LXXXVII: Invasion, part 1.

Dragons were truly imposing beings, even in human form, they exuded an atmosphere of power and respect that made you subconsciously want to bow down in their honor. 

They were the best this world had to offer! Blessed by heaven and earth, masters of creation, children of the world, agents of its will. Though not as evil or chaotic as in other universes, the dragons here had their peculiarities. 

There were six female dragons and six male dragons, each group led by an old-looking dragon, but don't think they were just old, a dragon was technically ageless.

But magic allowed them to take on such an appearance because of their experience, it was a strange thing. If a dragon wasn't very mature or experienced, they could never turn into their "aged" version, and well, looking like that meant a lot to them. 

It meant that you were no longer a hatchling to be protected, or a youngster to be guided, or an adult to find your way. You were an elder dragon, a dragon known and respected by everyone in the world. 

For this reason, the leaders chose to maintain this appearance, although they could always appear young, in official or important moments, such as what was happening now, they would always maintain their old form. 

Rolanda and the Lord of the City approached the dragons. Each of them represented the people and the government of this country, so it was their responsibility to leave, not just anyone could talk to such beings unless they were incredibly strong. 

For this reason, the queen of the elves also decided to approach the dragons, but not before giving Seone a not-very-subtle look, as if she wanted to destroy him at that moment. Aside from her, it was Jack, the strongest of the reincarnated ones, who approached the visitors. 

Damian wanted to do it, but just as he was about to take that step, a male dragon looked in his direction, only the vampire could see it, but he felt as if the world itself was about to collapse on him. 

"You don't have enough status, back off," Damien heard in his ear, the voice was thunderous and incredibly powerful and even made him shiver. 

"One day," Damien muttered, his eyes behind his glasses glowing with a bloody light, but he was soon able to calm his emotions, it wasn't very smart to challenge creatures as powerful as dragons just for a snub. 

"Well, little one, I need to talk to these proud boys, then we'll talk some more," Narcissa stroked Marcus' head like a puppy, then jumped towards the dragons. 

"Ah, so many strong boys, I want to fight them!" cried Leona, summoning her magic power and moving towards the dragons, disappearing in a flash. 

"Is she going to attack a dragon?" asked John, questioning this woman's brain wiring. 

"It looks like it, but it's probably more like a baby grabbing your finger," replied Axel, whose expression was a little stiff because a dragon was looking him straight in the eye. 

"I saw your performance in the war, keep it up, maybe you can bring down a sun," the archer heard the voice of a male dragon. 

Like Axel, many of those present received feedback from the dragons, whether it was praise for their heroics, advice on how to improve, or even some criticism. But it was all for their good. 

"One dragon just told me that the demon path has a lot to prove, should I be scared?" asked Susie jokingly, but her comment only got the others talking about what the dragons had told them. 

"One told me that if I continue to explore the influence of my cursed technique and my eyes, I might be able to see higher dimensions. Will I be able to see the author of this story?" asked Jessica, though no one could hear her question.

"A dragoness gave me some magic tips, I'd rather do some knee bends, but hey, I was able to solve this spell... now I have a hydrogen bomb in my hand," commented John with a smile on his face. 

His Black Mage heritage had many hidden gems, but nothing was given away, he had to explore the knowledge he possessed to develop and expand upon the classic spells of the class. 

One of them was called 'Nuke', but John wanted to create something else, something much more devastating and powerful. The advice of this female dragon helped him make the necessary calculations. 

"A dragon complained to me about my way of exorcising souls, she told me that some people needed redemption and that if I explored that path I could gain more power," Samantha said, somewhat uncomfortable with the criticism she received, but admitting that in a way she had used her power in a somewhat deviant way and ignored other aspects. 

"I've also received criticism that I shouldn't be obsessed with seeing the future all the time, that there are beings who could find out and set a trap for my group," Ron spoke, causing the companions near him to look at him appreciatively. 

Ron had been the main reason the group of protagonists had survived for so long. He might not have been the most powerful or the most destructive, he wasn't even the leader, but he was everyone's guide.

Not only did he use his power to create excellent strategies, but when necessary, he served as a psychiatrist for the members of the group, each of whom had their particular problems that he helped them deal with. 

Seone was able to come out of the shadows of his mental problems not only because of Marie's draconic aura but also because of the support Ron offered him. For that and much more, he was considered the "father" of the team. 

"That's good advice, they don't even have to notice spies, with them knowing information about you, they can put together a strategy. Who knows if you meet a guy as ruthless and fucked up as Wang Lin," Axel said, making Ron smile at that moment. 

"If we run into someone like that, I'll have you for partners," the seer commented with some embarrassment, but no one made fun of him. 

While they talked, the important people gathered around the dragons, including two 'hatchlings', so to speak. Leona, who was excited to fight, was stopped by a dragoness and calmed down with a simple pat on the head. 

