Chapter 153: Allies

shiki’s pupils dilated as he took in the blasphemous scene happening in the sky.

A human sized being with two wings sprouting out of their back hovered in the air at a safe distance from the dragon.

The figures were too far away in the dark sky and they were standing directly under the crimson moon so it was very hard to make out their exact features… but there was something wrong with the wings of the human sized creature.

They were not natural and were constantly dripping something… while the guy was no doubt a young male.

For a second Ishiki thought about the possibility of a player having wings… after all he too had a vestige that provided wings. And he could not just rule out the criteria where some other player had a similar vestige.

But as Ishiki observed them for a few moments… It became clear that the figure was not a player.

There was something wrong the way its body moved, its posture was unnatural too… as if something is trying to get fitted into new cloths.

But it can’t be a player that was for sure, no one would be approaching the demon with such casualness.

’Wait… that tainted demon didn’t have wings when he first attacked me and Yuki in the Crimson Canopy. Or maybe he just didn’t use them.’ Thinking that his expression turned grim. ’Yes… from my fight later on I can confirm that the demons can indeed control their wings to manifest at times.’

As his train of thought came to this conclusion… his blood ran cold. ’That… That’s a demon.’

His memories flashed back to the fight in the Outer Ring. He had barely survived that because he had the correct ’Tools’ and way to use them

effectively.

And now there was another one. Here. In the Secondary Ring where players had thought they were safe.

’How did it get past the gates? When did it infiltrate? How long has it been here?’

A myriad of questions formed in his mind. The demon’s shouldn’t be able to get in… even if they can fly with their wings. The golden wall around the whole expanse of the Secondary ring was still intact… it still had the power to keep the withering beasts and demons out… then how?

Full of questions and lingering fear… Ishiki once again glanced up and saw that the demon was bowing down in front of the dragon and it was hovering somewhat below its body.

He dare not fly above the dragon and the winged figure and the dragon seemed to be… communicating? The dragon’s massive head swayed, following the smaller figure’s movements. Its body language shifted… but it was not attacking. The scene was almost… conversational.

’They know each other,’ Ishiki thought with mounting dread. ’The demon and the dragon. So, none of this was random. All of this was planned and coordinated. Then how did that girl… a human who had no connection to Aethelburg’s past got swept in?’

’There is a chance that she was under someone’s influence and being controlled.’

’So, does this demon have abilities related to mind control? ’

As he watched, frozen in horror and unable to look away, something even more impossible began to happen.

The dragon’s massive form started to shimmer. Its scales caught the crimson moonlight and seemed to blur, the edges of its body losing definition.

Golden and brilliant light began to pour from its form, growing brighter and brighter until Ishiki had to shield his eyes.

The light pulsed once, twice, like a heartbeat made visible.

And then it contracted.

The enormous dragon form collapsed inward, shrinking with impossible speed. The massive wings folded and compressed. The long serpentine neck shortened. The body that had blocked out the moon moments ago condensed down to something far, far smaller.

When the light faded, Ishiki lowered his hand and stared with his mouth hung open.

Where the dragon had been, there now floated a human figure.

A man, from what Ishiki could see at this distance. It was tall and imposing even in human form. But not entirely human—because the four wings remained, sprouting from his back in two pairs, they were smaller now but still clearly draconic in nature.

And the two tails were still there, whipping behind him with serpentine grace. Also the two large horns protruded out of its head.

The dragon had transformed into a humanoid form, but kept its most distinctive features intact.

To be honest… it looked more like a demon now and less like a dragon. If not for the fact that it had just transformed from its actual form… Ishiki would have most certainly regarded him as one of the tainted demons.

But that was not a problem right now.

The now-humanoid dragon turned its head, and even from this distance, Ishiki could feel the weight of those golden eyes sweeping across the Secondary Ring.

Looking for what, Ishiki didn’t know. But the predatory intent was unmistakable.

They were talking about something no one knew and then suddenly the dragon’s figure seemed to laugh. The winged figure in front of him acted all shocked and disappointed… doing actions that were most probably of someone trying to persuade an impossible person.

’They’re not allies,’ Ishiki realized, his analytical mind struggling to function through the fog of pain and exhaustion. ’Or at least… not willing allies. There’s tension there.’

It was a small observation, but potentially crucial. If the dragon and the demons weren’t working in perfect coordination, that represented a weakness. Something that could maybe, possibly, be exploited.

Not by him, obviously. He could barely move and barely think straight. But if that information reached someone who could actually do something with it…

’I need to get out of here,’ Ishiki thought, his body finally catching up with what his mind had been screaming for the past several minutes. ’I need to move and find others.’

Then suddenly as his gaze flickered to the figures again… he was shocked that his observation would be proved correct so soon.

The dragon was holding the winged figure from the neck.

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