The situation before me left me in utter confusion.
Why?
An orc unit and dragon knight together—something I hadn’t anticipated.
I had assumed they’d operate separately, but to think they’d actually be together…
Why is this happening?
It’s perplexing.
Completely incomprehensible.
Why are they here together?
Apart from times of war, it’s almost unheard of for these two factions to interact, let alone cooperate.
Their presence together was enough to spark suspicion.
What on earth is going on here?
Every event has a cause, so there must be a reason they are here.
However, I don’t know the cause.
Is this Redros’ command?
No, he wouldn’t squander dragon knights for something like this.
An isolated unit lost in battle?
That seems unlikely, as this area, the Everlasting Snowfield connected to the demon realm, is closest to Redros’ territory.
What could it be…
Since contact was lost, I know nothing of their situation.
Even if there were a reason for their presence here, I wouldn’t know it.
However, to my knowledge, this is undoubtedly abnormal.
Having served under Redros as a dragon knight myself, this feels unquestionably strange.
I must uncover the reason. If there’s a reason, surely they’ll tell me.
I stepped forward slowly, and in an instant, all eyes turned to me.
I summoned my demonic energy. I had already removed the ring from my hand.
As I continued walking, I gradually removed my glove to reveal the back of my hand.
Raising it towards them, I showed the mark etched into my skin.
On the back of my hand was a black crest.
It looked like a tattoo, but this emblem appears when the Demon King bestows a dukedom.
All dukes bore such marks on their bodies.
If any other demon attempted to replicate or draw this crest, they’d face punishment or even execution.
For this reason, showing the mark was an effective way to assert my status—aside from the fact that it’s indelible.
“Dragon Knight and orcs! Reveal the reason you are here from start to finish!”
My voice resounded among them.
The orcs all turned their gazes toward me, and I stood firmly under their scrutiny.
After a moment, a few orcs stepped forward cautiously.
Good.
Now I’ll get to hear their story.
Soon, I’ll understand the reason they’re here and the situation on the other side.
That knowledge could greatly help me decide my next course of action, especially now with the Demon King dead.
Perhaps I might even find a way to escape this place.
But contrary to my expectations—
What greeted me was the swing of an orc’s axe.
“What?!”
I leaped back hastily as axes swung simultaneously from three directions, embedding themselves into the spot where I’d stood.
The snow beneath them bore the deep impressions of their blades as they withdrew their weapons.
Then, more orcs charged at me with their axes.
The sharp sound of slicing air accompanied each swing.
I dodged one by ducking, only for another axe to come sweeping upward from below.
“What the hell…?!”
They attacked relentlessly, as if executing a coordinated assault.
Without a moment’s respite, I shouted while evading their strikes.
“Why are you attacking me?! Are you out of your minds?!”
In the past, I crushed any demons who challenged me, leaving none alive.
As a result, hardly anyone dared oppose me anymore.
Yet now, an entire unit was openly targeting me.
The situation made no sense.
Were they not afraid?
For demons, challenging someone of a higher rank meant risking death.
“They won’t listen to reason…”
Dodging another axe swing, I weighed my options.
Killing them wasn’t an option; my purpose here was to send them back alive, and I needed to hear about the situation on the other side.
But they clearly weren’t going to cooperate willingly.
Despite revealing my status, they charged at me with murderous intent.
That left only one option.
I’d have to force them to talk.
One of the orcs roared as it swung a massive two-handed axe down at me.
I dodged it effortlessly and muttered under my breath.
“[Restraint].”
With a clatter, black chains shot up from the snowy ground, snaking toward the orcs.
The chains coiled around their arms and legs like living serpents.
With heavy thuds, several orcs fell forward, their limbs bound.
There was no time to rest.
I leaned back sharply as a greatsword whistled past my face, its edge grazing the air in front of me.
The faint breeze brushed my skin, but I muttered the spell again without hesitation.
The sound of metal clashing echoed, followed by the crash of another heavy body hitting the ground.
The sequence repeated: dodge, chant, dodge, chant. Like a machine executing commands, I continued the cycle.
Eventually, I had subdued every enemy, leaving them sprawled in the snow.
I surveyed the scene.
The fallen orcs lay tangled in chains, struggling and leaving marks in the snow with their movements.
Their eyes burned with rage as they glared at me, exhaling harsh breaths.
Good, this part’s handled. Now the rest…
Dusting off my hands, I looked up at the sky—and there, I saw a massive figure hurtling toward me.
A deafening roar pierced the air.
“GRRRRAAAARRRR!!!”
A wyvern was charging straight at me.
Just as its gaping jaws neared, I jumped to the side.
A thunderous crash followed as snow exploded in every direction.
Amid the chaos, I quietly muttered the spell again.
“[Restraint].”
Chains emerged from thin air, launching themselves at the wyvern.
They coiled around its massive body without hesitation.
Sensing the restraint, the wyvern immediately attempted to take flight.
The chains tightened further, but they couldn’t completely bind its enormous wings.
Eventually, the wyvern succeeded in rising into the air.
I watched it ascend, its wings beating powerfully.
Although I couldn’t ground it, I wasn’t particularly concerned.
From the Beginning, I Had a Different Target
I looked ahead.
Right before me, the chains wrapped around the wyvern clinked as they began to lift into the air.
I grabbed onto them with my hands. Slowly, my body began to rise along with them.
Dragon knights are notoriously difficult to deal with.
Attack them from a distance, and their speed often lets them evade.
