The realization of their imprisonment was only the beginning.

As soon as the pink-haired Commander felt the inescapable net that kept stretching forever, and she heard Adrien tell her the blunt truth, she felt something in her heart jump.

Swiftly turning to Adrien with an annoyed expression, she spoke up.

"Then figure something out! You're the smart guy who always--!"

~SPLOOOSH!~

Blood suddenly sprayed from her face as she spoke. The red liquid gushed out as a golden blade impaled her from behind, slicing her head in half.

"H-huh...?" She didn't even realize her own demise until it was too late.

Her colleagues looked at her with shocked expressions on their faces. They had all huddled together in an attempt to protect themselves from the incoming attacks being launched towards them.

They were also confident that they could sense any hidden attacks as long as they knew it was coming. But... none of them had predicted this.

They didn't even sense it until it was too late.

"Che'ri!" One of the Commanders screamed, but his words were drowned by the sound of her flesh exploding into tiny particles of meat and blood.

Once again, the area around them was tainted by fresh gore--all of it etched into the minds of the devastated Dragons.

All of them, without exception, were dumbstruck.

From 12 Commanders, they were left with only 10, and even that number didn't seem certain. No one knew when it would be their turn, so they panicked and looked around them with obvious paranoia.

Until--

"This is bullshit! We can't keep running and hiding like this!" Kre'mlin, one of the strongest-looking Commanders based on just physique alone, yelled out.

He had a deep glare on his face, one that he directed at Adrien, before turning towards the battlefield they were trying to flee from.

"We are Dragons! We don't run so shamefully... especially against feeble entities such as Elves. I don't know about you, but I still have my Dragon Pride left... and I won't allow it to be sullied!"

The Dragons around Kre'mlin instantly digested his words, and their eyes began to brighten up in support. Before any momentum could be gained, though, Adrien spoke up.

"Don't be foolish. The best course of action is to establish a functional defensive formation or construct and wait for the Spatial Interference to wear out, or for the Generals to come to our aid."

Since they were all watching the live recording of the event, there was no way they weren't seeing their predicament. In that case... It was only a matter of time before help arrived.

Unfortunately for Adrien, though, the Dragons had long passed the realm of reason. Their instincts were slowly taking over.

The hunger for chaos, the thirst for destruction... all added to the massive pride of the Dragons; one that now spurred them at the moment. No longer were they going to deny their passions and take Adrien's conservative approach.

It was time for them to act like true Dragons.

"Let's burn them to the ground!"

"Yeah!"

"They'll pay for what they did to our comrades!"

"This is what Che'ri and N'alsi would have wanted..."

"Let's do this!"

All ten Dragon Commanders, contrary to Adrien's wishes, decided to face the Elven Army--no holding back.

That was, in itself, catastrophic.

Commanders were pretty strong Dragons, and these were ones who belonged to the second strongest squad in the entire Empire.

Of course, they would be incredibly skilled and potent.

Victory was assured.

~VWUUUUUUUUM!~

All of them took on their true Dragon Form, revealing their monstrous forms that were hidden under the beauty of flesh. In no time at all, they were charging towards the first target--the Elemental General.

Once they handled it, they would rain destruction and pain to the ones beneath.

The only thing on their bloodthirsty mind was "KILL!"

Naturally, they closed the gap between themselves and the Elemental in no time, but just s they were about to reach the entity the Dragons realized something.

They weren't getting closer.

They were flying at max speed, but it just seemed like the space in front of them kept stretching and stretching. It was rather odd, and confusion ate at them even further.

None of them were able to touch the 'barrier' keeping them trapped, so they didn't know this was the exact same phenomenon. Instead, they thought it was perhaps some kind of Skill made simply for protection.

As such, the Commanders brought forth all manner of Skills to break free from the barrier, as well as fire at the Elemental.

All of them all at once

"ATTACK!"

~... shu~

The flurries of energies and power that the Dragons had released with their potent Mana suddenly seemed to evaporate the moment it manifested, leaving behind only vestiges that softly echoed like a slight fart.

Nothing else nothing at all was in sight.

How was that even possible? For sure, they knew their Skills hadn't failed. In fact, even if it was just for a split second, the Dragons had seen their powers manifested.

But, all of a sudden the whole thing could be seen no more.

Why?

Before they could answer that question, though, yet another phenomenon occurred.

"H-huh?"

"W-what's this? What's happening?"

"Why does this place feel tighter? I'm being pushed back?!"

"Escape! Try again! We have to try our best!" Kre'mlin roared, pouring in all his energy into his breath and opening his mouth so he could blast everything in one powerful roar or breath.

But

'It's not coming out?! How?! Why isn't this working? Why? I don't I don't understand!'

As if that wasn't bad enough, the entire space around the Dragons began to slowly contract. The shrinking effect became faster and faster, causing the once prideful Dragons to dread what was to come.

"Adrien, help! Do something here!" Kre'mlin wanted to yell out, but no words came out.

It was as though he was surrounded by a vacuum.

They all were.

"H-hel. HELP!" Those words never reached their destination.

They were forever lost, even before being sent forth, as the Dragons became crushed by an invisible prison they could not perceive.

All zones around them were removed, and the walls around them closed steadily all until the ten of them were squished and compressed into a small box.

A small box of concentrated Dragon essence.

*

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Thanks for reading!

I wonder who could be doing such horrid things to our Dragon friends. It's so sad