Well, that probably wasn't good.
Vendetta was streaking towards the other dragons, stopping Rungrim before the two of them flew back to where Vendetta had come from.
Yuya wasn't on Vendetta's back.
Yuri's attention snapped back to the battle as the green dragon, Thirae, broke formation, flying lower than the others. He was covered in scratches and bites, the blood coating his green scales clearly visible. Feng roared something and caught Thirae before he hit the ground. The brass dragon managed to carry Thirae, who was the same size but much less bulky, over the kingdom wall and set him inside. Feng said something to Thirae before flying back to rejoin the fight.
The number of hellhounds was dwindling, the human soldiers having figured out the creatures hearts were literally in their stomachs. The archers standing on the kingdom walls pelted the monsters with arrows, injuring the beasts and drawing their attention away from the swordsman who would then deal a killing blow.
The hellhounds turned as one and fled.
They fled towards Yuya, Vendetta, and Rungrim.
"They aren't running away," Yuri hissed.
"Hey!" Yuri yelled in Draconic, getting the attention of the red dragon. "Vendetta and Rungrim are over there!"
Creed's eyes widened. She snapped something at Fargrim and the two of them shot after the fleeing demons.
Yuya had shifted back into a human, his mana drained again until he couldn't sustain his more powerful form. He was still unconscious, his breathing shallow.
"What do we do?" Vendetta asked, trying to not show how helpless she felt.
"I could try to heal him, but I'm not good at it yet. We should really get Fargrim to do it," Rungrim replied.
Rungrim roared in pain as a dozen hellhounds leapt onto his back, digging their teeth and claws in between his scales. Vendetta immediately began clawing at the monsters, knocking them off and injuring them only for them to jump back on again.
"Vendetta get back!" Creed roared.
The black dragon narrowly avoided the cascade of flames that instantly covered Rungrim. The hellhounds fell off, screaming in agony. The four dragons faced their adversaries, teeth and talons bared. The pack backed away, only to find Vladimir, Feng, and all of the human warriors standing behind them.
They clashed, fangs tearing, metal screeching, screaming from both man and beast. The hellhounds fell, their already-small numbers no match for the combined strength of their united enemy.
The last hellhound hit the ground, Sir Yugo standing over the bleeding corpse with an exhausted smile.
"We did it."
The King removed his helmet.
"Only one problem," King Yuto growled, his expression dark. "Yuya and the alpha are gone."
The alpha stood in front of him, Yuya hanging limply in the monster's toothless maw. The alpha's eyes were wide with insanity, a small white ring showing around the edges. Its eyes that used to glitter with malice and hatred now were lifeless, devoid of light. The great demon had been reduced to far less than the beasts that it used to lead. Two gaping wounds on its shoulders released a spurt of blood with each heaving breath. The alpha was still the size of a dragon, but seemed much smaller after its body had been partially destroyed.
Yuri stared down the massive beast, the Dagger of the Singing Viper in his hand.
"Give him back," Yuri said in Draconic.
The alpha's eyes showed a glimpse of recognition and it growled in response.
"You understand the language of the dragons. Give him back."
Its growl turned to a snarl.
"Give him back or I will make you."
The alpha made a sound like it was laughing. It was like metal being dragged slowly through metal.
The alpha's eyes seemed to widen even further, its mouth twisting into a cruel smile. It turned its head slowly to one side before whipping it in the other direction, throwing Yuya's unconscious form into a tree. He hit the tree with a sickening crack, before crumpling to the ground.
The massive beast reached down to the dead dragon, picking something up in its jaws. It looked like a sphere of ice.
A dragon's essence.
"No human can kill me," the alpha said slowly, like a young child sounding out a sentence.
The ground began to shake, the wind began to rage, rotating a few feet off of the ground in a perfect circle. The circle became slowly visible, glowing brighter until it looked like a giant ring of fire. The circle filled from the edges to the center, becoming a dark red color. Golden chains crossed over the portal on the other side, the keyhole facing them a circle waiting for a dragon's essence. The alpha watched as it appeared, transfixed.
Perfect.
Yuri ran for the monster, drawing on the power of the Orb of Tortured Souls. Time slowed around him as he ran, ignoring the fear that came from the nightmares in his peripheral vision. He leapt onto the alpha's front leg, grabbing as much fur as he could with both of his hands occupied. The beast's bloodied fur was right above him. He swiped his hand through it, dropping from the beast immediately. He didn't know how long the orbs' power would last, but he didn't want to test it now.
Time resumed as he hit the ground, landing in a sliding crouch that allowed him to turn and keep running. The alpha's attention snapped to him, snarling as its prey tried to flee.
Yuri turned around as the alpha started to give chase, giving the demon pause.
The alpha grinned evilly. It wanted to know what this pathetic creature thought that it could possibly do to it.
Yuri held up the hand that was covered in blood, dropping the dagger to the ground. He felt the dark spreading across his eyes, leaving them entirely black.
"Grant that I may hold the souls of the twisted, tyrannical, and tortured in the palm of my hand."
The blood left his hand, spiralling in front of him before shrinking and taking the form of the last orb.
The Orb of Tyrants' Souls.
The alpha's smile faded, unsure of what it had just witnessed.
Yuri grinned. He felt the three orbs. He felt their power, begging to be released. The twisted, tortured, and tyrants of the past; all of them wanted to fight, to use the power that they had once felt.
He picked up his dagger, sliding it back into its sheath.
"Why not oblige?" Yuri laughed, giving in the desires of the ancient artifacts.
Power.
Power.
So much power.
The suffering of these people burned like dragon's fire, coursing through his veins and giving him all of their strength. Actual flames appeared around him, a wave of heat washing over him.
It took but a moment for the change to occur.
The flames dispersed in a single wave, shooting outwards in a ring before disappearing.
Yuri grinned, feeling the new length and sharpness of his upper canines. His pupils had become slitted, his fingers tipped with sharp black talons. A pair of ridged black horns curved back from his head. Red dragon-like wings spread out on either side of him.
He lashed his tail, unable to stop himself from laughing maniacally at the feeling of pure, infinite power.
He wore a crown of twisted, dark red metal on his head, the three Draconic artifacts twisted into the crown.
The look of horror on the alpha's face only made him feel stronger.
Yuri wasn't exactly a devil, but he definitely wasn't human anymore.
"What was it that you said?" Yuri yelled, a manic lilt in his voice. "No human can kill you?"
The alpha crouched down before leaping to attack, its claws stretched out in front of it.
Yuri easily dodged to the side, watching the creature in amusement.
The alpha turned around, snarling, and lunged again. Yuri flapped his wings, the crown telling him exactly what to do and how. He flew above the hellhound as it slammed its paws down where he had been a mere moment before. He dove and flew across the ground, the hellhound close behind.
And flew through the portal.