War (V)

"Help!"

"Don't eat me!"

The routed troops of the "Honor Legion" had fled to the central army, followed by a surging tide of Goblin and Kobold forces.

"Please, save me!"

The elite soldiers of "Eagle's Claw" stood motionless, watching indifferently as the routed soldiers were slaughtered. They gripped their spears and used their sturdy shields to tightly protect the front of them, forming a tight formation.

"Attack!"

Robert gave the order.

As the bugle sounded, the gunners and shield bearers advanced in unison, their movements as coordinated and orderly as a single unit, resembling a city wall slowly approaching.

A tidal Goblin Kobold crashed against the city walls.

The shields blocked the monsters' charge, while spears pierced through the gaps in the shields, capable of impaling several Goblin and Kobold with a single thrust.

The archers behind the spearmen drew their bows and nocked their arrows, which drew graceful arcs through the air as a rain of arrows fell, pinning many monsters to the ground.

As expected of an elite force, in just a few minutes, the seemingly endless torrent of monsters suffered heavy casualties, with the ground littered with the corpses of Goblin and Kobold.

The gunners continued to march with crisp, orderly steps, stepping over the corpses without hesitation.

Faced with this one-sided battle, even the fearless Dragon Vein Goblin and Kobold could no longer advance and fled in all directions.

"Very good, that's it, crush them!"

"Keep pushing forward!"

Robert watched the one-sided situation on the battlefield from afar, and a hint of joy finally appeared on his face.

It seems that the minions of the Ember Nest are no match for a regular army. The only thing to worry about now is that brutal and cunning Red Dragon.

"Forward! Take the Dragon Slayer Ballista!"

Dozens of strong and muscular soldiers pushed the massive crossbow cart, its wheels creaking.

More than 20,000 regular troops followed the "Eagle's Claw" formation and advanced smoothly into the Trill Valley in just one day.

Aside from clearing out some scattered Kobold and Goblin squads, they didn't encounter many battles on the way.

But soon, the coalition forces realized they were wrong.

Those weak Kobold and Goblin were merely cannon fodder to buy time, while the true forces of the Ember Nest were already waiting in Trill Valley.

"Turn out to be."

"This is their real army."

Robert gazed into the distance, his expression gradually growing serious.

The entire field of vision was occupied by a massive army of monsters.

"Roar--"

Several massive Terrestrial Dragon Beast, each the size of a small mountain, moved about, causing the ground to rumble. Their bodies were covered with huge iron plates, making them resemble an iron fortress.

Hundreds of Wyvern circled, glided, and roared in the sky, casting countless mottled and chaotic black shadows on the ground.

The tall, strong Ogre lowered their heads and roared excitedly, their fat jiggling as they shouted "enemy!" and "food!"

The most conspicuous Ogre was over six meters tall, covered in crimson scales, and draped in a patchwork robe, making it look exceptionally strange.

The Dragon Vein Hobgoblin stood in a tight formation, with those in the front row holding standard metal clubs and exuding the smell of Gunsmoke.

The Lizardmen wielded bone spears and wore animal hide shields; their vertical pupils gleamed with an eerie light, a testament to their absolute ruthlessness towards their enemies.

The Tiefling, known as the "Devil's Child," stood ready under the leadership of the Oathbreakers, many of whom harbored deep hatred for these "Eagle's Claw."

Ahead of them were still countless Goblin and Kobold, but these armies were now almost entirely composed of dragons, making them nearly as powerful as ordinary human soldiers. There were even quite a few Kobold Sorcerer among them.

A thousand players were mixed in with this terrifying monster army. They should have been perfectly normal, but they were rather conspicuous, mainly because they didn't look scary enough.

Suddenly, stirring music erupted from all around—it was the Half-goat Human military band playing panpipes.

"Roar--"

A distant, resounding dragon roar echoed from afar.

A huge, ferocious head appeared on the horizon, followed by broad wings that Sky-Shading, and a massive dragon body.

Compared to it, those Terrestrial Dragon Beast were like rats at its feet.

Robert looked up at the magnificent sight, speechless, and murmured to himself, "Gods above..."

"How... is that possible?"

He even forgot to order his men to activate the Dragon Hunting Ballista.

The allied forces were in an uproar, and the entire army was filled with panic. How could humans possibly defeat such a monster?

The Red Dragon looked down at the allied forces from its high position, its golden vertical pupils filled with undisguised contempt.

"Humans, I admire your courage."

Unfortunately, you misplaced your courage. You thought you were heroes ridding the world of evil, but you were merely tools used by the Vampire duke.

"Never mind..."

"Since you have actively sought war, then I will bestow upon you... utter death with flames."

Robert then realized what was happening and hurriedly ordered, "Dragon Slayer Ballista! Dragon Slayer Ballista! Kill him!"

Despite their fear, the soldiers obeyed orders and went to the rear to load the giant crossbows.

"Etc!"

Schroeder, standing nearby, reminded him, "My lord, such a massive dragon wouldn't appear in the Prime Material Plane. It's an illusion, a clever way of projecting a pre-made projection into the air."

"But that doesn't prove anything. It only means that there is a skilled spellcaster in the Ember Nest, and that this dragon doesn't dare to Contend Against us head-on. It's likely that he guessed we have large dragon-slaying weapons."

"So that's how it is."

Robert finally breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of his fear.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the edges of the dragon were somewhat ethereal and transparent, seemingly pulsating with flames.

"Damn it."

"A cunning dragon."

He was immediately filled with shame and indignation at his previous lapse in composure, and his hatred intensified.

The dragon in the sky transformed into a ball of flame and then vanished, leaving only its last words echoing in people's ears—"I will burn everything to ashes."

The news that the dragon was an illusion quickly spread throughout the army, and the panic among the people was somewhat calmed, after all, they were facing an unknown dragon.

The North haven't seen Dragon Scourge in over a century; the last one was the "Glacier Wing."

However, on the hillside, Dolo raised his longsword and roared, "Did you hear your master's words? Destroy them completely! For the Ember Nest!"

"For the Ember Nest!"

The monsters also unleashed a frenzy, cheering, roaring, howling, and shrieking incessantly. Their eyes, fixed on the allied forces, held a newfound greed and fanaticism.

The Kingdom's allied forces and the Embers of the Burned Kin faced off.

The deadlock was finally broken.

War is imminent.

I still have 2000 left. I'll squeeze myself dry and then explode again tomorrow. Damn it!