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Chapter 488: The Strange Fire Dragon
Chapter 488: The Strange Fire Dragon
As Ren approached the ship's railing, Maynia and Reginald almost simultaneously exited the cabin.
They all gazed into the distance.
What caught Ren's attention was a continuous mountain range below the right side of the airship fleet, with a volcanic crater from which thick smoke billowed, occasionally spewing out large amounts of fiery red lava.
As time passed, the volcanic smoke grew denser, like a black wave surging towards the sky, darkening half of the sky in an instant.
"A volcanic eruption?" Reginald frowned slightly.
"No, it's not just a volcanic eruption," Maynia shook her head, as if sensing something.
Ren narrowed his eyes, feeling that something massive had flashed by near the volcano.
"Roar!!!"
At that moment, a deafening dragon-like roar erupted from the crater.
The roar seemed to transcend the limitations of distance, causing people on the mixed airship fleet in midair, several dozen kilometers away, to feel their hearts tremble.
Just as everyone was shocked—
"Boom!"
A huge, fiery red figure leaped out of the crater.
It then unfolded its enormous red wings, which blotted out the sun, accompanied by a volcanic eruption of lava hundreds of meters high and black smoke behind it.
"Huh? Is that a fire dragon? But why does it have such a strange physique?" Ren was taken aback.
He had seen fire dragons before and even fought them.
Compared to the magma dragon 'Hermados', which fled at the sight of him, the fire dragon before him was not only several times larger but also had a bizarre appearance.
Its body was not covered in smooth, dense red scales but had a mixed texture of some horn-like substance or red coating, making it look pitted and uneven.
"This should be an ancient fire dragon that has been dormant in the volcanic lava for a long time, and it's likely undergone some kind of mutation," Maynia said, her face turning serious as she noticed the dragon's bizarre appearance and length of seventy to eighty meters.
The strange fire dragon, having just leaped out of the crater, glided through the air for a distance, seemingly familiarizing itself with the surroundings.
At that moment, its vertical pupils, which were a deep red, noticed the Federal and Imperial mixed airship fleet not far away.
The strange fire dragon flapped its wings again, let out a loud, defiant roar, and charged towards the fleet at high speed.
The fleet, consisting of more than twenty airships of various sizes, was highly conspicuous.
It would be difficult not to notice it.
However, Ren keenly observed that the dragon's red vertical pupils flashed with an odd expression.
This look was peculiar, as if it deeply craved something.
"Huh? It seems to be heading straight for us."
"That's strange. The mixed airship fleet on our side clearly looks formidable."
"Logically, dragon-like creatures aren't stupid and wouldn't initiate a fight with an equally powerful enemy," Ren thought, finding it odd. He tilted his head and pondered.
After some thought, Ren turned to Maynia, the Red Queen, beside him. Facing this suddenly awakened strange fire dragon, he felt that the Federal side alone might not be able to withstand it.
At this moment, Reginald, the 'Land Pulse', spoke in a deep voice, "Your Highness Maynia, this strange fire dragon's strength is extraordinary. I'm afraid it will be challenging for the Federal side to handle it alone."
"No rush. Let's wait a bit. Remember, this is Federal territory," Maynia shook her head and said.
Upon hearing Maynia's words, Ren immediately understood her meaning and nodded.
Maynia's intention was clear—this was Federal territory, and this fire dragon's timing was peculiar, appearing at this moment, which implied something intriguing.
More importantly, this incident would give the Empire more leverage in subsequent negotiations with the Federation.
In international relations, interests remain constant.
"Report! Your Highness Maynia, the Federal Communication requests that we accelerate and leave the battlefield. The Federal Airship Fleet will deal with this fire dragon," a messenger ran to the ship's railing and reported.
"Okay, let's speed up," Maynia nodded.
Hearing the messenger's news, Ren couldn't help but admire Maynia's judgment.
Indeed, being of imperial royalty, Maynia had a natural sensitivity to politics.
Unlike the previous planned joint combat, this was an unexpected event, and as expected, the Federation would attempt to handle it independently.
Ren wasn't anxious; instead, he turned his gaze forward, observing the development of the situation.
However, a different thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he couldn't help but smile wryly.
"That's not right. If the Federation can't resist, and if Lady Tereyna on the flagship is in danger, I'll have to step in."
