219 ARMY OF DRAGONS AND RAKHSHASAS
"Roadkill? Do we have such a law?" President Moore repeated, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"That's murder! Not Roadkill!!" Milwe screamed, his face flushed with rage.
President Moore considered the situation, his gaze hardening as he addressed the room.
"If anyone here can enforce the law against Master Lilleo, then his actions will be deemed murder. But if none can stand against him, then by our rules, his actions are Roadkill."
The rules of Sodom City were clear to all: strength dictated right and wrong. Laws and justice were privileges granted to those who could enforce them.
Milwe's face darkened, his voice trembling with frustration and defiance. "Lilleo Gullee, this will not be the end of it."
Leo gave him a brief, dismissive glance before turning away, Sujira trailing behind him like an unshakable shadow.
-------
Leo and his team of newly licensed pharmacists were returning to Court La Mood, triumphant after securing licenses for Bara and his sisters and restarting their pharmacy.
However, the journey back was fraught with peril.
The revival of Lilleo Megane Pharmacy hinged on maintaining the requisite number of licensed pharmacists, all of whom were now part of this convoy. If anything were to happen to them, their hard-won licenses would be at risk once again.
"Do you think the Cergontyn family will leave us alone?" Bara asked.
"Definitely not", Leo replied before adding, "I'm counting on them coming."
The danger materialized soon enough.
Suddenly their armed escort encountered a barricaded road. The surrounding area was eerily deserted, its residents likely driven away. Waiting for them was a small army of gangsters, composed of remnants from the Koresh Guild of Brothers (K.G.B.) and the Cergontyn family.
"Kill them all now!" Milwe, the leader of the gangsters, shouted.
"You tricked us into using our magic array against ourselves last time. You won't deceive us again!" roared the new leader of the K.G.B., glaring at Leo.
Leo smirked. "Last time, you had Mendiace with you. Now, he's my footrest."
His words provoked the gangsters into a furious charge. Behind them, mages began casting powerful spells, the sky darkening ominously as lethal magic gathered overhead.
The battlemages' assault was met by the Gullee soldiers.
Though they lacked the raw power of their opponents, their new training gave them an edge. Each soldier summoned golden dragon apparitions, their strikes infused with the power of dragons and rakhshasas.
This transformation was thanks to Leo, who taught Kasshyek the Dragon Rakhshasa Body Transformation Sutra and then grafted its magic onto his most loyal soldiers. Their valor, enhanced by this potent enchantment, made them a formidable force.
"Fight for Master Lilleo!" the soldiers roared.
"Meet our army of dragons and rakhshasas!" others cried, charging into battle.
The Gullee soldiers clashed fiercely with the K.G.B. gangsters. Above, massive apparitions of hands, the K.G.B.'s signature spell, descended menacingly.
Sujira stepped forward.
"Let me handle this," she offered, but Leo held her arm.
"Watch," he replied.
At that moment, magical pellets shot into the sky. They exploded upon contact with the apparitions, shattering them in dazzling bursts of fire and sparks.
"It's beautiful," Sujira remarked, awestruck.
"Told you I'd show you real fireworks," Leo said with a grin.
Meanwhile, Milwe's confidence wavered. "How did his soldiers become so powerful?" he muttered in disbelief.
Suddenly, reinforcements poured in.
An army of Gullee soldiers and Amara warriors surged onto the scene, their numbers overwhelming the enemy. Encircling the casters and mages and they swiftly subdued them.
"Let me finish the gangsters," Sujira said, and this time, Leo didn't stop her.
She transformed into shadows, striking relentlessly. Gangsters fell one by one under her attacks, as well as under the assault of the Gullee soldiers. In no time, the fight was over.
The gangsters and Cergontyn mages were captured, their forces utterly dismantled.
Leo anticipated the ambush by the Cergontyn family. He had previously organized his forces to stand by and encircle the enemy at the first sign of trouble.
His plan worked flawlessly.
"Put magic leashes on them," Leo commanded. The K.G.B. gangsters and Cergontyn mages were shackled and loaded into caravans of cages for transport back to Court La Mood.
"You cannot do this to us!" Milwe Cergontyn shouted in defiance.
Leo's eyes glinted with cold amusement. "Oh, I can. Soon, you'll be nothing more than the footrest for my chair."
------
[The Palace of Willows]
Upon their return to Court La Mood, the prisoners were sent to the Palace of Willows.
Yun-Yun wasted no time, channeling the prisoners directly into the Jade Throne. Their bodies, Cakras, and souls were absorbed, becoming the very foundations of the throne.
"With so many cakra core additions, the throne's magic can now power the dungeon indefinitely," Yun-Yun remarked with satisfaction.
"With this new source of magic, can you begin creating the puppets?" Leo inquired.
"Yes, the first batch is already complete," Yun-Yun replied just as a group of figures emerged from the shadows.
Brides from the Temple of Hera, now clad in black armor and masked by helmets, stood before them. Their identities were unrecognizable now. They were transformed into the dungeon's new Dark Army.
"Are these the assassins from the Temple of Hera?" Sujira asked, her voice tinged with shock.
"Yes," Leo confirmed. "Yun-Yun revived them, transforming them into magical puppets under our control. They will serve as the new guards of our dungeon."
"How powerful are these puppets?" Petunia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Their magic is derived directly from the Jade Throne," Yun-Yun explained. "Their strength depends on the dungeon's power and the number of puppets it supports. At present, this first batch of puppets ranks as high-tier Svads."
"Seriously that is equivalent to several Sujiras combined?" Petunia asked.
"Yes, they can use all the skills they mastered in their past lives," Yun-Yun added.
"It seems we'll need to start collecting more cakra cores," Sujira said, her lips curling into a sly grin.
"Kaching!"
Even the act of stealing cakra cores from mages to feed the Jade Throne generated Greed Coins for her, a revelation that made Sujira's grin widen with delight.