novelraw Chapter 256: Black Rock Dwarf? Do you think I look a bit like before?
Chapter 256: Black Rock Dwarf? Do you think I look a bit like before?
A bone-chilling wind swept repeatedly across the gloomy sky of the convergence lands, with scattered snowflakes spiraling down from leaden clouds.
The red dragon Kahir's scar-riddled body trembled slightly in the bitter wind. Among the crisscrossing wounds, the most horrifying was a penetrating injury - an alchemical heavy arrow with barbs and blood grooves had pierced through her lower abdomen and emerged from her right back, the dark red blood channels on the shaft still continuously seeping warm dragon blood.
This alchemically enhanced weapon lodged itself like a living creature within her muscle tissue, causing fresh tearing wounds with every beat of her dragon wings.
"Despicable dwarf bastards!"
Kahir spat out a hoarse curse through clenched teeth, her vertical pupils boiling with nearly tangible fury.
She made a blood oath in her heart: if she survived this, she would extinguish every furnace in Blackrock Duchy with dragon flame, making those weapon-forging dwarves rest eternally on their own anvils.
The oath was so absolute that it even carried the penalty of reincarnation as a white dragon - a curse that red dragons deeply detested.
After swearing, the red dragon silently beat her gradually stiffening wings, flying alone through the vast sky with great difficulty. The piercing cold and boundless loneliness enveloped her, sinking her mood into an abyss of despair.
Her former ambitions now seemed utterly laughable in retrospect.
When the dragon group that had escaped from Cliff Strait first arrived in the Ser Wilderness months ago, seven young dragons had been filled with lofty ambitions.Like most wyrmlings and young dragons leaving their nests, they planned to make their mark in this new world.
However, reality soon delivered a sobering blow.
While scouting the environment separately, an inexperienced young blue dragon mistakenly entered a fierce beast's territory. By the time reinforcements arrived, only scattered remains were left.
The enraged young dragons led their companions to surround and kill the beast, simultaneously shedding their naivety and beginning to act cautiously.
They subdued some weak monster clans, attempting to proceed steadily, but during a territory dispute, they misjudged enemy strength, resulting in the complete annihilation of their followers.
After this.
Somewhat disheartened, the dragon group decided to lay low and develop quietly, waiting until all members reached young dragon stage before emerging.
However, weakness itself posed the greatest risk. Though they wanted to develop quietly, danger and accidents always found them, forcing the dragons into constant wandering, never achieving stability.
Only then did they realize that surviving alone in the outside world wasn't necessarily better than enduring exploitation within the blue dragon community.
Slowly.
Due to various unexpected situations occurring one after another, two more dragons died, leaving only four of the original seven.
- A young blue dragon, young red dragon, young black dragon, and young green dragon.
After careful consideration, they concluded the Ser Wilderness was too dangerous and decided to start fresh elsewhere. But during migration, while passing over a mineral vein's airspace, they were noticed by garrison troops who followed them and launched a surprise attack when they let their guard down.
The black and green dragons were almost instantly severely wounded and captured.
The blue and red dragons also found themselves in bitter combat.
Finally, with his dragon wings shattered and no escape possible, the young blue dragon made a desperate last stand to cover Kahir's retreat. At the cost of being severely wounded and captured himself, he created an opportunity for her escape.
Recalling the blue dragon's final silhouette with tattered wings spread, complex emotions unlike anything before surged in Kahir's chest.
The proud red dragon had never imagined she would owe her survival to that blue dragon counterpart she usually clashed with.
This emotion interwoven with anger and shame burned in her heart. For a moment, she almost turned back to meet her death, but the obsession for revenge ultimately overcame impulse, preserving a sliver of clarity amidst her rage.
Time passed unhurriedly.
The sky gradually darkened as night enveloped the land.
Under the cold moonlight's glow, the red dragon Kahir beat her wings unevenly.
Due to prolonged flight and injuries, her flying altitude had unconsciously dropped lower and lower, her speed slowed considerably, and her awareness grew somewhat dull. Though she desperately wanted to escape and live for revenge, her severe injuries made success impossible.
