they assaulted us, was now dwindling down to only a couple hundred.

Even the generals were in pieces - literally, as not a singular Succubus General remained alive aside from the unconscious one that Skarn had captured and taken back to our palace.

Honestly, this battle should've been ours to win. While the casualties from both my and Valons' armies were in the tens of thousands, the enemy was also just hanging on by a thread.

The two powerful succubi, which the monsters referred to as 'Princess,' were living but injured. I had personally given one a beating, and Baldrek had done the same to the other. They were bloodied and exhausted, their enhancing magic weakening.

But, despite their forces being in such disarray, there were two beasts that were going to single-handedly win them this fight.

"Damn dragons," I huffed, raising my shield again as a burst of fire slammed into it.

The Flame Dragons were a whole step beyond any other foe on the battlefield - they were far harder to kill than even the Earth Dragons, and with the two Princesses focusing the entirety of their magic on them it was near-impossible to take them down.

And so, the war had turned into a two-pronged battle.

On one side, the dwindling armies of mine and Valons were in a dogfight with the dying-out army of the Succubus Queens - desperately fighting for their lives with no commanders or structure. Even my well-positioned army had devolved into the chaos.

It was a war of beasts.

On the other side, Baldrek and I fought viciously against the two Princesses and their dragons. Even with the countless hours I had poured into upgrading my armor and hammer, both were starting to crumble as the weight of hundreds of blows added up.

Despite the uphill, and frankly losing, battle that Baldrek and I were engaged in, I wasn't disappointed. I had given the fight my all and had truly shown the world what the Dwarven King was capable of.

Six Earth Dragons were slain at my hands. Dragons - beasts that sent a chill of fear through even the strongest of beings, be it devil, fallen angel, or even angel.

Beyond that, I had held my own against a Flame Dragon - a high-level dragon that was used by Maou peerage members for sparring partners. Not only that, but a Flame Dragon enhanced by powerful succubi.

The Dwarven King would die in this fight, but he would not die without honor.

He would die in a blaze of glory.

As the huge red dragon swung a clawed foot at me, I raised my shield. The impact sent me sliding backward in the blood-soaked dirt, but I didn't fall.

The beast was also looking worse for wear - his scaly body was bare in numerous places, his natural armor torn away by my hammer. One of his eyes was squeezed shut, and blood gushed from his maw and legs.

"Not yet, damn beast!" I yelled, slamming my shield forward and knocking the dragon's claws away. I lunged forward, swinging my hammer out widely.

It glowed, the density enchantment activating as it slammed into the dragon's leg with a force far greater than my exhausted body could hope to produce. Scales went flying widely as the hammer tore through them, the hammer pounding into the dragon's leg and causing a burst of blood to fly outward.

I grinned as the beast let out a roar of pain, stumbling backward as it glared down at me. It raised its other clawed leg, the gorgeous succubi floating above him letting out a hiss of pain as she forced the remains of her power into him.

His clawed foot was suddenly engulfed in a ball of flames, and his leg came careening down.

I stepped forward, swinging my hammer out to meet him.

This would be it - The Dwarven King, Flame Dragon, and Succubus Princess were all exhausted. If I could win this exchange of strength, then I'd be able to defeat the dragon and help Baldrek. I'd have a chance at living another day.

And yet, I knew I couldn't.

My hammer swung into the dragon's towering hand, stopping for a moment as we stayed equal - myself and the beast fighting for dominance. Then, a crack appeared in the hammer.

The weapon had served me faithfully for more years than I could count. But, its time had run its course.

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The cracks spiderwebbed outward, surrounding the hammer. Then, it shattered.

With nothing holding it back, the dragon's claw slammed into me - sending my fire-engulfed body hurtling backward, rolling and bouncing through the bloody grass and dirt. The initial strike broke through my chest plate, and the rest of my armor started to crack and crumble as my exhausted and beaten body finally stopped rolling.

I stared up into the dark sky blankly, blood rolling down my face and dripping onto the ground around me. I slowly turned my gaze to the right, my vision blurry as I spotted a corpse lying nearby.

If my throat wasn't filled with blood, I would've chuckled at the irony. To my side, Rurik laid - his lifeless eyes staring back at me.

I faintly heard Baldrek scream my name, but my ears were coated in too much blood for the muffled words to make sense.

I turned my head back, staring back up into the sky.

As I slowly bled out, I found myself thinking about everything I did wrong.

I rushed my forces into the forest carelessly. I led my men into a trap.

It was my own inexperience - I was a King. A King who had lived for many decades in this deathly forest, but I was inexperienced in leading an army. Aside from skirmishes, a true war of conquest had never broken out.

I silently wondered if this was doomed from the start. If my arrogance in believing that I could lead such an army had guaranteed our loss before the attack even began.

Would my ancestors be ashamed of my performance?

My mind wandered to the Beast King's Queen. Was it wrong to have Skarn take her away?

In this bloody battle, I wouldn't have been able to protect her. In the midst of the chaos, she would've surely died.

But, with Skarn here, we could've defeated the Flame Dragons. For Raya's life, me and my generals could've lived.

I silently pushed away those thoughts, even as my vision became even blurrier, and my eyes threatened to close completely.

I had made a promise. I said that I would die before I let her be harmed.

A King's words were never empty.

I had made the right choice - even if it cost me my life.

Slowly, I tilted my head to the left, taking in the rest of the battlefield. The pair of gorgeous women that lay a few feet away from me.

I blinked, forcing my eyes open and shut even with the blood coating them.

Two women? Two women with... wings?

Were they angels? Did they come to take me to the afterlife?

They were surely as beautiful as angels, but...

Were angels meant to be bloodied, missing a wing, and unconscious?

A second later, the ground under me rumbled as a massive object slammed into the ground behind the angels. As it did, my eyes widened.

The huge, towering, red head of the Flame Dragon I had been fighting landed in a crater. Its lifeless eyes stared back at me.

"Better late than never, right?" Despite the blood in my ears, his words sounded as clear as day. I forced my head to look upward, taking in the sight.

A man, clad in dark armor that was stained with countless gallons of blood. A man who had killed thousands. He hefted his sword, casually glancing back at me as he towered over the battlefield.

Despite there being no sun or moon in the sky, his armor seemed to glint with a supernatural light. His monstrous gaze settled on me, his sharp helmet seeming to grin in my blurry vision.

At that moment, my friend looked like the God of Death.

"You can rest now, Dwarven King," He said simply, walking away from me.

Slowly, a grin spread across my face. My eyes fluttered shut.

"I'll end this war."

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AN: Thank you for reading! The next Chapter will be out tomorrow!

You can also read Chapters early on Patreon.com/Koyon ! The first lemon Chapter was just posted there today!