Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!-Chapter 585: The Marked/Red Zone [1]

The main group continued their advance towards the heart of the forest. After Nox's disappearance, they barely stopped to rest. Even when they did, it was for a maximum of 3–4 hours before continuing their flight.

Soon after flying for several days, the oppressive air worsened, and even breathing felt like inhaling ash. The mana here didn't saturate the surroundings—it was as if it wanted to suck the life out of them.

Fortunately, everyone present was fairly powerful, and thanks to their race as dragons, and the light barrier that encased them all, the oppressive mana was manageable.

Drake wiped sweat from his brows as he walked, studying the map glowing faintly in his grip.

Lumi, along with the other light dragonkins, followed just a few steps behind. Their lips were pressed into tight frowns, and their faces appeared extremely serious as they struggled to maintain the giant light barrier shielding everyone inside.

The group continued their advancement in silence—not because they didn't want to speak, but because they simply didn't have the strength to waste.

On the fifth day, they noticed the sky above had grown darker. The Scourge corruption seemed to have infected the trees as well, their limbs spiraling like claws toward the blackened sky.

The ground had long turned ashen grey, filled with the bones of Scourge dragons.

After a while, they noticed the number of trees had thinned drastically, and now, just some hours later, the group stopped in their tracks.

The forest opened up into a wide basin, and above it, a massive portal loomed in the air.

It was impossible to miss. The thing was as wide as a mountain, swirling with a mixture of purple, crimson, and black energy.

"We… we're here," Drake said as he slowly lifted his head from the map to the distance, where the terrifying portal spun, emitting an ominous aura.

"What did the map say?" Valkor asked without taking his eyes off the portal.

Suspended around the portal were at least two dozen Scourge dragons. Each one was enormous—at least twice the size of the ones they'd encountered so far.

They didn't need to get close to realize that all the dragons hovering around the portal were Scourge Champions.

"It said that—" Drake narrowed his eyes, staring at the end of the map where there was some tiny writing he recognized as his father's handwriting. "It says that the portal leads to another plane."

"Another plane? You mean outside the Dragon Realm?" Galen gasped.

"That's exactly what he said," Celestis muttered, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"So what should we do?" Valkor asked. "Even without getting close, I can tell those guys are very powerful."

Some had multiple wings, others were covered in bone armor. One had gun-like tails that lashed violently through the air. Another hovered with its limbs folded in a prayer-like posture, but it radiated a presence so terrifying that even Lumi's light barrier showed cracks.

"I've never felt a pressure like this before," Raziel muttered as he narrowed his eyes. In the depths of his gaze, something akin to hopelessness flashed. The Lightning Prince knew when and where to be reckless—and this was definitely not the place.

A wrong move, and he would be easily killed by the dragons who rotated around the portal in a clockwise manner, as if they were guarding it.

Suddenly, the surface of the portal turned bright crimson.

"Something is coming out!" Drake warned instinctively.

At the same time, Lumi groaned and dropped to one knee. "I can't hold the barrier much longer. The mana here... it's too overwhelming."

"Damn! Everyone fall back!" Drake ordered quickly.

They retreated behind a tall outcropping of stone, which had turned dark after being subjected to corruption for too long. It seemed to have once been a building, but now it was destroyed.

Still, it granted them more than enough cover. Through the holes in the stone, Drake watched the giant portal. His eyes narrowed, and his chest pounded wildly as he anticipated what would come through.

Everyone's gaze was focused there. Some had already activated half-transformations—just in case.

Galen paced back and forth. "We're not ready for this. We've seen enough already. Let's return and report to the Monarch our findings."

"Report what?" Drake sneered, lowering his voice. Even though there was a huge gap between the portal and their rocky outcropping, he didn't dare speak too loudly.

"If we leave now, we may never get another chance," he said. "Besides, I'm sure the Monarch already knows about this portal. We've not even caught sight of the Alpha. Our mission is not yet complete."

Drake had competed in the last Scourge attack, but that fight had taken place in the Marked Zone—just outside the Dragon Realm.

[AN: That was the reason for the destructive battlefield Nox saw before entering the Dragon Realm in Chapter 490.]

Even then, for his father to say the portal led to another realm, it could only mean one thing—the Monarchs had somehow ventured into this portal before.

"Then what do we do?"

"We…" Just before Drake could speak, the surface of the portal began to tremble, and its swirling mass turned a deep blood red, surging violently like an ocean in a storm.

Cracks of black lightning tore through the sky, and the temperature dropped instantly—so low that even the dragonkin present could feel a biting chill seep into their bones.

Then, from the middle of the portal, thousands of massive shadows poured out, diving into the sky like dark meteors.

It didn't take long for the others to recognize what these shadows were—they were all corrupted dragons.

Everyone watched with bated breath as the Scourge Dragons roared and split into formations, flying in different directions—towards the eight kingdoms.

However, what caught the attention of everyone present was...

***

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