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“Boom!”

“Boom! Boom!”

Huge boulders crashed down one after another, hitting the ground with a thunderous noise.

Cassius dodged in mid-air, shifting directions rapidly, displaying an unimaginable speed—few would believe this was a red dragon, known for its brute strength and bulk.

“Crack!”

A sharp breaking sound echoed from the cave ceiling.

Mid-flight, Cassius glanced up and noticed the rocks above the entrance beginning to crumble.

The red dragon’s expression grew tense as he swiftly tucked in his wings and limbs against his body.

“Whoosh—”

Like an arrow released from a bow, he shot straight downward.

In the final moments of the collapse, Cassius dashed out of the cave, his tail narrowly grazing the falling rocks.

“Boom—”

A resounding crash followed as dust filled the air.

Then, silence.

This tomb was now buried beneath the rocks, never to be explored again. Though the process had reduced it to ruins, in a sense, it had fulfilled the Storm Giant elder’s last wish to rest in peace, sealed away in history.

“Rest well.”

Cassius took a final look at the buried entrance, murmuring softly.

He gently tapped the ancient inscriptions on the stone pillar by the doorway and turned to leave.

The red dragon opened his claw, where the Storm King Eye glowed in eerie blue light, still nestled within.

“This thing’s power is immense—I can’t just swallow it. I’ll need a container.”

He was still shaken by the terrifying storm he had just survived.

Storm Highlands, the Embers Nest.

On the fortress walls of Rockhold, many goblins, kobolds, and even a few ogres lay dead, most taken down by arrows from the sky.

Overhead, not only were wyverns roaring, but forty large eagles circled as well.

These giant eagles, with glossy feathers and scale armor covering vital parts, spanned over six meters across.

On each eagle’s back sat a knight clad in heavy plate armor, their faces hidden except for their eyes.

The emblem of an eagle and crossed swords was emblazoned on each of their chests.

These were the Eagle Guard of the Lackman family!

The Lackman family earned the title “Eagle of the North Wind” because their ancestor, Telgai Rackman, had stolen giant eagle eggs from the highest cliffs of the Storm Highlands, raising them on his lands and training elite giant eagle riders as his personal guard.

These eagle riders could fend off frost giants, wyverns, and other invaders and served as deadly forces in the wars between lords.

Known as the “Eagle Guard,” these riders had continued their lineage for hundreds of years.

The aerial battle raged on.

Forty-plus Eagle Guards, armed with bows or lances, maneuvered their giant eagles in a massive circle around the eight wyverns.

They flew in a tight formation, creating a massive encircling ring.

With extensive experience in fighting wyverns, they knew not to engage these massive creatures head-on, leveraging the wyverns’ size and lack of agility against their own nimble tactics.

Thus, they used a “circle formation.”

The Eagle Guards covered each other, flying in circles and disorienting the wyverns.

Any wyvern that lunged at them would be met with arrows, and if it missed, it faced a spear attack from behind.

On the ground, the goblin forces were helpless against these fast-moving aerial targets, firing only flimsy arrows that barely made an impact.

The arrows, slowed by air resistance, bounced harmlessly off the Eagle Guards’ armor, like an itch at most.

The ogres roared and bellowed, hurling stones wildly at the sky.

One ogre didn’t even bother aiming, throwing a rock skyward on a whim.

“Thud!”

The stone traced a perfect arc, miraculously striking an unlucky Eagle Guard, knocking him out of the sky.

“Oh, oh, oh! Got one!”

“Nice one, Big Head!”

“Knock those little flies and tin cans down!”

The ogres cheered, rushing over to tear the fallen eagle and rider to pieces.

At the highest point on the wall, Langpu was unwilling to be outdone, brandishing his club skyward.

“Fireball!”

A fiery ball shot toward the giant eagles in the sky.

But one eagle, under its rider’s expert control, circled and dodged. The fireball scorched past its chest, leaving only a trail of charred feathers.

Though the attack missed, it had a strong deterrent effect, making the Eagle Guards instantly wary.

“There’s a spellcaster!”

“Stay away from that section of the wall! Damn it, why’s there an ogre mage?”

“Watch out, there’s a spellcaster over there!”

Langpu scowled. The eagles were so maneuverable that his fireballs were ineffective, often soaring out of reach before he could even complete the spell’s formation.

And even if they got lucky and knocked one down with a rock, it was only by chance.

Adjusting his small spectacles, Langpu muttered, “Can’t rely on these goblins, and these mindless wyverns are useless. It’ll have to be that beast, or... let Master handle it when he returns.”

“No, it’s only a few dozen humans.”

“Master would be disappointed in me.”

With this thought, the ogre mage turned toward the cave on the cliff wall and bellowed in draconic, “Chimera! If you don’t get out here, Master will tear you apart when he returns!”

“Roar—”

A furious roar echoed from the cave.

The enormous creature, bearing the heads of a goat, lion, and dragon, charged out of the dark cave, spreading dragon-like wings and taking to the sky.

“It’s the Chimera!”

An Eagle Guard shouted in alarm.

“Break formation!”

A steady voice rang out from above.

The voice belonged to Alger Yeoman, captain of the Eagle Guard and a seasoned warrior.

Beneath his heavy standard-issue plate armor, his eyes remained calm and focused.

Unlike the others, he wielded not a lance or bow but a massive sword engraved with an eagle spreading its wings.

The Chimera ascended to the highest point, wings outstretched.

“Howl—”

It let out a piercing cry.

Then, in its familiar manner, it swooped down, unleashing a torrent of fire from its mouth.

The Eagle Guards abandoned their formation, scattering to evade the flames.

But the Chimera’s rapid descent caught three Eagle Guards off guard, engulfing them in fire as they burned and plummeted to the ground, screaming.

Seeing his comrades fall, Alger shouted sharply:

“I’ll handle the Chimera! Continue surrounding the wyverns!”

He leaned forward, gently stroking his eagle’s feathers, speaking softly, “Eagle, it’s time to go.”

Living and fighting together, the eagle and rider understood each other’s intentions without words.

“Screech—”

A sharp eagle cry echoed through the air.