Chapter 501: Siege

The noble coalition of the Kingdom of Alduin assumed their offensive positions, magic cannons arranged in a uniform row, while several powerful knights of meteor-rank or higher stood scattered along the front line to protect their own encampment from being struck by enemy magical artillery; above them, dozens of gryphon riders soared through the air, awaiting the order to charge.

Gareth, clad in full armor, gripped the reins tightly in his hands as he caught a fleeting glimpse of victory beckoning to him, imagining that it would not be long before he returned to Golden Feather City bearing the glory of cleansing the Alduin family shame.

Time trickled by slowly until it was finally two o'clock in the afternoon, whereupon Gareth drew his longsword, a violent surge of purple thunder battle-qi erupting into the heavens as he cried out at the top of his lungs, "Launch the attack!"

A sound akin to a tiger's roar reverberated across the entire battlefield, and the knights and soldiers raised their voices in answering bellows to bolster their morale.

Just then, a massive shadow swept over from the rear, rapidly traversing the battlefield as it flew toward the battlements of Mist City.

The dragon's imposing aura expanded, striking terror into the hearts of the enemy while leaving their own forces as wildly exhilarated as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Carlos’s immense wings blotted out the sun, and his flaming breath surged forth like torrents of molten magma pouring down from the heavens to wash over the fortress walls below.

At that moment, a cyan-blue curtain of light flared up atop the battlements, propping up a barrier to withstand the onslaught of the fiery breath.

Standing upon the dragon's back, Ronin took in the sight with perfect clarity.

"It should be the Wall of Sighs and the Frost Boundary Magic, which is a level higher than the expertise of the mages at Watch Keep."

The virtue of Carlos’s flame breath lay in its vast area of effect, though its raw power was somewhat diminished as a result, meaning that a sixth-tier spell could indeed defend against the impact of the flames.

"Fire an ice lance and let them taste the bite of an icicle," he commanded.

"As you wish, Master!"

Carlos ceased his fiery exhalations, his massive frame twisting with agility in mid-air as he swung back into the fray.

Water elements condensed frantically within his maw, instantaneously shaping a conical ice lance a full ten meters long, which streaked down from the sky at supersonic speed.

Rumble!

A thunderous roar erupted as the ice lance tore through the defensive magic without a shred of resistance, crashing into the battlements and violently tearing a gaping breach right out of the wall.

Simultaneously, the shards produced by the exploding ice lance blasted outward in all directions, piercing the flesh of the guards like stray bullets and leaving a trail of heavy casualties.

"A dragon... truly an ultimate weapon for a siege!"

Gareth witnessed the scene unfold, and even he was forced to acknowledge the terrifying might of the dragon.

The others shared the exact same sentiment; when facing a dragon, unless one could directly strike its physical form, they were doomed to passive defense.

Yet the battlefield always remained upon the territory of the defending party, where the slightest lapse in attention would result in the dragon wreaking havoc and causing catastrophic losses, whereas they, as the attackers, were entirely free from such anxieties.

"Prepare the magic cannons!"

Gareth roared the command, and the gold and silver knights who stood ready immediately began channeling their battle-qi into the magic cannons, initiating a powerful bombardment.

The battlements of Mist City also lit up with defensive glows, though by comparison, their display was significantly smaller than the coalition's imposing setup.

The rumbling sound echoed continuously like rolling thunder, while Ronin and Carlos climbed higher into the sky, knowing that once the first wave concluded, he could afford to rest.

The opposing side had arranged defenses, but their defensive strength was meager, and after four or five rounds of bombardment from the noble coalition, the tops of the walls were essentially paralyzed.

Meanwhile, only two or three rounds from the enemy's magic cannons managed to land within the coalition ranks, resulting in very few casualties among the knights.

If this was the only degree of resistance they could offer, Mist City was bound to fall.

Rumble!

The bombardment persisted for several minutes, and as the final magic cannon shell exploded upon the battlements, Gareth raised his longsword high and shouted the charge; led by Ryder, Eben, and the others, the knights rapidly crossed the battlefield and arrived beneath the walls.

