Chapter 487: Today, I'm in Charge of Snark

A man and a dragon.

One seated on the ground, the other standing on the grass.

They faced each other like this.

Suddenly, Deathwing spoke: "You have no intention of attacking me or trying to escape?"

Duke blurted out: "Why should I attack you or run away?"

Deathwing was somewhat taken aback. In his mind, this young human would most likely panic upon encountering him, either attacking like a madman or fleeing in terror.

Duke's calm response was quite unexpected.

In fact, Duke was inwardly ranting:

Attack you? I'm not some idiot who's taken a brain-dead pill and feels all cutesy today.

To take you down, even in the game, it would take 25 god-slaying, ghost-killing buddies. I'm not stupid enough to treat an epic final boss like an elite mob.

And running away? If we don't count magic, there's probably no creature faster than the Black Dragon King in pure speed.

So, Duke, a traveler between worlds, calmly faced Deathwing, or Neltharion.

Deathwing's avatar sat down in front of Duke, either on an invisible stool, a conjured chair, or a large stone. His long robe concealed it, so it was impossible to see.

Deathwing's black, luminous eyes stared unwaveringly at Duke, attempting to defeat him with a gaze that could kill, completely overwhelming him in spirit.

If Deathwing's gaze had powers like "Shadowflame" or "Deep Breath," perhaps Duke would've knelt, crying, "Rich one, let me cling to your mighty legs!"

Having prepared for this, Duke wouldn't succumb so easily; he cheated...

Deathwing didn't know what Duke had done. All he saw was the human's eyes become slightly vacant for a moment. He almost thought Duke was no longer a living human.

Deathwing was starting to get annoyed, or perhaps impatient.

Fortunately, just as he was about to rage at his inability to overpower this pitiful lower being, Duke involuntarily averted his gaze.

Deathwing felt a rare sense of victorious pleasure.

"Good, you at least understand how to show respect and humility to a being far greater and more exalted than yourself," Deathwing arrogantly declared. "This is a good start."

Duke remained silent.

In his heart, however, he thought: You damned black-scaled lizard, just hand over what you've got and scram! Or else don't blame me for chopping off your head and hanging it on Stormwind's gate. Hear me, Neltharion!

Deathwing spoke again: "But to prevent any possible inappropriate actions, I'd better warn you first."

A rock to Duke's left suddenly ignited and then melted before his eyes. The molten rock turned into lava but didn't spread on the ground. Instead, it circled around Duke and the uncle behind him under a strange force's guidance.

A giant molten ring, about two meters in radius, formed around Duke, then quickly and completely vanished as fast as the rock had melted.

The whole process took only a few seconds. Duke now found himself on a cylindrical ground, separated by a deep trench.

"Orc's bane, savior of humanity, great deputy commander of the Alliance of Lordaeron—Duke Marcus..." Deathwing paused, making it clear that his recitation of Duke's titles was pure sarcasm.

Because his next words were:

"If I wish, this will be your fate."

Ah, full of arrogance and grandiosity.

But Duke was annoyed, cursing in his heart: "Deathwing, I'll curse your entire family of females!"

Deathwing, unable to read minds, was satisfied with Duke's trembling body and the cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Misunderstanding arises from a lack of understanding of each other. You humans know far too little about us dragons."

Duke, seemingly suppressing his fear, scoffed: "Are you sure the dragons haven't turned those who tried to communicate with them into snacks?"

Duke's joke felt too cold, not funny at all. But Deathwing found it hilarious, laughing louder and more excitedly, almost to the point of madness.

"I remember now; I did do that once. I quickly gave up on it, though. Human flesh tastes too bland, too fragile, with no chewiness at all," Deathwing unabashedly admitted.

This only deepened Duke's disgust for Deathwing.

In his heart, Duke was muttering about items like "Titahak, the Flame's Apex," "Essence of Destruction," and "Reins of the Blazing Drake."

Ah, if Deathwing knew what these were, he'd instantly revert to his true form and slap Duke to death.

These were the loot dropped by Deathwing himself in the game!

Of course, Deathwing, entirely unaware of Duke's inward taunts, was content to impose his authority and terror on this insignificant human.

He sat down, extending an upturned palm. Above his hand, an image appeared of small dragon-shaped shadows flying in a lush world, all the colors of the rainbow. An overwhelming sense of joy permeated the surroundings, even moving Duke.

Ah! Jurassic Park!

Deathwing's voice reminded Duke of a famous wildlife documentary narrator.

"In those days, the world was ours, and we protected it well; magic was ours, and we guarded it well; life was ours... and we reveled in it. Then lesser species appeared, disgusting forms, short and inconsequential lives. Rash and reckless, always meddling without thought, their stupidity invited demons."

Duke mentally shrugged: That's Sargeras and Queen Azshara's fault; I'm not taking the blame.

"If not for our dragons' efforts, this world would have been destroyed long ago. Even ten thousand Alliances of Lordaeron could not compare to the challenges we faced. Dragons! It was we, the dragons, who united to drive the demons out of this world..." Deathwing said, waving his arms passionately.

Duke touched his chin: Hmm, with a little mustache, he could cosplay the Führer quite well.