Ember Dragon

Chapter 780: A Rainy Night in Green Valley Town
The sky was as dark as leaden gray, covered with dark clouds. The whole world seemed to be swallowed by darkness, and the air was filled with an oppressive mist.

It's going to rain.

Green Valley Town was quiet under the night. The wounded soldiers from the south lay on the cold wooden beds in the church, groaning softly from time to time.

Duke Franz stood outside the church, gazing into the endless darkness in the distance, holding a sword in one hand, his face covered with scars, his expression gloomy and solemn.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he could smell the dangerous smell in the air - the smell of blood, the pungent smoke, and the foul smell of acid.
Duke Franz slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the bishop beside him: "Do you feel it?"

The bishop frowned, and his skinny hand covered with scars, which was holding the Sun Scepter tightly, trembled slightly: "My Lord Duke, you should rest first. Those cultists should not catch up here so quickly."

What the bishop said made sense. Since the great defeat, they had been running day and night for several days in a row. Many soldiers had not slept for more than two days and were exhausted.

Duke Franz shook his head. “I can feel them coming. The beasts lurking in the darkness are eager to devour us.”

The bishop sighed softly and made a prayer gesture: "My lord, I think you are overworked and your nerves have been tense for several days. You are a little too nervous. Please rest assured that His Majesty Amaunator will protect you."

"Boom!"

At this moment, dark clouds in the distance suddenly brightened, followed by dull thunder, interrupting the bishop's words.

Dark clouds rolled in and the rain fell heavily. It seemed that some hideous black shadows appeared in it, like chaotic flying mosquitoes.

"Can't wait any longer—they're coming!"

Duke Franz turned around, threw off his robe, and leaped up. In just a few steps, he arrived at the bronze bell in the center of the town engraved with the holy emblem of Amaunator, and rang it with all his might.

"Boom-"

"咚咚-"

The soldier in the sentry tower suddenly woke up and subconsciously raised his voice, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"

"What? Those scary cultists are coming?"

"Hide quickly! It is said that dragons love to devour young girls and children! They will not let you go!"

The townspeople of Green Valley panicked and rushed into their respective cellars, hid in the corners of their houses, or rushed to the cathedral in the center of the town.

The soldiers who were resting in the church were suddenly awakened and almost instantly picked up the swords, spears, and bows and arrows at hand.

After several days of fleeing and countless killings, these guards had very light sleep patterns. They would be awakened by the slightest movement and would instantly go into combat mode.

"Come on!"

"The bells are ringing! Those damn cultists are coming!"

"Quickly line up and gather at the town square!"

The soldiers rushed out of the church in a hurry, came to the town center in the increasingly heavy rain, and gathered in front of Duke Franz.

At the same time, the baggage train also pulled out their mobile crossbows and catapults that were specially used to deal with dragons and wyverns.

"Boom!"

The dazzling lightning struck, splitting the night, as if tearing a long and narrow scar in the dark night sky.

"My most loyal and brave warriors - those damned cultists are chasing us again."

In the light of lightning, Duke Franz stood in front of the knight statue in the center of the town, raising the shining silver sword.

"They want to destroy our will, kill our bodies, and exterminate all of us rebels! They want to turn the land of Seleucia into a purgatory for humans and a paradise for evil dragons to do whatever they want!"

"Do you want your wives and children to live in a world of uncertainty? Do you want to watch them become food for the evil dragon while you are powerless to resist?!"

These soldiers were originally a little depressed, but after hearing Duke Franz's words, they became slightly more spirited. However, they were still exhausted and just stood in silence in the rain.

The heavy rain poured down, soaking the lining of the armor and making the soldiers feel heavy and bloated.

Duke Franz pointed the exaggerated giant sword to the south, towards the dark shadow hidden in the rolling dark clouds, and roared: "Survival or death is in our own hands, kill-"

"For Amaunator!"

The bishop also raised the Sun Scepter, releasing golden light to dispel the soldiers' fatigue and exhaustion.

These soldiers who had been chasing Duke Franz for thousands of miles in exile finally let out low growls. The tiredness, exhaustion and despair were temporarily cleared at this moment, releasing the anger that had been suppressed for a long time.

"kill--"

The soldiers marched southward in the heavy rain. The spearmen and shieldmen in the front smashed their shields on the ground and formed a tight formation, forming a stubborn steel wall.

The soldiers in the rear loaded their crossbows skillfully, held their breath and aimed at the sky, rain mixed with sweat slid down their cheeks and soaked their clothes.

In the distance, several soldiers drove a carriage, pulling the Seleucid standard crossbow across the muddy road.

