The person commanding Rotiaon’s army was an Elf named Baitan.
He was a 100-year-old veteran who had been a Guardian for over a century.
While receiving a Dragon’s choice could extend one’s lifespan, surviving for 100 years while maintaining a Dragon’s trust was a completely different matter. It was only possible if one possessed truly exceptional abilities.
Though he hadn’t won every single battle, he was a strategist who enjoyed Rotiaon’s deep confidence.
“Baitan.”
“Master.”
Rotiaon landed near Baitan with a gentleness that was unusual for a Dragon. For any other Dragon, it wouldn’t have been strange if the ground had collapsed and the surrounding Elves had died from the impact of the landing alone.
“The preparations?”
“They are proceeding smoothly, thanks to you.”
The fact that Baitan could employ such brilliant strategies was largely due to the help he received from Rotiaon, born from their relationship of trust. The Dragon’s magical observation was incredibly useful, as it could perceive things that were physically impossible to see.
“Be thorough. This is a battle we must never lose.”
“Do not worry. Even if I must die, I will ensure the enemy’s main forces are severed.”
“The four-clawed monster must die.”
“Yes, Master.”
The four-clawed monster referred to Lutal. It was the being that had killed the most Dragons in this place. Even if they lost the battle, that one task had to be accomplished.
Rotiaon departed, and Baitan summoned his primary commanders.
A Human, a Dark Elf, and an Orc gathered. All were Guardians of the Dragon, and while not on Baitan’s level, they were each formidable in their own right.
Baitan explained the key Apocalid entities identified through magical observation.
First was the Outer Mind. The absolute pinnacle and commander of the enemy. It was the primary target for elimination, yet it was a being that was almost impossible to kill.
Second was the Brutal Lord. It was the most powerful individual among the enemy and the top priority for elimination.
“No matter the sacrifice, this one must be killed.”
The Human and the Dark Elf nodded with grim expressions. The Orc declared in clumsy speech that he would be the one to kill it. Even after becoming a Guardian, his combat instincts hadn’t gone anywhere.
Third was the Maelstrom. The enemy’s largest Bio-Dimensional Ship. As it was the Flagship, neutralizing it would deal massive damage to the enemy.
Central Units, such as the Central Cannon Giant and the Central Command Giant, were also marked for elimination.
The Central Command Warrior was categorized as a target of caution due to its small size and minimal impact on the battlefield.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Faint sounds of artillery fire echoed, and the ground vibrated. The enemy bombardment had begun.
Baitan assessed the state of the war. Numerous Spirits of Wind spread across the vast battlefield to bring back news.
‘He knows the basics,’ Baitan thought.
The enemy knew their own strengths well. Powerful firepower with long range. Relying on that, they only fired from the very edge of their range.
It was the so-called You-Come-Here Strategy.
Without a means to respond, one would have to be hit unilaterally until they could close the distance.
Of course, a veteran like Baitan had more than enough countermeasures.
“Send the Eagle Knights.”
Giant Eagles carrying Elves took to the skies. If the swift flight of the Giant Eagles and the innate marksmanship of the Elves were combined, the enemy artillery could be easily swept away.
The number of Giant Eagles reached 3,000. They were troops Baitan had raised with great care.
But he didn’t send the Eagle Knights alone. He ordered 1,000,000 Orcs to charge from the front, while Humans and Elves mounted on Drakes held the flanks, and Elven archers provided covering fire.
“They’re getting serious.”
This was the first time Choi Kangjoong had experienced such a simultaneous attack in the real world, utilizing the strengths of various races.
“It seems they have a commander who knows how to use their head. Right?”
“Krr-ruk.”
“You don’t need to go catch him. You have to fight those guys.”
Five dragons were looking down at the Dimension from the Dimensional Sea. Their Dragon Hearts weren’t fully charged yet, but they could jump into the battle at any moment to unleash powerful Magic. If he sent Lutal to capture the enemy commander, there was a high possibility he wouldn’t be able to escape and would die.
“The consumption of nutrients would be too high. We evolved to prepare for things like that, so just wait.”
“Krr-ruk.”
Lutal crouched down quietly on Kuongi’s back.
The Central Cannon Giant concentrated its fire on the Elven archers. The Elves, who had been about to fire their arrows excitedly, were thrown into chaos by the shower of Mana Shells. The Orcs floundered as they fell into the Apocalid World, only to be stabbed to death by Abyssal Claws. The Drakes couldn’t even approach due to the threat of the Battle Titans.
