Chapter 402 – Which Fight Will End First?

*** Phrogni ***

The wind from that human is annoying. It makes it hard to swoop in and attack. Water isn't the best against magma, but it's doing enough when it's a Champion controlling it. How a Duchess got this strong in this backwater Queendom, I don't know. Could Alzi really have had this much of an effect on them? Or has Sea decided to lend a hand? So many ways for these two to hold their own against me. But that's fine for now.

It'll be pure luck if Nanoka can do a single thing to my sister. The years are never easy on the Queens.

It's kind of sad that a Champion is getting handled by three mages. Mind mages are tricky, but just rush them, you idiot. At least I don't have to count on her doing something useful. My sister will decide if this goes her way or not.

I doubt Yzzorres cares about capturing Alzi. Something else brought her here, and I'm hoping it isn't to kill the stupid royals destroying her peace.

*** Queen Yumanea ***

"Get them out," I say. "Just get them the fuck out of here! Retreat!"

It's brave of my officers to have the women cast spells at the flying mountain, but stupid. I don't even know if it's worth it for me to try to help. The True Phoenix coming out gives me some hope, but not much, seeing the size difference.

My wives can keep the retreat orderly. I'll have to figure out something that I can do to help. I may not be around to help transfer the power to the next generation. Sorry, Alzi, you'll have to drag one of my daughters to the altar, and then to the throne if anyone makes it out of here.

"Hello!" a dryad says. "Sorry, but I've been told I have to play with you all for a bit, or Nature is going to uproot my tree. It seems some silly dragons got to Alzi, and I have to keep you and the other Queens from getting to her."

A great wall of vines surrounds me and Nesh before anyone gets a chance to run back to the city. Kiyomi appears beside me with a normal frown.

"I don't know your name," Kiyomi says.

"I don't either," the dryad says. "Don't worry, I'm tired and have little desire to fight or kill anyone. I just need to keep my tree safe. You know how Goddesses can get, though we all get to see that now, I suppose. We can just rest here for a few hours and then go our separate ways."

"I would rather make sure Alzi is ok," I say. Kiyomi doesn't care to voice her thoughts; the space splits apart where the strange dryad was just standing. And then another spot, and another, and then again, forming little pockets of warped space. It's going to take me an entire month to close all of those back up after this fight. And I have to go running off to Alzi and say some prayers for Elora and the other women we've lost.

"Are you going to do something or just watch?" Kiyomi says.

"I can't see her," I say. "Can't you just teleport out of here?"

"The wall is more than just a wall," Kiyomi says. "I can't leave yet. I'll figure it out. Just do something useful."

"Kiyomi," the dryad says, echoing through the grass dome she's created. "Do you think you'll fool me? I'm the Champion of Nature. The grass, wind, and pollen all tell me what the truth is around me. Stop trying to trick me, I'm not a little girl. I've lived with the Pixies, and I've tricked many Kitsunes into leaving my forest. You may be the strongest Kitsune to ever live, but what do you hope to do? Just sit still for a bit, and what happens will happen."

"You're talking as if you're a Goddess," Kiyomi says. "I refuse to believe you're anywhere near the strength of the Phoenixes or the Dragon. Give me a few minutes, and this will all burn down. Won't it, Yumanea?"

"I'll try," I say. "Don't blame me if I smoke us all to death. You told me to do this."

"We have Nesh here."

"She can put out a fire, but does very little for our ability to breathe," I say.

Maybe I'm moping a little too much after seeing what a true dragon can do. If the dryad is anything like the dragon, she would've run us over immediately by simply showing up. Hopefully, the Phoenix Queen is letting the true phoenixes handle the dragon and is moving to help Alzi. Or is she happy that Shimmer is pregnant again and decided to run away?

Here and now, Kiyomi wants out, so I just have to burn through the dome. There's no need to see the elusive dryad for that. I just turn around and shoot a constant stream at the wall. Slowly, it shifts from orange to blue to white, and finally, to the rainbow Irlo gifted me.

It's slow work, but I'm making a hole in the vines. To the side, Nesh tries to blast another hole through the wall. It's worth the chance to distract the dryad, but it's too bad we can't work together on a hole.

Taking a small peek behind me, I think it's safe to say the dryad isn't in here anymore. The world just doesn't exist there after whatever Kiyomi did.

I'm starting to think Kiyomi could've defended the city herself if she wasn't afraid of the dryad or dragon queens coming out themselves. That could've saved us a ritual, and then Alzi would have Geta to defend her, but I guess that would have some weakness I just don't know about. The walls are still standing, so it hasn't killed the dryad yet.

