[Eastern Zahryssar — Battlefield of Sah’qir — Continuation]

The desert had become unrecognizable; the sands no longer resembled eastern Zahryssar. They looked cursed and alive, breathing beneath corruption.

Imperial knights slowly stepped backward instinctively as the newly emerged creatures towered before them.

The gigantic Ant Queen hissed violently. Its massive black body glistened beneath corruption while thousands upon thousands of smaller ants flooded endlessly from beneath the cracked earth.

Meanwhile, beside it, the enormous scorpion raised its venomous tail high enough to eclipse the sunlight itself.

Its crimson eyes glowed hungrily toward the battlefield. Silence consumed the imperial forces, not from weakness but from disbelief.

Varesh slowly whispered, "...those creatures should not exist here."

And he was right because everyone knew it. Ant queens existed only within the underground volcanic caverns far beyond the southern continents. Scorpions lived in poisonous wastelands where even serpents refused settlement.

Neither creature could survive eastern Zahryssar’s ecosystem naturally. Yet now they stood directly before the empire, alive, corrupted, and controlled.

Arkhazunn’s emerald eyes darkened slowly afterward. Then quietly, almost horrified, he whispered, "...why does it feel like someone is controlling them?"

The battlefield seemed to freeze around those words because that was the only conclusion remaining.

Levin slowly looked around the desert afterward, searching the cliffs, the skies, and the sands, but he saw nothing.

No mage, no summoner, no hidden army, only chaos. Then softly he whispered against the winds: "Lyresaph..."

Lyresaph growled low beneath him. "Can you see anyone?"

The massive silver dragon scanned the battlefield immediately. His glowing blue gaze moved across broken cliffs, corrupted sands, burning carcasses, and endless swarming creatures.

Then he growled softly.

No.

And then suddenly the Ant Queen screamed.

SKRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Immediately, the desert exploded.

CRAAAAASSSSHHHHH!!!

Thousands of corrupted ants burst upward from beneath the sands simultaneously, like the ground itself had become alive. Imperial knights instantly raised shields, too late.

"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!" Varesh roared immediately.

The Red Knights slammed together around the villagers while imperial mages rapidly ignited flame barriers across the battlefield.

FWOOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!!

Blue serpent fire erupted violently across the sands; hundreds of corrupted ants burned instantly. Yet still more continued emerging endlessly.

Meanwhile, the gigantic Scorpio moved fast. Far too fast for something that enormous.

BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

Its gigantic claws slammed directly into the imperial lines. Entire sections of desert exploded upward violently. Several knights were thrown across the battlefield instantly.

"AGHHHH!"

One imperial mage screamed as the Scorpioa’s venomous tail pierced directly through his magical barrier like fragile glass.

The battlefield descended into chaos again. Far above, Levin tightened his grip against Lyresaph’s scales; his blue gaze moved rapidly across the battlefield, searching, thinking, and calculating.

Then suddenly his eyes widened.

"The villagers!"

Below, the endless ant swarm had begun surrounding the cave entrance completely, cutting off the evacuation route.

Arkhazunn noticed immediately too. "Raevhan!"

Raevhan turned instantly despite blood still running heavily down his wounded shoulder. "The villagers cannot leave the cave now!"

Raevhan’s eyes sharpened dangerously afterward. Then without hesitation he tightened his grip around the sword.

"Then we reopen the path."

And immediately every serpent charged again. Steel clashed violently against monstrous bodies. Magic exploded across the skies. The sands burned beneath serpent fire while corrupted ants swarmed endlessly across shields and armor.

Meanwhile, Lyresaph descended lower across the battlefield.

ROOOOOOOAAARRRRR!!!

The silver dragon’s enormous tail crashed directly through dozens of corrupted creatures instantly. Several ants exploded beneath the impact while his glowing claws tore directly through Scorpioan’s spawn emerging from the sands.

And then Levin joined the battle too. Malika leaped down from Lyresaph’s back gracefully; his pale robes moved violently beneath the battlefield winds while silver steel flashed within his hands.

SHLAAAASSSHHH!!!

One corrupted ant split apart instantly beneath his blade; another lunged toward him immediately—CRAAACKKK!!!

Levin twisted sharply before driving the sword through its skull, blood stained the sands beneath his feet. Yet his blue gaze remained calm and focused.

A Scorpioan spawn suddenly leaped toward him from the side.

"Malika!"

One knight shouted desperately, but before the creature could reach him, Levin spun sharply.

FWOOOSSSHHHH!!!

His sword sliced directly through the monster midair. The creature collapsed instantly. Meanwhile, far above the battlefield, Zeramet’s gigantic silver serpent form crushed another corrupted beast beneath overwhelming force.

Yet despite all the chaos—despite all the fighting—something suddenly caught Levin’s attention.

Movement from far away at the distant cliffs. Levin froze briefly, his blue gaze narrowing sharply toward the hill beyond Sah’qir.

"...who’s there?"

At first he thought it was merely drifting shadows. Then he saw it clearly, a hooded figure, standing completely still atop the distant cliffs, watching the battlefield and watching them.

The winds moved through the figure’s dark robes slowly, and somehow even from that impossible distance, Levin felt it: those eyes were watching him directly. Then suddenly the hooded figure smiled, and immediately afterward, the entire battlefield trembled violently again.

BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

The sands split open deeper this time, far deeper. As though something beneath Sah’qir was finally beginning to rise, and somewhere behind Levin, Zeramet suddenly froze mid-battle because for one horrifying second, he sensed a presence he thought had died long ago.

The emperor’s gigantic silver serpent form slowly turned across the battlefield, searching, and there far beyond the fighting, he saw Levin staring toward the distant cliffs.

Completely focused and completely still. Zeramet’s instincts screamed instantly, and then suddenly Levin moved.

