Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 806 - 805 - Inquisition vs Dragon

Orion had been a step behind.  Sgt Gel had already been out investigating for the past month but had not returned.  He was actually impressed that she left markers for other patrols or parties to follow her routes.

His appreciation lifted when a jade slip was left with one a week's march inside the forest with observations and it was hidden near the marker.

"Exia, if she is alive, I may recommend Sgt Gel to the Inquisition.  She had good instincts and an attention to detail we need in ourselves."  He missed the frown but could feel it.  He knew what he was doing.

Rivalry was a much needed tool to motivate demons.

All his good feelings vanished when suddenly the markers began to go in a strange circular pattern until they stopped entirely.

The only reason such a meticulous person suddenly got lost would be due to interference.

"It seems her theory was correct.  There was an enemy causing all our issues, not just a beast."  Orion tried to trace anything like tracks or other signs of a fight but there was nothing.  It made him frown as the level of power to so completely hide from him was not inconsiderable.

"Everyone!  We are dealing with a Heaven Realm Moon Tier at least!"  His words echoed on the air to the group with him.  He was not a fool.  Orion had pulled the demonic members of the patrol.  Their leaders were dead, one way or the other, so now they followed Orion.

There were only a dozen of them left as a few more deaths had been necessary.  Sgt Gel had tried to take a few subordinates with her but they were as dismissive or shortsighted as Neel.

Orion had not wasted time and simply turned them inside out right in front of the rest.

The demons quickly spread out into the trees and scanned but found nothing.  Not a single clue presented itself until the beasts and breeze came to a sudden end.

Orion quickly deployed a flag with arcane symbols right at his feet.  He was shocked when it turned to dust as emerald sparks went off.

[You would be wise not to present a threat, demons.]

A voice boomed in all their heads.  It was confirmation to him of a Heaven Realm cultivator.

It could not be a human as he had never seen any such ability from them to shatter an artifact so easily but several beast bloodlines had such power.

That was not good news.

"Senior, I am hoping to retrieve a member of our Empire–"  Orion began to speak amicably but Exia cried out as her arm was broken instantly.

She held a simple crystal artifact that also shattered to powder to no effect.

[If you think I am an idiot and patient with the minions of Fiends, please feel free to test me again.]

There was no mercy in that voice.  Orion, however, noted the darker tone to the master race of the Starbreaker Empire.  The crystal had been a simple signaling artifact that would have given their coordinate.

Exia would die, but it was an acceptable sacrifice.  He applauded her effort but not her analytical ability.  The flag was a peak grade 6 artifact to disperse natural Qi in a kilometer radius yet it had been easily destroyed.

A pitiful grade 3 artifact stood no chance.

Orion was about to speak when the dozen demons were suddenly tossed out into the clearing like ragdolls.

His eyes narrowed at that.  It was incredibly bad!  A peak Sun Tier might have some ability to negate artifacts but that level of spatial manipulation was unique to one realm and one realm only.

Immortals!

[Now, we will have a civilized conversation where you will answer my questions and you might have painless deaths.  Any difficulty with that concept?]

He felt a cold sweat break out as there was no malice in the telepathic message at all, simply stating facts.

"Surely there is room for–"  Orion tried again when he was slammed into the ground.  He could not resist at all!

[I am not a fool.  You are all required to report to the Fiends and I cannot allow that.  Further, that girl is a thrall.  Her owner is panicking at the moment as they are cut off, but I cannot change what will happen to her.]

Orion was not surprised about Exia being a thrall.  It was disappointing but it was a fact of life none of them could avoid.  The benefits were clear but the price to be paid was also just as clear.

If the Fiend needed the lifeforce, they would take it on a whim if they liked to.  A thrall doing something critical for the Empire had much lower odds of that happening but the current circumstance would qualify as Exia dying.

Yet their enemy seemed able to cut that connection or limit it in some way.  Exia was wailing in pain as her bones protruded from her biceps and forearm.

Nothing he knew of could prevent that but he had his own concerns.

Their enemy was able to attack from afar at no risk while crushing them with ease!  He had very limited options to deal with that!

The other demons were shouting they would talk but they knew little of importance to the Empire.  Patrol members only became dangerous when they reached commander rank but none of those had survived his purge.

For anyone else, it would be the end, but Orion was blind.  It was a weakness that should have resulted in death, slavery, or simple extinction by consumption to a Fiend, yet he was alive!

