Evil Red Dragon

Chapter 80 Suppression

Unable to locate the Red Dragon, Linus had no choice but to launch a preemptive strike, organizing his forces to cooperate with Andre in clearing out the surrounding monsters.

Most of the professionals in Graystone Town were employed by Linus, while the Silverwing Knights refused to participate in the cleanup operation, citing security concerns.

They assembled a large force in front of the city gate.

Three hundred church members stood in neat rows, wearing half-plate armor with the Holy Symbol of Light engraved on their breastplates and holding standard weapons.

Although not as dazzling as the full heavy armor of the Holy Light Knights, their uniform equipment and well-trained demeanor still reassured the onlookers.

The Holy Knights stood at the very front of the formation.

A hundred knights stood still like statues, their heavy armor reflecting a dazzling luster in the sunlight.

He lowered his mask, revealing only the slits of his eyes, which shone with unwavering faith.

Their mounts were blessed sacred warhorses, several times larger than ordinary horses, plopping their feet with a deep, resonant thud.

Andrei rode his warhorse at the very front of the knights.

He wasn't wearing a helmet, and his gaze was fixed on Linus on the high platform.

Linus stood on the high platform, dressed in a red bishop's robe, and used amplification magic to broadcast his message throughout the open space: "Children of the God of Light!"

The noise disappeared instantly.

"Evil is breeding on this land. Monsters rage, threatening our homes. And dragon-blooded monsters lurk in the shadows, coveting our lives!"

Linus's tone grew increasingly impassioned: "But today, we will no longer be afraid!"

"Today, we will take the initiative!"

"Under the protection of the God of Light, and with the sword of the Holy Knights, we will sweep away all threats and bring true peace to Graystone Town!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

The merchants applauded enthusiastically; they most wanted to see the threat eliminated so that trade routes could be completely secure.

The ordinary townspeople cheered along with the knights, although most of them did not understand the specific significance of the operation, but the knights' imposing lineup did give them a sense of security.

Only a few people remained silent.

Marcus and his adventurers stood at the edge of the city gate, their expressions relaxed.

Linus offered high commissions; each person would receive 50 gold coins for every raid they participated in, with additional rewards for killing important targets.

"For the gold coins."

Marcus whistled as he spoke to his deputy beside him.

The two exchanged a smile. Ronan stood not far behind Linus, a professional smile on his face, but a hint of worry in the depths of his eyes.

He looked to the other side, where the representative of the Silverwing Knights stood, coldly observing everything.

The Silver Knights made it clear that they would not participate in the extermination, citing the need to protect Her Highness the Princess's property and maintain order within the town.

This excuse was convincing, but no one dared to question it.

Ronan knew the real reason.

Elena didn't want the church to use the cleanup operation to expand its influence in Graystone Town, and she didn't want the Holy Light Knights to establish their merits here.

Therefore, the Silver Knights chose to remain neutral, neither contributing nor sharing the credit.

"A smart woman."

Ronan thought to himself.

But he didn't have time to think about it, because Linus had finished his speech, and Andrei raised his arm and gave the order to set off.

"In the name of light!"

Andrei's voice resonated like a great bell.

"Set off!"

Three hundred church soldiers were the first to set off, their footsteps moving in unison, the rustling of their armor creating a deep rumble.

Next came the Holy Knights, their warhorses moving with steady steps, their hooves thundering.

Finally, there were the hired adventurers and mercenaries, a disorganized but menacing group.

The procession marched out of the city gate in a grand procession and headed north along the main road.

Their first target was the dire wolf pack to the northwest.

Northwest valley.

The dire wolf pack sensed danger; as magical beasts, dire wolves possess a considerable degree of intelligence.

As the human group approached, the wolf pack began to stir restlessly.

The Dire Wolf King stood on high ground, its pupils fixed on the direction where the dust was rising.

It is over five meters long and two and a half meters tall at the shoulder, and its body is covered with scars from battles.

It could sense that the approaching enemy was strong and numerous.

But it had no other choice but to flee.

This valley has been the territory that the wolf pack has cultivated for decades. It has dens that they have dug, food that they have stored, and newborn cubs that live there.

Abandoning territory means starting all over again, and in the wilderness, that often means death.

"Awoo~"

The Dire Wolf King roared to the sky.

The valley echoed with the howls of wolves, and more than a hundred dire wolves rushed out of their caves and gathered around their leader.

They bared their teeth, growling in their throats, and scratched the ground restlessly with their front paws.

They are ready for battle.

Meanwhile, outside the valley.

Andrei raised his arm, and the line stopped.

"According to intelligence, there are a little over a hundred dire wolves here, including one level five, three level four, and the rest are level three."

He calmly repeated, "The danger level is very high. It has been entrenched here for the past 10 years and is difficult to clear out—"

Linus, riding a chestnut warhorse, nodded upon hearing this: "Indeed, how does Your Excellency intend to attack?"

