Primordial Slime: I Devour The World

Sylvane was alive.

The capital of the Syrathen Empire spread out before them, a vast plain enclosed within huge stone walls that had stood the test of time. Massive towers stood atop of the walls, each proudly displaying the crest of the Empire. Inside the walls the city bustled with life. Merchants filled the streets with their wares, adventurers ran freely between the various guild buildings and inns, and groups of soldiers marched back and forth as they patrolled the city.

Magic lanterns hung from the buildings’ sides, ready to illuminate the streets at nightfall. The Imperial Palace stood in the very heart of the capital, a stark contrast to the other buildings, as it was made of white stone and reinforced with defensive enchantments. Several large towers surrounded the palace grounds, each one belonging to a different section of the Imperial government. Normally the palace was a symbol of peace and stability, but today it seemed to be the opposite.

Soldiers stood at the palace entrance, and messengers rushed back and forth, while servants kept their voices hushed the moment they crossed paths with one another. It was clear something was amiss. Inside the council hall, a group of people had gathered. At the head of the room sat the King of Syrathen, King Aldren Alaric Syrathen. His expression was unusually grim as he listened to the discussions between council members, military officials, nobles, and a few important members of the Adventurer’s Guild.

The reason for their meeting was not something that could be easily ignored.

A Greater Demon Commander had appeared in one of the Empire’s territories, several of the Empire’s military forces had been destroyed by the demon, and even now they were trying to keep the news from the public. The moment the doors to the council hall opened, the room fell silent. All eyes were drawn to the lone palace guard that entered the room. He stopped before the King and gave a respectful bow.

"Your Majesty," The guard hesitated before continuing. "Two men have arrived." "Who?" The King’s voice was like thunder. "Lords Lucien and Calian." The guard said flinching.

Silence filled the room.

The King’s brows furrowed as he regarded the guard. "Bring them in."

The doors opened yet again, and two tired men entered the council hall. They both wore travel worn clothing, and Calian’s ruined armor instantly drew a few disgusted looks from the nobles. As they entered the hall the noise from the gathered officials died down. "Calian Valcrest," The king said.

His tone was unusually gentle, but that did little to hide the worry in his features.

"What happened?"

Calian opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. The king took a step closer.

"Where is the army?" Calian’s lips trembled as he answered. "Dead." A hushed murmur spread through the room. "How?" The king asked. Calian slowly looked up. "It was the work of a dragon." Several of the council members exchanged worried looks.

The king frowned. "A dragon?" Calian nodded. "It appeared during the battle. I’ve never seen anything like it." One of the military commanders stepped forward. "How strong?" Calian looked up at the man. "I don’t know." "You fought it?" The man asked. "No I didn’t." He replied. The commander frowned. "Then how did you survive?" Calian looked down at the floor. "My Unique Skill activated." The room grew even more quiet.

"It happened automatically."

The council members whispered among themselves. Calian continued. "The dragon released some kind of flames." His voice grew quiet. "Everyone caught in them disappeared." One of the council members frowned.

"Burned?"

Calian shook his head. "No." He remembered the battlefield.

"Erased."

The word seemed to hang in the air for a long moment. "Armor disappeared. Weapons disappeared. Bodies disappeared." Calian’s expression darkened. "Even their souls." Most of the room fell silent. Calian continued. "I watched Commander Gareth disappear." The room grew deathly quiet. Even the King’s expression had changed.

"Gareth?"

Calian nodded. "He was caught in the flames."

The gathered nobles and officials all fell silent. Gareth had been one of the Empire’s strongest warriors and had fought countless battles. Many believed he could fight Monster Lords on his own, and now he was gone. One of the council members finally spoke.

"That is impossible." Calian looked up at the man. "I saw it." The council member’s face tightened. "What kind of dragon was it?"

"I don’t know." Calian shook his head. "I don’t know, it’s different from dragons I have heard of." The man shot a look at the others in the room before slowly standing. His face had lost its color.

"True Dragon."

The room went completely silent.

Calian’s gaze snapped to the old man. "What?" The old council member stared at Calian. "If your description is accurate..." He swallowed hard. "That was a True Dragon."

Several of the officials immediately started whispering.

"A True Dragon?"

"Impossible."

"One of the seven?"

"Here?"

"Then why hasn’t the Guild reported it?"

The King raised a hand, signaling for silence. "Explain." The old council member looked at the Emperor. "True Dragons are not ordinary dragons. They are beings that stand at the highest level of the world’s known dragon hierarchy." He looked at Calian. "The ability you described isn’t normal dragon magic." His expression darkened. "True Dragon Flames are capable of destroying more than the physical body."

Calian remembered the battlefield.

He said nothing.

The Emperor looked at one of the palace guards. "Send for Ryker." The guard bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty." He hurried out of the room. The room remained tense. No one continued the discussion about the Greater Demon Commander. The situation had changed. A few minutes later the doors to the council hall opened once more. A hulking man entered the room.

Ryker.

