Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  While the dragons used all their strength to smash the machines to pieces, the fortress in the distance trembled. The black sun landed where the dragons were most concentrated, crashing like a meteor from space.

  The next second; silence!

  A black halo abruptly erupted from the battlefield on the ground without a single noise. It devoured all of the dragons and machines. There was no struggling, no cries of agony; only the black halo. The firm ground itself was corroded away by the violent energies wherever they traveled, forcefully shaving seven meters off the land.

  The black sun first collapsed inward, sucking in all the surrounding energy particles and air, compressing and agitating them. It stood still for a single second before letting out a tide of energy that moved mountains.

  The entire area caught in the blast zone was shaved clean by the destructive shockwave. The dirt on the surface was thrown into the air before being minced into minute particles by the magical energy, mixed in with all the other substances, and blown away into the distance by the blast wave.

  The metal fortress, being the closest to the blast zone, was the first to be impacted by the explosion. It trembled and shivered during the massive blast. The ten-thousand-year mountain that enveloped the metal fortress started to collapse during the quaking, revealing the complete metallic form of the fortress beneath.

  The metal fortress truly lived up to its name. It did not fall in the face of such an intense shockwave.

  However, while it had not been destroyed, the undefended dragons faced a much more horrible fate.

  Not counting the dragons on the ground, every First and Second Grade dragon in the sky was instantly killed when they were engulfed by the black halo. Even the dragons circling above the battlefield were stunned by the deafening explosion. Before they could regain their wits and flee even higher, the energy shockwave reached them.

  The dragons were blown back by the violent energy. Many of them crashed into their companions, inflicting broken wings and shattered bones.

  For a moment, the slightly advantageous situation was turned against them by the enemy’s murderous attack!

  This one attack from the metal fortress had caused seven deaths and eleven injuries. Four of the seven dead dragons were Second Grade. The ferocity of this strike was already no weaker than a blow from a Fourth Grade powerhouse in terms of energy intensity.

  The two Fourth Grade dragons watching from above roared at the same time.

  They had truly never expected this to happen.

  Such an inconspicuous metal fortress. No Fourth Grade powerhouse could be sensed within, yet it had managed to unleash the violent trait of chaos magic. That attack alone could have severely wounded them if they were careless, let alone lower-grade dragons.

  They could no longer sit behind the lines now.

  As a loud roar echoed throughout the land, the two Fourth Grade dragons beat their wide wings and dove at the fortress.

  Since they were the ones leading the attack today and there were no enemy Fourth Grades, it would be a stain upon their reputation if the dragonflight suffered too many losses. Consequently, these two Fourth Grade dragons personally joined the fight just half an hour after it started.

  The breaths of these two Fourth Grade dragons were easily above one thousand points in intensity. Their breaths washed against the walls of the fortress. Even after being reinforced with plenty of magical energy, the thick metal walls could not stop the breaths from penetrating it.

  The outer walls started to melt like snow on a sunny day.

  In the blink of an eye, a round hole two meters in diameter and four meters deep had appeared on the wall. The boiling breath entered the metal fortress and ravaged everything it contacted.

  If it were goblins or adepts hiding behind the metal walls, then this blow alone would have inflicted major losses on the Crimson Clan!

  However, at this moment, Greem, Gazlowe, and the split-off brain Gru were the only ones inside the fortress. They were hiding in the metal hall at the core of the fortress. The enemy had to pierce through three layers of four-meter-thick walls and multiple metal gates before they could reach them.

  Beneath their feet was a simple teleportation array that had been constructed on the fly.

  They would never die alongside this metal fortress that was destined to be sacrificed.

  Detonating the reserve magical energy in the metal fortress and teleporting them away; this was the brilliant feast that Greem and Gazlowe had prepared for the dragonflight after a long time of planning!

  As for whether the dragons could digest this meal? That wasn’t any of their concern.

  Anyone who dared to invade the territory of the Crimson Clan–even a Fourth Grade dragon–would have to have a few teeth knocked out of their jaw.

  Chapter 811 - Elegy of the Dragonflight

  The war raged on.

  In truth, the conclusion to this battle at the metal fortress had already been determined from the very start.

  The only thing that Greem and Gazlowe could do was to make the invading dragonflight bloody themselves before the metal fortress. They had to make them pay the highest price possible for their recklessness and ignorance!

  Two Fourth Grade dragons led a dozen Third Grade dragons in an attack against an undefended metal fortress; it couldn’t have been any easier.

  The dragons used their long-ranged breaths and focused their fire on the magic energy cannons along the walls, destroying them one by one. After dealing with these annoying ‘thorns,’ the dragons finally approached the fortress to tear it apart.

  Gazlowe, expecting the arrival of the dragonflight, had already performed immense adjustments to the insides of the fortress. All the warehouses, workshops, refineries, and pipes had been taken apart. The metal waste products from this process hadn’t been useless. All of it had been put toward the internal modification of the metal fortress.

