A Journey That Changed The World.

When the pain hit Archer, it made him roar in agony before he tried to counterattack, but the Firewyrm trapped his limbs using its own as it started to bite into him savagely. He couldn't fight back as he was overwhelmed by the mysterious beast.

The Firewyrm tore through his scales and brutalized him before the Mana Realm pulled him out. Everything went black until the sunlight blinded him, and pain shot through his body but soon vanished,

Archer shook his head and noticed a dozen officials standing around him with worried expressions. The crowd was going mad with their cheering, screaming, and celebrating, which caught him off guard.

While coming to, he heard a voice say, ''You should have given up before fighting the nightmare-inducing Firewyrm.''

He turned around and spotted Ophelia standing there wearing her usual purple witch robes. Her black/purple hair was tied into a bun, and she wore glasses that made her look even more beautiful. They shared the same violet eyes and glowed with intelligence and allure.

Archer smiled when he saw the gorgeous witch. ''It's good to see you, Ophie,'' he said. ''How have you been?''

''Busy,'' she replied with an honest smile. ''Many students have applied to join the college, so paperwork has kept me from doing anything.''

Archer chuckled before looking around the arena and noticing Ella, Sera, Kassandra, and many other people were competing. When Ophelia saw this, she smiled before explaining, ''Most of your ladies have fought and done well.''

''What were their rounds?''

"Um, Teuila made it to thirty-five, Hemera reached thirty, and Nefertiti and Talila both hit twenty-eight," Ophelia explained, smiling.

Archer gestured towards a nearby bench, and the two sat down as she continued, "Nala reached twenty-seven, Leira hit twenty-five, and Lyniel and Halime reached twenty-three. You should be proud of them. They all fought bravely and skillfully.''

''I am,'' he said while gazing at the girls sitting in the stands. ''Every day, my pride in them grows as they become their own women.''

Ophelia beamed, ''It's good to see a dragon appreciate his treasure, unlike most of your kind,'' she said before placing her hand on his arm. ''I must return to work, but I'll see you soon, Arch.''

After speaking, the headmistress vanished using her witch magic. Once she was gone, Archer made his way over to the girls and congratulated each one. When he sat down, they all had radiant smiles and red cheeks.

While watching the ongoing fighting, Nefertiti appeared in front of him before sitting on his lap and getting comfortable. Archer wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, causing the succubus to melt into him.

They observed the matches together, and it wasn't long before Sera was eliminated. With a burst of frustration, she leaped to her feet and directed her tirade at the Mana Realm orbs, much to the amusement of the onlookers.

Ignoring the conventional exit, she vaulted to where Archer was seated, greeted by his welcoming smile. Much to Nefertiti's silent annoyance, he pulled her into his lap without hesitation.

The three of them continued to watch the fights, but Archer got a message from Elara, [Your Majesty! We're under attack. The inner tunnel defenses are overrun and were holding the first chamber just barely]

He sighed before asking Nefertiti and Sera to get up and explain what happened in the Ironfoot Kingdom. When hearing it, Nefertiti wanted to come, and Maeve quickly invited her to join them.

Archer agreed and opened a portal to Hammergate Town. Once it was open, the trio stepped through after saying bye to the others. Soldiers rushed everywhere when they exited while tending to the injured.

Without speaking, he cast Aurora Healing on the closest soldiers, followed by Nefertiti, who used Arcane Healing to help. Maeve couldn't do anything as she didn't know any magic that could help.

After twenty minutes, Archer and Nefertiti managed to heal many soldiers, giving the Healer Core time to tend to the others. Once completed, Archer and the two girls entered the underground city entrance.

When they passed the threshold, they heard the signs of battle coming from the checkpoint, which went deeper into the mountain. While walking, Maeve spoke while eyeing her surroundings, ''Where are we Arch?''

''We're on an island east of Mediterra in a fallen kingdom called Ironfoot,'' Archer answered while examining the soldiers around him.

He cast Aurora Healing on them before grabbing Nefertiti's hand and sending mana into her. When this happened, she shivered before giving him a big smile, ''Thank you, husband.''

Archer nodded and continued until they reached the battle scene. Dragon Legionnaires held back Forsaken, but the line buckled as soldiers fell to the creatures' claws or teeth.

