Chapter 343: Chapter 339 – Gift from the Queen
Noir glided lower and lower, his tattered and cracked wings flapping slowly, almost silently, yet the resulting air vibrations were enough to make the undead trees below sway as if swept by an approaching storm. From an altitude of about two hundred ters, the massive zombie dragon appeared like a living shadow of death its jet-black scales absorbing the moonlight, the green undead cracks pulsing faintly across its body like long-dead veins, and its hollow eyes glowing pale green, staring straight down at the group of mutant humans below.
Those at the front lines of the encirclent froze instantly.
"What... is that?" one of the mutant soldiers’ voices trembled, barely audible over the roar of tank engines.
"A DRAGON?! It’s an undead dragon! Look at the size!"
"Don’t tell ... is that the legendary Noir from Earth? The one they said was killed by... oh no..."
It wasn’t just the ordinary soldiers. Even the mutant mages, long accustod to radiation and plasma energy, took half a step back. Their weapons, previously aid at the undead lines, suddenly felt light and aningless. The plasma cannons they had just fired now stood silent, barrels still steaming, but no one dared to reload them.
And the most terrifying part: they still hadn’t seen the rider.
Sylvia remained seated casually between the protrusions of Noir’s spine, legs crossed, right hand resting under her chin, her long black hair fluttering gently in the night breeze. She hadn’t even stood up yet. The re presence of Noir was enough to make those five hundred mutant humans feel a chill not from the air temperature, but from their most primal instinct: fear of an apex predator.
Suddenly, Noir let out a low roar not an angry one, but a sound more like a satisfied huff. The vibration traveled through the ground, causing several tanks to shake on their treads. So soldiers dropped to their knees unconsciously, legs giving out.
And that was when Sylvia stood.
Her movent was slow, graceful, almost like soone waking from an afternoon nap. She took one step forward on Noir’s back, her left hand lightly touching one of the modified spinal bones she used as a handhold. Her Dress of Death swayed gently, its black fabric absorbing the surrounding light until the shadow beneath Noir’s body grew even darker. The Abyssal Regalia floating above her head remained calm, its obsidian and dragon bone radiating a passive aura of terror that now began to be felt even by high-tier beings.
Five hundred pairs of eyes locked onto her.
And panic erupted.
"IT’S HER! THE QUEEN OF DEATH!"
"SYLVIA! She really ca herself!"
"Retreat! RETREAT RIGHT NOW!"
Several armored vehicles began retreating clumsily, their treads grinding into their own ground in panic. Mutant mages shouted orders for radiation energy barriers, but their hands shook. One even dropped his magic staff.
Sylvia simply gazed down at them from above, her pitch-black eyes unblinking. Her lips curved into the sa thin smile as before a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, yet carried a promise.
She raised her voice, soft, yet sohow clearly audible in every ear present, as though the words were directly engraved into their minds.
"I already gave you a warning. Three full days. I gave you ti to reconsider, to withdraw, to save the lives you’ve already twisted into... this." She gave a small wave toward their mutated bodies covered in scales, radiation burns, and tal implants. "But you ignored it. You ca into my territory. You fired your weapons at my land. You demanded mine in the na of ’Earth’s rightful inheritance’."
Sylvia let out a soft sigh, as if regretting sothing.
"In that case... I’ll give you a gift."
Her right hand rose.
In her palm, a black-purple fla slowly appeared Death Fla. The fire didn’t dance wildly like ordinary flas; it flowed like living liquid, swirling between her fingers, absorbing the surrounding light until her palm looked like a tiny black hole.
Her left hand rose as well.
This ti, the fla that erged was pure white, almost silver, with a faint golden core at its center War Sun Fla. It felt hot, bright, and full of life... and precisely because of that, it beca utterly lethal when combined with Death Fla.
Sylvia slowly brought both hands together.
The black fla and white fla t in the middle, spiraling around each other like yin and yang repelling yet unable to separate. Their colors blended, forming a small ball the size of a mung bean, flickering alternately between black and white. The orb looked... harmless. Too small. Too beautiful.
So of the mutant humans even let out nervous laughs.
"That’s... just a tiny fla? Is she joking?"
