Iron Dragon's Advancement Journey

Page 191

　As the lich spoke, he moved away from the scene. Clearly, this guy was using the guise of dissuasion to incite trouble.

　"Shut up!" Marazan swept her tail towards the lich's location, but it was too late. Her roar continued: "This is a matter between dragons! Who do you think you are? Even Samaster wouldn't dare interfere in my battle!"

　Shaving slowly unfurled its relatively robust yet somewhat slender wings and took flight, lightning crackling between its wingtips and horns: "Looks like some of these guys, whose scales haven't even fully grown in yet, won't stay still unless I show them my strength..."

　The red dragon, not to be outdone, also rose from the ground to seize the high ground. The two giant dragons faced off in the air, and the atmosphere in the camp became tense under the influence of sulfur and ozone. The other colorful dragons jeering and retreating, giving the two powerful dragons enough space to fight. Some even started placing bets.

　The irritable red dragon launched the first attack. With the largest wingspan of all true dragon subspecies, she climbed to a height that was advantageous for attacking and swooped down straight at the slow-flying blue dragon. She opened her huge mouth and spewed out a scorching dragon breath, igniting the air into a long river of flames.

　Based on Marazan's experience, even the ancient blue dragons dare not face her dragon breath directly!

　But Razor didn't dodge. The incredibly large blue dragon simply raised a shield made of flames, which completely swallowed the red dragon's breath that ignited the valley.

　"Interesting!" Marazan roared excitedly, burning saliva dripping from between her teeth, crimson tears filling her eyes, and the blood mist seeping from the gaps in her scales thickening, making her look increasingly terrifying and ferocious: "Again!"

　Through the battle between magic and dragon breath, Toothpicker has already tested Marazan's strength. This old creature is indeed unbalancedly strong. In addition to Bloodscale Frenzy, she also possesses a super arcane breath attack ability that transcends bloodline and age. Not to mention Ishnarl, that piece of trash, even if it were a pure fight to the death, Toothpicker would have some trouble dealing with her.

　but……

　Just as the red dragon was about to seize it, the blue dragon suddenly vanished. The next moment, lightning tore through the sky, like divine punishment descending. A thick bolt of lightning struck Marazan's left wing directly, the leaping arcs leaving large, reflective, charred marks on the hard dragon scales.

　Anyone could see that this was not the breath of a blue dragon, but a nine-ring spell.

　Instant teleportation to a fixed point and the ninth ring? Saris's eyes flickered, his hands, hidden in the wide sleeves of his robes, gestured as he silently prepared a spell. "You Lin, are you Lin here? Empty, are you Lin here? Are you here...?"

　The lich failed to notice that an imperceptible shadow was shrouding its body, subtly manipulating the warp and weft of the magic net, causing its sent messages to sink without a trace.

　"Agh!" the red dragon cried out in pain, barely managing to steady itself.

　"Enough!" Ishnalel suddenly interrupted, his green figure, trailing a pungent chlorine fumes, darting between the two dragons. "We can't afford to waste time on internal strife before the main battle."

　Marazan glared at the green dragon, his eyes burning with even greater madness: "What right does a green-skinned lizard covered in scribbles have to interfere in my affairs?"

　"I was one of the planners of this operation," Ishnaler said neither humbly nor arrogantly. "Besides, since we're going to attack the monastery, there needs to be a unified command, right?"

　"Commander?" Marazan spat out a cloud of burning saliva. "Me, of course! Who else is qualified to lead you cowards but me!"

　"On what grounds?" Shaving Tooth spoke up at the opportune moment, his eyes looking down at the red dragon through its thick horns with disdain: "Just because you couldn't even withstand a single blow from me?"

　The atmosphere was reignited. The other dragons also began to stir, forming two clearly opposing factions.

　Ishnal glanced back at Razortooth, then turned to stare at Marazan, his green eyes flashing with a light that no dragon could understand: "In that case, let's settle this according to the tradition that everyone agrees on... a duel, the winner takes all."

　"You two come at me together!" Marazan roared, charging straight at the green dragon that stood before him.

　“Your opponent isn’t me,” the green dragon chuckled as it barrel-rolled to avoid the impact. “If it’s 2 against 1, we’ll have plenty of excuses to beat you, which isn’t good for the stability of the entire legion.”

