Volume 3 Chapter 139: The Dragon Hunting Battle at the New Moon Lake
Translator: The Light
Edits by Grandia
Sea God Temple on Brown’s Peak, among the ruins of the ancient capital city of the Romanov Empire at the centre of the New Moon Island, also known as Copperfield Island.
It was the dawn the next morning. The flames from the earlier battles within the ancient city had been put out by the Demon Army that had taken control of the area. The only reminders of the carnage that had occurred the day before were the large holes in the city walls.
Even the most lavish and secure place within the Sea God Temple could not compare to Poseidon’s personal treasure vault. The vault was filled with gold coins and diamonds. Open treasure chests overflowing with gold coins and all sorts of gold items could be seen everywhere.
The treasures that had been hidden away in this vault were remnants of the ancient Romanov Empire’s national reserves. Back then, the Romanov Empire had been one of the strongest maritime nations. Their fleets had traveled far and wide to various islands and had amassed large amounts of wealth and treasures. It was a pity that such a powerful empire had been eventually wiped out by Nielson the Ogre and his followers.
Bella opened her eyes and stretched her arms above her head. Last night, she had held the Sea Dragon God Emerald in her arms while they rolled onto the pile of gold coins and had fallen asleep. Bella and her dorm mates could not find a single bed in this ancient city and they had no choice but to return to this gold-filled treasure vault to sleep instead.
Emerald was there as well. The night before, Bella had pinned her down onto the piles of gold and had done unspeakable naughty things to her. This innocent Sea Dragon God was obviously no match for the errant Bella. Now, she had begun to look at Bella with fear in her eyes.
“Emi, you’re awake. It must have been really tough on you last night. It definitely wasn’t easy to not make a single sound the entire night.
“You... You demon! We are both girls, how could you...”
“I AM a demon. What’s the problem? Look at Laceman. She was much more open than you were last night.”
The Golden Dragon Princess Laceman was still around as Bella had not put her back to the Pet Space. As the treasure vault had been sectioned into individual smaller spaces, Bella had taken Emerald and Princess Laceman back to this particular room to do naughty things to them, taking advantage of the perfect excuse of helping to treat Emerald’s wounds.
Her dorm mates were resting in the other sections, and did not realize what was happening with Bella and her companions.
Princess Laceman was already awake, but she continued to feign sleep. Last night, she had moaned so wantonly in front of the Sea Dragon God Emerald. Now, she was too embarrassed to face her.
“She was forced by you. She didn’t have a choice. I don’t believe that the Golden Dragon Race would...”
“What a naive little lass. By the way, did you realize that the wounds on your body have all been healed?”
“This is Poseidon’s blessing... it’s...”
Emerald stopped in mid-sentence. Poseidon had died a long time ago. Without his powers as support, as Poseidon’s steed, it would have been impossible for her to recover from such serious injuries overnight. Unless...
“This energy... it’s demonic. Last night, what did you do to me...”
“What did I do? I just transformed you from a divine beast to a demonic holy beast, that’s all! Oh no, don’t cry. If you had not surrendered, the others would have done all sorts of horrible things to you! For instance, Elaine would have definitely turned you into a puppet dragon. I was saving your life!”
Bella could not help but rush over to comfort Emi, who was sobbing. This innocent and naive lass was unable to accept even something like this. Noreya’s poisoned arrows were not a child’s playthings. They were extremely lethal. If Emi had not been turned into a Demon God’s steed, that miserable Sea Dragon God would have died before the night ended.
Furthermore, Bella way not lying to her at all. She had seen what Lisha and the others were capable of after they had turned only partially dark. If Emi had not joined them, it would not have come as a surprise if she had been permanently silenced by Noreya and the others. Poseidon was not around anymore. It was an absolute waste of resources to let a holy beast like her watch over and remain faithful to a god that did not exist anymore.
“I will not betray Poseidon. He will...”
“Emi, don’t you wish to seek revenge on Poseidon’s behalf? Also, the God World does not exist anymore. Why are you still holding on to the hope that the Gods will help you?”
“You’re a demon king. There’s no reason for me to believe that you want to help me!”
“The fact that I’m about to become your new mistress should be a good enough reason. Emi, this is your only chance to seek revenge for Poseidon’s death! Your decision?”
“By the way, Emi, think about it. I am a female Demon King. If you miss out on this opportunity and the next one that comes by is a male, he will not be as easy going as I am.”
