Pursuit

Luo Li felt a surge of anxiety as she gazed at the nearly boundless black tide, but she did not dare let it show on her face.

As a commander, she could not afford to panic.

Otherwise, it would only place even worse psychological pressure on the knights.

"How many people are still left to board?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, there are approximately three thousand left."

Luo Li's heart skipped a beat at that number, and she turned to look at the demon army.

The distance between the two sides was now less than a kilometer.

From where she stood, she could already clearly see the soldiers at the demon front lines.

Their faces were masks of hideousness and violent rage.

"Aigie! Notify Mr. Momo that any skysoar dragon carrying three knights must take off immediately for the evacuation point at the ice floes."

"As you command!"

Before Aigie could even steady her breathing after returning from the front, Luo Li's order was issued once again.

However, as a member of the dragon race, she did not require much rest; she transformed into a dragon once more, letting out a long, resonant roar.

On the ground, led by Mr. Momo, one skysoar dragon after another soared into the sky.

At the same time, the white horses that had been driven out of the military formation seemed to sense something.

Their speed suddenly surged.

A lead white horse charged into the demon army in an instant.

In the next second, that horse was torn to shreds.

Countless demons lunged forward frantically to tear at the horse's carcass, and it was devoured in the blink of an eye.

The formation in the army had fallen into complete chaos.

The knights could not even tell where their comrades were.

However, with the help of others, they managed to scramble onto the skysoar dragons.

Before they could even settle into their seats, the skysoar dragons were already taking flight.

This scene was repeating everywhere; meanwhile, in the distant beastman army, two thousand members of the bat-tribe suddenly emerged.

Like a black cloud, they arrived at the human central command in an instant.

Among them, a member of the bat-tribe who was significantly larger than the others flew toward the Saint's Carriage.

The moment he landed, Luo Li realized that the entire body of this bat-kin was actually very similar to a human.

However, they had the heads of bats, and thin wing membranes stretched from the insides of their arms to the outsides of their thighs.

Furthermore, his eyes were almost invisible, appearing only as tiny slits.

Instead, his nose was prominently protruded.

"Your subordinate... of the bat-tribe, Fok, has come to support the human forces by the order of His Majesty."

"Thank you."

Luo Li quickly expressed her gratitude, and at that moment, the other bat-kin also moved among the knights.

Their hind legs, which resembled sharp claws, instantly gripped the knights' arms before they spread their wings to take flight rapidly.

In this torrential rain, the flight capabilities of the bat-tribe would certainly be significantly restricted.

Unlike the dragons, who possessed the innate ability for long-term flight and could even fly for months or years without stopping.

The bat-tribe was different.

Looking at Fok before her, he was clearly very similar to the bats in Luo Li's memory.

They were nocturnal creatures that relied on ultrasound for positioning.

And such a rainy day would inevitably have a certain impact on ultrasonic positioning.

Furthermore, the dragons had no fur, and the scales on their bodies allowed the rain to slide off smoothly.

Their entire bodies would carry almost no extra weight.

But the bat-kin before her was covered in fine hair, which could easily soak up the rain.

Flying for a long time in a rainy night would inevitably make their bodies heavier and affect their flight speed.

However, at this moment, she could not afford to worry about so much.

Dragons were constantly taking off from the knight regiment, and those left behind were being carried away by the bat-tribe.

Seeing the originally crowded knight regiment gradually become sparse, Luo Li could not help but feel a slight sense of relief.

Watching the people slowly dwindle, Luo Li turned back to look at Dominica.

"Mr. Fok, I entrust my subordinate to you."

Luo Li pointed at Dominica and spoke to Fok.

At this moment, Dominica had not yet removed her armor, as her mission was to protect the Saintess.

As long as Luo Li had not left, she would absolutely not remove her armor to board a dragon.

But there was no longer any time for her to do so.

The Fok before her was clearly much larger than the others of the bat-tribe, and his flight capability was stronger as well.

Since the bat-tribe itself was capable of carrying a ton of weight, entrusting her to Fok should be no problem.

"Your subordinate understands."

Fok nodded and turned toward Dominica.

"My lady, are you ready?"

