Ashen Dragon

Dragon Valley, in front of Rock Fortress.

The dragon-blooded monsters stood ready, letting out low growls.

The bipedal wyverns flew in dense formations in the sky, wings overlapping wings, like thick, dark clouds, blocking the sunlight.

The wildland dragons roared loudly, stomping on the ground with reckless abandon. Three chimeras stood at the edge of the cliff, their three heads roaring in unison.

The dragon vein goblins and lizardfolk stationed at the fortress stood silently, awaiting the enemy's arrival. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Though the most elite troops had long been dispatched to the south, the retainers remaining in Dragon Valley were still the core strength of the former Ashen Nest, many of whom were veterans of the Triel war who had not yet followed the Red Dragon to the south.

During Cassius's absence, Dolores's trusted subordinate—the great goblin Derol—had become the temporary overseer of Dragon Valley.

He had attained the position Dolores had long coveted, but sadly, the center of the Ashen Kingdom had already shifted to Northwind Castle, making Dragon Valley now more of a frontier stronghold and primary troop source.

"Whoo—"

A cold wind howled, surging into the valley.

Derol sneezed, his expression growing more solemn.

"Just as Lord Dolores had said, they would come with the cold wind..."

"Frost Giants..."

The great goblin stood at the highest point of Rock Fortress, gazing into the distance, where he saw many enormous figures appear on the horizon—it was the main force of Frost Giants.

Hundreds of frost giants, either riding large tundra dragons or running on the ground, charged towards the valley, accompanied by clouds of steam.

The rapid march of the giants caused the ground to tremble violently.

As the temporary overseer of Dragon Valley, Derol was young and inexperienced, and he did not provide any unnecessary pre-battle motivation. He merely raised the spear engraved with the Ashen emblem, mimicking Dolores's remembered stance, and shouted loudly:

"For the Ashen Kingdom!"

"Fight for the great Red Dragon!"

The monsters below erupted in thunderous cheers and jubilation, their excitement lingering.

"Roar, roar—"

Having survived that battle, their reverence for the Red Dragon was nearly divine, especially since the Ashen Kingdom had also filled their bellies.

These frost giants were indeed powerful, but the dragon-blooded retainers only felt an exhilarating thrill facing such a formidable enemy—after all, they were the minions of the evil dragons.

In the midst of the Frost Giant formation, Baya also swung his dragonbone pickaxe, letting out a battle roar.

"Take down this fortress!"

"Let them witness the Frost Calamity!"

The frost giants charged forward with the cold wind.

However, they first fell into the traps dug by the kobolds, who were indeed master trap-makers. Several frost giants, caught unawares, stumbled into specially crafted deep pits and were pierced by sharp spears.

Even a giant tundra dragon was tripped by steel cables, toppling with a heavy wail, crushing its rider and two frost giants beneath its weight.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

At Derol's command to "open fire," the artillery on Rock Fortress roared, echoing through the valley.

Shells rained down on the frost giants, with shrapnel flying and dust scattering, killing several unlucky giants on the spot.

Baya was somewhat taken aback by the quick casualties but continued to shout angrily:

"These small tricks are useless against us!"

"Charge up and crush them!"

Despite losing several members, the frost giants showed no signs of retreat.

"Hiss—"

Accompanied by noisy screeches, the "clouds" in the sky descended; hundreds of bipedal wyverns dived chaotically, spitting scorching flames, biting with sharp teeth, or striking with barbed, poisonous tails.

The frost giants, after the initial losses, immediately counterattacked.

They were natural enemies of the dragon-like creatures and had great experience hunting these flying lizards.

The frost giants hurled massive stones into the sky, knocking down the erratically flying wyverns, then grabbed and wrestled them to the ground in vicious combat.

These frost giants were larger and stronger than the wyverns, often ripping the wyverns to shreds once they were dragged to the ground.

"Annoying bugs!"

Baya leapt up high again, hooking another wyvern with his dragonbone pickaxe.

The frost giant warrior used his weight advantage to drag it to the ground, pinning it beneath his massive body, and then, with a single hand, tore its slender neck apart.

"Rip—"

Blood and flesh splattered across Baya's scarred face, making him grin with satisfaction as he prepared to charge at another target.

However, right after the wyverns initiated their attack, Dragon Valley's ground forces immediately followed suit, seizing the opportunity of the giants and wyverns entangled in combat to launch their assault.

"Advance!"

Derol shouted the command.

Feeling exceptionally excited, his hand holding the saber trembled slightly. He had once been a member of the line infantry legion, following Dolores in participating in that volley drill and the Triel battle. Now it was finally his turn to command the legion.

The Goblin Infantry Brigade marched in unison to the beat of the half-goat people's drums.

The frost giants occasionally hurled stones, crushing a few goblins, but the rear troops quickly filled the gaps.

When the goblin corps reached within fifty paces of the frost giants, close enough to smell the stench on the giants and feel their breath, Derol finally gave another command, just like Dolores had done before.

His heart pounded, whether from excitement or nervousness.

"Ready—"

The goblins, following their training, raised their rifles, creating a series of clattering sounds.

"Fire!"

The goblins squeezed their triggers.

"Bang!"

The rifles roared, with blue smoke rising slowly from the muzzles, the scent of gunpowder filling the air.

And just not far from the formation, several frost giants first leaned forward, then collapsed to the ground with a loud crash, raising clouds of dust.

These giant targets were much easier to hit than ordinary ones, often being pierced by several blooming bullets that deformed and expanded upon contact, burrowing into the frost giants' bodies and wreaking havoc, easily ending their lives.

"Ah—"

"It hurts!"

The frost giants even struggled on the ground, their faces twisted in agony, holding a combat stance, unable to comprehend how they had died so easily.

Baya was also shocked by the effect of the volley, dropping the mangled wyvern in his hand. Staring at the distant infantry legion, he wore an extremely grim expression:

"Damn it..."

"How can these little things so easily kill our warriors..."

He knew that the Everfrost Tribe had only just over five hundred adult frost giants in total, and each warrior was a valuable asset. If he caused too much loss, he would be held accountable, even though he was the clan leader's brother.