North Wind Eagle Guard (III)

"Shriek—"

The giant eagles let out piercing cries, forming up and diving straight after the Chimera.

But just as they were about to catch up to the Chimera from behind, a red figure appeared at the mouth of the cave.

The Chimera, which had been fleeing with its head down, saw that figure and immediately felt as if it had been pardoned. In the few words of Draconic it knew, it shouted, "Master, save me!"

Keosius looked at the line of giant eagles behind the Chimera, his eyes filled with confusion.

When he saw the knights atop the eagles, clad in heavy plate armor and bearing eagle emblems, his confusion deepened.

"Eagle Guards?"

He had only spent a few days underground.

How had the Eagle Guards already fought their way to his doorstep?

Had Lang Pu been so carried away by the Great Blueprint that he had sent troops to attack North Wind Fortress? But as he watched the flock of giant eagles dive down, he had no time to think further. He could only meet them in battle.

"Such a tightly packed formation."

"Are they waiting for me to roast them?"

Having gone so long without killing, Keosius could not help licking his lips as he exhaled a breath of sulfur-scented heat.

The savagery buried deep within his Red Dragon bloodline awakened.

Alger had been commanding from high in the sky, waving his sword as he led the Eagle Guards into their charge.

But the instant he spotted that red figure in the distance, his expression changed dramatically. For the first time, panic and tension entered his voice.

"A dragon!"

"A Red Dragon!"

Alger shouted desperately.

A dragon—regardless of its kind—was an opponent he never wanted to encounter in battle.

Whether it was scales harder than armor, endless wide-area breath attacks, or the ever-emerging Spell-like Abilities, all of them were absolute nightmares for giant eagle knights.

"Scatter! Scatter!"

However, not everyone possessed senses as sharp as his or riding skills as superb as his, allowing them to detect danger and halt their charge at high speed.

The Eagle Guards had already charged in formation to the cave entrance.

It was too late.

Keosius merely opened his jaws slightly. The dragon's unique Base Blood Vessels channeled fiery energy from throughout his body into his lungs. The blazing elements accumulated in his lungs and throat, causing his chest to glow faintly like lava—an omen of a Red Dragon's breath attack.

"Flame Breath!"

In an instant, incomparably scorching, surging flames erupted from the Red Dragon's mouth. The raging flames mercilessly swallowed every Eagle Guard charging in the front ranks, turning the entire cave entrance into a living hell.

The inferno swept over everything. The few at the very front had no chance to resist at all. The red glow of fire was reflected in their pupils, and then they were reduced to ash.

Yet compared to many of their comrades, they were even fortunate—at least they had died swiftly and cleanly.

Behind them, more than a dozen Eagle Guards also burst into fierce flames, becoming blazing fireballs.

"Ah!"

"I'm on fire!"

"It burns!"

"Help! Help!"

They could only wail, scream, and struggle. In the end, they were either burned alive or fell from their giant eagles to their deaths. In any case, they could not escape the Red Dragon's claws, which were like those of the god of death.

The Red Dragon calmly beat his wings and slowly rose into the air, looking down upon the Eagle Guards being scorched by the flames.

The Chimera cowered humbly behind the Red Dragon, craning its neck to watch the slaughter. It cried out in vengeance fulfilled and no longer had any thought of resisting the Red Dragon.

For the sight before it had made it deeply understand that such power was no longer something it could oppose.

The Wyverns in midair raised their heads together and screeched, celebrating the return of their nest's master.

The Ogres waved clubs and hammers, cheering again and again. The Goblins raised their short spears as well, utterly exhilarated.

The Kobolds knelt to the ground as if they had seen a god, witnessing their master's immense power.

In a single instant, the situation had completely reversed.

Seeing dozens of comrades who had fought beside him die in an instant, Alger's eyes reddened slightly. Yet he still urged his giant eagle upward with a beat of its wings and raised his greatsword high.

Wind passed through the hollow patterns in the blade, producing a piercing sound like an eagle's cry.

He shouted, "Retreat! Everyone retreat!"

"Scatter and retreat!"

Having witnessed the hellish terror from moments ago, the remaining twenty-odd Eagle Guards knew they could not defeat the enemy before them. Without hesitation, they urged their giant eagles to scatter and flee, each flying in a different direction.

Eagle Guards required vast resources to train, so from childhood they had been taught to preserve their fighting strength as much as possible.

Keosius hung high in the air, slowly beating his wings.

He watched the fleeing Eagle Guards scatter in every direction, a barely perceptible savage grin appearing on his face.

"They've already attacked my lair—and they still think they can run?"

"Are they looking down on dragons a little too much?"

The Red Dragon unhurriedly climbed to the highest point. His Base Blood Vessels once again channeled fire elements into his lungs, and searing energy accumulated deep in his throat—but this time, the energy was not as concentrated as before.

Even while retreating, Alger did not forget to look back. He raised his head toward the Red Dragon hovering high above, and his expression changed once again.

"Dragon breath!"

"Another breath attack! Get out of the way!"

He warned them at the top of his lungs.

Keosius merely opened his jaws slightly, and blazing light and flame poured forth.

"Specific Targeting Breath Attack!"

What the Red Dragon unleashed this time was not a wide-ranging torrent of flame, but several brief fireball breaths.

Each fireball precisely targeted the direction in which the Eagle Guards were fleeing, carrying scorching energy toward its target.

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Several fiery explosions rang out, and several struck knights fell trailing flames.

Alger, who had also been targeted, spun several times through the air in a perilous maneuver before making a sharp turn, barely avoiding the fireball's impact.

"What in the world is this...?"

How was this breath? It was practically a Mage's impossibly precise fire spell.

Watching one comrade after another fall from the sky, Alger took a deep breath and said resolutely, "You retreat first!"

"I'll draw that dragon's attention away."

Alger stroked the giant eagle's somewhat charred feathers again and said softly, "Iger, this may be our last charge."

The giant eagle understood what he meant and let out a low, mournful cry.

They were not merely knight and mount, but comrades who had lived together and grown up side by side.

"It's just a shame I never got the chance to repay the Duke's kindness, nor did I kill all those damned devils."

Alger muttered to himself.

Years of combat training had long taught him every detail of flight. He understood every current of air, as though he and the giant eagle had become one.

He skillfully guided the giant eagle higher and higher, until he had risen above even the Red Dragon, becoming a blurry black speck in everyone's eyes.

Alger dived from the highest point.

—He charged straight at that powerful Red Dragon, the one everyone else avoided, like Don Quixote charging at a windmill in a story.

"Shriek—"

A mighty eagle cry resounded through the sky.

Keosius lifted his head slightly and noticed the Eagle Guard diving rapidly from above. His golden pupils narrowed slightly.

"Interesting."

"He's actually a high-level Fighter?"

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