Drawing the Bow to Shoot the Dragon

Clawed talons like executioner's blades reached for Orhan.

"No!"

Orhan's expression changed drastically. He only had time to shout before he could even raise the steel lance in his hand.

It was too fast. Not only Orhan himself, but even the Clawed Dragon beneath him had no time to react.

But just then.

A white candle abruptly appeared above Orhan's head. Under the wind pressure unleashed by Red Lightning's talons, its flame was snuffed out cleanly.

The candle went out, and shadows emerged.

As the candle was extinguished, it took all surrounding light with it.

It was as though countless enormous hands had stretched out from the darkness, shrouding Orhan in shadow.

Red Lightning's talons slammed down, gouging three deep trenches into the city wall, but Orhan had already vanished.

A trace of fury appeared on the red dragon's face. Smoke reeking of sulfur poured from its nostrils. "Come out, you cowardly worm!"

It opened its bloody maw, and searing dragonfire roared forth, engulfing the entire stretch of wall. Some soldiers hiding within the walls did not even have time to scream before the suddenly soaring heat roasted them into charcoal.

"Beast, I'm right here."

The female knight in a fallow deer antler hood appeared atop a tower behind the dragon, like an angel reflected out of the darkness. She wore a black-and-white battle robe.

She gripped the hilt of her bladed sword with both hands and softly began chanting the Hohenzollern family's ancient incantation.

As magic power flowed in, alchemical patterns connected the inscriptions on the blade, transforming into terrifying shadow power. At that moment, though the blazing sun still hung overhead, this stretch of wall was plunged into utter darkness.

From afar, it looked as though a corner of the world had gone missing.

Vivianna knew perfectly well