The remaining black-robed figures exchanged glances, preparing to retreat.
Some had barely turned before the rapidly spreading tide of blood swallowed them whole. Others, a step too slow, were cut down outright by Marais and his soldiers.
High above, an endless sea of clouds churned and rolled. A colossal shadow tore through the sky, whipping up violent gusts, its form both elegant and fearsome.
Leda sat astride the massive creature, one hand never leaving her sword hilt, every muscle tense in case anything shifted beneath her.
Malenia's duplicate, Marlene, was watching Nolan ahead. Seeing that he was casually chatting with the Ancient Dragon and that no danger seemed imminent, she turned her thoughts to the war.
This duplicate had no independent will. She only appeared autonomous because Malenia was splitting her focus.
The Valkyrie had to manage military affairs while simultaneously controlling this body. The strain was obvious.
Because every step along the way was effectively experienced firsthand, the battlefield had changed drastically in a very short time.
Not long ago, Malenia had already issued her command, ordering the entire army to launch the final assault on the Royal Capital. She intended to end the war as quickly as possible.
"Human, aren't you even a little curious?"
The Ancient Dragon's body felt like solid stone, yet her voice remained pleasant.
Nolan turned his head.
"Curious about what?"
The Ancient Dragon blinked her large, bright eyes.
"Naturally, about why I've taken an interest in you."
"I've heard Ancient Dragons favor the strong…"
Nolan wasn't boasting. Back in the village, he might have been no more than a second-rate hero. But across the Lands Between, he was by no means weak.
Above him were first-rate figures like Leda, powerful enough to lead an order of knights made entirely of heroes.
As for Finlay, the other Knight Commander of the Haligtree, she was even stronger. A legendary hero capable of standing toe to toe with powerful Demigods.
Of course, that didn't include Godrick. That one couldn't even instantly kill Nolan when he had just stepped into the second-rate ranks.
At best, he was bottom-tier among first-rate. Compared to the other Demigods, he was an embarrassment. Without the Crucible Knights at his side, he would have long since fallen beneath Finlay's blade.
"That's part of it," the Ancient Dragon said. "But what I truly want to know is—what was that golden power you used?"
Her massive voice carried clearly to everyone.
Nolan hadn't reacted yet. Malenia merely opened her eyes slightly. It was Leda who tensed first.
Nolan could die, but not here. Not now.
Nolan raised a hand, signaling her to relax.
If Lansseax meant harm, she wouldn't be calmly chatting like this. Letting the three of them fall into the sea moments ago would have been the perfect chance to strike.
"That?" Nolan said. "It's the Lord's Power I was born with."
As he said it, he had a feeling this matter with the Dragon Lady wasn't going to end any time soon.
"Born with it? You mean it's yours alone? A power you can wield without relying on anything external?" Lansseax asked, a hint of excitement in her tone.
"That's right."
Lansseax laughed. The sound was clear and pleasant, yet there was something unreadable beneath it.
"How… very interesting."
Could he be like the Valkyrie—someone chosen by a god to bear its power?
But she hadn't sensed the presence of her deity.
Strange.
Still, strange had its appeal. The more unusual something was, the more it made her want to understand it.
"Well, well… what a mischievous dragon," Nolan thought, his suspicion confirmed.
His mind raced, but outwardly he remained composed, his presence steady as ever.
"What is it? Are you planning to treat me like some toy you can play with at will?"
A clear, melodious laugh echoed through the sky. If Lansseax had been in human form, her usually cold expression would surely have looked dazzling with that smile.
"Heh. If I truly wanted a toy, why would I bother with you? I could go to Leyndell."
"There are heroes of every kind there, more than enough to choose from."
"I already told you. I'm simply interested in you… and the power you carry."
So he really had been targeted.
And not just by any dragon, but by one who didn't seem entirely normal.
That was troublesome.
Nolan frowned slightly.
"Interested in me and my power? Then tell me—how did you notice anything unusual?"
"Someone once said my power resembles Dragon Lightning."
"To an ordinary person, the difference is impossible to see from the outside. So how did you?"
Thinking about it, Nolan couldn't help feeling a little weary.
There were hardly any normal people around him to begin with.
Among his companions were obsessive Empyreans and nearly unhinged scientists.
There was the proud yet adorable little princess, and the Valkyrie with an unhealthy attachment to her siblings…
By conventional standards, not a single one of them qualified as normal.
Lansseax turned her head. Her deep, mysterious eyes fixed on Nolan.
"As you said, resemblance is not the same as being identical. And besides… I am not human."
Before him was still that fierce dragon's head. Yet somehow, it carried a strange contradiction.
Her presence felt as cold as frost and as fierce as flame. There was something seductive in it, yet also solemn and sacred.
Nolan had always carried a preconceived notion about dragon women.
Even after seeing the "Ancient Dragon-Men" of Leyndell with his own eyes, that view had never changed.
After all, in a past life, he had once had a half-dragon queen as his consort.
That experience had left a filter over his perception. It shaped the way he looked at every woman connected to dragons.
"So what about me?" Nolan asked. "What exactly draws you in?"
Lansseax extended her long tongue and slowly licked across her fang-lined maw before answering.
"Powerful males tend to stand out. And that peculiar power you wield is part of you."
"Every quality that attracts the Ancient Dragon… attracts me as well. Isn't that obvious?"
Her massive eyes locked onto Nolan on her back, desire flickering within them.
"If you're willing, I'd like to experience the power inside you up close."
Nolan clicked his tongue inwardly.
Who would've thought? She was quite bold for an Ancient Dragon.