Farewell!

After some thought, Jose dug downward, trying to destroy the Sacred Altar by ruining its foundation.

But how could the human elites who designed the Sacred Altar have failed to consider what a Dragon Hatchling could think of?

After digging down more than ten meters, he discovered that the area beneath the Sacred Altar was protected by a barrier as well, and he had no idea how deep it extended.

"With defenses this thorough, there's nothing I can do."

Jose climbed out of the pit and turned around to see Yaligris still clearing the exit, while Kashi had already gathered the spoils into a pile.

The warrior's Double-Bladed Great Axe, the Thief's dagger, the priest's Cross Necklace, along with an unknown person's ring and leather armor, plus some scattered coins.

All of this equipment had a magical glow. Of course, the glow was nowhere near as intense as that of a mage's items; they were all common goods.

Jose watched Kashi pick up a rock, then pull a deformed gold coin from beneath it. He could not help marveling at a dragon's talent for treasure hunting.

With such a treasure-hunting radar around, he did not have to worry about missing any loot.

Jose turned back to continue studying the Sacred Altar. He decided that if there was still no hope after the exit had been dug through, he would give up.

"Hey! Partners! I can see light!"

Jose turned around and saw a bright beam shining through a crack in the rocks behind the Golden Dragon. They were not far from breaking through the passage.

There was not much time left.

"Don't waste your effort. The Sacred Altar is an important hub for communication between deities and the Material Plane. It's protected by a Divine Power Barrier. Judging by the concentration of divine power, only a Legendary Dragon could probably break through it."

As soon as the words fell, the Sacred Altar blazed with light. A powerful, sacred will suddenly descended, accompanied by an immense pressure as heavy as mountains.

The three dragons were pressed flat against the ground, unable to move.

Jose felt as if a massive mountain were crushing him. Breathing became difficult, and horror filled his heart. This was suppression from a higher level of life itself. This pressure was even more terrifying than the Ancient Dragon Might of the Red Nest Matriarch.

"God! Divine Might!"

Roar!

Immediately afterward, the three dragons heard the Red Nest Matriarch's furious, alarmed roar. Terrifying waves of energy swept across the land, making the entire earth tremble as rocks fell from the ceiling of the cavern.

After the battle began, the three dragons found that they could move again.

Jose's thoughts raced. He was deeply worried. Although the Red Nest Matriarch did not value Dragon Hatchlings like them, anyone could guess what kind of slaughter the Five-Colored Evil Dragons would face if she lost.

Suddenly, he noticed that the Sacred Altar's radiance had dimmed. After the Divine Descent, the divine power stored within it had nearly been exhausted, and the golden pillar of light had faded.

But far to the south of the continent, the god's believers were gathering on a large scale to pray, and the divine power within the Sacred Altar began to recover.

Jose did not know what was happening far away. He only knew that the Sacred Altar's divine power was depleted right now, making this the best time to attack. Destroying the Sacred Altar meant helping the Red Nest Matriarch, and helping the Red Nest Matriarch meant helping himself.

The opportunity would vanish in an instant!

Braving the shower of falling rubble, he rushed forward, his dragon claw breaking through the weakened divine protection.

Without the slightest hesitation, he struck the Sacred Altar with all his strength. The altar itself was not particularly sturdy, and it cracked open at once.

Crack!

The Sacred Altar shattered into pieces and scattered across the ground. He spotted the golden diamond and snatched it up.

By then, the falling rocks overhead were growing larger and larger. The Golden Dragon had finally broken through the cave.

"Jose! The cave is collapsing!"

Jose hurried toward the exit, passing the White Dragon, who was packing up the loot.

"Forget that stuff! Run!"

Hearing this, Kashi casually grabbed part of the loot and followed him.

Rumble!

The instant the three dragons escaped the cave, the cavern behind them collapsed completely. But their crisis was far from over.

High in the sky overhead, beyond the limits of sight, terrifying powerhouses were fighting. Their fierce battle dyed half the sky fiery red and the other half brilliant gold, the boundary between the colors stark and clear. From time to time, meteors and other high-powered spells fell, setting off earth-shaking explosions across the land. It was a scene straight out of the Doomsday Calamity.

