Greem's face flushed white the very next second.
It was important to note that this flame barrier projected by Fire Throne possessed a minimum of a thousand points of defensive power. It was an estimated number provided by the Chip. When paired with the constant stream of fire energy from the tower, it could easily hold against a barrage of attacks from dozens of First Grade elementium adepts with absolutely no problem.
Yet, for a Third Grade adept, a defense of this level was no more than an eggshell that could be cracked with the flick of a finger. Moreover, this adept was a vampire adept, known amongst all adepts for their weak offensive strength!
Greem had imagined the power of a Third Grade adept countless times. However, the statistics and data he had drawn out in his mind still weren't as terrifying as a Third Grade adept in the flesh.
Greem was worried, but he wasn't panicking. He quickly flashed backward and retreated while waving the Blaze of Destruction. He summoned a massive Meteor Shower that instantly engulfed every inch of space around him.
Greem knew very well the situation of the battle. Single-target spells would never be able to hit the Third Grade Haines. Only area-of-effect fire spells could affect the vampire adept. Greem wasn't counting on these spells wounding Haines. He just hoped they could limit or delay Haines' attacks and provide him with the space to dodge.
A few steps later, Greem's flame barrier vanished in the clear and crisp sound of its shattering. He hadn't managed to even rally with Dragonborn Zacha.
Third Grade Haines' claws possessed intense corrosive properties and fearsome blood poison. The flame barrier of a thousand points of power turned to pieces in less than five seconds.
Greem had no flame barrier left to protect him. His Lava Shields of four or five hundred points and his Fire Shields of two hundred points were even more fragile and couldn't do much either. Fortunately, they managed to help Greem win half a second worth of time. Greem barely managed to teleport away just as Haines' bloody claws were about to rip his throat apart.
That was the most dangerous and closest Fire Teleportation for him since he had advanced to adept!
Greem felt intense pain at his throat when he stumbled out at Zacha's side. It was difficult to even swallow. It seemed the edge of Haines' claws had barely scratched his throat at the instant he teleported away.
"Quick… retreat back into the tower…" Greem mumbled out as he escaped into Fire Cave under Zacha's support and protection.
Perhaps because he feared that terrifying speed of Third Grade Haines, Zacha made sure to use his most violent lightning storm to drown the entrance of the cave and halt any attempts at pursuit.
Zacha supported Greem as they quickly ran along the winding magma tunnels of Fire Cave toward the adept's tower, just two hundred meters away from them.
Haines appeared at the edge of the lightning storm like a ghostly phantom.
He bent slightly forward, his tall nose no more than ten centimeters away from the storm. He locked onto the two fleeing silhouettes through the ravaging storm with his strange silver eyes.
Two Second-Grades.
In his eyes, the Second Grade figures that terrorized most of the world were no more than targets of a hunt that could suffice as a pastime and diversion.
They couldn't be called 'opponents.'
If it weren't for the fact that he didn't want the Second Grade dragonborn's all-out strike to damage the clothes he had on him, he would have caught both of them before they made it ten meters out.
Still, it was no big deal.
They have only extended their lives for a few dozen seconds. The conclusion was predetermined.
Haines' silver eyes grew even brighter when he sensed the energy levels of the lightning storm rapidly receding.
He turned into a crimson shadow the moment the last lightning aftershock vanished, disappearing into the dark cave that was Fire Throne.
Naturally, the other vampires shrieked and followed after their leader.
Chapter 563 Unmatched Dragon
The area outside grew silent once more as the vampires zoomed into the depths of the cave.
Adept Fügen hesitated for a moment before bringing Am along and landing on the ground.
The appearance of the Second Grade dragonborn clearly disturbed him. He couldn't help but stare into the black cave as he fell into deep thought.
"Sir, Greem might be aided by a dragonborn, but that dragonborn is no more than Second Grade. They still have no chance of victory when faced with Third Grade Lord Haines. What are you worried about now that the outcome has been decided?" Am gathered his courage to offer a few words of consolation.
"Hmph. What do you know!" A big frown appeared on Fügen's wrinkled old face, "Why did that Greem come out for if he didn't have any chance of winning? He wouldn't have had anything to lose if he just hid within the tower and ignored the provocations of the enemy. He chose to come out for a frontal fight. There's something in this... I keep smelling a conspiracy behind this."
"You mean…" Adept Am opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
He had lived in Fire Throne for several decades now. In the end, it was no more than an elementary adept's tower. It wouldn't have been so popular if not for its location right near the Black Forest, which granted it rich magical creature resources.
As one of Greem's disciple adepts, Am was very well-acquainted with this adept's tower. He had investigated all the magical facilities apart from the few restricted areas. He hadn't found anything abnormal or noteworthy.
It had been rumored a while ago that his teacher had organized an invasion of another plane. He had no specific information as he was not involved in the affair. However, it was true that a few of the tower's core adepts had gone missing.
Meryl, Sabrina, Billis, Endor.
Those people hadn't shown up again since vanishing from the tower. Greem and Mary, on the other hand, appeared two months after their disappearance. Am didn't pick up on any abnormalities from their behavior either.
