The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 461: The Way Home

Meanwhile, somewhere ridiculously close by, two golden dragons were just about ready to raze the entire place to the ground.

Really, the only thing stopping them was the knowledge that Riley was somewhere inside it, and neither of them was willing to risk catching him in the destruction.

Lady Cirila casually disposed of yet another wyvern she’d recently taken down, snapping its neck before letting the body drop unceremoniously to the ground. She barely spared it another glance before turning toward her son, whose condition was honestly becoming far more concerning than the seemingly endless number of enemies surrounding them.

Because with every passing moment Kael didn’t get to see his mate, he was noticeably getting closer to losing it.

"Kael, just go," Lady Cirila finally urged. "I’ll take care of the remaining ones."

The Dragon Lord stopped dead in his tracks.

He immediately looked back at his mother, his breathing still heavy from everything he’d already torn through before he quietly said, "Mom."

The long-suffering mother almost found it amusing.

Of all the moments her wayward son could’ve chosen to call her so affectionately, he really had to pick today.

Still, she couldn’t help the small but surprisingly sincere smile that appeared on her face.

"You rascal. Just go."

The normally wayward golden dragon looked like he wanted to say something, probably to argue that he couldn’t simply leave her surrounded by all these creatures, but Lady Cirila cut him off before he could even begin.

"Have you forgotten what I’m capable of?"

Her eyes flashed with dangerous golden light as another wave of mana rolled outward from her body, enough to make several approaching wyverns instinctively hesitate.

"I can handle this much by myself. What’s more important is that you find your mate."

Kael stared at her.

And Lady Cirila watched as the hesitation in her son’s expression slowly disappeared.

Truthfully, she would gladly take on every last creature in that cavern if it meant Kael wouldn’t have to experience that agonizing moment of losing Riley all over again. She’d already seen what losing his mate once had done to him, and now that their souls were bound so completely that the fate of one truly became the fate of both, there was even less reason for her to keep her son there.

For the sake of everyone’s well-being, her son-in-law absolutely could not end up in any sort of danger.

With that thought firmly in mind, Lady Cirila decided that if this kid wasted any more time worrying about her, she’d probably throw him out of there herself.

Finally receiving the reassurance he needed from his mother, the dragon lord gave her a respectful nod.

Then he disappeared.

Kael shot toward the exit like a streak of golden lightning, moving so quickly that the force of his departure sent dust and debris scattering violently behind him.

Lady Cirila watched him disappear for only a moment.

Then she turned back toward the remaining wyverns.

The small smile on her face vanished.

Her golden eyes narrowed as she looked across the cavern at every last nuisance still standing between her family and the end of this damned war.

Well.

If her son was going to find his mate, then she might as well make sure none of these things lived long enough to follow him.

__

Kael, having finally managed to get out of that damned cavern, was immediately faced with an entirely different problem.

Where the hell was his mate?

The anxious dragon could feel Riley through their bond, which should’ve been enough to reassure him that his twig was still alive. Unfortunately, whatever was happening inside that place had distorted his senses so badly that Riley somehow felt like he was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

And that was precisely why Kael had been slowly going insane the longer they were separated.

Every second without Riley in his line of sight gave his mind another opportunity to think of something worse.

Still, the golden dragon wasn’t the only one currently desperate to reach the black dragon.

All the way back at the MBE, one furious Wyvern Queen had apparently reached the end of whatever patience she’d possessed.

"RETURN TO WYRMFALL!"

Her crazed shriek practically shook the surroundings as she ordered whatever remained of her forces to immediately prepare to leave.

Now, in the same breath, Orryn couldn’t help but think it was a shame he hadn’t managed to keep her there for much longer. But considering how much time he’d already bought, it wasn’t exactly a complete failure.

Besides, Wyrmfall wasn’t right next door.

Even if Rhazira and her remaining forces abandoned the siege immediately, it would still take them some time to return, and every extra minute they spent traveling was another minute Riley and the others could use to finish whatever they needed to do.

At least, that was what Orryn thought.

Unfortunately, much to both his and even the surrounding wyverns’ surprise, their Queen apparently had no intention of returning the same way she’d come.

Instead, Orryn watched from inside the Ministry as an enormous runic formation suddenly began taking shape around her.

His expression immediately changed.

"What the hell?"

He knew that formation.

Or at least, he knew enough about runic magic to understand what she was trying to do, and that alone was enough to make the red dragon stare in disbelief.

She was attempting to open a gate.

Normally, that wouldn’t have been particularly alarming. But Wyrmfall wasn’t some stable destination where someone could simply anchor a gate on the other side and allow the surrounding mana to do part of the work.

Its leylines were completely ruined.

If Rhazira wanted to force open a gate leading directly into a place with mana that unstable, then practically all the power necessary to establish and maintain that connection would have to come from the starting point.

And the amount required would be insane.

Orryn stared at the increasingly complicated runes spreading across the ground, his distress growing with every passing second.

Unless he’d somehow forgotten everything he’d learned over the years, there was simply no way she could gather that much mana on such short notice.

So where exactly was she planning to get it?

Unfortunately, the answer probably hadn’t occurred to Orryn because he wasn’t nearly demented enough to consider it an option.

Rhazira didn’t need to gather the mana herself.

Not when she had an entire army standing around her.

The first scream immediately made Orryn’s stomach drop.

One of the wyverns nearest the formation suddenly convulsed as the runes beneath its feet lit up, violently draining the mana straight from its body. Then another was caught.

Then another.

Panic tore through the remaining forces as they finally realized what their Queen intended to use them for.

The wyverns tried to scatter, but Rhazira didn’t even look at them.

All that mattered was Wyrmfall.

All that mattered was getting back to her beloved.

And if every last wyvern she’d brought with her needed to be burned through just to give that gate enough power to open, then apparently, so be it.

Orryn had thought he’d already seen every possible form of insanity these beings were capable of.

Clearly, he’d been wrong.

But as disturbing as the sight was, the red dragon also knew there was absolutely nothing he could accomplish by staying there to watch it happen.

Riley had already reminded him of what mattered.

He’d bought them time.

He’d maintained the deception for as long as he possibly could.

And most importantly, there was a golden dragonling waiting somewhere safe who’d demanded that he come back with proof that he was worth hearing out.

Orryn clenched his jaw before turning away.

There was no way he was dying there.