The corpses of wyverns and celestial creatures plummeted one after another, crushing unlucky soldiers below. The Cinder Empire's aerial forces clashed in a vicious bloodbath against the celestial legion, neither yielding an inch as they contested air superiority over the battlefield.
Artillery fire still roared incessantly, but the opposing lines had entangled and blurred together. The empire could no longer conduct carpet bombing on the frontline, forced instead to direct its shells further back toward Corinth.
Flames from detonations, sacred light from the heavens, and brilliant auras of arcane magic interwove, making the tides of battle increasingly treacherous and unpredictable.
One moment, steam tanks of the Cinder Legion led massed infantry in a headlong surge, breaking the enemy's offensive and seizing the high ground.
The next, angelic godbloods of the Aethel coalition descended from the heavens, splitting the empire's iron beasts with a single slash and leading Fadlan's transcendent warriors in a fierce countercharge to reclaim their lost ground.
Yet as soon as the high ground fell back into coalition hands, Cinder Legion soldiers coordinated with rear artillery and bomber wyverns, synchronizing with frontline tanks to rain hundreds of shells onto the enemy-held position, blasting the ground to scorched ash.
And while the coalition troops ducked for cover, died in droves, or struggled to plug the gaps in their shattered lines, frontline tanks and infantry would launch yet another ferocious charge.
Across the vast expanse of North Aethel, this brutal dance had replayed itself countless times, with the Cinder Empire relentlessly grinding down the coalition's living strength.
"For the Cinder Empire!"
"For Holy Fadlan!"
Rallies echoed across the field, both sides fevered and fanatical, yet the Cinder Empire clearly had the upper hand in sheer momentum—chiefly because their soldiers kept pulling out loudspeakers.
And so, deprived of effective celestial legion support, the North Aethel coalition and the Cinder Legion fell into a grinding war of attrition.
Across the protracted front, hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides fought tooth and nail over key strategic positions, with every inch of ground changing hands time and again.
Through these repeated contests, the earth was long since reduced to cinder and slag, littered everywhere with charred, dismembered corpses. Even the various mounds and knolls had been sheared down by several feet under endless bombardment, scarcely warranting the label of "high ground" any longer.
Suddenly, a scorching gale swept in from the Cinder Empire's lines. Immediately after, a resonant, earth-shaking roar rolled in from the distance, piercing the skies.
"Extinguish the fires of the enemy's hope, rule with an iron fist—"
Bearing massive shields and long spears, dragon-blessed paladins marched forward in tight formation like a moving fortress, beneath snapping battle standards emblazoned with slitted eyes and blazing flames.
At the head of the Twelve Dragon Retainers of the Dragon Oath Sanctuary, Anthony—revered as the "Judgement Knight"—raised an arm coated in crimson scales, leveling the tip of his spear toward Corinth in the distance.
"These shameless southerners dare oppose the Cinder Empire and have uttered vile slanders against our Dragon Lord. Their crimes are unforgivable! All dragon-blessed paladins, hear my command: in the name of the Dragon Oath Sanctuary, reduce every enemy before us to ashes!"
Anthony’s dragonborn-like features contorted with fury. He brandished his spear and bellowed, "Advance! The Dragon Lord Above All!"
"The Dragon Lord Above All!"
Fired with fanaticism, the dragon-blessed paladins roared back in unison, their pairs of golden slitted pupils gleaming like dancing sparks.
Marching in lockstep, the dragon-blessed paladins advanced swiftly, their scorching crimson auras flaring ever hotter and driving the ambient temperature sky-high.
Wherever they tread, grass caught fire and sparks drifted on the wind. Even the hobgoblin infantry instinctively parted ways for them as an aura akin to a true dragon's majesty radiated outward.
Coalition soldiers were scalded by the fiery aura before even making contact. Screaming in agony, they were promptly impaled and riddled by thrusting spears.
"You shall pay dearly for your insolence!"
Anthony roared and thrust his spear forward. A raging surge of flames erupted from the spearhead like a dragon’s breath weapon, incinerating the coalition soldiers standing in his path.
Not long after the dragon-blessed paladins entered the fray, over a thousand coalition soldiers had already fallen beneath their blades, drawing the attention of a godblood.
Bathed in holy brilliance, an angelic godblood brandished a longsword and beat his feathered wings, descending from the sky.
Surveying the charred remains of the coalition troops, he turned his glare toward the dragon-blessed paladins and hissed through gritted teeth, "Minions of the vile dragon! You do not deserve to walk this earth! The Eternal Sun shall grant you... death!"
