Battle

A rather noisy night.

In the wilderness, a black figure stood with arms crossed, waiting quietly.

The wind blew down her hood, and her long hair fluttered gently in the cold breeze.

Behind her, under the dim starlight, pairs of golden eyes filled the landscape as far as the eye could see.

They were masked, wearing various clothes and armor.

Even the Imperial Guard had swapped out their signature black armor.

Time slipped away minute by minute as this ten-thousand-strong army of dragonborn lay quietly in ambush.

Waiting for their master to give the order to attack.

“Whoosh!”

A violent rushing sound erupted overhead as a pair of black dragon wings seemed to tear through the air.

The dragonborn army looked up at the sky one after another, their eyes filled with awe.

“Boom!”

Amidst a dull explosion, dust billowed as a massive black shadow crashed into the ground.

It was like a meteorite falling from the sky.

Yellow sand was kicked up, and the earth groaned under the impact.

After struggling to pull his head out of the ground, the little black dragon, who was missing more than half the scales on his head, shook the sand off his face.

Two streams of white vapor, mixed with sand, snorted from his nostrils.

“How's the situation?”

Daviel looked down and saw a pair of black dragon wings slowly unfolding like a blooming flower bud.

Revealing the young girl inside, like a pistil within a flower.

Fine, shifting sand cascaded down her dragon wings as a pair of golden eyes, shining brightly in the dark, locked onto his.

“Ahem...” After coughing twice to ease his embarrassment, the little black dragon reported:

“Sis, those humans are still there. They're to the southeast, about five kilometers away.”

“I didn't dare get too close, but the size of the camp doesn't look any different from last time.”

“Mm, rest for a bit first.”

Irene acknowledged with a hum, rubbing her chin as she fell into thought.

It seemed these humans hadn't received any reinforcements recently. Of course, the possibility of them adding a few powerful units couldn't be ruled out.

For instance, a few Gold Rank experts hiding in the shadows.

With neither side knowing the other's true strength, the clash of intelligence became the most crucial part before the battle.

To be safe, the best approach was to surround them first, then slowly send troops to test their depth.

Once it was confirmed that the threat wasn't significant, she would make her move personally.

With that thought, Irene acted decisively, immediately issuing an order. “Cezar.”

“Present!”

The young beastkin stepped forward.

Without looking at him, Irene crouched down, drew a simple topographical map on the ground with her finger, and pointed in a direction.

“Take the entire Imperial Guard and head toward the target area from this direction.”

“Your primary task is to find out the number of high-end combat forces the enemy has. You may retreat strategically if necessary.”

As she spoke, a black scale floated up in front of Cezar.

“This is my scale. Use it to report intelligence.”

“Yes!”

Cezar carefully took the scale, struck his left chest with his right fist, and shouted loudly:

“I will not fail Your Grace's expectations!”

“Mm.” Irene acknowledged, then called out again, “Fido.”

“Here!” The old kobold instantly straightened his back.

“Take the remaining Black Knights and encircle them in a wide perimeter.”

“Keep your distance so you aren't discovered, and await my next command.”

“Yes!” Fido also heavily thumped his chest.

As the two led their troops away, only the two black dragons remained.

Watching the departing backs of the army, Daviel blinked and said:

“Sis, if there's nothing else for me to do, I'll head home first.”

“I just remembered I left some laundry out to dry.”

With that, he spread his dragon wings, preparing to slip away.

“Tsk.” Irene rolled her eyes and looked up.

An invisible force field shaped like a fist struck the little black dragon hard on the head.

Forcibly interrupting Daviel's 'spellcasting'.

“Wishful thinking. Once we find out their strength, you'll be responsible for stalling their strongest combatant.”

“Ah...” Daviel's face fell instantly. Clutching his head, he grumbled resentfully:

“Why me?! Sis, aren't you going to fight?”

“I'm backing you up to make sure you don't get killed.”

The little dragon girl stood up, hands on her hips, speaking with righteous indignation:

“Besides, this is a perfect opportunity for revenge. As your loving older sister, how could I rob you of such a great chance?”

“But...”

Daviel rubbed his bald-patched dragon head, feeling like her words were only making him go balder.

Yet, he couldn't think of a reason to object. After struggling for a long time, he could only squeeze out:

“Then if I can't beat them, make sure you step in quickly. The scales on my body just grew back...”

“Don't worry.” Irene narrowed her eyes, gazing into the silent night sky. Countless profound spell runes flowed within her golden, vertical pupils.

...

“Clack—”

A component slipped from his hand and dropped to the ground.

Rudolf, who was drawing a new blueprint, glanced down slightly, and the component was picked up by an invisible Mage Hand.

It was placed gently on the table.

He was about to continue drawing, but the quill in his hand hovered in midair, refusing to descend.

An uneasy feeling was gradually spreading and growing in his heart.

‘Is it because of the influence these mysterious creations are having on me?’

The old mage put down his quill and placed his hand on his chest.

He felt his aged but still powerfully beating heart.

As a Gold Rank archmage, his intuition was far different from that of ordinary people.

Though called intuition, it was actually closer to a form of divination magic.

Walking out of the tent, the biting cold wind whipped against his face, and the sense of unease grew even heavier.

Tonight was exceptionally quiet. In the surrounding night sky, waves of malice seemed to envelop him,

causing Rudolf's usually extremely calm mind to become somewhat muddled.

Amidst the howling cold wind, the old mage looked up.

The stars were gradually fading.

The freezing water element tide was slowly receding, replaced by a gradually swelling fire element.

This signaled that dawn was approaching.

This was the time when people were at their most relaxed.

Yet, the stars had faded, and dawn had not yet arrived.

It was also the darkest hour of the day.

Rudolf released his Gold Rank mental power outward, muttering to himself,

“Could that evil dragon have returned?”

“No, that should be impossible. He was heavily wounded by me.”

“With a black dragon's cunning nature, he should still be recovering from his injuries.”

The next moment, Rudolf's expression froze on his face.

Within the area covered by his mental power, some highly unusual auras had appeared.

It was as if a clap of thunder had exploded in Rudolf's mind.

His body tensed instinctively, and a metal staff appeared out of thin air in his hand.

The opponent seemed to have sensed his probing as well.

After a sharp explosion tore through the air, the dim sky was illuminated.

It was a barrage of Fireball spells, falling from the sky like a rain of fire.

The entire camp was enveloped within the blazing, torrential flames.

Fortunately, Rudolf was no incompetent fool, but a genuine high-tier Gold Rank powerhouse.

Though slightly startled, he was not in the least panicked.

As mana surged from the tip of his staff, a translucent shield radiating a milky-white light enveloped the sky above the camp.

At the same time, hundreds of fireballs collided with the shield.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! ...”

Splattering sparks illuminated almost the entire camp, and the continuous explosions echoed relentlessly between heaven and earth.

The air outside the barrier warped under the intense heat.

“Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!”

A hoarse roar rang out in the camp, but it was completely drowned out by the relentless explosions.