Devouring Dragon Heir

The sun hung high over the palace of Lionhart, its golden rays falling over marble walls and tall towers.

Within the inner courtyard, three men walked side by side, their footsteps confident and loud. These were not ordinary men but princes of three great empires, heirs of the strongest families on the continent, born into privilege, and wielders of authority that could bend nations.

Prince Dorian Kael Obsidian of the Obsidian Empire walked in the middle. His dark armor carried faint traces of mountain dust, a reminder of his homeland, where men were trained to endure pain and grow harder than stone.

To his left was Prince Kaelyn Dravus Pyrrhos of the Phoenix Lands, dressed in flowing crimson robes lined with flame motifs, his hair tied neatly as if fire itself lingered within his veins.

On the right strode Prince Magnus Thales Titanborn, broad-shouldered and taller than the rest, his heavy boots striking the ground with each step as if the palace floors trembled for him.

They laughed and joked as if the palace of Lionhart belonged to them. Servants kept their heads low, avoiding eye contact. Even the knights guarding the area shifted uneasily, for none dared interrupt the princes' loud conversations.

The discussion was far from noble.

"I saw the youngest daughter of that king yesterday," Magnus said with a grin. "She was walking in the gardens. Thin waist, long hair. Hah, I wonder if she would last more than a night."

Kaelyn smirked, his eyes sharp and mocking. "Why settle for the youngest? The second princess is far more graceful. A woman like that deserves to burn in a true man's embrace. My embrace."

Dorian shook his head, amused. "You two fight over scraps. The real prize is the eldest. They say she is as prideful as she is beautiful. That kind of woman… to break her would be more satisfying than anything."

Their laughter echoed across the courtyard.

It was difficult to believe these men were princes of vast empires. Their words were vulgar, their behavior shameless.

The royal family of Lionhart had been reduced to nothing more than entertainment in their eyes. None of them feared reprisal. The king himself was a puppet, and his advisors had long turned traitor to curry favor with these outsiders.

The three continued to exchange crude remarks until they reached the door of a royal chamber.

This was the chamber where the fourth prince of the Falcon Empire, Arcturus Valen Falconis, had been staying. Unlike them, he had always kept a stricter demeanor. But today, silence lingered behind the door.

Dorian knocked. There was no reply. A faint sound of movement came from inside, but nothing more.

"Hah," Kaelyn scoffed. "Has he already started enjoying himself with one of the princesses? Tch. I thought we would pick together."

Magnus spat at the side. "I don't like used stuff. He can have his fun. I'll take the next."

They exchanged knowing glances and chuckled before walking away, completely misunderstanding the situation.

None of them imagined that Arcturus was already dead, his body turned into a death soldier under Klaus's command. For them, they were the strongest in this region, and nobody could challenge them and their authority.

While the princes idled in their arrogance, miles away blood was being spilled without pause.

On a cliff overlooking a sprawling military camp, Klaus stood with his arms folded. Below him chaos raged.

Tens of thousands of soldiers screamed as monstrous creatures of death tore through their ranks. The night sky burned with fire from collapsing tents, and the ground was drenched in blood.

Klaus's expression remained calm as he observed. He was not here to wipe out the army. His goal was more precise.

"The base is too large," he muttered to himself. "Even my death legion cannot cover it fully. If I stay longer, they will lose too many. I need to leave them capable of war. Killing all of them would only weaken Riverdale's future strength."

His plan was not endless slaughter but conquest. Soldiers could be killed and resurrected into his army, but some had to remain alive. If Lionhart were to become a vassal under Riverdale's rule, its strength must be preserved. A completely ruined kingdom was useless to him.

The slaughter continued for hours. Death monsters rampaged, tearing through commanders and officers.

Yet Klaus ordered them to stop after a while. Many were killed, but not all. Enough chaos was created to weaken the enemy's backbone while ensuring that the kingdom would remain functional after submission.

When he deemed the damage sufficient, Klaus withdrew his legion with a wave of his hand. One by one, the monsters retreated into the shadows, their roars fading into the distance. The camp below smoldered in ruin.

He turned away. "This is enough for tonight."

Meanwhile, in the city of Lionhart, the Zero Division was already at work.

Lyssandra led the infiltration, her mastery of illusions proving invaluable. With a shift of her appearance, she blended into the city seamlessly.

Guards were deceived into believing she was a harmless maid, a merchant's daughter, or even a fellow soldier.

Her team scattered throughout the capital, changing their appearances themselves with basic mastery of the illusion concept; no one could detect them unless a transcendent personally inspected them.