　As if truly considering the future of these colorful dragons, the green dragon descended into the flock: "By the name of the Dragon Mother, I, Ishnarle, swear to be king of this victor and obey all his commands and decisions in the upcoming battle at the monastery..."

　The mastermind behind the Dragon Worship Cult is Tiamat, the Five-Colored Dragon Queen. The colorful dragons who joined the cult naturally already knew about this colorful dragon mother. They might not believe in this evil dragon god who appeared out of nowhere, but at least they still had basic respect for her—swearing an oath in the name of a god and being supervised by the god was no joke.

　Not long ago, a red dragon defied the name of the Dragon Queen, broke its oath, and as a result, its dragon soul was torn apart by the oath and taken to hell to suffer eternal torment...

　The green dragon's oath made it clear she wouldn't intervene, so Marazan ignored her and immediately launched a fierce attack on the blue dragon. Her fighting style was direct and violent, just like all red dragons. She charged and slammed the blue dragon into the ground, her massive claws, armor-piercing spear-like fangs, sky-covering wings, and whip-like tail—each strike carrying a devastating force.

　The ground cracked under her stomping, and gravel flew like rain.

　Razor displayed the combat wisdom expected of a "blue dragon." It constantly leaped and dodged, casting spells that stirred up dust to disrupt the red dragon, searching for an opportunity to counterattack. Bolts of electricity swirled around its body, gradually building up to form a thick protective barrier... Many times, Razor really envied other dragons for being able to breathe fire.

　"Stop dodging, coward!" Marazan roared, delivering another powerful tail strike.

　Shaving Tooth leaped backward like a nimble orange cat, flipped in mid-air, and unleashed a five-hit lightning whip from its wingtips. Five thick silver snakes shot out from the tips of its wingtips, coiling around the red dragon's body. The high-level spell pierced through the bloodscaled red dragon's high magic resistance, and the remaining force only made her movements slightly stunned.

　Just then, the imperceptible shadow silently joined the battle. Several curses—blurred senses, disrupted balance, depleted power, slowed—were inflicted on Marazan, whose magic resistance was temporarily depleted. These negative effects weren't immediate and were extremely difficult to detect under the cover of the red dragon's raging aura, but at the crucial moment…

　Instead of retreating and dodging, Razor charged forward and clashed violently with the red dragon. Its thick, digging forelimbs grabbed the red dragon's body, and its flat, thick tail swept low across its limbs, knocking the already unbalanced red dragon to the ground, and then pressing its entire body down on it.

　"How could this be..."

　The disproportionately large maw of the blue dragon had already bitten Marazan's neck, severing his nonsense and resentment.

　Marazan tried to break free from the blue dragon's grip, but the curse took effect at that moment.

　At the same time, vines sprouting from the ground bound its body, a sour, toxic mist rushed into its nostrils, grayish-white rays solidified the dragon magic flowing in its muscles and blood vessels, and highly corrosive liquid mixed with the blood mist, softening its scales.

　That's Ishnarl's magic!

　While all the dragons' attention was focused on the two duelists, the green dragon quietly unleashed several attack spells. Corrosive acid, poisonous gas, and paralyzing rays simultaneously engulfed the crumbling red dragon.

　"Despicable!" Marazan wanted to roar, but the poison had already invaded her body, making it difficult for her to even speak. She could feel her own strength, her own life, flowing along with her blood through the wound on her neck into the blue dragon's mouth.

　That despicable blue dragon is using vicious magic to devour its life essence! That treacherous green lizard is playing word games with its oaths once again!

　"I... surrender." The mad fire in Marazan's eyes temporarily died down. He wanted to surrender, but his throat was tightly gripped, preventing him from making any continuous sounds.

　The red dragon's body began to shrink, and the color on her scales faded, just like her life.

　Saris frantically tried to do something, but everything went black and he knew nothing more—by the time he was resurrected from the casket, it was all over.

　Razor shoved aside the shriveled corpse of the red dragon, raised its head, spread its wings, and roared to the sky. Then it surveyed the entire area: "Now, I am your commander?"

　The dragons nodded, while the purple-robed figures remained silent.

　"Then obey my orders. Get a good night's rest, and tomorrow morning, the entire army will launch an attack!"

　"Yes, sir!" the dragons responded in unison.

62. Trap

　The following morning, led by the ancient blue dragon Salvitos, the colorful dragon legion marched in a grand procession toward the Yellow Rose Monastery.