Dark clouds rolled in from afar, and there seemed to be chaotic roars mixed in with the thunder, which made people shudder. It also made some soldiers clench their weapons tightly, feeling even more uneasy.

But more soldiers did not move at all, feeling numb. During the thousand-mile escape, they had become accustomed to killing and blood, and were also used to seeing their comrades-in-arms die in front of them.

"Ow—"

A hoarse roar came from the distant sky, and a huge two-legged flying dragon with a dark green body emerged from the rolling dark clouds. On its neck sat a cultist wearing a black robe and a dragon head mask.

Logan Benitez, the Dark Fang, is the most cunning and cruel leader of the Dragon Cult in northwest Seleucia.

“Franz, I never thought that the former Duke would be like a rat without a nest, wandering around with his men - it’s really pathetic.”

Franz raised his head and glared, raised his great sword, and roared with all his might: "It's better than someone like you who betrays humanity and is willing to become a lackey of the evil dragon!"

Logan shook his head and smiled playfully: "Franz, you have been on the run for so long, haven't you realized your fate yet?"

"The great mother of evil dragons will surely rule the world, and you who resist stubbornly won't even have the chance to become a slave! If you kneel down now and beg for mercy, I can consider letting you drink a mouthful of dragon blood and become my servant."

"Don't think about it!"

Franz shouted loudly, picked up the spear and threw it into the sky, causing it to tear through the air and draw a graceful arc in the air.

The cult leader immediately pulled the reins, and the two-legged dragon immediately raised its head and let out a loud roar. The spear brushed past Logan's shoulder, tearing into Logan's black robe and leaving a bloody scar on his left shoulder.

Logan's face suddenly twisted. He raised the dragon head scepter and ordered angrily: "Go, tear them apart!"

"Roar--"

In an instant, dozens of wyverns, pterosaurs, chimeras and other monsters with dirty dragon blood emerged from the dark clouds, roared and swooped down, pouncing on the human soldiers who were ready for battle.

When the monsters were less than a hundred meters away from the defense line, Count Franz raised his great sword and shouted, "Everyone, listen up - shoot!"

In an instant, thousands of soldiers shot arrows at the same time, and dense rain of arrows poured into the sky, instantly piercing the front few monsters into sieves and causing them to fall from the sky.

The dozen or so crossbows also shot out thick arrows, piercing through the wyverns and even stringing together several monsters.

A strange light emanated from the pupils of the dragon head scepter in Logan's hand, and the group of dragon vein monsters became even crazier, fearless of death, and rushed towards the soldiers regardless of everything.

Acid and poisonous water fell from the sky, corroding the soldiers' shields and armor, causing considerable casualties. Only the breath of fire was quite weak in the rain.

In the dense forest not far away, black-robed Dragon Cult monks also rushed out one after another and charged towards them. There were thousands of them. "For the Mother of Dragons!"

"The end is coming, and great dragons will rule the world!"

The dragon vein monsters rushed into the crowd with their fangs and claws bared, and the soldiers waved their swords and stabbed with their spears, fighting hard with them.

"Kill it! Pierce the heart of this damn monster!" the soldier shouted.

"Ow!"

The wyvern let out a wail as several spears stabbed through its chest by the soldiers. However, it struggled hard before dying. One of the soldiers was also pierced by its poisonous tail, spurting blood and losing his life.

Scales flew everywhere, blood and broken limbs flew everywhere, and the rain water flowing on the ground turned red.

"Boom!"

There was another earth-shattering thunder, and the dazzling lightning illuminated Green Valley Town as bright as day. Franz saw Logan not far away at a glance and locked onto him with his sharp eyes.

He raised the greatsword, the tip of the sword glowing in the lightning, and pointed it directly at the cult leader.

"Logan, you have betrayed the trust of His Majesty Aragorn!"

Logan sneered and waved his scepter: "Betray? I am saving Seleucia! When Her Majesty the Dragon Queen returns to the earth, only in this way can the kingdom be saved from disaster!"

"Stop making excuses!"

Franz roared angrily, stomped his feet on the ground and turned into a shadow, jumping thirty or forty meters high.

With a loud bang, the legendary warrior swung the heavy sword, tearing through the night sky and slashing at Logan with terrifying power.

Unlike the average Fadlan warrior, Duke Franz did not accept divine grace, but simply trained his body to the extreme, becoming a human dragon, relying on pure strength to crush his enemies.

Seeing Franz jumping and slashing towards him, Logan did not dare to delay. He raised the dragon-headed scepter, and a faint light burst out from his pupils.