The Sea Dragon God hesitated. The evil demonic energy in her body had been forcefully injected against her will. There was no turning back now. Even if she did not accept Bella’s terms, nothing would change.
“Emi, stop hesitating. Take Laceman for example. Doesn’t she look like she’s living well?”
“But... will you really be able to help me? The Twelve Demon Kings are terrifying beings that unleashed a bloodbath upon the God World.”
“Do you think that I’m no match for the Twelve Demon Kings?”
The Sea Dragon God paused to think about what Bella had just said. Poseidon had already disappeared for more than ten thousand years. Her insistence on waiting seemed to be a lost cause. Submitting to Bella might be her best option right now.
“Emi, Your Honor, stop thinking so much and reach a decision. Mistress Bella would never hurt you.”
Laceman, who had been pretending to be asleep, finally roused from her fake slumber to help Bella convince Emi to join them. It was just a matter of time before the Dragon Race found out that she had made a deal with a Demon King. If the Sea Dragon God was in the same boat, it would be much easier to deal with the backlash together.
“Bella, I...”
The Sea Dragon God Emerald nodded slightly in silent agreement with Bella’s suggestions. However, she could not get herself to utter the word “surrender” at all.
“Emi, I promise, you will not regret your decision. Now, what information can you give me on the other three demonic beasts on this island?
“I understand, miss...mistress.”
The ruins of the ancient capital city of the Romanov Empire at the centre of the New Moon Island, also known as Copperfield Island, within the torture chamber of the empire’s prison.
“Stop hitting me, please! I will tell you everything. I do not have Poseidon’s Scepter. I’m not lying...”
Bella sat regally on a hovering Demon King’s throne and had a large black cape draped on her shoulders. With a ferocious demon’s mask on her face, she drifted into the room.
A hovering throne was one of the treasures used by demon kings to show off. The point of having a throne that could float in midair was to add a little flair to the Demon King’s presence.
Once Bella entered the damp and dimly-lit prison, she could hear the dryad’s howls and moans. She did not allow Lisha and the others to enter the prison as she did not intend for any of the girls to come into contact with something as vile as a torture chamber.
“Who is the prisoner? What a ruckus.”
“Honorable Demon King, it’s my fault for overlooking this matter. I will cut off that fellow’s tongue right away.”
“Honorable Demon King, I am here to surrender and pledge my allegiance to you. Please don’t kill me.”
“Hold on. Bring the prisoner to me.”
Within moments, the demons had dragged a heavily tortured dryad, who was covered in blood, and presented him to Bella.
“Honorable Demon King, I am sincerely here to surrender and pledge my allegiance to you. Don’t kill me, I am...”
“Honorable Demon King, this fellow has nothing on him at all. I think we would be better off if he was dead.”
The Demon Guards that were standing beside Bella had been influenced by her. They had fully intended to kill the penniless son of the Elder Dryad as he was of no use to them at all.
“Treasures? I had them and I wanted to present them to you as a gift. However, they have been taken away by the New Moon Demonic Dragon, Dorothea, and her evil dragon. I am willing to atone for my mistake by leading the way to the New Moon Lake to retrieve Poseidon’s Trident.”
Poseidon’s Trident was not only Poseidon’s weapon of choice, it was also a representation of his divine right. This artifact was extremely influential among the oceanic race who believed in Poseidon.
After searching Poseidon’s treasure vault and the Romanov Empire’s national reserves, Bella was unsuccessful in finding the divine artifact. The Sea Dragon God, Emerald, said that she had handed it over to the Elder Dryad’s son for safekeeping. How did it end up with the New Moon Demonic Dragon?
“You’re willing to lead the way? There is nothing worth collecting near the New Moon Lake. Why would I go there?! Take him away and kill...”
“Honorable Demon King, the New Moon Lake has its hidden treasures. You must have heard that the Dragon Race has a habit of keeping their treasures within their dragon caves. There are treasures on the New Moon Lake’s central island.”
Dorothea, the New Moon Demonic Dragon, was undoubtedly the strongest demonic beast on the New Moon Island. Even the Sea Dragon God, Emerald, had admitted that she did not stand a chance against Dorothea if it ever came to a fight.
There were only two days left before Bella and the others were due back in school and there was no way they were going back without the demonic core from a high level demonic beast.
Bella had intended to take the core of the Siren King McMillan or the double-headed ogre, Nielson. As these two demonic beasts were not female, Bella had no problem fighting to the death.
