thefictionvixens Page 67
Page 67
After slicing through five groups of robbers who blocked its path, the bandits along the main road finally realized that this was a high-ranking warrior they couldn't afford to offend, and Casalos's path was cleared again. It wasn't until it passed through Tavanton and continued north along the path on the eastern slopes of the Desert Mountains that someone finally came looking for it.
"Stop, Tielong. Whatever your purpose, this is not the place for you. You are not welcome there."
"Why?" Casalos struggled to open his eyelids, looked at the half-elf bard riding in front of him, and asked, "Is it the lord of Shadowvale who doesn't welcome me, or Storm Silverhand?"
“The Lord of Shadowvale, the people of Shadowvale, and the Lady of Storms—no one will welcome your arrival.” The roadblock sighed, dismounting from his horse. “The Harpist’s decision is to either repel or kill you. I’ve come to warn you out of kindness: turn back.”
"Huh? Storm Silverhand didn't even bother to find out why I came, and just sent the Harpist to ambush me? It seems that the bald guys at Sel were right about at least one thing: she really is a crazy woman."
138. Final Manifestation
"You've caused quite a stir in Westgate. While the story of Mystron killing the ancient red dragon may not be widely known, the Lady of the Storm does. Shadowvale is just a small town; it can't withstand your antics."
"You actually didn't deny that Storm Silverhand is a madman?" Casalos stared wide-eyed at the sight of his mask, then shrugged and continued, "Yeah, silver dragons don't lie, they just evade the truth, am I right?"
The newcomer fell silent, not denying Casalos's accusations. It seemed that it had guessed his true identity correctly—there were far too many silver dragons disguised as humanoids hiding in the Harp Hand's hands, and only they would go against Storm Silverhand's wishes and come ahead to warn Casalos that there was a trap ahead.
"Thank you for your kindness." Casalos dragged his greatsword in front of him with difficulty and used it as a cane, saying nonchalantly, "I was just wandering around anyway. Since Shadow Valley doesn't welcome me, I won't bother trying to be nice to them. I'll just go somewhere else. Do you have any good vacation spots to recommend?"
Casaloz wasn't bothered by the Harp Masters' lack of appreciation for its actions in Westgate. It had always considered the Harp Masters' Alliance a reputation-farming tactic, and the one reputation-farming attempt had gone awry; it would have been surprising if it had actually reached Friendly or something… With its expectations low enough, it naturally didn't experience any disappointment. Its purpose in heading towards Shadowvale wasn't to cause trouble, nor did it harbor any hope of successfully reaching Shadowvale and making contact with Hillon or Storm Silverhand. It was simply looking for an opportunity to establish an alibi.
After all, conquering the Golden Dragon Royal Court and provoking those unorganized dragons are two different things; who knows what those innate...
Chapter 207
Given that the Golden Dragon is well-versed in the workings of fate, it's best to be cautious. Since they can't personally visit the Golden Dragon's court, no one in Faerûn is more suitable to be a witness than the Harpists' Alliance, who control over 90% of the continent's information channels, especially considering the large number of Golden and Silver Dragons lurking among them.
"You still have the mood for a vacation?" The bard, disguised as a silver dragon, shook his head. "The survivors of the Atheros all wanted you to hide, but instead you brazenly exposed yourself and wandered around aimlessly. Really..."
"I don't know what they're thinking. To date, I haven't seen a single other survivor of the Atheros." Casalos narrowed his eyes beneath his visor. "Judging from your tone, you've seen them?"
“I see. Then perhaps I can suggest a place for you. I can’t guarantee you’ll find other anaerobic dinosaurs there, but that’s where I last saw them. The locals should be able to give you some useful clues.”
Regardless of any inherent prejudice Iron Dragons may hold against Metal Dragons, Casalos had to admit that Silver Dragons were the easiest dragons to get along with. As long as you were sure that a Silver Dragon's allegiance hadn't shifted, you could believe anything it said. The survivors of the Iron Dragon race, who had been hiding so well that Casalos hadn't been able to find them, finally revealed a clue from the mouth of the nameless Silver Dragon.
Casalos soared through the sky, looking down at the ravaged land through gaps in the dark clouds, and couldn't help but sigh that finding a peaceful place on the continent of Faerûn was truly too difficult.
