The Roar of Darkness

“Hey… hey… what is that…?” In the frantic crowd, shaken by the trembling earth, someone suddenly pointed at the sky and cried out.

“It looks like… a huge black mass?” another person ventured, uncertainty lacing his voice.

“It’s a dragon… a black… dragon…” A person with sharper eyesight exclaimed, his face contorted in terror as the colossal black form drew ever closer.

A gigantic black dragon slowly descended, landing upon the magical energy barrier above the stage. Its immense wings spread wide, two massive talons gripping the barrier tightly. Intricate golden patterns were etched into its powerful, flapping wings. The black dragon then opened its maw, bristling with razor-sharp teeth, and let out a furious roar directed at Mofimod in the center of the stage. With all its might, it lunged, biting down on the barrier beneath its claws.

“Impossible… impossible… This is… this is the demonic dragon that once forged a contract with Jokorite Eskrim, the Third Prince of the Actica Empire, who was known as the ‘Northern War God’… Schneiframan, the Roar of Darkness…” Philavman, seated among Domu’s fan club and sporting a headband proclaiming ‘Lord Domu is the Cutest,’ uttered in a voice choked with disbelief.

It was said that the Actica Empire’s first king was born from the union of the Saint Dragon Emperor Empyreal and a human woman. Since then, every royal member of the Actica Empire, male or female, would forge a contract with a newly born dragon from Dragon City, growing up alongside them. Some even went so far as to marry their dragon companions upon reaching adulthood.

Jokorite Eskrim, currently the most prominent Third Prince of the Actica Empire, had already achieved demigod status at the tender age of twenty-two, earning him the revered title of ‘Northern War God’ due to his formidable strength. The dragon he had contracted with back then was not the creature now appearing at the event.

Schneiframan, the Roar of Darkness, was once known as Schneiframan, the Heart of Frost. He was the only son of the Frost Dragon Queen in Dragon City, a magnificent frost giant dragon. From birth, he possessed Saint-tier power and was hailed as a genius rarely seen in a millennium among the Dragon Race. He and Jokorite Eskrim were considered a match made in heaven.

Some had speculated that if Jokorite Eskrim hadn’t sent his brother and closest friend, Schneiframan, the Heart of Frost, to Dragon City to invite the new Saint Dragon Queen to his sister’s birthday banquet, the continent’s most brilliant genius would never have been slain by Mofimod Rigles, who was merely Saint-tier at the time. Had circumstances been different, the continent’s current political landscape might have been entirely transformed. Alas, there are no ‘ifs’ in history.

What plunged the people of the North into even deeper sorrow was that Schneiframan, the Heart of Frost, while returning to the Actica Empire with the new Saint Dragon Queen’s decree, sensed the death of his beloved friend through their soul-bound contract. Overwhelmed by profound grief and hatred, this dragon genius, who had been showered with countless accolades since birth, was consumed by inner darkness.

He transformed into a demonic dragon, knowing nothing but slaughter and vengeance. From that day forth, Schneiframan, the Heart of Frost, vanished forever, giving rise to the pitch-black demonic dragon, Schneiframan, the Roar of Darkness, who laid waste to nearly a fifth of the Norachi Kingdom’s territory.

However, Schneiframan, the Roar of Darkness, was swiftly confronted by the Norachi Kingdom’s forces. The kingdom dispatched three legion commanders, who spent nearly half a month tracking down and finally slaying this incredibly powerful demonic dragon, whose heart was consumed solely by hatred and revenge, in a desolate city.

Among the commanders who participated in this arduous campaign was none other than Mofimod, who had by then been appointed the Seventh Legion Commander. Consequently, the Actica Empire effectively lost two demigod-level powerhouses, both slain by the same individual. This fueled a deep-seated hatred for Mofimod within the Actica Empire and Dragon City. Given Mofimod’s formidable personal strength, this animosity seemed destined to persist indefinitely.

Yet, how could a demonic dragon, presumed dead, suddenly reappear in Morgan City? Everyone remembered the terror of the demonic dragon. Though many years had passed since the incident, tales persisted of how the Norachi Kingdom, renowned for its military prowess, had a fifth of its territory ravaged by this very demon in mere days.

No one doubted the demonic dragon’s power. Furthermore, the Empress’s command to dispatch three demigod-level legion commanders to subdue it suggested that its strength likely surpassed demigod-tier, nearing god-tier power. The realization dawned on the onlookers, their faces instantly paling, their legs trembling uncontrollably as fear surged from the depths of their hearts.

“Run… everyone, run!” The panicked crowd cried out, their voices filled with a primal urge to escape.

