Dragons were not blind.
When Duanmu Huai led his puppet army charging down the slope, they immediately noticed these intruders. Yet the dragons did not take these small creatures seriously. Instead, the drakes roared, brandished their spears, and formed up in formation to block Duanmu Huai and the others. Then, with a shout from their leader, the drakes raised their spears and hurled them toward the puppet army.
"———————!!!"
Spears rained down from the sky like a storm, whistling as they fell and engulfing the puppet army. With only 1 point of attack and defense, the puppets had no chance of withstanding the drakes' assault. In moments they were annihilated by the barrage, leaving only the Metal Draconic Construct still charging forward, immune to physical attacks.
"Wait—what do we do now, Sir Knight?!"
Anne screamed when she saw this. She hadn't expected the puppets to be so fragile, wiped out in a single exchange.
"Watch closely—this is only the beginning!"
Hearing Anne's panic, Duanmu Huai gave a cold smile, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
Activate special skill: [Paladin's Summon]!
Remove all cards from the graveyard and summon Paladin Knights to the field! Grant all allies +2/+2 and Rush!
"Clang!!"
In an instant, at the places where the puppets had fallen, hundreds upon hundreds of Paladin Knights appeared, riding ghostly warhorses and clad in shining armor. Like a tide of souls given form, they thundered down after Duanmu Huai, charging straight toward the drake army!
The Paladin Knights' base stats were 3/4, and with Duanmu Huai's +2/+2 buff, even ordinary evil dragons were no match for them, let alone these drakes!
The sudden appearance of the Paladin Knights shocked even the dragons themselves. The drakes tried to raise their spears to resist, but Duanmu Huai was already at the front, driving the Metal Draconic Construct straight into their lines. Like a boulder tumbling down a mountain, it crashed directly into the drake army. Their sharp, sturdy spears couldn't even scratch its body.
Meanwhile, the others on the Construct also sprang into action.
Augis extended her hands, weaving invisible threads into barriers like giant shredders, slicing apart every drake that dared leap toward her. Lorena swung her holy tome, smashing away those who tried to climb aboard the Construct.
On the other side, Gureya's hands had transformed into burning, vicious dragon claws. She stood protectively beside Anne, tearing apart any foe who came near. Under her guard, Anne raised her voice in chant, then pointed forward.
"Wrath of the Storm!!"
Magic surged into a violent cyclone under Anne's control, then erupted forward, blasting straight through the thick ranks of drakes. Before the survivors could even react, Filine raised her hand to her lips and blew gently. A formless icy wind howled forth, instantly snuffing out the drakes' life flames, leaving only shattered ice sculptures behind.
By now, the dragons realized that these little "insects" were not as weak as they had thought. As Fafnir's subordinates, they could not allow such creatures to flaunt themselves in front of them, trampling upon their dignity and honor. Roaring, the dragons beat their wings and swooped down, colliding with Duanmu Huai's army.
The battlefield shifted from ground to sky. Duanmu Huai steered the Metal Draconic Construct straight into the dragon host. The leading dragon lunged and bit into the Construct's neck—but before it could act further, Duanmu Huai brought his [Warhammer] down on its head. The dragon's skull collapsed with a sickening crunch, its brain matter bursting, eyes popping from their sockets as blood sprayed. Its massive body lost power and plummeted to the ground, leaving a trail of crimson droplets.
In sheer size, Duanmu Huai and the Construct were of course far smaller than true dragons. The Construct was no real dragon, and compared to one, the gap was like sparrow to eagle. But bulk didn't mean advantage. Duanmu Huai maneuvered the Construct nimbly through the flock, sometimes even leaping onto a dragon's back. Before his foe could react, he would spring away and bring his hammer down in a crushing blow, caving in its skull and sending it to its death.
The others were just as fierce. Filine summoned a raging snowstorm that blanketed the skies, slowing the dragons' movements and reactions. Anne, clutching her spellbook, chanted loudly. Guided by her clear voice, bolts of lightning and firestorms tore through the dragons, leaving nothing but blackened charcoal wherever they struck.
Even the summoned Paladin Knights proved their worth. Though no match for a dragon in single combat, their fearless charges always managed to drag down several foes with them. Even as they fell, they fought on without fear—after all, they were already dead.
So it really is easier with a mage around.
Watching Anne unleash her full firepower under Lorena and Gureya's protection, Duanmu Huai gave a small nod. Without her, they could still fight, but it would have been far more difficult. After all, most of them—including himself—were limited to close or mid-range attacks. None had a mage's ability to strike at long range.
Well, at least I've learned a few spells myself.
Even so, despite the heavy losses inflicted, they were still outnumbered. The summoned constructs and Paladin Knights were steadily being torn apart. One after another, they were wiped out under the dragons' ferocious assault. Before long, the summons around Duanmu Huai were nearly all destroyed.