The demons who had been sent out on a reconnaissance mission last night had reported that the New Moon Demonic Dragon, Dorothea, was female. Bella was a little hesitant. The New Moon Dragons were well versed in concealment magic. It would be extremely challenging for Bella’s team to find her, let alone capture her.
“Honorable Demon King, please do not worry. Based on my knowledge, if the New Moon Demonic Dragon comes into contact with fresh blood from other demons, she will not be able to conceal herself for an hour. However, I implore you to make a decision as soon as possible. When night falls, the New Moon Demonic Dragon will be completely hidden.”
The Elder Dryad’s son who was leading the way was far more anxious than Bella was. He wanted to make use of the Demon King’s power to destroy the New Moon Demonic Dragon. As they were both his enemies, it would be absolutely perfect if they managed to kill each other.
On the banks of the New Moon Lake, Copperfield Island. The New Moon Demonic Dragon, Dorothea, had morphed into her human form and was basking in the warm sunlight. Poseidon’s Trident had been left on the little island at the centre of the lake.
“Who is that? Why are you sneaking around? Show yourself!”
“Honorable Demonic Dragon, it’s me. I was here last night...”
A dryad emerged from the bushes and cautiously began approaching the New Moon Demonic Dragon as he carried the bag of demon’s blood that Bella had given to him in his arms. Once the blood came into contact with Dorothea’s body, she would lose the ability to use her concealment magic for an hour.
Bella and her team lay in wait nearby. This time, the entire team was involved in the hunt as the New Moon Demonic Dragon was much more intelligent than the Sea Dragon God. Bella was afraid that something might happen if they did not have all hands on deck.
Using her sharp eyesight, Bella could see the New Moon Demonic Dragon, Dorothea, from a distance. Dorothea looked somewhat different from the information that Bella had gathered on her. There was no demonic aura emanating from this demonic dragon at all.
Against the midday sun, a beautiful young lady with hair as white as the moon was lounging on a wooden chair by the lake. She wore a golden dress and wore a crown on her head. On the centre of the crown lay a piece of gorgeous sapphire shaped like the moon.
Dorothea stood up and the dryad was instantly blasted hundreds of meters away even though she barely moved a muscle.
“Come out. Hiding in the bushes is not a good look for a girl.”
Since they had been exposed, Bella and the others decided to reveal their presence. As it was noon, Dorothea’s concealment magic was not invulnerable.
After emerging from the bushes, Lisha and Bella stood at the front of the group as Knights while Arial and Elaine watched their backs as a magical unit. Kriss and Noreya were in charge of mobile attacks. If they had had a priest, they would have had a perfect exploration team on their hands.
“Have humans become so cruel? Look at your gear. It’s far too savage! Speak up, if you are here for treasures, the center of the New Moon Lake holds what you seek.”
As Dorothea looked at Bella’s team, she felt a little apprehensive. Without any demonic beasts, a normal person would not be able to tell that those in Bella’s team had the presence of Demon Kings or similar.
To prevent the New Moon Demonic Dragon from noticing that something was wrong, Kriss and the others had changed out of the audacious outfits they had on earlier and into explorer’s gear. No matter how strong she was, Dorothea would not dare to engage in a fight with six experts who were at the level of a Demon King. Therefore, the disguise was absolutely necessary.
“Your Excellency, Dorothea, you’re mistaken. I am not here to seek any treasures. Well... I am here to seek the pleasures that only your body can provide. Will you cooperate with me?”
“Bodily pleasures... you are one interesting Dragon Knight. I am female. Are you sure you said the right thing?”
In a flash of moonlight, Dorothea had transformed into her dragon form and the entire area surrounding the New Moon Lake was plunged into darkness. As this was the New Moon Demon Dragon’s territory, she was able to manipulate the geographical features of the area to her advantage.
“Explorers, leave this place. This is not somewhere you should be right now. The Demon King’s army has already captured the ancient city nearby.”
The New Moon Demonic Dragon hovered in the air and reminded Bella and the other girls to leave, seemingly out of goodwill. In her mind, she had not made the connection that these explorers were the Demon Kings.
Other than the two knights who were regular beauties, the mage, assassin, swordsman and puppet master were all exquisite beauties. Dorothea could not bear to look at them any longer as she knew that they would meet their unfortunate premature deaths if the Demon King’s army were to attack.
