"Ignore them and full speed ahead!"
The Demon King's Castle looked massive, but bypassing it by air wasn't a distance issue.
Once they were past it, the rest would be easy.
"As you command," Black responded, and his speed surged.
The skysoar dragons behind them also quickened their pace.
Aigie and Shalin glanced at each other.
They suddenly turned around, flying backward while raising their dragon heads.
"Red Flame Breath!!"
"Frost Breath!!"
Two shouts rang out, followed by two massive bursts of dragon breath directed at the pursuing demons.
Boom—!
The scorching breath from the Red Flame Great Dragon, Aigie, erupted, filling the sky with brilliant, colorful flames.
Breath like an icy rain surged from the frost dragon's mouth, looking strangely beautiful.
However, the demons struck by the breath certainly didn't see it that way!
Amidst a chorus of screams, demons were hit and plummeted from the sky.
The pursuit from behind ground to a halt!
Seeing this, the two dragons turned back and continued forward.
Looking back at the army, it was clear they didn't plan to resume the chase immediately.
But while the main force didn't follow, the scouts clung tightly to their rear, with no intention of leaving.
The Demon Emperor clearly had no intention of letting Luo Li go, trailing right behind the scouts.
'Is he trying to test our endurance?'
'Or is he trying to surround us while giving chase?'
Luo Li frowned, lowering her head in thought.
"Black, notify the army to head straight north."
"As you command."
Black agreed, letting out a roar toward the sky to relay the message to the other dragons behind them.
Skysoar dragons could understand the dragon language, which carried a wealth of information.
Ligeia had once said that the dragon language was the most complex language in the world.
This was because dragon vocal cords were entirely different from those of humanoid races.
Almost all races on the continent, including special ones like gnomes and giants, had physical structures very similar to humans.
Only the dragons were different; as reptilian creatures, their body structure was completely distinct from humanoids.
Therefore, the structure of their vocal cords was worlds apart.
Some pronunciations even involved infrasound and ultrasound that humanoids couldn't hear at all.
As a result, the dragon language was recognized across the continent as the most difficult to learn.
Even the demons couldn't decode it.
Using the dragon language to transmit information perfectly prevented the demons from detecting the army's movements on the battlefield.
The only drawback was the inability to assign a dragon to every single unit.
Otherwise, they would be the ultimate frontline messengers.
With a roar, the dragon army's flight path shifted from northeast to directly north.
The pursuing army seemed confused, pausing briefly before giving chase again.
"Black, tell Aigie and Shalin to take five hundred skysoar dragons each to the east and north. After flying out ten kilometers, they are to accelerate and flank the demon pursuers from both sides. We will strike back from the front!"
Luo Li looked back at the distance to the demon army—less than five kilometers away, with the nearest scouts within a kilometer.
The Demon Emperor was so persistent; he clearly wasn't going to give up on her.
In that case, it was better to face them head-on and break through from the rear!
"As you command."
Black roared in response.
Roar!!
Aigie and Shalin seemed a bit surprised by the roar.
However, they reacted quickly.
The two dragons shared a look, roared simultaneously, and began splitting the forces.
At the same time, a thousand skysoar dragons behind them divided.
Five hundred followed each of the two dragons toward the flanks.
The demon army behind them clearly sensed something was wrong. The Demon Emperor wasn't a fool and would surely react.
The demons' response was simple: instead of splitting their forces, they expanded their formation.
The dense formation spread into a massive arc, extending two battle lines on either side.
"Saintess, it seems the Demon Emperor has seen through your plan."
"Yes, this formation focuses on flanking defense while surrounding our rear. Is he trying to wrap us up like a dumpling?"
Black was puzzled.
"Forgive me, Your Highness, but what is... a dumpling?"
Ah... right. There were no dumplings in this world.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since Luo Li had eaten one.
Perhaps if she survived this and returned, introducing this traditional Chinese delicacy to this world would be quite interesting.
