Chapter 6
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 6: The Dragon of Slaughter
The light shield surrounding the giant dragon still flickered with several electric snakes, which disappeared after a while. Morin didn’t expect to activate one of his combination skills with Gold Coin, “Solar Storm,” so early. However, he was still a bit dissatisfied with the result. The gold giant dragon’s metallic, reflective surface enhanced his light magic’s blinding flash, turning into a dazzling ball of light that could dazzle anyone’s eyes. This demanded a high level of control over the dragon’s body; even slight imperfections on the surface would prevent optimal effects.
This move was a special combination skill that Morin discovered through long-term experimentation. Once “Solar Storm” was used, the non-light element dragon beneath would lose its vision as well, relying entirely on the knight’s precise control. The cooperation and trust between them had to be flawless to unleash this skill; otherwise, they would be doomed to flounder like a headless fly.
In the distance, a dozen giant dragons carrying knights charged forward with thunderous roars, surrounding the dark spots fleeing among the clouds.
On the ground, over forty giant dragons soared into the sky from the Su Lan Empire’s camp, joining the battle. Meanwhile, the Texi Empire summoned a dense swarm of dark clouds, filled with griffin knights, Thunder Sparrow knights, flame Pegasus knights, swift giant eagle knights, and even a few rare dragon knights, nearly ten types of aerial mounts surged into the air. Both sides unleashed their aerial forces in an unprecedented aerial confrontation.
The sky transformed into a battleground for magical duels, with magnificent and destructive spells unleashed as if they were free. Both sides fought fiercely, and the aerial knights’ mounts showcased their innate skills, launching lethal attacks from afar. In the chaotic moments, the aerial knights wielded their weapons, using their mounts’ speed to charge forward, slaying opposing knights and wounding their mounts. One misstep could lead to being hit by magic stray shots.
A giant dragon snapped off a griffin’s head with its jaws, and the Dragon Knight on its back took the opportunity to sever the griffin knight’s head too, but was immediately besieged by six or seven Thunder Sparrow knights attacking from all sides.
In the melee, the Dragon Knight was caught off-guard when a Thunder Sparrow’s iron claws yanked him away from the giant dragon’s back. He danced and screamed as he was flung far away. Simultaneously, several powerful purple-blue bolts of lightning struck him, instantly turning him into a charred corpse tumbling towards the ground. Without their knight, the giant dragon went wild, ripping apart the two Thunder Sparrows along with their rider, but more Thunder Sparrows and griffins surged up, encircling it. The dragon’s furious roars echoed as Thunder Sparrows and griffins, along with their riders, fell, while soon dragon blood rained down from the sky. Exhausted, the dragon plummeted to the ground while lightning and fireballs relentlessly pursued and bombarded it.
The giant dragon knights in this chaotic battle didn’t dare claim invincibility; the fall of one Dragon Knight often came accompanied by the deaths of ten other types of aerial troops. Despite the desperate battle, the Su Lan Empire faced unprecedented heavy losses.
In the command center at the rear, strategists used eagle-eye spells layered with water mirror spells to observe the aerial combat, and their backs were instantly drenched in cold sweat.
In just a quarter-hour, fifteen giant dragons and over twenty dragon knights perished, with the Texi Empire suffering significant losses too, nearly losing half of its aerial forces alongside a few of its rare dragon knights.
The enormous casualties left everyone worried; would the dragon kin unilaterally revoke the Dragon Knight contract after this battle? After all, the reproduction of dragons was incredibly challenging. Fifteen giant dragons represented nearly all new births in sixty years for the dragon kin. Losing them all at once in a human empire war was a tremendous blow to the already few-numbered dragon kin.
On the ground, the clash of a million-strong army stirred up massive waves of blood, with battle drums thundering and horns blaring. The opposing forces clashed like a tide, leaving countless corpses in their wake. Soldiers at the front lines charged forward with their weapons, while the rear lines gradually created waves of charging formations. Captains took turns issuing charge commands, and the soldiers pressed on, knowing they risked being trampled into oblivion if they dared retreat even a step.
Knight and infantry formations collided in chaos, with the cries, struggles, screams, and clanking of clashing weapons blending together into a death symphony. The grim reaper gleefully reaped souls amidst the bloodshed. At low altitude, magic and arrows clashed fiercely. Fire, water, earth, ice, wind, and even necromancy spells erupted in a display of deadly fireworks. While mages intercepted each other’s magic, they also desperately unleashed powerful spells against one another. Occasionally, a spell would fall into the crowd, instantly clearing a space, only to be quickly filled again by the throng of battle, showcasing that a careless strike could easily claim dozens of lives.
