Riftrock City – Bloodstone Pass
At the bottom of the canyon, a rift tore through the air as the Godslayer strike team emerged one by one.
A colossal city gate, hundreds of meters tall, loomed between the canyon cliffs. Its golden walls shimmered with a harsh metallic luster, and above it fluttered a battered, bloodstained banner marked with a golden dragon sigil.
The emblem was different from the current Golden House of the Empire. The dragon's eyes were closed, its expression solemn—carrying a heavier, more ancient authority.
Suddenly, an orange light shimmered across the sky.
[No flight allowed below Domain Lord-Class. Aerial creatures forcibly grounded.]
"Who goes there?! Why have you trespassed into Bloodstone Pass?!"
A thunderous voice echoed down as dozens of soldiers appeared atop the golden ramparts.
These NPCs were nothing like standard imperial troops. They wore white headscarves, enchanted grappling gear on their backs, and golden curved scimitars at their hips.
Though only level 60 and marked as Elite-tier, the atmosphere they exuded was anything but average.
"Anti-air barrier... that's gonna be a pain."
Bradley muttered, his hybrid drake wobbling in midair before plummeting to the canyon floor. With practiced ease, he dismounted mid-air, retrieved his mount, and slid down the rocky walls.
He gazed up at the entrance labeled [Bloodstone Pass].
"9 hundred million HP... 50% physical damage reduction? There's no way we're breaking through that. Let's flank and strike from the rear," Slaughter Spree suggested, diving down on his wind dragon. The narrow canyon didn't even faze the agile beast.
"I want a dragon egg too, dammit! Freakin' Dragon Knights…"
Divine Slash cursed as he and his squad were forced to land.
"Should we flank them?"
Wild Gale hovered nearby in his blood-red, wolf-themed Titan Mech, a menacing war machine bristling with weapons.
"Why am I still infantry when I'm this strong?!" Divine Slash grumbled, eyes locked on the mech with envy.
"Jealous much? Only the strong ride mutant dragons, dummy."
Ruby giggled, swinging her massive blade into the cliffside to slow her descent.
Godslayer players piloting Titans were elite mecha gamers. Most high-level combat players didn't touch them since their own stats didn't enhance mech performance.
Putting a top-tier warrior in a mech was usually a waste.
"Yeah, yeah, I know… still jealous," Bradley mumbled.
But his expression turned grim. "No. Riftrock City is a fortress built into a canyon. Behind it? A bottomless abyss. The sides? Lined with dragon-slaying ballistae. Sending in mechs and flyers would be suicide."
Right as he finished—
"Aaaaaugh!!"
They looked up.
"No way—those NPCs have armor-piercing grappling hooks?!"
A dozen iron hooks shot out from the walls, attached to thick ropes. Slaughter Spree, zipping around on his wind dragon, was instantly caught. The hooks tore into his mount's wings.
The more it struggled, the deeper the hooks sank.
"Reel it in! Burn it alive! Let this be a warning to all intruders!" a bearded commander roared.
Massive enchanted winches activated, the ropes thick as a man's arm, yanking the wind dragon up like a hog-tied piñata. It now dangled from the fortress wall.
"Shit! Use Body Domination—now!!" Slaughter Spree panicked.
[Dragonlock Chain Activated!]
[Trait: Wind Dragon Body – Disabled!]
[Mount is trapped! Unable to enter Battle Space!]
The messages popped up one after another, stunning the players.
This was just an obscure regional capital—how the hell did it neutralize a full-blown Dragon Knight?
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Gigantic cauldrons of searing magical oil were wheeled above Slaughter Spree's head. The moment it tipped, he'd be a pile of roast meat.
WHOOSH.
Wild Gale's mech engines screamed. He shot forward, the wolf-headed mech roaring with fury.
His frosted blade shimmered, chilling the air and tearing it apart.
"Incoming!"
The bearded commander spotted the threat and barked an order. Arrows and spell-forged weapons flooded the air toward Wild Gale.
But this was Godslayer's battle tactician. Cold as ice.
He veered mid-air, blasted off a cliff wall, and shot upward like a missile.
He made eye contact with the upside-down Slaughter Spree.
"Get down."
Slaughter Spree didn't ask questions. He ducked and hugged his head.
SWOOSH!
The frost blade sliced through the Dragonlock Chains—just inches from Slaughter's scalp.
Then, with a smooth pivot, Wild Gale raised his magi-burst cannon and fired—
BOOM!
A massive explosion lit up the ramparts, the oil cauldrons shattered mid-air. Fire whooshed skyward.
Slaughter dropped like a stone.
Quick-thinking as ever, he whistled his mount to breathe dragonfire, intercepting the second volley. In one motion, he leapt, grabbed Wild Gale's mech arm, and the two retreated together.
"Wild Gale is so cool!" Ruby squealed.
"Goddamn… I thought Titan Mechs were hard to use. When did this guy get that good?" Bradley was stunned.
Wild Gale opened his helmet with a slight smirk.
"Not bad, huh? I can go 50-50 with Darkbo in fair mode."
"No shit?!" Bradley was floored.
Even among the elite, getting stomped by Darkbo was a rite of passage. Going even with him was legendary.
In Godslayer, Wild Gale and Raven were polar opposites. Gale obsessed over mechanics but hated grinding. Everyone knew if you took him into a dungeon, he'd AFK for strategy analysis or just daydream.
Now, with Nightshade's Gen-3 mech compensating for his stat deficiencies, his raw skill finally had the gear it deserved.
"...Damn, that was close," Slaughter Spree exhaled, drenched in cold sweat.
He didn't care about dying, but if his wind dragon got cooked alive? There'd be no explaining that to the boss.
Bradley rubbed his chin, then grinned.
"Alright boys. Time to pay tribute. Fork over your best gear and gold—for the princess."
"Princess?" Wild Gale blinked.
"For me? Aw, you shouldn't!" Ruby giggled.
Bradley rolled his eyes. "Not you. I meant Her Majesty, the adorable, unstoppable, all-powerful Dragon Empress! She'll grant us entry."
"…You hitting on her or having a stroke?" Ruby deadpanned.
"Minimum 500 gold per head. Chop chop. This quest isn't gonna complete itself," Bradley barked.
Nobody understood what was going on, but orders were orders.
Soon, thousands of gold coins piled up on the canyon floor.
WHOOSH!
"Wait, what the hell just flew past?!"
Divine Slash pointed. "Where'd the money go?!"
A strange voice rang out, childish but commanding:
"My faithful underlings! Since you've offered your wish so sincerely, I shall grant it!"
They all turned, dumbfounded.
A bizarre egg had appeared on Bradley's shoulder. A tiny hand emerged from a crack, grabbing his cloak and stuffing it full of coins.
Then—
"Go, Ignis! I'll shatter the barrier, you tear down the wall! Together we are the Two Beast Kings—Unmatched in Heaven and Earth!"
SQUAAAWK!
A high-pitched chirp.
A fuzzy yellow chick landed on the egg. It looked… like a plushie. The size of a fist, with a fiery red beak and fluffy feathers.
"What... is that?" Divine Slash's jaw dropped.
"A bird and an egg? What kind of cosmic joke is this?"
"It's so cute!!!"
Ruby reached out with sparkling eyes.
"Don't touch it—seriously, DO NOT touch it!"
Slaughter Spree screamed, stumbling back in fear.
"I swear, if you touch that thing, we're all gonna die right here!"