Torture the hero, why has the Demon King's castle collapsed again?

Page 289

"It's nothing..." Shana's voice was much softer. She stretched out her bandaged right hand and subconsciously touched her eyes. A cold, stinging pain occasionally spread from the depths of her eye sockets.

More than three months have passed, and her eyes have not recovered. Erwin even sought out Archbishop Hope to treat her, but it was not due to any illness or curse. Even now, the cracks in her eyes are still spreading at an extremely slow pace.

Shana had a vague idea that the mysterious power, which was even stronger than the dual holy and demonic power within her body and the thirty-seven layers of fusion protection, was emanating from her eyes.

However, the activation mechanism of that power could not be detected at all, and... his current situation was very likely the backlash from overdrawing that power.

"If this continues, I'm afraid their eyes will..."

Shana gripped her knife silently. Although her shattered eyes had given her a magical ability to see through reality, allowing her to successfully glimpse the corrupting formula within the projection of Cuiyin, this was clearly a double-edged sword, and might even be the main reason why her already shattered eyes continued to wear down.

Should we try to find a cure? The hesitation only flashed through her mind for a moment, replaced by the hellish scene of Mino and Fim suffering in the Demon King's castle. Shana clenched her fists.

"That's it then." The girl raised her head, her expression filled with determination and stubbornness.

At the current rate of deterioration, she can hold on for at least a few more years; she doesn't have time to waste searching for a cure.

"Even if the road ahead is forever dark, I will keep moving forward, giving my all, burning until my body is consumed by nothingness..."

"Oh, oh, oh, it's on fire, my lord."

Darkfrey, already used to Shana's chuunibyou (delusional) remarks, readily agreed with her.

The orderly sound of horses' hooves came from the entrance of the training ground, stirring up layers of dust on the ground.

Shana turned and saw a troop of cavalrymen with wooden swords at their waists lined up in front of her. On their brown horses, the tall Grand Master of the Knights, Erwin, sat upright in his saddle, casting a solemn shadow on the ground.

"Hero of Calamity, Lady Shana."

"It's time to carry out your first kingdom quest since becoming a hero."

……

Mainland border.

The Savage Forest, inner perimeter.

The ancient tree, reaching for the sky, has no top visible, diluting the overhead light into mist, coating countless transparent green leaves with a tranquil glaze.

At the base of the ancient tree, enormous forging workshops have been hollowed out. Piles of coal are continuously shoveled into the central furnace, igniting clusters of steaming flames. Thick smoke rises slowly into the sky through the hollowed-out ancient tree.

A dozen forging workshops surround a mithril mine in the center, which is the size of the Royal Capital Square. The rugged mithril, which is the most difficult to mine and carve, has been polished into an extremely smooth flat surface, which still glitters with a cold light in the dim light!

The thick smoke intensified.

Visible, distorted heat waves continuously enveloped the Mithril Plains, with temperatures at the center so high that even armor made of refined iron could melt away.

But the center of the mithril surface was devoid of any warmth; instead, it was enveloped in a deep, chilling aura, thick with frost and mist.

Countless silver-armored dwarves emerged from the workshop, their hearts pounding hotter than the embers in a furnace. Their eyes were fixed on the great king in golden armor in the center of the open field, and on his opposite side... a frost dragon casting a shadow as large as a small mountain.

Or rather, he is a king as noble as his own leader—the tyrant of Frostfire, the Frost Dragon King, Calest!

After a long while, with a deafening dragon's roar, the frost on the mithril plain shattered inch by inch, annihilating into a chilling frost mist that could freeze the soul!

"The outcome is decided..."

The dwarves around them trembled and swallowed hard, silently watching their dwarf king, whose golden eyes had lowered indifferently. The terrifying atmosphere made them afraid to utter a single syllable.

Until Carlest's brutal and icy voice rang out:

"—I've lost. You're stronger now... Dwarf King, Turu."

Calestar folded his dragon wings, his voice still arrogant, but a hint of resentment could be faintly detected in his words:

"Besides Mino the dragon slayer, I can actually feel a bit of pressure from your savage bloodlines. It seems I've been a bit complacent lately."

"But don't be overconfident. This is the only battle you can win."

On the land of Mithril, Turu remained expressionless, completely unconcerned about Calest's terrifying dragon might.

"King of Dragons, if this is all you've got, then don't make a fool of yourself."

"Even Mino, the hero who once pierced through the earth, wouldn't stand a chance against me now..."

Raising his head to gaze up at the dragon, Tulu's lips gradually curled into a rough and defiant smile:

"Now, as agreed, get out of my territory—"

Chapter 417 Pure Radiance, Dragon Scales

"Roar------!!!"

The deafening roar of the dragon echoed deep within the Savage Forest, filled with undisguised rage, terrifying countless animals hidden in the forest into fleeing like a horde of beasts from the eye of the storm.

Outside the Mithril Wasteland, the hearts of the dwarves trembled.

Only their own leader would dare to provoke a dragon king so brazenly!

"Turu, good, you're very good!" Calest flapped his wings, his eyes almost spitting fire:

"Don't think that just because you've managed to outmaneuver me, you can do whatever you want in front of the Frost Dragon Clan. You will pay the price for your arrogance!"

“That won’t require your concern, Callest.” Tulu, clad in golden armor, shone with a light even brighter than dragon scales.

"All you need to do is abide by the agreement of this duel and leave my territory!"