Franz's movements suddenly slowed down, the space around him slowed down, and more than a dozen tiny flying dragon shadows were entwined around his body.

The next moment, pitch-black flames burst out from the dragon-headed scepter and hit Franz's face.

Franz twisted his body in mid-air, but was still hit on the shoulder by the flame. His breastplate was burned through, and a charred scar appeared on his body.

But Franz just gritted his teeth and let out a dull groan. He rolled in the air and continued to swing the two-meter-long sword towards Logan's body.

"Shh-"

With one strike of the sword, the wyvern Logan was riding was split in half. The dirty, filthy blood splashed in the sky, and the broken body fell to the ground.

But Logan himself turned into a hazy black mist, disappeared out of thin air, and appeared in the sky not far away with a hideous smile.

"Franz, you are still as strong as ever, but you are still so stupid that you still can't see the situation clearly."

Franz, his body bathed in dragon blood, landed on the ground with a bang, and stood up with the support of the giant sword. He looked solemnly at his former colleague and now sworn enemy.

Behind the cult leader, black fog was spreading and sweeping across the sky. Something seemed to be about to emerge from it, emitting a majestic aura.

"What on earth is this?" Franz tightly gripped the huge sword, breathing heavily, and his expression suddenly changed after feeling the pressure.

"My Lord Duke, be careful! It's a dragon! A real dragon!"

The bishop not far away shouted a warning.

"Roar--"

With a roar, several terrifying figures flew out of the dark clouds and appeared behind Logan: huge bodies, ferocious claws, broad wings, and dark green scales.
They are dragons, and not those dragon beasts with mottled bloodlines, but real dragons - green dragons among the five-colored dragons!

"Despicable humans!"

"Pathetic lowly creature!"

Along with low roars, more dark green figures appeared behind Logan. Twelve green dragons appeared on this narrow battlefield. The weakest of them was a young dragon, and there was even a huge ancient dragon!

"Howl before the mighty dragon! Tremble under its wings!"

Accompanied by the roar of thunder, the green dragons flapped their wings and flew over the battlefield, casting hideous shadows.

They did not distinguish between friend and foe, and spewed out acid that was strong enough to melt steel from their bloody mouths, instantly turning countless enemies - including the acolytes in their camp - into blood foam.

In the eyes of the proud and cruel green dragon, these acolytes are just disposable consumables and cannot be considered as so-called "allies" at all.

Amid the shrill wails and roars, the defense line of Duke Franz's soldiers was instantly torn apart and turned into chaos.

The four green dragons and the cult leader Logan surrounded Franz. There was a faint light flashing in their vertical pupils, and they looked at the legendary warrior as if he were their prey.

The ancient dragon licked its lips, with poisonous saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth. Its voice was as hoarse and harsh as the friction of metal: "This human is mine."

Franz stared at the giant dragon approaching him with gloomy eyes, gripping the giant sword tightly, ready to fight to the death.

It would be worth it if I could kill these four evil dragons and the traitors of the kingdom at the cost of my life.

Let's end it here, he said to himself, gritting his teeth.

The green dragons in the distance were accumulating acid, moving their claws, and preparing their spell-like abilities, waiting for the ancient dragon's order to kill this human.

Just then, a faint shout was heard from not far away.

"Your Excellency the Duke! Go!"

The old bishop stumbled over, raised the Sun Scepter with all his strength, and released all the remaining divine arts in his body.

The golden light poured out, illuminating Green Valley Town as bright as day, and even the green dragons were momentarily stunned.

"act recklessly."

Soon, the ancient dragon appeared behind the bishop. With the sound of flesh being torn, its bloody claws pierced through the bishop's chest and tore his robe.

"No"

Franz was stunned for a moment and stretched out his hand, wanting to step forward to stop it, but the bishop, whom he regarded as an elder, had already lost his life and was thrown off the claws of the ancient green dragon in disgust.

Soon after, the other three green dragons also pounced at him with their fangs and claws bared. Even though he tried his best, he could only cope with them with difficulty. The claw marks and acid wounds on his body increased more and more.

"boom!"

Franz gasped, clenched his teeth, and used his greatsword to block the green dragon's dive again.

He knew that he would not be able to hold out for long under the wanton attack of the Green Dragon Legion, and his personal guards would be annihilated.

Is it going to end here?
Huge despair filled his heart. Duke Franz was unwilling but powerless. The shadow of the Mother of Dragons always loomed over his head.

Just then, a high-pitched shout came from afar. The voice was particularly prominent even in the sound of the dripping rain, and it made him feel somewhat familiar.

"Duke Franz! I have brought reinforcements! We will fight alongside you!"

(End of this chapter)