At the same time, in another part of the academy, a massive bombardment was also taking place.
"Ragni, be more careful with your throws; we mustn't hit the rector with the girl."
"Watch your own aim; I hit the enemies precisely."
Two princesses stood in the field to the southwest of the central square. The general was about a kilometer away from them, but that didn't stop them from taking aim with their attacks. Soon, the figures of their adversaries appeared.
"There they are! I was wondering when they would notice us."
"The problem isn't when they notice us but when they manage to reach us. Shall we hit them with a red burst once?"
"Ah, what to do with you? Let's give it a try, but I doubt it will have much effect on them."
The girls conjured up huge fireballs above their heads and threw them at the guards, causing a deafening explosion as the fireballs collided with the imperial armor.
"Maybe we should have hit them with less force; I can't see anything beyond this smoke," Ragni tried to discern any traces of the attackers in the darkness.
"I think something is moving there," Seleria squinted at a rapidly approaching shadow, and the next second, it was right in front of them. A massive warrior wielding a two-handed hammer appeared before Ragni and delivered a powerful blow straight to the dragoness's abdomen.
"Minus one; I leave the second one to you," the guard turned to the smoke and said this to another guard who was slowly approaching the red princess.
"Lord Seran, you left me behind again. You know I can't move as fast as you," the second guard had a somewhat plump figure of average height and spoke with a quiet, uncertain voice. His armor looked heavier than the others, and he carried an enormous tower shield, leaving only the top of his helmet visible.
"Damn, it's because you've loaded yourself with so much iron. I told you to think less and act more! If you get hit, strike back, but you just stand there and wait for the enemy to catch their breath."
"But-b-but I find it frightening! What if they strike when I'm not wearing my armor? It will hurt badly then."
"Are you going to a battle or to a birthday party with friends? If you're not ready to endure pain, why did you become a guard in the first place?"
"But being a guard is so cool! And by the way, you were too harsh with that girl. We were supposed to take them alive."
"Well, I'm afraid half measures won't work in this battle," the guard looked ahead towards the hammer. It should have sent the girl in black flying with tremendous force, but she was still standing on the ground; the powerful blow only shifted her a couple of meters.
"She boldly attacked without warning? How rude!" The black, scaly paw gripped the head of the hammer and crushed it to pieces. "I hope your little hammer wasn't too dear to you?"
"Oh, you know, I change them after every battle; I can't find one that can withstand all my strength!" The guard tossed the useless handle of the hammer aside, and at the same moment, Ragni, catching up to him in a leap, slammed him into the ground with her second paw.
"How intriguing! The Black Tribe?! It's been a long time since I fought with any of you," even after such a powerful blow, the guard got up from the ground. His armor was shattered into several pieces, and he was simply ripping it off as if it were unnecessary junk. "I've wanted to test my strength against one of you for so long."
The guard shed the remnants of his armor and stood before Ragni, half-naked, with a muscular body, patchy red hair, piercing yellow eyes, and sixteen sharp straight horns on his temples.
"A Red Dragon? I thought all guards were humans," Ragni scrutinized the guard with skepticism. "I don't like your tribe; you're all ready to bite each other's throats for power and strength."
"Oh, come on, that's not true. I seek strength exclusively, and for that, nothing is better than dueling powerful opponents."
Both dragons spread their wings and soared into the air, circling over the battlefield, exchanging blows and fiery flashes. Yet, they remained in their human forms, transforming only their arms and wings into dragon-like features.
"You're impressive! I can't recall the last time I felt such intensity since the battle with the Black Queen!" Seran gathered fiery orbs on his fists and hurled them at Ragni.
"Hm? Do you know my mother?" Ragni brushed away the flames with her wings and breathed a jet of fire in response.
"MOTHER?! So, that's it!" The guard evaded the flames and performed a somersault in the air to approach the Black Princess closely. "Now I see the resemblance. And here I thought she loved only one man."
"What? Whom?" Ragni struck at the enemy with her paw, but he pushed himself off and flew to the side.
"I'm not entirely sure. I once challenged her to a duel, intending to marry her if I won. And when she sent me rolling on the ground, she said she had always loved only one man. I wondered why, at such a venerable age, she remained the only one among the ancient ones without offspring," Seran took a deep breath and illuminated the night sky with a massive flash.
"My mother never told me about this! But still, I wonder who that person was," Ragni created a fire barrier that blocked the enemy's explosion. "If it were different circumstances, I'd gladly have a talk with you, but now we don't have time for that."
Ragni gathered all her strength, creating a huge fiery sphere above her head. When it reached its peak, she shot it at the opponent.
"Little one, you're very strong, but you lack experience," the Red Dragon tried to hold back the flame with both paws. "But now I'll teach you the most crucial lesson: why Reds are always stronger than Blacks!"
Saying this, Seran began inhaling the air together with the black dragoness's flame, consuming it and absorbing it into his body.
"The strength of Red dragons lies in the flame, and they can make any fire their own!" Absorbing Ragni's breath, Seran gathered even more flame than before and hurled it back at the enemy.
"Oh, Lord Seran seems to have gotten quite serious! I hope your friend will be okay," the chubby guard in armor watched the dragons' battle from the ground.
"Don't worry, Ragni will handle him... I hope," Seleria was no longer as confident in her partner; the opponent clearly had more experience. "So, what should we do with you?"
"If you don't mind, I'd prefer if you surrendered peacefully."
"Well, that doesn't sound convincing at all."
"Uhm, well, please."
"Now that's even less convincing!"
"Well, maybe you want something in return?"
"Are you trying to bargain? I thought guards preferred to resolve everything through force."
"No, I'm just afraid of hurting such a beautiful girl," it seemed that this guard had just started hopping on one leg in a fit of wild embarrassment.
"Thanks for the compliment, of course, but first, try to hurt me, and then you can be so brave."
"So, we won't part peacefully, huh?"
"Don't even hope for it!"
"In that case, I, Imperial Guard Rondel, accept your challenge." The guard raised a massive shield in front of himself, almost entirely hiding behind it.
"Damn, how do we fight with such a turtle?" Seleria looked at the opponent without much enthusiasm. "Well, let's try this."
Gathering the essence of fire in her hands, the girl unleashed a fiery stream at her opponent. The guard didn't even flinch; the flames struck his shield and scorched the surrounding area. After a minute, the princess stopped to catch her breath and noticed something strange.
"Hey, you, pot-headed guy. You seemed to stand further away?"
"You're just imagining things, and you're overexerting yourself. Better surrender."
"Don't joke with me; I'll show you what overexertion means!" Seleria conjured a dozen fireballs and hurled them at the enemy. Changing their trajectory mid-air, they hit the guard from different sides. However, it didn't budge him even a millimeter.
"My defense is unparalleled; you should surrender. Not even ancient dragons could break through my shield!" The chubby guard slowly advanced toward the princess, his armor remaining unscathed. Not even the tiniest ornament on his armor melted.