However, Dominica did not even glance at Fok's face; she turned to look at Luo Li.

"Your Highness!! You haven't left yet, how can I leave!"

"His Majesty the Dragon King will take me away; he will even abandon the Saint's Carriage if necessary. You have no time to remove your armor now. Do you intend to die here?"

"Mr. Fok, do not mind her. Take her away immediately. This is an order."

"As you command."

Fok nodded and did not waste words; he spread his arms, and two massive wing membranes suddenly unfolded.

Then, he leaped up, and before Dominica's startled eyes, his feet instantly gripped her arms.

"My lady, we are taking off!"

With a great whoosh, the massive wings flapped violently, lifting Dominica directly into the air.

"Your Highness..."

"Rest assured, I promise you, I will follow."

Luo Li looked up at the flying Dominica.

With her arms gripped, Dominica had almost no ability to resist.

Moreover, she was not foolish and was well aware of the current situation.

Aside from this, there seemed to be no better way.

Watching Dominica and Fok grow distant, Luo Li smiled.

She lowered her eyes to look at her feet.

Only the single body of the carriage remained.

And all around... there were no more knights.

Almost all the knights had been carried away.

The few who remained had climbed onto the skysoar dragons and flown into the distance.

For a moment, all that was left behind was a mess across the ground.

Armor, clothing, weapons, banners... almost everything in sight was discarded gear.

Luo Li took a deep breath and looked back toward the demon central command.

At this moment, the demons were less than five hundred meters away from her Saint's Carriage.

Luo Li could clearly see that these demons wore almost no proper clothing.

She saw no cloth, but every demon was clad in armor.

It was obvious that this armor could not have been forged by the demons themselves.

These... were forged by the people of the Kingdom of the Moon after the demons had infiltrated.

It was truly ironic to think that the armor and weapons manufactured by the people of the nation had all become the equipment of the enemy army.

Four hundred meters.

The demons had already noticed her presence.

Seeing that only this one living person remained in the entire human central command, the demons suddenly accelerated as if they had gone mad.

Three hundred meters.

Luo Li took a deep breath and drew the Sword of Fidelity from her waist.

Two hundred meters.

Among the demons, those frenzied faces were filled with lust; every demon was driven by a mad desire to possess the body of the young girl before them.

That undisguised, mad desire caused the girl to frown slightly.

One hundred meters.

Luo Li involuntarily held her breath, her right hand gripping the hilt so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Fifty meters... forty meters... thirty meters...

Luo Li could already see the folds on the demons' skin and the black hair growing on their bodies.

She could see... the terrifying madness in their eyes.

Ten meters!

Luo Li frowned slightly and took a deep breath.

Seeing the demons drop their weapons and reach out with both hands to seize her, Luo Li closed her eyes.

'Roar!'

Accompanied by a thunderous dragon's roar, a massive silhouette descended with an earth-shaking force.

'Boom!!'

The ground trembled violently as a golden dragon tail swept through the demons!

Hundreds of demons were instantly sent flying.

Massive dragon claws descended, gently lifting the body of the Saint's Carriage from the ground into its palm.

The golden dragon Asfield soared into the sky.

His wings flapped, and his golden vertical pupils glanced back with disdain at the terrified demons on the ground.

He turned to depart.

"She... is not someone you insects can touch!"

Leaving behind that cool-sounding remark, the golden silhouette gradually faded into the distance.

Feeling the wind howling in her ears, Luo Li felt a sense of relief but also couldn't help but look at the Dragon King.

"I thought Your Majesty wouldn't make it in time."

"I will not break a promise I have made."

The massive dragon head glanced at the Saint's Carriage in his palm; the carriage body, which was over twenty square meters, looked like a toy that could barely fill his hand.

At this point, the Dragon King suddenly spoke with a hint of playfulness:

"Were you afraid?"

"No, I had steeled my resolve."

Luo Li smiled faintly; in that instant, she had already prepared for death.

The Sword of Fidelity in her hand was not meant for the enemy, but for ending her own life.

If the plan truly could not keep up with the changes, then she could only say that fate was not on her side.

In that case, living would be far more painful than dying.

It would be better to end it quickly, otherwise, things would truly turn out poorly.

