Translator: AnubisTL
The night sky was dyed crimson by the raging flames.
Garos's wings surged with scorching fire as he carved a fiery, comet-like trail across the heavens. Sparks crackled from the friction of his scales against the air, swirling around him like a meteor shower.
He circled once, the flames at the tips of his wings gradually dissipating as he hovered high above, gazing down upon the ogre territory.
As the flames and shockwaves subsided, a scene of utter devastation was revealed: a scorched, shattered landscape.
The ogre territory resembled a battlefield after a relentless bombardment. The ground was pockmarked with countless deep craters, crisscrossed by branching fissures that radiated outward like cracked earth, leaving the entire terrain on the verge of collapse.
One by one, soot-covered ogre warriors staggered to their feet, their bodies blackened by smoke and fire.
Their injuries were relatively minor. The explosions had rarely struck them directly, instead detonating in the surrounding earth. While the resulting flames and shockwaves were formidable, they weren't enough to critically wound the elite ogre warriors.
Even the Gluttonous Demon Karu, whose life force burned like a furnace, rose to his feet.
It emerged from the ruins of its collapsed throne.
Its steel-forged body bore only minor scratches; the explosive scales that hadn't struck it directly had caused minimal damage.
"Ogres, you have invaded my territory and defied my authority," Garos's dragon eyes narrowed, radiating a dangerous glint. "The attack just now was merely a warning."
"Kneel before me, submit to my will, and I will pardon your transgressions and grant you the chance to become my chosen. Or, you will perish in flames, your screams turning to ashes."
The dragonkind's thunderous voice reverberated through the air, reaching the ogres' ears.
The ordinary ogres exchanged nervous glances, their eyes flickering with fear. Still shaken by the earlier bombardment, they found the dragon before them terrifying.
But the elite warriors and sorcerers surrounding the Gluttony Demon Karu showed no fear. They merely turned to their massive, towering leader.
Karu brushed off the dust and gravel, his voice rough and booming. "Your attacks barely tickle me. The Bonechewer Clan will never bow to a weakling dragon."
Garos narrowed his eyes, his dragon wings rising once more.
"You seem to misunderstand the meaning of my warning," he said.
With a sudden shudder, crimson flames erupted from the tips of his crystalline bones like a volcanic eruption.
The red-iron dragon carved a scarlet arc across the night sky, diving toward the Bonechewer Clan.
This time, the ogres were prepared.
Elite warriors heaved nearby boulders onto their shoulders, while others gripped spears or drew back their bows, launching a ground-to-air counterattack.
Giant stones, spears, and arrows soared through the air, hurled and shot at Garos.
The two-headed ogre mage, gifted with dual spellcasting, chanted two different incantations simultaneously, conjuring two distinct spells.
A cloud of gray-black mist spewed from its left mouth, coalescing into an ominous sigil before vanishing into the air. Its right arm rose, crackling with electricity that converged at its fingertips before arcing outward.
Weakness Curse!
Chain Lightning!
The curse locked onto Garos through line of sight, coating his scales with a hazy gray light. But the effect was fleeting, dissipating in an instant.
Dragonkind possessed exceptional curse resistance.
Having adapted to the Cliff Serpent Dragonfire Curse, Garos's curse resistance had significantly increased, rendering him completely immune to ordinary curses.
He gazed down at the stones, spears, and crossbows below.
With a casual flick of his dragon wings, Garos instantly pivoted mid-air amidst a roaring burst of flames, executing a near-ninety-degree turn to evade every projectile. Even the fastest chain lightning could only trail behind him, never coming close to touching him.
"Get down here!" Gluttonous Demon Karu roared, his arm muscles bulging as he hurled a massive metal warhammer like a cannonball at Garos.
Garos spread his dragon wings wide, effortlessly sidestepping the attack with a graceful maneuver.
Though his massive frame might suggest a lack of agility, the evolution of his Heavenly Comet Wings had made his mobility surpass even his raw power.
Air versus ground.
Combined with terrifying speed and explosive bursts of energy, Garos held an absolute advantage.
In the blink of an eye, he streaked across the sky, swooping down again over the Bonechewer Clan.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
The second volley of explosive scales was even denser than the first.
These iron-red, scorching-hot scales tore through the air with piercing shrieks as they rained down upon the ogres once more.
This time, the ogres displayed astonishing tactical prowess.
With a Gluttony Demon among their ranks, the ogre warriors, though still intellectually dull, had gained a sudden understanding of warfare under the Gluttony Demon leader's aura. Their tactical skills had surged exponentially, as if learned instinctively.
The elite warriors swiftly formed a circular defensive formation.
They interlocked their fine steel heavy shields, creating a metallic dome overhead.
Explosive scales slammed into the shields with deafening roars, flames erupted, and the shockwaves sent blood spurting from the noses and mouths of the outermost warriors. Yet the formation held firm.
At the center of the formation stood the ogre mages.
They cast enhancement spells, further amplifying the strength and defenses of the ogre warriors.
"They were caught off guard the first time, but they adapted quickly the second time," Garos observed, his interest in the Bonechewer Clan growing. "These ogres are nothing like the ordinary ones. Look at their custom-fitted equipment—they must have alchemists within the clan. Otherwise, even with abundant metal ore in the wilderness, it would be nearly impossible to forge such weapons and armor without alchemical expertise."
Of course, the primary reason for Garos's interest remained the Gluttony Demon.
All the changes within this clan stemmed from the birth of the Gluttony Demon.
Karu handled the explosive scales with ease, even with a perverse delight.
It opened its massive, blood-red maw and inhaled sharply.
The surging qi created a vortex that sucked in every incoming dragon scale, swallowing them whole!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Muffled explosions rumbled from its stomach, its belly swelling and contracting repeatedly. Finally, Karu let out a series of sulfurous burps, having devoured the flames and shockwaves entirely.
"Not enough, little dragon!" Karu patted its bulging belly, the thumps echoing loudly.
Having successfully countered Garos's second wave of attacks, Karu's confidence soared. It now saw Garos as nothing more than a minor threat.
Garos's expression remained unchanged as it banked sharply, diving into another swift descent.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The third wave of explosive scales crashed into the defensive formation, shaking it violently. Ogre warriors trembled, their skin cracking and bleeding profusely. Blood seeped from their noses and mouths as the shockwaves battered them. The ogre mages' healing and amplification spells couldn't keep up with the relentless barrage.
Before they could catch their breath, the fourth and fifth waves of bombardment rained down in succession, following Garos's soaring flight.
Explosions roared incessantly, sending fiery plumes soaring into the sky like thunderclaps erupting from the ground, each blast resembling a miniature sun rising from the earth.
Lacking effective anti-air defenses, the Bonechewer Clan could only endure the relentless bombardment.
Garos, aiming to subdue rather than annihilate the ogre warriors, carefully controlled the number of explosive scales, preventing the assault from becoming excessively lethal.
Yet even with this restraint, by the seventh wave, many ogre warriors were bleeding from all orifices, their arm bones snapping under the strain. Unable to withstand the onslaught, they were blasted into the air, shattering their defensive formations. The ogre mages at the center, already drained of spiritual and magical energy, collapsed to the ground like limp mud.
Gluttonous Demon Karu's belly bulged round.
Having devoured too many explosions, it had reached its limit.
During the seventh wave, Karu could no longer swallow the explosive scales. Its sluggish movements prevented it from dodging, forcing it to endure the bombardment head-on. The iron-tower-like body was now riddled with sharp scale fragments, its flesh torn and scorched.
(End of the Chapter)
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