"She’s going to burn us with a lighter?"
Sylvia’s smile widened.
Then she released it.
The small orb fell gently, like a dry leaf drifting from a tree. It floated downward unhurriedly, as if savoring its brief journey toward the ground.
And when the orb touched the surface right in the center of the mutant army’s formation...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
The explosion was no ordinary blast.
Blinding white light erupted in all directions, imdiately followed by a thick black wave that swallowed the light back in. The ground shook violently, as though a mountain had suddenly collapsed from within. A gigantic black mushroom cloud rose into the night sky, briefly forming the shape of a massive gaping skull before dispersing in the wind.
An area of nearly one square kiloter turned into an enormous crater in an instant.
The screams of the mutant humans vanished instantly.
Only lted tank wreckage, shattered plasma weapons, and bodies no longer whole remained.
But outside the crater, the undead forces and Nocturne dwarves stood firm.
Sylvia had already deployed a high-level Death Barrier from the beginning. An invisible protective do enveloped their entire defensive line. The fire and explosion that should have destroyed everything simply bent, split, and vanished upon touching the barrier. The earth-elent zombies didn’t even flinch. The dwarves operating the crystal cannons only briefly closed their eyes against the glare before resuming work as usual.
Sylvia looked down at the crater with an... expressionless face.
"Oops."
She just realized.
The mythril mine had been destroyed too.
Huge holes gaped everywhere; the once-visible mythril veins were now buried under debris or lted into pools of liquid tal. She scratched her cheek lightly with her index finger.
"Sorry... I forgot to hold back the power a little."
Noir let out a rumbling sound that sounded suspiciously like low laughter.
Below, the dwarves and earth-elent zombies had already begun moving into the safe zone. They started digging, inspecting, and sorting through the debris quickly. Soon, one dwarf shouted in delight, lifting sothing with both hands.
"MY QUEEN! LOOK AT THIS!"
He raised a chunk of mineral the size of a human head. Its color wasn’t the usual bluish-silver of mythril; it was a soft purple, almost like frozen liquid athyst. Its glow was gentle, smooth, and felt... alive. The magical aura emanating from it was far stronger than ordinary mythril. This wasn’t just high-quality mythril.
This was 100% Pure Mythril.
Sylvia gazed at the chunk from atop Noir.
Her eyes sparkled faintly.
"Interesting..."
She leaped lightly from Noir’s back, landing gracefully at the crater’s edge. Her Dress of Death fluttered gently. Her steps were leisurely as she walked toward the dwarf still holding the ore.
"How much have you found?"
"We’re still digging, my Queen! It seems... the entire lower layer that was previously buried has been exposed. That explosion basically peeled it open like an onion!"
Sylvia nodded slightly, then touched the ore with her fingertip. The energy inside imdiately resonated with the Death Fla in her chest. She could feel its power far purer, far stronger. With this material, weapons, armor, even a new castle construction could reach a level that was previously only a dream.
She glanced at the still-smoking crater, then at the sky that was beginning to clear as the mushroom cloud slowly dissipated.
"So... this destruction turned into a blessing."
Sylvia smiled again this ti a little more genuine, though still cold.
"Good. Continue the excavation. I want all the pure mythril transported to the castle, and..." She pointed toward the remnants of the mutant forces still alive at the crater’s edge (who had been deliberately spared and protected by her barrier). "Bring the survivors here. I want to talk."
Zark suddenly appeared beside her and bowed deeply.
"The order is being carried out, my Queen. They won’t be able to escape."
Sylvia nodded, then turned to Noir, who was still hovering above.
"Thank you, Noir. You may rest."
The zombie dragon growled softly, then glided away toward the castle, leaving a trail of death aura in the air.
Sylvia stood alone at the crater’s edge, gazing toward the kneeling, terrified remnants of her enemies under the watchful eyes of the Death Knights.
"If you think this is the end... you’re wrong."
She turned, her black hair fluttering like wings of darkness.
"This is only the beginning."
And behind her, the shattered mythril mountains began to reveal a soft purple glow from their depths, a promise of new power for Nocturne, born from the destruction she herself had created.
The fragile peace was truly over.
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