"Death is not a good choice."

Asfield seemed to have guessed the girl's thoughts, and his massive dragon eyes narrowed slightly.

However, Luo Li merely smiled and replied.

"But at least it is much better than falling into the hands of the demons, isn't it?"

"Heh."

The golden vertical pupils flickered slightly, but only a chuckle drifted through the air.

No longer looking at the golden dragon, Luo Li turned back to look at the demon army.

At this moment, the demon ground forces were completely helpless, but even so, they were still marching rapidly.

Meanwhile, the aerial units were biting tightly onto the rear of the dragon evacuation force.

As the force meant to keep the feathered serpents in check, the dragon units were the last to evacuate.

And this had landed the dragons in a bit of trouble.

The flight speed of the feathered serpents seemed to be significantly faster than that of the dragons.

Behind the golden dragon, over forty dragons would occasionally look back to release Dragon Breath, and some even cast magic directly.

While the feathered serpents pursued relentlessly, they also constantly released dark elements.

Four feathered serpents, along with several thousand griffins, were biting tightly onto the rear.

They showed no sign of letting go.

"Your Majesty, the situation in the rear does not look good."

"I know."

The Dragon King's brow furrowed, and he glanced back, but he had no intention of stopping or helping his kin in the rear.

Instead, he continued forward.

"Are you not worried?"

"The dragon race has its own pride. Since my subjects have promised me to guard my rear, I have no need to worry; they will give their all to protect me."

What incredible trust.

It was only fifty kilometers from the central command to the evacuation point, a distance that was practically nothing for large flying creatures like dragons.

In the distance, two thousand skysoar dragons and five thousand of the bat-tribe, carrying sixteen thousand knights and over two thousand six hundred beastman elites, were flying rapidly toward the evacuation point.

The torrential rain in the sky grew even more intense.

Raindrops the size of beans struck their faces, hurting like the edge of a knife.

The Saintess's robe on Luo Li's body had even begun its own defense, forming an invisible shield around her.

As the raindrops hit the shield, they made a sound like metal striking metal.

'Clink, clink.'

Flashes of lightning occasionally streaked across, illuminating the earth and the aerial forces pursuing from behind.

At this moment, the speed of the dragons was at least three hundred kilometers per hour.

At such an extreme speed, the force of the raindrops was akin to a volley of bullets.

"Your Majesty, I hope you can suppress your speed; do not exceed the speed of the skysoar dragons and bat-tribe ahead."

At this rate, they would likely catch up to the forces ahead very quickly.

But if that happened, the skysoar dragons and bat-tribe would be completely exposed within the attack range of the demons.

Without the cover of the dragon race, those skysoar dragons and bat-tribe members would be unable to withstand such attacks.

Hearing Luo Li say this, the Dragon King's brow furrowed.

"But if we do that, we will inevitably have to engage in a struggle with the feathered serpents. Are you certain?"

"Of course, I have already prepared for battle."

Luo Li took a deep breath; she naturally understood the price of doing so.

The feathered serpents were faster than the dragons, the dragons were faster than the skysoar dragons, and the skysoar dragons were faster than the bat-tribe.

If they insisted on slowing down, they would definitely have to fight a major battle with the feathered serpents behind them.

But if they didn't, then countless beastmen and humans would die.

The cost of the retreat would be too great.

In contrast, the price of the dragons fighting the feathered serpents would not be nearly as high.

"Your Majesty, listen to me. Increase our altitude and send ten dragons to intercept the pursuit of the griffin units. The remaining dragons will deal with the feathered serpents!"

The Dragon King's brow tightened, and after a moment, he slowly opened his maw.

'Roar!!'

With a low dragon's roar, the golden dragon's head suddenly reared upward.

Following that was his massive body and the Saint's Carriage in his palm!

Luo Li was completely unprepared and was nearly thrown from the carriage by the sudden movement.

It was clear that although the Dragon King did not oppose her suggestion, he was somewhat dissatisfied.

Luo Li could only cling tightly to the door of the Saint's Carriage.

Was it her commanding tone just now that had displeased the Dragon King?

She hadn't realized this fellow was so petty.