"Get lost!"
The female red dragon, Griselda, had no interest in Roel and replied with a blunt rebuff.
However, Roel seemed unfazed by her brusque response, shamelessly moving closer with a flap of his wings.
"Why be angry? Although you're not interested in me now, I believe if you got to know me better, you'd fall head over heels in love with me," Roel boasted unabashedly. "Aside from Lord Garon, I've never seen a more exceptional true dragon than myself!"
Garon was speechless. After all, Roel's bold statement was quite the truth, making it hard for him to contradict.
Griselda spewed flames from her mouth, impatiently warning, "If you come any closer, don't blame me for not being nice!"
Roel laughed heartily, flexing his robust muscles and brightly colored red scales, lifting his head in confidence, "Feel free to be as harsh as you like, I won't mind."
Among red dragons, breath attacks were often ineffective against one another, and other combat methods were similarly mitigated.
Roel, larger in size and clearly stronger, was unconcerned about her threats and seemed even more excited as he moved closer.
Annoyed, Griselda unleashed a fiery breath that enveloped Roel, but it did not stop him from advancing.
Griselda turned to the black and green dragons, calling out, "You two, help me beat him up!"
Her command carried a tone of authority.
The black and green dragons shook their heads, chuckling, "Griselda, we'd rather not get involved in red dragon affairs; we don't want to get burned."
Roel laughed and approached Griselda, trying to nuzzle her, "Beautiful lady of the red dragons, why not just agree to be mine?"
Griselda, clearly annoyed, turned away to avoid physical contact with Roel, but he shamelessly pursued her, offering various conditions in hopes she would agree to become his mate.
He was at an age where he was keen to find a mate, and upon finding a red dragon he admired, he was relentless.
Watching this, Garon shook his head disapprovingly at his follower's behavior, then turned his attention back to the battle below.
As time passed, the Golden League army advanced toward the Ironstone Defense Line, incurring some casualties.
Thunderous rumbles sounded as the ancient, massive iron gates embedded in the Ironstone Defense Line opened.
Dimo troops surged out like a tide to meet the Golden League army.
Among them were towering constructs made from various materials—iron, clay, and marble. These massive constructs, resembling giant humanoid forms, captured everyone's attention.
Despite their various materials, all constructs bore the marks of age—rust, stains, and cracks—but still, they possessed an imposing presence.
"These must be constructs from the peak era of the Dimo Kingdom," Garon mused.
On the current continent of Noa, the art of creating such constructs had been lost.
None of the principalities within the Golden League army possessed any constructs.
He noted that each construct had at least eight hundred years of history.
Thousands of constructs advanced with heavy steps, their booming footfalls charging toward the Golden League army.
The distance was now within the range of mid-tier spellcasters.
Amid the thunderous footsteps, the low chanting of construction spells rang clear, with vast swaths of elemental energy beginning to stir, their elemental glows dazzling and dangerous.
The high-tier spellcasters from both sides had yet to reveal themselves, but the spell glows from the numerous lower and mid-tier spellcasters already overshadowed the evening twilight with their colorful, splendid, and perilous displays.
Soon, a multitude of spells were cast.
Chain Lightning.
Frost Arrows.
Chaos Curse.
Mind Tremor.
Acid Splash.
Fiery Assault.
Spells of various attributes and schools were launched from both sides, their bright elemental glows targeting the opposing armies.
The conspicuous constructs bore the brunt of the attacks.
Surprisingly, they exhibited high resistance to the spells. Though scorched or frosted, they remained standing, their cold eyes glowing as they continued to move.
Only a few constructs were destroyed quickly under heavy damage, turning into immobile piles of debris.
The leading constructs charged into the midst of the Golden League army.
Under the impact of the powerful and numerous constructs, the knights of the Golden League were thrown into disarray.
What was once a unified golden wave now broke into many streams around the massive constructs.
Following the constructs, the Dimo troops, like sharp knives, collided with the Golden League forces.
The constructs varied in size from six to fifteen meters tall.
The largest, a rocky construct covered in moss like a silent mountain giant, lifted its column-like legs and stomped on the ground, causing the earth to split. The Golden League soldiers within a dozen meters were blown away
, then finished off by the Dimo troops.
On the Ironstone Defense Line, large crossbow bolts continued to fire, threatening the Golden League's spellcasters and warriors, with many Dimo spellcasters using the walls for cover as they unleashed deadly spells.
The Griffin Knights of the Golden League used their mobility to strike back and forth, overwhelming ordinary soldiers, but they struggled against the defensively and powerfully endowed constructs.
The constructs used spell-like abilities, conjuring spears or boulders of the same material as their bodies, accurately knocking Griffin Knights from the sky.
Only extraordinary warriors of at least mid-tier strength could contend with the constructs.
High-tier warriors could shatter constructs, but they were too few to restrain the enemy quickly.
"A kingdom with a millennium of heritage, though decayed, still has some impressive depth," Garon observed, keenly watching the battle unfold like a grand movie.
For a time, due to the formidable combat power of the constructs and the reliance on the Ironstone Defense Line, the numerically inferior Dimo troops gained the upper hand.
But that was all.
For a high-tier spellcaster from the Golden League, unable to hold back any longer, decided it was time to intervene.
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