Chapter 809
The Bird Dragon Fortress wasn’t just a training ground for Hairan’s Dragon Knights, but also a place where they nurtured and raised their bird dragons.
The Red Legend Tribe chose this place as their next hunting ground, following Zipple’s second-class Magic Tower.
The land where the Bird Dragon Fortress was located, known as the “Quassel Plain,” consisted entirely of Dragon Knights, reserve Dragon Knights, and bird dragons to maintain the unique nature of their training and security.
What the Red Legend Tribe needed was the blood of strong living beings.
From their perspective, the bird dragons and their corpses were easy to obtain and provided excellent nourishment.
The Bird Dragons had value exceeding even the White Wolf Tribe or the Red Tiger Tribe, and the Dragon Knights were no different.
Moreover, in the Red Legend Tribe’s eyes, the Bird Dragon Fortress’s defensive capabilities were laughable.
Just as they had demonstrated during the assault on Zipple’s second-class Magic Tower, the Red Legend Tribe quickly took control of the skies above the Bird Dragon Fortress using the dimensional portal and the fleet’s strength.
The Red Legend Tribe’s red fleet opened fire as soon as they appeared.Suddenly, the bombardments from above turned the entire fortress into a wasteland in a matter of seconds.
The Dragon Knights had no time to prepare for a teleportation-based attack, and there was no proper way to respond.
“How dare they…!”
Thud!
Dante gritted his teeth as he removed the debris and shrapnel raining down from above.
While Dante normally worked at Hairan’s second castle, today he had come to the Bird Dragon Fortress to personally inspect the Dragon Knights.
If Dante hadn’t been present now, the Red Legend Tribe would have effortlessly massacred and plundered, then quietly left the Quassel Plain.
“Are you alright, Patriarch-nim?!”
“I’m fine. Check on the young knights and bird dragons!”
“Yes!”
“Immediately rescue them and take them to a safe place. They are incapable of facing the enemy. Also, send the fastest Dragon Knight to Hairan’s second castle and inform them of this situation.”
“Understood!”
The nearby knights dispersed, removing the debris from the collapsed meeting room.
Although an indescribable and deep rage arose within Dante, he maintained his composure and stepped out. Over a hundred warships of the red fleet surrounded the fortress.
The people in the central hall with Dante were all high-ranking Dragon Knights.
They hadn’t suffered any significant damage from the first bombardment, but it was a different story for the young Dragon Knights and the bird dragons on the other side.
The Dragon Knights’ Commander, Calamine, was absent, and all the elite Dragon Knights had been dispatched throughout the Empire.
Dante could see the bodies of the dead Dragon Knights and bird dragons nearby, and he could hear the screams of his subordinates. With a calm and sharp gaze, Dante unsheathed his sword, observing the Red Legend Tribe’s flagship.
‘Could this be the Red Legend Tribe that Jin mentioned? Not only are they strong in their fleet. There must be a skilled individual with transcendent powers among their passengers.’
Dante instinctively felt this fact.
The commander of the Red Legend Tribe’s fleet surrounding the fortress was Drek Hon.
Drek Hon was the leader of the Red Legend Tribe and the newly awakened Great King of Battle. Moreover, he had almost completely recovered his power, unlike Rakiman.
“Isn’t that human known as the Sword Emperor in the human world? His appearance and aura match. Compatriot Henji, why is this individual here?”
“I apologize, Compatriot Drek. Currently, Dante Hairan is the leader of the Empire, so we couldn’t accurately determine his whereabouts.”
“I see, I understand. So, I will make you understand that from now on, you will be an immortal warrior under my will.”
Before Henji could respond, Drek grabbed his head.
“Ack, no, aaargh…!”
In an instant, Henji’s massive body transformed into a withered state, as if his body was turning into branches.
The blood that came out of his body transformed into red particles and was absorbed by Drek’s hand.
Thud!
At the sound of the Light Heart falling to the ground, the Red Legend Tribe members tensed.
“Open the bridge. I have a proposal for the Sword Emperor.”
As the flagship’s bridge opened, Dante could see Drek’s appearance.
Drek looked down at Dante with narrowed and intrigued eyes.
“Sword Emperor, I am Drek Hon, the Great King of Battle of the Red Legend Tribe. I will give you a chance. Abandon this pitiful fortress and flee immediately. If you do, I will not take your life today. We will take enough blood and return, while you can plan for the future.”
Dante wanted to immediately go up and kill Drek, but he kept his mouth shut to buy some time.
This way, the scattered knights could take care of the injured young knights and bird dragons.
Drek saw through Dante’s intention and smiled.
“Losing a few seconds like this won’t change the fact that all the humans here will become our nourishment.”
The Sword Emperor’s Secret Technique, Celestial Flash.
As Drek finished speaking, Rashid emitted a burst of light.
A giant sword energy swept towards the entire front of the red fleet.
However, Drek didn’t exert any power himself.
Only relying on the fleet’s shields, he blocked Dante’s attack.
Both Drek’s own strength and the fleet’s performance and firepower were incomparable to when Rakiman attacked Kinzelo’s third branch.
“So, this is your answer. You truly live up to the name of the Sword Emperor, possessing an exceptional sword. I would love to fight you personally… But I am not here for a duel; it’s an invasion. A pity.”
