Reincarnated With The Degenerate System-Chapter 231: How To Win the War Part 2

"Duty?" I said the word like I was tasting wine that had gone sour. "You think I cared about that?"

"Yes!" The dwarven commander slammed his fist on the table. "We have a pact!"

My grin widened. "How lovely. Tell me, Commander, do you happen to have a copy of this pact with you? Perhaps with my signature on it?"

His face reddened, and I swear his head looked bigger too.

The silver-haired elf woman stepped forward, her voice smooth and diplomatic.

"General, surely you understand the moral obligation you carry. You were chosen to bear the dragon’s mantle and have even undergone training precisely because—"

"Because I have the most potential," I interrupted. "They chose me because no one else was worth the investment."

The blond elf from earlier found his voice again. "What about honor? Doesn’t that mean something to you?"

"Honor? You want to lecture me about honor? You, who wanted to pull back your mages just because they couldn’t use their magic properly?"

"Or should I point out that you sent the bare minimum here because you thought I was enough to handle everything?"

His face went pale.

"General Arden," a human noble spoke up. "Consider your legacy. You could be remembered as the savior of the continent. The greatest hero of our age. Songs would be sung of your deeds for generations—"

"I’m a dragon now. I’ll outlive your generations. I’ll outlive the songs. I’ll outlive the memory of this war entirely. Legacy means nothing when you have eternity."

I let that sink in for a moment, watching their faces shift from anger to desperation to fear.

"So tell me, all of you. What exactly happens to me if I just... leave? If I fly away from this mess and let the continent be conquered?"

I watched the calculations happening behind their eyes—the mental desperation. How much was victory and survival worth?

How much could they afford to give someone who held all the cards?

The dwarven commander was the first to break. His shoulders sagged, decades of military pride crumbling like undermined stone.

"I... I would need to send word to our kingdom. See what our king would be willing to offer."

"The Evergreen Council will convene," the silver-haired elf admitted. "Though I cannot promise they will agree to your terms."

"Then don’t promise," I said pleasantly. "Just tell them the truth: their greatest weapon has decided it doesn’t want to be wielded anymore. See what price they put on changing my mind."

The blond elf looked like he’d swallowed glass. "The High King will hear of this."

"I’m counting on it."

The human noble cleared his throat. "General Arden, surely we can discuss—"

"No." I cut him off. "We’re done discussing. You send your messages. You tell them exactly what I want, and you tell them exactly what happens if I don’t get it."

After saying my piece, I vaulted out and vanished into thin air, just to add extra appeal.

"Shadow, let’s go." I commanded my dragon, and we flew out to scout the sea.

Her wings beat steadily as we flew over the dark water. I could feel her getting tired after just a few hours.

"Easy, girl," I said, patting her neck. She made a low rumbling sound in her chest.

The wind blew sea spray up at us. I looked down at the waves, searching.

The moonlight made everything look silver and black, which made it hard to see anything clearly.

Then I spotted something. Dark shapes moving together on the horizon.

I guided Shadow lower. She dropped down smoothly, getting us close enough to see better.

Ships. At least twelve of them, maybe more.

I pulled out my spyglass and looked through it.

They were smaller than I expected. And from their speed and direction, they would hit the shore by morning.

"Let’s go," I told Shadow, pulling her into a turn and retreat.

"Rgggg!" She sensed them before I did.

I twisted in my saddle just in time to see them—ten massive black crows, each carrying a rider in dark robes, diving straight at us.

"Shadow, BREAK RIGHT!" I yanked the reins.

She rolled instantly, wings tucking as we barreled away. A blast of green fire screamed past, scorching the air where we had been.

"Climb! NOW!"

Her wings surged with power, driving us upward. Two more firebolts streaked below—these weren’t random; they were leading their shots.

I looked back. The crows split—three left, four right, three center—trying to box us in.

"Level out! Hard left turn!"

Shadow banked sharply, G-forces pulling me against the saddle. One rider overshot, glowing hands casting another spell. A lightning bolt cracked toward us.

"DIVE!"

We plummeted, wings tucked tight, water rushing beneath. At the last second, Shadow spread her wings and leveled out twenty feet above the waves. Two crows had to pull up early, their dives too steep.