　Sixty-three giant dragons hid in the clouds summoned by the white dragon, each harboring their own thoughts—just as the Dragon Worship Cult harbored ill intentions towards the Colored Dragons, the Colored Dragons' "defection" to the Dragon Worship Cult was not sincere at all. And now, with the help of Ishnarle and Charson, the Toothpicker, who seized temporary command of the Colored Dragon Legion through violence, had no good intentions towards either side.

　The lich and the purple-robed warrior did not participate in the raid, because they had been reduced to dust by the dragon's breath, a mixture of fire, electricity, acid, poison, and frost, the night before. It was a sudden "order" issued after the dragons had bowed their heads, but the ambush had been planned for a long time.

　Ishnaler and Charson had already contacted those restless individuals, who were just waiting for an opportunity to attack the skeletons.

　At Tiya's command, the dragons, poised to pounce, charged towards the nearest Dragon Worshippers. Liches and human purple-robed figures alike were overwhelmed by the various dragon breaths before they could even react.

　Therefore, nothing unexpected should happen to hinder Casalos's plans for the next few days.

　The Yellow Rose Monastery came into view of the dragons. It was an ancient architectural complex built against the mountain. The amber stone walls looked particularly desolate in the morning light. There were no towering towers, no solid city walls, and no well-trained guards. The entire monastery looked unremarkable, and could even be described as somewhat dilapidated. The buildings were covered with vines and moss, and there were obvious signs of repair in many places.

　It was no different from other monasteries where ascetics gathered.

　"That's it?" a young black dragon said dismissively. "I thought it would be a much more fortified fortress."

　"Otherwise what?" Shaving Teeth chuckled. "A bunch of monks who live on wheat bran and thin porridge, do you expect them to be as magnificent as the temple of the God of Dawn?"

　"Hahaha! Lord Salvitos is right," Ishnarle immediately chimed in. "How could impoverished ascetics possibly build a fortress... I suggest we attack in three groups. One group will launch a frontal assault to draw attention; one group will flank from the side; and the last group will descend directly from the sky!"

　"Good plan." Shaving nodded in agreement, but secretly chuckled to himself: This plan seems reasonable, but can a group of color dragons that have never undergone group training and all have strong egos and personalities really launch a coordinated attack that requires a high degree of timing and cooperation?

　Dividing the forces will disperse the colorful dragons, making them easier to defeat one by one.

　The attacking forces were quickly assigned. Ishnarle volunteered to lead the frontal assault, while Toothpicker, as the leader, would personally lead the strongest "elite troops" to hold back the monks of the monastery from the front and flanks, while descending from the sky to take the heart of the monastery!

　"Attack!" Shaving commanded.

　The colorful dragons roared as they broke through the hidden clouds and dispersed into two groups, heading towards the monastery. Forget about coordination between the two groups; even within the same formation, chaos reigned.

　Several of the most aggressive and best-flying red dragons, vying for the lead, ruthlessly rammed into the less agile blue and green dragons. The fastest white dragons mostly huddled together, competing with the slender black dragons to see who could glide slower and stay airborne the longest. Unsurprisingly, the black dragons were propelled by a mysterious tailwind, easily breaking through the deliberately limited speed and catching up with the dragon herd dominated by blue and green dragons.

　It was a consensus among all the intelligent colored dragons that the most aggressive red-scaled creatures should be at the forefront to withstand the monastery's initial and strongest defenses. Of course, the blue and green dragons were unwilling to give up their subsequent achievements and naturally wouldn't fall too far behind the red dragons.

　As for the two weaker individuals, they were naturally also plotting their own schemes.

　In short, as soon as they emerged from the hidden clouds, the two teams of colorful dragons forcibly "broke up" their ranks, and for a moment, dragons danced wildly in the sky.

　"Thump! Thump!"

　The monastery sounded the alarm for an enemy attack; the deep, resonant sound of the bronze bells echoed through the clouds. Monks, carrying javelins, crossbows, and longbows, poured out of their meditation rooms in orderly ranks, and a pale golden barrier was erected by the spellcasters among the ascetics.

　The battle reached its climax as soon as it began.

　"They're mine, all mine!" the young red dragons roared excitedly, but the power of the barrier, like an invisible giant hand, gripped their throats, extinguishing all the dragon flames they spewed. The violent backlash caused the red dragons to let out painful howls.

　Of course, this damage is nothing more than a couple of howls for a dragon.

