Upon hearing Charlotte's command, the guild members aboard the magical ship instantly sprang into action, a flurry of noisy shouts echoing without pause.
"Stage One prep—"
The wizards shoveled massive quantities of elemental crystals into the furnace, injecting liquid fuel refined from the blood of magical creatures such as dragons and giants.
The furnace valves snapped open. Elemental crystals and liquid fuel blended together, crushed and churned into an intense magical reaction that released truly terrifying energy.
Temperatures inside the vessel soared at once, and churning steam billowed violently from the conduits.
"Stage Two prep—"
The players activated the ship's high-tier energy transfer runes. Inscriptions across the hull flared to life, glowing like veins coursing with blood.
All the energy converged behind the cannon barrel, crackling and roaring incessantly. The violent magical fluctuations warped the surrounding space.
"Stage Three prep—"
The lead player swung his staff. The barrel pivoted swiftly, locking firmly onto the ancient green dragon within the storm via a tracking spell.
Every trace of power surged into the barrel, forming a brilliant, dazzling sphere of light at the muzzle where red, blue, and purple violently clashed.
Electric arcs danced, flames spilled over, and motes of light shot in every direction. The energy overflowing from the orb churned wildly, spinning into a vortex a hundred meters across.
"This is the first time the superheavy elemental naval cannon's been used in real combat! Fire already!"
"Man, this thing rocks!"
"Go, go, go! I want to see the big fireworks!"
The lead player pulled down his goggles and brought his staff down cleanly, projecting his voice across the entire vessel with an integrated message spell.
"Fire!!"
Before his voice had even faded, a crisp click sounded, followed by a deafening roar that shook the heavens. The hull shuddered violently as ripples propagated through the high skies.
Immediately after, the terrifying power sealed within the sphere poured forth in a torrential cascade. A tri-colored beam of fire, lightning, and radiant brilliance, several meters in diameter, instantly pierced the sky and lanced toward the distant ancient green dragon.
Everywhere the beam passed, all things were effortlessly obliterated. Chaotic energies bled into the surrounding space as elemental reactions violently crossed.
As the pinnacle of magical technology created by the thousands of members of the Magic Coin Guild, the destructive force unleashed by this gargantuan cannon rivaled—and even surpassed—ordinary ninth-tier evocation spells.
"Lord Anselm, look out!" a green dragon roared in warning.
The ancient green dragon, who had been laughing arrogantly just moments before, looked up at the incoming tri-colored beam. His expression twisted in horror, his slit pupils contracting to pinpricks.
He flapped his wings in panic and twisted his massive frame to dodge, stripped of every shred of his former arrogance. He muttered under his breath:
"By Tiamat, how could these lowly humans...?"
The ancient green dragon's wings whipped up a monstrous tempest, coalescing into a thick wall of wind before him that could shred almost any incoming ranged attack, be it spell, arrow, or artillery shell.
But this time, he miscalculated.
The power of the superheavy elemental naval cannon far exceeded his imagination—and surpassed even the estimates of the researchers from Magic Coin.
Boom!
With a resounding blast, the thick beam struck like a red-hot blade. The sturdy wall of wind offered no more resistance than paper, punctured in an instant.
"No—!"
Seeing that disaster was upon him, the ancient green dragon let out a raspy roar, writhing his massive, grotesque bulk as he scrambled frantically to escape.
Yet how could this proud green dragon evade a strike backed by tracking enchantments and divination spells?
In that moment, the ancient green dragon was as good as stripped naked with his scales peeled away—seen through completely. His trajectory had been anticipated by the players down to the smallest detail, calculated well in advance.
Faced with the relentlessly closing tri-colored beam, he could only howl in grief and fury, "You dare harm me?! I am the favored child of Her Majesty Tiamat! I am the great—"
BOOM!
Anselm's shriek cut off abruptly, shattered by a deafening, earth-shaking detonation.
The beam slammed squarely into the ancient green dragon's chest. Various protective trinkets hidden between his scales blazed with brilliance, projecting magical shields of every hue, yet none could withstand the impact.
In an instant, lightning struck and flames incinerated the sky as radiant light exploded across the heavens, illuminating the night.
With the ancient green dragon at its epicenter, the violent magical explosion engulfed hundreds of meters of airspace, sending powerful shockwaves tearing out more than a kilometer away.
"Gods..."
"By Amaunator!"
Billowing smoke and dust swept across the land. Nearly everyone felt the roar of a fierce, sweltering gale sweep over them, and in unison, they raised their heads to look at the sky, their faces frozen in awe.