No one liked it, especially with monsters lurking below.

"Good girl! Climb—spiral!"

She corkscrewed upward. Spells streaked past in every direction—wind, fire, lightning. They were everywhere, surrounding us.

"See that one at four o’clock, lagging behind?"

She rumbled acknowledgment.

"Full speed. We’re going through him."

Shadow dove, weaving past spells. I shouted, "FIRE!" A gout of flame erupted from her mouth, catching the crow’s wing. Its rider scrambled, abandoning the attack.

Eight left. They regrouped, casting in sync—overlapping fields of fire leaving no room to dodge.

"Altitude! Everything you’ve got!"

She roared, climbing vertically as spells chased us. At the top, I yelled, "ROLL!" We inverted and dove behind their formation.

"Pick the far left. Attack now!"

My dragon slammed into the crow. It shrieked, tumbling out of formation.

We blasted past and climbed again, trading speed for altitude. Eight left, my companion breathing hard. There was an easier way to win, but this would train her.

The riders regrouped, wary now, forming a new synchronized spell.

"Shadow... one big move. Trust me?"

She growled, tired but determined.

"When I say break, dive and roll away. Understand?"

The spell wave came like a wall of fire.

"NOW! BREAK!"

Shadow rolled into a dive, turning us 180 degrees. The fire passed over, singeing my hair.

We were diving again, building speed, ready for the final strike.

"Upward turn. Swing back and attack. Now!"

We climbed into a half-loop, rolled upright at the top, right above them. Perfect targets. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"DIVE! FIRE EVERYTHING!"

She dove with the last of her strength, flames pouring from her jaws in the longest blast she could manage.

The crows scattered in panic, breaking formation, each rider trying to save themselves.

We hit two more before we had to pull out, and I saw a third get clipped by a panicked spell from one of his own allies.

Five left. But they’d had enough loses for tonight.

They turned and fled toward the horizon, their riders apparently deciding we weren’t worth dying over.

Shadow maintained a cruising speed , her breathing ragged, her wing beats slow and heavy.

"Easy, girl. Easy. We’re done. You did amazing."

I patted her neck, feeling her muscles trembling with exhaustion beneath the scales.

We turned back toward the coast. That crow group was new, and if it entered the battlefield, the damage would be catastrophic.

I landed Shadow behind my tent, away from the main camp. She was exhausted, barely able to keep her head up after the fight.

"Rest," I told her, unsaddling her and checking for injuries. A few singed scales, some scratches, but nothing serious. "You earned it."

She collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud and was asleep within seconds.

I stood there for a moment, thinking. Those crow riders were trained—too trained. Professional aerial combat units didn’t just appear out of nowhere. Someone had sent them specifically to stop me from scouting.

Morning came, and there was still no sign of the enemy. They must have decided to stay away from the bay and wait for more ships to arrive.

"General Arden," a military said with a deep bow. "The commanders request your presence. They... they have news from the kingdoms."

"Tell them arrival will be within the hour.

I sat there, turning the letter over in my hands. Multiple seals meant multiple kingdoms had responded. They’d actually done it—crawled back to their rulers and asked what they were willing to pay.

I opened the letter carefully, breaking each seal one by one.

The terms were... interesting.

Land. Titles. Gold, obviously. A seat on multiple councils. Trade rights. Tax exemptions. One kingdom even offered a princess in marriage, which made me laugh out loud.

But the real prize was buried in the middle: complete control of the army in the area. Not enough.

However, pushing harder wasn’t wise, especially with the enemy approaching. This would have to do for now.

The war continued. The enemy army began focusing on the other front, realizing I was difficult to deal with.

The kings asked for assistance, but it was refused, explaining that they had only been given more authority over this area, so responsibility for the others didn’t fall on me.

My actions caused cities to be destroyed, and in the end, all races on the continent gave me full reign.

Almost immediately, Shadow’s speed was used to strike the enemy lines.

They were strong, but their numbers were limited, so we held our ground until our ships were finally ready.

It also helped that we managed to get so many enemy ships. Before long, our own fleet stood ready.

"We’ve endured their attacks for far too long. They crossed our sea and burned our lands, thinking we would bow. Today, we answer. Today, we show them that they messed with the wrong enemy!"