Heavenly Calamity (1)

Robert rode on horseback, following at the rear of the army.

On either side of him, dozens of soldiers were struggling to push the heavy Dragon Slayer Ballista, the huge wheels on the crossbow mounts turning slowly, emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound.

"Gray Eagle" Schroeder also rode a black horse, following beside Robert.

"This damn place is getting hotter and hotter."

Robert wiped the sweat from his brow and complained.

He asked his staff officer, "Why is the army advancing so slowly? How much longer until we get past the Trill Throat?"

The staff officer replied in a deep voice, "Sir, our army has just gone through a bloody battle, so it is normal for our march to be slower."

"Robert!"

"We found a stone wall ahead, blocking the Trill Throat."

The messenger arrived at top speed, reporting urgently.

"What?"

"How is this possible? They just passed the test." Robert's face was full of disbelief.

Schroeder said in a solemn voice, "It's a spellcaster. There are High-Level Spellcaster in the Ember Nest. If I'm not mistaken, it should be Stone Wall Spell, a fifth-circle evocation spell that can create an indestructible Bedrock Wall."

"It seems that the other side anticipated that we would catch up and made countermeasures in advance."

"What should we do then?"

Robert was starting to panic, sweat pouring down his forehead.

Schroeder said in a deep voice, "My lord, don't worry. This stone wall can be destroyed, and even if the opponent is Archmage, it will be difficult for him to maintain this spell for a long time."

"That's good, that's good."

Robert was muttering to himself.

He took out his handkerchief again and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Compared to when the Allied forces first entered, the Trill Valley is now like a scorching furnace, and I don't know why the weather here is so complicated and changeable.

Robert could even smell the burnt dust in the air.

etc--

Fire? Heat?

The Red Dragon is known as the "Volcano Dragon".

Thinking of this, and recalling the sudden withdrawal of the Embers of the Burned Legion and the absence of the Red Dragon, Robert felt a bad premonition.

Unfortunately, his premonitions were usually accurate.

"Big, my lord."

The staff officer beside him trembled slightly.

Robert's thoughts were interrupted. He looked to his side and asked somewhat impatiently, "What is it?"

"Please, please turn around and take a look."

"I know."

The staff officer's tone was desperate, almost tearful.

Robert finally realized something was wrong. He turned around on his horse and then fell off in shock.

He collapsed to the ground, gazing at the sky in despair.

"Tempus Above"

Flames, endless flames.

Half of the sky in the distance was dyed orange-red, the horizon turned into a blazing, leaping line of fire, and thick smoke billowed up, gradually obscuring the earth.

Gusts of hurricanes swept in from the southwest, overturning piles of corpses on the battlefield. Locust-like severed limbs were blown into the air, flying over the fire and igniting in the heat, turning into fuel for the flames and becoming burning fireballs that fell to the ground.

And in the heart of the fire—

A massive Red Dragon slowly flapped its wings.

The Red Dragon is like the embodiment of flames, the heart of a vast fire. With each flap of its wings, the flames experience a breath and beat, becoming even more intense.

Schroeder

"Is this... also an illusion?"

This is a question that doesn't need an answer.

Robert looked up at the sky, his face glowing red in the firelight. He could even feel the scorching air and the smell of Sulfur Scent rushing towards him.

Schroeder didn't answer, but stared blankly into the distance, muttering to himself in disbelief:

"Control Weather..."

"Eight rings! That's Eighth Circle Spell!"

The gray-robed mage shouted as if he had gone mad.

The Allied soldiers were also shocked by this terrible and magnificent scene. They cried out, wailed, and prayed in despair, but all their efforts were in vain in the face of this boundless sea of fire.

"Gods..."

"This must be Hell."

"No..."

"How could we possibly be enemies with such a being!"

The road ahead was blocked by an impregnable stone wall, and behind them lay endless flames.

To survive, one would probably have to pray that the gods would personally send down a miracle to quell the disaster, but this was something that had never happened in the thousands of years of the Third Era.

In other words, this is a complete dead end.

This is a blazing inferno! "Roar—"

Keosius, amidst the boiling flames, let out a grand and powerful roar.

"Ignorant humans..."

"I am the flame, I am death!"

"I will bring you utter ashes—"

The ever-increasing heat created columns of hot air. Countless fiery dragons surged, leaped, rolled, and swirled from the ground into the air. The southwest wind blew stronger and stronger, creating a powerful centripetal force that swept up weeds, corpses, flames, ashes, and all other objects into the sky.

Countless fire dragons merged into a giant Fire Dragon Tornado, swirling in the sky above the Trill Valley, which spanned dozens of miles.

The world seemed to have been ripped open with a huge gash.

The Red Dragon slowly flapped its wings within the hundred-meter-high pillar of fire that connected heaven and earth. With each flap of its wings, the Fire Dragon Tornado grew stronger and more intense.

Fire Dragon Tornado ravaged the land, burning everything in their path.

The allied forces had no way out.

Robert then scrambled to his feet as if waking from a dream. He looked up at the Red Dragon in the sky, and suddenly, as if struck by a sudden thought, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

Natural disasters cannot be killed.

But the culprit that caused the natural disaster can be identified.

Robert looked at the Dragon Slayer Ballista covered with thick cloth, as if he had seen their last straw.

Since these giant crossbows were able to kill the "Glacier Wing" that ravaged the the North a hundred years ago, they should be effective against this terrifying Red Dragon, which is like the embodiment of a natural disaster.

His eyes flashed with ferocity as he muttered to himself, "Kill it, just kill it..."

"Dragon Slayer Ballista, prepare! Kill this damned Red Dragon at all costs!"

Robert roared desperately.

He pushed aside the panicked soldiers beside him, lifted the thick cloth covering the Dragon Slayer Ballista, and pushed it with all his might.

"Sir, let me help you."

The trusted soldiers guarding the area also saw through the Earl's idea, and they quickly mustered their courage to step forward and help him, working together to push the heavy crossbow and aim it at the Red Dragon in the air.

A giant arrow, as thick as an arm and over two meters long, lay quietly on the boring bed, its sharp iron tip gleaming coldly, stained with mottled blood.

It once pierced the heart of a giant dragon.

And now, the moment of destiny has arrived once again.

The raging flames drew near, threatening to engulf everything.

"As long as this arrow hits..."

"And that's the end of it."

Robert aimed the Dragon Slayer Ballista at the sky, watching the approaching Red Dragon with bated breath. Sweat dripped from his chin, and he involuntarily held his breath, his heart pounding.

Through the blazing curtain of fire, he could see those golden, vertical pupils looking down at him.

Flames filled the sky, and the air was heavy.

The man and the dragon stared at each other.

Robert seemed to detect a hint of disdain in that look.