Intimidation

The barrier that stood firmly in front of Velios was indeed strong enough to withstand multiple superior dragons attacking it simultaneously. What hadn't been considered was that the person attempting to break through wasn't a superior dragon but couldn't solely be called a human since it was Velios. Despite the barrier's strength, Velios had an advantage. "Emerge." Velios summoned Ragaja, a citizen of the city. Although Velios wanted to try breaking the barrier, he realized it might not be good if he destroyed the city's only magical layer of defense. Velios had promised Ragaja that he wouldn't cause unnecessary trouble.

"I guess we have finally arrived since you summoned me here, master," Ragaja said, looking around to find them still outside the barrier. "Right, only dragons can come through that barrier. Not even I know what happens when it breaks, but I don't think it's a good idea. There are multiple guards circling through the entire border from the inside, so we'll have to find a way to sneak in. But with you here, I don't know how to avoid them," Ragaja kept talking to himself as Velios lost interest after the third sentence. Instead, he walked up to the barrier to examine it himself. That's when he noticed what it was. It wasn't anything grandiose like he thought, but it was actually similar to how his mana dome acted. The barrier was essentially just really condensed mana, to the point where it was essentially solid.

This is essentially just condensed mana. That will make things much easier for me, but there is still a problem. The person who made this must be a monster on their own. The barrier is this strong, but it is supposed to cover the whole forest? Well, it is still only a thin layer on the outside. As long as I compress as much mana on a single point, it will be quite easy for me. The only way to break through another person's mana is to use even more mana! Velios had completely forgotten what he and Ragaja had just talked about as he gathered more and more mana at the tips of his fingers while placing them on the outside of the barrier. "V-Velios! Stop it, you're going to break-" Ragaja became increasingly more worried about the things that could happen if the barrier was to be broken.

Cracks started to form in the area that Velios was constantly pumping mana into. His mana flew around in the air as Velios unleashed more and more mana. "I-It doesn't make sense that you even have mana left! That barrier is strong enough to resist attacks from even elite dragons!" Ragaja was ultimately left speechless at the sight of Velios forcing out even more mana. The cracks only grew larger as the single point Velios was focusing on couldn't withstand the immense force suddenly placed upon it. This would only make a small hole but still leave the rest of the barrier intact. It would also only need a small amount of mana for the barrier to fix itself. The only problem was that the guards would be able to notice it directly, which could be really troublesome for them if they were to attack Velios. This was also one of the other inconveniences.

"This should be enough. Ragaja, let's head in." Velios walked through the hole he had created, with Ragaja quickly following behind. Upon walking in, Velios noticed immediate changes to the atmosphere as well as appearance. The air was rich in mana, and he could sense multiple dragons heading to where the barrier broke. He could also see what looked like huge structures way into the distance, in the direction to the center of the forest. The volcano Ragaja said to be in the middle was nowhere to be seen. Even with Velios' sight, that's just how massive the forest is. "Hey, I think there are dragons coming over. Should we stay here or move?" Velios turned his head to gaze into the forest at the same time he said it to show where the dragons were coming from. "This is bad! We have to get out of here, no, you have to get out of here! Go away and hide. I'll handle it."

Velios' eyes had a hint of sadness and disappointment in them as he strolled away into the forest to hide inside some random bush he found. Velios watched as a group of guards arrived at the scene, with Ragaja standing firmly to tell them that everything was fine. "Huh? It's just some random kid. What are you doing at the edge of the border? It can be dangerous for small kids like you." One of the guards looked down upon him. Ragaja watched as the same guard went around in circles, looking at him as if he was inspecting. "Hey, aren't you that kid who got sent on that solo city mission? I thought I remembered seeing you. So, what do you have to say about that person hiding in the bush?" It was as if Ragaja could feel his heart drop from hearing that. The guard who was speaking to him obviously knew that there was someone in a bush only a little further into the jungle. It was not a good situation for them to be in. Ragaja was thinking and thinking, but he couldn't seem to find any way to not expose Velios. Meanwhile, Velios had clearly heard what the guard had said. He also started to panic but also realized that he had the right person to bring out at a time like this.

"Sorry, I can't talk right now, so just listen. Improvise the best you can. We're back in the city, and I believe in you." Velios didn't want to risk the guards approaching further and pushed Ajagar out of the bush. "Sorry, Ragaja. I got scared when I heard the noise of something approaching us in the jungle." Ajagar had no idea what situation she had suddenly been dragged into but had already started to sweat, realizing that a group of guards had already found them and that they were ever so close to finding Velios. "Who's that girl behind the tree? Do you know her?" The guard just looked confused. It was as if the aura that he felt from the bush had vanished with this new one from the girl reappearing. "Oh, uh, that's the inferior dragon I went on my mission with. She now has a name and has evolved into a superior dragon. And about her hiding, she's still so scared at every sound in this jungle, even though we dragons are the only ones here."

The guard was slowly starting to believe the two of them, but he still had so many questions regarding the breaking of the barrier, the mana he felt that completely vanished once the girl appeared, and so much more. "It's probably just nothing then. Head over into town. The captain probably wants to meet you. I will personally guide you there, and the rest of you guys, stand by to check if anything weird happens. Focus on the broken part, alright?" Velios could easily solve any trouble or problem caused by himself by fighting, but he had learned that it wasn't always the correct choice, especially now that he had made a promise to not go around and fight every strong dragon he would meet. Instead of fighting, he had a different approach this time. A way to prevent fighting from happening, at least to a minimum, by giving the dragons a choice to attack or not to attack. It would be completely dependent on every single one of the dragons that Velios would come to meet.

"You probably knew I was here, but I only wanted to say hello. It's not like I want to hurt you. As long as you don't attack me first, I won't do anything back." Velios had disappeared from the bush a long time ago, now slowly walking towards the dragons who were left on guard duty. "W-Who are you?! Explain yourself!" Only one of the guards dared to talk. They didn't even know what had happened to them when a barrier of sorts had fallen upon them. "Now I don't have to worry about others finding out." Velios was talking to himself, but the guards were still able to hear him. "Listen here." Velios kept on walking towards them just as slowly, taking his time talking. Velios released a bunch of mana into an aura surrounding him with the intent to kill. The guards were petrified and terrified for their lives. They thought that it could either be a monster or a dragon, but they had no idea.

"Exclusive skill Utamatā." Velios whispered to himself yet again. Pressure like no other filled the air, caused by only a few words he whispered to himself. The guards suddenly fell to the ground as if the gravity had increased tenfold. The dark and immense power that was being released was basically death itself. "You will do everything I tell you to do without fail. You will give me information. You will tell absolutely no one about me in any way, and if you fail to follow these simple orders, the result will be death. Many times over. Even if you scream, I will continue killing you, even if you have screamed to the point where your vocal cords have broken, I will continue killing you." With a final look from Velios looking down on all the superior dragons laying on the dirty ground. "Do you still wish to continue fighting?"