As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

Just one person is enough to determine the success or failure of the battle, and here, the First Prince's strength is far above that of an ordinary Sequence 5.

Since the war began, the number of dragons killed by the scorching fire fists has already exceeded two palms.

Every time the dragons attacked, as long as Natsu was in the front, he was able to intercept the torrent of attacks under the raging flames.

With a casual punch, the several-meter-tall flying dragon fell miserably, like a rag doll pierced by charcoal fire, burning in flames. The ferocious dragons retreated back to the city walls like frightened birds, not daring to approach.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the soldiers regrouped and formed a second line of defense under the city gate, waiting for an opportunity to recapture the gate, as they had done several times before.

But this time, they were not so lucky.

Frosty meteors streaked past, carrying with them the fiery red magic barrier, piercing through the city wall as if it were just a paper prop.

Natsu's face darkened and he raised his hand and punched.

The ice-blue frost mist and the crimson heavy fist collided in mid-air, and the biting cold and the scorching heat wave spread everywhere, just like the extreme winter and summer colliding in one breath. Neither the Lionheart Knight nor the Dragon's offspring could withstand this force, and retreated quickly to avoid being caught up in it.

In the high-temperature steam mixed with blood, Frostclaw's figure appeared first and flew high into the sky.

"Being able to take my blow is pretty good for an ant."

On the other side of the fog, the flames on Natsu's body became much smaller, and his strong right arm was stained with a deep layer of coldness.

Although he was still standing, large amounts of blood were gushing out of his mouth.

The outcome is clear at a glance.

"Asshole, if His Highness was in his prime, how could a piece of shit like you possibly be his opponent?!"

The knights cursed and could not endure the humiliation.

Since the beginning of the war, Naz has been protecting civilians as they retreated to the southern fortress. He always led the troops and stayed up almost all night to keep the entire fortress running and consolidate its defenses. During this period, he experienced bloody battles of all sizes and suffered countless old injuries. However, due to lack of medicine, he did not even have time to bandage them, and new scars were added.

For a long time, the question of who was the strongest in the kingdom under the Lionheart King, the First Prince or the Iron-Blooded Marquis, had been a hot topic among people.

The knights believed that if Natsu was in his prime, he might have a chance of winning even against a pure-blooded dragon.

However, there is no if in reality.

"You humans are always so stubborn. You refuse to accept reality even when death is imminent."

"A mouse armed to the teeth is nothing but cat's bait, just like no matter how hard you struggle, you are nothing but ants under my feet!"

Frostclaw laughed wildly towards the sky. Following that, countless dragons responded with the same laughter, a humiliation from the victor to the loser.

But the bloody prince raised the corner of his mouth, showing a hint of unruly.

"It's just a battle. It's too early to draw conclusions now."

Recalling a certain petite figure and a certain black-haired knight he had only heard of but never seen, Natsu's mouth softened, his eyes brimming with determination. "The flame of the kingdom will not be extinguished. Even if we fall here, those who come after us will carry on our will and move forward."

"Laugh as much as you can, even at this temporary victory. But one day, the knights of the kingdom will avenge us. When you look back on this day, you won't even have the chance to cry."

The smile gradually disappeared from Frostpaw's face.

The turbid blue vertical beams took on a sinister air, and a chilling wind surged with their breath, like a sudden plunge from spring into a bitterly cold winter.

"Ants always have wishful thinking."

"Hmph, I'll tell you this out of kindness. Your messenger has been badly injured. There's no way he'll survive and deliver the letter to the south."

"I know you have a sister, Charlotte Rinehart."

"But even if she comes, what can she do?!"

Natsu spat out blood and glared back, "She can do better than me and ruin your ambitions!"

"Idiot's dream!"

Along with the unbridled laughter, the roar of a giant dragon rang out.

The cold currents converged, bringing down the strongest blow condensed from the power of the dragon bloodline in one breath, [Dragon Breath].

The knights proudly raised their swords, turned into moths flying in the fire, and spared no effort to use their lives as the final charge.

Natsu moved forward resolutely, burning up his last bit of strength, clenching his unfrostbitten left fist, stirring the blood in his lion heart, and blasting out a blow as hot and dazzling as lava.

Although he knew that he would die, he lived up to the title of a king and the responsibility of a transcendent, and fought to the end.

But, if I must say, I still feel a little regretful that I couldn't witness my sister's happiness with my own eyes.

Natsu had this thought for no reason.

Until the lightning fell.

The surging and sharp roar was very similar to the roar of a dragon, but it was definitely not of the same kind as the dragon clan.

Because dragon scales shattered and frost claws wailed.

A large amount of frozen blood was splattered, and the arrogant Frost Dragon fell.

Above the setting sun, the golden-winged griffin howled towards the sky, and the black-haired knight swung his sword indifferently, spilling a pool of dragon blood.

Chapter 37: One Punch Shatters Dragon Scales

Loud cries rang out one after another, the griffins with sharp teeth and claws stirred up a bloody storm, and the griffin knights holding sharp blades drew swords and sabers from the sky. The dragons that should have been arrogant could only wail for a while.

At the same time, a supernatural aura began to stir. First, it became a flame, then a spark, and finally, it transformed into a huge crimson magic circle, enveloping the entire group of dragons from above.

If the Griffin Knight is the best Ranger, the Red Mage is the best Gunner.

The Griffin Knight acts as the vanguard, providing coordinates, and the Red Mage in the rear conducts long-range attacks. This simple coordination is deadly enough.

No one expected that such a terrifying magician would explode out of thin air.

Densely packed flying dragons were engulfed and burned by the flames. If they wanted to escape, they had to move forward, and what awaited them was the sharp blade of the Griffin Knight.