　Having taken a rude awakening, the red dragons finally regained some organization. On the spur of the moment, with the advice of several elder dragons, they unleashed dozens of chaotic spells to suppress the barrier and coordinated the breaths of several red dragons, completely tearing the barrier apart before the blue and green dragon horde could engage in battle.

　"Charge! Charge! Charge! Don't let those red-scaled brutes get there first!"

　Unexpectedly, the monastery's defenses were so weak that the lagging dragon cried out in surprise. As if injected with adrenaline, it abandoned its deliberate slowness and stirred up a fierce wind with its wings.

　With a flap of its wings, the tooth-picking dragon bestowed upon its "elite" group a collective wind wing and acceleration. It then folded its wings, trailing arcs of electricity as it swooped down. The elite dragons, not to be outdone, chased after it relentlessly, like a colorful meteor shower falling into the unprotected monastery, where they clashed with the warrior monks' battle formation.

　The dragons responsible for the frontal assault and flanking maneuvers also descended into the monastery walls to join the melee.

　"They've voluntarily given up their advantage in the sky?" A question uttered in the dragon language, sounding quite puzzled, echoed across the chaotic battlefield. Though the voice wasn't loud, it stunned all the colorful dragons for a moment.

　The next moment, the non-load-bearing walls of the buildings throughout the monastery collapsed with a roar, revealing the grim faces of hundreds of Iron Dragon bloodline half-dragons.

　They held spear-like weapons, each over five meters long, flat on their claws. Two blades, which should have been attached to the front, were resting on the ground in an inverted V shape, with arcs of electricity jumping across the shaft.

　The colorful dragons didn't know what these weapons were, but the increasingly powerful magical aura emanating from these strange weapons couldn't escape their perception.

　"It's a trap!" Ishnarle exclaimed dramatically, standing upright and swinging her giraffe-like neck. "Lord Salvitos, run! I'll cover your retreat!"

　Before the green dragon could finish speaking, the colorful dragons were horrified to discover that they could not take off—some kind of anti-flying spell had already taken effect when they landed.

　Rumble!

　A series of muffled explosions followed as hundreds of "Dragonstrike Guns" fired simultaneously. The cast-iron bullets, inscribed with dragon-slaying runes developed from the dragon-slaying techniques of Dorne Ashbringer, were propelled almost instantly across the battlefield by the combined forces of lightning-converted magnetism, fire magic, and the high-pressure, high-temperature gas generated by the explosion of white gunpowder. They easily breached the defenses of dragon scales and hides, tore apart the muscles of the chromatic dragons, and broke their bones.

　Then the power to slay dragons erupted, mixing the dragon magic flowing in their veins into a paste.

　"Lord Salvitos, save me!" a dragon cried out to Toothpicker, pinning its hopes on the arcane power he displayed. Other dragons gravitated towards Ishnarl, hoping this historically cunning half-leader might have a way to save their lives…

　But many more dragons noticed that the ranged attacks from the half-dragons were not directed at the two dragons leading the attack.

　"Congratulations on finding the hot spot!" Deeply influenced by Casalos, Toothpicker swept over the dragons that were warily avoiding it, and with a triumphant roar, it slashed off the neck of the strong green dragon hiding to its left with a wing slash, smashed the head of the adult black dragon behind it with its tail, and ripped open the chest of the old white dragon on its right with its right claw.

　Then it sprang out its dragon head, biting the neck of the adult red dragon in front of it, sucking its life force and body dry.

　The blue dragon's form twisted, revealing its body covered in pale yellow-gray-white, ferocious thorns. The last "elite" dragon that approached and surrounded it could not escape either. Its wings were severed by the tail that had turned back into a double blade, and then it was turned into mincemeat by a volley of shots from the dragon's spear.

　While both were stabbing in the back, Ishnarle, with her strong defense but weak attack, fared much worse. She only managed to breathe fire and corrode an adult white dragon into a pulp, then grabbed a young red dragon. The other two chromatic dragons that were close to her managed to retreat to a safe distance before being taken down by the combined fire of the half-dragons.

　Before they could even get up, twenty monks surged forward like a tidal wave, their long, narrow triangular spears striking the two swift-reacting "elite" dragons, piercing them to the core. You Lin, didn't you think about Yong Kong? You Lin, are you even here...?

