"I saw the King of Black Dragons shedding scales in the flames, bronze gears piercing its flesh, steam gushing from its shattered throat. The firmament cracked with sulfurous rifts. Locusts swarmed from the abyss, with wings forged of brass, teeth like quenched steel blades, their bellies resonating with the alien hum of gears. They wore crowns of steam on their foreheads, their stings dripping scalding tar, leaving pistons and rivets sprouting from the grass they passed—'Revelation 1:13.'"

…

"Your Majesty, the evacuation convoy is ready, we've mobilized the best summoners from the association to ensure the journey's absolute safety."

The minister, who had earlier delivered a rousing speech at the Royal Capital's square, was now beaming with pride as he reported his arrangements to Olede the Eleventh. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The King brought along his family, along with the scepter symbolizing the Crimson Queen's blessing.

This cataclysm sweeping across the entire Kingdom was not necessarily a bad thing for him; the relocation site had already been decided—the mountain region of the northern border, one of the few areas untouched by mechanical creatures, although the infrastructure was not as advantageous as the central plains, it was much safer.

"Dragon's Spine," perched atop the mountains, a place only mighty dragons, kings of the sky, could reach. More importantly, it was his homeland, where his family's power ran deep in the northern territories, with the current City Lord being his childhood friend.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, everything is under my... our control."

The minister displayed a smile on his face.

"It's a pity that Black Steel cannot accompany us."

The King sighed deeply. Even with the elite protection of the association along this long journey, things were complicated by the fact that the Cautious Tree of the association had been sabotaged by unknown individuals, crippling the Kingdom's teleportation system. Relying on creatures for travel would take several days, with potential mishaps.

Although Ferrock recommended using flying creatures, the Queen found the turbulence unbearable, and they were also inconvenient for transport, so they opted for a convoy instead.

"Yes, it's truly a pity."

Ferrock feigned agreement, but for him, the defeat of Black Steel was a divine gift. If Black Steel were still around, everything would revolve around the latter, leaving no room for him to have a say.

Since becoming chairman of the Royal Summoner Association, Black Steel had always been autocratic; someone should have disciplined him long ago!

And now... his era had arrived!

Ferrock's steps became much lighter, and after many years, his family and the people of the northern highlands were returning to the center of power!

Torchlight illuminated the Royal Capital; this was a sleepless night, rare in its vibrancy.

The King asked again, "How are the summoned troops?"

"Everything is according to plan."

Ferrock was very satisfied with his progress. Just a rousing speech, and his "brothers and sisters" would rush to the battlefield with fervor. It had been his family's forte since the Dragon's Spine days when his father led the people of the north to close the gap between humans and dragons with sheer numbers during the dragon invasion incident decades ago.

But this time, those lost in battle were truly dead.

Yet, as long as their power and wealth continued, all sacrifices were worth it.

In the night, the torchlight reflected in Ferrock's dark eyes.

This had been his creed—it was the meaning of the state and its people, was it not?

To maintain the privileges of a few with the blood and sweat of many, this world has always been thus, and it would not change yesterday, today, or tomorrow.

As a beneficiary, the only thing he had to do was uphold those privileges.

"Your Majesty, the people of the Royal Capital will cover our retreat, and we must move forward."

Ferrock said, "It's time to depart."

Before dawn, the relocation convoy set off towards the northern territory, and Ferrock sat in the carriage closest to Olede the Eleventh, looking at the mighty procession through a slightly open window. He knew this scene would go down in history, and no matter how many years passed, when future generations looked back, they would know that the loyal Ferrock proposed the relocation plan to Olede the Eleventh during the Kingdom's crisis, allowing the Kingdom to endure at this vital moment.

But then, Ferrock's gaze was drawn to something more distant.

He could not tell if it was an illusion, but he felt something from the darkness was rapidly approaching them, something merging with the night sky, faintly buzzing with the sound of wings.

Their numbers seemed greater and denser than the convoy itself.

Perhaps he was just too tired.

Ferrock comforted himself thus; it had indeed been a long day, and he hadn't rested even once since awakening. He merely experienced tinnitus in his severely fatigued state.

But everything had settled, and he indeed deserved sleep. When he woke, the convoy would have long departed the Royal Capital, and even the city's outline would not be visible.

He closed his eyes, and with his vision gone, his sense of smell and hearing sharpened.

Ferrock smelled rust, a bit like the scent of blood, growing more intense, and he heard commotion outside the carriage; more than one person had noticed the developments in the distance.