Chapter 423 - 290: Mysterious Dragon Knight (2)

Although he didn’t understand it, he respected their actions.

’Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the will of High Cliff Castle is so unified.’

"In any case, when I chose to come and support you, I never expected to make it back alive." Fujero, throwing caution to the wind, raised his longsword. "Today, I’ll go crazy with you all."

In reality, rushing in had been easy, but getting out would be difficult. Now, there was no other option but to fight to the death.

All the Knights of the Thorn Corps wanted to join the battle at the front, only to find there was no room for them. Frustrated, they could only follow the Rabbit People and help reinforce the defensive fortifications.

Even Fujero was pushed back. He now stood on the eaves with Mier, looking utterly lost in the wind.

He suddenly realized his well-intentioned support was completely useless. The entire High Cliff Castle contingent was like a solid iron slab; his men’s involvement would only disrupt their cohesion and hold them back.

...

Sophia was still Sophia, blinking her big, beautiful, pitiful eyes, looking utterly reluctant.

"Sophia, I need your help. You’re the only one who can save everyone caught in the fires of this war!"

Levi stared at the Silver Dragon Maiden before him, deciding to be direct.

To be honest, the reason he remained so confident was this Silver Dragon right in front of him.

The power of a Giant Dragon was unquestionable. Even a juvenile one, if utilized properly, could be enough to decide the outcome of a battle.

"Levi, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but... those Demons are terrifying..." Sophia’s timid nature was as present as ever.

Even the cowardly Rabbit People could awaken the ferocity in their bloodline after staying at High Cliff Castle long enough, but this Silver Dragon Maiden seemed eternally unchanging, completely immune to the influence of others.

"One Gold Coin!" Levi interrupted her rambling, holding up a single finger.

"Levi..." Sophia put her hands on her hips and sighed like a grown-up, wanting to make it clear she wasn’t some greedy person.

"Five!"

"..." The maiden fell silent, her face a mask of hesitation.

"Ten!" Levi said, his face expressionless.

"Deal!"

Just when Levi thought he would have to go higher, the Silver Dragon Maiden before him fiercely pumped her small, jade-white fists, looking like an aggressive little tiger cub.

"So if I help you end this battle, you’ll give me ten Gold Coins, right?" she asked for a final confirmation, just in case a certain someone tried to back out later.

The Lord, who had been about to offer ten Gold Coins per Dragon Breath, silently retracted his words and simply nodded. "That’s right."

Legend had it that some Giant Dragons would fight for humans in exchange for treasure. The most famous case was the Red Dragon Aragon, who charged one hundred thousand Gold Coins per blast of Dragon Breath. In the end, for the price of ten blasts, he helped the Gus Kingdom fight an enemy nation to a standstill.

The reason they couldn’t achieve victory, even with the help of an adult Giant Dragon, was simply because the Gus Kingdom ran out of money.

Aragon even gave them a fifty-percent discount on the tenth blast, just for the Queen’s sake.

This just went to show that hiring a Giant Dragon was an unimaginably expensive endeavor.

And now, he was hiring a Silver Dragon for a mere ten Gold Coins. She was probably the cheapest Giant Dragon in history.

Once everything was settled, Sophia demonstrated her professional integrity. She dispelled her Transformation Technique, and her body began to change.

A silver light enveloped her body. Moments later, a Giant Beast stood in the clearing.

Its body was enormous yet slender, covered in overlapping scales that shimmered with a silvery, moon-like luminescence. Each Scale was like a meticulously carved work of art, reflecting a soft light that made it a dazzling presence even in the darkness.

Its entire form seemed to be wreathed in a faint halo. Each movement was accompanied by the subtle, yet pleasant, metallic chime of its scales brushing against each other.

Its wings were broad and powerful, a single beat capable of stirring a gust of wind. The lines of its head were fluid, its eyes like two brilliant stars set in a silver firmament. Its already impressive horns spiraled upward, intertwining to form a dazzling draconic Crown.