''You two help out the soldiers while I deal with the monsters,'' Archer said while looking at Maeve and Nefertiti. ''Be careful.''

The two girls agreed with a nod before he transformed into his Shadow Prince form and vanished into the shadows. Archer crossed the shieldwall before reappearing in the middle of the creatures.

He let out an evil chuckle before swiping, slashing, and biting the creatures, shocked by the sudden attack. The battle turned in the First Legion's favor as they surged forward while hacking and slashing,

After an hour of fighting, all the creatures were slaughtered, and the injured or dead were taken back into the first section. Archer stood at the entrance in his humanoid form, gazing into the darkness until he heard footsteps approaching him.

Turning around, he spotted Nefertiti and Maeve with tired smiles. The pink-haired succubus commented, ''Most of the injured with life-threatening wounds have been treated while the Healer Core is working on the rest.''

Archer nodded, ''Do you girls want to join me?''

They nodded and started following him down the tunnel until they arrived at the first level that he already looted. With that in mind, the trio started searching for the way down, and after a while, Maeve was the one who spotted it.

The trio approached it and noticed the piles of corpses lying all over the place. Dwarves, humans, and elves lay entwined with the bodies of Forsaken and Ratlings. Archer watched the scene and guessed these were Ironfoot soldiers holding the line so people could escape deeper.

Nefertiti commented while gazing around, ''It's so creepy here. I can feel the lives that linger in this place.''

''I can feel them, and they cheer for us,'' Archer said. ''We will free the mountain of the monster that has made it their home.''

''What will you do with them?'' Maeve questioned while she had her hand on her hilt.

''The island will belong to Draconia and be used to house citizens wishing to move north.''

After speaking, they stepped onto the second level, only for Archer's senses to scream out to him, causing him to cast the Cosmic Shield, which enveloped all three of them just as a wave of spells slammed into it.

The violet barrier rocked but didn't break, thanks to the flood of mana Archer sent into it. The three looked around for the source of the spells. They couldn't see anything, so he summoned his Shadow Creatures and ordered them to kill the attackers.

They halted at a city square on the second level, greeted by a scene of chaos. Old, dust-covered stalls and the bodies of fleeing people littered the ground. Archer surveyed their surroundings, but nothing caught his eye.

After half an hour, experiences flooded into him as if he were the one slaying beasts, though it was the Shadow Creatures doing the killing. Another ten minutes passed, and the influx ceased.

Turning to the two girls, who were fixated on him, Archer offered a charming smile. "The monsters are gone," he said confidently. "I will summon the Stone Men before we start looting the level."

The two nodded in agreement as Archer began casting Stone Warden repeatedly, commanding the Stone Men to scour the area for anything valuable. When Maeve saw this, her eyes widened.

She turned to him, ''What are those creatures?''

''My Stone Men,'' Archer replied. ''Think of them as golems made from pure mana that comes from me.''

Maeve nodded with a smile before they waited, which only took an hour as thousands of Stone Men were running around the second level. By the time they were done, there was a mountain of treasure that covered the square,

When the two girls saw the amount, their eyes shone with greed, causing Archer to laugh as he spoke, ''There are eighteen more levels in this city, and it gets wealthier the further down we get.''

''So there's more treasure than this?'' Nefertiti questioned as her pink eyes stared into his.

''Yes,'' Archer said. ''They are dwarves, Nefi. There are probably thousands of vaults below us, but the monsters will only get stronger from now on.''

They nodded in agreement before he commanded the Stone Men to stand guard at the entrance to the lower level until the First Legion secured the second. Once this task was completed, Archer returned to Elara, overseeing the first-

level soldier's organization.

Upon seeing him, a big smile spread across her face as she hurried over to him. "Your Majesty," she greeted, bowing respectfully. "The injured have all been treated and are now resting, and there have been no further attacks on the checkpoints."

''Good,'' he replied. ''Send a force to the second level and secure everything between there and here, Elara.''

''Yes, Your Majesty,'' The redheaded dragonkin women rushed off after speaking.

Maeve giggled while Nefertiti watched the Dragon Marshal speaking to the other commanders. The succubus shook her head and commented in a knowing voice, ''She likes you, husband.''

''Most probably,'' Archer replied with a smirk. ''I am handsome, after all.''

The trio laughed before they returned to the Starfall Arena, where the other girls were.