Flapping his wings, the angelic godblood raised his blade, and radiant light and flame flared from its tip.
*Boom!*
With a resounding crack of displaced air, a pillar of golden-red flame plunged from the heavens like divine retribution, slamming straight down toward the dragon-blessed paladins.
The sun-like radiance mirrored in Anthony’s slitted pupils, yet not a trace of fear showed on his face. He simply thrust his spear high and barked a command: "Dragon Bond!"
Instantly, hundreds of dragon-blessed paladins raised their spears. Countless blazing chains shot forth, intertwining and tethering themselves to Anthony, channeling the power of the dragon bloodline straight into him.
As an imperial marquis, Anthony was already a peak transcendent; under the empowerment of the Dragon Bond, his strength broke straight through to legendary rank!
In this moment, the hundreds acted as one. Their combined might concentrated into Anthony as a pair of fiery wings sprouted from his back.
Beating those flaming wings, Anthony kicked off the ground and rocketed skyward, raising his greatshield squarely against the fiery pillar that could demolish a steam tank.
*Boom!*
The two forces collided in a violent explosion, dazzling light bursting out as thick smoke roiled into the air.
When the smoke cleared, Anthony was completely unharmed. Leveling his spear at the nearby angelic godblood, he sneered, "We accept only the grace of the great Dragon Lord. As for you? Heh. A celestial mongrel calling himself a godblood—what makes you think you're anything special?"
"Die!"
Consumed by rage, the angelic godblood dove blade-first, flames erupting from his eyes.
*Clang!—*
The sword struck the bulwark of shields with a metallic ring. Protected by the power of the dragon bloodline, the divinely empowered blade was parried back for the very first time.
Anthony led his dragon-blessed paladins in a counterattack. Seamless in offense and defense, utterly fearless, they parried the godblood’s slashes with heavy shields and struck back fiercely with spears. For a time, both sides traded blows in a dead heat.
The angelic godblood swept across the ground again and again, swinging his blazing blade of divine energy, yet failed repeatedly to break through the paladins' stubborn defense.
With spears bristling like a forest and banners snapping in the wind, the dragon-blessed paladins grew more fervent, looking like devout worshippers at a holy ceremony.
They shouted once more in unison, their voices thunderous and awe-inspiring: "Extinguish the fires of the enemy's hope, rule with an iron fist—The Dragon Lord Above All!"
Advent of the Dragon Lord!
Instantly, flames vaulted into the heavens, coalescing high above into the crimson phantom of a colossal dragon—an avatar of the dragon-blessed paladins’ spirit, the tangible embodiment of their devout faith!
Spreading its wings, the red dragon avatar reared back its head and unleashed a cloud-scattering roar, radiating a majestic aura on par with a true dragon.
Staring up in horror at the sudden manifestation, the angelic godblood paled. "Th-this is... Not good!"
A gripping sense of mortal peril seized his heart, sending a shiver through his body.
Yet the red dragon avatar had already opened its cavernous maw, blinding white-hot light welling within its throat—the unmistakable prelude to a dragon's breath.
*Boom—*
Torrential dragonfire poured forth, turning the sky into an ocean of flame. The angelic godblood flapped desperately to dodge, but the inferno still engulfed him, scorching half of his body black.
Seizing the opening like seasoned hunters, the dragon-blessed paladins hurled barbed iron chains that coiled tightly around the angelic godblood.
"Damned dragon lackeys!"
Gritting his teeth, the angelic godblood flapped wildly, thrashing in the sky as the chains rattled violently.
Yet scorching heat surged along the chains, heating the metal glowing red. It seared black tracks into the godblood’s pale flesh; the more he struggled, the more grievous his burns became.
"Mortals! How dare you treat a noble godblood like this!"
*Clatter!*
With a violent beat of his wings, the angelic godblood snapped the heavy chains. Hair and beard bristling, he let loose a thunderous roar. His eyes blazed like twin suns, his entire form erupting in blinding radiance.
Battered and scorched, looking thoroughly disheveled, he glared furiously at the paladins below. "Mere mortals! You have enraged me! I will teach you—"
Before he could finish, an even mightier roar drowned him out. The colossal red dragon avatar swooped down and snatched the angelic godblood straight into its talons.
Anthony mocked, "You really think you're the scion of a god? Before the might of the Dragon Lord, you're nothing more than noisy sparrows!"
"I'll kill you all!"
