NOVEL NEXT Chapter 369: Cinder's Inferno
As Alister walked away, he paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulder toward Yu'Keto, his gaze narrowing.
"Then again, I do have a question," he said, his voice calm yet sharp.
"Ask away, young lord," Yu'Keto said, nodding his massive head slightly.
"Tell me... Yu'Keto, if you knew the dragon kin were going through something like this..."
He turned to fully face him as he continued.
"Why didn't you help them? With your abilities... you are able to see the future, are you not?"
"Indeed," Yu'Keto said, narrowing his gaze as well.
"So then, tell me, why did a dragon of your might and status turn a blind eye to the suffering of our kin?"
Yu'Keto closed his eyes, then gracefully lowered his head until his maw touched the earth. He spread out his wings, their tips touching the ground as well, crushing all the trees beneath them.
It was a posture to show surrender... but in this case, one could say it was to show sincerity and ask for forgiveness.
"As you said, young lord... I am able to foresee the future." Yu'Keto said, his tone calm and yet with a touch of regret.
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"...but often at times, this always made me worry for my lady... your mother. In the past, being the sort of person she was, she didn't like me to be burdened with future knowledge, so she asked that I live life a little more simply and learn to embrace unpredictability."
"Although it was an order I later came to regret, it was also one I am glad she gave. So while I may be able to see the future, I haven't done so in many years."
"So I want to apologize, young lord, for not fulfilling such responsibility and for the failure to protect our people in such times."
"All they have suffered can be said to be due to my own negligence, and I will gladly accept any punishment you wish to give."
As Alister nodded in approval, he motioned for Yu'Keto to rise.
"You may rise," Alister said, "If you were simply following orders, I won't fault you."
Yu'Keto lowered his head briefly in gratitude. "I am grateful, young lord."
Alister stepped back slightly, his expression softening. "But now, as the lord you serve, I ask that you gaze into the future whenever you deem it necessary. An event like this one should never repeat itself."
Yu'Keto's eyes glowed softly as he bowed once more. "I understand, my lord."
Alister gave a small, approving nod. "Good. Proceed as ordered."
Suddenly, Alister's mind was flooded with a system notification.
⫷『System Notification: synchronicity with Yu'Keto has increased to 10%.』⫸
⫷『Notice!: The player is still yet to undergo their next awakening. Two sets of awakening are pending.』⫸
⫷『As well as the summoning of the next dragon general.』⫸
Alister gave a faint smile.
He then turned to leave, his figure seemed to fade then vanish from view.
...
The jungle was ablaze. Flames roared from Cinder's maw, filling the air with smoke and the scent of charred flesh.
Trees burned to the ground, grasses, and bodies burned to the extent they were unrecognizable.
Her crimson eyes burned with fury as her fiery breath consumed everything in its path, leaving behind a trail of ash.
Humans ran in terror, their screams piercing the thick jungle air, but none could escape her wrath.
"WHERE IS HE?" Cinder roared, her voice a deafening thunder in the chaos.
"WHERE IS THE MAN WITH THE SKULL MARK ON HIS FACE?"
The men, dressed in black armor and wielding crude weapons, stumbled over roots and tripped into the sticky mud.
"Get moving! Move! Move!" one yelled, his voice high-pitched due to panic.
"We've got to get out of here! The dragon's gonna burn us all!"
BOOM!
The ground trembled as Cinder's enormous tail slammed down, crushing one man under the weight of her power.
Time seemed to slow down as the eyes of the others who had been running beside him widened in sheer terror, blood from the other man splattering all over him, the force of the attack sending him stumbling.
The crunch of bones was audible, and the thick smell of burnt flesh hung in the air.
He wanted to quickly get back on his feet and keep running but...
TWAKK!
Cinder suddenly swung her tail, slamming him through the trees, flattening everything in an instant.
Her sharp claws swiped through the air, slicing through others.
Their frantic attempts to flee were futile. One fell into a shallow pit, his cries for help cut short by the searing heat of Cinder's breath.
FOOSH!
His flesh bubbled and burned, the smell of burnt flesh overpowering the jungle's earthy scent.
TWAKK!
Cinder's tail smashed into another, sending him sprawling into the underbrush with a sickening crunch. His screams echoed through the jungle as his ribs cracked beneath the force.
"WHERE IS MY SISTER? WHERE IS MY MOTHER?" Cinder growled, her voice trembling with rage. "YOU WORKED WITH THAT MAN, AND NOW YOU WILL PAY!"
The men gasped, "We don't—don't know anything!" one managed to scream through the agony, his voice hoarse and shrill.
"LIAR!"
"HUMAN SCUM! BE REDUCED TO ASH!"
Cinder's wings flared, blocking the faint light and casting the jungle into shadow.
Her breath poured forth again, a searing wall of fire that came down upon another group, leaving only charred corpses in its wake.
"Run!" screamed one, but his voice was drowned out by the roar of the inferno.
His legs failed him as he tripped over a root, sending him face-first into the dirt.
"Get up!" another yelled, shoving him, but the flames caught them both, consuming them in an instant.
"AHHHH! AHHHHH!" The agony was deafening, each cry blending into the next, as the jungle became filled with the sounds of screams and flames.
VOOSH!
A man threw a spear forward, desperate for a chance at survival.
CLANG!
It simply bounced off when it came into contact with Cinder's impenetrable black scales.
Cinder directed her intense glowing red eyes toward the foolish human, her tail flicking in response, sending the man flying through the air, crashing into a tree with a sickening crunch.
"She's toying with us!" one gasped, hiding behind a tree, desperately wiping away sweat and blood.
"S-She going to kill us all... We can't beat that thing..."