[Vol. 9] Chapter 90: An Unbelievable Ally
As one of the strongest beings among all mythical species, an adult dragon’s breath alone is equivalent to a true seventh-tier magic attack. A normal barrier can’t withstand more than a few blasts before being completely shattered.
Although the Austre Empire’s main cannons can unleash destruction almost equal to a dragon’s breath, each shot requires a long cooldown, and with the dragon’s incredible speed and mobility in the air, hitting it directly is nearly impossible. In this situation, even the Austre Empire’s proud fleet is nothing more than a bunch of floating targets on the sea.
If they were to really fight, that dragon could easily use its speed and overwhelming power to pick off several large ships, even the Sea Dragon Titan Ship itself, then fly away unharmed. They had no real way to stop it.
After all, mythical creatures like dragons aren’t something you can deal with through ordinary military tactics, and especially not a flying one that’s powerful in every aspect.
Cassio looked troubled and turned to Lian, who seemed to understand what he was thinking. After a moment of thought, Lian nodded slightly.
“If your army’s firepower can break through the dragon’s scales and magical defense to cause real damage, then with help from the Divine Temple, it might not be impossible to face it head-on, maybe even kill it. But… even if we win, the casualties will be very heavy.”
“Also, General Cassio, have you considered this, what if the dragon and those sea monsters are working together? If they attack us from both air and sea at the same time, how will we defend against that?”
Cassio’s face changed slightly, clearly imagining such a terrifying situation.
“Then what should we do?”
“Don’t panic yet… look carefully, the dragon has been circling above us, but it hasn’t attacked. I’ve heard that dragons aren’t a violent race. They are extremely intelligent, their minds are just as sharp as any intelligent species. They can communicate.”
“This dragon’s purpose is unclear, but the fact that it stays nearby without attacking must mean something. Either it’s hostile but cautious of our strength and is observing us first, or… it has a completely different goal.”
“No matter which it is, it doesn’t seem like it will attack us right away. So instead of wasting energy staring it down, our priority should be the real threat. Those sea monsters that have already shown clear hostility.”
“They’re hiding underwater, waiting for the right moment to strike. Since they’ve already targeted us, we probably won’t be able to leave until we completely destroy them. That’s the real problem.”
Hearing Lian’s calm and logical analysis, Cassio slowly nodded in agreement.
“You’re right. But now that our Diving Soldiers are out of contact because of that strange energy field, we can’t see what’s happening underwater. How are we supposed to deal with those monsters? They’re as big as the dragon, deep-sea torpedoes alone might not be enough to kill them. We’ll probably need to use the main cannon… but that means we’ll have to force them up to the surface first…”
However, just as the two leaders were still discussing their countermeasures, the frost-blue dragon that had been circling above suddenly changed its movement!
Its massive body seemed to break free from gravity in an instant. Its wings folded sharply, and then, like a falling meteor of ice, it dove straight toward the fleet below without warning!
The movement was so sudden and fast that even small birds might seem slower in comparison. The dragon’s enormous shadow instantly covered several warships. The ordinary soldiers on deck were terrified, screaming in panic as the giant creature plunged toward them.
Even the battle-hardened Cassio and Lian felt their hearts freeze for a moment. The dragon’s overwhelming power and presence shook them to the core.
He almost didn’t think, he was ready to shout without any doubt.
“Quick! Open fire! Shoot that beast—”
“...Hold your fire!”
Cassio’s command was already leaving his mouth, but for some reason Lian suddenly grabbed his shoulder hard, his fingers like iron clamps, and forced the last words back down.
“What are you doing!?”
The admiral sprang up, both angry and shocked, slapping the other’s hand away, but on a changing battlefield that delay cost them. His orders never reached the fleet in time.
The frost-blue dragon’s huge body was growing larger in their view, the cold and the scream of its wings cutting the air. It was now only a hundred meters from the ships. Cassio didn’t have time to scold Lian’s strange behavior; he was about to order the flagship’s main cannon to fire back.
But the lithe, quick dragon did not slash any ship. Instead, with an unbelievable twist of movement, it slipped like a giant shearwater between the narrow gaps of the steel warships, skimming the sea surface like a dragonfly touching water, then shot up again with incredible speed.
“Boom!”
The violent wind from its wings hit like a real shock wave, stirring up huge rolling waves across the sea. Cassio grabbed the railing to steady himself. When he looked closer, his heart nearly stopped.
Beneath the dragon’s sharp, powerful claws, it had lifted from the cold water a huge, suffocating creature made entirely of pale bones. A terrifying skeleton monster.
The dragon rose quickly with the skeletal beast. Out of the water, the beast lost buoyancy and fought wildly, its club-like bony limbs swinging and tearing at the dragon’s tough scales, screeching as they scraped.
The frost dragon paid no mind to those futile struggles. It raised its proud head and, facing the skeleton monster right below, opened its mouth and unleashed a roaring frost-white breath!
The extreme cold exploded outward like absolute zero, the icy wind spreading and climbing like a living thing. In the blink of an eye, the near-hundred-meter skeleton was frozen solid from head to toe, turned into a huge, lifelike ice statue hanging under the dragon’s claw.
“Roar!”
After that thunderous finish, the ice dragon gave a cry that shook sea and sky, as if to declare its power and dominance. It circled once, found a comfortable angle, then casually tossed the frozen bone giant like a block of ice toward the sea near the Imperial fleet.
“Boom!”
The ice hit the sea and sent up towering waves. Because it was so large, the frozen block soon floated back to the top and drifted not far from the Imperial ships, quietly radiating a strange, bitter cold.
“...?”
Only then did Cassio, whose jaw had nearly dropped from the breathtaking, reality-defying display, finally snap back to his senses.
He realized the enemy’s unbelievable purpose in an instant. Ignoring his shock and the flood of questions, he grabbed the fleeting chance.
“First squad! Lock all main guns on that frozen monster! Tear it to pieces! Fire!!!”