Chapter 252

The Kingdom of Shikbat had tried to prepare every defense it could.

They raised barriers to keep the Shade Caldemoniums from slipping through, or scattered objects and chemicals dragons were known to hate — but nothing worked.

As if mocking every one of those efforts, the Shade Caldemoniums slipped in through the shadows and set the other dragons free, again and again. By any ordinary human understanding, it shouldn't have been possible at all.

It made no difference even when they waited, braced for the Shade Caldemoniums' intrusion in advance. The moment the creatures showed themselves, the dragons would simply stop moving, and no matter what pain was inflicted on them, they threw off their riders and bared their teeth without a flicker of hesitation.

And the Shade Caldemoniums weren't even the only thing they had to guard against. Even when they managed to corner the creatures, behind them waited…