The Ice Snow Dragon’s roar pushed the battlefield atmosphere to a climax. Gale-force winds mixed with ice blades clattered against the magic barriers of the sword-and-shield soldiers. Ripples of blue light spread across the barrier’s surface, accompanied by a grating screech.
“Hold the line! Everyone, hold the line!” the front-line commander shouted at the top of his lungs. The sword-and-shield soldiers braced their shields, their boots digging deep pits into the snow.
Augustus closed his eyes, chanting a spell rapidly under his breath. The silver magic circle beneath his feet spun faster and faster. The smaller magic circles around him began channeling mana into the main array.
He could feel the tremors from outside, but he couldn’t stop. Once a combination spell began charging, stopping midway would cause mana backlash—at the very least, he would be gravely injured.
“Magic soldiers, fire!” the rear commander judged the timing and slashed his arm down sharply. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—! Countless magical motes soared up from behind the phalanx.
Fireballs, wind blades, lightning—dense as a multicolored meteor shower—passed over the sword-and-shield soldiers’ heads and crashed directly toward the Ice Snow Dragon two kilometers away.
These spells were low-tier, but their sheer numbers made up for it. Tens of thousands of spells struck simultaneously—a truly spectacular sight.
“Lancers, charge!” The lancer phalanxes on both flanks also moved. Warhorses neighed as they trampled through the thick snow, accelerating into the gale. The cavalrymen leaned low, lances tucked under their arms, the acceleration runes on the shafts glowing red. The entire formation drove toward the Ice Snow Dragon’s flanks like two sharp blades.
The Dragon Swordsmen in midair also launched their assault. They guided their Flying Dragons into a high-altitude dive, their longswords coated in mana, ready to deliver a strike from above. From sky, ground, and both sides, three army groups attacked simultaneously.
Against an ordinary monster, it would have been blown to pieces by now. But the Ice Snow Dragon didn’t dodge at all. It didn’t even stand up.
It just lay there, watching the incoming spells coldly. Boom, boom, boom, boom—! The dense volley of spells struck the Ice Snow Dragon’s massive body with perfect accuracy. Explosions merged into a continuous roar. Flames and smoke engulfed the Ice Snow Dragon in an instant.
“Direct hit!” the adjutant shouted excitedly beside him. Though Augustus’s eyes were closed, he knew the spells had landed, but he didn’t sense the enemy’s mana fluctuation weaken in the slightest.
The smoke slowly cleared. Dead silence fell over the entire field. The Ice Snow Dragon still lay there. Its ice-blue scales didn’t even have a single scratch. Those tens of thousands of spells had felt no more than an itch.
“Th-This… how is this possible?” The adjutant’s smile froze, his eyes nearly bulging out. The front-line soldiers were stunned too. In all their lives, they had never seen anything so absurd.
The Ice Snow Dragon seemed annoyed by the ticklish attacks. It slowly stood up. Its enormous body resembled a moving hill. It casually shook off the snow, stirring a gale around it. It turned its head and looked at the lancer phalanx charging at the front.
Then it raised one enormous front claw. The Ice Snow Dragon’s claw was larger than the biggest cathedral in the Church Nation.
It casually swiped its paw at the lancer phalanx charging from the left flank. Boom—! The air was compressed to the point of explosion, unleashing a deafening sonic boom.
The first several hundred lancers and their horses were sent flying by that single swat. Warhorses weighing hundreds of pounds were torn apart midair like ragdolls. Blood, shredded flesh, and snow scattered everywhere.
Their proud enchanted barding and runic lances proved as fragile as paper against such absolute power.
“Aaaah—!” Screams echoed across the snowy plain. The bodies slammed into the troops behind, toppling a large number of them. The once orderly charge formation instantly dissolved into chaos.
The lancers on the right flank saw this but did not retreat; instead, they continued charging forward. The power of faith granted them fearless courage. But it was useless. Against absolute power, they were still swatted away with a single claw.
The Dragon Swordsmen in the air arrived as well. Taking advantage of the Ice Snow Dragon’s focus on ground troops, they dove from a blind spot, driving their longswords into the gaps between scales on its back. Clang, clang— A series of metallic clashes rang out.
The mana-coated longswords struck the Ice Snow Dragon’s scales and were deflected. Some swordsmen put too much force into their strikes, snapping their blades on the spot. The Ice Snow Dragon didn’t even turn its head.
The scales on its back twitched violently, and a blast of frigid mana shot out from the gaps. The nearest several dozen Dragon Swordsmen didn’t even have time to scream; they were instantly frozen into ice statues. They plummeted stiffly from midair, crashing onto the snow and shattering into pieces.
“Pull up! Pull up!” The remaining Dragon Swordsmen yanked their reins, planning to regroup for a second attack. The Ice Snow Dragon wasn’t about to give them that chance. It opened its mouth, a gurgling sound rising from its throat. The next second, countless fist-sized mana bolts shot out from its jaws. The bolts were extremely fast, accompanied by shrill whistles. First, they struck down the Dragon Swordsmen in the air, then rained down upon the Church Nation’s formation.
“Defense! All units, defend!” the adjutant yelled. The mana bolts smashed into the sword-and-shield soldiers’ barriers. Thump, thump, thump, thump! The barriers shook violently, blue light flickering madly. The front-line soldiers felt as if they had been hit by a battering ram.
The immense force transmitted through their shields broke many of their arms. “Ugh—!” Some couldn’t withstand it and coughed up blood onto their shields, collapsing backward.
Once a gap appeared in the formation, the mana bolts blasted directly into the crowd. Boom! A bolt exploded on a soldier’s chest. His heavy armor, covered in defensive runes, was pierced through. A large hole tore open in his chest, killing him instantly.
When bolts landed among the rear magic soldier phalanx, it was an even greater disaster.
Their standard robes could not withstand the explosion’s force. Large swaths died at once, severed limbs flying everywhere. In the blink of an eye, casualties surpassed a thousand. The entire battlefield turned into a living hell.
Protected by the barrier, Augustus continued charging with his eyes closed.
He heard the screams outside, but he couldn’t afford to be distracted. The magic circle beneath him grew brighter. The flying snow under his mana disturbance became even more chaotic, forming a small tornado.
This intense mana fluctuation caught the Ice Snow Dragon’s attention. It paused its attacks and turned its head toward Augustus. A flicker of irritation passed through the Ice Snow Dragon’s massive ice-blue vertical pupils. It seemed annoyed by that little insect that was charging up.