Lyresaph planted his massive silver foot before rising sharply into the desert sand, straight toward the distant cliffs and straight toward the hooded figure.

"Consort—!" Zeramet’s roar thundered across the battlefield instantly; the emperor tried to move toward him immediately.

But before he could—SKRRRRRRREEEEEEEE!!!

The gigantic Ant Queen attacked. Its massive body slammed directly toward the silver serpent emperor.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

The impact shattered entire sections of cliffs apart. Zeramet was forced backward instantly while endless corrupted ants swarmed violently around his massive silver body.

The emperor roared furiously, trying to break free and trying to reach Levin. Meanwhile far above the battlefield, Levin’s blue gaze remained locked upon the distant hooded figure, still standing there, still watching and waiting.

The desert winds howled violently around Lyresaph as they crossed above Sah’qir’s broken cliffs. Then suddenly Lyresaph growled low, uneasy.

"...you feel it too?" Levin whispered softly.

The dragon’s blue eyes narrowed sharply toward the distant hill, toward the hooded man and its danger.

Ancient danger.

Levin’s fingers tightened around the sword hilt slowly because even from this distance the figure’s presence felt wrong, not powerful and not loud but familiar.

And somehow that was worse. For one brief moment, Levin glanced backward, toward the battlefield and toward Zeramet.

The silver serpent emperor remained trapped fighting the Ant Queen beneath collapsing sands and endless corrupted swarms. Trying desperately to push forward, trying desperately to reach him.

Levin hesitated just slightly.

Should he tell Zeramet first? Should he wait?

But then the hooded figure slowly turned away, as though preparing to disappear. Levin’s eyes narrowed immediately.

No...If that person vanished now, they might lose the only clue behind Sah’qir forever.

Then slowly Levin clenched his sword tighter, determination settling quietly into his gaze.

"...let’s go, Lyresaph." The silver dragon growled deeply.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!!!!!

Lyresaph surged violently through the ground toward the distant cliffs, toward the hooded figure waiting beyond the battlefield.

Meanwhile, far below, Zeramet finally tore through the ant queen’s swarm violently. Flames erupted across the battlefield while corrupted ants burned beneath imperial fury.

Then immediately the emperor looked toward the other side again and froze because Levin was gone. Only the distant silhouette of Lyresaph remained visible now.

Dashing farther.

Further toward the cliffs, toward that presence, toward him, and for the first time in many years—true fear crossed Zeramet’s eyes openly.

Because suddenly the emperor understood something horrifying. The enemy beneath Sah’qir was never trying to kill the empire first.

It was trying to separate him from Levin, and somewhere atop the distant cliffs, the hooded figure smiled beneath the desert winds. As though everything unfolding across Sah’qir had already been planned long before the empire arrived.

Meanwhile, Levin finally reached the outer cliffs riding atop Lyresaph. The silver dragon moved rapidly across the broken rocks across the cliffs themselves like a living storm.

His massive claws shattered stone beneath every step while silver dust scattered violently around them. Behind them, hidden carefully beneath drifting shadows—Sarash followed silently in his pale serpent form, never too close and never too far but always guarding.

Just as the Malik ordered.

Then suddenly—SKRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Another swarm of corrupted ants erupted directly before them.

CRAAAAASSSSHHHH!!!

The cliffs exploded apart beneath black insect bodies—hundreds, no, thousands. Lyresaph immediately stopped, his blue eyes narrowed sharply while a low, dangerous growl echoed from deep within his throat.

The ants were waiting, blocking the path intentionally. Levin’s expression darkened instantly. "...they are being summoned."

The desert winds howled softly around him while his blue gaze slowly lifted toward the distant hooded figure still standing atop the cliffs.

Still unmoving and still watching.

"And this..." Levin tightened his grip around the sword. "...is not the work of an ordinary serpent."

Far away, the hooded figure tilted his head slightly, almost amused. Levin narrowed his eyes immediately.

"Whoever that serpent is..." A dangerous calm entered his voice now. "...we need to catch him, Lyresaph."

The silver dragon growled deeply in agreement, and then Levin stepped down from Lyresaph’s back slowly. His robes moved beneath the desert winds while silver steel gleamed sharply within his hand.

The corrupted ants immediately hissed louder, preparing to attack, but Levin did not move backward, not even slightly.

Instead, he slowly lowered the sword diagonally before him like a royal executioner preparing judgment.

"...let’s drag that creature out." His voice softened dangerously. "And end this game here."

Lyresaph’s claws dug deeper into the cliffs, ready, waiting, and protective.

And just as Levin prepared to raise his sword, Sarash froze behind the rocks because he could no longer bear watching the Malika fight alone. His pale serpent eyes immediately looked backward once.

Searching desperately for Zeramet. For the Malik, there were reinforcements, but there was nothing, only distant battle sounds echoing from Sah’qir below.

Sarash hesitated just briefly.

Fight? Or continue hiding?

Then suddenly, without turning around, Levin spoke calmly, "You may join me too...pale serpent."

Sarash froze completely, his white scales stiffened instantly. Levin still had not turned around, not once. Yet somehow he knew. Malika’s gaze remained fixed upon the hooded figure ahead as he continued quietly:

"I know you’ve been guarding me from the shadows."

The winds became louder around the cliffs; the ants hissed violently below. Yet somehow those soft words echoed louder than everything else.

Levin finally tightened his grip around the sword again. Then softly he said as his blue gaze darkened slightly.

"So either hesitate...or fight beside me, Sarash."

Sarash’s serpent eyes widened completely, shock flooding through him instantly because all this time—all this time—the Malika had known he was there, watching and pretending.

And somewhere ahead the hooded figure smiled wider beneath the desert winds because the game was finally reaching its most dangerous move.