Still, the Eagle Knights penetrated the enemy lines to fulfill their mission, letting arrows fly. Several Cannon Giants fell to the powerful arrows imbued with Mana or the power of Spirits.
In response, the Central Bomber Giants took flight. The Eagle Knights scattered in all directions as the massive creatures charged into the middle of their formation.
The Elves did not panic and pulled their bowstrings.
They had experienced attacks from giant flying Monsters many times before. When arrows were fired from all directions, the open sky, which offered no place to hide or take cover, turned into a battlefield disadvantageous for the giant flying Monsters.
However, before the Elves could release their strings, Kaitin Spikes flew through the air. They were fired by the Rifle Scouts clinging to various parts of the Central Bomber Giants.
The Elves deployed Shields to block them or summoned wind to twist the trajectory of the Kaitin Spikes.
“What is this?”
“They’re alive!”
“Aaargh! My arm!”
If the parasites riding the Kaitin Spikes were blocked by a Shield, they bypassed it and leaped. If there were no enemies in the path of the Kaitin Spike, the parasites detached themselves and clung to the Elves or the Giant Eagles.
“Don’t let them cling to you!”
“Burn them with fire!”
“Cut off your hand!”
It was better if the parasite clung to an Elf. The Giant Eagles writhed in pain, causing the Elves on their backs to be bucked off, or their wings to snap, sending them plummeting.
The Eagle Knights continued to fire arrows, even as they suffered losses. They thought that since there was only one enemy, they could eventually take it down if they kept attacking.
But the Apocalid was a being that was both one and many. Especially for a Central Unit, they were never truly alone.
A total of 5,000 Air Scouts and 1,000 Fighter Warriors swarmed the Eagle Knights. They fired Kaitin Spikes, punching holes in the bodies of Elves and Giant Eagles.
They climbed onto the backs of the Giant Eagles, tearing the Elves apart with Abyssal Claws and spraying Acid Fluid.
A dogfight between the Eagle Knights and the flying Apocalids ensued. If this had been all, the Eagle Knights’ kill ratio wouldn’t have been too bad, and they could have retreated.
However, the Cannon Giants fired Mana Shells equipped with proximity fuses. These shells soared into the sky and exploded whenever a Giant Eagle came within a certain distance.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under the power of the Mana Cannons, the Giant Eagles fell in droves.
The Eagle Knights, who had ruled the skies of the battlefield by dodging countless spells and arrows at high speeds, found the combination of Parasite Bullets and proximity-fused Mana Shells to be a literal hellscape.
“Retreat! Get out of here, fast!”
The Eagle Knights began to pull back. But escaping wasn’t easy either. The Central Bomber Giant pursued them at a speed that didn’t match its massive size. Below its flight path, the corpses of Giant Eagles and Elves fell like dots.
“Protect the Eagle Knights!” Baitan ordered.
Numerous arrows and spells fired by the Elves surged upward. The Central Bomber Giant endured the relentless anti-air fire while continuing to bring down the Giant Eagles. It was as if it were boasting of the toughness it had inherited from its Giant base.
Only ten Giant Eagles made it back to the main base. Even those were mostly riddled with holes and on the verge of death from parasite attacks.
On the other hand, the Central Bomber Giant leisurely returned to where it had come from. It had wounds, but none were fatal.
“Piercing the enemy’s formation is beyond my ability,” Baitan noted.
Baitan looked up at the Dimensional Sea where the Dragons were. Rotiaon nodded, and the Dragons stepped forward.
Baitan advanced all his troops.
He placed the Orcs in the center and the Humans and Dark Elves on the flanks. The Elven archers provided support with their bows.
As expected, the troops melted away from the bombardment before they could even get close.
Since the goal was to keep the enemy forces pinned down while the Dragons fought, they pushed forward despite the casualties.
“They’re finally coming.”
Choi Kangjoong also moved Kuongi forward. Iselin and Dielka, who were beside him, glared at the Dragons.
Very few Elves or Dark Elves had good feelings toward Dragons, who were powerful, arrogant, and sought to rule over other races.
Choi Yunseo remained in the rear with the Elven and Dark Elven Knights. Even if the battle turned unfavorable, they would protect her.
“Your opponent is that guy.”
Choi Kangjoong pointed at Rotiaon, the largest and strongest Dragon.
“Krr-ruk.”
Lutal, who had been resting well, stood up and merged with his booster. He supplied Mana and Source Energy to his entire body and loosened his stiff muscles.