“Running is useless… it’s no use… we’re all going to die… You’ve all heard the stories of the Pitch-Black Demonic Dragon, haven’t you? Do you know what ‘massacre a city’ means?!” Someone collapsed onto the ground in despair, his face ashen as he screamed.

“Massacre… a city?” Those who had been about to flee froze, their voices trembling as they questioned.

“Hahahaha… yes… Schneiframan, the Pitch-Black Demonic Dragon, once annihilated three cities within the kingdom in a single day. Within a hundred-mile radius, not a single soul survived, hahahaha!” The person on the ground let out a desolate laugh.

“No… impossible… I don’t want to die yet… No… wait… that’s right! We have Lord Domu and Lord Mofimod! We have two demigod lords here!” Someone who had fallen into despair suddenly clutched at this lifeline, shouting excitedly with a fervent desire to live.

“Lord Domu… Lord Mofimod… Yes… that’s right! We still have our two lords!” Even the person who had been sitting on the ground felt a glimmer of hope. He struggled to his feet, looking expectantly at Domu and Mofimod in the center of the stage.

However… as people gazed at the stage, they saw the terrifying demonic dragon relentlessly pounding the magical energy barrier. They saw Domu inside the barrier, looking up at the sky, and Mofimod, his brow furrowed, his expression complex. Suddenly, a realization struck them: Lord Domu and Lord Mofimod were currently trapped within the magical energy barrier.

One of the barrier devices had apparently been damaged earlier, and as Mofimod had initially stated, if the barrier was externally damaged, it would be unable to shut down automatically… This meant… Lord Domu and Lord Mofimod were effectively imprisoned within the magical energy barrier, with no way to get out.

“No… no… I don’t want to die…” Someone cried out in utter collapse, their last hope for survival extinguished.

“There’s still hope! If we can just open the barrier, the two lords can surely stop this demonic dragon, and then no one will die!” Some still clung to the hope of survival in their hearts.

“Yes… open the barrier… But… but Lord Mofimod said from the beginning… if the magical energy barrier device is damaged… we can only wait for the energy to run out… and who knows how long that will take?” The crowd, hearing there was still hope, asked those nearby with puzzled expressions.

“This is the latest magical energy barrier decoration; its stored energy is sufficient to maintain the barrier for ten days…” An exceptionally elegant voice sounded nearby. Everyone turned their gaze towards the speaker, who was none other than the distressed Mr. Tule.

“How could this be… Mr. Tule… quickly, release Lord Domu and Lord Mofimod! I know you must have a way, right?! Otherwise, we’ll all die!” Realizing that their only hope for survival lay with the two demigods inside the barrier, the people now surrounded Mr. Tule, eagerly awaiting if he had any other method to free the two lords from the magical energy barrier.

“I deeply apologize, everyone. This is due to my oversight, which has placed all of you in such mortal danger… If I am fortunate enough to survive, I will absolutely compensate you for your losses…” Mr. Tule’s voice was filled with remorse as he lowered his head and addressed the crowd.

“Mr. Tule… everyone knows this isn’t your fault alone. We don’t want compensation right now; we just want to live! Please tell us if you have a way! While this demonic dragon’s attention is still focused on Lord Mofimod!” Hearing Mr. Tule’s words, people in the crowd exchanged glances. Then, one of them stepped forward, addressing Mr. Tule with a pained expression.

Indeed, while no one knew how the demonic dragon had suddenly appeared, it seemed its primary concern was Mofimod, who had once slain its master. The demonic dragon’s attention was currently entirely fixed on Mofimod, as it ceaselessly tore at the magical energy barrier. Some even harbored a fanciful hope that the demonic dragon might tear open the barrier, allowing Mofimod and Domu to escape. However, this outlandish idea was quickly met with a beating from those nearby.

If the demonic dragon could tear open the barrier, then even demigod-level Lords Mofimod and Domu would surely be no match for it! The only relief for now was that the demonic dragon hadn’t yet attacked anyone else. But no one knew when this demonic dragon, which had devastated a fifth of the Norachi Kingdom’s territory, might realize it couldn’t reach Mofimod and turn its fury on others. Therefore, the best course of action was to quickly release Lord Domu and Lord Mofimod from the barrier!

“Actually, besides the energy running out or replacing the matching magical energy barrier device, there is another way to undo the barrier… but… but that is impossible to achieve…” Mr. Tule closed his eyes painfully, pondered for a moment, then frowned, speaking with an uncertain tone.

“What is it, Mr. Tule? Please tell us quickly!” The anxious crowd incessantly urged him on.