And the dragons still ruled the skies.
"Sir Knight, what do we do now?"
Lorena asked anxiously, looking at the swarming dragons. Beside her, Anne was already gasping for breath, completely drained. Though she was Manaria's strongest mage, she was still only a girl, and sustaining such powerful spells was exhausting.
"That should be enough."
In contrast to their nervousness, Duanmu Huai remained calm. He glanced toward his objective, then extended his hand.
First—summon [Sky Fortress] to the field!
A radiant flash lit the heavens.
High above the clouds, a floating city appeared, gleaming with golden brilliance in the sunlight like a citadel of paradise. The sight made the dragons falter, flapping uncertainly as they stared at the sudden vision.
But for Duanmu Huai, this was only the beginning.
Next—summon [Divine Relic]!
As the card vanished from his hand, a massive construct appeared at the fortress's front—like an elaborately carved trident laid flat. At its center, a sphere of radiant azure glowed with condensed magical energy, runes whirling around it as power gathered.
[Divine Relic (Legendary)]
[Fanfare: Deal damage to all enemy followers equal to the number of your destroyed Constructs this battle.]
The time has come.
Duanmu Huai glanced at the graveyard count of destroyed constructs, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Now... die!!"
The next instant, blazing thunder split the sky and swallowed the world.
None could see what happened—blinding light turned everything white, and a thunderous roar drowned all other sound. The girls screamed, covering their ears and shutting their eyes against the overwhelming brilliance.
Only after what felt like ages did they slowly open their eyes.
And froze.
The sky, once blotted out by countless dragons, was now completely clear. Not a single shadow remained—only empty, dazzling blue, as though the heavens themselves had been scrubbed clean.
On the ground, innumerable charred corpses smoked and crackled, their remains so ruined that their original forms were beyond recognition.
"Mm. Not bad. Went just as planned."
Duanmu Huai looked upon the battlefield with satisfaction, ignoring the girls' pale faces. To him, this was nothing remarkable. Compared to battles against evil gods and alien races, where entire planets or even star systems were at stake, a few hundred dragons were hardly worth his concern.
Anne and Gureya, however, were shaken white, Lorena closed her eyes tightly in prayer, and even usually-expressionless Filine clutched her fairy companion silently. Only Olgis remained unchanged, as calm as ever.
"Is it over, Master?"
"Of course not. This is only the beginning. Next, we deal with Fafnir."
Saying this, Duanmu Huai guided the Construct down into the volcanic crater. The guards there had already been reduced to charred husks by the lightning. He didn't spare them a glance as he strode inside.
But—
"No one's here?!"
The massive lair was piled with mountains of gold, treasures, artifacts, weapons, and art. Yet for all its vastness—large enough to rival several stadiums—there was one thing missing: the boss who should have been here.
What the hell?
Duanmu Huai scratched his head. He had come all this way, only for the boss to not be home?
What, did you go on vacation?
Huh?
Just then, he heard a sound. Stretching out his hand, he seized the source and yanked. A drake tumbled out of a pile of gold and landed in his grasp.
"D-don't kill me! Don't kill me!!!"
The drake trembled violently under Duanmu Huai's gaze. Clearly it had witnessed the annihilation of the dragon legion. Had it not hidden quickly in the hoard, it would surely have been roasted into charcoal like the others.
"Where is Fafnir?"
Duanmu Huai's voice was cold as he stared down the creature.
"This is Fafnir's lair, isn't it? Where did it go?"
"L-Lord Fafnir isn't here... it went to Manaria..."
"What?!"
Hearing this, Anne—half-collapsing, supported by Gureya—suddenly cried out. She stumbled forward to face the drake.
"Why did Fafnir go to Manaria?!"
"I-I heard the King of Regnis was going there... to discuss an alliance against Lord Fafnir. Lord Fafnir thought it was the perfect chance to destroy Regnis and Manaria both..."
"I see."
At this, Duanmu Huai finally understood. He hadn't summoned the Sky Fortress earlier precisely because he wanted to lure Fafnir out before using the [Divine Relic]. But Fafnir had never appeared. He had suspected some trick... but it turned out the dragon had simply gone out.
In truth, this was partly because of Anne and Gureya. When their fathers learned their daughters had gone to fight Fafnir, both kings grew restless. Despite political issues, they had hastily organized a joint expedition to the north to slay the evil dragon—and to find their missing princesses.
See? Some people only move when the fire's already at their eyebrows.
Anne, however, cared nothing for that now. She grabbed Duanmu Huai urgently.
"Sir Knight! We must return to Manaria at once!!"
(End of Chapter)