In previous trials, the breath effects of the Red Dragon and the Green Dragon were very clearly displayed. Missiles were blocked by impenetrable webs of flames in the air; they would be melted and detonated.
The spectators outside also shook their heads and sighed. They felt that the pilot was useless; therefore, after witnessing a special missile passing through the breath flames of several hundred meters unharmed, all eyes widened. They felt a little spooked.
Augustus' expression changed slightly; he didn't expect such a variable at all. Being experienced, he responded immediately and ordered, "Golden Dragon, dissolve these things."
Since the breath of the Green Dragon and the Red Dragon was insufficient, he decided to let the Golden Dragon go. Its breath was much stronger than that of the Red and Green Dragons.
But it was too late. A few hundred meters away, ten missiles streaked through the air in an instant. The very next second, they arrived in front of the Dragon army. At the forefront was a massive Earth Dragon; their speed and reaction were not quick enough, so there was no way to avoid it. Ten missiles bombarded it fiercely.
Boom, boom, boom! Ten massive explosions sounded densely one after another. The Earth Dragon's body was like a fireworks factory, smoke billowed, flames blazed into the sky. When the smoke cleared, the crowd saw small craters blasted into the surface of the Earth Dragon's body. Broken scales hung in the air, blood flowing freely.
The spectators outside were somewhat surprised and a little disappointed. While they were amazed that the missiles could hit the dragons, they still felt somewhat dissatisfied with the effect. Ten missiles had only severely injured the dragon; they couldn't kill it on the spot. Considering the Earth Dragon's strong physique and vitality, combined with the Leaf of Life's healing effect, it wouldn't be long before it recovered.
"The physique of the Dragon clan is still too strong," Huo Kong frowned slightly and said. "Especially the Earth Dragon, which is renowned for its defensive power and robust body."
"Severe injuries are acceptable," he added with a smile. "At least now, he won't be helpless against the Dragon clan's breath, let alone..." He pointed to the fighter in the projection and continued, "Sebastian's side has many weapons like this. If they can pass through the breath flames, then Augustus will be in a very awkward position."
At this moment, many people's eyes focused on a gathering of a thousand fighter jets in the sky. These carried missiles mounted on their undersides, adding up to a staggering number of thousands. This number made many feel chills. If all were launched, it was estimated that any ground race created by the contestants could be leveled.
"This kid has hidden so much strength," Svananóg couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
In previous games, Sebastian had at most 500 fighters. Until the final, when he deployed all of them, he doubled that number. As a result, his combat power had more than doubled.
Popular players like Iris, Sergey, and Jeffery were slightly relieved. During the fight against Sebastian, they had been somewhat dissatisfied; they thought he might just have been unlucky. But after seeing the extra 500 fighters, they had nothing to say.
"Not to mention the outcome of this final, considering Sebastian's strength, he ranks second among all contestants," Bru said. Immediately, he smiled and added, "Look, if Augustus doesn't have a stronger trump card, then this battle is already decided."
Once the breath proved ineffective against the missiles, the focus shifted to the aerial battle with Augustus' side. Thousands of fighters posed a significant threat.
"Are we in trouble?" Many in the Emperor Star District worried about Augustus.
"Trouble?" Mok shook his head indifferently. "This is just a small challenge for Augustus. If it weren't challenging at all, the final would be too boring. It's good, first, give the opponent some hope, then destroy it."
In the starry space, Augustus was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure. He immediately ordered the seriously injured Earth Dragon to retreat to the Dragon army, healing it with a Leaf of Life and positioning the other Earth Dragon behind.
"Interesting," a smile curled on Augustus's lips as he looked at the thousand fighter jets. "I'll show only a fraction of my true strength."
The next moment, everyone was stunned to see that, under the threat of hundreds of missiles, not only did the Dragon army refuse to retreat, but they continued to advance. Many were puzzled.
At Astra Militarum, a group of scientists and generals observed the scene with varying expressions.
"The enemy must have some other tricks," Lando pondered. "But don't worry about what they do, we'll proceed according to the original plan."
Because they lacked detailed knowledge about dragons, the Astra Militarum's strategy was very conservative. They opted to test first rather than launch an all-out attack, fearing the opponent's hidden cards.