The clouds in the sky twisted and warped as magic elements spiraled violently. One side was draped in swirling dark clouds flashing with countless electric snakes, while the other erupted into fiery clouds resembling boiling lava, brimming with blistering heat.
“Morin, it’s a forbidden spell from the mage corps! It’s too dangerous; we must retreat!” Akka’s voice reached Morin as the fire giant dragon Misael swooped past from Gold Coin’s upper right. Hot on Misael’s trail was an enormous black dragon chasing them. The two giant dragons darted about the sky, locked in a relentless pursuit. The Texi Empire also boasted a few dragon flutes, allowing them to summon Dragon Knights.
The dragon flutes, witnesses to the alliance between dragons and humans, had long been the ultimate strategic weapon of the great empires, primarily in official possession. Any private hoarding of dragon flutes was tantamount to treason, with dire consequences waiting. Continuous dynastic changes had made it nearly impossible to secure such flutes unless a dragon knight was killed for them. The ancient craft of making dragon flutes had long been lost to history, and while the dragon kin may possess some internal records, it was unlikely they would openly share this knowledge with humans.
Feeling the disturbance in the clouds, the high altitude grew increasingly unsafe. The battle space for the aerial knights got squeezed to the ground, getting more perilous as they descended. Arrows and powerful crossbow bolts that were difficult to dodge came raining down, resembling a knight tangling with a hidden snare. One wrong move could pull them to the ground, leaving no time for a scream before being buried alive by the ground forces.
The gold giant dragon Gold Coin had become significantly thinner, continuously firing sharp spines and curved blades from its body. While its attacks were fierce, it also was a tremendous drain on the gold giant dragon’s energy.
The gold giant dragon fed on various metals and minerals, which it stored inside or attached to its exterior as armor. In battle, it could morph into various weapon shapes, even serving as projectile weapons for long-range attacks. Besides manipulating the void magnetic field for buoyancy and repelling attacks, the gold giant dragon had little in the way of magical offensive skills, primarily relying on close-quarter combat. This was the Creator’s sense of fairness; where there were strengths, there were also weaknesses, and vice versa.
In just the time it took for a cup of tea, Morin and his mount, the gold giant dragon Gold Coin, had slain sixteen foes, placing them nearly at the top of the ranks among their companions.
The crimson clouds of forbidden spells began to collide with the black clouds of electric snakes, creating thunderous roars in the sky as the two distinct types of forbidden spell clouds produced terrifying magical explosions.
Yet, the Texi Empire and Su Lan Empire still hadn’t issued a withdrawal order to their aerial forces.
“Damn it! To restrain us, they’re using their aerial forces as bait! Quickly, everyone retreat from the battlefield!” Morin angrily patted his mount. Dragon Knights had the freedom to choose whether to exit combat; this wasn’t desertion. Every monarch required their dragon knights to fight bravely in hopeless situations since they were valuable and rare ultimate combat forces. Their lives should never be wasted on futile battles.
“Morin, Morin! What about my military achievements?” Glan, the only son of the Minister of Civil Affairs, flew towards Morin on his wyvern, completely oblivious to the danger as he clamored for military credit.
Earlier, during the aerial battle, he had timidly hidden at a distance, lacking the courage even to approach the fray.
Before the forbidden spells clashed, both sides would recall their aerial knights in advance to avoid accidental injuries. However, the first side to recall often faced heavy counterattacks from the other, as it was impossible to gain an advantage when leaving their back exposed to the enemy. For aerial knights, mobility was key, and retreating while fighting resulted in a loss of that very mobility, nearly guaranteeing death. The first side to retreat increased their risk, and safely withdrawing from the battlefield became an art form within the aerial forces.
The initial collision of the forbidden spell clouds above drew the attention of all aerial knights. The massive melee quickly split into a clear distinction. Just then, the crimson fire clouds unleashed an array of fireballs trailing long white smoke, hurtling towards the Texi Empire’s camp, flooding the skies in an instant, engulfing both sides’ aerial warriors without distinguishing friend from foe.
Various flying creatures in the air frantically maneuvered to evade the onslaught. Although enduring one or two of the high-density fireballs might be manageable, being struck by a swarm could have catastrophic results.
Meanwhile, the dark clouds above the Texi Empire crackled with countless purple-blue lightning bolts, weaving an eye-watering net of electricity from the sky to the ground.