Their mission was not to cause ruin tonight, but on the day of battle, when everyone would be looking towards outside invaders, they will attack from the inside, opening paths for the Riverdale army to march inside.

At the same time, Thunder Lord and Necrolord pursued another mission. They had been given a list by Kaiden, the noble who had sought Klaus's help.

More than twenty names were written on it, and these were the names of nobles and ministers who had betrayed him, framed him, and led to the murder of his wife.

The two elemental lords under Klaus wasted no time.

In the dead of night, Thunder Lord appeared above a wealthy estate. His eyes glowed with power as he raised his hand.

A spark of electricity crackled in the air before cascading down as a thunderbolt. The entire mansion exploded into flames, the screams of its inhabitants drowned by the roar of thunder. He did not stop to listen. He moved on to the next target.

Necrolord's methods were no less brutal. Black hellfire penetrated the walls and went into another noble's manor. Within minutes the building was consumed by dark fire, and every living being inside was torn and burned alive as their corpses were swallowed by darkness.

Kaiden's wife had been burned alive. For that reason, every target was burned.

Estates, villages, and entire properties went up in flames.

Thunder Lord snapped his fingers, and lightning set ablaze towns in the night. Meanwhile, Necrolord summoned waves of hellfire that consumed everything.

They did not ask if the targets were truly guilty. They did not seek justification. Their loyalty was only to Klaus. To them, humans were just another race, and innocents were no different from the guilty.

Within a single night, more than twenty noble households were erased from Lionhart. The flames lit the sky, visible even from the palace. Panic spread among the people, though most dared not speak a word. They whispered of demons, of divine punishment, of revenge from the heavens. But the truth was far simpler. It was Klaus's will being carried out.

For Kaiden, this was vengeance. For Thunder Lord and Necrolord, it was their duty to keep their lord's words.

The next day...

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The sun rose over the kingdom of Lionhart, but instead of warmth, it brought dread. The capital awoke not to the usual chatter of markets or the ringing of blacksmith hammers but to silence broken only by hurried footsteps and whispers of fear.

The night before had been one of chaos. The glow of fires still lingered across the horizon where noble estates once stood.

Smoke rose like black fingers clawing at the sky, visible even from the royal palace. Entire neighborhoods whispered of deathly shadows and thunder that had fallen without warning.

No bells of alarm had rung. No soldiers had responded. The attacks had been swift, brutal, and without resistance.

Inside the royal palace, the grand assembly hall was packed. Ministers, generals, advisors, and high-ranking officers filled the chamber. The usually calm air was replaced by suffocating tension.

Some whispered among themselves; others sat in silence, their foreheads wet with sweat. Even the king of Lionhart, seated upon his golden throne, looked pale and frail.

His crown weighed heavily on his head as his hands clutched the armrests, trembling slightly.

The three princes of the great empires were absent. They had departed at dawn to inspect the carnage in their respective military camps.

That left the king to preside.

At the center of the chamber, ministers argued.

"We must secure the city gates at once!" one shouted, pounding his fist on the table. "If the Messenger dares to enter the capital, we will be slaughtered like sheep!"

Another minister sneered. "Secure the gates? Against what? fire that appears inside homes?

Lightning that falls from the sky without warning? Against monsters that rip apart men and turn them into corpses that still walk? Foolishness!"

The officers in attendance exchanged uneasy glances. None dared speak too loudly. Last night, patrols had reported strange sightings.

Figures cloaked in darkness moving across rooftops. Whole squadrons of soldiers vanishing into the night.

And most terrifying of all are reports of creatures tearing apart soldiers, only for those same soldiers to rise again and join the attackers.

The messenger's Death army, The word circulated through the hall like a curse.

Suddenly the chief royal advisor, a thin, old man with sharp eyes, rose to his feet. His frail body seemed ready to collapse, but his voice was steady. He held a scroll of fresh reports gathered overnight.

"Enough," he said, his voice cutting through the noise.

"Panic will not save us. We must face the truth with clear eyes, no matter how terrifying."

The hall fell silent. All eyes turned to him.

"The twenty noble houses that were burned last night…" He paused, letting his words sink in. "Every single one of them had been implicated in the matter of Lord Kaiden."

Murmurs erupted immediately. Some ministers gasped; others turned pale.

"You mean…" one stammered.

The advisor nodded gravely. "Yes. Those very families were the ones responsible for framing Kaiden and his wife.

They accused him of colluding with the so-called 'demon of Riverdale,' aka the messenger, when Kaiden refused to supply grains for the empire's armies. They seized his lands and executed his wife by fire.

Last night, every single one of those families was annihilated, and that too by burning alive, just like Kaiden and his wife had been killed."