The walls of Mist City stood a full thirty meters high, but silver moon knights were capable of taking flight, rendering such a height utterly trivial.

As Ryder and his companions crested the battlements, the siege instantly turned into a one-sided slaughter.

Before long, the city gates were thrown open, and the knights of the noble coalition were the first to surge inward.

"There are no silver moon knights stationed here."

Observing the tide of battle from mid-air, Ronin immediately sensed that something was amiss.

According to the intelligence reports, apart from Earl Ural, Mist City was supposed to have two other silver moon knights.

Now, in the face of the noble coalition's assault, not a single silver moon knight was to be found here.

Could something else have occurred within the Kingdom of Tricia, forcing even Ural, a border earl, to abandon his domain and lead his elite troops and generals to support Dragon City?

Seeing that the noble coalition had already breached the city and locked blades with the Mist City knights, Ronin chose not to linger any longer, turning his direction to fly toward the western gate.

With a powerful snap of his wings, Carlos began to dive, crossing a distance of several thousand meters in the blink of an eye.

Right at that moment, an exceedingly piercing screech of rending air whistled toward them, causing Ronin's sense of vigilance to spike dramatically.

"Ssh!"

A two-meter-long black spear shot into the sky like an arrow, striking Carlos’s underbelly with a formidable amount of force.

Instantly, metal clashed against dragon scales, producing brilliant sparks and a grating, screeching sound.

Carlos’s massive body shuddered violently as he bellowed, "Master, someone is attacking me!"

"Climb!"

Ronin barked in a deep voice, while his spiritual force swept across the terrain below, astonishingly perceiving sixteen individuals soaring into the sky, hurtling directly toward him!

"What on earth, sixteen silver moon knights?"

"No, that's not right, a silver moon knight's speed couldn't possibly be this fast!"

Ronin's heart sank; as expected, Mist City was not unprepared, but what did this amount to—luring the tiger into a trap?

No longer holding the mindset of a mere spectator, he immediately cast Lightfeather and Haste upon Carlos to boost his speed, while simultaneously inscribing the complex magical runes of Wind Shadow.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The piercing sound of tearing air struck again, and this time six spears came hurtling through; owing to the close proximity and extreme speed, combined with Carlos’s immense size, every single one found its mark.

Although Carlos’s dragon scales were incredibly tough, the spears of this group were clearly forged from no ordinary material, actually managing to penetrate the scales and draw dragon blood!

"Roar!"

Spurred by the sharp sting of pain, the dragon unleashed a torrent of flame breath that poured down like a heavenly river breaking its banks.

"You think mere flames can harm me?"

A resounding voice echoed from below as Grand General Aruba swept his longsword across, remarkably cleaving the cascading flames apart; his entire form burst right through the seam in the fire, finally reaching a position level with Ronin.

At the same time, five more figures surged upward, surrounding Ronin and Carlos within their perimeter.

In addition to them, another ten individuals followed closely on their heels, pursuing them from behind.

These people shared a common characteristic—massive fleshy wings sprouted from their backs, covered in dense, intricate black patterns that looked thoroughly sinister and eerie.

This was the manifestation of undergoing the baptism of the Storm Divine Messenger, which granted wind-attributed knights the ability to grow wings and master flight, and their flying speed was by no means slow.

This flock of winged bird-men usually styled themselves as the Celestial Clan, though their appearance was utterly repulsive.

"Heh, minions of the Storm Divine Messenger."

Ronin sneered mockingly, "I was wondering why no one was defending the battlements; so it turns out you were all lying in wait for me here!"

Aruba chuckled and said, "Though Mist City may fall, we can always reclaim it later. Compared to that, the matter of slaying a dragon cannot afford to wait."

"Oh? You possess that much confidence?"

"Ronin, there are only two paths laid out before you: either surrender the dragon and bow your head to us in submission, or be slain by our hands!"

Ronin gripped the Flowing Flame Sword, and a fierce blaze erupted violently upon its blade.

Whoosh!

He shot through the sky like a meteor, arriving before Aluba in an instant, his sword slashing down with such force that the fire elements across heaven and earth churned violently.

"I choose the third path—defeat and kill you both right here!" (End of Chapter)