Chapter 40: The Usurper’s Mayhem

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: The Usurper’s Mayhem

"Let us move out! The Baron is absolutely furious. We must find that human rat who humiliated our young lord as soon as possible!" the guard captain roared into the night.

​"Yes, Captain! We will find him and tear him apart limb from limb!"

​The elite guards of the Arklong Barony flooded out of their fortified barracks, swarming throughout the sprawling city like a starving pack of feral wolves.

The hunt for the Usurper had officially begun.

​Boom!

​Boom!

​The heavy stomping of armored boots and monstrous claws violently shook the cobblestone streets. Several of the highest-ranking guards transformed directly into massive Red Dragons. Their huge, leathery wings blotted out the moonlight as they took to the skies, scanning the alleyways from above with glowing, predatory eyes.

​Down on the ground, dozens of elite Dragonoots sprinted through the lower districts in their heavily armored humanoid forms. They showed absolutely no mercy to the sleeping public. They violently kicked down doors, shattered wooden windows, and ruthlessly interrogated anyone they saw.

​"Get on your knees, lowborn scum!" one of the towering guards growled, kicking his way inside a terrified commoner’s household.

​He forcefully shoved a trembling Dragonoid family against the wall, oppressively searching every single nook and cranny of their small, impoverished home.

​"This is the official business of Baron Arklong! If we find out anyone is hiding the human boy, your entire neighborhood will be burned to ashes!"

​Meanwhile, at the massive stone archway of the Northern City Gates, all outbound commerce had ground to a sudden halt.

​There was a long groaning row of massive carrier dragons, forcefully stopped by an official Arklong Barony inspection block.

These hulking, earth-scaled beasts of burden were heavily loaded with merchant wagons and usually granted swift passage. Tonight, however, the iron gates were firmly shut and barricaded.

​The carrier dragons snorted uneasily, their massive spiked tails dragging across the cobblestones as armored guards aggressively swarmed the caravan.

​"Bastards, get everything off the wagons at Once! Tear open every single crate! Check the underbellies of the beasts! Leave no stone unturned!"

​All the merchants and lowborn cargo handlers were terrified. They dropped to their knees in the dirt to avoid being beaten.

One wealthy merchant, a green-scaled Dragonoid wrapped in expensive imported silk, nervously stepped forward. He rubbed his hands together, his face pale with dread.

​"Pardon me, esteemed officers, but my goods are highly fragile. We are only carrying rare spices and delicate textiles. Surely there is no need to ruin the cargo."

​Smack!

​The guard lieutenant violently slapped the merchant across the face with his armored gauntlet, sending the green-scaled man crashing into the muddy street.

Bang!

​"Silence, you pathetic worm! The Arklong Barony has declared a state of absolute lockdown. You should know by now that a human terrorist is hiding within these city walls. We will gladly burn your precious spices to the ground if it means finding that filthy rat!"

​Following their commander’s lead, the guards began ruthlessly smashing wooden crates with heavy warhammers.

Evepensive silks were ruined. Innocent carrier dragons were tortured. Even a few case of sexual assault were committed at broad daylight.

The oppressive tyranny of the ruling class was on full display. They were willing to completely crush the livelihoods of the innocent without a second thought, all to salvage the shattered pride of a single noble family.

Just then, an unnatural, suffocating silence fell over the Northern City Gates.

​The frantic shouting of the guards and the distressed whining of the carrier beasts completely ceased. Every single person present in the vicinity felt their hearts violently skip a beat. They froze instinctively, their muscles locking in place as a freezing chill crawled slowly up their spines.

​It was a deep, primal instinct. It was the exact same absolute terror helpless prey experienced when being hunted by an apex predator.

​But why would they feel this? They were beings with dragon blood in their veins. Their foundation was built on absolute superiority. They were supposed to be fearless and infinitely prideful.

​So how could heavily armored elite guards be so easily intimidated by an unseen presence? What kind of monster possessed an aura thick enough to choke the air out of their lungs?

​Who was it?

​Step.

​Suddenly, the distinct sound of a heavy footstep echoed throughout the dead, quiet atmosphere.

​Step.

​It was a slow, deliberate sound, echoing from the dark shadows just beyond the flickering torchlight. The oppressive weight in the air grew heavier with every single passing second.

​Trembling with fear, every guard, merchant, and beast turned their heads toward the dark alleyway.

Step.

​The first thing the guards saw stepping out of the shadows was a human face. It was so innocent and flawlessly charming that it seemed carved straight from the hands of the gods themselves.

​But the very next detail they noticed made their thick dragon blood freeze instantly in their veins. It was a pair of glowing crimson eyes, burning fiercely with a ghastly, dark energy.

​The mysterious boy looked to be no more than eight to ten years old, standing around 1.5 meters tall. He wore a simple, unarmored tunic and a dark scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. The heavy fabric completely hid his lower chin and mouth, giving his small frame a deeply terrifying and mystifying appearance.

Recognising Krono’s features, the guard lieutenant took a frightened step back.

​"You... You are that human boy."

​Krono tilted his head, flashing a chilling smile beneath his dark scarf.

​"Hah, yes. That would be me. Were you looking for me?"

​"No, no, no!" the other guards frantically babbled, waving their armored hands in the air. Their weapons nearly slipped from their sweaty palms. Their primal instincts were screaming at them to run, completely overriding their noble pride.

​"Why would we ever come to bother your noble self, sir? We are just here to check if the security is tight enough for the city. That is all!"

​Krono let out a dark, mocking chuckle. ℴ

​"Oh, how incredibly noble of you all. I did not think Baron Arklong would be so generous as to send his own elite army purely for the city’s welfare."

​The terrified guards nodded rapidly, desperately clinging to the pathetic lie to save their own lives.

​"Yes, sir! Lord Arklong is very kind! Very generous!"

​Krono’s smile instantly vanished.

​"SILENCE!" he shouted.