As the kin army joined the fray, the young dragon broke free from her predicament, wildly swinging her claws and spewing dragon breath around her, unleashing powerful destructive force.
Rorschach, the leader of the army, grunted heavily and leapt forward, abandoning his mount to charge at the young dragon.
Midway, an ogre with a sinister smile swung a large spiked hammer at Rorschach. Rorschach raised his magical greatsword, and with a lightning-fast slash, split the hammer and the ogre's body in two, blood splattering brightly across his armor.
He quickly closed the distance to the young dragon and delivered a fierce leaping slash aimed at her head.
Sensing the imminent danger, the young dragon was startled and swatted at Rorschach with a claw, but he countered with his magical greatsword, instantly shattering her scales and spilling blood.
In pain, the young dragon showed a fierce look and sprayed frost breath at Rorschach from close range.
Even Rorschach dared not withstand the adult dragon's breath directly. He twisted his body, dodging the frosty blast.
Meanwhile, under the protection of some heavy armored knights, Copernicus focused on casting spells to enhance the army's overall defense. Other spellcasters constructed various spells, targeting both Garon and the young dragon.
Due to her larger size and visibility, the young dragon attracted much more firepower than Garon, especially with Rorschach, the knight leader, engaging her, leaving her somewhat overwhelmed.
Garon glanced at the young dragon, seeing her in a dire state but still unharmed due to her tough hide, and he felt relieved.
As for himself, he was underestimated in the shadow of the young dragon.
The spells flying towards Garon were few, and most of the heavy armored knights were preoccupied with the kin and the young dragon, hardly any directing their attacks at Garon.
Realizing he was being underestimated, Garon smirked.
"Having the young dragon draw the fire was a good decision."
Then, Garon turned serious, whispering a spell.
He had found his target.
An old mage in a deep yellow robe.
The magical power within him quickly channeled into one of his most destructive spell models.
The school of Evocation was renowned for its formidable destructive power, particularly the fire-based spells.
Fireball, as the most classic fire evocation spell, boasted countless high-tier variants, its destructive and lethal capabilities feared by enemies and allies alike.
The spell model, already inscribed in his mind, glimmered faintly as magical energy infused it, rapidly completing the incantation. Elemental energies around began to stir, wildly converging towards Garon.
Bright fiery red elemental lights shone on him, contrasting strikingly with his white scales.
Red and white rotated ceaselessly, becoming the most conspicuous and dazzling colors on the entire battlefield.
Spellcasters in the army noticed the unusual surge of elemental energy and looked towards Garon with faces filled with dread.
By the time they realized what Garon was preparing and tried to use disruption spells to stop him, it was too late.
Copernicus's face darkened as he shouted, "It's a mid-tier Evocation spell, everyone prepare defenses!"
He was solemn, his staff glowing brightly as he chanted and constructed a spell.
Meanwhile, Garon completed his casting, and a fist-sized, dark red fireball with a subdued glow appeared before him. It was covered in rough cracks, occasionally pulsating like a beating heart, emitting a dangerously glowing light.
A fourth-tier Evocation spell, Exploding Fireball.
The typical third-tier Fireball appeared merely as a small spark, yet already had notable lethal capability.
This fist-sized fireball, laden with a dangerous aura, made even the strong warriors in the army take notice, their hearts chilled.
The young dragon, previously under heavy attack, found some relief as her strongest opponents were now distracted, guarding against Garon's spell.
"Fire purifies all."
Garon focused his mind, locking onto Copernicus's position, causing the veteran mage's expression to shift.
This old mage's continuous casting of strong protective spells had already caught Garon's attention, and in any situation, eliminating a powerful opponent's mage first was always the best tactic.
The power of Time extended to the Exploding Fireball, and in the next second, the fireball suddenly vanished from its original position.
A straight line of fire precisely cut through the chaotic battlefield, heading towards Copernicus with a momentum to destroy everything, the hot wind affecting some nearby heavy armored knights, warming them through their armor.
Time seemed to slow down as Copernicus focused intently on the fireball, his powerful mental prowess allowing him to remain calm and chant spells precisely in such a tense situation.
As the Exploding Fireball penetrated the blizzard, only ten meters away from him, he finally completed his protective spell.
A fourth-tier protective spell, Alruco's Ruby Barrier.
In such a rushed situation, he didn't have enough time to use a fifth or sixth-tier spell. Alruco's Ruby Barrier was the optimal defense against fire-based attacks.
Space seemed to warp like a mirror, suddenly folding into layers, creating a barrier with the texture of red glass, positioned between the Exploding Fireball and Copernicus.
In less than a blink of an eye, the Exploding Fireball struck the Ruby Barrier with a heavy impact, and a dense web of cracks suddenly appeared across the barrier.
With a loud crash, the explosive wave of heat blasted forth, sweeping past the edges of the Ruby Barrier, which couldn't fully contain it. The blast flung several heavy armored knights and Garon's kin alike several meters into the air, their skin reddening instantly.
The Exploding Fireball was named for its explosive nature, and it lived up to its name.
But this was just the beginning.
A surging tide of flames followed, rolling out in the wake of the hot blast, engulfing everything within a fifty-meter radius.
A small ocean of flames appeared amidst the white blizzard.
Screams rose and quickly faded, soon silenced completely—among them were heavy armored knights, spellcasters, and Garon's kin.
Human figures staggered out of the flames, their robes tattered and their exposed skin covered in burn marks.
Copernicus was in severe pain, his temples throbbing violently, his mind unable to concentrate due to the trauma.
He used a healing spell scroll to alleviate some of his injuries.
The close-range explosion of the Exploding Fireball shattered the Ruby Barrier, causing him severe injuries.
Fortunately, the power of the Exploding Fireball had been significantly weakened by the barrier, and the passive activation of magical items he wore saved him from immediate death.
"A young white dragon capable of casting Exploding Fireball."
"Damned, why would this odd-looking white dragon use fire evocation spells!"
"By the goddess of magic, I nearly died."
The old mage from the school of protection looked charred, his face filled with a sense of relief mixed with fear.
At the same time, both he and Rorschach realized why they had felt uneasy and recognized a grave error in underestimating this young white dragon, which had distracted them enough to hinder their ability to focus on casting mid-tier spells.
After the surprise attack that severely wounded Copernicus, Garon did not cease his assault.
His expression calm, his eyes radiating steady light, he quickly prepared another Exploding Fireball, launching it towards Copernicus's position.
Strike while the enemy is weak.
Garon's target was clear.
Copernicus, his face paling, mustered all his strength to cast a lower-tier protective spell in front of him, but he knew it wouldn't stop the Exploding Fireball.
A fourth-tier Exploding Fireball, its power even surpassing some fifth-tier spells, showcased the allure of the Fireball spell, a reason for its popularity among evocation mages.