　"Roar!" The dragons that entered from the outer circle and weren't immediately wiped out by concentrated fire were still fighting back, but they were horrified to find that their proud strength was utterly powerless in the face of these seemingly weak humans. Breath attacks, wing strikes, bites, claw strikes, tail sweeps, and even spells—every attack was countered by the ascetics, while the close-range counterattacks of the warrior monks caused them excruciating pain.

　If Dorn Greybrook were here, he would immediately recognize the influence of his dragon-slaying techniques in the power wielded by the monks!

　From the moment they landed, in less than ten minutes, this group of once-arrogant colorful dragons was completely wiped out.

　Eisen stood atop the highest two-story building of the monastery, his indigo vertical pupils coldly gazing at the now-quiet killing field below.

　The entire monastery was stained dark red with dragon blood. The dragon magic that overflowed after the dragon's death twisted the warp and weft of the magic net, causing twelve pre-set linked spells to appear one after another, including the anti-air magic array that the dragons could not see but could feel, the targeted mental weakness magic array that they could not see or feel but which really affected them, and the dragon-slaying array that suppressed their dragon souls.

　The Dragon Cult's Colored Dragon Legion, which could have been a huge obstacle to the Metal Dragons, consisted of sixty-three Colored Dragons. Apart from Toothpicker, who led them into the trap, and Ishnarle, who had almost become the leader of the undercover agents, none of them survived.

　"Clean up the battlefield." Eisen coldly issued a new order, as if the massacre just now was just an ordinary battle, even though the ones slaughtered were the dragons she once regarded as gods.

　"Yes!"

　The half-dragon warriors sprang into action immediately, and the monks of the monastery began busily cleaning their homes.

　Ignoring Ishnarle, who crawled up to him like a dog, Shaving Tooth transformed into a portly merchant and approached Eisen: "A perfect annihilation. Casalos will be very satisfied, won't he?"

　"This is just the beginning." Eisen looked north. "The real war is yet to come... What about what we're looking for?"

　Picking Teeth spread his hands and replied, "That's not my problem. There are over 50,000 scrolls here, and the spell is hidden as a code within the text of one of the books. Finding it is entirely a matter of luck. You should bring that lucky half-golem over and try..."

　"I will, he'll be there soon."

63. The final link

　Vasa, at the Damshor ruins.

　That corrupt and desecrated land is now shrouded in the shadow of death. The undead legions of the false demon Samaster have amassed in this demon-infested land, and thousands upon thousands of skeletons, zombies, and ghosts have formed a massive undead army, crossing the mountains and ravaging the fertile lands of Damara to the east.

　However, under the combined attack of the Metal Dragon Alliance, Bahamut's Dragonborn Paladins, the Damara Legion, and the Dawn Lord's followers, this undead army has been completely wiped out.

　Broken bones lay scattered across the scorched earth, gleaming a ghastly white in the morning light. A pungent, foul stench permeated the air, occasionally punctuated by the mournful howls of dissipating negative energy. These lingering magical remnants, like the final struggles of dying beasts, slowly dissipated in the wind.

　But in every corner of the battlefield, a golden, holy light was slowly spreading. The legion of followers of the Dawn God, led by the Dawn Lord, was carrying out the final purification work. These priests, clad in gold and silver robes, held aloft the Dawn emblem and chanted sacred purification prayers. Under the influence of their divine magic, the land contaminated by negative energy was slowly regaining its vitality; the black, scorched earth was revealing its original brown color again, and the aura of death in the air was gradually dissipating.

　Several high-ranking priests, holding shimmering jugs of holy water, sprinkled the sacred liquid onto the areas where negative energy was most concentrated. Each time the holy water touched the contaminated ground, a puff of white smoke rose, accompanied by a piercing hissing sound. This was the sound of divine power battling the remnants of evil in their final struggle.

　"By Losanda, may the light of dawn dispel all darkness," the senior priest prayed aloud, his voice amplified by divine magic and echoing across the battlefield. "May this land once more find the solace of the dawn's rays, may the souls of the dead find eternal rest, may the light of dawn forever shine upon this land..."

　Under the continued influence of divine power, the skeletal fragments still writhing on the ground were completely reduced to dust, never to be reassembled; the negative energy that had seeped deep into the soil was also gradually dissipated, ensuring that this land would not become a gathering place for undead creatures again—this was perhaps just self-comfort for the Dawnbringers, after all, beneath the land of Vasa lay countless abyssal demons sealed away, and as long as the seal was loosened, the undead would inevitably return.