Driven by an unknown force, goblins, orcs, giants, bandits, and assassins, along with countless undead and demons, formed a massive army that crossed the leaden mountain range that runs north to south along the great glacier, launching a full-scale war against the rich iron land of Damara.
The Bloodstone Lands, a harsh and frigid region, attracted a large population due to its abundant mineral resources. Three hundred years ago, the Bloodfeather Clan established their dynasty here, thus founding the Kingdom of Damara. From Casalos's omniscient perspective, this is now the final chapter of this dynasty's reign.
Several years ago, the Witch King's strange phenomenon occurred when Vasa, west of the Fangxian Mountains, reappeared in the world. Using its power, it caused a castle built of dark stone to rise overnight and transformed it into a demon forge, opening a passage to the bottomless abyss. This allowed it to continuously bring abyssal demons and undead creatures to the material world, integrating thousands of giants, orcs, and goblins from Vasa, thus initiating another round of brutal and destructive war. The lament of the Bloodfeather Dynasty had already begun.
In Casalos's past life memories, for some reason, the names of the Lich King Zheng Yi and the Bloodfeather Dynasty might not be well-known, but the Lich King Arthas and the Lordaeron Dynasty, created by Blizzard based on them, are household names. Comparing these two names, one can understand that this is another world-ending catastrophe capable of sweeping across the continent of Faerûn—of course, in the talent-rich continent of Faerûn, someone will surely prevent this disaster beforehand.
Casalos initially had no desire to get involved, especially given the mysterious identity of this Witch King, who was likely backed by Samaster. However, the silver dragon told it that there were traces of survivors of the Atheros here, so it had no choice but to come and see what was going on.
Beneath the clouds, the vast army of demons, undead, giants, orcs, and goblins swept through, turning the pristine white snow into an ominous gray-black. The corpses of the fallen Damara, corrupted by negative energy, rose anew, picking up their rusted weapons and joining the army, trampling upon the land and people they had once protected.
Cities turned to ashes, and vibrant lives decayed into walking corpses. The kingdom was not yet destroyed, but the former richness and liveliness of Damara had long since vanished. Only the shouts of the soldiers and generals who fought tenaciously on the front lines of the war echoed on the magically created glacier.
Fifty kilometers north of Ironthorn City, at a dilapidated fortress, two six-armed serpent demons, leading dozens of other demons and giants, smashed through the fortifications and broke through the last line of defense formed by two groups of wounded paladins, wielding their swords and infernal fire towards the terrified civilians seeking refuge within. Just as another merciless massacre was about to unfold, a sudden change occurred.
A colossal Balrog suddenly emerged from the bewildered crowd of civilians, momentarily stunning the Natali demon soldiers, including the six-armed serpent demon. This did not stop the chaotic and evil demon's impending atrocities, but the creator of the lesser phantom only bought himself a tiny bit of time.
A long, slender dragon, its entire body bathed in the blue of the night sky, appeared among the crowd. Two confusion spells struck the heads of the six-armed serpent demons, who were stunned for a few milliseconds. Then, a solid, linear magnetic pulse burst forth from the dragon's mouth, piercing through the chest of one of the six-armed serpent demons.
139. I see.
"idiot."
Casalos, who witnessed the cobalt dragon's counterattack, made a speechless comment, folded his wings, broke through the clouds, and plunged down, hoping to save this foolish fellow in time: "The six-armed serpent demon can't fly, why are you fighting it head-on?"
Even an adult cobalt dragon might not fare well against a six-armed serpent demon on its own. This huge horde of demons and undead, surrounded by enemy reinforcements, was a different story. You finally managed to sneak up on them and use a spell-like attack to stun them. Instead of running away, you're just asking for death by stubbornly fighting them head-on.
As expected, the serpent demon, its chest pierced by dragon breath, broke free from the confusion spell. Its six arms, wielding six different weapons, swung like propellers, tearing several bloody wounds into the cobalt dragon's neck amidst flying sparks, scales, and flesh. Before the cobalt dragon could react, the other, unaffected six-armed serpent demon also broke free from the confusion spell, its arms spreading like spider legs to grab the cobalt dragon's wings from behind, cutting off its escape route.