Meanwhile, Marie approached them in the direction of Minerva, who was already bragging about what a good mother she was and how powerful the blonde was, much to the young girl's embarrassment. 

"Look, doesn't she have adorable cheeks?" Minerva asked the group of dragons while her hands squeezed Marie's already red cheeks, although no one knew if it was from the embarrassment of the situation or the dragon's constant pinching. 

"Let go of me!" cried Marie, but her complaints were ignored as other dragons began pinching her cheeks and talking to her as if she were a baby, although, to them, the blonde was. 

"Wow, she has a remarkable energy level for her age," one of the dragon women said. 

"Yes, and her color is golden... that reminds me, I should look for more gold if I can," another of the dragon women replied. 

"Her energy is also very pure, she doesn't look like a mere hatchling, how pretty she is," the dishonest hand of one of the dragon women ruined Marie's hairstyle, who understood that she couldn't resist her 'aunts'. 

"But she smells like a snake," said a certain dragoness, who sniffed the air around Marie and then looked at Seone, who felt no fear, but showed defiance in her eyes. 

"Oops, the snake boy seems to be revealing himself as a cobra, how cute."

"Yes, the boy also has gold on his body, and oh my goodness, how dense his energy is."

"Ah, that shows her quality, looks like our niece knows how to choose mates."

"Of course she does, she's a proud dragon, our mates are the best."

"Except for Minerva, she chose a slut and got her heart broken," the well-timed comment from the elder dragoness, the leader of the group, made the others laugh, but it made Minerva blush with discomfort. 

"Enough!" Minerva snatched her precious daughter from the clutches of her sisters and placed her behind her. 

"By the way, is the situation that serious?" the Dragoness of Fear asked, deftly diverting the conversation to more important matters, though perhaps an attempt to hide her embarrassment, who knows. 

"Not so much, at least not for us, but for the rest of the world and its inhabitants, it is a dangerous situation," the elder dragoness replied, making an explosive gesture with her hand. 

"But don't worry, we will soon tell you what it is and possible solutions, remember that we are here and nothing can be done against us," said one of the dragons, but she received a blow to the back of the head from another of her sisters.

"Stop raising red flags! You're lucky these things don't affect us as dragons, but they can cause trouble," complained the dragoness who hit her sister. 

"Remember girls, the words of powerful beings have power, they may not affect the general trend, but they can cause demoralization and suggestion, leading to similar results," the older dragoness advised, causing the younger ones to nod, even Minerva did so. 

"But I want to fight!" suddenly Leona began to whimper, but the old woman's hand was on her head as if to restrain an unruly child. 

"Little one, don't give in to the desire to fight, control your urges and get over yourself, you are a dragon hatchling, proud, in our species we command the emotions, not they command us," the older woman voice seemed to contain a special power that made Leona, who was unknowingly affected by certain factors of her power, realize this fact.

The woman was in a state of euphoria after her battle with Marie, and that, along with the lack of guidance from an adult dragon, caused her to fall into this situation. But now she was able to recognize her problems and correct them. 

Even though her magical power was constantly overflowing and she was covered in flames like a bonfire, she followed the old woman's advice and closed her eyes, breathing slower and slower. 

Soon, the fire dancing over her body was extinguished, and her magic power calmed down and shrank inside her body, just as the smile she always had on her face began to disappear. 

"Thank you, I don't know what came over me, I was acting like a fool," Leona said after opening her eyes. 

"Don't worry, we dragons are very playful when we are hatchlings, you didn't do anything wrong," the dragoness comforted Leona, stroking her pink hair. 

As the important people gathered, including Jack, the Elf Queen, Princess Rolanda, the Lord of the City, the leaders of the city's military forces, and even an envoy of the dwarven race who had arrived by airship, the dragoness asked Jack.

"I didn't know there were dwarves near the city," Seone said, looking curiously at the airship that had brought the dwarves.

Although it was said to be an airship, it looked more like a huge metal flying boat with a style very similar to that found in steampunk works. Huge metal cannons could even be seen protruding and pointing downward, though they were not threatening. 

Dwarves were one of the few races that got along with humans, with no discrimination or other crap, they were treated well by the citizens of all the kingdoms. 

Why was that? Because they were similar to humans in some ways, and they fraternized with them very well, to the point that dwarves didn't have a special "kingdom," they just lived in close communities with humans, in city-states.

These city-states had deep ties to the government or a city, so much so that the weapons and armor used by the humans of Sunflower City in the last war were their work. 

Because of this, elves and dwarves did not get along at all, although this was already something of a standard in all universes. Now, however, both the elf queen and the dwarf emissary were focused on hearing the news from the Elder Dragon. 

An alien invasion had broken out.