All the dragonkin goblins dropped to their knees.
Timid by nature, these goblins only grew bold when they outnumbered their foes.
Now, they froze, their beady eyes darting left and right, uncertainty gripping them.
Aurina, with a gleeful hop and skip, vaulted onto the rickety throne cobbled together from splintered wood.
At just four feet tall, she loomed over the cowering goblins, her laughter ringing with pride.
“Gahaha! Crushed by the majesty of this queen’s dragon aura, are you? That’s right—I am the truest of true dragons, ten-time champion of the greatest red dragons, the Dragon King of Kings, the Dread Dragon Obus!”
“As my little snacks, you’d better act the part and offer up your tenderest morsels, or else—”
Aurina opened her tiny mouth, revealing gleaming shark-like teeth.
Her pink tongue flicked out, and a burst of flame erupted.
“I’ll roast you all to cinders.”
“It’s her! It’s her! She’s no mere dragonkin beast!”
The ancient dragonkin goblin shaman crawled forward, his trembling legs betraying his fervor as his flushed face turned crimson.
“She’s a true dragon, a daughter of the true dragon, a descendant of our ancient ancestor!”
“No,” Aurina declared, her voice sharp as a blade.
“I am me.”
The old shaman’s voice rose to a fevered pitch.
“If we seize her, brothers, we’ll rise above all! Our line will be exalted!”
The hesitant green goblins’ eyes gleamed with sudden greed.
“You dare dream of turning me to ash, you wriggling green worms?”
Aurina roared.
“I am the King of Dragon Kings, the Dread Dragon Obus!”
But her words fell on deaf ears.
The shaman didn’t even bother to argue.
Who could possibly connect this four-foot-tall girl with the mighty, towering Obus?
From his iron cage, the goblin king bellowed, “Take her down! The rewards will be massive! Whoever gets her gets first dibs!”
The goblins could hold back no longer.
With eyes blazing red, they surged forward in a frenzied mob, howling:
“Charge! Charge! For the dragon bloodline!”
“Grah! We’ll all have her!”
“For the Great Dragon Tribe!”
Aurina dodged a flurry of thrown spears with a grin.
“Looks like I’m feasting on meat today.”
Planting her hands on her hips, she took a deep breath, cheeks puffing out, and unleashed a 120-degree cone of scorching dragon breath.
The crimson flames rolled forward, engulfing every goblin within six meters.
They flailed and screamed, dancing in the fire’s embrace.
The goblin king shrieked from his cage, “She can only breathe once! She’s just a whelp!”
Emboldened, the goblins charged from both sides, clawing to drag Aurina from her throne.
Aurina spat another breath, incinerating a dozen lust-crazed goblins.
They collapsed, smoking and wailing, the tantalizing scent of charred flesh making her mouth water.
But from behind came a hulking, fur-covered bear goblin—strong as a beast, cunning as its kin.
It had crept cautiously up the throne’s rear, and now its patience paid off.
Raising a spiked mace high, it aimed for the back of Aurina’s head.
The retreating goblins, seeing the sneak attack about to succeed, surged forward again.
Relying on battle-honed instincts, Aurina didn’t even glance back.
She spun, her fist slamming into the mace’s handle, denting the metal with a crunch.
Her knee bent, then snapped up, delivering a vicious uppercut.
“Take that!”
Her tiny fist connected with the bear goblin’s jaw, the crack of shattering teeth echoing.
As it staggered back, Aurina seized its furry leg and swung it like a club, scattering the advancing goblins in a panic.
Leaping onto the bear goblin’s chest, she lashed her tail, striking its throat with a sickening crack, ending its life.
“Now who’s the boss around here?”
The goblins snapped out of their daze, suddenly valuing their lives over ambition.
One dropped to its knees with a thud.
“Boss! You’re our big sister boss!”
“Gahaha! Too late!”
Aurina crowed.
“I said I’d wipe out your whole clan, and I meant it!”
She inhaled deeply, her mouth agape, but the goblins spun to flee in terror.
This time, only a single spark popped from the pink depths of her throat, followed by a loud gurgle.
“Guuuu~”
“Hungry,” Aurina muttered, rubbing her stomach with a strained smile.
“Gotta eat before I keep fighting.”
The goblin who’d tried to surrender raised its arm and roared, “For the Great Dragon Tribe!”
A tidal wave of green-skinned goblins surged forward.
Those too cowardly or too far back to charge hurled spears, axes, and a barrage of junk at Aurina.
Pelted back, Aurina raised her arms to shield herself.
Retreating to the throne, she swung wildly, her fists cracking the ribs of two goblins, sending them flying.
A kick dispatched two more with a gleeful “Gah!”
With a moment’s reprieve, she felt her strength return.
Planting her feet on the throne, she drew a deep breath, ready to unleash fire once more.
But from the mob emerged three bald, identical goblins, each a head taller and broader than the rest.
In unison, they charged, bellowing:
“Eat this!”
“Goblin!”
“Triple Brother Fist!”
Caught off guard, Aurina took the full force of their combined punches to her gut, doubling over like a shrimp.
Her breath faltered, only sparks escaping her lips.
One brother grabbed her horn, two yanked her long hair, and a knee slammed into her stomach.
