12 Chapter 12

Lu Fei was sipping on a cup of spirit tea when the group of four reunited. Although the kids had brought her some entertainment, it wasn't much. She knew they had a strong bond from the moment she had met them, but she was hoping for some rivalry amongst them. She continued to watch them as they built a new ruling system which allows for four rulers. They faced much opposition, but they held on tight despite the assassins, bandits, mini-wars, and disputes amongst themselves.

Their lives, overall, were very close and supportive of each other. Four years have flown by and their new empire had grown stable. Of course, they sometimes fell for some political schemes as they were only children, but they made it through. Seeing all of this made Lu Fei furious. She wanted to see them fight each other, or, at the very least, have a few of them die. Therefore, she broke her own rule and handed another letter out to a neighboring country.

She gave her word that she would set the king, the person who she sent the letter to, free from the Stage as long as he could kill all four children. Thus, a major war between the two countries began. One side had fewer people with advanced technology while the other had far too many people and even a few dragons. Nalan Pong fought with all his might in the battlefield and had gained many scars. Xin Lumei was working on keeping a hold on their country's resources and managed trade and many other things. Cai Shengwei helped in the advancement of technology and education while Xiang Hai was in charge of training the new recruits.

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"There are just too many, Dragon Lord!" One of the generals around the table shouted. "We don't have the resources to keep up. I say that we need to start drafting people into the army whether they like it or not." Mumbles of agreement resounded around the table from everyone except for the Dragon Lord.

Nalan Pong's eyes narrowed with a murderous gleam in them. "Who is the leader?" He asked in a quiet voice which evoked a deep fear inside of all the general's hearts.

"You are, of course." Laughed the man who suggested the draft.

He rested his eyes on the shaggy man and raised a clawed hand. "You wish to defy my orders?" He asked as he allowed his hand to shift into a dragon's talon. Having this ability for over four years has allowed him the time to practice with it. If he wanted to, he could even breath out a massive fire.

The general broke out in a cold sweat and revealed an expression full of horror. "N-no, Dragon Lord. It was...only a suggestion. Yes, a suggestion."

"Hmph." He retracted his talon and let his hand return to its original state. "Cai Shengwei has been working on producing a weapon of mass destruction. It will be finished sometime this week, and a hundred of these weapons will be handed out to my most skilled and trusted personnel. All we have to do is wait..."

His words were interrupted by the sound of bullets raining and screaming. Nalan Pong clicked his tongue as he rose. "Meeting dismissed! Now, go kill those bast*rds who attacked our camp." He ordered as he jogged out of the tent. A deep growl bellowed in his chest as he felt his shoulder blades making way for his draconic wings which ripped his shirt apart. The massive black wings flapped, summoning a strong wind which threw many tents away, and propelled him off the ground.

They dared to attack his camp. His rage fueled his power as he felt his hands and feet shifting into their draconic form. He roared at the sky before swooping in to begin his killing spree. Blood sprayed everywhere he went and created a crimson river. His soldiers thanked him and rejoiced his coming while his enemies feared him.

Arrows flew, trying their best to kill Nalan Pong, but he dodged them and went after the ones who had a bow in their hands. All of his troops have been upgraded to a gun and a long knife for melee combat, so he didn't have to fear killing his own men. Unknowingly, he had morphed into full dragon mode and blew his flames where there was an abundance of enemies and no allies, killing many in one fell swoop.

Despite his killing rate, however, the enemy troops were not decreasing in the slightest. In fact, they seemed to continue to climb to a very shocking amount. Even Nalan Pong's heart couldn't help but waver in shock. His army was caught by a surprise attack made by the entire opposing army, or that was what it seemed like. Due to the element of surprise, his troops were falling like fainting goats, only permanently.

Fires cloaked the land under the full moon, making it as bright as day. Nalan Pong could see his army falling deeper into despair as its generals fell. Their numbers dropped dramatically despite their efforts to keep a hold on their territory. Some had fled while other just gave up. The sight of it made his heart sting and his chest heavy. They were all willing to help their country, to die for their homes. They all knew exactly what they would be entering, but they still wanted to join. They were all brave, even the ones who fled.

Nalan Pong roared with all his might before creating a wall of fire. "Run!" He yelled. "Retreat to the castle!" Seeing that their Dragon Lord had commanded it, they followed his instructions and fled to the castle. They knew he would protect their backs, and he did. He continued to rain fireballs down, killing thousands with each.

Many arrows had flown towards him. He was able to dodge the majority of them while some landed. His rock-hard scales protected him for the most part, but a few had managed to draw blood. Just when dawn was about to come bless the land with its beautiful light, a couple of roars echoed from the distance.

Nalan Pong's heart dropped when he heard them. "Hurry! Move faster!" He yelled frantically. The dragons were coming.