  The place was like a massive metal maze now. Scores of metal walls and layers of metal gates divided the interior of the fortress into battlefields of various sizes. The ten thousand magical machines that had been activated ahead of time were silently waiting for the dragonflight’s arrival.

  When one of the Fourth Grade dragons used its terrifying dragon breath to create an opening in the wall, several of the dragons tucked their wings and climbed into the fortress. Naturally, what greeted them was a storm of energy beams and violent magic energy cannons.

  Gazlowe wasn’t holding back on the consumption of magic energy or the loss of magical machines any longer. The fierce fire from the magic energy cannons didn’t even avoid the positions of the magical machines. If a dragon could be killed at the cost of a few dozen or even a few hundred magical machines, it would be more than worth it.

  It wasn’t easy for the dragons to dodge the rain of attack in such a narrow area. The scales of First Grade dragons couldn’t endure such a brutal beating, and only the Second Grade dragons could survive the storm and go after the heavy firepower.

  After several failed attempts to break in, the dragonflight changed their strategy. The Second Grade dragons became the vanguard and attracted the firepower of the magical machines, while the First Grade dragons were responsible for wrecking the cannons and the machines.

  The siege’s progress quickened with this strategy.

  After just an hour, the outer wall of the metal fortress had fallen to the dragons. All of the magical machines started to retreat to the second line of defense. During this battle, Gazlowe had also made use of his wits and obtained the greatest spoil since the start of the fight.

  A Third Grade dragon had died inside the metal fortress.

  Ordinary energy beams could barely tickle these Third Grade dragons. Even the magic energy cannons with as much as two hundred points of intensity could hardly threaten them. As such, many of the Third Grade dragons started to take up roles as vanguards and tanks due to their confidence in their sturdiness and defense.

  Gazlowe had
taken advantage of their pride to lay a trap. He furiously suppressed all the other dragons with firepower while reducing the intensity against a single direction. In doing so, he successfully lured a Third Grade dragon into the midst of the magical machines.

  No matter how many of these First Grade magical machines there were, they would have immense trouble dragging this Third Grade dragon to its grave. However, it was entirely possible with magic energy cannons supporting this army of machines.

  In the end, seeing was believing. Even the proud dragons had never expected the enemy would be savage enough to unleash that terrifying black sun within their own ranks. By the time the Third Grade dragon sensed the rapidly gathering chaotic magical energy and attempted to escape, its retreat path had already been sealed off by an army of magical machines.

  Boom!

  A giant, muffled explosion later, the Third Grade dragon reared its neck and roared before melting like a candle in a furnace at the core of the black sun. The destructive effects of the chaotic magic energy couldn’t be more noticeable when it exploded in such a narrow and constrained area.

  The dragons that had been trapped in the ranks of the magical machines melted into black goo along with the machines. Molten metal mixed with blood and flesh and was vaporized by the ensuing energy shockwave before it could cool down.

  The ferocious and violent magical energy repeatedly crashed and bounced back against the walls of the metal fortress, causing its destructiveness to go up by another level.

  The dragons circling outside the fortress only felt the giant metal structure tremble before the formerly impenetrable outer wall started melting like wax. The life flux of the two dozen dragons inside vanished without a trace. No one could sense their soul auras either.

  It was clear that the black sun that detonated inside the fortress had not only destroyed their powerful bodies but had also burned away their souls.

  From now on, these legendary figures would no longer fly in the beautiful skies of Lance.

  The gaze of every single dragon froze when they looked at the fortress that had been ravaged by the magical energy. They hovered in the skies, stunned and silenced. Every thought in their minds had flown away as they looked down upon the smoking and ravaged battlefield below. Their hearts were empty, and no one knew what they should do or what emotion they should have to express what they were feeling.

  It was a desolate scene in the place below them, where the metal fortress had once been.

  Trees, dirt, and even pieces of the metal walls had been blown away. The exposed black rocks were covered with flesh and limbs smashed to a pulp. Purple-black dragon blood flowed from the twisted ruins, gathered into a stream, and trickled toward the crater produced by the explosion.

  The broken dragon corpses laid alongside the shattered magical machine parts like an abstract drawing frozen in time. It was a frightening sight to behold from a distance.

  The dragons only saw one or two familiar silhouettes moving about at the edge of the explosion; they were a Third and Second Grade dragon. They might have been fortunate enough to survive the blast, but their once elegant and beautiful bodies were now filled with gouges and wounds of all sizes. Sharp pieces of metal were inside their injuries. Every slight movement would cause the shrapnel to cut into them and cause more blood to flow down their bodies.

  A few of the dragons hastily roared and dove down to save these two lucky companions of theirs.

  The other dragons let out an earthshaking roar with bloodshot eyes. They started to repeatedly cleanse the remaining structures of the metal fortress with their wild dragon breath.

  Most of the magical machines had already been destroyed in the previous explosion. Only a few survivors charged out from the ruins, shooting at the dragons with their energy beams.

  Soon, they too were destroyed by the dragon’s wild breath.

  The entire battlefield was silent once more!

  The dragons had won.

  They had obtained victory in this battle in a manner they would never accept!