Even Mandrian and Duke Franz, who had been bracing to clash with the ancient green dragon, froze where they stood, staring dumbfounded at the spectacle above.
Under that blindingly brilliant light, the ancient green dragon's entire body turned nearly translucent, his bones visible beneath scales and flesh.
His diamond-hard scales were vaporized, his thick muscle charred, and even his beating heart was obliterated in a fraction of a second. The beam burst through his broad back, leaving behind nothing but a gaping void.
"This is impossible..."
Anselm slowly lowered his head, staring at the pitch-black cavity in his chest.
Across his hideous, forest-green face, profound shock first registered, followed by a contortion of unspeakable malice and venomous hatred.
Anselm had been born in the Ash Fen and had lived for over eight hundred years. In that long span of time, he had enslaved and slaughtered countless humanoids—including, but not limited to, humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes...
He relished savoring the taste of young elven maidens, regarding them as exquisite delicacies, and would occasionally indulge in young gnomes as novel snacks...
Yet now, a swarm of lowly, insignificant humans had reduced him to this!
Rage, hatred, shock, and bitter indignation tangled within his slit pupils, but within mere moments, they dilated and lost their luster.
Deprived of the heart that drove it, the ancient green dragon's body lost all support. His broad wings slumped limply, and his colossal, grotesque form plummeted from the sky, crashing violently onto the earth.
Shattered rock flew and dust billowed. The dragon's corpse gouged out a massive crater, lying on its side like a collapsed hill as dragon blood gushed from the wound, spreading into a crimson river.
The massive head lay askew upon the ground, its wide-open eyes glassy, yet still reflecting the immense reluctance and outrage of his dying moments.
Just like that, Anselm died—slain by the very humanoids he had held in utter contempt.
"By Amaunator!"
"What terrifying power! It's like divine retribution!"
The spectating soldiers erupted into shouts of awe, a clamor of murmurs and gasps rippling through the ranks.
Mandrian stood rooted to the spot, staring slack-jawed at the dragon's corpse in disbelief. Only after a long while did he stammer, "Th-they killed an ancient green dragon... just like that?!"
Duke Franz also remained silent for a long time. With the ancient green dragon dead—a mortal threat that had slaughtered countless of his kin—he ought to have felt joyous and triumphant.
Yet at this moment, alongside the satisfaction of vengeance, an inexplicable chill of melancholy welled in his heart.
Duke Franz hesitated for a long while before speaking in a low, grave voice. "Be wary of those folks from the north. We cannot place our full trust in them. The power they wield... is simply too terrifying."
Yet in the very next instant, the atmosphere flipped completely. Like piranhas catching the scent of blood, the players surged frantically toward the ancient green dragon's corpse, casting teleportation spells like Misty Step and Dimension Door in their rush.
"Hurry, grab the materials!"
"Don't just stand there, strip the dragon scales! Armor made from this stuff will be totally invincible!"
"The ancient green dragon's horn is ours! We might be able to craft very rare gear out of it—rare at the absolute least!"
"Dragon blood and dragon meat! Start carving! The guild alchemists are gonna lose their minds!"
"Heh, I'll be taking this dragon dong! Watch me slice it clean off at the root and steep it in wine!"
Even Mantou, who was locked in combat further away, wheeled his mount around and dove toward the corpse, dead set on snagging a talon to sharpen into a spear tip.
On the deck of the distant magical ship, European Emperor peered at the dragon corpse through a spyglass, stomping his feet in anxiety. "Guild Leader, we spent tens of thousands of gold coins to take this ancient dragon down! We can't let them poach the loot!"
Charlotte, however, merely cradled his staff, speaking with tranquil poise. "Heh, European Emperor, you're still too green. You underestimate our guild. Did you really think we didn't plan ahead?"
European Emperor tilted his head in confusion. "But we haven't even sent anyone down to contest it!"
"Why would we need to contest it?"
Charlotte pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, brimming with confidence. "The angle of this green dragon's fall, the timing, and even the exact landing spot were all accounted for in my calculations!"
Faint blue ripples pulsed across the lenses, reflecting the subtle glow of divination magic.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
European Emperor grew even more puzzled. Then Charlotte snapped his fingers. At the top of the magical ship, Mingyue understood instantly, raising her staff to activate the ship's massive teleportation circle.
Blue radiance surged beneath the distant corpse of the ancient green dragon. A vast, intricate magic circle manifested under it, churning up intense spatial ripples.