“Tulu…” Calest suppressed its anger. If it weren’t for the demands made by the two sides in the previous duel, it would have made this dwarf king understand the price he would pay. Taking a deep breath, Calest shook off the frost between its wings:

I'll ask you one last time—

"You really don't want to... join the 'Anti-Mino Alliance' and join the movement to condemn Mino the Dragon Slayer?"

The chilling sound echoed through the forest.

"The outcome of this duel is already quite clear, isn't it?" King Tulu of the Dwarves said without even lifting his eyelids.

"If you win, I will willingly join that anti-Mino alliance and provide assistance within my capabilities."

“But Callest, you have lost. As agreed, you must provide me with a dragon scale from the Dragon King, and in return, you must leave the Savage Forest immediately and never set foot in my territory again without permission.”

"I think the intention to refuse is quite obvious, isn't it?"

"Dwarf King, I'm doing this for your own good!" Callest said angrily.

"—You never know when you'll be betrayed by that scum of humanity!!!"

Ever since the divorce agreement was broken, and he was captured by the Fire Dragon Queen Ignis and taken back to play cards.

The flames of hatred in Calester's chest burned fiercely every single day.

It should have been single again! It should have regained its long-lost freedom!! It should have been completely freed from the hell of playing cards ten times a day!!!

But all of that was destroyed by that seemingly upright but actually treacherous human being!

With each card game, Callest's hatred for Mino grew stronger, and he held all the scores against Mino and the demons who assisted him!

Spreading the "Black-White Pact" throughout the continent, so that other races can learn from it, is merely the first step on its path of revenge...

"Turu, you should have received it too, right? It's a contract signed by me and that human king, Ota. You were all deceived by the glorious appearance of that former human hero!"

Going back on his word, betraying his promises, willingly giving himself away, and living a shameless life with female demons in the Demon King's castle—this is the true nature of that despicable hero!

"The 'Humans and Dragons Anti-Mino Avengers' was established to bring that world's greatest poison to justice, and if you are willing to join, the Anti-Mino Alliance will undergo a qualitative change."

"If you dwarves assist in developing corresponding dragon rider weaponry, equipping the dragon riders from head to toe with my superior dragons and elite human paladins, we will completely shatter the balance of war between humans and demons. We may even be able to breach the demons' second line of defense!"

"At that time, we will be able to force the demons to hand over Mino, so that we can do whatever we want with him!"

Callest traveled all the way to the Savage Forest on the edge of the continent to persuade Tulu to join the anti-Mino alliance and further advance its plans.

But unexpectedly... his heartfelt words were misunderstood and was completely wasted.

What I didn't even expect was.

Due to a moment of carelessness, what was thought to be a sure victory turned into a disadvantageous duel, which is why the dwarf king in front of him is so arrogant.

"The outcome is decided; there's no need to say anything more."

Tulu remained unmoved, lowering his head to sharpen the axe blade in his hand, his words laced with sneer:

“Calester, I’m not so old and blind yet; I only trust my own eyes—”

"Do you really think I'm a three-year-old child, trying to smear the greatest hero in human history, the great warrior known as the Light? As for the human kingdom, those weak ants have lost Mino's protection, so naturally they'll say whatever you want them to say."

"Frost Dragon King, your method of using someone else to do your dirty work is quite good, but you made one mistake—"

"That means they used such underhanded tactics on the hero Mino!"

Seeing that the stubborn Frostfire Tyrant was unwilling to retreat, Turu didn't mind speaking frankly, his eyes full of doubt and disdain:

"Foolish Dragon King, if you knew how terrible the minerals unearthed from the depths of the Savage Forest ten years ago were, and how many ancient dwarven artisans they caused to change, you wouldn't say such things..."

"The pollution emitted by that ore is invisible and can be penetrated even by dragon scales. Only those whose bodies and minds are pure can come into close contact with it."

You and I may only be stronger in terms of strength, but that guy is different. His brilliance can easily suppress even the filth of 'ore'—"

A deep sense of dread flashed in the depths of his eyes, but Tulu's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Such a glorious and great warrior has been slandered by you in an attempt to incite other races to unite and eliminate him."

"Calester, do you really think I'm a stubborn, ignorant blacksmith?!"

In an instant, a dazzling and magnificent golden light shone in the center of the Savage Forest!

King Turu of the Dwarves donned seamless armor, wielding twin golden axes. Savage power surged through his body, causing his bulging muscles to ripple. His aura subtly rivaled that of a dragon: "Standing before you is Turu, the King of the Dwarves!"

"Calester, if you want to use the dwarves, your Frost Dragon race alone is not enough!"

"Turu, you...you'll regret this!" Calest flapped his wings angrily.

"Only those who have personally suffered persecution from that guy can understand how unforgivable his crimes are... My dragon life is ruined, that human king is ruined, Turu... you won't be far behind..."

A huge dragon scale, gleaming with a cold light, was torn off from mid-air, like a spitting out of saliva, and easily embedded itself into the solid mithril ground.

Callest's voice faded into the distance, carrying a chilling tone.

The dragon scales, the most alluring treasure to the dwarves, shimmered enticingly on the ground, yet the surrounding dwarves dared not even glance at them, as if they were more of a malevolent curse than a rare treasure!

Only Tulu, sitting on the ground, glanced at the dragon king's scale, a victor's smile gradually appearing on his lips.

"Regret? Only losers have regrets..."

"And I will never."

Chapter 418 The Dwarf King's Trump Card, The Human Mission's Visit