The only event of note would be the sudden incident that occurred in the sealing room half a month ago. All adepts had been temporarily banned from using the sealing room. The event hadn't drawn much attention from the stationed and staying adepts, as the uses for the sealing room was extremely narrow.
Even Am might not have noticed this tiny detail that did not affect his life if he wasn't a cautious person.
Now, it seemed the 'incident' of the sealing room was only a facade. The truth was probably the presence of something new in the room!
Dragonborn?
Did Greem break into a kingdom of dragons?
Am's body quaked while he was fantasizing. He was almost thrown off balance.
Am quickly snapped out of his daze and realized that it wasn't him having lousy footing; the earth itself was rumbling and shaking intensely.
The formerly flat ground suddenly started swelling before his eyes, as if an earth dragon was tunneling beneath them.
It was almost as if a giant beast had dug into the ground as was furiously struggling and digging. The earth started to crease and crack before completely breaking apart. Numerous bottomless pits and hills of dirt surfaced before crumbling and falling apart.
A pillar of dust that stood at a hundred meters tall erupted from the fine cracks, instantly devouring the market and camp around Fire Cave.
Am could vaguely hear a resounding dragon's roar from underground.
He must have heard wrong. There were no dragons near Fire Throne!
Just as Am was doubtfully looking about, Adept Fügen's eyes widened. It was like he had seen a ghost.
Am might not be able to come to a definite judgment, but a Second Grade adept like Fügen couldn't possibly be mistaken.
The eruption from underground wasn't a large scale spell being cast by Fire Throne. Instead…
Another ear-splitting crack rang out at the entrance of Fire Cave while Fügen was still caught up in shock.
Tons
of magma rocks and endless dirt and sand were blown into the air by a surge of resounding force. Two creatures of massively different sizes shot into the sky amidst the obscuring dust, battling as they flew.
The gray cloud of dust couldn't hide the crimson marks from Third Grade Marquis Haines activating his Hellsblood Ghostclaws. The extremely dense blood energy was enough proof of Haines fighting with all he had.
Even so, Haines' Ghostclaws still couldn't break through his opponent's layers of blue dragon scales. The blinding and fearsome lightning on the surface of his opponent's body simply dispersed the corrosion and blood poison effects that came with his Ghostclaws.
Haines beat his wings and flew while rapidly dashing and weaving with irregular movements to avoid the terrifying strikes from the enemy. Bites, lunges, wing attacks, tail lashes, and horrifyingly quick dragon's breath.
A loud, clear, and intimidating dragon's roar reverberated through the skies. The fearsome dragon's aura of might hit Haines right in the face. His body froze for a slight moment and was instantly devoured by an overwhelming tide of lightning.
Half a second later, Haines let out a tragic shriek. He dragged his charred body out of the lightning and escaped into the distance. Haines no longer dared to stay for even a moment longer. The blood energy in his body erupted as he turned into a crimson shadow, instantly vanishing from the spot.
Haines' terrifying opponent reared his neck and let out another loud roar in the direction he had fled. Only then did he beat his large dragon wings in satisfaction and freely circle the skies.
Those wicked dragon's horns, gleaming fangs, the clearly defined body. Powerful claws, a pair of full dragon's wings, and that eight-meter long spiked tail. The prideful Third Grade Thunder Dragon Arms proudly flew among the blue skies and white clouds, showing to this mysterious world his intimidating and majestic body.
It was only after he had happily made three rounds in the sky and dispelled his low spirits that Arms noticed the two human adepts below him. They had their heads raised and mouths agape, watching him in complete shock.
Hm? Why are there still two insects here that haven't been chased away?
It seemed as if the two adepts wanted to say something, but Arms couldn't care less. He absolutely hated adepts anyway. The next second, a terrifying thunderstorm engulfed the two human adepts and threw them a couple of kilometers away.
Hmph! I can't kill you, but it won't be a problem if I give you a bad time, will it?!
Third Grade Thunder Dragon Arms slowly landed as he wickedly thought to himself.
Stones clattered and rolled around as Arms gracefully landed on the ground.
The battle underground had been a brief one, but Fire Cave had already been utterly destroyed by the battle between the two Third Grades. The ground was scarred and marred everywhere by the signs of their struggle. The heat from underground continued to rise in the form of steam, mixing with the dust in the air and making it hard for anyone to breath.
The hole created by the fight between the vampire and the dragon had already been covered by the stones and dirt that had fallen back down. Arms would have to dig with his claws or wait for the fire adept if he wanted to return underground.
Arms sat upon the ruins, continually raising his neck to look around at the land around him.
That wicked fire adept even made him cut off the path of retreat of the other vampires, apart from just chasing away their leader.
Having a great Third Grade thunder dragon such as himself act as a lowly assistant? This was an insult to the great thunder dragons! However, he had no choice but to endure the treatment in the face of that precious Dragon Pledge Gemstone.
Arms grumbled furiously while using his vast Spirit to scan for all abnormalities within five kilometers.
All of a sudden, he straightened his body. His amber eyes stared at a pile of stones a thousand meters away from him.