An enormous amount of Mana gathered within the five dragons. They were preparing to fire their Breaths. Kuongi and the Super Titan, not wanting to be outdone, also prepared their Breaths.
K-boom!
Ten streaks of pure white light and five Breaths of various colors crossed paths.
The Dragons flapped their wings to evade, and Kuongi avoided the attacks by swinging its tail.
A Breath grazed its side, leaving a long wound.
“You can beat one of them, right?”
“Ku-eong.”
Kuongi moved at full speed while maintaining its Great Mana Storm. It was much faster than a Dimension Ship of the same class.
“Let’s go.”
“Krr-ruk.”
“Please be careful.”
“I can have the Dragon Heart, right?”
Choi Kangjoong, Lutal, Iselin, and Dielka flew toward the Dragons they were assigned to handle.
“They’re coming. Pathetic things.”
Rotiaon looked at Lutal, who was approaching at an incredible speed. The creature was small in stature, but it was an enemy that could never be underestimated. It was surprisingly fast and cunning, and it even possessed the absurd technique known as the Death Blade.
“I will show you the true power of a Dragon.”
Rotiaon, a Silver Dragon, fired an Ice Breath. Lutal moved only slightly to evade with minimum energy consumption, but Rotiaon had anticipated that. By intentionally spreading the Ice Breath wide, the range was reduced, but the area of effect increased. Those who dodged by a hair’s breadth like that usually ended up rapidly frozen by the cold.
Crack.
That was what happened to Lutal. Half of its body was frozen. Its hardened body could have shattered, but Lutal charged forward, trusting the durability of its Chitin Gauntlets and Predatory Muscle of Origin. Just as it calculated, its frozen body melted from the friction and returned to normal.
“A strange race indeed.”
To Rotiaon, who had lived for a long time, a lifeform designed solely for combat and Consumption, without fear of bodily harm or death, was bizarre.
And the battle was going in the exact opposite direction of what Rotiaon wanted. Lutal was much more intelligent and powerful than Rotiaon had observed. This was because even magical observation couldn’t reveal that Lutal could connect its brain to other Apocalids through the Outer Mind.
Attack Magic like Ice Spear and Ice Nova didn’t work. Shields, and even their reinforced version, Ice Shield, were sliced through far too easily.
The number of areas where scales had been stripped from Rotiaon’s body steadily increased. Furthermore, the situation of the other Dragons and the Dimension was not good.
The Dragon facing Choi Kangjoong was on the verge of death. The dimensional forces were being slaughtered as the Elven archers were annihilated by Apocalids emerging from underground, and a chaotic melee was unfolding. Since the front lines had collapsed, they were barely holding on.
“Master, I believe we must execute that.”
“I shall lure it there.”
Rotiaon slowly backed away. With blood streaming from his body, it looked as if he were retreating because he lacked the strength to continue. Lutal pursued Rotiaon.
To Lutal, killing the strongest individual and the leader was the most efficient hunting method he knew.
Before long, the two reached the sky above the Dimension. Below them was a violent battlefield where Orcs, Humans, Elves, Dark Elves, and Apocalids were all tangled together.
“Now!”
Rotiaon squeezed out the last of his Mana to bind Lutal. Shackles entwined Lutal, and an ice prison covered the area.
Baitan triggered the Great Magic. A magic circle formed, claiming the lives of 500,000 people. Their blood, pain, and Mana mixed together, giving rise to a fierce Blood Tornado.
‘What happened?’ Baitan wondered, narrowing his eyes.
Even a Dragon would find it difficult to survive inside that.
Even a being stronger than a Dragon couldn’t endure if they were trapped in a Blood Tornado while being restrained by a Dragon’s binding magic.
Boom!
The side of the Blood Tornado exploded.
Amidst the bursting blood, Lutal emerged. His entire body was in a tattered state. However, the important thing was that he wasn’t dead.
“Krr-ruk.”
Lutal endured through Death Resistance and changed his target.
The old Elven commander was an easier target than the Dragon, who was difficult to kill immediately.
Baitan’s heart sank as he saw Lutal flying toward him.
His survival instincts kicked in, but as a veteran and a long-time Guardian of the Dragon, he took this as an opportunity.
“Master!”
Rotiaon realized Baitan’s intent and moved the Blood Tornado.
Slash!
Lutal’s Abyssal Claw tore through Baitan. Then, the Blood Tornado engulfed both the Apocalid and the old Elf.