"Completely crush them."

Andrei was straightforward: "Dire wolves lack ranged attack capabilities; swarm charges are their only tactic. And swarm charges are exactly what I excel at dealing with."

He turned to the knights behind him: "First squad, shield wall formation, advance fifty paces and hold your ground."

Twenty knights dismounted and stepped forward, forming two rows at the entrance to the valley, raising their massive tower shields.

The edges of the shield fit together, instantly forming a steel wall.

"Third squad, prepare for Holy Impact."

The other twenty knights raised their lances, and holy light began to gather at the tips of the lances.

Linus also ordered, "Church forces, spread out on both flanks and use crossbows for ranged suppression."

Three hundred church soldiers quickly spread out to both sides, taking off the light crossbows from their backs and loading them with specially made armor-piercing bolts.

"Adventurer party, protect the flanks and prevent the wolves from flanking us."

Marcus and his adventurers gripped their weapons, watching the hillsides on either side of the valley with bated breath.

Everything is ready.

Andrei drew his longsword from his waist; the blade, bathed in holy light, hummed.

"In the Name of Light I"

The voice echoed through the valley: "Purification begins!"

The Dire Wolf King heard the voice.

It cannot understand human language, but it can sense the murderous intent and the repulsive sacred aura contained in the words.

"Awoo!"

The Dire Wolf King let out an attacking howl.

More than a hundred dire wolves activated simultaneously, surging towards the valley entrance like a gray tide.

They are incredibly fast, leaping nimbly between rocks and bushes, kicking up clouds of dust.

The ground is shaking.

If it were an ordinary army, it would likely collapse the moment it made contact with a beast tide of this size.

But the Holy Light Knights are not an ordinary army.

"Stay calm."

Andrei's voice rang in the ears of every knight.

The knights in the front row leaned forward slightly, shifting their weight forward.

Their mounts were rigorously trained and remained motionless even in the face of a horde of beasts.

Fifty steps.

Forty steps.

Release every thirty steps!

Linus gave the order.

Hundreds of crossbow bolts were fired simultaneously, tracing dense parabolic arcs through the air before falling into the wolf pack.

Puff puff puff—

The sounds of arrows piercing flesh were continuous.

More than twenty dire wolves at the forefront fell instantly, their bodies pierced by armor-piercing crossbow bolts, howling and rolling on the ground.

But the dire wolves behind them trampled over the corpses of their companions and continued their charge.

Twenty steps.

"Holy Impact—Fire!"

Twenty beams of holy light shot out from the tip of the lance, forming a beam of light one meter in diameter in the air, which blasted into the center of the wolf pack.

boom!

The pillar of light exploded, and holy light spread in all directions.

The dire wolves within range didn't even have time to scream before their bodies vanished in the holy light.

Vacuum zones appeared at the epicenter of the explosion, where there was nothing but charred ground.

One strike, and at least thirty dire wolves vanished.

The Dire Wolf King's pupils contracted sharply.

It realized that these enemies were unlike any humans it had ever encountered before.

But there was no turning back.

Ten steps.

"Collide!"

Andrei gave the order.

The front-row knights exerted their strength simultaneously, pushing the tower shield forward with tremendous force.

The shield wall clashed with the beast horde.

Boom! ! !

The front row of dire wolves crashed into the shield, their skulls shattered and their cervical vertebrae broken.

But their charge was too powerful; the dire wolves behind pushed the corpses in front, continuing to press against the shield wall.

The knights' arm muscles were bulging, and their veins were standing out.

The tower shield groaned and creaked under immense pressure, but remained completely still.

The tower shields of the Holy Knights are not made of ordinary steel, but of an alloy mixed with a small amount of mithril, and are also enchanted with a sturdy effect.

Each shield weighed two hundred kilograms, but in the hands of the knights, they were as light as a feather.

"Push it back."

Andrei calmly gave the order.

The knights shouted in unison, and holy light surged from their bodies, pouring into their shields.

The surface of the shield wall lit up instantly, and a powerful recoil force erupted.

boom!

The corpses of the dire wolves in the front row were blasted away, and the dire wolves behind were also pushed backward and staggered.

Right at this moment!

"charge!"

Andrei pointed his longsword forward.

The knights in the rear charged out on horseback, splitting into two groups, sweeping past the shield wall on both sides, and attacking the flanks of the wolf pack.

The lance thrust out, and holy light shone forth.

Each shot pierced the dire wolf's skull, killing it instantly.

The knights' teamwork was impeccable; they never ventured alone, always in groups of three, covering for each other.

The dire wolves tried to fight back, but their claws and teeth could hardly tear through the knight's defenses.

Even if a dire wolf occasionally leaps up to pounce on a knight, it will be kicked away by their mount or pierced by their companion's lance.

This is a massacre.

A one-sided, crushing massacre.

