"Protect that silver dragon! Don't let them get near her!" The battle in the sky was reaching a fever pitch. The dragon beasts circled around Missril's massive body, flying lower and lower until they hung like dark clouds overhead. Their shrieks and growls blended into a single cacophony, with only the female knight's commands clearly piercing the battlefield's din. Under her orders, the gargoyles launched continuous attacks against the encircling dragon beasts. It was like two oppressive banks of clouds violently colliding. There were no thunderous booms, but Golden Flames flashed amid the chaos in place of lightning and thunder. Gargoyle wreckage rained down with a clatter, while only the occasional enormous body plummeted from the sky and crashed into the ground.
The ground trembled horribly from time to time. When the silver dragon Missril fell, several nearby streets had already been flattened into ruins, but a ring of surviving buildings still stood around the open area. The knights of the Summer Solstice Knights and the White Lion Guard climbed onto those buildings and assisted the gargoyles from the rooftops. Together, they formed a temporary but sturdy defensive line. At least for the moment, they could keep the dragon beasts firmly blocked at the edge of the ruins.
Their casualties were equally severe. Fireballs occasionally fell from the sky and struck the isolated buildings. Blinding flames rose in the darkness, often signifying that several lives had been lost.
The Little Prince and the powerless nobles had long since been moved somewhere safer by Dirfiel and Princess Magdal. Only a handful of people still dared to fight. Aiko had temporarily taken command of the White Lion Guard alongside Yuta, replacing the unconscious Medisa. Unexpectedly, the duke's daughter had insisted on staying behind with Marjorie. She knew a few rudimentary Healing Spells