Then, the other demons led by the six-armed serpent demon, empowered by the serpent demon's blasphemous power, broke free from the cobalt dragon's control spells and joined the siege alongside the undead, who were immune to confusion but moved slowly.
The adult dragon's thick defense and robust body prevented the cobalt dragon from dying immediately, but it couldn't hold out for long either.
Just as the cobalt dragon was about to be scraped into mincemeat, Casalos, diving at high speed, finally entered the interference range. A ball of light, solidified into a sphere, spewed from its mouth, roaring as it crashed down on the spot where the cobalt dragon and the serpent demon were locked in combat. Then it exploded into three invisible shockwaves, blasting everything within a radius of tens of meters except for the cobalt dragon, which was immune to the force field effect. Those with slightly weaker bodies were directly disintegrated by the continuous force field impact and shearing force.
Several kilometers away, the Balrog, who was overseeing the battle in this area, roared and spread its burning wings, trailing thick smoke as it rushed to the aid. Judging from its slow pace, it probably wouldn't be able to catch up...
In a corner of the Sinker Mountains, Casalos abandoned the unconscious Cobalt Dragon, whose skin had been almost completely ripped off, and then cast a Male's Toughness Enhancement on it, which barely roused it from its coma.
"Are you Casaloz?" The heavily injured cobalt dragon was still weak and could not even lift its head to speak. It could only prop its head up on one side of its face, tilt its head, and look at the iron dragon that had saved it, and then say its name.
"You all know me, but I searched the entire continent of Faerûn and couldn't find you. It turns out you've all turned into humanoids and are hiding in humanoid societies. If I hadn't been lucky enough to run into you after you regained your true form, I probably would have returned empty-handed this time," Casalos sighed, quite speechless.
Humans, elves, dwarves, and many other humanoid races constitute the majority of the continent of Faerûn. Hiding among the Atheros is indeed an excellent way for the survivors of the Atheros to hide, but it is a hardship for Casalos, who has been searching for them.
"How did you do that? There aren't many spells that can stably transform a dragon, and they're all so advanced."
Faced with this question, the cobalt dragon stared silently into Casalos's indigo eyes for a moment before explaining sorrowfully, "It's not magic, it's a blessing, a legacy. The Old Supreme Dragon..."
Chapter 208
In its final moments, it burned away all its magic and dragon soul, briefly reopening the mental network connecting every Arethon, thereby bestowing its wisdom and the power to transform into the Iron Dragon form upon each surviving Arethon…
Upon hearing this, Casalos opened its mouth but couldn't utter a word. Born at such an inopportune time, it hadn't had a chance to connect with the Aetherian race's mental network, missing out on far too much. Thankfully, it had finally found a survivor, finally seeing hope of returning itself to the rightful path of the Aetherian race.
On the distant Spine of the World, the old roar, who had been unfairly blamed for the dragon's actions, glared menacingly at the powerful enemies huddled together in several crystal balls. He cursed a couple of times, picked up two dimensional bags with his mage's hand, stuffed one into the other, causing it to explode into a passageway shimmering with silver starlight, and plunged inside.
Roar had fled, swallowing all its treasures and disappearing into the vast astral plane, leaving behind only an empty lair. The dragons that had gathered because of it were caught off guard, only to step into a magical trap it had laid. With a tremor that could be clearly felt even in Neverwinter, the vengeful dragons were buried within Roar's lair. Despite their strength, they weren't seriously harmed, and eventually emerged, covered in dust and grime, having dug their way out. But they had once again lost face, and the grudge was only growing stronger.
The Astral Plane is too vast, and without the cover of the Arcane Web, no dragon is willing to venture into it to search for Grommash Hellscream's whereabouts. Without special means, it would be virtually impossible to succeed. All grudges will likely have to wait until Grommash Hellscream returns to Faerûn before they can be settled.
Unexpectedly, Palotanthal, the former Glory Prince of the Golden Dragon Court, the creator of the Great Glacier, and the Ice King, who had not participated in the failed siege, immediately issued a high bounty on Grommash Hellscream. He probably possessed a method for tracking in the Astral Plane, but unfortunately, the Golden Dragon Court's bounties were not open to Chromatic Dragons or Gem Dragons. Only the two powerful Shadow Dragon Paladin leaders of the Knights of the Claws of Justice happily accepted the mission and led their followers into the Astral Plane.
