Chapter 948 - 463: Return of the Red Dragon

However, after a few charges, the high-ranking generals of the Green Dragon Army quickly adjusted. They sent out the elite troops of the Green Dragon Army to resist head-on, supplemented by the wyvern troops overhead launching coordinated harassing attacks.

Seeing this, the commander of the Iron Guard Knight Order wisely knew when to quit. He retreated behind the city walls that were currently under repair and held a meeting with the current high-ranking commanders.

"How could our aerial forces suffer such severe losses? Who on earth is commanding them? Where are our Magic Cannons and the Griffin Legion?"

Wenster Xavier, the commander of the Iron Guard Knight Order, walked into the main tent, took off his helmet, and placed it on a nearby table. He stepped in front of the crowd, frowning slightly, his face revealing a trace of restrained annoyance.

Upon arriving here with his men, he had immediately seen the massive breach in the city wall. Without time to communicate with anyone else on the battlefield, he had decisively launched an attack, forcing back the looming Demon Legion.

If not for their wariness of the Demon Legion’s aerial troops, the Iron Guard Knight Order could have achieved even greater results.

If he remembered correctly, there should have been dozens of Magic Cannons deployed here, most of which were even the private property of the Xavier family. As for the Griffin troops, he had only seen sporadic reinforcements just now.

Meanwhile, they were facing the harassment of over fifty wyverns, hundreds of pterosaurs, and flying Demons like giant bats and flying snakes. How could one not be infuriated by being so heavily outnumbered?

The others present suddenly fell dead silent.

In particular, the expression of Kevin Brennan, the commander of the Forest City’s Green Grass Defense Team, flickered with uncertainty. He was a member of the Brenan Clan, a Viscount family in Barry City, and the primary target of Wenster Xavier’s questioning.

Kevin Brennan wanted to explain, but firstly, the losses on the frontal battlefield were indeed disastrous, and secondly, the other party’s family held significantly more power than the Brenan Clan.

"Alright, Wenster. Calm down."

Matthias Monroe had also just retreated from the frontal battlefield.

Although he held the esteemed position of Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild in the Forest City, the command of the frontal battlefield was not in his hands. Instead, it was managed by the generals of the local noble families. He could only command a portion of the adventure groups and the direct troops of the Adventurer’s Guild.

He and Commander Wenster actually shared some history.

Seeing his arrival, Wenster Xavier’s unfeeling face quietly softened a bit.

"Hmph. Matthias, you’re still as soft-hearted as ever."

He paused before speaking. Despite his words, he still exchanged a hug with the bearded Guild Master.

Their paths had crossed in their youth, and Matthias had even saved his life once when they fought side by side.

"The pressure we’ve been under these past few days is far greater than you can imagine, so don’t be too harsh on Kevin," Matthias explained on behalf of Kevin Brennan. "Those wyverns act like they don’t care about their lives, risking everything just to destroy the Magic Cannons. You know that once those bulky giants are installed, they’re very difficult to move.

"The Griffin Legion also suffered heavy casualties in their dogfights with the enemy’s flying legion.

"The Power of the Green Dragon Army’s flying legion is much stronger than we imagined."

And the facts were indeed as he said. Perhaps because the master of the Jade Forest was that Green Dragon, coupled with the vassalage of several juvenile dragons, there were even quite a few Dragon Descendant flying Demons in the Green Dragon Army. These powerful Dragon Blood creatures caused immense trouble for the humans on the front lines.

Even the Rot-Winged Dragon Bat, the vanguard general of the Green Dragon Army whom he had been keeping in check these past few days, had received the blessing of a true dragon. Dragon Blood could elevate a Demon’s strength to a whole new level.

Furthermore, this was, after all, a Power cultivated by the Green Dragon Queen Aiselas over hundreds of years, alongside suspected reinforcements from the Demon Race. Even if only a portion of their Power was currently deployed, it was still terrifying.

Speaking of juvenile dragons, Matthias suddenly looked a bit dazed.

He couldn’t help but think of Gauss, who had accepted the commission to slay the juvenile dragons. He wondered how Gauss was doing now.

With more than half a month having passed, he couldn’t help but worry about the young genius’s safety.

If Gauss also perished in the forest, it would be far too great a pity.

However, the higher-ups of the Guild didn’t seem to have any deliberate protection plans for him. Although he understood that great trees couldn’t grow in greenhouses, he still felt puzzled.

