Volume 4 Chapter 77

Volume 4 + Chapter 77: Aerial Combat

The leader of the Northern Rebellion Army chose to endure being struck by dragon breath rather than interrupt the technique he was casting. As if driven by some stubborn resolve, he released a dense, powerful fog that engulfed the entire area.

“What a completely meaningless action.”

Elly stood protectively beside Xia Yi, her tone filled with disdain.

“Princess, I will protect you properly!”

Time passed in silence. Although the fog had successfully obstructed the vision of Elly and Xia Yi, the Northern Rebellion Army leader did not launch any attack, which only made the situation feel increasingly strange.

Xia Yi frowned.

A strong sense of unease suddenly welled up in her heart. Could it be that…

“Elly, quickly disperse the fog!” she shouted an urgent command.

“Huh? Princess, why?” Elly asked in confusion.

“Their target isn’t us at all!!”

At first, Elly was puzzled, but then she realized something critically important. In the extreme northern lands, the single most vital assets were the three great sled generals.

Without these specialized alchemical lifeforms, it was impossible to move freely through such a dangerous region. If one encountered a blizzard, progress would be completely halted.

The Northern Rebellion Army leader’s true target was precisely those three alchemical creatures.

“Wingbeat!!”

As time passed, the fog had already thinned somewhat.

Elly raised her presence and let out a fierce roar, beating her dragon wings powerfully. One violent gust after another erupted, forming storms that used surging winds to blow the fog away.

As the fog grew thinner, changes appeared in Xia Yi’s field of vision. The three great sled generals from the snow convoy were gone—nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, the Northern Rebellion Army leader had already flown high into the sky and was fleeing toward the distance.

There was no doubt—he had seized the three sled generals.

“Elly, let’s chase him!” Xia Yi pointed at the escaping Northern Rebellion Army leader.

“As you command, Princess.”

Elly, having fully released her dragon form, crouched low to the ground and allowed Xia Yi to jump onto her back. Then she beat her wings and soared into the sky, pursuing the Northern Rebellion Army leader at full speed.

“Damn it… to think they reacted so quickly…!”

The Northern Rebellion Army leader glanced back, saw the green dragon already in pursuit, and cursed under his breath.

He had already made up his mind. No matter what, the Silver Dragon Princess had to die here today.

Only with the Silver Dragon Princess’s death could chaos erupt within the Dragon Kingdom itself, and only then would the Northern Rebellion Army have a chance to succeed amid the turmoil.

“You all, go up there and stop the Silver Dragon Princess!” The Northern Rebellion Army leader ordered the dragons beside him. “Show her the resolve of our Northern Rebellion Army!”

The other members of the Northern Rebellion Army exchanged glances, nodded, and immediately turned to charge toward Xia Yi, who was pursuing from behind.

“Die, Silver Dragon Princess!!”

They spread out and launched an assault from all directions, like a massive net descending from the sky, intending to entangle and strangle Xia Yi and Elly within it.

“Elly, leave these ones to me.”

Xia Yi summoned the Rose Staff.

Against dragons with excellent aerial mobility, magic was far more effective than sword techniques in midair. Its area of effect was much broader and better suited for aerial combat.

She raised the Rose Staff and began chanting magic in a draconic script.

The Northern Rebellion Army immediately sensed an extraordinary fluctuation of magical power. As magic circles continuously manifested around Xia Yi, a tremendous sense of danger surged within them.

“Don’t let the Silver Dragon Princess finish casting—interrupt her!!” the Northern Rebellion Army shouted.

They launched attacks, but Elly evaded them effortlessly with her superb flying skills.

The green dragon moved like a dancer across the battlefield. Even when surrounded, she always found the optimal path to evade, her aerial maneuvers so fluid and graceful that they were breathtaking to behold.

“Roar, Infernal Flames!”

Xia Yi completed her spell. The magic circles around her erupted with searing heat, and raging flames surged forth like pillars of fire piercing the heavens, striking the Northern Rebellion Army in the sky with deadly precision.

Under the onslaught of large-scale magic, Xia Yi was like a living reaper. After several waves of wide-area bombardment, all the dragons that came to block her were blasted down by the flames.

Now, only one enemy remained—the leader of the Northern Rebellion Army.

“Catch up to him, Elly!” Xia Yi shouted.

Elly rapidly closed the distance to the Northern Rebellion Army leader. As they neared the critical range, Xia Yi would have been able to launch a spell to pierce his wings and forcibly bring him down.

At that moment, however, the Northern Rebellion Army leader abruptly stopped flying and fell straight from the sky, crashing heavily into the ground below.

“Did he… die?!”

Only then did Xia Yi recall that earlier, the Northern Rebellion Army leader had been struck by Elly’s highly toxic dragon breath. On top of that, he had continued flying at extreme speeds—behavior that would only accelerate the spread of poison throughout his body, no different from suicide.

“Go check on him, quickly!”

Urged by Xia Yi, Elly dove downward, braking sharply and stopping beside the Northern Rebellion Army leader.

Xia Yi jumped down from Elly’s back and approached, frowning deeply.

“This…”

The Northern Rebellion Army leader was bleeding from all seven orifices, his eyes wide open as he died unwillingly. It was clear that the poisonous dragon breath had taken his life.

Originally, he had intended to steal the alchemical lifeforms of the snow convoy, but he had clearly underestimated the terrifying potency of Elly’s dragon breath.

Clutched in his claws were the three great sled generals. Having fallen from the sky with him, the three dogs had been smashed to death on impact, completely lifeless.

“Princess, what should we do next?”

With the Northern Rebellion Army essentially wiped out, Elly was unsure of what their next step should be.

“Take the bodies of the three sled generals and return immediately—head back to the snow convoy at once!” Xia Yi made a swift decision. “Now that the three sled generals are gone, if we encounter a blizzard, we’ll be in serious trouble!”

“Understood!”

Elly dared not waste a second. Following the order, she gathered the bodies of the three sled generals, carried Xia Yi, and hurried back at full speed.

Although the distance was not far and they should have returned quickly, Xia Yi felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

The young princess could not help but mutter to herself,

“At this distance, we should be back soon… nothing bad should happen, right…?”

“It’ll be fine, Princess,” Elly said confidently. “Based on my experience in the north, nothing should go wrong! This is clearly clear weather—it won’t suddenly change!”

It was as if the heavens were deliberately opposing Elly. Not long after her words fell, the sky dimmed, winds and clouds shifted violently, and a ferocious storm swept across the high skies. Blade-like snowflakes lashed down relentlessly.

The most dangerous blizzard of the extreme north had arrived.

[Translator’s Note: No!!! The 3 dogs died, they were really cute and we didn’t get to see them more.]