In short, the development of the situation completely exceeded Casalos's expectations. The threat that Roar posed to Casalos and the dragons of Waterdeep City could be considered to have been perfectly resolved. Casalos did not think that Roar had a chance to escape from the siege of Hevilan and Azak, who were the two most powerful silver dragons in Faerûn at present.
"What? You're saying I've been chosen as the new Supreme Dragon, and all the survivors of the Atheros now have to listen to me?"
"That's what they say, but how many dragons actually agree is another matter." Azukmizes, the adult cobalt dragon whom Casalos had rescued from the serpent demon, whose body was covered in broken scales, shrugged his twisted wings. "You haven't been able to connect to the mind network, and you've been a lone dragon since birth, lacking both a group and family education, but you should still understand how we dragons behave."
"If you have the power, then the dying words of the old supreme dragon are its will; if you don't, then let's just consider it a fart it uttered in its dying moments."
Having gathered considerable information, the Cobalt Dragon, having regained some strength, revealed to Casaloz the inside story behind its long-standing grievance about its own predicament: When the old Supreme Dragon burned its dragon soul to reopen the mind network before its death, in addition to bestowing its own wisdom and form upon the survivors of the Aetherian Dragons, it also left a final message: Casaloz, the hatchling born in the Aetherian Sacred Land, the only new member of the Iron Dragon race in nearly a hundred years, will become the new Supreme Dragon of the Aetherian Dragons.
140. Strategic Shift
"What kind of mess is this...?"
Two dragons, one silver and one blue, flew smoothly one after the other above the clouds, while Casalos pondered in silence.
Prophecies are an indispensable part of all events in Faerûn, and dragons are no exception. But what are dragons like? Casalos knows perfectly well. The Cobalt Dragons' attitude towards prophecies basically represents the attitude of most of the Atheros Dragon survivors towards the Old Supreme Dragon's final prophecy: it was nothing more than the Old Supreme Dragon's dying words, utterly devoid of any real power.
Regardless, the prophecy of the Old Supreme Dragon should have been a good thing for Casalos's goals. With this officially designated name, it would have a clear banner to raise when it sought out the survivors of the Aetherian Dragons to build its power. Whether the other Aetherian Dragons accepted the prophecy or not didn't matter much; a beating would make them behave, and even a false prophecy could come true... The problem was that when the Old Supreme Dragon left this prophecy, it no longer had the strength to expel those traitors from the mind network!
Regardless of the Old Supreme Dragon's motives for leaving this final prophecy, the Iron Dragons would never subjectively take it seriously. However, the Colored Dragons, especially those otherworldly Colored Dragons who followed Old Cha in wiping out the Iron Dragon race, are more likely to "believe" the prophecy. The Iron Dragon race has been wiped out; the few surviving members, Old Cha and the Colored Dragons, are of course irrelevant, but an Iron Dragon prophesied to be the new Supreme Dragon cannot be spared.
Therefore, the motives behind the Aetherian survivors' earlier maneuvering before going into hiding seem much more bizarre. The idea that they hoped Casaloz would hide is perhaps merely speculation by the metal dragons projecting themselves onto the perspective of the Aetherian survivors. The analyses of the silver and bronze dragons are too benevolent and idealistic; the evil faction accounts for the majority of the five Aetherian subspecies. Order is not omnipotent; different dragon races within the same order faction have their own definitions and understandings of order. For example, the order of the green dragons is seen as nothing short of chaos by most order factions. The Aetherian race's former racial order was based on the absolute violence of the iron dragon overlords.
Unfortunately, after the battle at the Sacred Lands of the Azelf, the original order of the Azelf race completely collapsed, and it seems that not a single Ancient Iron Dragon, which served as a guarantee of violence, managed to escape unscathed. How much "respect" the evil Chromium, Cobalt, and Nickel Dragons still hold for the Iron Dragons is a big question mark. From a god-like perspective, the version updates can be seen as dramatic changes brought about by various major events over time. In the fourth version of the future, which was despised and relegated to the trash can, the five subspecies of Azelf were almost functionally extinct, leaving only a few mentally unstable Iron Dragons living alone on the continent of Faerûn.