*** Alzi ***

There has to be someone out there who could come to help us. The old Queen should be out here doing something. And the Guards can't all be useless. If they could just help my old wives against my Aunt, that would let them all try to get the royal dragons to back off. Should I order Kou to help?

"Kou..."

"No, My Princess, I can not take the offensive. My Skills are purely for delaying and stalling while my lady runs. I would just get in the way. When I tell you to run, run."

"When?"

"My Grandmother isn't winning her fight, My Princess," Kou says. "I don't know how Fluvis and Estrella are holding their own, but they won't be able to keep that up when Queen Phollo joins her sister. And you know what will happen after that. I'll do what I can, and you need to run. This may be a bit bold, but I think you should run to the true dragon. Please do your best not to submit to her or challenge her. Just hope that she is here to make sure you're safe. If she is here for something else, then all is lost anyway."

"The ritual was supposed to win us the war," I say.

"If the true dragon hadn't come out, it would've, My Princess," Kou says. "She's keeping the true phoenix and the Phoenix queen and her harem locked in battle with her, and there isn't anything we can do about that."

"The Goddess of the Kitsunes?"

"What do you want her to do? Trick them all into thinking you're somewhere else? Sorry, My Princess, but she doesn't have much power outside our realm."

"Well, I feel stupid just sitting here."

"So do I. Would you like to start running, My Princess?" Kou asks.

"The temple of Love? I haven't gotten her pregnant. Maybe I could get a deal with her?" I say. A silly dream, really. The more I look, the easier it is to see that the royal dragon is just playing with Fluvis and Estrella. Maybe not completely, but she has ignored some chances to injure Estrella badly instead of just trading bruises like they are now. I still can't see anything in Nanoka's fight.

My Aunt must be getting a lot of help to be handling my old wives, but even with that, I think my old wives will win if they have a few more minutes. The only question becomes what happens after that. Would the royal dragon stop playing around and truly attack Fluvis and Estrealla, or is Nanoka going to lose too fast for that to matter?

Nakuma and Victoria are running around like crazy, keeping the guards locked in Nakuma's warped space bubble. A few good swings, and maybe they can get to Nanoka soon. If we could free up Victoria to help Fluvis, then perhaps that could do something?

My question starts to be answered as a blade of air makes contact with my Aunt, slicing off her left arm and wing, and she screams as she comes crashing down. A stream of magma keeps my old wives from finishing her off, but my Aunt is grounded now and should be taken care of quickly.

A loud snap has everyone's heads turning to my left. Nanoka's giant space has closed up and brought the two into view again. Nanoka's many tails have been chopped up and stained red, and she's missing an arm and a leg, and her belly has been cut open. Her chest is just barely moving as her life slowly leaves her.

"Haha," the royal dragon laughs. "She thought she could fight a current Queen? Sad. I killed my Mother, and I've only gotten stronger. This old thing was too easy for me. Ready to be my toy, traitor?"

The royal dragon isn't unharmed. Her golden armor is leaking some blood, and her right hand is missing, but she should be more than enough to beat me and Kou. Maybe my Skill will hurt her? Kou isn't pregnant, so I can't really use any of my Skills to help her, and that makes my third body useless, too, right now."Run, My Princess. I'm sorry, our time together was so short," Kou says. "Do what you can to keep me between you and the dragon until I've engaged her completely. The Dragon or Love. Good Luck, My Princess."

"Yes," I stutter. The royal dragon has tossed her helmet off. Her eyes narrow in on my main body and soak in the sight of me with her crooked smile. My legs feel like jelly as I try to turn around, and I stumble just a bit as the dragon shoots forward. A wave of fire encompasses her, and an old elf pops into existence. She stands for just a second before the royal dragon puts a sword through her stomach.

Does she have a thing for stomachs? I put my third body in front of Kou, hoping to get the royal dragon to slow down.

The royal dragon doesn't stop, but I've got my legs working again now, so I close my eyes on my third body and run with my main body. I hold my skirt in my hands and do my best to run. My pregnancy may not hurt my stamina, but it still gets in the way of my body. But right now, I just have to run, I just need to run towards the dragon. Power said she wouldn't eat me if I was nice to her, so I can submit if it keeps my kids from getting taken from me. A true dragon would want all the women to be in her nest, right? I want all my kids and lovers around me. How could she deny her mate that wish? She's my savior. Yes, Kou is right. I just need to reach her.

I check back to see if I can fly off. The royal dragon didn't seem to be stopping for anything, so she should be fighting someone already.

I feel warm steel start to slide through my thigh.

Why didn't I check my new classes?