Attack up close, and you must contend with the dragon’s powerful body and the knight’s mastery of swordsmanship simultaneously.
It seems like they have no weaknesses, but ironically, their greatest vulnerability is the very thing they rely on: the sky.
It may sound strange that knights who utilize the sky have a weakness tied to it, but there’s a reason.
Dragons, being inherently wild and uncontrollable creatures, tend to act on their own if not explicitly commanded.
As a result, dragon knights are powerless to act while their mounts are airborne.
This weakness gave rise to one surefire way to defeat a dragon knight: confront them directly on the dragon’s back.
If they focus on the fight, they lose control of their dragon and crash.
If they focus on controlling the dragon, they’re defenseless against attack.
This strategy creates an impossible dilemma for the knight.
The moment a dragon knight allows someone else to board their mount, they’re doomed to face a grim outcome, no matter their choice.
However, executing this strategy in reality is nearly impossible.
Climbing onto a flying dragon is an extraordinary feat, and even if someone managed to mount it, they’d likely lose balance during the wild ride and fall.
That’s why dragon knights remain fearsome and destructive forces in any battle—
At least, for ordinary people.
For someone like me, it doesn’t apply. Even the so-called “powerful” warriors are no exception.
If the dragon can be restrained for just a moment, mounting it is child’s play.
That was the case now.
I climbed the chains steadily, drawing closer to the wyvern.
The wind whipped fiercely around me, but it wasn’t an issue.
Eventually, my hand reached its back.
Pulling myself up with all my strength, I finally mounted the wyvern.
The dragon knight noticed me and looked visibly panicked, jerking the reins harshly.
The whip-like sound of the reins snapped through the air, and the wyvern’s massive frame began to sway erratically, as if trying to shake off an unwelcome passenger.
The cold wind roared past, tossing my hair wildly.
The flight became so unstable it wouldn’t be surprising if I were flung off at any moment.
This level of maneuvering indicated that the knight was highly skilled.
Experienced dragon knights deliberately perform erratic flight patterns to dislodge intruders.
For most, nine out of ten would fail to stay on.
Unfortunately for this knight, that didn’t apply to me.
I’d ridden dragons before. I was once the captain of their unit, after all. To me, this level of turbulence was a minor inconvenience.
I crept closer to the knight’s back. Realizing the futility of shaking me off, the knight abandoned the reins and drew their sword.
“Too late.”
Before their blade was fully unsheathed, my incantation was complete.
Extending one hand, I muttered,
“[Lightning].”
A crackling white bolt struck the knight squarely in the chest.
They convulsed briefly before slumping lifelessly to the side.
If left like this, they’d fall to their death.
“Can’t let that happen.”
I quickly cast another spell.
Just before the knight fell, chains wrapped around their body, securing them in place.
Satisfied, I climbed up to the saddle and grabbed the reins.
But it wasn’t over yet.
With the knight gone, the wyvern began acting on its own.
A dragon without its pilot was like a fighter jet without a pilot—completely unpredictable and prone to crashing.
I yanked the reins hard.
The wyvern thrashed violently, resisting my commands.
I cast a spell to inflict pain, eliciting a tortured cry from the beast.
From now on, there would be no trust or bonding—only strict, oppressive control.
If it didn’t obey, it would suffer.
Under the duress of pain, the wyvern began to heed my commands, albeit reluctantly. Its flight was still unstable, but I managed to steer it in the direction I wanted.
“This is good enough.”
I directed the wyvern back to the spot where the orcs were bound.
Soon, the scene of chained orcs sprawled across the snowfield came into view.
“Time to crash.”
Placing my fist on the wyvern’s back, I muttered,
“[Absorb].”
Power began to coalesce in my hand, radiating a bright aura.
After exactly three seconds, I cast the follow-up spell.
“[Release]!”
With a loud bang, the wyvern’s wings froze mid-motion. Its head tilted downward, tracing a steep arc toward the ground.
The snowy field rushed up to meet us. I clung tightly to the reins and the chains binding the knight.
With a deafening crash, the wyvern slammed into the ground, its massive body plowing through trees and snow before finally coming to a stop.
I dismounted from the now-motionless wyvern and checked on the knight.
Fortunately, they were still alive.
Satisfied, I bound the wyvern more securely to ensure it couldn’t fly again.
Then, dragging the unconscious knight, I approached the group of bound orcs.
Tossing the knight at their feet, I declared,
“Now, let’s begin our conversation.”
I walked slowly toward the orcs.
I had many questions for the dragon knight, but the orcs were my priority.
They were the reason I came here, and I needed to know why they were here as well.
“Let’s start with a bit of magic, shall we?”
Ideally, I’d interrogate them properly, but there wasn’t time.
The commotion earlier might have drawn attention, so I had to act quickly, even if it meant being rough.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done mind control…”
With that thought, I began chanting,
“[Mental…]”
Suddenly—
A blinding red light filled my vision.
Thud!
The sound of something heavy falling reached my ears. Instinctively, I turned to see what it was. An orc’s body lay there.
My eyes widened in shock.
The upper part of the orc’s neck was gone.
Blood gushed like uncorked wine, spraying outward in all directions like crimson blossoms blooming in the snow.
I stared blankly at the scene for several seconds, finally understanding what had happened.
The orc’s head had exploded. At the exact moment I cast my spell.
“…What the hell?”
The curse escaped my lips unbidden.
Sure doesn’t seem complete, what happens next?
The author is on permanent hiatus.