Amidst this apocalypse, the soaring golden pillars of light remained conspicuous.

Jose looked around and discovered many more golden pillars rising into the sky in the distance. These pillars roughly formed a circle, enclosing the Red Nest in the center.

Around the towering Red Nest in the distance, knights and mages riding Griffins and Giant Eagles battled Wyverns and dragons in the sky. The collisions of magic and aura stirred the winds and clouds in a dazzling riot of sound and color. Vast stretches of mountain rock shattered in explosions, and rocks tumbled down the slopes like mudslides.

Not far from the three dragons, a monster army led by the Black Dragon O'Neal was fighting a group of human soldiers. It appeared that the Human Allied Forces had formed a defensive line to prevent the monster army from approaching the Sacred Altar.

But unfortunately, the Sacred Altar they were guarding had already been destroyed by Jose.

At that moment, both sides noticed the problem. The monster army's morale soared, while the allied forces split off some troops and charged toward the three dragons.

Jose hesitated over whether to join the battle.

A year earlier, his former self had signed a Protection Contract with the Red Nest Matriarch. This harsh contract restricted his freedom, preventing him from fleeing now.

Suddenly, a massive energy shockwave came from the sky. Fortunately, its source was far away, so by the time it reached the ground, it had lost its destructive force. It merely pushed the air into a fierce gale that made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.

Along with the energy shockwave came an earth-shaking dragon roar, filled with pain.

The Red Nest Matriarch was injured?!

Not long after, the Red Nest Matriarch entered Jose's field of vision. She was injured and fleeing in a sorry state, scorching Dragon Blood spraying behind her. Several enemies pursued her, including Metallic Dragons.

In that fleeting glimpse, the pursuers and the pursued turned into streaks of light and passed over the three dragons' heads, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"The Red Nest Matriarch ran away?!"

Jose was shocked, then immediately understood.

The Red Nest Matriarch's escape meant she could no longer provide protection for the Dragon Hatchlings. The Protection Contract had therefore become invalid.

"Quick! Run!"

Without hesitation, Jose turned and ran, not forgetting to warn his two companions as he left.

The Golden Dragon looked toward the distant sky, where Metallic Dragons could be seen. "You two should run. I'm not leaving."

Jose glanced back while running and understood.

"Good luck, my friend!"

"Good luck to you too, extraordinary Jose."

The Red Nest Matriarch's flight broke the backbone of the monster army. Everyone, including the adult dragons, was fleeing for their lives, while the Human Allied Forces pursued their victory and expanded their gains.

A magical version of a massive escape began!

"What are you doing?! Don't fly!" In the forest, Jose grabbed the hind leg of the White Dragon Kashi, who was about to take off. "Run with me!"

"W-why?"

"If you want to die, then fly!"

That was true enough.

The Human Allied Forces were pursuing them to expand their gains. Put simply, they wanted more loot.

Dragon Hatchlings were absolutely high-value targets. Dead or alive, capturing one was enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for the rest of their life. Furthermore, the Human Allied Forces had no shortage of knights with flying mounts and High-level Mages capable of flight.

If weak Dragon Hatchlings wanted to survive, they had to avoid attracting the attention of hostile powerhouses as much as possible. Escaping under the cover of dense forests was currently their best option.

Sure enough, they saw a Young Red Dragon flying conspicuously through the air. It was caught in a Magic Throwing Net fired by a Griffin Knight, fell from the sky into the forest, and was captured by the Griffin Knight, who then flew away.

There were many such flying knights in the sky. They were specialized troops tasked with capturing high-value targets. The Magic Throwing Nets had also been designed specifically to capture Dragon Hatchlings; without knowing the proper method, there was no way to undo them.

"Jose! Save me!"

Hearing the panicked voice, Jose realized that the unlucky fellow was his brother in the dragon sense—Baren.

But Jose had no desire to meddle in his affairs. He could not even be bothered to spare him a glance.

Honestly, if Baren had helped him when he was in trouble, Jose would have gone over to assess the situation and determine whether he could save him. But now...

"Farewell!"

PS: Character likes, votes, and comments are collectively called the quality trifecta. How about giving me one?

Hehe

Thanks to "Call Me Dad and I Won't Hit You" for the 500-coin reward.

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