Aurina retched, spewing her morning meal.
“You can’t do this to me!” she gasped.
“I’m the Dread Dragon, the King of Red Dragon Kings, Obus! Gah!”
More goblins piled on, burying her under a stinking mass, all scrambling for the prized dragonkin.
In mere moments, they formed a writhing hill of bodies.
With a desperate heave, Aurina clawed her way free, emerging from the bottom of the goblin pile.
Behind her, the goblins brawled over a single strand of her red hair.
Crawling away, Aurina cursed Richard under her breath.
If not for that wretched little insect, that lucky fool who’d slain her, how could she—a mighty dragon—have fallen so low?
Before she could finish her rant, a filthy goblin foot stomped on her back, its owner charging toward the squabbling pile.
Her brilliant plan—sowing chaos, infiltrating the enemy, and beheading their leaders—had been flawless.
Its failure was entirely Richard’s fault.
If he’d just fed her meat, she’d already be ruling this tribe.
The more she thought, the angrier she grew.
“Richard, you stupid, stupid fool!” she spat.
Her head smacked against a hard iron pillar.
Ready to bite the fool who dared block her, she looked up—and froze.
It was Richard himself.
“Move, move!”
Richard called a serene light cloaking him, rendering him untouchable to those with hostile intent.
He carved a path through the goblin throng with ease.
Spotting her, he gasped, “Aurina?”
“Hah! You’re finally here, pack mule!”
Aurina sprang up, spitting a small flame at her filthy feet.
The fire licked up her body, burning away the grime on her clothes.
Without waiting for him to speak, she scrambled up his frame, perching on his shoulders.
“Your arrival was part of my plan. Now, wipe out their entire clan!”
Still surrounded, Richard protested, “Wait, don’t attack—it’ll break my sanctuary spell. We need to—”
Aurina wasn’t listening.
She sucked in a breath and unleashed a three-meter jet of flame toward the goblin pile.
Screams erupted as the tangled mass of goblins scattered, some ablaze, fleeing in all directions.
Corpses littered the ground, including the three bald brothers, each with a chunk of flesh torn from their necks.
But the spell shielding Richard flickered out.
The goblins, as if waking from a dream, realized a towering, armored paladin stood among them—an absurdity they couldn’t ignore.
They latched onto his legs, stabbing at the seams of his armor, while others leapt to drag Aurina down.
Aurina whipped her tail, smashed her fists, and spat bursts of flame.
Perched atop Richard’s six-foot frame, she was out of reach for most.
But Richard struggled, hemmed in by the mob, unable to swing his greatsword.
He drew a dagger, stabbing goblins one by one.
The taste of blood, the scent of scorched flesh, and the goblins’ screams sent Aurina into a battle frenzy.
She felt invincible, ready to end it with a blaze of glory.
“Finishing move!” she shouted.
A fireball materialized above her, swelling and bursting in a fiery explosion.
It consumed goblins within a twelve-meter radius—some fell instantly, others ran as living torches, screaming.
“Terrifying! A dragon riding an iron-clad beast—it’s a demon!”
From his cage, the goblin king wailed, “Quick, stick out your legs, prop up the cage, and run!”
The dragonkin goblins grabbed the bars, extended their legs, and hoisted the cage.
Like a centipede, it sprouted countless legs and scuttled away.
Aurina pounded Richard’s helmet.
“Hurry, chase them!”
Richard ran, panting, “Get off my head first—I can’t throw my spear!”
Aurina ignored him.
Why would a rider heed her steed?
She wanted those caged goblins reduced to ash.
Drawing a breath, she felt her strength waver but spat a fireball anyway.
The dragonkin goblins screamed, barely dodging.
The fireball struck a wooden stockade, setting it ablaze.
A second, third, and fourth followed, all narrowly missing.
Furious, Aurina bit down, spat a handful of chili peppers into her mouth, and chewed.
Her mouth burned; she inhaled deeply, the sound loud enough for Richard to hear.
The cage-bound goblins were fleeing toward a cave.
“Wait!”
Richard spotted loot inside—people, grain.
“We’re here to save them!”
Knowing Aurina wouldn’t listen, he dropped his sword, grabbed her silk-clad ankles, and yanked.
She clamped her legs, pulling his helmet off as they fell.
But Richard, dragon-slaying hero, reacted swiftly, catching her and clutching her to his chest.
Her back against his armor, Aurina aimed at the fleeing cage and cave mouth, cheeks puffed for another blast.
Richard clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Stop!”
“Mmph!”
“Don’t burn them! We’re here for Little Red Riding Hood’s princess!”
His words were barely out when a searing heat washed over them.
Even Richard, tempered by dragon’s blood, felt its intensity. Worse, the heat was moving away.
Looking up, he saw a massive fireball rolling across the ground, chasing the legged cage.
It followed every turn, slipping into the cave and closing in.
Amid the goblin king’s screams, the fireball exploded, a wave of heat surging back.
Richard, stunned, loosened his grip.
“Why? I covered your mouth—can you breathe fire without it?”
“Why need a mouth?”
Aurina smirked, a small flame flickering from her lips.
“Dragon breath isn’t so limited.”
Richard didn’t hear a word.
He set her down and sprinted into the burning cave.
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