The silver figure was breathtakingly beautiful against the night sky.

Its unparalleled elegance and nobility were enough to look down upon all others.

This was a Giant Dragon, a Legendary Creature that embodied Power, Wisdom, and beauty. Its very existence was a feast for the eyes and the soul.

The harmless-looking maiden had instantly transformed into a majestic Giant Beast, but the moment she spoke, the entire atmosphere was shattered.

"Levi, hurry and get on! And don’t you forget the ten Gold Coins you promised me."

She was still muttering about the Gold Coins that would soon be hers.

"To the skies!" Levi shouted as he climbed onto her neck, raising his Holy Sword to the heavens.

...

The massive figure’s slightest movement caused the surrounding houses to collapse. With a single beat of its sun-blotting wings, it shot into the sky.

The frigid wind made his clothes snap and billow as the scenery below rushed past.

A silver streak shot into the heavens. The gale from its wings tore the roofs from countless houses. The clear, resounding, yet juvenile dragon’s roar was like the first clap of distant thunder on a dim, starless night, breaking the silence of a year-long drought in the Wilderness.

And so, the nearly one hundred thousand soldiers within White Bone Fortress witnessed it. Under the night sky, their fortress was engulfed in the flames of war. Evil Demons slaughtered wantonly, and the Six-armed Snake Demon Warriors were so powerful and terrifying that everyone felt utterly helpless.

It was at this moment that a Giant Dragon appeared out of thin air and soared into the sky.

Its clarion roar sounded like the prelude to a death sentence, and its sun-blotting wings cast a shroud of death over the hearts of all.

"Gods, isn’t the suffering the Demons have caused us enough?!" The dragon’s roar made most lose their composure. In their panicked speculation, they instinctively assumed that Debei had no Dragon Knight, and that this Giant Dragon might be on the side of the Demons.

"Maybe this Dragon Rider is here to help us?" someone said, having spotted a golden figure on the dragon’s back. Still retaining some semblance of reason, they couldn’t help but try to reassure themselves.

"May the Ice and Snow Goddess and the Earth Mother Goddess protect us!" a soldier prayed, shouting at the sky.

...

Standing on the roof, Fujero had been idly watching the High Cliff Castle contingent demonstrate their overwhelming strength when he, along with everyone else, witnessed the Giant Dragon’s resounding roar and was stunned by its elegant and noble form.

"I have a feeling the rider on that dragon’s back is the Lord," he said pointedly, his mind racing.

After all, the Lord of High Cliff Castle had just departed, and then a Giant Dragon appeared. Things in this world were rarely so coincidental.

When so many coincidences pile up, it’s no longer a coincidence.

"Could be," Mier said ambiguously, his face full of envy as he watched the Giant Dragon circle in the sky.

"The boss is stealing the spotlight all for himself again," Zat grumbled, pouting.

As one of the old-timers who had followed him to slay a dragon, he knew that Dragon Knight was the chief.

Meanwhile, Fulina, who was leading her soldiers to reinforce White Bone Fortress, halted in her tracks. Her eyes were fixed on the Giant Beast circling in the sky. It wasn’t just her; for a long moment, all the officers were so silent you could hear a pin drop.

For some reason, she had a strong feeling that this Giant Dragon had something to do with Levi.

...

「In the Hengduan Mountain Range.」 The Blood Swordsmen were locked in a bloody battle with the Demons before them. In the center of a clearing stood a towering, terrifying figure, which a bald Swordsman, a young maiden, and an old man were currently besieging.

The dragon’s roar pierced through the layers of clouds and eventually reached them.

"Despicable humans! To think you’d call upon a Giant Dragon for aid! You insignificant, fragile ants, are shameless tricks all you know?!" The Balrog Flame Demon’s furious voice was like thunder rolling through a storm, a booming sound that seemed capable of destroying all creation.