Arms tilted his head slightly, and as if he had heard something, he took to the skies with his lithe and muscular body. Arms then dove downwards with an unstoppable aura.
Dong! A muffled boom rang out.
The pile of debris was crushed into dust under the claw of the dragon. The vampire that had just dug his way out of the ground was instantly stomped into meat paste.
Oops. That was a little too much power!
Arms couldn't help but be shocked for a moment. He remembered that the fire adept wanted them alive.
The dragon raised his claws and licked the pieces of meat stuck on it.
Seems really weak. Must be a First Grade vampire. That's not my target!
Arms sighed in relief and casually returned to his original spot, continuing to keep watch.
Where could the vampires escape with a Third Grade thunder dragon sealing their only way out?!
The vampires invading this time were all core members of the Vik Family. They were all powerful and possessed plenty of experience and battle techniques. As such, Greem didn't send his subordinates to deal with them. Instead, he cooperated with Dragonborn Zacha and searched for the vampires in the disconnected magma tunnels of the cave.
It was the home base of Fire Throne, after all. He sent a horde of magical Fire Eyes out, slowly finding the escaping vampires one by one.
Pitting the Second Grades against First Grades made things extremely easy, not to mention the fact that there were two of them. No vampire could escape from them the moment they were discovered. They were all beaten within an inch of their life before being bound with anti-magic chains and thrown back into Fire Throne.
After a thorough search, Greem finally managed to corner his most important target, Second Grade Vampire Leicester, in a tunnel a mere ten meters away from the surface.
After a casual and bloody battle, Leicester's leg was stabbed by Zacha's electric spear. The vampire was utterly shocked, with even his hair turning into an afro. It was then that Greem dragged him back to Fire Throne.
With Leicester in hand, Greem couldn't be bothered with capturing the other Second Grade vampire. He immediately used a Flamegate to bring Arms back to the tower and proceeded to cut off all connection to the surface.
With the cover of the collapsed Fire Cave, it was time to have Fire Throne go dark for a while!
Chapter 564 Battle Aftermath
Fire Throne, dragons, vampires.
These words that usually had nothing to do with each other instantly became the hottest buzzwords in the region, immediately attracting the attention of countless people.
Head of a vampire family to the southwest of Zhentarim, Third Grade Haines Vik had raised the flags of revenge and led his family in a determined invasion against Greem's Fire Throne. The Zhentarim Association had consented to this attack due to the incident in Rose Manor and the silent consent of the Sarubo leaders.
A Third Grade vampire led the group, with two more Second Grade vampires and dozens of First Grades in the group. Power of this level was more than enough to raze an ordinary small-sized clan. It was a powerful army that couldn't be underestimated, even for some mid-sized clans with insufficient accumulation.
Yet it was an army like this that broke their heads upon the adept's tower of a lesser known Second Grade adept.
A mighty Second Grade dragonborn, and a terrifying Third Grade thunder dragon.
These wholly unexpected and strange creatures had all appeared in that rural adept's tower. The psychological impact was immense.
In particular, all the staying adepts who had impatiently declared their departure from Fire Throne before the battle had started were green with regret.
The name of Flame Demon might have been widely spread for a period in the past, but that was mostly temporary fame in the areas around the Sarubo Clan's territory. The decades of silence when Greem hid in Fire Throne to work toward Second Grade had caused the title of Flame Demon to fade from the minds of the people.
With this 'clan war,' and the frantic escape of the Third Grade vampire, the title of Flame D
emon became a widespread name once again. For a moment, Greem had become an influential figure that no one didn't know of.
As a large number of ex-members of the tower fled from the scene, the process and outcome of the battle between Greem and the vampires, as well as some of the insider information and intricacies leading to the conflict, started to be passed around the entire Zhentarim area.
Since the Sarubo higher-ups had declared that Greem was no longer a part of their clan before the battle, a new adept clan had now been born in the center of the Continent of Adepts with their victory.
Hordes of wandering adepts would rally to Greem's call as long as he was willing to step forth in this moment of might and glory to recruit followers.
After all, the resources and benefits that one would get from following a quickly rising adept powerhouse were immense.
However, what truly unnerved the adept clans was the appearance of the dragon. How did Greem, a mere Second Grade adept, manage to summon a Third Grade thunder dragon to do his bidding? This event had utterly subverted all their previous understanding of dragons as greedy and prideful creatures!
Of course, a small rumor had been spreading among the adepts– Greem had most likely discovered a small dragon's plane. The allies that he had found for his cause were his collaborators back in the dragon's plane.
This particular rumor appeared to be baseless and a lot more ridiculous compared to other ones. Unexpectedly, it was the one that most adepts endorsed. It was the only reasonable 'reality' that could explain away their doubts and questions.
For a moment, Fire Throne, Flame Demon, Greem, Dragon– these words were bundled together and became the hottest topic of the Zhentarim area.
Ordinary nobles and wealthy merchants naturally turned these into teatime conversational topics and passionately discussed the details amongst themselves. However, for the adepts who possessed power and knowledge, the entire incident oozed with a great deal of interesting information.
The dragons had been extinct in the World of Adepts for over ten thousand years!
Age of Adepts c1-1513 Page 353