In the next instant, the mountain-like dragon corpse vanished into thin air, leaving behind only pools of warm dragon blood.
The hundreds of players charging toward the dragon carcass lunged into empty air. One wyvern knight even slammed hard into the dirt, dazed and battered, nearly dying on the spot.
"Holy crap, where'd my giant dragon corpse go?!"
"Where did it go?!"
"Look over at the magical ship!"
The crowd turned toward the distant vessel. The gargantuan dragon corpse had materialized right on its deck, and the members of Magic Coin were gleefully swarming around it, harvesting materials.
European Emperor stood on the deck, staring blankly at the dragon corpse that had appeared out of nowhere. His jaw dropped. After several moments, he finally snapped out of his daze and flashed Charlotte a thumbs-up.
"Guild Leader, you're a freaking legend!"
Charlotte glanced down at his watch and said casually, "Three minutes of free material harvesting. Once time's up, whatever's left goes straight to the guild vault."
European Emperor let out a whoop and threw himself toward the dragon corpse, eagerly carving up materials alongside his guildmates.
"That's so unfair!"
"They won't even leave us a sip of broth! Despicable guild bastards!"
Down on the ground, players broke into curses, venting their anger and frustration at missing out on the prize.
Meanwhile, several shrewd wizard players seized the opportunity to wave their staffs, quietly siphoning up the precious ancient dragon blood lingering on the ground.
By the time the shouting players noticed, it was already too late.
Under the influence of magic, the dragon blood was thoroughly vacuumed clean. Not a speck of bloodstain remained on the ground; were it not for the crater dozens of meters wide, it would look as though no green dragon had ever crashed there at all.
"Since we can't get any ancient dragon loot, the adult dragons will do!"
"Quick, kill 'em all!"
"Damn it, I need dragon materials too!"
Breathing heavily with bloodshot eyes, the players turned their gaze toward the remaining green dragons in the distance. Their eyes burned with unvarnished greed, fixing on the dragons like starving wolves eyeing their prey—a sight that terrified the green dragons to their core.
"Lord Anselm is dead! He was actually killed by those humans!"
"Their weapons are terrifying! Those blasted gods must have granted them! We can't win! Run! Get out of this damned town!"
"Madmen! These humans are all lunatics! By Tiamat, they have to be possessed by evil gods!"
Seeing the ancient green dragon dead and ripped apart by humans like scavenging hyenas, the remaining green dragons shrieked in terror.
They flapped their wings with all their might, fleeing wildly into the distance as if sprinting for their lives from Death itself.
This brood of green dragons had rampaged through the Ash Fen region, burning, pillaging, and slaughtering at will, treating the surrounding humans, dwarves, and elves as playthings for their amusement.
Never had they encountered "humans" like this—disregarding life and death, brazen beyond belief, treating noble dragons like prey, and even obliterating Anselm with a single shot.
Looking back at the players charging after them in wild fanaticism, howling incomprehensible battle cries like "Blood for the Blood God!" and "Tatakai!", the green dragons felt a terror and trembling unlike anything they had ever experienced.
By Tiamat, were these still the weak, cowardly humans of their memory? These were clearly monsters wearing human skins!
Not to mention that horrifying weapon: a single shot had slain Anselm, the mightiest among them, leaving no room to dodge, no way to resist. It was utterly absurd!
If they couldn't win, fleeing was always an option—that was what most of the green dragons thought, and exactly what they did, beating their wings furiously as they bolted southward.
Soon, however, sonic booms echoed from behind them.
The Machine Cult's small airships trailed brilliant plumes of radiance, closing the distance at blistering speed.
The armored wyverns engaged their thrusters as well, accelerating instantaneously with a fierce rush of wind to overtake the fleeing green dragons.
"How can this be?!"
"How could they be this fast?!"
The green dragons looked back in disbelief at the pursuing players. Thrown into utter disarray, they broke into panicked, chaotic shrieks.
Cannon barrels extended beneath the small airships. Dozens of large metal spheres fired toward the green dragons, snapping open in midair into sprawling nets crackling with electric arcs.
—These were the capture-net cannons designed by the Empire specifically for large aerial creatures.
"Roaaar—!"
Caught off guard, the green dragons were ensnared in the nets, electrified until their entire bodies were numb. Unable to move, flight became impossible.
Fierce as their resistance was, they still tumbled from the sky, thrashing and wailing.
And waiting on the ground for these unfortunate green dragons were countless players, eyes gleaming, their expressions ecstatic.
Chapter 779