"After all, I just promised Lady Tereyna to be her Guardian Knight, and I can't go back on my word, can I?
"I thought my role as a Guardian Knight was merely nominal, but who knew that I'd have to take action so soon."
One minute ago.
Inside the Federation's giant airship, in the Captain's Cabin.
The sudden appearance of this bizarre fire dragon before them made the good mood of Vice Speaker Bertron dissipate instantly.
"Smack!"
Bertron slammed the table, shouting, "What's the Intelligence Department doing?"
"Just as our airship fleet was passing by, a bizarre fire dragon awakened. Could this be a coincidence?"
"What would the Imperial delegation think of this?"
"If this keeps happening repeatedly, it will only make our Federation seem incompetent!"
"It will put us at a disadvantage in our cooperation negotiations with the Empire!"
His barrage of reprimands left the senior generals present as silent as cicadas, none of them wanting to provoke Bertron at this moment.
Especially the general from the Intelligence Department was so ashamed that his face turned red.
You should know that, apart from strong individuals like the Imperial delegation's Red Queen Maynia, Earth Pulse Reginald, and Lord Rayne, most of them are ordinary people. Once the airship is destroyed by this suddenly appearing bizarre fire dragon, there's no chance of survival.
Mainly, if the Imperial delegation suffers heavy casualties within the Federation's territory, the impact will be too severe.
"Vice Speaker, please calm down. I think we should investigate responsibility later, but right now, we must immediately deploy for battle." Only the bold female parliamentarian Tereyna dared to speak up at this time.
Hearing Tereyna's unique, mature female voice, Bertron's face slightly eased.
He took a deep breath, calming his inner irritability, and spoke in a low voice:
"Commander Reisz, you will be in command of the upcoming battle."
"You must ensure the safety of the Imperial delegation's airship and swiftly eliminate the enemy!"
"Yes, sir! Vice Speaker," Commander Reisz saluted immediately.
Although he wasn't familiar with the suddenly appearing bizarre fire dragon, he could only try his best.
"The first and second airship fleets, accelerate and block the incoming fire!"
"Additionally, please request Master Swordsman Tillio and His Highness Hernandez to support us immediately."
One by one, his commands were swiftly conveyed.
Two rows of medium-sized airships, five in each row, a total of ten airships, slightly adjusted their direction, and quickly blocked the mixed fleet's flank, directly facing the bizarre fire dragon's onslaught.
As each ship's commander gave the order, the side-mounted fire snakes extended, and dense cannonballs poured out like a rainstorm!
But contrary to everyone's expectations, despite the fire dragon's massive size, its flight trajectory was extremely agile.
It quickly adjusted its flight posture, easily dodging most of the cannonballs, while the few that hit it couldn't even break its body's Fire Ring defense.
Suddenly, the bizarre fire dragon accelerated with a mighty surge, swiftly crossing over a hundred meters to reach the very front, blocking a medium-sized airship.
Its massive, sharp claws tightly gripped the airship's balloon, and with just one grasp, a loud "Ssss!" sounded, and the huge balloon's surface was slashed with several large gashes.
The hot air inside instantly erupted, and as a result, the airship started tilting and falling towards the ground.
Not a single mistake, not a single miss, not a single tolerance, not a single delay, not a single watch, not a single bar, not a single look, not a single...
And the bizarre fire dragon's attack wasn't over yet. Immediately after, it vigorously flapped its wings, turned its head, and spat a scorching dragon's breath towards another medium-sized airship beside it.
"Huff!!!"
The other airship's balloon ignited, and it fell at an even faster rate than the previous one.
In just seven or eight seconds, the enemy had swiftly destroyed two fully armed medium-sized airships, their might was evident.
At the same time.
Below the volcanic mountain peak.
A group of people was fleeing for their lives.
"Pfft!"
One person spat out the volcanic ash in their mouth, running while turning to ask the leader of the group, the bearded General Richmond.
"General Richmond, this 'Angus Gold' ancient fire dragon is even more formidable than we imagined! If we had run a little slower, we'd have been buried by magma."
"Yeah." General Richmond glanced at the two airships burning and falling from the sky, a smile on his face.
Although he maintained his composure in front of his subordinates, he was inwardly delighted.
The stronger this 'Angus Gold' ancient fire dragon is, the easier it will be to carry out the Zalar Resistance Army's plan.
