Ashen Dragon

Of more than four hundred cavalrymen, less than thirty percent remained, and the death toll continued to rise as the cavalry scattered in every direction.

Meanwhile, the spear and shield soldiers suffered heavy casualties under the continuous volleys from the Goblin Infantry Brigade. The once-tight formation now showed gaps, and the soldiers behind grew fearful, unwilling to fill the voids before them, as doing so seemed akin to suicide.

Fortunately, after several rounds of volley, the Great Goblins' ammunition ran out, and they discarded their smoking guns, switching to sharp blades.

The Ogres and Lizardfolk charged in unison, clashing violently with the main force of the allied army, the "Claw of the Male Eagle," in a ferocious melee.

This was the fiercest battlefield on the frontlines.

"For the Ashen Nest!"

"For the great Red Dragon Lord!"

Dolores led the charge, brandishing his Bloodfire Battle Axe fiercely. Several horrified spear and shield soldiers were pulverized into bloody paste by his blows, and the nearby soldiers, witnessing the horror, fled in terror.

The once-sturdy formation of the allied forces was forcefully breached by Dolores, creating a massive gap.

The monsters behind cheered fanatically, flooding through the breach and slaughtering madly within the ranks, using claws and fangs or blades to relentlessly expand their advantage.

The Great Goblins hacked with knives, Lizardfolk hurled bone spears, and Ogres swung large clubs while Kobold Magicians spewed flames.

"Enemies!"

The Ogre called "Bighead" roared angrily, smashing a heavily armored soldier into a pulp with one strike. Yet, he did not continue his attack. Instead, he looked around, then tore a chunk from the mangled remains and stealthily stuffed it into his mouth. A satisfied expression appeared on his ugly face.

"Canned men, delicious."

"Can't let the boss know. He doesn't allow Bighead to eat canned men. If I eat it, he'll hit me again."

Bighead muttered to himself quietly.

Unbeknownst to him, Ramp was watching this scene with a dark expression, relying on the Magic pendants the Ogres carried.

"Bighead! You're stealing food again!"

Ramp's angry voice suddenly appeared next to Bighead.

Bighead was so frightened that he immediately covered his head, instinctively wanting to protect it from being knocked unconscious by a club.

But after a quick scan, he didn't see Ramp's tall figure. Confused, he rubbed his oversized head, muttering, "Strange, I clearly heard the boss's voice…"

"Could I have heard wrong?"

Soon enough, his simple mind was distracted by the enticing aroma of the flesh, and he forgot all about it.

"Never mind. Keep fighting the canned men!"

Bighead let out an excited shout and rejoined the bloody battle to fill his belly.

To these monsters infused with the Red Dragon's bloodline, killing was as mundane as eating or drinking, but for humans, it was far from the same.

"Help me———"

"Let me go, I don't want to fight anymore!"

"They're demons incarnate!"

"Let me leave here…"

Many soldiers, witnessing their comrades falling one after another under the monstrous onslaught and dying gruesomely, were overwhelmed and desperately tried to escape this dreadful meat grinder.

"Deserters face execution!"

However, the supervising officers at the rear blocked these fleeing soldiers, mercilessly cutting them down with the Sword of Judgment and forcing them to turn back and face the enemy.

But this only slightly slowed down the overall retreat, unable to halt the inevitable collapse of the entire army.

"We can't let this continue."

Robert watched his defensive line being rapidly overrun by the Monster Legion, his brow furrowing deeply.

He called for the commander of the Northwind Eagle Guards.

"Aiden, it's your turn to act. Stop them."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Aiden accepted the order, leapt onto his Giant Eagle, and took flight, raising his Eagle Shriek Silver Sword in the air, causing a sharp whistling sound to resonate.

"Northwind Eagle Guards, prepare to charge!"

Over a hundred Giant Eagle Knights soared high, their loud eagle cries echoing as they swooped down rapidly.

"Fight for His Grace!"

"Charge with me!"

One by one, the Giant Eagles swept over the battlefield, casting patchy shadows and bringing down their lances and longswords.

The monsters suffered heavy casualties under the concentrated charge of the Eagle Guards, even the thick-skinned Ogres found themselves skewered by the aerial lances.

After several charges, supported by the air assault, the rout of the "Claw of the Male Eagle" was temporarily halted, showing faint signs of pushing the front line back.

But the Northwind Eagle Guards had evidently forgotten that they were not the only ones in the sky. Just as they completed another dive and began to ascend again—

"Roar——"

The cry of Wyverns echoed.

The Red Scale Conquerors descended from the heavens with blazing flames.

They had been circling high above the clouds, waiting for the opportune moment. The moment the Northwind Eagle Guards relaxed and exposed a weakness, Alger seized the opportunity and gave the order to attack.

"For the Ashen Nest!"

"Charge!"

Alger raised his Everburning Greatsword.

The Dragon's Roar Charge commenced collectively, accompanied by imposing roars. Seventeen Ancestral Wyverns breathed torrents of searing flames, creating a raging sea of fire before them.

The Northwind Eagle Guards were still in tight formation, slowly ascending, never anticipating an aerial assault.

When the Dragon's Roar sounded, the Giant Eagles succumbed to uncontrollable fear, incapable of evading. When the Eagle Guards panicked and looked up, their vision was entirely engulfed by flames.

"Boom!"

The flames raged wildly in the sky, the Giant Eagles ignited one by one, becoming flaming meteors crashing to the ground.

Alger's timing was nearly flawless. With just this one wave of the Dragon's Roar Charge, almost an entire company of nearly a hundred Eagle Guards was incinerated.

"Scatter! Scatter!"

"Retreat quickly!"

Aiden's anguished roar echoed.

He finally understood why the Sixth Eagle Guard Regiment had mysteriously vanished: the Ashen Nest concealed a terrifying aerial force.

Not only the mindless Wyverns but also Flying Knights!

"Roar——"

As the Red Scale Conquerors charged, the Wyvern leader "Stieg" let out a long cry. The Bipedal Wyverns took to the air chaotically, chasing after the isolated Eagle Guards.

The Chimera's three heads roared in unison, flapping their Dragon Wings as they, along with two female kindred, joined the fray.

The aerial battlefield grew ever more tumultuous.

Flames, arrows, and lances crisscrossed chaotically in the sky.

Three Chimeras, over a hundred Wyverns, eighteen Red Scale Conquerors, and the remaining two hundred Northwind Eagle Guards engaged in a perilous aerial battle, unable to afford any distractions—for even a momentary lapse would result in attacks from all directions.

Humans and monsters continually plummeted from the skies.

With the human forces on the ground losing their aerial support, they were once again pushed back by the monsters, forced to retreat amidst screams and devastation.