Broad dragon wings spread wide, beating slowly and blotting out the sunlight above the knights. The edges of the massive draconic form hovering in the air seemed trimmed in gold.
Just as the rumors described, there were the slit golden pupils, the powerful frame, the menacing horns, and the thick, heavy scales...
Under the suffocating weight of the dragon's aura, the Lionheart Knights held their breath. This was Cassius, the "Infernal Scourge"—the embodiment of pride and tyranny, the red dragon who had single-handedly annihilated the thirty-thousand-strong coalition army, and the target of their mission.
At this moment, everyone felt their resolve waver.
Such a creature was utterly insurmountable. How had they ever deluded themselves into believing they could slay a monster like this?
The monster in the sky opened his maw, baring sharp fangs as scalding white vapor hot enough to warp the air curled around the corners of his mouth.
"I hear... you wish to slay a dragon?"
Sparks danced within those slit golden pupils.
Fried stared up at the sky, his expression frozen.
"Tariq, was it at the hands of a monster like this that you died...?"
"When even a knight as exceptional as you perished in a sea of flames, how could I ever defeat him?"
He instinctively stroked the pocket watch in his hand, shaking his head as he murmured to himself.
"Captain! What do we do?"
His subordinate's call snapped him out of his daze, reminding him that they were on a battlefield—at a critical juncture between life and death!
Years of training took over as pure instinct. The "Black Lion Knight" raised his Oath Sword and commanded loudly, "Hear my order: Warding Bond!"
The Lionheart Knights raised their silver swords in unison. Radiant light shone from the blades, and as the oath spell took effect, glowing chains linked across them, binding the twenty-odd knights together. One after another, they raised their heavy shields, becoming an impregnable fortress of radiant light.
They stood as one in offense and defense, watching over each other.
Any damage striking a single member was distributed among more than twenty.
This made the Lionheart Knights mobile fortresses on the battlefield, capable of stalwart defense and devastating breakthroughs alike. Any commander would dread seeing dozens of Lionheart Knights charging their lines; they were known as the "Rampart of Lions."
Cassius still hovered in the sky, beating his wings at an unhurried pace as he looked down upon the knights.
"Is this the tortoise shell Duoluo spoke of?"
"Interesting."
The forces of the Kingdom of Cinders had completely surrounded the area. Cassius had no concern about these knights escaping; instead, curiosity stirred within him. He wanted to take a good look at this specialized subclass of House Bosque—the Lionheart Knights.
With that in mind, Cassius swung his claws toward the ground.
Scratch.
A shimmering magical forcefield vaguely shaped like talons materialized before the red dragon. With a casual swipe, the magical force was directed down at the Lionheart Knights.
Fried's expression grew tense as he saw the massive claws slashing down from the sky, and he shouted, "All hands, defensive stance!"
With a sharp metallic snap, the Lionheart Knights raised their silver shields—engraved with the lion crest—in unison, locking them tightly edge-to-edge overhead into an impenetrable shield wall.
*Skrrrch—*
Accompanied by a piercing screech of grating metal, three long, deep gouges tore into the greatshield.
A tremendous force surged through the shields into the knights, threatening to scatter their formation with a single blow.
"Hold the line!" Fried roared.
As the chains of radiance pulsed and flickered, the immense force was distributed among every Lionheart Knight, contorting their faces and breaking them into heavy sweats.
To withstand Cassius's strike and bleed off the momentum, their boots even ground shallow pits into the earth.
Cassius looked at the still-tight shield formation and remarked in mild surprise, "Tsk, tsk. What a sturdy tortoise shell. No wonder it gave Duoluo so much trouble."
Though it was merely a casually cast dragon cantrip, Cassius's current spell power and immense physical might meant even a careless strike could easily finish off an ordinary high-tier warrior.
"So, can you withstand fire?"
Cassius narrowed his eyes and parted his jaws slightly.
A searing glow surged from deep within his throat.
*Boom!*
A torrent of roaring flames poured from the red dragon's mouth, surging furiously down toward the Lionheart Knights.
"Dragon breath!" the adjutant shouted a warning.
*Hot, so scorching hot.*
That was the thought in everyone's mind.
Feeling the blistering heat rushing against them, the Lionheart Knights immediately recalled the rumor of how the "Infernal Scourge" had incinerated the coalition army.
Yet they did not know that this was merely a breath weapon whose power Cassius had deliberately restrained.
Confronted by the terrifying blaze, the Lionheart Knights instinctively wanted to scatter and flee. Sweat poured down their bodies, and the hands gripping their swords trembled slightly. But years of rigorous training held them firmly in place without an order to break ranks.
"Don't run! Scattering will only get you killed faster!"
"If you want to live, brace against the pressure!" Fried commanded sharply.
The Lionheart Knights maintained their overhead shield wall. A thin film of light formed across the outer surface of the shields, holding back the relentless onslaught of flames.
"Spirit Lion Guardian!"
The "Black Lion Knight" Fried finally bellowed.
This was the Lionheart Knights' trump card: they could summon a radiant spirit, concentrating the resolute will of every knight to strike at the enemy.
A massive phantom lion emerged from the knights' tightly packed formation. Lifelike, roaring and snarling like a true lion, it actually held back the flames for the moment and even showed signs of pushing back in a counterattack.
"That's it!"
"We are the invincible Lionheart Knights!"
Fried shouted, rallying his comrades just as he remembered Tariq once doing, hoping he too could be as undefeated and radiant as the White Lion Knight.
"Oh?"
"An interesting spell. A tortoise that bites, no less."
Watching the spirit lion from above, Cassius found his interest piqued.
In his eyes, House Bosque's Lionheart Knights were far superior in overall strength to Lakeman's Eagle Guard. Their systematic oath spells alone were beyond anything those flight-reliant guards could match.
"With a defense this thick, it would be a shame not to test their limits."
"In that case, let me play with you for a bit."
A ferocious grin spread across Cassius's face.
Violent fire elemental energy rushed through his fundus vessels into his lungs and finally erupted forth.
The flames surged fiercely, the temperature skyrocketing. The spirit lion that had barely held its own let out wails of agony, steadily waning and fading into illusion amidst the encircling inferno.
Chapter 155