This occurred after Galen Yu had repelled the giant dragon and encountered the Alloy Wargod.
Suffering miserably from constant zombie harassment, the members had long since abandoned their outer defenses, choosing instead to hide within obsidian rooms.
"These zombie offensives are getting more and more ridiculous!"
"We have to hold out! Think of your homeland! Think of your families!"
"For the sake of the children, we absolutely cannot fall!"
After days of attrition, their ammunition was spent, and their food supplies were dwindling.
Of the twenty original contestants in the Alliance, only eight remained alive.
Every single one of them was hanging on by their last breath.
"Fortunately, we built our defenses with obsidian in advance. We can still hold out for a while longer."
Watching the zombie tide below, Jett took a moment to catch his breath amidst the chaos.
It was also fortunate that the zombies hadn't truly evolved player-like intelligence to build bridges with blocks from all directions.
As long as they stood in the middle of the obsidian, the zombies would still pathfind using the shortest line, failing to build blocks directly up from the edges.
This gave them a much-needed chance to breathe.
"What should we do next?"
Kira Oakmoor slumped into a chair, drenched in sweat.
He had also been exhausted these past few days, having broken many SlashBlades.
As for the competition and their progress, they no longer cared to compare.
In this situation, just surviving was a feat; no one had the energy for anything else.
Thinking of the comparison, Mark felt a wave of helplessness.
"Galen Yu has already slain a dragon and triggered a national fortune reward, while we're still here fending off zombies!"
"Damn it, how on earth did he defend against these Crisis Zombies?"
He looked at the exhausted Soren Park. If he weren't so drained, he would have grabbed Soren Park by the throat and demanded answers.
What useful defensive structures did he actually learn during his trip to Galen Yu's chunk?
Every defense had failed. Instead of reducing their burden, it had increased it significantly!
If it weren't for that Nether Portal, Mark felt he could have held his chunk for several more days.
"Wait, look at the sky!"
A roar echoed from the distance. Jett leaned over the edge and looked up at the sky.
A black dot approached from afar, quickly becoming recognizable.
It was a massive green dragon!
"A dragon!"
Seeing the creature with their own eyes, Mark and the others were stunned.
It was their first time seeing a mythical creature. Its majestic silhouette and powerful form made it impossible to look away.
"It looks injured! It needs our help!"
Ronan Mountwell, sharp-eyed, noticed the Fire Dragon's condition was off.
Its flight was erratic and wobbly. Drawing from his previous experience with the Wandering Mage, he thought they might be able to gain assistance from the dragon!
If they helped the dragon, they could gain benefits from it!
Even a tiny fraction would be enough for them to survive the Crisis!
"Hey! Great Dragon! I can help you!"
Standing on high ground, Ronan Mountwell was the first to shout at the dragon in the sky.
The Fire Dragon, which hadn't noticed this area initially, spotted the chunk thanks to Ronan Mountwell's shouting.
"What? More humans?"
The Fire Dragon didn't care what Ronan Mountwell was saying. Seeing these humans, a fire of rage ignited in its heart.
It was these humans!
They had killed the Ender Dragon and more than one of its own kind!
They were utterly wicked and deserved to die!
"Seeking death!"
With a roar, the Fire Dragon ignored its wounds and charged toward the Alliance, snarling.
As the Fire Dragon's massive form drew closer, Ronan Mountwell's expression became more and more elated.
It really was a dragon!
Hearing his calls, it was coming over!
Like grasping at a liferaft, the other members of the Alliance also stood up and began calling out.
"Over here! Come quickly!"
"Yes, I am the chosen one!"
"Help us defeat the zombies!"
The viewers outside the screen also felt hope surging.
"Oh my god, a dragon is actually coming in this situation!"
"It must be God! God heard my prayers and came to save the Alliance!"
"That is a messenger of God! Look how handsome and domineering it is!"
"I knew God wouldn't abandon us. We are the darlings of the world!"
"If we save the dragon, can we get a dragon mount like Galen Yu?"
"Even if we can't, it will at least wipe out the zombies for us so we can survive!"
"Wonderful! Dragon, oh Dragon, come quickly!"
They shouted alongside the contestants, hoping for the dragon's arrival.
Only a few people, looking at the Fire Dragon's appearance and the direction it was coming from, fell into deep thought.
This direction and position didn't seem like a messenger sent by God at all.
As more people appeared and shouted...
The Fire Dragon became even more enraged!
"So there are this many ants hiding here!"
It was bad enough they were hiding, but now they saw it being driven away by Galen Yu in such an embarrassing state.
And they were joining together to mock it!
This was absolutely intolerable!
Dragons were naturally short-tempered, and being in a weakened state, it didn't care to think further.
With a roar, it first swept its claws across the chunk's zombies, instantly killing a large swath of ordinary zombies.
Seeing this, Ronan Mountwell became even more overjoyed.
"It heard our call! It's clearing the obstacles for us!"
Who said dragons were arrogant and cold?
It hadn't even been treated or given meat yet, and it was already helping clear the zombies. It was practically an angel!
"Damn humans, you aren't afraid of me?"
It had intended to intimidate them with its power, but the target showed no fear, instead intensifying their mockery.
Furious, the Fire Dragon put all its strength into flying upward, diving straight for the nearest human, Ronan Mountwell.
"Look, it's coming! I know this; the kittens I raised at home seek hugs just like this!"
"Come! Even though you're a bit big, I'll give you a hug!"
"Roar!"
Seeing it charge, Ronan Mountwell didn't even try to dodge?
Its killing intent erupted completely as the Fire Dragon tore down with its claws.
Bang!
With a smile on his face and arms wide open, Ronan Mountwell was sent flying instantly. The sharp blades of its claws tore through his armor.
Despite his decent equipment, he was facing a Stage 5 Dragon!
The strongest among dragons, its damage was astronomical, shattering his armor instantly.
A bite followed immediately, the overwhelming power emptying his health bar in an instant.
[Ronan Mountwell was toasted to a crisp while trying to fight a Fire Dragon]
As the death message appeared, the smile on Mark's face froze.
"Mountwell... is dead?"
It happened so fast, so suddenly!
The dragon, hailed as a messenger of God and a descending angel, had turned around and insta-killed Ronan Mountwell?
Just a second ago, it was clearly clearing the zombies for them and protecting them!
What exactly was going on?
The audience was even more bewildered.
"What's happening? Wasn't the dragon here to protect us?"
"Why did it kill Mountwell? We clearly wanted to help it!"
"Is this what God intended? What is going on!"
"Impossible, Mark is our hero! It's impossible that it wants to kill him!"
"It's Ronan Mountwell's fault. He must have done something bad and angered God!"
"Idiots! God is bullshit! That's clearly the dragon that came from Galen Yu's chunk. What angel? What God?"
"It was just driven away by Galen Yu. It saw us and thought we were declaring war, so it attacked!"
"Where is this God? You've all been misled and deceived!"
"You missed the best time to warn them, you morons!"