The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 431: The Better Prize

Everything had happened far too quickly for anyone weaker to have even registered what had just occurred.

Kael bursting through the mountain was enough to send the entire peaks collapsing in on themselves as the remains of the white dragon clan’s crypt disappeared beneath an avalanche of stone. Muffled screams echoed from somewhere deep beneath the rubble, yet the Wyvern Queen continued pursuing them as though nothing had happened.

Not once did Kael look back. Instead, he thrust a hand forward and activated one of the emergency protocols he’d never imagined he’d one day need.

An enormous magic circle filled with ancient draconic glyphs unfolded before them and the golden dragon lord immediately carried his mate through it.

Of all the places he could’ve chosen, the dragon clan’s vault was both the safest and the easiest one they could force their way into.

Yet even as they crossed into its protection, Kael couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling that even if they’d survived this encounter, something much worse had already begun.

The two of them landed hard against the cold stone floor of the vault, Kael taking the impact squarely on his back while Riley remained sprawled against his chest, still breathing heavily with one hand tightly wrapped around his portion of the broken bracelet as though he hadn’t even realized he was still holding it.

No wonder the ex-mortal felt like throwing up.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to find out just how bad that could’ve been for them right away.

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The Wyvern Queen had been practically on their heels. Had they been even a heartbeat slower, Riley would’ve been ripped straight out of Kael’s grasp.

She lunged after them the very instant they disappeared through the emergency gateway, only for her outstretched hand to slam into an invisible barrier.

Ancient runes flared to life across its surface as the Dragon Clan’s vault instantly recognized the intrusion. The rejection was immediate and merciless, violently hurling her backward with such force that even she couldn’t fully brace against it.

She landed hard across the ruined mountainside, the impact gouging a deep crater beneath her body as she was forced backward, her hand still tightly clenched around the other half of the shattered bracelet.

Initially, she could only snarl in frustration, her furious gaze fixed on the portal that had already disappeared from sight. But as the dust gradually settled around her and she replayed everything she’d just witnessed, the anger slowly gave way to something else entirely.

There was no mistaking that magic circle.

It was something unique to the dragon clan’s vault and the current reigning lord.

Which meant the dragon she’d just fought had undoubtedly been that pompous Dravaryn.

Now that made everything far more interesting.

See, while Kael Dravaryn had certainly been noteworthy and remained near the very top of the list when it came to possible threats to their plans, her interest was far more focused on the being who’d recently been seen accompanying him.

Because she was certain she’d dealt with the current Dragon Lord’s fated mate back when Kael was still a youngling, Rhazira had assumed the marriage that had shaken Eryndra had simply been to some insignificant human and paid it little mind.

Of all the beings still living in that world, humans were probably the ones she held the least resentment toward. Their kind simply hadn’t existed long enough to have done anything truly disastrous, nor did they possess the lifespan or the power to oppress her and the wyverns the way dragons once had.

Considering how long she had existed, to her they were merely passing beings she could liken to harmless insects.

But since when could those pitiful creatures look directly at her with eyes like that when the slightest release of her pressure should’ve been enough to force them to their knees?

More importantly, since when could a human, or anyone at all, recover after being wounded by a scale belonging to her beloved?

Even she had to remain careful when wielding it. Once injured by anything made from that scale, there was simply no recovering from the damage.

But perhaps what should’ve stood out even more was how that supposed human had managed to keep hold of the other half of what could only be the birthright she’d been searching for.

A being capable of latching on to the same item that was practically burning her palm?

How absolutely interesting.

One realization after another quietly settled into place until, still clutching the broken half of the bracelet in her hand, the Wyvern Queen slowly smiled.

It wasn’t the smile of someone who’d just failed.

It was the smile of someone who’d just discovered an entirely new way to win.

For in what she had believed had been her last chance for a life with her mate, she had instead stumbled upon someone who could prove her wrong.

Forget conquering Eryndra. It suddenly seemed that all they truly needed was to get their hands on that very interesting being.

The Wyvern Queen slowly raised a hand.

Immediately, the countless tons of rock burying what remained of the White Dragon Clan’s crypt trembled before lifting into the air as though they weighed nothing at all.

Massive slabs of stone were peeled away one after another, exposing the surviving wyverns trapped beneath the collapse. Bruised, bloodied, and in some cases missing limbs altogether, they hurriedly dragged themselves free, not one of them daring to utter a complaint despite the obvious state they were in.

The Queen didn’t so much as spare them a glance.

Her attention remained fixed on the broken half of the bracelet in her hand as countless thoughts quietly rearranged themselves into an entirely different plan.

When she finally spoke, her voice was frighteningly calm.

"Bring me the Dragon Lord’s mate."

Silence swallowed the ruined mountainside.

Only then did she slowly lift her gaze toward the countless hooded figures emerging from the rubble.

"Whatever it takes."

At her command, the battered wyverns immediately lowered their heads before issuing a series of high-pitched screeches that echoed from one survivor to another until the entire mountain range seemed filled with that unnerving chorus.

The sound alone was enough to make one’s hair stand on end, and before the final echo had even faded, the surviving cultists had already scattered in every direction without the slightest hesitation, leaving the Wyvern Queen standing alone amidst the ruins as she quietly stared at the gift intended for her beloved.

The relic burned her with every passing second. But the same pain was proving just how much closer they were to their forever.