The New Moon Demonic Dragon looked more closely related to the Elven Dragons than the regular dragon race. The difference was especially apparent in her translucent wings, which gleamed with an iridescent glow. Under the moonlight, one could barely take their eyes off them.
Bella and Lisha raised their shields and took a defensive stance. Even though Bella was a Dragon Knight, the only steed that she was able to summon at the moment was the Golden Dragon Princess Laceman.
The golden dragons were purely physical beasts, while the New Moon Demonic Dragons were known to be well versed in both magical and physical combat. Bella was worried that Dorothea would use the “Kite-style” dual-pronged combat tactics on her golden dragon and she would surely be soundly beaten. In the end, Bella decided to summon her steed at another time.
Lisha’s steed was of no use either. Her temporary steed was a T-Rex demonic beast that was unable to fly. This would have made it an easy target for the New Moon Demonic Dragon.
Her trump card, the Devastating Evil Dragon, Lolita, was back at Olsylvia Academy. Bella had assigned her to protect the members of her harem, which meant that Lolita was unavailable as well.
Seeing as Bella and the rest had no intention of leaving, a seven-hued magical array appeared behind the New Moon Demonic Dragon. Then, Dorothea sent a seven elemental attack towards Bella and her team. In an instant, all sorts of magical attacks like Fiery Dragons, Icy Blasts, and lightning came barreling in their direction.
Ariel, refusing to be outdone, had switched to an elemental door and retaliated with her own barrage of elemental attacks.
The entire night sky was instantly filled with a display of fireworks which was the result of the explosions that occurred when the elemental attacks collided.
“A Magical Sage? And a pure elemental one at that. Your abilities... these strings!”
Elaine’s puppet strings were once again directed into the skies. She wanted to take down the New Moon Demonic Dragon in the same way that she had captured the Sea Dragon God, Emerald.
Unfortunately for her, the parts of the New Moon Demonic Dragon that had been entangled in the strings suddenly turned transparent. Elaine’s puppet strings had missed their target. Even Noreya’s flying darts had completely missed their mark.
Just as the New Moon Demonic Dragon had thought that the worst had already passed, a flash of a sword brushed past her wings with frightening accuracy and drops of blood began to ooze from her wounds. As the blood fell to the ground, Elaine’s puppet strings made use of the opportunity to collect some of Dorothea’s blood.
The precious sword in Kriss’ hands had been switched to the Dragon’s Sorrow. This particular sword was famous for being able to suppress the dragon race. No matter how strong the New Moon Demonic Dragon was, she was still a member of the dragon race and was susceptible to the damage caused by the sword.
“Bella, this fellow is not afraid of the dragon-slaying sword. She knows how to manipulate a blurred state.”
“Kriss, switch to a poisonous sword with anesthetic properties. We are not here to slay her.”
Bella held on to her shield as she endured the New Moon Demonic Dragon’s magical attacks while she commandeered her team. She had finally experienced how difficult dragon slaying was. Furthermore, the knights had the toughest time as Lisha and she had to absorb the brunt of the attacks.
Dorothea saw that her magical attacks were ineffective. However, it would not be a smart move to land and engage in close-range combat. Bella had knights, an assassin, and a swordsman on her side. This meant that Dorothea would not have the upper hand in such forms of combat.
Suddenly, the moon began to grow larger and cast a light over the New Moon Lake that seemed to turn night into day. Various strange magical elements started to congregate in the air. Within these elements, it seemed to carry a hint of the God Race that left a deep impression on Bella and the others.
“It’s the Moon’s Verdict. Bella, there have been records of this move in the ancient books. This was the Moon Goddess’s ultimate move. I’m surprised that this demonic dragon knows how to execute her God’s move.”
As a mage, something seemed to shift in Ariel’s eyes. However, she did not panic. She must have had a contingency plan in mind.
“Ariel, do you have a way to deal with this?”
“You and Younger Sister Lisha have to hold the fort for a bit. I’ll initiate the forbidden move and use meteorites to force her to the ground.”
“Ariel, I’ll have to trouble you for now. I have no other way to deal with the dragon until she hits the ground.”
At the moment, Ariel was the only one who could retaliate against the New Moon Demonic Dragon’s attacks with magic and her teammates had pinned all their hopes on her. The assassin, swordsman, and puppet master could only wait for Dorothea to fall to the ground before they could unleash their attacks.