  The dragonflight whimpered in sorrow.

  …………

  Seventeen thousand kilometers away from Stonetalon Mountains.

  The brilliant light of a temporary teleportation portal illuminated every inch of space in a dark cave.

  By the time the white light started to subside, Greem, Gazlowe, and Gru had appeared within an array.

  The Crimson adepts who had been waiting here stepped forth and offered their greetings.

  They had witnessed the heroic sight of the metal fortress’ last battle through a live magical projection.

  Greem and Gazlowe had not personally been involved in the fight. However, they had managed to rely on the metal fortress and its strange characteristics to inflict a bloody wound on the dragonflight.

  That…that was already far beyond the ability and means that an ordinary adept should possess!

  There was no right or wrong. It didn’t matter how Greem had achieved this result. Any adept that possessed such power deserved respect.

  After the two Crimson adepts had paid their respects, Third Grade Dragon Arms walked forth in his human form after a bit of hesitation. He too greeted Greem and Gazlowe.

  Greem had completed his side of the agreement. It meant that now, Arms could be considered his contracted companion. The two might appear to be equal in status. However, considering that Greem was currently sheltering Arms, there was already a subtle difference in their positions.

  Having a Third Grade dragon bow before a Second Grade adept was far too embarrassing. Arms could not bring himself to do something like that yet.

  However, Greem didn’t seem to mind at all.

  Bowing one’s head was always difficult the first time. However, by the time you got used to doing so, your position and your partner’s would have changed immensely.

  With the battle today, Greem had blatantly displayed his might to Arms, Iritina, and the proud green dragons. The fight at the metal fortress once again demonstrated that Greem, and the entirety of the Crimson Clan, possessed the terrifying combat power to kill Third Grade dragons.

  That was the only reason Arms was willing to lower his head!

  “Arms, you recognize both of the Fourth Grade dragons that attacked the metal fortress today, don’t you? Who are they?” Greem asked as he stepped out of the portal and moved toward the hall.

  “They are Gold Dragon Stuart and Amethyst Dragon Toril. The two of them are two of the only seven Fourth Grade Great Lords of Lance.” Arms walked along Greem’s side and started to talk about what he knew, albeit hesitantly.

  “Good. Very good,” Gazlowe said resentfully, “Gazlowe, immediately send their information and details to Alice and have her check which witch leader might be interested. Hmph! Since they dare destroy my tower, I want them to pay with their lives and freedom!”

  The ruthlessness in Greem’s words caused even Arms to shudder in fright.

  That was a group of Fourth Grade dragons!

  A ‘mere’ Second Grade adept dared use such a tone to declare the fate of Fourth Grade dragons. It truly shocked the Third Grade Arms.

  For a moment, all sorts of emotions welled up in Arms’ heart!

  Chapter 812 - Clan Business

  The injury to the dragons during the battle at Stonetalon Mountains was indescribable!

  The despicable nature and cruel means of the adepts had struck fear into their hearts.

  After a headcount, the dragons confirmed that as many as thirty-four dragon lords had died at Stonetalon Mountains. That was nearly one-third of their total number. Moreover, the only spoil they obtained was a horrifying graveyard made of molten metal and dragon corpses.

  As the tattered dragon corpses were already covered in the cooled molten metal, breaking apart this metal coffin to find every single body would be an impossible and heartbreaking task.

  The two Fourth Grade Great Dragon Lords had to excavate the crater beneath the metal fortress and
bury the fortress ruins alongside the metal graveyard. They then assigned an army of Dragon Cultists to guard the site.

  The furious dragons tore the fortress apart, but they still found no signs of the adepts. That meant that the damned adepts had also successfully escaped after tearing a hefty piece of flesh out of the dragons.

  As for whether they escaped back to the World of Adepts or remained in Lance? No one knew the answer to that!

  However, the very thought of such a ferocious villain hiding near them sent chills into the hearts of all dragon lords. Every one of them swore to themselves to properly clear out the areas surrounding their territory.

  The dragonflight remained at Stonetalon Mountains for two long months. They scoured every piece of the mountain and every inch of the ground. Still, they did not find a single trace of the adepts. They all had their own territories and subjects, and, naturally, they were concerned about thieves going after their hoard if they were absent for extended periods.

  Thus, from the third month onwards, an increasing number of dragons started to leave the mountains and return to their territories.

  Fourth Grade Great Dragon Lords might command immense authority and respect, but they could not forcefully have their subordinates do their bidding indefinitely. Thus, after several fruitless searches, the two Fourth Grade dragons could only roar and take to the skies, leaving with their respective subordinates.

  As Great Dragon Lords, their territories were several tens of thousands of kilometers away from here. If it weren’t to exact vengeance for Fourth Grade Krille, the dragons would never have traveled so far, especially with how lazy they were.

  Now that they had left, it meant that there was no longer a Fourth Grade dragon keeping the enemy in line within this massive area of over five thousand square kilometers. All the First, Second, and Third Grade dragons here would have to pray for their own fates if those adepts were to return!