16. Phantom Island
In the central plains, amidst the mountains closest to the dragon and orc territories, swirling clouds and mist enveloped an island in an inland sea. The Four Realms meeting was held as scheduled in the castle atop the towering mountain peak.
Whether it was a strange phenomenon caused by magic, or a natural occurrence, a rainbow-like aurora appeared in the sky, piercing through the clouds, and for a brief moment, transforming the sky into a fairy-tale scene. But it was soon followed by thunder and lightning, and a light drizzle began to fall, washing away the mud on the cliffs, rolling down the forested mountainsides, and flowing into the ever-flowing, green-glowing river.
The entire Azure Scale Knight Order was present, lightly armored, but their bodies were their best weapons. At the same time, the roars of dragons echoed through the sky.
Queen Sophia had dispatched her forces early, welcoming the dragon race on the narrow steps of the path leading up the mountain. And under the watchful eyes of the blood race and the proudly standing dragons behind them, Reina, holding Calysia’s hand, walked step by step towards the summit.
Reina kept her head lowered, not daring to look ahead.
Calysia walked in front, and as Reina had requested, tried to block the view of her belly.
Queen Sophia met them halfway up the stairs and followed behind them. Then, the other three Demon Moons also followed.
Then came the elite army of the blood race, and instantly, the two forces formed a vast and magnificent procession.
The orcish leader, the Beast King, a man named Kritz, stood beside the castle on the mountaintop, his arms crossed, looking down at this large army. The moment his eyes fell on Reina, they shimmered with joy and fighting spirit.
“When can I fight her again? The strongest creature? Not bad!”
Beside him stood a tall, burly being with dark green skin.
His entire body was painted with white dye, creating a skeletal decoration. His massive muscles were as hard as steel, but perhaps due to a tragic past, this giant orc’s right eye was replaced with a silver metal ball. He had black braids, and his entire body exuded a wild aura.
—After the Battle of Eisentapha, Reina had learned about him through [Feather Statue], who had willingly become her informant.
[Melancholy Court Statue]
The strongest colossus under the Beast King’s command.
In the normal game progression, he had a falling out with his brother, the Beast King, and split off. His title of “one man holding the pass against ten thousand” wasn’t just for show, although he looked like a normal orc…
In the game’s main storyline, he had once defended the orcish territory against the Saintess’s army for three days and three nights without falling, and only the Pope himself could take his head.
And this troublesome being had reconciled with the Beast King in this world and was now fighting alongside him.
White smoke billowed from his mouth:
“Brother, that is the one who killed Phantom Dragon and easily dealt with three colossi, our mortal enemy. Sooner or later, we will exterminate the dragon race with them and avenge our people!”
Although the two spoke arrogantly, they still moved aside when the large procession walked up the steps.
Standing beside the two were the other five “colossi.” They were an orc in red clothes, one with half his head exposed, a bronze-skinned giant from the mountains, a half-orc leader, a petite cat-eared girl, the “big sister” [Feather Statue], and a wolf-like beastman in a trench coat, smoking a cigar, his fierce demeanor evident.
Reaching the castle at the summit, Reina looked down at the plains before her—countless huge thatched huts, like tents, rose from the ground, black smoke curling upwards, as if the entire dark cloud was their handiwork. Beside the tents, a total of seven dark armies occupied every corner of her vision, their torches like a sea of stars.
This was the full extent of the orc army. The army at Eisentapha was just the tip of the iceberg.
—Once upon a time, Reina had also led humanity to victory against such a powerful orcish army.
But now, these guys had obtained powerful artifacts like the Goddess’s Treasures, and their level of difficulty was incomparable. It was this army that had driven the blood race to despair and forced them to seek refuge with the dragon race.
Reina could see the hatred in the eyes of the blood race.
Especially Peter’s.
“What a bunch of bloodthirsty madmen.”
Passing by the Beast King’s brothers, Peter, seemingly emboldened by the crowd, expressed his opinion of the orcs, and [Melancholy Court Statue] replied sullenly:
“We only believe in truth.”
“In this world, strength is truth.”
The two exchanged another glance and stopped talking.
The Beast King and Court Statue joined the procession and entered the castle. This castle was like any ancient castle from a horror movie, and even in the game, it was a somewhat famous place called “Phantom Island Castle,” where the Headless Horseman, a powerful demon not belonging to any faction, had once resided.
But out of respect for the Four Kings of the Realms, this level 80-something Headless Horseman had temporarily left.
The blood race army stood guard outside the castle. A total of six people entered the Phantom Island first.
Sophia, Peter, Melancholy Court Statue, and the Beast King.
And Calysia and Reina.
And in the center of the ancient castle, directly above the cleaned conference table, was a circular opening. Only then did everyone realize that the ceiling was composed of countless circular stone discs. As time passed, the ever-changing stone discs would always align the circular opening with the direction of the moon.
Under the moonlight, a new face appeared—no, rather than a new face, it was an old acquaintance of Reina’s.
“Why is there a human here?”
Peter, the butler following Queen Sophia, squinted and said:
“Little human girl should go home to her mommy.”
“And the Dark Elf Queen? Didn’t she call us here?”
The Beast King Kritz asked.
At this moment, the Saintess was completely shocked. She never thought she would one day face four of the Four Kings of the Realms and their most capable subordinates at the same time—the strongest beings in the entire demon world were standing before her!
Peter walked up to the Saintess, his tall frame towering over her, and leaned against the wall with one hand, smiling:
“Do you know that trespassing is disrespectful to the Four Kings of the Realms, little human miss?”
Reina held Calysia’s hand and didn’t speak. Because of her pregnancy, she felt a slight fear of this strange scene, not for herself, but for the child in her belly.
But seeing the Saintess’s predicament, she stepped forward and said with a smile:
“The human Saintess was invited by me. Stand with us.”
Seeing Reina say this, Peter lost his gangster-like demeanor, nodded slightly to the Saintess, and all his previous disrespect vanished.
The Saintess immediately understood. She scurried over to Calysia and Reina and said gratefully, “Thank you, Dragon Queen and Your Highness…”
She immediately noticed Reina’s slightly swollen belly.
She looked up at Reina’s face as if understanding something.
