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"Help—"

"Don’t eat me!"

The routed soldiers of the "Honor Legion" had fled to the central army, pursued by the relentless tide of goblins and kobolds.

"Please, save me!"

The elite soldiers of the "Talons of the Eagle" stood motionless, watching coldly as these defeated troops were slaughtered. Holding their spears and keeping their shields firmly in formation, they maintained an unbroken wall of defense.

"Attack!"

Robert issued the command.

The horn sounded, and the shield-spearmen advanced in precise steps, moving like a single, well-coordinated wall, gradually closing in.

The wave of goblins and kobolds crashed against this wall.

Shields blocked the assault, and spears stabbed through the gaps, piercing multiple goblins and kobolds at once.

Behind the shield-spearmen, archers released volleys of arrows that arced gracefully through the air, raining down and pinning many creatures to the ground.

True to their reputation, the elite forces inflicted heavy casualties within minutes, leaving the battlefield strewn with the bodies of goblins and kobolds.

The shield-spearmen continued their rhythmic advance, stepping firmly over the corpses.

Facing such a one-sided battle, even the dragon-blooded goblins and kobolds, usually fearless, scattered in all directions.

"Good, just like that—crush them!"

"Keep pushing forward!"

Watching the battlefield from a distance, Robert’s face finally showed a trace of satisfaction.

It seemed the minions of Ember Nest were no match for a formal army; now, his only concern was the cunning and brutal red dragon.

"Advance! Bring up the dragon-killing ballistae!"

Dozens of strong soldiers pushed the massive ballistae, wheels creaking as they moved.

Following the shielded phalanx of the "Talons of the Eagle," nearly 20,000 regular troops advanced smoothly into the Trier Valley within a single day.

Besides clearing a few scattered kobold and goblin squads, they encountered little resistance.

But soon, the coalition forces realized their mistake.

The feeble goblins and kobolds were mere cannon fodder, buying time while the real forces of Ember Nest waited within the valley.

"So…"

"This is their real army."

Gazing into the distance, Robert’s expression grew solemn.

His entire field of view was filled with the vast, monstrous army.

"Roar—"

Massive land-dragons the size of small mountains lumbered forward, their iron-plated bodies shaking the ground as if they were moving fortresses of steel.

Hundreds of wyverns circled and glided in the sky, casting countless chaotic shadows across the ground.

Enormous ogres roared excitedly, their flabby bodies quivering as they chanted "Enemies…food…"

One particularly striking ogre, over six meters tall, was covered in crimson scales, dressed in a patched-together robe, looking bizarre.

Hobgoblins of dragon-blood lineage formed tightly packed formations, with the front row wielding metal staves, smelling of smoke.

Lizardmen held bone-tipped spears and wore leather armor, their vertical pupils emanating a chilling ruthlessness.

The "Devil’s Children," or tieflings, under the command of their oathbreakers, stood ready, many filled with hatred for the "Talons of the Eagle."

And in front of them, covering the hillsides, were countless goblins and kobolds—all dragon-blooded, matching the strength of average human soldiers, and among them, many kobold shamans.

A thousand players were mingled within this terrifying army of monsters. Their relative normality only made them stand out more among the monstrous ranks.

Stirring music echoed from nowhere—the satyr marching band was playing panpipes.

"Roar—"

A distant dragon’s roar resounded.

A massive, terrifying head appeared on the horizon, followed by the sight-blocking expanse of mighty wings and the colossal dragon body.

In comparison, even the land-dragons seemed like mere mice at its feet.

Robert stared up at the awe-inspiring scene, wide-eyed and muttering to himself:

"By the gods…"

"How…can this be?"

He even forgot to order the dragon-killing ballistae to fire.

The coalition forces erupted in chaos and fear; how could mere humans ever stand against such a beast?

The red dragon surveyed the coalition from above, its golden slit-pupiled eyes filled with undisguised scorn.

"Humans, I admire your courage."

"But unfortunately, your courage is misplaced. You fancy yourselves heroes fighting for justice, yet you’re merely tools manipulated by the vampire Duke."

"Enough…"

"Since you seek war, I shall bestow upon you the gift of fire…complete annihilation."

Robert snapped out of his daze, hastily ordering, "Dragon-killing ballistae! Fire the dragon-killers!"

Soldiers, though fearful, followed orders, loading the massive ballistae at the rear.

"Wait!"

Beside him, Shroud warned, "My lord, a true dragon of this size doesn’t exist on the Prime Material Plane. That’s an illusion—a cleverly crafted projection in the air."

"But this doesn’t mean nothing; it only proves that Ember Nest has a skilled spellcaster and that this dragon fears direct confrontation with us. He must have deduced we have powerful dragon-slaying weapons."

"I see."

Robert breathed a sigh of relief, his earlier fear ebbing away.

Observing closely, he noticed the dragon’s edges were faintly transparent, flickering with flames.

"Damn."

"Cunning dragon."

Embarrassed by his earlier panic, Robert’s hatred deepened.

The illusionary dragon dissolved into flames, leaving only its final words echoing around them: "I will burn all to ashes."

News that the dragon was an illusion quickly spread through the army, slightly calming the soldiers’ fear—after all, they faced an unknown dragon.

It had been over a century since the Northern Kingdom last encountered a dragon calamity—the "Wing of the Glacier."

On a hillside, Dolo raised his sword, shouting, "Did you hear the master’s words? Destroy them utterly! For Ember Nest!"

"For Ember Nest!"

The monsters erupted into a frenzy, cheering, roaring, howling, and screeching as they looked upon the coalition with hunger and fervor.

The kingdom’s coalition and the minions of Ember Nest faced each other in a tense standoff.

The deadlock was finally broken.

War was on the verge of erupting.

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