As the Allied Airship Fleet passed through this region, they awakened an ancient fire dragon that had been slumbering. The rebels had also planted an insider within the fleet, who would open the sealed box containing the Flame Core once the dragon was awakened.
The Flame Core was a treasure that bestowed unique benefits to fire-attributed beings, and the fire dragon was no exception.
Although the ancient fire dragon might have attacked the fleet upon seeing it, without the need for the Flame Core, they considered the possibility of two Dragon Knights from the Empire joining the battle. The dragons' innate connection might deter the strange fire dragon from attacking.
Thus, as a precaution, they had arranged for the precious Flame Core.
Additionally, the specific location and sleeping point of this ancient fire dragon had been discovered at great cost and effort.
It was said that this ancient fire dragon, named 'Angus Gold', was notoriously ferocious in ancient times and had a notorious past before disappearing without a trace.
At that moment, in the center of the battlefield in the sky, a pale blue water column, over ten meters in diameter, shot out from a medium-sized airship like a waterfall, striking the strange fire dragon. The attacker was none other than the powerful Federal strongman, Hernandez, who had arrived just as the Battle of Gazrian concluded.
"Sizzle! Sizzle!"
The water column collided violently with the high-temperature surface of the strange fire dragon, instantly creating a steam-filled area within a hundred meters.
The dragon, hit squarely by the torrential water column, was sent flying diagonally in midair, dozens of meters away, and let out a furious roar.
As it flapped its wings to steady its posture, preparing to counterattack, a cross-shaped sword light, several tens of meters long, flashed through the steam-obscured area with lightning speed. The pale blue water column had been a feint, and the true killing move was this sword light.
The attacker was none other than the Federal Saint Swordsman, Tillio.
"Roar!!!"
The strange fire dragon wailed in pain as Saint-Tillio's Transcendent Cross Strike slashed a cross-shaped cut across its lower abdomen. Strangely, not a drop of blood flowed from the wound.
"What the...!" Tillio's face showed surprise.
He was all too familiar with the power of his own killing move.
The tactic he had just discussed with Hernandez was simple yet practical, and it should have inflicted severe damage on the strange fire dragon.
However, the dragon's defense was far stronger than they had anticipated.
Hernandez, a middle-aged man with a goatee, wearing a blue wizard's robe, exclaimed, "Damn! The opponent's defense is too strong."
"Furthermore, now that they're on guard, it'll be difficult to find another opportunity to launch a surprise attack."
"We must contact the Empire immediately and seek the assistance of their Dragon Knights."
On the deck of the Imperial Airship.
Lord Ren narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the cross-shaped cut on the strange fire dragon's skin. Soon, he uncovered its secret.
The dragon's strange appearance was likely due to the constant immersion in magma over the years, which had fused with its scales, forming a unique kind of 'Magma Armor'.
Combined with the protective fire ring on its body, it was no wonder that even a swordsman renowned for his attacking prowess, like Tillio, couldn't finish it off in one strike.
At that moment, the enraged strange fire dragon circled in the air, its vertical pupils fixed on the medium-sized airship where Tillio was located. Instead of approaching, it hovered in the distance, flapping its wings.
Suddenly, a towering flame tornado, over fifty meters high, rushed towards the airship where Tillio was located. Faced with such a powerful attack, Tillio could only dodge frantically, leaping to another airship behind him.
"Boom!"
The medium-sized airship where Tillio had been standing was naturally destroyed by the strange fire dragon's attack.
Thus, the joint tactics of Tillio and Hernandez were completely thwarted.
Meanwhile, the strange fire dragon, infuriated by the Federal fleet's attacks, began to charge through the dense artillery fire of multiple airships.
It would dive down, breaking airships in half, or fly swiftly, using its sharp claws to snap the metal chains of the airship gondolas.
Within half a minute, the Federal Airship Fleet had lost six medium-sized airships.
On the Federal Giant Airship.
The scene before him left Senator Bertrand's face ashen, almost dripping with water.
"Your Excellency, Vice Speaker, both Commander Hernandez and Master Swordsman Tillio have sent urgent messages. The combat power of this strange fire dragon far exceeds expectations, and they are unable to hold it back."
A messenger quickly reported, "Both Masters have requested that you immediately contact the Empire's Dragon Knights for support."
(End of Chapter)
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