Farewell!

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

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

After digging more than ten meters down, he discovered that the area beneath the Sacred Altar was also protected by a barrier, and there was no telling how deep it went.

"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, as well as some scattered coins.

All of this equipment had a magical glow, though it was nowhere near as intense as that of a mage's items. They were all common goods.

He watched Kashi pick up a stone, then feel beneath it and pull out a misshapen gold coin. Jose could not help but marvel at dragons' treasure-hunting talent.

With such a treasure-seeking 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 was cleared, he would give up.

"Hey! Guys! I can see light!"

Jose turned and saw a bright ray 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.

"Stop wasting your effort. The Sacred Altar is an important nexus through which gods communicate with the Material Plane. It is protected by a Divine Power Barrier, and judging by the density of this divine power, only a Legendary Dragon could probably break through it."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the Sacred Altar flared brilliantly. A powerful, sacred will suddenly descended, accompanied by an immense pressure as vast as mountains.

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

Jose felt as though a mountain were crushing him. He struggled to breathe, horror filling his heart. This was suppression at the level of life itself, and it was even more terrifying than the Ancient Dragon Might of the Red Nest Matriarch.

"A god! Divine Might!"

Roar!

Immediately afterward, the three dragons heard the Red Nest Matriarch's furious, alarmed cry. Terrifying energy waves swept across the earth, making the ground tremble as rocks fell from the cave ceiling.

Once 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 suffer if she lost.

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

Yet in the distant south of the continent, the god's followers were gathering in great numbers 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 was currently drained of divine power, making this the best time to attack. Destroying it meant helping the Red Nest Matriarch, and helping the Red Nest Matriarch meant helping himself.

The opportunity would vanish in an instant!

Braving the rain of falling rubble, he charged 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 made of particularly hard material, and it cracked apart at once.

Crack!

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

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

"Jose! The cave is going to collapse!"

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

"Forget that stuff! Run!"

At his words, Kashi grabbed some of the spoils and followed after him.

Rumble!

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

High in the sky above, beyond the limits of sight, terrifying powerhouses were locked in battle. The fierce clash painted half the sky fiery red and the other half dazzling gold, the boundary between the colors sharply defined. From time to time, meteors and other high-powered spells fell from above, setting off earth-shattering explosions across the land. It was a scene straight out of the end of the world.

Amid this Doomsday Calamity, the golden pillar of light rising into the sky remained conspicuous.

Jose looked around and discovered many more golden pillars rising in the distance. They roughly formed a circle, enclosing the Red Nest at its center.

Around the towering Red Nest in the distance, knights riding Griffins and Giant Eagles, along with mages, battled Wyverns and giant dragons in the sky. Collisions of magic and aura stirred the wind and clouds, filling the air with dazzling light and thunderous sound. Vast stretches of mountainside shattered in explosions, and rocks rolled 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 troops. It appeared that the Human Allied Forces had formed a defensive line to stop the monsters from approaching the Sacred Altar.

Unfortunately for them, the Sacred Altar they were guarding had already been destroyed by Jose.

At this point, both sides noticed the problem. The monster army's morale soared, while the allied forces split off a group 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, leaving him unable to flee at this moment.

Suddenly, a vast energy shockwave came from the sky. Fortunately, its source was far away, and by the time it reached the ground, it had lost its destructive force. It merely drove the air into a gale so fierce that they could barely keep their eyes open.

Along with the energy shockwave came a dragon's earth-shaking roar, filled with pain.

The Red Nest Matriarch was injured?!

Before long, the Red Nest Matriarch entered Jose's view. Wounded and fleeing in disarray, she scattered scalding Dragon Blood along her path. Several enemies pursued her, including Metallic Dragons.

In that fleeting glimpse, both pursuers and pursued turned into streaks of light as they passed above the three dragons, disappearing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.

"The Red Nest Matriarch ran away?!"

Jose was stunned, then quickly realized what this meant.

The Red Nest Matriarch's flight meant she could no longer continue providing protection for the Dragon Hatchlings, and 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 as he ran and understood.

"Good luck, my friend!"

"Good luck to you too, Jose. You're different from the rest."

The Red Nest Matriarch's flight broke the monster army's backbone. 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 battle royale had begun!

"What are you doing?! Don't fly!" In the jungle, 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, go ahead and fly!"

That was true enough.

The Human Allied Forces were pursuing them to expand their gains—in plain terms, to seize more loot.

Dragon Hatchlings were absolutely high-value targets. Dead or alive, catching one was enough to let an ordinary person live in comfort for a lifetime. Moreover, the Human Allied Forces included plenty of knights with flying mounts and High-level Mages capable of flight.

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

Sure enough, they saw a Young Red Dragon flying conspicuously overhead get tangled in a Magic Throwing Net fired by a Griffin Knight. It fell from the sky into the forest, and the Griffin Knight flew away after capturing it.

There were many flying knights like that in the sky. They were specialized units tasked with capturing high-value targets, and the Magic Throwing Nets had been designed specifically to catch Dragon Hatchlings. Without knowing the proper method, there was no way to undo them.

"Jose! Save me!"

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

But Jose had no desire to meddle, and 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 judge whether he could save him. But now...

"Farewell!"

P.S. Likes for characters, votes, and comments are collectively known as the quality triple combo. How about one?

Hehe.

Thanks for the 500-coin tip, Call Me Dad and I Won't Hit You.

If you have a reading list, please add this book to it. Thanks.