Chapter 528: New Delicacy: Hand-torn Dragon Meat

By the spirits of the wild!

Ye ever seen them animal shows on the telly?

Ever watched in a zoo, a dog raised with a lion, playfully growlin' at the lioness?

If ya haven't, ya better catch up.

Is this some kinda dirty joke?

No—by the elements, it ain't!

The corrupted souls, they see water and they think of bathin', and when they think of bathin', they think of lovely lasses takin' a dip!

Pure-hearted folks, like the one they call 'Honest Marcus', wouldn't have such twisted thoughts.

It's like those folks who keep yappin' about how Chun is a true manly man. Who's gonna believe that, eh?

Anyhow, such shoddy imagery, so obviously fake, no sane one would believe.

Only a mad one would.

Aye, Deathwing be just that kind of mad. The whispers of the Old Gods have blurred his reality, driven him to madness. At times he's cunning, other times mad, and sometimes, even he knows not what he's up to.

At this moment, in Deathwing's twisted mind, his beloved children, Nefarian and Onyxia, had the faces of... shiba inu dogs.

"Father, woof woof." Nefarian wagged a little dog tail.

"Father, woof woof." Onyxia put on an adorable shiba face.

Deathwing's sanity shattered. "No—how could a mere dog lay with my dragon queen!?"

His cries echoed far and wide.

Far from the battleground, all the red dragons observing were utterly baffled.

The guardian dragons immediately pounced, seizing the opportunity. All of them, with claws on wings and limbs, tore at Deathwing's armor with all their might.

Three seconds!

Deathwing was stunned for a full three seconds. When he snapped back, he retaliated fiercely, but the four dragons dodged swiftly. Deathwing's hasty counter was futile.

"You treacherous Ysera!" Deathwing's well-founded retort silenced Ysera.

"Compared to you, who betrayed our entire flight! This is nothing!" Alexstrasza fiercely retorted. "If anything, it's only Marcus' mischief! Ysera had nothing to do with it!"

The Dragonqueen promptly threw Marcus under the bus.

Down below, as Marcus was enjoying the spectacle, he stumbled and fell off his chair.

"What happened?" The onlookers were taken aback.

"Alexstrasza, how could you? If Deathwing harasses me every day, what then?" Marcus magically messaged the queen.

The Dragonqueen blushed, which was hard to notice on her already-red scales. She swiftly replied, "Fear not, Deathwing won't live to see another dawn!"

"Please, he's of the earth! He could just hide underground. Don't play word games with me!" Marcus knew better. In the original timeline, Deathwing survived well past the third war.

"Hmph! As if we four cannot slay him."

"No, no, Your Majesty. I've already offended Deathwing to save you. I'm but a mere mortal. If he escapes, he'll surely hunt me down. Better safe than sorry, right? Can you promise me something?"

"That thing you mentioned? Fine, I promise. If we fail, I'll make it happen."

Relieved, Marcus settled back down. "Nothing, just slipped."

Yeah, right!

Of course, no one called him out on it.

Only Marcus chuckled secretly— that artifact, if used right, was truly divine.

Above, the battle of the five mighty dragons resumed.

Deathwing was truly at a disadvantage. The shocking image stunned him for a full three seconds, allowing the four dragons to strip several pieces of his armor.

Blood, acid, and molten lava splattered from his wounds.

Now, it wasn't the four guardian dragons defeating Deathwing; he was defeating himself.

"Curse you, Marcus! I shouldn't have used you. I should've ended you from the start!" Deathwing's roar, in Common tongue, echoed, reaching the ears of the remaining humans and dwarves.

At this, Marcus shuddered. Facing the onlookers, he stood tall, "He tried to deceive me, and I outplayed him. Is that wrong?"

"No!" The onlookers unanimously responded, secretly sighing: You dared to trick even Deathwing. Who wouldn't you dare touch?

Above, the four guardian dragons pressed their assault, with Malygos laughing, "Thinking of avenging yourself on a mere mortal? Better take care of yourself first."

As he laughed, the blue dragon launched another attack.

Clearly, this Deathwing was different. With massive chunks of his armor torn off, Malygos's magic became the most potent weapon, easily tearing through Deathwing's flesh.

Deathwing struggled futilely against the other dragons, shouting, "Cursed ones, don't push me, or you'll regret it."

"Regret? I'd regret if I didn't make you feel the pain I've endured!" The Dragonqueen, true to her word, infused her attacks with life essence.

The life force entering Deathwing triggered chaotic reactions within, tearing at his very being.

Against the other assaults, even from Ysera's nightmares, Deathwing managed some resistance. But against Alexstrasza's life essence, he was defenseless. Her attacks brought agony.

Deathwing, the most fearsome dragon, emitted a scream no one had ever heard.

"AAAARGH—"

The scream, imbued with the Old Gods' whispers, saved him. The other dragons were stunned, halting their spells. Breaking free, Deathwing fled at great speed. Though still trembling and screaming, he vanished from sight.