Chapter 118: Intercepting the Deserters

Everything unfolded exactly as Jia Zhengjin had anticipated.

Having expended most of their strength fighting the giant bee Luluto that night, the city guards’ psychological defenses collapsed the instant the fake dragon appeared.

They had already exhausted themselves and, with great difficulty, secured a victory in battle. Yet now, before their eyes, stood a dragon—an existence found almost exclusively in myth!

Since the end of the Age of the Gods, news of these mythical creatures had grown exceedingly rare across the entire continent.

It was said that the appearance of a dragon heralded calamity and war, destruction and death!

A legend still circulated throughout the continent of a dragon that had annihilated an entire empire. It was the ultimate creature, one that could be challenged only by heroes who had touched the power of the gods!

Even the brave and invincible city guards were nothing more than frail humans before a dragon!

General Zorma, however, showed no fear whatsoever. Wielding her great axe, she spurred her horse after the dragon soaring through the sky. Unfortunately, her mount proved less courageous. At the sound of the dragon’s roar, it soon dropped to its knees in terror, throwing General Zorma to the ground.

General Zorma rose to her feet, only to discover that her horse had already fled in panic. She therefore relied on her own legs to pursue the dragon and bellowed at the sky, “Dragon! Come down and fight me if you dare!”

From atop the dragon’s head, Jia Zhengjin saw everything clearly.

What a gutsy commander, he thought. She actually dared challenge a dragon!

But unfortunately, this was merely a counterfeit dragon, utterly incapable of fighting. It existed only to frighten people and strip them of their morale and will to battle.

The dragon could not possibly fight General Zorma, but the werewolves Wolf and Karl appeared at the same time, rushing before her in an instant.

General Zorma was truly formidable. Facing two powerful werewolves, she did not retreat in the slightest. Instead, she wielded her great axe and fought them to a standstill!

Across the entire battlefield, General Zorma alone struggled to hold her ground. The city guards had collapsed like a landslide, thinking only of escaping the terrifying dragon in the sky.

“Kill!” Buddy led the town guards onto the battlefield. Behind him came the kobold chief with four thousand kobold troops, surging forward in pursuit of the fleeing city guards.

“Alex!” When Alex first saw the dragon, his legs had nearly given way beneath him. He had immediately withdrawn with the city guards. On the way, he spotted the bewildered priestess and hurriedly reined in his horse, extending his right hand toward her.

Christina recovered from her terror and, upon seeing Alex, was instantly overjoyed. She reached out at once and let him pull her onto the horse. Sitting behind him, she asked in confusion, “Why is there a dragon here?”

“I don’t know either.” Alex gave the reins a sharp shake. “We’ll talk after we get out of here! Hyah!”

Alex urged his horse into a wild gallop, carrying Christina with him as they fled toward the edge of the Monster Forest alongside the disordered city guards.

“Alex!” Perlin’s keen eyes caught sight of her former companion among the city guards. Without changing expression, she alerted Jia Zhengjin.

“It really is him!” Following the direction Perlin indicated, Jia Zhengjin indeed saw the village chief’s son. A beautiful, pure-looking girl in purple robes was riding behind him.

So this purple-robed girl was the priestess? There was indeed something remarkably pure about her.

Jia Zhengjin was curious how the girl had managed to cast so many group healing spells and still retain her magical power. For Tina’s sake, he had to capture her and question her thoroughly.

With that thought, he immediately ordered, “Stop them!”

“Roar~~!”

The mimic opened its jaws and released a thunderous dragon’s roar. Its body spiraled rapidly downward, landing at astonishing speed directly in front of the city guards’ escape route.

It spread its enormous wings, blocking the entire broad road without leaving the slightest gap.

“A dragon! A dragon!”

The city guards grew even more frantic when they found the dragon blocking their path. Instinctively, they turned back—only to discover the great mass of town guards and kobold troops bearing down upon them from behind. With the dragon before them and the enemy behind, they were completely surrounded!

Nearly half the city guards felt their legs go weak. They dismounted where they stood, clinging to their terrified horses as they faced the dragon, discarding their weapons and daring not to resist.

Only a small number of them turned around, gritted their teeth, and threw themselves desperately against the kobold army. Perhaps they had decided that since they were going to die anyway, they might as well take a few enemies with them.

The instant the dragon appeared, Alex’s warhorse reared up beneath him and let out a terrified whinny.

Christina, seated behind him, failed to hold on and fell directly to the ground. Fortunately, she had only twisted her calf. Though the pain was intense, she quickly cast a healing spell on herself.

Alex was also thrown from the saddle by the frenzied horse. Watching helplessly as it fled in panic, he could only draw his sword and stand trembling as he shielded the priestess.

“Christina, are you all right?”

“I’m fine...” The priestess healed her injury and rose to her feet, hiding behind him. “What do we do? We’re no match for a dragon!”

“Don’t worry.” Alex clenched his teeth. “I’ll protect you no matter what.”

“Alex...” Hearing those words, Christina became entranced. In her eyes, Alex’s back seemed suddenly immense and heroic.

“Perlin, can you capture the two of them?” Jia Zhengjin turned to ask.

“Understood!”

With a sharp ring, Perlin drew her sword, leaped from the dragon’s head, and landed steadily before Alex.

Alex had never imagined that someone could be standing atop the dragon’s head. He had scarcely dared to look directly at the dragon itself!

What he found even more unbelievable was that the person before him was Perlin—the woman he loved more than anything.

“Alex, surrender peacefully!” Perlin raised her sword without expression and assumed an attacking stance.

“Perlin!” The instant Alex saw her, his eyes reddened.

“Wait! She... she’s Perlin?” Christina stared in shock. “Why? Why is your beloved pointing a sword at you?”

“She’s been controlled by some kind of magic wielded by that evil foreigner!” Alex raised his sword. “Christina, leave this to me. Run!”

“Everything I do is of my own free will!”

Perlin charged at Alex without expression and brought her sword down with tremendous force.

“Clang!”

Alex raised his sword to block the blow, only to discover in astonishment that Perlin had grown even stronger!

“Don’t hurt Alex!” Seeing him fall at once into a disadvantage, Christina assumed he could not bring himself to fight the woman he loved. Watching him placed in peril, she immediately raised the staff in her hand.

“Holy Light Bolt!”

A white orb of light formed at the tip of her staff, then shot toward Perlin at tremendous speed.

“Fireball!”

Tina, watching the battle between Alex and Perlin from atop the dragon’s head, saw the priestess interfere and immediately came to Alex’s aid.

Boom!

The orb of light and the fireball collided in midair and exploded at once.

The fierce wind sent Alex’s and Perlin’s hair flying and set their robes billowing.