Rip!
A piercing shriek suddenly sounded.
The red dragon instinctively dodged sideways, then felt a sharp pain as an alchemical bolt pierced through her dragon wing.
Looking back, she saw dwarf pursuers closing in relentlessly.
Lightly armored cavalry mounted on giant-horned antelopes rapidly crossed the convergence lands' hard soil, kicking up clouds of dust behind them. Several massive golems of steel and metal rumbled along at the rear of the formation.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The light cavalry raised their carried crossbows, unleashing arrow volleys toward the sky.
Red dragon Kahir's current flying altitude was only three hundred meters, well within these bolts' attack range. She evaded as much as possible but kept getting hit, one bolt after another embedding in her body as blood flowed freely.
Staggering unsteadily, the red dragon was about to crash toward the ground.
"At least take some with me!"
Feeling her body's exhaustion and pain, the red dragon showed no fear. Instead, violent and cruel light flashed in her eyes. With a low roar, she beat her tattered wings to barely change direction, diving toward the dwarf cavalry.
Along the red dragon's trajectory, blood droplets drew a piercing crimson line in the cold wind.
Her torn dragon wings tore through the air with death-like shrieks as she gathered her final dragon flame deep in her throat - until the sky suddenly lit up with an unnatural red glow.
The young dragon instinctively looked up.
The next moment, her pupils abruptly contracted.
Reflected in her vision was a monstrous evil dragon draped in black heavy armor-like scales, with an absurdly powerful physique that even a red dragon found unbelievable. With just a light beat of its wings, that massive dragon body tore through the night sky like a comet streaking across the heavens.
Whoosh!
In that moment of stunned distraction, the red iron dragon had already closed in on the ground.
Only now did the air-shattering, thunderous roar finally arrive belatedly.
His pupils constricted as he shouted: "All units--"
Before his words finished, they were drowned in deafening noise.
Under Kahir's utterly shocked gaze, the red iron dragon crashed into the cavalry formation like a meteor, turning dwarves and their mounts into bloody pulp. With shockwave expansion and earth upheaval, surrounding dwarves were sent flying outward in concentric circles.
Boom!
Engines roared.
Three alchemical golems on the periphery charged into the dust-choked murky area.
The next second, following a series of rapid collision sounds, wreckage flew scattered like rain.
The red iron dragon played with an alchemical engine resembling a heart in its claw, stepping forward with heavy, unstoppable pace, emerging unhurriedly from the dust.
"Hunting outsiders is forbidden in the convergence lands."
The red iron dragon's gaze swept across the surroundings, stating: "Especially hunting dragonkind."
Hearing this voice and seeing that terrifying dragon silhouette dominating the area, surviving dwarves almost forgot to breathe.
Simultaneously, the red iron dragon noticed these dwarves' equipment and the emblems on them.
- Blackrock Duchy.
A subtle change flashed in the red iron dragon's eyes.
After more than twenty years, Garoth had encountered Blackrock Duchy again, yet the circumstances were completely different now.
"For Blackrock Duchy!"
In an explosive roar, the dwarf captain mustered his final courage, swinging his war hammer in a leap toward the red iron dragon's head. But a casually faster claw strike hit him, instantly bursting him into a mist of blood.
A clever dwarf warrior quietly retreated backward, pulling a communication device from his waist and activating it.
But something unexpected happened - the communication device seemed affected by unknown interference and couldn't be activated.
"Death struggles are more interesting than kneeling for mercy."
Before the red iron dragon's words faded, afterimages already swept across the battlefield.
Merely several dozen seconds later, this land returned to silence, only the cold wind carrying the scent of blood across the field of wreckage, across that massive, powerful dragon silhouette.
Only now did the hovering Kahir startle awake from her shock.
"What kind of powerful evil dragon is this?!"
"Young adult dragon? Or adult dragon?"
Gazing at that terrifying figure, her heart filled with caution, fear, and profound awe.