Kapitel 156: Another Bet

Meanwhile, at the Eagle Fortress.

"How is this possible..."

Lox turned incredibly pale as he looked at the enormous black dragon.

Even if he dunked his head in the toilet, he couldn't figure out where Camelot got a dragon from!

"I just don't believe this could happen!"

Lox gritted his teeth, a hint of madness flickering in his eyes.

"Dragons have been gone for thousands of years. How on earth could one suddenly appear here?! This has to be an illusion created by those mages! Mountain Giants, bring that beast down for me!"

*GROOOAAA—!!!*

As if made of solid rock, several Mountain Giants roared, grabbing car-sized boulders and hurling them at the black dragon.

A coldness flashed in Nidhogg's eyes. With a gentle flap of her massive wings, a violent gust of wind rose, sending all the stones back, creating massive craters on the ground and crushing many Chimeras in the process.

"N-No way..."

Despair crept into Lox's eyes.

Nidhogg was furious. Her mood was already sour, and now these lumps of ants dared to throw stones at her. It was a direct challenge to her dignity!

Moreover, these ants were the minions of that bastard white dragon who took away her power! She couldn't tolerate it any longer!

"Just a bunch of uncivilized monkeys!" Nidhogg roared to the sky. "Witness what true death is!"

Opening her fierce mouth, a jet of black flame erupted with a thunderous force, the intense heat distorting the void itself, sweeping toward the mountains ahead.

*GROAAA—!!!*

In this scorching breath, all the Mountain Giants and Chimeras managed only a desperate roar before being incinerated into nothingness, bones completely melted.

After one breath, almost half of the mountain was obliterated, molten lava slowly flowing down, erasing all life.

"Such terrifying power..." Lancelot's eyes showed profound horror. Initially, he thought this black dragon was just an ordinary dragon, but it was far from it!

This level of power surpassed even most gods!

In his impression, only one black dragon could possess such power.

The Dragon of Despair, Nidhogg!

Lancelot turned to Arkhan, and couldn't help sighing softly in his heart. He never expected that this man could effortlessly handle the legendary Nidhogg.

As the breath finished, Nidhogg's mood improved. She turned her head toward the Eagle Fortress on the mountain peak, opening her mouth again.

Watching the black flames brewing in the giant dragon's mouth, Lox slumped to the ground, eyes filled with despair, a bitter smile on his lips.

"It's over..."

*Whoosh—!!!*

The scorching black flames surged forward, engulfing his figure in an instant.

===

The two breaths of Nidhogg put an end to this war.

The roaring flames burned continuously for three days and nights, reducing not only the Eagle Fortress but the entire mountain to scorched earth.

The land within a two-mile radius was tainted by Nidhogg's power of death. For at least three to five hundred years, it would be impossible for any life to emerge here.

And this was with her deliberately controlling her own power.

According to the soldiers later tasked with cleaning the battlefield, when they entered the Eagle Fortress, all that remained amidst the charred stones was a ground covered in ashes, piled up to three fingers thick.

In the history of Britain, there had never been such a bloody and brutal war.

An entire army of fifty thousand people was annihilated in less than a month. Even considering the entire world, it could be deemed an unbelievable war.

News of the North's defeat quickly spread throughout Britain. No one expected the war to end in such a way.

Camelot could actually command the legendary dragon that had disappeared for thousands of years!

Thinking back to the inexplicable rumors of King Arthur's disappearance, many speculated that this black dragon was closely related to the king's vanishing.

Suddenly, someone told everyone that King Arthur held the title of the 'Chosen King'. During his disappearance, he might have sought a way to win the war with the help of 'God,' and then 'God' bestowed this black dragon upon him.

This idea quickly spread like wildfire in Britain. Even those not from Camelot had deeply engraved the concept of 'Arthur is the Chosen King' in their minds, unconsciously feeling awe for this legendary ruler.

The appearance of the dragon also caused a stir among the allied nations. Originally, the King of Gwent and the King of Deheubarth harbored resentment towards Camelot due to the coronation ceremony incident, even planning to take revenge during the war with the North.

However, after hearing this news, both kings had nightmares all night. The first thing they did upon waking up was to immediately abandon the idea of retaliating against Camelot and send very generous gifts to Camelot.

Being rulers of their own nations, they were not fools. Even the discerning could see that Camelot's strength was now on a completely different level, surpassing the peak of fifteen years ago.

Anyone daring to provoke the Chosen King at this time would truly be tempting fate.

"It looks like the effect is pretty good." Arkhan said with a satisfied tone as he looked at the report in his hand.

"I still don't quite understand. Why do you want me to be portrayed as some divine beast sent by God to help you, and why spread this news?" Nidhogg questioned.

"Let me ask you a question." Arkhan adjusted his sitting position, leaning back in his chair leisurely. "What do you think is the most powerful weapon in the world?"

"Uhh... The most powerful weapon..." Nidhogg bit her fingernail, eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Gungnir? Mjolnir? Fenrir's teeth? Jormungandr's venom?"

"None of those." Arkhan shook his head, pointing to his own temple with his hand. "This is the most powerful weapon in the world."

Nidhogg blinked, walked over, and lightly tapped Arkhan's head.

"Doesn't seem very hard, though."

"I'm talking about wisdom, for fuck's sake!" Arkhan, with lines of frustration on his forehead. "And... Can you stop playing around?"

Nidhogg grinned sheepishly, retracting the hand that was fiddling with Arkhan's hair.

"Umm, so you just said wisdom is the most powerful weapon in the world? Well, that does make some sense. But what does that have to do with what you're doing now?"

"If I tell you that in the future, I can take the entire southern territories without spending a single soldier, would you believe it?" Arkhan asked casually.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Nidhogg rolled her eyes. "I certainly can't believe such a thing."

"Since that's the case, let's make another bet."

As Arkhan said that, his lips curved with a mysterious smile.

"If I can succeed without spending a single soldier, you extend your time as my servant by ten more years. If I lose, the original ten years are null and void, then you can go wherever you want. What do you think?"