Ashen Dragon-Chapter 119 - 49. Scourge (I)

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

On either side of him, dozens of soldiers struggled to push the heavy Dragon-Slaying Ballista, the massive wheels on the ballista’s base turning slowly with a grating metallic sound.

Schroeder, the "Grey Hawk," also rode a black horse, following beside Robert.

"This damned place is getting hotter and hotter."

Robert wiped the sweat off his body and complained.

He asked the adjutant, "Why is the army moving so slowly? How much longer until we pass through the Throat of Triel?"

The adjutant responded in a solemn tone, "My lord, our forces have just endured a bloody battle. It’s normal for our march to be a bit slower."

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"Lord Robert!"

"We discovered a stone wall ahead, blocking the Throat of Triel."

A messenger arrived on horseback at full speed, urgently reporting.

"What?"

"How is that possible? They only just passed through." Robert’s face was full of disbelief.

Schroeder spoke gravely, "It’s the spellcasters. The Ashen Nest harbors senior spellcasters. If I’m not mistaken, that’s a Stone Wall Spell, a Fifth Tier Shaping Spell that can create an indestructible wall of rock."

"It seems they anticipated our pursuit and prepared accordingly."

"Then what should we do?"

Robert was already somewhat panicked, sweat pouring off his forehead like rain.

Schroeder spoke in a steady voice, "My lord, do not worry. This stone wall can be broken, and even if the other side has an Archmage, maintaining such a spell for a long period is nearly impossible."

"That’s good, that’s good."

Robert muttered to himself.

He pulled out his handkerchief again and wiped the sweat off his head.

Compared to when the Allied Forces had just entered, the Triel Valley now felt like a broiling furnace, the weather unpredictably hot and erratic.

Robert could even smell the scent of burnt ash in the air.

Wait—

Fire?

Heat?

The Red Dragon was known as the "Volcanic Dragon."

Thinking of this, and combined with the sudden withdrawal of the Ashen Legion and the Red Dragon’s absence, Robert’s heart filled with a sense of foreboding.

Unfortunately, his premonitions were often accurate.

"M-My lord..."

The adjutant’s voice trembled beside him.

Robert’s pondering was interrupted, and he looked to his side, somewhat impatiently asking, "What is it?"

"You- You should turn around and look."

"You’ll understand."

The adjutant’s tone was desperate, tinged with tears.

Robert finally realized that something was amiss. He twisted around in his saddle and then fell to the ground in shock.

He crumpled to the ground, gazing up at the sky in despair.

"Tampas, be merciful..."

Flames, endless flames.

The distant horizon was dyed a vibrant orange-red, the skyline transforming into a blazing, dancing line of fire, with billowing clouds of thick smoke rising, gradually obscuring the land.

Gales from the southwest howled, flipping over bodies strewn across the battlefield. Broken limbs were tossed into the air like locusts, ignited by the rising heat waves as they passed over the blazing terrain, turning into burning fireballs that rained down.

At the center of the inferno—

A massive Red Dragon slowly beat its wings.

The Red Dragon was the very embodiment of flame, the heart of the vast fire. With each wingbeat, the fire expanded, breathed, and grew fiercer.

"Schroeder..."

"Is this... an illusion?"

It was a question that needed no answer.

Robert gazed at the sky, his face illuminated in crimson by the flames; he could even feel the scorching heat and the scent of sulfur in the air.

Schroeder did not respond. He stood staring blankly into the distance, muttering in disbelief:

"Weather control..."

"Eighth Tier, that’s an Eighth Tier Spell!"

The Grey Robe Mage shouted frantically as if driven mad.

The soldiers of the Allied Forces were also stunned by the terrifying, grand scene. They cried, wailed, and prayed in despair, but in the face of this boundless sea of fire, all was futile.

"Gods above..."

"This is Hell, isn’t it?"

"No..."

"How could we ever think to oppose such a being!"

The path ahead was sealed by an indestructible stone wall, while behind lay an endless expanse of flames.

To survive, it seemed they would need a miracle from the gods themselves, a miracle that had not occurred in the thousands of years of the Third Era.

In other words, this was a hopeless dead end.

This was a flame-engulfed purgatory!

"Roar—"

Amidst the seething flames, Cassius let out a powerful, imposing roar.

"Ignorant humans..."

"I am the Flame, I am Death!"

"I shall bring you total annihilation—"

The rising heat generated columns of thermal currents. Countless fire dragons surged from the ground to the sky, leaping, rolling, and spiraling. The southwestern wind grew ever stronger, forming a vortex that swept up grass, corpses, flames, and ashes into the air.

Numerous fire dragons merged into a gigantic Fire Tornado, swirling over the expanse of the Triel Valley for miles.

The world seemed to have been torn open by a massive rift.

And within that pillar of fire, a hundred meters high and linking heaven and earth, the Red Dragon beat its wings slowly. With each wingbeat, the Fire Tornado grew fiercer and larger.

The Fire Tornado ravaged the land, burning everything in its path.

And the Allied Forces had no way out.

It was only then that Robert, as if awakening from a dream, climbed to his feet. He gazed up at the Red Dragon in the sky, a flash of resolve crossing his eyes as a thought struck him.

A scourge could not be killed.

But the being responsible for it could be.

Robert looked towards the Dragon-Slaying Ballistae covered in heavy cloth, as if seeing the last straw of hope.

If these great crossbows could kill the "Glacier Wing" that terrorized the North a century ago, then they surely could work against this calamity-incarnate Red Dragon.

His eyes gleamed with ferocity as he murmured to himself:

"Kill it, just kill it..."

"Prepare the Dragon-Slaying Ballistae! At any cost, kill this damned Red Dragon for me!"

Robert shouted frantically.

He pushed aside the panicked soldiers around him and pulled off the heavy cloth covering the Dragon-Slaying Ballista, straining with all his might to move it.

"My lord, let me help you."

The loyal soldiers standing guard around him saw the Earl’s resolve and quickly mustered their courage, moving to assist, working together to push the heavy ballista and aim it at the Red Dragon in the sky.

A giant two-meter-long arrow, as thick as an arm, lay quietly on the bed of the ballista, its iron tip gleaming menacingly, stained with the blood of the past.

It had once pierced the heart of a giant dragon.

And now, the moment of fate had come again.

The licking tongues of flame drew near, threatening to consume all.

"As long as this arrow hits..."

"It will all be over."

Robert aimed the Dragon-Slaying Ballista at the sky, nervously eyeing the approaching Red Dragon, sweat dripping from his chin. He 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 grew heavy.

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Man and dragon locked gazes.

Robert seemed to catch a hint of disdain in those eyes.