He was a powerful Inquisitor of the Empire.  Anyone that knew those facts would be terrified of him.

His enemy did not know all of those facts!

Orion focused on his external aura and felt out the suppression around him.  It was startlingly perfect.  The Qi around him was very exquisitely locking down all demonic Qi of every member as if it was easy.

He had never come across such a thing but he was patient as the fools kept babbling.  Unusually, none of them had died.  The panic was rising as the voice did not seem satisfied but Orion also noted none of the questions were what he expected.

They were about the Empire day to day life.  It was about where people lived inside the wall and how they lived.  Customs, money, and common knowledge.  Why would they care about such mundane knowledge?

He pushed it aside as he finally found a weakness.  Orion gave away nothing as his ring on his left pinky finger flared not with Fiend Qi, but something stunning to all.

It was a version of Qi none had ever encountered to the best of his knowledge and it freed him but that was all.  His eyes widened in shock as shimmering streams of Qi locked onto the budding array around him.

How?!

[Impatient, I see.  Where did you get that artifact?]  The voice was no longer cold but inquisitive.  Orion did not pause as he quickly taped a sigil on the same ring.

Three rods appeared with golden color and made a triangle around Orion.  He had no control over it and hoped it could not be stopped.

Finally, he saw the restrictions visibly retract as the rods built a new formation around them all.  It locked onto his foe and the very air directly ahead shattered like glass.

A man was revealed in simple robes as 3 golden circles restricted him upright.  His vertically slit eyes left no doubt about what he was facing but Orion could not identify his race.

He had several artifacts that would react to dangerous bloodlines like a roc, phoenix, and so forth but none reacted.  How could such a powerful beast exist without having a divine bloodline?

"Well, you are a surprising creature.  Where is Sgt Gel?"  The man with emerald hair was not even looking at them as he examined the 3 chords with interest.

"So, Celestial Qi but highly corroded as time passes.  Why is it corroding but Hope does not?  Interesting."  Orion felt a vein tick in his forehead but Exia suddenly tugged on his robes.

"Master, I still can't feel my Mistress."  Orion snapped his head up only to see something impossible.  The ring was a rare reward given to Inquisitors that served the Empire well.  Orion had lost his eyes in that service and saved the life of the Regent's son.

Instead of surrendering, Orion had proven even blind he was a terrifying force to deal with.  The ring deployed an ancient lost technique that could bind even Shard Tiers.  It was a one use item but it could be repaired over time unlike other grade 7 items.

That powerful artifact could do nothing to stop the man at all!

The 3 golden rings actually got brighter before he shrugged and they fell off!

"Against anyone else, that would have been the end, but against me, such Qi is useless.  Also, I have to change my plans slightly."  Orion wondered what the man was talking about when he felt the vile twist of Qi next to him.

He looked down to see Exia writhing in agony.

"It seems they found a way in while I was weakened.  I am not happy about the waste of life!"  Anger was clear on his face as emerald flames suddenly flew across the air.  It brushed against Exia and the scream changed.

It was not her voice but the Fiend's!  A twisted figure floated up out of her destroyed body but it was still on fire!  How could a soul be on fire?!

"You are not leaving this place.  You are dead."  Orion had faced several beings that felt they were above all life and not blinked about it.  It was a fact of life in the Empire that anyone could die at any moment for any reason.

They all watched in horror as the Fiend not only became nothing, but a stream of emerald Qi shot out back to the Empire!

Orion felt all strength go out of his legs.  What was that being?!  How could it be so strong?!

"Sigh, it is extermination then."  The man seemed tired!  It was like what he had just done was something bothersome, not like declaring war!

"They will kill you and all your family!  You have no idea what you have unleashed!"  Orion heard one of the lieutenants shout.  He was a man with good looks even with the twisted horn and partial tail coming from his body.

The man then turned and sneered at them as scales appeared before he floated up into the air.  Orion stared at one artifact with all his aura but it never reacted and he suddenly felt a chill go up his spine.

"Progenitor!  A new dragon race!"  His voice had all heads swivel to him and the emerald eyes narrowed at him.

"Very good.  You will live a little longer."  The 12 demons suddenly keeled over dead!  No blood, no screams, and no suffering.  They just died like he had commanded it and it was so!

How was that possible?!  Orion felt darkness close in and wondered just what kind of monster had come to the Empire.