The continent of Faerûn, where the beliefs of Bahamut and Tiamat were lost, became the last refuge for the Arethons. The extinction of the Arethons in Faerûn meant the extinction of the Arethons throughout the entire multiverse—in the fourth edition timeline, there were still a handful of them active, but in the fifth edition, a hundred years after the fourth edition, there was absolutely no trace of the Arethons remaining...
"So why are you spreading this everywhere, making the existence of the prophecy known to everyone in the dragon world?"
"I don't know, it was Khirtevis who made us do it."
Azukmies participated in the publicity for the "Dragon Seeking Revelation," but he only acted on the orders of the Primal Cobalt Dragon Overlord, Ksiltevis. Casalos, wanting to understand the whole story, needed to personally consult one of the surviving Primal Cobalt Dragon Overlords. However, after his entire race silently integrated into humanoid civilization during their great infiltration, Azukmies also lost contact with his overlord.
What troubled Casalos even more was that Azukmies, the cobalt dragon, had clearly shown signs of becoming a disillusioned dragon after losing the Supreme Dragon—this guy actually tried to escape as soon as he recovered a little, showing no intention of serving Casalos, the iron dragon. If Casalos hadn't shown enough power when he rescued it, it probably would have bitten him first when it tried to escape.
Fortunately, the cobalt dragon retained its inherent orderliness. After being thoroughly beaten twice, it became completely obedient, expressed its submission, and then led Casalos to find the other atheros that were also active in the Damara region.
When they were besieged in the Sacred Lands of the Atheron, they were all rescued and teleported away by the Primordial Cobalt Dragon Ksiltevis, and were thrown into the vast glacier before being evacuated to the remote, metal-rich region of Mara.
Chapter 209
The region eked out a living. Several years ago, the leader and protector of them, Khirtevis, along with several other old dragons who were over 18 years old, suddenly disappeared without a trace. Only then did they remember to follow the legacy of the old supreme dragon and hide in humanoid society, maintaining only limited contact with each other.
The Witch King's army launched a devastating war against Damara, making it difficult for them to survive.
Casalos might be their savior, offering them a final refuge with its howling iron wings, provided they haven't been crushed by the Witch King's army. Dragons respect age, and they certainly won't easily submit to Casalos, who is merely a young dragon. However... even the three chromium dragons, one nickel dragon, and five cobalt dragons that maintain contact with Azukmmis, combined, couldn't withstand Casalos's single charge.
Thanks to Asgras's favor, the Witch King's army hadn't yet penetrated deep into Damara, and the number of Athena survivors affected was small. Aside from the unfortunate Azukimis, six of the nine survivors were temporarily safe. As for the three who went missing, judging from their activity areas, two had most likely been transformed into undead, and the remaining one was Vasa, who was behind the Witch King's army. If he hadn't fled to the Great Glacier or the west before realizing something was wrong, he'd probably be gone by now.
Led by Azumys, Casalos fought his way up to the six survivors fleeing eastward, pulling them out of the refugee tide. After demonstrating his power (breaking a dragon's head), he successfully recruited them into his ranks. He was no longer limited to just his colorful dragon minions.
Unfortunately, this group, mainly composed of cobalt dragons, had no idea of the whereabouts of the other iron dragon survivors. Those old dragons who might have maintained contact with other iron dragon survivor groups had completely disappeared from their sight. It was unknown whether they were killed by the demons and made into puppets, encountered Samass, the leader of the Dragon Worship Cult who was likely hiding in the surrounding area, or were found and their ashes scattered by those traitors with otherworldly colored dragons. Perhaps all of the above.
The long-awaited tungsten dragon lady was still nowhere to be found, and Casaloz had no intention of revealing his relationship with the dragon lords of the Tindor Plains. After some deliberation, he led several adamantine dragons to join Damara's rebellion against the Witch King's conquest.
141. Change strategy
Why should we be involved in the war of those two-legged ants?
"Iron Dragon Lanmuloyk asked the question that had been on my mind." Even though it had submitted to Casaloz, the hot-tempered Iron Dragon still frequently voiced its opposition or doubts about its decisions. That's just how Iron Dragons are; they're as temperamental as red dragons and as vicious as black dragons, and Lanmuloyk was still in its rebellious adolescence, so this was nothing compared to what it was like.