The Dire Wolf King couldn't stand it any longer.

It let out an angry roar, leaped down from the height, and pounced straight at Andrei.

As a level six magical beast, its speed far exceeded that of an ordinary dire wolf, almost turning into a gray afterimage.

Andrei had been waiting for it for a long time.

The moment the Dire Wolf King pounced, he instantly activated the spell enchanted on his longsword.

"Divine Binding".

Chains of light stretched out from the void and tightly bound the Dire Wolf King's limbs.

The Dire Wolf King struggled incessantly, the chains creaking as they tightened, but they held it firmly in place.

Andrei spurred his horse forward, raising his longsword high.

Holy light gathered on the blade, growing brighter and brighter until it finally transformed into a blade of light.

"Supreme Saint's Slash".

The light blade slashed down.

The Dire Wolf King tried to hide, but the chains restricted its movement.

It could only raise its front paws in an attempt to block.

laugh!

The light blade sliced ​​through the Dire Wolf King's forepaws, its neck, and its chest without any hindrance.

The Dire Wolf King's body froze in place.

Its body splits apart from the midline and falls to both sides.

The incision was smooth and clean; the blood evaporated before it could even spurt out.

A level 5 Dire Wolf King, killed in one hit.

With their leader dead, the remaining dire wolves collapsed.

They turned and fled, darting into the depths of the valley.

But the crossbow bolts from the church's armed forces and the lances of the knights did not stop, continuing to reap lives.

The battle ended 15 minutes later.

The valley was filled with a strong smell of blood and burnt food.

Of the more than one hundred dire wolves, fewer than ten managed to escape; the rest all turned into corpses.

No one in the Holy Light Knights was killed; only three knights sustained minor injuries, which were treated and are now out of danger.

No one in the adventurer party died, but many of them were injured.

"Clean up the battlefield."

Andrei ordered: "Collect any valuable materials, burn the bodies. Search the valley carefully; there may still be cubs."

The knights began to carry out the orders methodically.

Linus rode up to Andrei's side, a satisfied smile on his face: "Clean and efficient, as expected of the Holy Light Knights."

"Just routine operations."

Andrei sheathed his longsword, his tone calm: "The dire wolf pack is just an appetizer; the real test is yet to come."

"certainly."

Linus expressed his understanding: "Caution is a virtue. I will intensify intelligence gathering, and at the same time—"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes: "We can also test them."

"A test?"

"right."

Linus smiled and said, "Continue to eliminate other magical beast forces, advancing step by step towards the northeast. If that red dragon truly exists, it won't stand idly by while its territory is threatened. When the elimination reaches a certain point, it will definitely react."

"At that time, we will know just how powerful it really is."

39

Andrei pondered this plan.

Taking a step-by-step, steady approach while applying pressure to force the opponent to reveal themselves is indeed a sound strategy.

"Can."

He finally nodded: "What's the next target?"

"A horde of ghouls."

Linus was prepared: "Those ghouls have taken over a large iron mine. Clearing them out will provide us with ore resources for our subsequent city-building plans."

"Ghoul————"

Andrei recalled the information about this monster.

"This evil must be eradicated!"

"Take a two-hour break, then head to the next destination."

"yes!"

The messenger relayed the order.

The team began to rest, treat the wounded, and replenish their strength.

The knights dismounted to rest, but remained vigilant, not removing their armor.

Marcus sat on a rock, wiping the blood from his battle axe. His second-in-command came over and handed him a water bag.

"Commander, this money is... a bit too easy."

The deputy said in a low voice.

Marcus took a sip of water and wiped his mouth: "Isn't it good?"

"As you've seen, the Holy Knights' combat strength—they don't need people like us at all—"

The deputy didn't finish speaking, but the meaning was clear.

Adventurers excel at small-scale battles and exploration, but are not suited for direct combat.

When dealing with the dire wolves, they were only responsible for flanking maneuvers and did not engage in direct combat.

However, if they face an enemy of the Dragonborn's caliber, they are likely to be used as cannon fodder.

Marcus remained silent for a moment.

"I know."

He said in a low voice, "But we've already accepted the mission. If we back out now, not only will we not get paid, but we'll also offend the church. We won't be able to stay in Graystone Town anymore."

"That----"

"Act according to the situation."

A sly glint flashed in Marcus's eyes: "When it really comes down to it, let's be smart. If we can win, we'll fight; if we can't—survival is the priority. Gold coins are great, but you need to be alive to spend them."

The deputy nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.

Just then, an adventurer rushed over: "Captain, we've found something!"

"What?"

"Deep in the valley is a cave, and inside—there are dire wolf cubs."

Marcus's eyes lit up.

Dire wolf cubs can fetch a good price on the black market, especially those with the potential to break through to level four. After being tamed, they can be used as summoned beasts and mounts.

How many?

"Two, about 6 months old."

"It's out!"