Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights

Chapter 532: The Queen’s Arrival

Abaddon ignored the pain shooting through his right arm and threw another punch at the invisible hand, only for his fist to meet empty air. His eyes widened, and he immediately grabbed his tomahawk and threw it.

The air where he stood exploded a moment later, but Abaddon had already vanished and reappeared beside Apollyon.

"Are you down already?"

She chuckled as she wiped the blood from her lips. "It hits hard."

"It has invisible hands," he said.

"How many?" Apollyon asked as the demon walked towards them.

"I don’t know. Somewhere between four and six."

"I see." Apollyon gave him a nod and charged towards the demon general, whose head tilted slightly as he watched her approach.

His expression grew solemn when Abaddon’s body transformed into a massive eagle and soared into the air. He followed Apollyon from above before sweeping his enormous wings forward with tremendous force, unleashing a fierce gale that ripped the demon from the ground and hurled him backwards.

The demon spiralled through the air, thrown from side to side before crashing repeatedly across the ruins. When he finally lifted his head, his eyes widened at the sight of Apollyon descending from above. She was still nowhere close to him, yet her sword was drawn back and aimed towards the earth beneath her.

Whatever she intended to do, the demon had no desire to still be on the ground when it happened. He started pulling himself upright, but Apollyon plunged her sword into the earth before he could escape.

A ring of ice erupted from the point of impact and swept outwards, swallowing everything within fifty metres in poisonous ice. The demon had barely managed to stretch out one arm before the wave reached him, freezing his entire body into a sculpture.

Apollyon pulled her sword from the ground and raised her head as a great shadow passed over her. Her eyes followed the massive eagle soaring overhead, and it released a piercing cry that she could almost understand.

She approached the frozen demon, her armour clinking softly as she walked across the ice. The invisible arms hadn’t frozen with him, which confirmed that they weren’t physical parts of his body but manifestations of his ability.

Cracks suddenly spread across the ice.

Apollyon’s expression hardened as the frozen shell crumbled apart and the demon launched himself into the air. She immediately aimed her shield at him, opening the enormous eye and unleashing a brilliant golden light.

An invisible fist slammed into the shield before she could properly aim it, knocking it aside and scattering the beam across the ruins. Apollyon’s left knee struck the frozen ground, but she recovered quickly and somersaulted away from another invisible blow that smashed into her previous position and opened a crater through the ice.

She landed and raised her shield at an angle just as another powerful force struck. Instead of taking the blow squarely, she allowed the angled shield to turn part of its force aside, although the remaining impact was still enough to send her hurtling across the ice.

The demon tried to follow her movement, but a massive shadow swept over him.

Abaddon was descending.

The enormous eagle tucked in his wings and plunged straight towards the demon, waiting until he reached a height where he knew the invisible hands could reach him before transforming back into an orc.

Two invisible hands swept towards him as he fell, but Abaddon narrowly slipped between them and continued his descent. He suddenly threw his tomahawk, forcing the demon’s eyes to follow the spinning weapon.

The demon immediately commanded one of his invisible hands to slap that wretched weapon out of his sight. Another hand shot towards Abaddon, ready to crush him before he could reach the ground, but a familiar golden light suddenly flooded the demon’s vision.

That damned shield had blinded him again.

Unfortunately for the demon, his giant invisible hands could do nothing to block the light. A searing heat suddenly washed over him, and when he forced his eyes open, a massive flaming bear was already upon him.

The demon’s expression changed.

That was all the time he had.

Abaddon’s jaws clamped around his body, crushing bones as blood splattered across the frozen ground. In this form, Abaddon was six points stronger than his base state, and after unleashing a thunderous roar, he turned towards Apollyon.

She sighed.

"Get out of the ice."

The doors to the throne room opened, and Isolde strode through them with quick steps. Her gaze swept past the Alchemists gathered inside before settling on the Unknown King.

He sat upon his throne, speaking with the Chief Alchemist, but his attention shifted to Isolde the moment she appeared at the door and remained on her as she approached.

When she finally drew close to the throne, Isolde lowered herself almost without thinking.

Then she realised what she was doing.

She stopped halfway into a kneel and blinked in disbelief before reminding herself that this wasn’t exactly Godfrey.

Why had she even come here?

Isolde clenched her teeth. She was growing tired of constantly second-guessing herself, of acting on one thought only for another to immediately follow and make her regret it. Somehow, that had almost become the norm lately.

When she looked back at the Unknown King, she found his head tilted slightly as he watched her.

What was he thinking?

Isolde frowned before realising that he was simply waiting to see what she would do next. She drew in a breath and gracefully straightened herself without completing either a bow or a kneel.

"What brings you here?"

’So he speaks now.’

Isolde rolled her eyes. The Alchemists remained silent, but she already knew why they had gathered.

"You want to invade the world of the demon kind," she said.

"And where did you hear that?"

She could almost imagine the Unknown King raising an eyebrow beneath his helm. If Godfrey ever dared behave like this simply because he was sitting on some throne, she would pound his head herself.

She found it difficult to entertain this attitude from him. Perhaps it was simply her mindset; she had yet to adjust to what he had become, and she wasn’t particularly interested in trying.

"I was told by two kind knights... I am a queen. You may not know this, but I—"

"I know your position, Isolde," he interrupted. "But I am not invading the demon world. I cannot wipe out an entire race that easily."

Isolde leaned back slightly, her eyebrows rising. "But I heard you were going there."

"I am. I intend to visit the demon king who decided to torment people for standing on the side of our cause."

"And what are you going to do when you get there?"

"Demand a reason for his actions. If that reason does not please me, I shall execute my judgment... swiftly."

"Spare me the fine words. You’ll kill him."

One of the Alchemists glanced towards Zaun after hearing the way she spoke to him.

"If that is what you wish to hear," the Unknown King replied, "yes."

Isolde nodded. "Just don’t get hurt."

"This body is mine as much as it is his."

Isolde stared at him for a moment before turning and storming towards the exit.

"Stay."

Her steps stopped.

"You are a part of this order."

Isolde looked back.

"Your Majesty," one of the Alchemists finally spoke, "the demon kind are corrupted people, and the particular demon you intend to meet resides within their main world. Going there alone is dangerous."

Now that the King had made it clear Isolde was permitted to remain, the Alchemist no longer seemed reluctant to speak in her presence.

The Unknown King turned towards her. "What do you say?"

Isolde met his gaze. "Have you made up your mind?"

"I have."

"Then go. At least a few hundred families are mourning because of his invasion, and besides, I doubt anything can actually hurt a being of war like yourself."

The Unknown King turned back towards the Alchemist.

"You have heard my queen."

Isolde’s lips parted.

He had just made it clear that he intended to go regardless of what anyone in the room said.

For the first time, Isolde wondered whether she had taken too lightly what it meant for this man to be the manifestation of a legendary king.