Fortunately, the Nickel Dragons still adhered to the inherent order of the Iron Dragon race. Regardless of their words, once the leader's order was confirmed, they would not resist in action like the Red Dragons and Black Dragons, no matter what their dissatisfaction was. Casalos was quite at ease with this and did not need to waste precious Clean Devil Contracts to restrain this guy.
"What, after losing to those inferior colored lizards, you don't even have the courage to defend your own territory anymore?"
Casalos did not answer Nickel Dragon's question, nor did these survivors need answers right now.
It had just fought several surviving dragons, easily gaining their allegiance with overwhelming power. The process seemed no different from the original social hierarchy of the Atheros, but from the subtle behaviors during the battle, Casalos could still sense that these survivors, as if their spines had been broken, had completely lost the pride and honor that Atheros should have.
The most striking thing was that these creatures, who were originally acquaintances, didn't even have the courage to unite and fight back after being defeated by their young iron dragon; they simply resigned themselves to their fate. It's important to understand that the primary factor in determining a dragon's social status is age, not species. Even a white dragon would never admit to being weaker than a younger red dragon. Casalos hadn't crippled them; the formidable strength he displayed was limited to melee combat. Yet, even when they all gathered together, they didn't attempt a challenge. Can this still be considered a proud sub-iron dragon?
At least they weren't the Atheros that Casalos knew. Look at these guys flying behind him with their heads drooping; apart from having two wings, how different are they from stray dogs in distress?
Casalos originally didn't want to get involved in the mess that was Damara. On the surface, it was just another unremarkable invasion war by dark forces on the continent of Faerûn, like many "apocalyptic disasters" of the past and future, destined to end childishly in the hands of great adventurers. But behind the scenes, the outcome of this war had once again become entangled in the conspiracy of Bahamut and Tiamat. Casalos wanted to avoid this at all costs; until a certain stage, it had no desire to get involved in the squabbles of these two dragon gods.
However, its recent advancement in its divinely endowed profession has given it the leverage to cause trouble right under the noses of the two dragons, no longer resisting joining the war in Damara. But simply gathering a pack of wild dogs with Arethon blood but lost their dragon souls is clearly insufficient; what it needs is a dragon army, an army capable of reclaiming the Arethon sacred lands, finding the otherworldly colored dragons summoned by Old Cha, launching a counterattack to avenge its annihilation, and rebuilding the Arethon race on the continent of Faerûn.
What this requires is a rebirth after a baptism of blood and fire!
What could be more suitable to achieve this goal than the army of the Witch King's Extermination? Moreover, the Witch King's Extermination is essentially a puppet supported by demons, with Samaster's involvement behind the scenes. Any native of Faerûn is inherently hostile to them; no reason is needed to attack them. The participation of several Athelian dragons already living in Damara is beyond the comprehension of even the human gods—war is a continuation of politics, and Damara is not, and never will be, dragon territory. This is the established order of Faerûn by the gods, and even the dragon gods have no objection.
Humanoid societies and the gods of humanity would not allow a dragon kingdom to exist on the continent of Faerûn at present; at most, dragons and humans would coexist harmoniously in specific areas. The obstacles to reuniting the Atheros are not just the mysterious colored dragons under Old Cha's command. The Atheros are different from all other true dragon races. Due to their tight organization and stable social structure, if they continue, they have the potential to evolve into a dragon empire—and none of the behind-the-scenes controllers of Faerûn would want to see this happen. If a massive organization composed entirely of dragons were to appear on Faerûn, many gods hiding in their divine kingdoms would likely be restless.
Casalos's original strategic plan was to bring the survivors of the Aetherian race back to the underground dragon realm to hide, waiting for the rules of the gods in the heavens to be reshuffled. But now, the situation is slightly different. Spending some time with these wild dogs in Damara, and then finding an opportunity to attach themselves to the Platinum Dragon God, is a good temporary solution. Given the Aetherian race's current unfortunate state, if they could gain the protection of the Dragon God's banner recognized by the righteous gods, it would be much better than them blindly banding together on their own.