"Black, how high can you fly?"
"Reporting to the Saintess, I can fly into the clouds, but... you likely cannot. The temperature at high altitudes is far too cold for you."
"It doesn't matter. This is a matter of life and death; I don't care about the cold."
"But..."
Luo Li looked up at the scattered stars in the sky and took a deep breath.
"Fly!"
"...As you command."
Black hesitated for a moment, then suddenly tilted his head up. The sudden pressure nearly pinned Luo Li against his head.
She gripped the dragon horn beside her tightly, enduring the dizziness brought by the massive acceleration.
She gritted her teeth and stared at the sky.
Seeing the dragons suddenly tilt upward, the demon army's formation behind them seemed to fall into disarray.
However, the Demon Emperor quickly reorganized his troops and resumed the pursuit.
This time, the demon army followed closely behind.
Seeing this, Luo Li, still clinging to the dragon horn, let a smile play across her lips.
'As expected... the intelligent creatures of this world had very little experience in the unfamiliar field of aerial combat.'
In this situation, the demons' best choice would have been to maintain their altitude and follow behind the dragons.
Ground combat was a 2D map, but in the air and the ocean, it was 3D.
While the map's complexity decreased, tactics became far more intricate.
It seemed no one had studied aerial combat in detail before, or the demons wouldn't be using such a clumsy method of pursuit.
However... the sudden ascent was taking a toll on Luo Li.
Unlike the beastmen behind them, whose thick fur could insulate them from the cold, Luo Li's Saintess's robe could only barely maintain her body heat.
The speed of their ascent exceeded what an average person could endure.
Even with her enhanced attributes, Luo Li could feel the biting chill of the wind against her skin.
The sensation was like small knives scraping against her, making her limbs go stiff.
"Saintess, can you still hold on?"
Black was beginning to worry about the little creature on his head.
Before leaving the camp, the Dragon King had issued a strict order that no harm must come to her under any circumstances.
This put Black in a difficult position.
As a standard dark dragon, his physical strength was among the best in the dragon race.
Aside from high-tier magic, general spells could hardly scratch him.
But the little thing on his head was different.
She was just a human, and only level sixteen.
Such a weak being could hardly withstand strong winds, let alone a sudden vertical ascent.
"I... I'm fine. Keep going."
Luo Li gritted her teeth, feeling the immense pressure. Even after reaching level sixteen, her body couldn't stop shivering.
Looking at the army below, the Demon Emperor was clearly wary and wasn't following too closely.
But this... was exactly the opportunity she needed.
"Now is the time... Black, turn around and dive!!"
After forcing those words out through her gritted teeth, she couldn't utter another syllable.
The heat-retention function of the Saintess's robe was active, but it was no match for the howling gale.
The dragon's speed was at least three hundred kilometers per hour.
The acceleration of gravity and the high-altitude cold made Luo Li feel as if her blood were about to freeze.
She had long since lost feeling in her limbs, clinging to the dragon horn through sheer willpower.
"As you command!!"
Black glanced up at the little thing on his head. Although he couldn't see her, his draconic senses could feel her presence.
In his perception, her vitality had dropped to a terrifyingly low level.
If they kept flying upward, she might actually die.
It was hard to imagine how such a fragile creature had managed to hold on this long.
They had reached an altitude of five thousand meters.
The details on the ground were no longer visible.
Climbing to this height in a short time was routine for dragons.
Their bodies adapted naturally.
But this little thing couldn't.
At least in Black's understanding, an ordinary person would have lost consciousness from such a rapid ascent.
Thinking of this... a sense of respect welled up in his heart.
Setting everything else aside, although this little thing was so delicate, her ability to persevere until now was enough to earn the dark dragon Black's respect!
Boom!!
Massive black wings unfurled as the dragon tilted upward before twisting his body.
Tracing a graceful arc in the sky, Black led the way, and the skysoar dragons behind him followed suit, turning their heads from the sky to the earth!