Amidst the flashes of swords, the exploding flames, and the burning and withering dragons falling like rain, the scarlet griffin flapped its wings and descended, and the red-haired princess stood proudly in the sky stained red by blood and fire.

And when that gorgeous and proud figure like Hua Yan appeared in their sight, no defender could resist cheering.

"Your Highness the Queen!"

"It's the princess who came to save us!"

"Long live the kingdom, long live His Highness!"

The reinforcements led by the princess rekindled the flame of hope that had once been extinguished.

The defenders of the fortress burst out with a will stronger than when they were determined to die, re-entered the battlefield, and cooperated with the magicians and griffin knights to force the dragons back.

Looking at the familiar figure, tinged with a somewhat unfamiliar determination, Natsu laughed heartily, ecstatic: "You asked me what she could do when she came? Now you see it!"

Frostpaw's face looked extremely ugly.

The dragon's eyes stood up and it stood up almost instantly, wishing to tear the arrogant prince into pieces.

However, before he could take this step, an invisible pressure struck the depths of his soul like a heavy hammer, making him unable to move.

And this pressure actually came from the human in front of him—the black-haired knight who dared to injure him.

"Could you please not interfere with my prince's appearance?"

The griffin landed and strolled slightly. Roy twirled his sword and smiled leisurely, "A villain should be aware of his own villainy. Disrupting the protagonist's appearance will only make your death even more awful."

"Arrogant ant! It was just a sneak attack, do you really think you can defeat me?!"

Frost Claw roared angrily, and the terrifying frosty wind blew up again.

The cold and extraordinary waves blew away the magic circle and forced the Griffin Knight to retreat. If a mortal faced this power directly, he would only be frozen.

The pure-blooded dragon stood like a towering mountain, blocking the counterattack of the kingdom's knights.

Roy's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes became sharper.

His other attributes are a bit troublesome, but with [Avoid Cold], and being of Sequence 5, he is not as cold as Jon Snow at this level, so he is not to be feared at all.

"That's not enough? Are you blowing me dry?"

"Arrogant ant, you're courting death!"

The dragon claws lit up and the sword blade was raised high.

But at this moment, a soft call sounded.

"and many more."

Frost and snow fell and turned into steam in the flames.

The originally icy air instantly warmed up and even turned into a scorching wind.

The red-haired princess leaped past Roy and walked straight forward.

"Leave this guy to me."

"You don't need to do anything. I can handle it. And..."

Royals in high positions don't have to put themselves in danger at all. As a sworn knight, how could Roy not take this into consideration?

"I believe you." Charlotte turned her head and smiled slightly.

Then, looking back at the dragon in the distance, Charlotte's expression suddenly darkened: "But I'm very angry now."

Just a glance.

The ruined fortress, the miserable people, the tragic death of soldiers, and the wounded relatives. Although she was mentally prepared, the sight of her hometown in the chaos of war still made Charlotte's heart tremble violently.

Now was not the time to dwell on grief, so she could only feel anger, an anger that almost made her heart burst.

"Can you let me be willful for a moment? Because I really can't help but want to teach these lizards a lesson."

Looking at the clenched fist and the high temperature that was enough to distort the air, Roy could only smile bitterly.

Whatever.

Protecting the princess's safety is certainly a knight's code of conduct, but men should occasionally accommodate a girl's mood.

"Go ahead. I'll cover for you, but if there's any real danger, I'll kill that thing."

"Thanks a lot."

Charlotte nodded slightly.

On the other side, Frost Claw was almost cracked and extremely angry.

Being left aside, they casually chatted about who would take charge, as if it were just a beast that the princess could vent her anger on, something they could kill whenever they pleased! When had Frostpaw ever suffered such humiliation?!

The unprecedented dragon roar was so loud that even the thick city walls trembled.

"Do you really think you can defeat me? And you're even offering a backup? Even arrogance has its limits! You're nothing but ants, slaves and food for my dragon clan! Prepare to face the storm, ants!"

The frost dragon attacked, like the coldness falling and the comet falling, with a terrifying momentum.

However, a dark golden light flashed in one of the boy's eyes.

The heavy pressure came again, causing Frostclaw's movements to freeze again.

In a duel between mid-level transcendents, just a moment of distraction is enough to decide the outcome.

The red-haired princess threw a punch, as if a long-accumulated volcano finally erupted. The crimson light and rolling flames caught the attention of everyone present. This terrifying blow tore through the cold wind and broke through the dragon scales, like an unstoppable crimson line, straight through Frost Claw's body.

Blood, dragon scales, and scorching magma mixed and scattered, like a grand fireworks display of blood and fire.

At this moment, the knight stood there in shock, the dragon's eyes widened, and everyone was frightened by this terrifying blow and froze in place.

And the question that had been bothering Roy for a long time finally got an answer.

It turns out Charlotte can really break dragon scales...

Looking at the dragon corpse that was deeply embedded in the city wall and had its belly ripped open, Roy's mouth couldn't stop twitching.

--------

The dragons retreated.

Once the leader died, the dragons would lose all will to fight. Especially after witnessing Charlotte's attack, which was not something an ordinary Sequence 6 could deliver, no dragon would dare to die.

As soon as Roy and others learned about the intelligence of the southern fortress, they rushed to support, leaving behind the slow-moving logistics troops.

It was not until the next night that the magicians, clergy, and logistics troops finally arrived.

The refugees in the fortress cried for joy, and the soldiers cheered loudly.

Food, weapons, medical supplies. The reinforcements brought everything they needed. Although they couldn't rest easy, they at least solved their urgent needs.

Most importantly, the appearance of reinforcements means that the kingdom has not given up on them and there is still hope for a turnaround in the war. This is the most precious shot in the arm for the people of the kingdom.