Hearing his old acquaintance’s explanation, Wenster Xavier’s expression cleared up slightly.

"How is Lord Spellweaver’s current situation?"

Ultimately, he still couldn’t resist asking Matthias about the condition of his family’s elder.

It was rather shameful to admit, but even though he was of the main branch of the Xavier family and considered a top-five figure within the massive Xavier family, he had remained completely ignorant of the fact that the family’s ancestor, Erich Xavier, was still alive.

His older brother, Earl Augustine Xavier, seemed to have been aware of it.

As a member of the Xavier family, Wenster naturally worshipped the Spellweaver, who had laid the foundation for the Xavier family’s prosperity. Hearing news about the Spellweaver on his way here had only invigorated him further.

Whether or not a family possessed an Epic Strong Person made a fundamental difference for an Earl’s family.

Although the Xavier family seemed glamorous in front of others, they paled in comparison to some truly old and established powerhouses.

Hearing this, Matthias shook his head.

"I’m not sure. To prevent us from being caught in the crossfire, Lord Spellweaver’s battlefield was cordoned off early on.

"We know absolutely nothing about the combat situation over there."

At the Epic level, one possessed many methods to move the battlefield elsewhere, even temporarily shifting into an alternate dimension.

"I see..."

Having not heard the news he wanted, Wenster sighed.

In truth, he had just searched for the Spellweaver’s figure but found nothing. He could roughly guess the actual situation; his decision to ask was simply anxiety born of concern.

He desperately wanted to hear good news from Matthias’s mouth.

But both he and Matthias were well aware that there must be a real underlying reason for the Spellweaver’s prolonged seclusion, and it was highly likely that after so many years, his condition was far from what it used to be.

Wanting to rely on his Power to further expand the Xavier family’s influence was nothing but a pipe dream.

After inquiring about his family elder’s situation, Wenster finally returned to the main topic of the meeting, beginning to discuss with the others how to deal with the Green Dragon Army’s rather troublesome and powerful aerial troops.

The advantage of flying Demons over ground forces was far too obvious.

This was also why Matthias had yet to take down the Rot-Winged Dragon Bat. Although he, as a Paladin, could also master the Power of flight, he still fell slightly short in speed and agility compared to his opponent.

Despite seemingly being a small difference, it actually determined who held the initiative.

When facing an enemy who could independently dictate both engagement and retreat, it was very difficult to fully exert one’s strength.

The heavy cavalry of the Iron Guard Knight Order possessed a significant advantage on the ground, but it was hard for them to endure constant harassment from the sky while charging and fighting on the ground.

"We are mobilizing more dragon-hunting crossbows."

Although dragon-hunting crossbows couldn’t hunt a Giant Dragon, they could still deal enough damage to smaller wyverns and flying Demons if they landed a hit. Most importantly, they were relatively cheap to produce.

While the discussion inside the tent was at its most heated, in a nearby camp, Aaliyah suddenly looked up at the azure sky, as if she had sensed something.

"What’s wrong?" Albena caught her sudden daze and asked curiously.

Aaliyah didn’t speak. She narrowed her eyes slightly, gazing as far as she could toward a certain direction on the horizon.

An inexplicable sense of familiarity rose in her heart, but she had no factual evidence to back it up. She couldn’t speak out rashly before truly confirming it, or else she would only raise unnecessary hopes, which would then lead to even greater disappointment.

She wondered if it could be him.

In her distant view, a tiny dot on the northern horizon gradually enlarged.

Finally, the figure became clear.

Upon her Detection of that familiar red, Aaliyah’s heartbeat began to accelerate. At the same time, several other teammates who couldn’t help but follow her gaze all gulped in unison.

They exchanged excited glances with one another.

"Is... is Gauss back?"

Under their burning gazes, the figure of the Giant Dragon finally came whistling and speeding in from the north, eventually slowing its flight above the camp.

Its massive dragon wings kicked up a gale that howled around the camp.

"There’s a dragon!"

"Is it an enemy?"

Many of the people who saw the Giant Dragon slowly descending were still confused and nervously grabbed their weapons.

Meanwhile, several Griffin Knights respectfully flew over to welcome it.

"No, no, no! It should be the leader of the Red Dragon Team!"

Some with quicker wits immediately realized what was happening.

Not to mention that the other party was arriving from the north; if it were an enemy, the other big shots in the camp would never have let them approach so easily.