Seeing the Dragon army continue its advance, a special missile was again fired from the Typhoon. Based on previous experience, this time ten missiles were launched, each targeting an Earth Dragon. Unless all hit the same spot, their lethality would be limited.
But the dragons were not fools; they wouldn't let themselves be hit in the same place. This attack targeted the thick but short wings of the Earth Dragon instead of its large body.
"What!?" Bru and several other leaders exclaimed in surprise when they saw the missiles aimed at the fleshy wings of the Earth Dragon.
"Strictly speaking, the Earth Dragon isn't a true dragon," Bru explained with a smile. "It's a hybrid of dragons and other races."
"Interesting, the weakness Sebastian found," a tall man applauded.
This discovery was thanks to the scientific team's efforts. Using ultra-high-definition cameras from the Global Hawk, they studied the dragons and finally determined that the wings of the Wind Dragon and others were crucial. Losing their wings would not only prevent flight but also significantly reduce their flying ability. The same applied to the Earth Dragon; without its wings, it couldn't soar in the sky.
"Interesting, he seems to have come prepared," Augustus observed calmly, not giving any orders yet.
Watching ten special missiles speed toward the Earth Dragons' heads, the dragons couldn't dodge; they were the meat shields of the army. Evading would expose the Red, Green, and Golden Dragons behind.
This time, the breath attacks of the Red and Green Dragons continued, but they still couldn't block the special missiles. One by one, the missiles sped past, reaching their targets in front of the Earth Dragons.
Boom, boom, boom! Explosions erupted one after another. It was much like the previous assaults, but this time, the targets were the wings. Before the smoke even spread, everyone sensed something was wrong. When the missiles nearly struck the Earth Dragons, shadows appeared, phantoms of Golden Dragons blocking the bombardments in front of them.
"Ok?" The Astra Militarum was all stunned by the sudden appearance of the Golden Dragon phantoms. A bad feeling arose.
After a loud explosion, the ten Earth Dragons were only slightly injured on their skin. Many outside observers were surprised.
"The Dragon Soul of the Golden Dragon?" Bru also stared, wide-eyed.
"Dragon Soul?" Huo Kong looked at Bru with suspicion.
"Dragon Soul is an innate skill of the Dragon Clan; only a few dragons can awaken it," Bru explained. "It stimulates the dragon's bloodline and can create a phantom. That's what just appeared."
"This phantom..." Huo Kong studied the dragon's shadow and asked, puzzled, "It looks more like the Golden Dragon's phantom."
"It is the Golden Dragon," Bru confirmed with a smile. "Few dragons awaken this ability. The phantom just now was likely awakened by the Golden Dragon. An awakened phantom can be manipulated within a certain range. The Golden Dragon used these phantoms to defend against Sebastian's attack on the Earth Dragon."
"Is the phantom strong?" Huo Kong asked.
"The just-awakened phantom isn't very powerful, but..." Bru shook his head. "It's more suited for defense than offense. Remarkably, Augustus's Golden Dragon can awaken this rare ability." He sighed emotionally: "This makes him far superior to other contestants, probably the only one with such a skill."
Svananóg nodded and said, "Everyone else, including Iris, Jeffery, Sergey, etc., is inferior by comparison."
The people of the Imperial Star Region smiled happily.
"Augustus," the young man in black said with some dissatisfaction, "He even awakened the phantoms but kept it hidden from us."
The young man and his companions grew more excited. They knew Augustus's strength was not fully revealed, but they also hadn't expected such a trump card.
"I merely thought Sebastian might be a bit troublesome," Mok said with a smile. "But now, with Augustus showing his trump card, there's no hope left."
"How many Golden Dragons has Augustus awakened phantoms for?" the young man in black asked curiously.
"Probably not all of them," someone guessed.
"Not all of them," Mok agreed. "Look carefully at the Golden Dragon that awakened the phantom; their demeanor differs from that of other similar dragons. I'd say about a hundred."
"One hundred? Cough." The black-clad youth sighed. "That's scary. Many of the strongest geniuses in our star area didn't even have one."