As the bridge closed, Drek’s figure disappeared. Dante roared and unleashed consecutive Celestial Flash attacks, but the fleet’s shield only emitted more red light in response.
The red fleet’s shield was impressive, but it couldn’t withstand Dante’s attacks indefinitely.
However, the problem was that Dante didn’t have control of the battlefield. The red fleet had complete dominion in the skies, capable of attacking the entire fortress, while Dante had to protect the Dragon Knights and bird dragons and fight.
The bombardment began again.
A fierce barrage with red lightning bolts was trampling the Bird Dragon Fortress.
‘I can’t save them all.’
Dante had to admit that he couldn’t save everyone with his current abilities.
Perhaps accepting Drek’s proposal and fleeing would be the wisest option.
After all, Drek didn’t want to fight Dante to the point of losing his strength; he just wanted to gather prey and leave.
However, Dante was comforted by the fact that him coming to the Bird Dragon Fortress today was the first fortunate thing out of several misfortunes.
The second was that Dante wasn’t alone.
Suaak…!
Creak!
Suddenly, explosions erupted in the upper left airspace of the Red Legend Tribe’s encirclement.
Someone had attacked the rear of the fleet gathered there.
Until now, the Red Legend Tribe had concentrated their power on the front shields to block Dante’s attacks, leaving the rear relatively vulnerable.
No matter how formidable the Red Legend Tribe’s warships were, they couldn’t withstand the blow of one of the surface’s strongest humans.
The Red Legend Tribe hastily deployed rear shields, but they had already lost two ships.
“…I should have asked about that human before offering Compatriot Henji the honor of immortality.”
Drek sighed as he looked at the left fleet.
“This time, it’s Hedo, a key member of the Vamel Alliance.”
Hedo.
After hearing the news of the attack on Zipple’s second-class Magic Tower, Jin sent Hedo to the Empire.
He considered it unreasonable for Dante to solely defend the Empire until they could figure out the Red Legend Tribe’s attack patterns and find proper countermeasures.
“From now on, all ships except the flagship concentrate their fire on the Sword Emperor and Hedo. I will take care of the fleeing prey. The flagship must maximize its energy production. I will personally amplify the lightning energy. Today, we will take care of one of them before we leave.”
The bombardment that had been falling on the entire fortress now began to focus on the two.
Thanks to this, it seemed like the young knights and bird dragons could evacuate more easily.
However, it only lasted for a moment.
As soon as Drek connected his own illuminated heart to the energy source, the flagship “Barion’s” firepower increased.
Wings deployed on both sides of Barion, and ferocious lightning bolts appeared.
Although Dante and Hedo hadn’t yet experienced the Red Legend Tribe’s fleet properly, they instinctively felt danger.
So, they didn’t stop the young Dragon Knights from flying.
They thought that flying together on bird dragons and escaping would be the best way if the two could block the bombardment.
However, the red lightning bolts attached to Barion’s wings instantly spread across the sky of the Quassel Plain, causing the bird dragons to crash.
The sky covered by Barion’s lightning bolts was like a volcanic area. It possessed the attribute of annihilating all objects in the air, similar to the Red Giant Linked Barrier of the imperial special task force.
Of course, it was much more powerful than the Red Giant Linked Barrier used by the imperial special forces.
“Kiaaah!”
“Kiiik…!”
The bird dragons turned to ash and fell to the ground.
The reserve knights riding them also turned to ash.
Dante suppressed the feeling of helplessness that arose within him and swung his sword towards the flagship.
However, he couldn’t close the distance against the rain of bombardment.
Aside from Barion, all the other ships were pressing Dante and Hedo.
The Dragon Knights who had to retreat had no choice but to jump.
The bird dragons ran while continuously spitting, and even Barion opened fire as if it couldn’t tolerate their escape.
In a way, there was no path for the Dragon Knights to escape, neither in the sky nor on the ground.
“Sword Emperor! At this rate, the Dragon Knights will be completely annihilated.”
Hedo stood beside Dante and shouted.
“Sir Hedo.”
“That means you have to protect the formation while escaping the battlefield. Hurry to Hairan’s second castle and call Jin through the communication device as soon as possible. Until then, I will keep these bastards tied up alone.”
If he couldn’t abandon all the Dragon Knights, then that was the best option.
However, Dante believed that the most dangerous role should naturally be taken by himself.
Those who remained at the Bird Dragon Fortress now undoubtedly faced a life-or-death situation.
This place belonged to the Empire, it was Hairan’s territory, and Dante is Hairan’s patriarch.
“…I would rather stay. Please, Sir Hedo, go!”
“No, you are strong, but you are also fragile.”
“What about that? It’s only right that Sir Hedo leaves.”
“No matter what, Sword Emperor, do you think you’re tougher than me? If I get hurt, I can simply be treated and be fine, but if you die, that will shake the entire Empire. So, there’s no time for this. Go and call Jin! If you refuse, I will cut you in half before the Red Legend Tribe or whoever does. I’m serious.”
At Hedo’s firm attitude, Dante finally had no choice but to nod.
“…Alright, I understand. I will not forget this favor, Sir Hedo.”
After confirming that Dante was retreating, Hedo looked at the Red Legend Tribe.
“Ugh, it’s tight. Well, then, let’s see how long I can hold out.”