The Guild Master of the Sylvane Capital of Syrathen Empire. He carried a bundle of thick documents under one arm as he walked up to the Emperor and placed them on the table. "You asked for information regarding the Great Verdant Forest." The King nodded. "Everything you have." Ryker opened the first document. "The Great Verdant Forest has always been considered one of the most dangerous regions on the continent." He turned a few pages. "Monster density is abnormally high." Another document was set down next to the first one. "Monster evolution occurs at a rate that doesn’t match normal environmental conditions."

Yet another page was turned. "Several species recorded as weak monsters have developed into advanced variants despite having no obvious source of external influence."

Calian frowned.

Ryker continued. "And the strangest part is that the effect becomes stronger the deeper one travels into the forest." The prince, who had remained silent throughout most of the discussion, finally spoke.

"Why?"

Ryker looked at him. "We don’t know."

He set another document down on the table. "At least, we didn’t." The prince looked down, the document containing an old map. A large section of the Great Verdant Forest had been marked, and in the middle was a name.

Malachiel.

Calian’s eyes narrowed. "Who’s that?"

"Not who."

Ryker tapped the document. "What."

The room grew silent.

"Malachiel is a True Dragon."

Several people stared at the document in shock. Ryker continued. "According to ancient records, Malachiel was sealed thousands of years ago." The King leaned forward. "Where?" Ryker pointed at the center of the Great Verdant Forest.

"There."

Calian’s expression changed.

"The dragon."

Ryker nodded. "If your description is accurate, then the True Dragon that appeared on the battlefield was most likely Malachiel." The prince looked at the map.

"So the Great Verdant Forest..." "Is his sealed territory." Ryker finished. Ryker turned another page. "For thousands of years his mana has seeped into the surrounding environment." He put the document down. "That mana has affected the ecosystem."

"Plants."

"Monsters."

"Magic."

"Everything."

Ryker looked around the room. "That is why monsters in the Great Verdant Forest evolve at such an abnormal rate." The room grew silent. Calian suddenly understood something. "The monsters." Ryker looked at him. "The monsters living there. They’ve been evolving because of him?" "Most likely." Ryker replied. Calian’s face tightened as he thought about the battlefield. The monsters had been strong, much stronger than the Empire had expected.

Now they understood why. The forest itself had been nurturing them for thousands of years. The King leaned back. "Then Eldoris..." Ryker nodded. "Is built within the affected region." The room erupted in chaos.

"We sent an army into the territory of a True Dragon?"

"How did we not know?"

"Why wasn’t this in the military records?"

"How did the monsters survive?"

"Wait."

A council member looked at Lucien who hadn’t spoken since he came. "How did you survive?" Lucien remained silent for a moment before he spoke. "I wasn’t on the battlefield." Everyone looked at him. "I was in the forest." He briefly explained how Gareth had left him tied to a tree after taking his weapons. He had eventually burned through the ropes and remained in the forest, waiting for the battle to end. "When the aura appeared, I felt it from where I was." Lucien’s expression hardened. "I knew something was wrong." He looked at Calian. "After the flames appeared, I waited until everything became quiet."

Everyone finally understood.

One had survived because he had been outside the battlefield. The other had survived because his Unique Skill had activated at the exact moment he needed it. The King lowered his head. His fingers tightened against his forehead. For several seconds, he said nothing. The council members continued speaking around him.

Some demanded military action. Others argued that the Empire should forget about the forest. Some wanted more information about Eldoris. Others returned to the demon threat. The voices blended together. The King slowly looked toward the documents.

A True Dragon.

A monster nation.

A thousand soldiers erased from existence.

And Gareth was gone.

His strongest warrior.

The man the Empire had relied on for years.

The King’s shoulders lowered. "The True Dragon was more powerful than expected." Nobody answered. His eyes moved toward the map of the Great Verdant Forest. "If Eldoris decides to attack us..." He stopped. The thought was enough. What would the Empire do? How could they fight a nation protected by monsters of Monster Lord class? How could they defend against a True Dragon? The voices around the hall grew louder.

Arguments.

Questions.

Orders.

Fear.

The prince finally sighed. He was tired. He stood. "Enough." The voice finally cut through the council. Everyone turned. The young man sitting beside the King slowly stood. His dark coat carried the silver crest of the Syrathen royal family. "We’ve heard enough." King Alaric looked at his son. "Caelan." The Crown Prince nodded. "Father." The prince looked toward Lucien and Calian. "Come with me." The two men followed him. They left the council hall as the arguments continued behind them. Once the doors closed, the prince stopped in the corridor.

"I’m angry at myself."

Caelan stopped beside one of the palace windows. Calian and Lucien remained silent.

"I should have pushed harder. I told him to focus on the demons. I told him the monsters weren’t worth our attention."

His hand tightened around the window ledge. "And now one thousand soldiers are gone." He looked toward the distant horizon.

"Not dead."

His expression darkened.

"Erased."

Silence followed..He looked at the direction of the Great Verdant Forest. "I wonder what comes next."

He turned around.

His eyes were filled with anger, but beneath it was something else.

Concern.

His eyes narrowed.

"Tanaka Eldoris."

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