"Let's end it now," the black-clad youth declared. "This game isn't interesting. Sebastian is just fighting to the death."
"It's pointless," Mok said helplessly. "Even Augustus's strongest trump card can't be fully countered, and his overall strength is lacking."
After a brief shock, the Astra Militarum scientists began analyzing the sudden appearance of the Golden Dragon phantoms.
"It should be an energy phantom..." one scientist speculated. "That's why it can withstand missile bombardment."
"Then should we use the Silence Missile?" another suggested.
"Not quite," an older scientist shook his head. "There are too many phantoms, and the Silence Missile isn't enough."
"How many do you estimate?" Lando asked.
"About a hundred," the old scientist explained. "These phantoms are produced by the Golden Dragon, and their auras differ from those of other dragons."
"A hundred phantoms?" Lando rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"But their defense is limited," the old scientist added. "Our AGM-130 missiles can destroy Earth Dragons through these phantoms, though with less lethality. I recommend using the AS-14 Kedge," he suggested.
The other scientists nodded in agreement.
"That's probably the strongest defense they have," Cyrus said.
Energy defenses had only been encountered previously against Huo Kong. The Pheniox had caused significant trouble for the Astra Militarum, leading them to develop special materials capable of countering such energy attacks.
Although these materials are extremely expensive, costing enough to buy a suite in the capital, they are the best available, at Peak Level 2. Stronger defenses would require rare treasures, which are usually beyond the reach of Level 2 planetary lords.
"No," Lando refused, and the others, including Cyrus, looked at him in surprise.
"I mean..." Lando smiled slightly. "Since you all agree this is their strongest defense, we should use our strongest offense. Just deploy the Kh-22, the Storm."
Everyone was speechless. They knew Lando's real reason wasn't just to show the most powerful weapon but to avoid wasting too many precious materials. The goal was to quickly end the battle. Still, everyone naturally agreed that it was better to eliminate the Earth Dragon outright.
"Eagle 1-1, ready to launch the Storm," Lando ordered seriously. The Kh-22, codenamed "Storm," was not an ordinary missile. Made of special materials and with limited storage, it was reserved for critical strikes.
Though there were a thousand fighters above, their speed and altitude made them less noticeable. Several of their missiles, the larger ones, were mounted beneath the aircraft.
Under Eagle 1-1 Aircraft, two Kh-22 missiles were installed, each 11.65 meters long. Its lethality was versatile, capable of dealing with almost any opponent. This configuration was the result of modifications to the aircraft, which now carried only these large missiles.
According to Astra Militarum, these super-large missiles are essentially an enlarged version of the standard medium missile. They differ in internal structure and ammunition composition from small, medium, and large missiles, being independently designed and manufactured. This was the first appearance of such a missile in the competition.
Of course, this isn't Astra Militarum's most powerful weapon; they have even stronger means for destruction. But they are cautious, preferring to deploy the missiles first.
Boom, boom, boom! The missiles streaked toward the Earth Dragons' heads at high speed. However, most of their power was weakened by the Golden Dragon phantoms. After successive impacts, the shadows of the Golden Dragons gradually faded.
"The Level 2 phantoms are still weak," Augustus said with a slight smile. "But that's enough."
It was sufficient to last until the Dragon army entered Astra Militarum's position.
"Advance at full speed. Within a minute, attack the enemy's position," Augustus ordered coldly.
His tone was unprecedentedly commanding. After deploying the Golden Dragon phantoms, he felt confident enough to give Sebastian some dignity; there was no need to delay further.
Dragon roared, shaking the sky, and sped straight toward Astra Militarum's lines. The missile bombardments, aided by Earth and Golden Dragon phantoms, posed no real threat.
"It's time for the game to end," Augustus said indifferently, staring at the Astra Militarum below.
At the same moment, the pilot of Eagle 1-1 pressed the launch button. A Kh-22 missile shot out instantly. The fighter was far from both armies' positions. Its immense kinetic energy could directly obliterate an Earth Dragon.
This massive missile descended from the sky, blending with other missiles, but few noticed it. As it gained speed, it eventually stood out, targeting the most powerful member of the Dragon army: the Golden Dragon.