Chapter 80: The Mage Who Rode a Dragon (Part Two)

High above, small clusters of flying monsters began to plummet from the sky, seemingly innocent in their descent. Though they only occupied a small portion of the airspace above the entire teleportation point, their numbers were anything but few; even a cursory glance revealed no less than fifty. Upon hitting the ground, these flying monsters did not perish; instead, they beat their wings with force, whipping up gales and attempting once more to ascend into the sky.

Meanwhile, within the dense flock of airborne monsters, more and more began to fall in rapid succession, only to struggle back towards the heavens after landing. This scene unfolded for over a minute before those on the ground finally snapped to their senses. Above, two dazzling six-pointed magical arrays flared within the monster horde, spewing forth countless fireballs as though a broad swath of the night sky had been set ablaze with fireworks.

“There’s someone up there! Dressed in red… riding something!” Cries of alarm rose one after another as the crowd watched the crimson figure dash recklessly through the swarm of monsters, the person riding behind them unleashing one brilliant spell after another, leaving the onlookers utterly dumbstruck.

“What are you standing around for? While those flying monsters are grounded, surround them and strike!” A sharp, piercing shout suddenly rang out—so shrill and ill-suited to shouting that it resembled a duck being strangled.

Ximen Yu felt his throat nearly giving out from the force of his yell; after the shout, his throat burned with pain, even swallowing felt like being torn apart. But he did not care—let his voice sound like a duck’s, he could not afford to miss this chance.

He cast a long, searching glance at the fiery silhouette darting across the sky, then with a flick of his staff, sent a web of electricity sprawling over the fallen monsters.

“The Soul Crystal’s health is dropping more slowly now! Quick! Hurry!” Duan Tianlang, too, urged his guild members on with reckless abandon, as though grasping a lifeline while drowning. He sucked in a breath of the thick, smoky air, which, at this moment, seemed almost sweet.

Their words roused the rest of both guilds, inspiring them to take action, their renewed vigor dispelling the despair that had begun to set in. The number of monsters remained unchanged, as did the disparity in power between the two sides—only the atmosphere and their resolve had shifted.

Even a battered force, when given the faintest glimmer of hope, can erupt with fierce determination. They do not fear defeat—only the absence of any light at all.

Under the night sky, red light shone down, casting the shadows of countless flying monsters across the ground, where players trampled and pressed forward, as though venting the hours of repression and despair they had endured.

Above, Zhao Nan witnessed everything, his place amid the flying monsters. He finally allowed himself a brief sigh of relief. His greatest fear was that those on the ground would lose all courage and resign themselves to death simply to end their suffering. If it came to that, he would not hesitate to flee on Eurysius.

After all this time, Eurysius had only advanced to level six. Since hatching, from escaping Oz’s castle to returning to Dongyuan City, Zhao Nan had lost count of how many monsters had fallen to his hands—even his own experience bar from level twenty to twenty-one was over seventy percent full.

Yet Eurysius was only level six, having just reached it. Aside from gaining flight at level three and the innate “Dragon’s Might” skill, his strength was barely comparable to an ordinary level fifteen monster—his defenses were higher, of course, but he could not face all these flying monsters at once.

Even as a dragon—a sky dragon, the lord of the skies—he was, after all, only a newborn hatchling. At present, apart from “Dragon’s Might,” which could induce brief terror and loss of control in these monsters, Eurysius’s claw attacks could not even match the power of one of Zhao Nan’s fireballs.

Yet simply possessing “Dragon’s Might” was enough. It caused monsters to lose control and fall from the sky, and, just as importantly, it gave hope to those who had nearly lost it.

Now, Zhao Nan found himself surrounded on all sides—horizontally and vertically—by dense waves of flying monsters. Some hovered nervously in place, others edged closer. “Dragon’s Might” certainly suppressed the monsters, but the higher their level, the more resistant they became. Perhaps as Eurysius grew stronger, he would be able to subdue even more formidable creatures.

But this could not continue. Alone in midair, he would eventually be overwhelmed by monsters able to resist “Dragon’s Might.”

“Ximen Yu!” he called.

“I’m here. Been waiting for you!” came the reply.

“I’ll try to draw the monsters’ aggression and lead them at low altitude. You start organizing the others for an ambush!”

“No problem… And by the way, would you consider selling that mount of yours?”

“Move!”

“I knew it,” Ximen Yu chuckled, then opened the guild channel to coordinate his forces. Of course, he also needed to inform Duan Tianlang—the “Guardian Knights” guild had no shortage of ranged fighters.

At the same time, Zhao Nan urged Eurysius to charge through the monster horde. Since all he had to do was draw their aggression, even a basic fireball would suffice.

Suddenly, a streak of fiery red blazed across the sky—not a straight line, but twisting and turning like a long whip of flame. It was not a magical fire whip, but rather a barrage of fast-cast fireballs leaving afterimages in their wake. The keen-eyed among them recognized the pattern.

But was it really possible for anyone to cast spells at such a speed?

Impossible.

And yet—it was happening.

“Stop gawking and move!” someone shouted.

“Fine! Watch your back—damn!” another replied.

By now, the flying monsters had clustered together, as if drawn by some invisible force, swooping in toward lower altitudes.

A great swarm of flying monsters, like a disturbed nest of hornets, surged all in the same direction. The members of the two guilds, already alerted, quickly organized the first wave of attacks: arrows and ranged spells rained down upon the low-flying monsters. With their targets now gathered and in pursuit of a clear foe, these monsters were far easier to hit than when they had been mindlessly charging at the Soul Crystal.

Minute by minute, time slipped away.

It was now 5:47.

The Soul Crystal’s health had dropped to 1,058! Its rate of loss had slowed dramatically!

Clearly, this tactic was effective.

Not only were the flying monsters brought under control, but even the ground forces felt the pressure ease. The siege monsters on the ground seemed to have thinned considerably.

Had they been able to see from above, they would have noticed that the streets of Dongyuan City were now marked by broad swathes of empty space where monsters had once been packed tightly.

They could hold out!

Thirteen minutes remained—victory was within reach!

“We can do it!” echoed in almost everyone’s heart.

Just then, a sharp and resounding cry shook the air over the teleportation point. High above, a gigantic bird wreathed in terrifying flames spread its wings and dove fearlessly into the fray.

Flame King, Level 20!

Its golden name marked it as a boss—one utterly unafraid of “Dragon’s Might,” and faster even than Eurysius.

Yet the Flame King was not alone. Flanking Zhao Nan, a massive eagle as black as ink, claws glinting silver, swooped in.

Venomous Shadow Eagle King, Level 20!

PS: End of Chapter Three.