As for the issue of Athelon not believing in the Platinum Dragon God, considering that Casalos stole Bahamut's power right in front of him without being detected, the advancement to Bahamut Holy Watcher would be an excellent cover—what's wrong with a loyal follower of Bahamut wanting to expand the faith of their god by helping Athelon?
However, we still need to plan out the specifics of how to proceed.
Regardless, relying solely on these six insignificant "young" Arethonids to wage war against the Outcasts is clearly insufficient. There are far too many dragons eager to get involved in wars without cause, and Casaloz's seven Arethonids don't even include a single elderly dragon, failing to even attract the attention of the Damara. Over the years, Casaloz has paid a heavy price to keep the unsatisfied female dragons congregating around Waterdeep.
Chapter 210
There's no shortage of treasures; it's time for them to shine... Adding a new branch of the Atheros should be quite promising.
With Azumys, Lanmuloyk, and other dragons, he flew into the Lead Mountains and found a valley to rest. He had them swear an oath in the name of the Supreme Dragon Zoquion, then gave them the training methods for the Leather Dragon and the Elemental Master, which were suitable for the Atheros to advance on their own, as well as the flight manual. He told them to lie low and wait for his return, and then Casalos departed alone.
A few days later, a young golden dragon, its divine radiance as dazzling as the sun, arrived in Hyriogabalus. It breathed out golden dragonfire, incinerating the fire-immune Balor commander and the demons of the guard, temporarily forcing back the besieging army. At the invitation of King Vidin of Damara, the golden dragon descended upon the royal city of Damara.
142. Dive bombing
War has permeated the myths and history of the kingdom and the heavens, and whether it is a war of gods or a war of mortals, dragons have never been absent.
Regardless of whether those legendary creatures, celestial beings, or infernal beings are more powerful, only dragons are the most suitable behemoths to operate on the battlefield, natural weapons of war—as long as they don't go mad.
Since donning the skin of the Golden Dragon Bahamut, the Holy Watcher, and forging an alliance with the Bloodfeathered Dynasty of Damara, Casaloz, along with six young, surviving Arthea dragons, participated in the war between Damara and the Witch-King as allies of the Golden Dragons. Later, posing as a dragon merchant, he issued a call to arms to the dragons outside Waterdeep through Toona. Within a week, the number of dragons joining the war had reached double digits.
Twelve giant dragons of varying sizes and shapes hid in the clouds, brushing past the side of the army of conquerors, and slowly flew over the defense line into the deep territory occupied by the army of conquerors.
"Prepare to attack the formation. Lanmuloyk will lead three squads with me, and Azukmis will lead four squads with Kara."
Under the cover of clouds, the dense flight formation split into small squads of three dragons each, turning around and pointing towards the main force.
"Entry speed 70, altitude 2000, cheekbone line 70, attack time 12, lead time 80... Assault!"
Amidst a series of counts from the mental network, twelve dragons emerged sideways from the clouds. From the ground, they appeared as twelve inconspicuous black dots, floating a few dozen meters above the army of invaders. The Soul Judge, who had been peering into the sky, immediately let out a high-pitched, deep roar. The demons locked in combat, the undead piled high with corpses, the orcs running rampant, and other dark creatures shuddered at the sound, scattering like a school of startled fish… no, they were nothing like fish in their chaotic yet orderly disarray; collision and trampling were the norm. Orcs swung their axes, smashing the skeletons blocking their path; demons ripped out orc hearts with their claws; and the undead let out indiscriminate, terrified howls, even making the demons from purgatory tremble.
They were on the run, but didn't know where was safe, and things were in complete chaos.
Clearly, this wasn't their first time encountering a dragon attack; they had some experience in dealing with it, but not much.
Looking down at the earth, Casalos saw the location of the army command post aligned with the number 70 marked on the dragon's cheekbone. Casalos then leveled his body. Just then, during the turn, his flight posture had entered the right diving angle. He straightened his neck, pointed the number 80 on the lead scale on his dragon nose at the target, and suddenly folded his wings to accelerate and dive down, his dragon magic power gathering and boiling in his chest.
12!
The countdown begins.
Closely following behind it on the left and right sides were the Chromium Dragons and Cobalt Dragons, and the Lanmuloyk formation 200 meters away also kept in sync. The other team led by Golongkala chose the burial site where the undead creatures were densely packed on the flank of the Extinction Army as their target.