Humiliated and incensed, the angelic godblood slashed wildly with his sword and thrashed in fury, yet could not harm a body capable of shifting into pure elemental fire at will.
Even so, after expending a full-power breath weapon, the summoned red dragon avatar was running low on energy, able only to pin him down.
Charred feathers drifted down from the sky. In the distance, several angelic godbloods—including Marquis Cullen—spotted the commotion and sped toward this chaotic pocket of the battlefield.
Losing even a single godblood was unacceptable to them.
Right then, a massive dark silhouette was launched high into the air, accompanied by the shrill whine of a high-revving motor and a pumped-up screech:
"Here I come!"
A towering half-dragon with bulging muscles materialized midair, revving a screaming chainsword as he hurtled straight toward the angelic godblood.
He was the original Vitagis Dragonscale Marine, the guildmaster of the Machine Cult—Gangtie Kuangchao!
Under the angelic godblood’s disbelieving, furious gaze, the chainsword slammed down toward his skull.
*Clang!*
The chainsword was bounced back!
*Holy shit, what a hard skull!* Gangtie Kuangchao thought in shock. He hadn't expected the godblood's protective aura to be this tough, resisting even a chainsword.
Just then, a Dragon-Pact Sorcerer materialized in midair amid a wreath of flame. With a flick of her finger, she coated the chainsword in a crimson glimmer.
*Slash—*
The wildly whirring enchanted teeth tore through the protective aura, ripping into skin, flesh, and bone, cleanly severing the angelic godblood’s head—decapitating him in a single strike!
Immediately, the angelic godblood's headless corpse shuddered and swelled, then violently detonated, dispersing into countless motes of light.
Solar energy detonated midair, unleashing a blistering shockwave. Countless white feathers drifted through the sky before burning to ash.
Under the shocked and terrified eyes of countless coalition soldiers, a noble and mighty angelic godblood had fallen!
"No—!"
Cullen unleashed an anguished, grief-stricken roar, powerless as he watched his comrade of many years perish before his eyes.
He raised his blade, eyes burning with a terrifying glow—and bottomless hatred!
Plummeting from high above, Gangtie Kuangchao rolled across the ground several times, emerging completely unscathed thanks to his monstrous constitution.
Wiping the golden blood from his chainsword, he looked at the astronomical figures of EXP and points lighting up his UI. Overjoyed, he threw his head back and laughed wildly. "Hahaha! I'm rich! They weren't kidding—crime pays, and stealing kills from NPCs is the fastest shortcut to wealth!"
He failed to notice a luminous figure streaking across the sky.
An instant later, a massive head flew skyward in a spray of blood, rolling across the dirt with that ecstatic grin still frozen on its face—Gangtie Kuangchao’s severed head.
The enraged Marquis Cullen swung his sword, executing the killer of his comrade in nearly the exact same fashion.
Yet the godblood marquis did not know that while his comrade was dead for good, Gangtie Kuangchao would respawn in no time. His vengeance was... completely meaningless.
"Serves him right! That's what you get for kill-stealing!"
"Seeing Brother Kuangchao trade just one life for that much gold and contribution hurts my soul!"
"Count me in!"
"Brothers, that bird-man worth a hundred thousand contribution is mine!"
Cullen whipped his gaze toward the distance, only to see towering, hulking half-dragons launched skyward by specially made "human cannons," whooping and hollering with glee as they plummeted straight toward the coalition's positions.
And moments later, Cullen saw a familiar figure hurtling toward him—none other than the half-dragon whose head he had just cleaved off!
The guy was even howling in midair: "Didn't expect that, did ya? I'm back!"
Even battle-hardened Cullen blinked in disbelief, questioning his very sanity. "Are you kidding me...?"
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Amid heavy crashes, Vitagis Dragonscale Marines slammed into the coalition lines, cratering the earth in dozens of spots and crushing scores of coalition soldiers upon landing.
Through the drifting dust and smoke, dozens of towering figures rose slowly. Laughing maniacally as they stood tall upon the earth, they raised bolters, revved chainswords, and tossed clusters of bombs, beginning a frenzied slaughter of the coalition soldiers around them.
Sheathed in scale armor, possessing strength rivaling true dragons, and outfitted with the empire's most cutting-edge and lethal weaponry, these Dragonscale Marines were nothing short of living humanoid weapons.
Carving through the coalition lines at will like players wading through a hack-and-slash game, they harvested lives with wild abandon, turning each wretched coalition soldier into cold, hard numbers—gold coins, experience points, and Faction Contribution.
Chapter 616