The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 21: Master of the Snowy Mountains (2) (Part 2)

Just as Kai tightened his grip on his blade—

“Pull the soldiers back!!”

Adrian shouted.
Even at that moment, the Ice Drake’s assault hadn’t let up.
Dodging by a hair’s breadth, Adrian shouted again.

“The Ice Drake isn’t something soldiers can handle!!”

He was right.
The Ice Drake wasn’t just the master of the mountains—it was its calamity.
There was a reason for its fearsome reputation.

Still, even so—this fight…

“Kai! You and I will take on the Ice Drake together!!”

Adrian’s voice rang out again, snapping Kai to attention.
A strategy where only he and Adrian would face the Ice Drake.

That way… they could minimize casualties.
Not just minimize—completely avoid them.

But never did Kai expect Adrian to say such a thing.

To be honest, he had thought Adrian would throw the soldiers in as bait to save his own skin.
But it was the opposite.
Adrian was throwing himself in as bait to protect the soldiers.

‘Why…?’

This wasn’t the Adrian Kai knew.
Adrian wasn’t consumed by madness.
His mind was sharp and clear.
His judgment, cold and precise.

Right now, Adrian was the one holding the Ice Drake back from descending the mountain.

If Adrian hadn’t contained the Ice Drake here… who knows what might’ve happened.
Countless people in the County would’ve died, no doubt about it.

But even then—it was only a containment.
In the end, only Kai and Adrian could finish the job.

…But could they?

To be honest, the odds weren’t great.
Kai couldn’t handle the Ice Drake alone.
If he had to guess, maybe a 30% chance of victory.

The Ice Drake was that kind of monster.
If Adrian joined, maybe they could raise their chances a bit.

One thing was certain:

Adrian was no longer the disgrace of the House of Whitewolf.

Kai weighed his thoughts… and finally made his decision.

“All units, begin descending the Snowy Mountains. Immediately.”

“What?!”

“But—!”

The soldiers shouted in disbelief.
Not one of them agreed with Kai’s order.

And it was no surprise. These were the soldiers of the House of Whitewolf.
They’d trained tirelessly every day to protect their families, friends, and lovers living in the County.

They knew full well—if they turned and fled now, the Ice Drake would descend and take innocent lives.

And that’s exactly why—

Kai was even more certain of his decision.

“That’s an order. All units are to descend the mountain immediately and inform the County.
Get the people to safety.”

Until then—

“I’ll hold out. No matter what.”

Even with that command, the soldiers hesitated.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Kai.
They didn’t trust Adrian.

Kai felt the same way—but they had no other choice.

“Go!!”

Kai finally shouted, and only then did the soldiers reluctantly begin to move.

“We’ll evacuate the people and return with reinforcements!”

“Please, stay alive until then!!”

With those final words, the soldiers began descending the snowy slopes in haste.
Once Kai confirmed they were gone, he kicked off the ground and charged forward across the snow.

The soldiers were retreating down the mountain at full speed.
The reason I told them to fall back was simple.

‘The heart must not be damaged.’

If they got involved, the Ice Drake’s heart would inevitably be harmed.

And damaging the heart was the most certain—and fastest—way to take down the Ice Drake.

‘That can’t happen.’

I couldn’t allow that to happen right before my eyes.

The dragon genes engraved in the Ice Drake had to be consumed intact.

How could I waste such a powerful genetic code?

But that wasn’t the only reason I pulled the soldiers back.

They couldn’t handle the Ice Drake.
To put it crudely, they were nothing but meat shields.

Not that they wouldn’t have helped—
If it had been the old me,
If I were still the disgrace of the House of Whitewolf—

I probably would’ve sacrificed them without hesitation.

But now, things were different.

As the Predator of the Allied Forces, as the Commander of the Special Operations Unit, there’s something I always told my agents:

“To survive on the battlefield, sell everything you have.
Pride. Your soul. Throw them away without hesitation.

But there’s one thing you never sell.

Your comrades.
If it comes down to it—
Die before you betray your comrades.”

I’d rather die than use my comrades as bait.

Sure, the soldiers of Whitewolf Castle weren’t technically my comrades.
They followed the Monarch of Frost—our sides had been enemies.

But what sin had they committed?

All they’d done was follow orders.

The ones I needed to kill were clearly defined.
Now that I’d resolved to hunt the Ice Drake, there was no need for them to die.

But taking it down alone was unrealistic.
That’s why I had asked for just one person to stay.

Former Commander of the Frost Legion.
Current Chief Knight of the House of Whitewolf.

In that moment—

A streak of long, golden hair cut across the pure white world.
A movement like a flash of golden light.

Ssshk—!

Kai became a golden wolf—
and sank his fangs into the Ice Drake.

Translatin_Otaku

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