To avoid falling, the beastmen clung to the dragons they rode.
At this moment, rather than the Lion-Tiger tribe riding the dragons, it was more like they were hanging onto them.
Luo Li even felt her feet lift off as her body was pressed firmly against the dragon's head.
As the black dragon turned and the massive head aimed straight down, the other skysoar dragons followed.
In a diving posture, they plummeted straight down!!
Meanwhile, the Red Flame Great Dragon Aigie and the frost dragon Shalin attacked the demon air force from both sides almost simultaneously.
Roar!!
Two bursts of dragon breath erupted from the left and right. Instantly, the demon air force felt as if they were in a dreamscape.
The collision of intense heat and extreme cold created a massive bank of mist that obscured all vision!
'Great teamwork!!'
'As expected of the dragon sisters, their coordination was flawless!'
Dragons could transmit information through sound, but demons relied on sight. The moment that massive mist rose, it completely blinded them.
For the dragons, however, such an obstruction meant nothing!!
'To think... these sisters were surprisingly clever.'
There was no time for further thought. The speed of the dive far exceeded the ascent. Luo Li could only barely cling to the dragon horn.
Her entire body was practically flying.
Boom!
The dragon's head plunged into the thick mist.
Luo Li instinctively closed her eyes. Before she could even reopen them, Black's claws slammed into a griffin.
With a squelch, the griffin's body was sliced through as if by a sharp blade.
The demon riding it was torn in half along with it!
They plummeted from the sky.
Black blood sprayed into the void.
At the same time, the other beastmen reacted, gripping the skysoar dragons' necks with their legs and drawing their large blades.
The aerial battle reached a fever pitch in an instant!
The gravitational acceleration from the high-altitude fall made the beastmen's blades even sharper.
It also increased the skysoar dragons' impact force countless times over.
Instantly, the only sounds in Luo Li's ears besides blades slicing through flesh were the incessant screams.
Not just the screams of demons, but also the distinct eagle-like shrieks of the griffins.
Black blood splattered everywhere, even staining the white mist!
Roar!!
The black dragon let out a roar, met by two responses.
A moment later, the figures of the dragon sisters appeared on either side of Black.
The three great dragons led the charge together!!
The entire battle was incredibly simple.
Luo Li didn't even have time to see where the Demon Emperor was before the battle was over.
When her vision cleared and the black dragon's head emerged from the white mist, the surrounding air was filled with falling demons.
Some were sliced in half, while others were still screaming as their griffins perished beneath them.
In despair, they awaited their intimate encounter with the ground.
There was no stalemate or struggle.
The power of the dive had increased the air force's combat capability several times over!
If they had more suitable weapons, the results would have been even more significant.
Unfortunately... after this, the Demon Emperor would surely understand the boost a dive provided to combat power.
Repeating such a feat in the future would likely be impossible.
As Luo Li was thinking this, a sudden roar erupted from behind!
The sound was getting closer!
"ROAR!!!"
Luo Li instinctively looked back. From within the thick mist behind them, the figure of Beast Sovereign Ricardo burst through.
And the Demon Emperor... was currently being held by the throat, falling from the mist.
Thud!
A muffled sound rang out as the Beast Sovereign's fist, as large as a hotpot, slammed into the Demon Emperor's face, which was the size of a clay pot.
In an instant... the once-handsome Demon Emperor had two streams of black blood spraying from his nostrils.
His lip split, and his eye began to swell at a visible rate.
It was so pitiful that Luo Li couldn't help but feel a shred of pity, causing her to blurt out three words.
"Hit him harder!!"
The Beast Sovereign paused in surprise, but then a wicked grin spread across his massive face.
"No problem!"
The Demon Emperor's face turned ashen as he roared in Luo Li's direction!
"Luo Li—!"
However, his response was another hotpot-sized fist slamming squarely into his wretched face.
Boom!!
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