Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights Chapter 408 City Of Sacrifice

"Lucy had to be informed because we all knew already. It was a ripple effect, and we were relieved the family was whole again. That was a vulnerability; it prevented Godfrey from becoming precisely what Cain desired, but the price for that is your safety."

"I do not care," Isaac retorted. "I do not wish for you or Godfrey to treat me like a child. You are both my companions, not my guardians. You felt no hesitation about Percival knowing, nor were you overly troubled by Snow, but with me and Lucy? You perceive us as fragile, believing we need to be carefully shielded lest we shatter. That is the sole reason for all of this."

"That is precisely the reason. It is an unfortunate reality, yet it does not negate that I consider you my friend."

Isolde's response prompted a bitter laugh from Isaac. "Lucy will not share your sentiments if she hears this. You are aware that Lucy has always been keenly aware of her limitations. I believed you understood her feelings, but this... Ah, I comprehend now." His gaze grew darker.

"She is not an exceptional individual like yourself. You are one of the rarefied few, perhaps the sole female in existence, to be a Chosen One. That is your profound advantage; without it, you would grasp the feeling of being in Lucy's predicament."

Isolde let out a soft chuckle. "Such is the nature of the world. Your personal feelings on the matter hold no sway. My social standing as the Pendragon heir in former times and my current status as a Chosen One have afforded me immense benefits, allowing me to overcome my limitations with relative ease. However, once those advantages dissipate, they are gone forever. All my strenuous efforts would then be confined by an unyielding ceiling."

She looked directly at him. "I understand that such constraints do not apply to individuals like us because we are fundamentally different. We continuously evolve, shattering perceived boundaries as if they were inconsequential. Yet, these barriers were never intended for us in the first place. Their purpose was to maintain the status quo for billions, even trillions across countless worlds, while we were destined to open new gateways. Limitations represent the next threshold visible after the last, but they are not meant for those like me, as we are fated to unlock that subsequent door. However, not all who follow will accompany us into this new realm."

"Isaac… that does not imply our superiority. We simply encounter distinct challenges. I must constantly face the peril of my dragons potentially consuming me if I am not vigilant. Does Lucy contend with such a threat? My existence is perpetually precarious, lived with the constant awareness that a single misstep could spell my doom. So, how can you…"

Isolde winced, clutching her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and massaged her forehead.

"Disregard all of this. The crucial point is that Lucy is in grave danger, possessing insufficient strength to protect herself. Even if we were to combine our forces, we might still falter against Cain. This signifies that I have placed my friend in a situation from which I cannot extract her. Certain choices inflict pain yet are indispensable. Regrettably, both Frey and I have erred in this endeavor."

"You have not failed. You simply confided in your allies, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I hold no fear of mortality when defending what I believe to be just, and I doubt Lucy shares that apprehension either," Isaac stated, turning away. He cleared his throat.

Their discussion had evidently escalated in intensity. Godfrey had informed them that Percival would be accompanying Lucy, his father would remain with his mother, and that they themselves were meant to unite in battle against the impending gate, a duty they were neglecting by engaging in this argument.

Just as Isaac was preparing to offer an apology, Isolde's phone vibrated. She retrieved it from a nearby stool, her eyes instantly sharpening.

"It has arrived…?" Isaac gasped.

***

A resplendent knight clad in golden armor, brandishing a spear, materialized from the ethereal plane into a medieval cityscape. Her gaze, piercing through the almond-shaped eyeholes of her helmet, meticulously surveyed the street. Isaac appeared directly behind her. They had journeyed to the Pendragon Island gate, the very portal that granted passage to the world beyond, and upon traversing it, this was their point of arrival.

A verdant gateway had engulfed a significant portion of Staten Island. Although Isolde had never set foot in this particular city before, a sense of uncanny familiarity washed over her, a sensation stemming from her prophetic visions.

Before them loomed an immense, ancient metropolis constructed from somber gray stone. Its colossal ramparts and multi-tiered districts ascended upon each other, resembling a mountain sculpted by diligent hands. Countless edifices pierced the heavens—temples, fortresses, bridges, and spires—each bearing the unmistakable marks of age and abandonment.

Torchlight flickered along the deserted thoroughfares, casting restless, elongated shadows across the fractured pavement and long-forgotten public squares. Despite the prevailing silence, the city did not exude an aura of lifelessness. It felt expectant… awaiting its new denizens.

Or perhaps, anticipating its next unfortunate victims.

At the city's northern extremity stood a colossal statue of a graceful elven maiden, so immense that it dominated the cityscape. Her flowing stone robes cascaded down to the monument's base. Ethereal golden threads extended from her fingertips, descending through the atmosphere in shimmering lines that swayed gently above the streets below. Surrounding the statue, vast expanses of candles blazed, their warm luminescence bathing the ancient stone in rhythmic pulses of gold.

It was a scene of breathtaking beauty.

The heavens darkened, as if attempting to extinguish the moon completely, yet its faint, silvery luminescence managed to break through the clouds. This light descended upon the elven maiden, casting a gentle nocturnal radiance over the ancient city.

"I will return," Isolde declared to Isaac before unfurling draconic wings that spread so vastly they nearly spanned the width of the street.

With a potent beat of her wings, a rapid gust of wind surged outward as she ascended into the sky. Rising high above, she gained a vantage point to survey the entirety of the city and its surroundings.

Down below, she observed individuals on the streets, people who hailed from Staten Island. A multitude had already congregated in the thoroughfares, while others emerged from the ancient structures, their initial disbelief gradually giving way to unease, and for some, outright fear.

It felt as though they had been brought here specifically to inhabit this peculiar city. The sheer number of people reached into the hundreds of thousands.

This colossal green gate dwarfed any Isolde had encountered previously; nothing of this magnitude had ever come to her attention. The Ruination had unequivocally arrived, and she now stood confronting the very vision she had foreseen.

Every single person present, estimated to be between three to four hundred thousand, was destined to perish according to the prophecy witnessed by both her and Godfrey.

This was the dungeon wrought by creeping darkness, the very city designated for sacrifice.

***

A/N: My exams have concluded. Normal upload schedules will resume shortly.