Chapter 1448
Leon stretched his neck and glanced over. The giant serpent, several dozen meters thick, would be nothing more than a toddler among the Dynosaurian Clan. Still, to grow this large, it must have some Dynosaurian blood.
After all, in Leon's memory, the remnants of the Dynosaurian Clan seemed to all reside in the Undead Plane. Only here, in this absolute domain, could the true powerhouses of the Dynosaurian Clan fully stretch their bodies.
The Dynosaurian Clan is what mages respectfully call the Golden Crown Serpent. Using the beast's name directly is considered an insult—among their kind, only the term 'Dynosaurian Clan' shows proper respect. If you dared to call a Dynosaurian by 'Golden Crown Serpent' to their face, you'd be courting death.
'Golden Crown Serpent' is just the name for the magical beast; 'Dynosaurian Clan' refers to the true, intelligent race.
Giacconi always calls them the Dynosaurian Clan, which means they're held in high regard by Giovanni. Showing disrespect simply isn't an option. That black serpent, with Dynosaurian blood, is proof enough—if Giovanni has any sense, he'd never use any other name for them.
Thinking about all this, Leon suddenly remembered Rick—the Golden Crown Serpent he'd met before. Once you know a serpent's name, it means you're accepted as a friend. I wonder how Rick's doing in the Undead Plane now.
These ancient clans, even the Undead King wouldn't dare provoke them. Undead warfare tactics are a joke to a Golden Crown Serpent—they could crush millions of undead just by rolling over. If pushed, they could wipe out an enemy's lair, even destroy an entire plane if they felt like it.
For the Golden Crown Serpent, a 'plane' is just another nest. They started as primordial beasts in the void, and for some reason, took a liking to making planes their lair. Not that anyone could drive them out, of course—the main reason is, nobody's strong enough.
While Leon was mulling all this over, the Bone Chariot had already landed outside the fortress. At the main gate stood an old vampire who looked almost human—maybe even more noble than most aristocrats—watching Giacconi with a faint smile.
Giovanni wore a warm, courteous smile, not caring whether Leon, the Skeleton King, could read his expression.
Leon felt a bit stifled. If this guy just started a fight, that'd be easy enough. But now, with all this undead hospitality, he couldn't really find fault. The host himself had come out to greet the guest—what else could you ask for?
Leon grumbled inwardly but didn't flip the table. The plan wasn't to kill Giovanni—he needed the guy alive and, ideally, cooperative. To keep Giovanni contained, he'd need a fixed coordinate and a proper gate, maybe even build one just for him. Only then could he be sure Giovanni would stay put.
But if he tried grabbing Giovanni by force, who knew what tricks the guy might pull in the Realm of Nightmares? If Giovanni really got loose in there, they'd be totally screwed. Getting stuck in the Realm of Nightmares is no joke.
Thinking back on his earlier deductions, Leon decided to scrap the violent approach. Not worth the risk.
'Lord Giovanni, I'm here on King Fergus's orders. I need to enter the Realm of Nightmares.'
Leon’s words left Giovanni stunned. He shot a quick glance at Giacconi, who was just as baffled, totally clueless about what was going on.
With the Undead King involved, Giovanni didn’t dare take things lightly anymore. He’d thought it was just troublemakers before, but seeing Giacconi’s confused face, Giovanni’s own expression darkened.
Suddenly, the space around them rippled. Sky Rank vampires and dark beasts appeared out of nowhere, forming a dense blockade. Arcane, guttural incantations filled the air. By the gate, a massive black serpent—thick as a building—raised its head and gave Leon a cold, unblinking stare.
Leon just stood there, taking it all in without so much as a twitch. Giovanni, on the other hand, was panicking—especially when he saw Giacconi still looking lost. He kicked Giacconi hard, sending him flying across the room.
Damn, that idiot! He said it was just a lone, exiled Skeleton King—how can anyone be that clueless?
That damned scythe—it's two levels higher than this Skeleton King, but it still recognizes him. No way he's some landless, banished Skeleton King.
This is King Fergus's Guardian Knight. Who else could make that creepy scythe acknowledge a mere level forty-seven Skeleton King?
Giacconi nearly made me screw up big time. If I killed King Fergus’s Guardian Knight, I’d be dooming all vampires to get shredded by Fergus himself.
Giovanni’s eyes were practically shaking—he was so scared, he could barely control his magic. He kicked Giacconi again, slamming him into the castle wall. At least twenty bones must've snapped; if he wasn’t dead, he was close enough.
After booting Giacconi across the room, Giovanni quickly waved off the ambush, signaling his lackeys to back off and behave.
The ambushers, confused but obedient, retreated. Giovanni glanced at the Skeleton King—who still hadn’t figured out what was happening—and let out a small sigh of relief.
Lucky break. This guy’s never been cornered like this before, didn’t even notice the trap. They say King Fergus is closest to the Skeleton King, and it’s true. This scrawny kid must be Fergus’s personal project—a new generation Skeleton King, already level forty-seven and probably not even a thousand years old yet.
If King Fergus personally steps in, it's beyond anyone's imagination...
Just as Giovanni breathed a sigh of relief, Leon suddenly turned and walked straight toward the pitch-black giant serpent. The serpent ignored Giovanni’s orders, keeping its head high and its cold eyes locked on Leon.
Leon slowly floated up, stopping right in front of the serpent’s face, and sent out a ripple of soul energy.
Are you Rick’s descendant? Any idea where he’s been lately? Ever since he came to the Undead Plane, I haven’t seen him in ages...
Leon's calm soul ripple washed over the serpent, whose cold, sinister eyes instantly softened. Its raised head drooped submissively, all hostility gone.
So you’re a friend of Lord Rick—please forgive my rudeness. I don’t know where Lord Rick is these days; I’m not even qualified to enter the Golden Sea...
The black serpent bowed its head respectfully, answering Leon’s question without a trace of doubt.
Purebloods of the Dynosaurian Clan are rare enough. Rick showing up in the Undead Plane was a huge deal for them, and every descendant with Dynosaurian blood got a nice boost from it.
Bloodline suppression is real—even a level forty-eight descendant has to toe the line when Rick’s around.
Rick’s return to the clan was a major event for the Dynosaurian Clan, but his name hasn’t leaked out. Even among the clan, only those who know his full name are in the loop. Anyone calling him just 'Rick' is either close or family—no outsiders, that’s for sure.