In the sky, the harpies projected metal short spears, targeting the group of mages protected by elite warriors.
"Do you still want to support the front line?"
Flying hundreds of meters high, the leader of the harpies, Ava Blackfeather, who had reached the advanced level, smiled scornfully. They were scantily clad in the dragon's lair, but now they all wore enchanted light armor (from the Siglinde family) on the battlefield. Their bodies were flexible and strong, easily evading the mage spells and warrior fighting spirit attacks from below.
"Having fought in this relentless war, the time has come to return to the Dragon's Nest. It has been more than a year since I last set foot there, and my heart aches for our exalted master. I yearn for the moments we shared in his presence, the sheer power he radiated... Ah, just thinking about it makes me wet." Ava's sultry voice lingered in the air as she licked her full, seductive lips, her longing for her master growing more intense with each passing thought.
The harpies soaring in the sky overhead glanced down at their queen, silently nodding in agreement. They shared the same burning desire. This was the sacred time of year they had been waiting for, their bodies aching for his touch, yet they had all held back, preserving themselves for him. Each of them harbored the same dream: to bear the children of their master, to become the mother of the strongest harpy kin ever to exist. They knew only he could grant them such powerful daughters, and the mere thought of it ignited their fervor even more.
Their wings fluttered with anticipation, and their hearts beat in unison, bound by the shared longing that only their master could fulfill. Ava's eyes glinted with fierce determination. "Soon," she whispered to herself, "soon we shall be reunited, and he will claim what is rightfully his."
More than a year ago, in an effort to elevate the status of the harpies within the Dragon's Lair, Ava had eagerly volunteered to lead an expedition into the wasteland alongside the monster army. She had expected swift triumphs, a quick return to her master's side. But the Principality of Kass had done nothing but cower behind the walls of Visalia, their armies confined to the city for over a year. Their refusal to face her in open battle infuriated her to no end, leaving her stranded and restless, her wings itching to return to the Nest.
The longer she remained away, the more Ava felt the absence of her master's bloodline aura, as she was not gaining strength as quickly as she did in his presence. Without his presence, without the energy of his dragon veins to feed from, her power's growth had slowed—an insufferable limitation. Her rage festered, boiling over, and she had grown tired of waiting.
Ava truly wanted to improve the harpy's status in the Dragon's Nest, but after being away for too long without the aura of her master's bloodline, her strength improvement was noticeably slower, which was unbearable.
One's own strength is the most important thing, and Ava knew this very well.
"It's your cowardice that's kept me here," Ava hissed, her voice dripping with venom as she glared down at the group of human mages below. Her eyes glowed with wrath, her pulse thrumming with the power of the void dragon running through her veins. They had dared to prolong this, dared to keep her from her master.
Dark energy rippled around her wings, condensing into hundreds of razor-sharp black feathers. With a cold snarl, she unleashed them in a torrent, and they tore through the air like a storm of shadowy death.
The human mage group below was instantly busy casting various protective spells.
The mages scrambled in panic, casting protective spells with frantic speed, but it was too late. The feathers struck like missiles, tearing through their shields with ease. They pierced bodies, splintering bones and ripping flesh apart. Blood sprayed like crimson rain, drenching the battlefield as screams of agony filled the air.
The dragon vein in Ava's body was very strong, and this energy black feather attack was a mutated spell-like ability awakened from her bloodline.
A magic-like ability mutated from the monster blood of her harpy lineage and the power of her master's void dragon vein.
For group attacks, she could instantly gather hundreds of black feathers and launch a storm-like intensive strike. For a single attack, she could condense a terrifying black feather to deliver a devastating and powerful blow.
The rest of the harpies had not mutated such powerful abilities and could only throw short spears.
But with their great strength, these metal short spears became terrifying physical attacks, as evidenced by the deep small holes on the ground and the corpses of human warriors and mages who were penetrated through their armored bodies.
The other harpies, their fury mirroring their queen's, hurled their short spears with all their might. Their rage was poured into every throw, and the metal spears cut through the air at subsonic speeds, invisible to most eyes. Each strike was devastating, punching through armor and flesh as though they were paper. Bodies exploded upon impact, limbs flying in every direction, and the battlefield became a grotesque painting of torn human remains.
The harpies' anger had turned them into pure instruments of vengeance. Spear after spear rained down on the helpless humans, the ground riddled with deep craters and gore-filled pits where once proud soldiers had stood. Armor and bones were pulverized, warriors torn apart like fragile dolls, blood pooling in rivers around the battlefield.
Ava's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as the last of the mages crumbled to the ground, their faces twisted in terror. She hovered in the air, her wings beating slowly, as she surveyed the carnage below. The humans had been nothing but an obstacle, and now they were little more than mangled corpses.
"Pathetic," she spat, her voice cold. "This is what you get for delaying my return to the Nest."
The other harpies let out savage cries of victory, their wings stained with the blood of their enemies. This was only a taste of what awaited anyone who stood between them and their rightful place in the Dragon's Nest. And soon, they would return—stronger, fiercer, and ready to claim their master's favor once again.
---
In the center of the battlefield.
A deep pit.
With a huge explosion, the entire battlefield fell silent for a moment.
The soldiers' eyes subconsciously focused on the direction from which the sound came – the deep pit with a diameter of more than 150 meters.
In sight, a tall figure jumped up from the pit with a bloodied wolf body that was no longer moving on its back.
The tall figure's body was stained with blood, and his gray hair fluttered in the wind. His body was covered in blood and flesh, with shriveled and withered muscles, and one of his arms was broken, exposing white bones. He looked as if the fire of life was about to be extinguished.
Brian looked around and saw the victory horn; the war had come to an end. He breathed a sigh of relief, although the victory of this war seemed so natural.
When his will could no longer hold on, Blaine's consciousness blurred for a moment, and he fell to the ground.
Not long after he fell, six healing spells fell on the two broken bodies of Blaine and Blood Wolf.
Roy, Witt, and the family elder, 'Butch,' drove the monster mount closer. Seeing the miserable state of Brian and his mount, their brows jumped.
"Dalton is dead."
The dragon-blooded warrior who went to the pit to check the results came back to report the news. His eyes under the metal mask could not stop showing shock. He looked at the skinny jackal lying limply on the ground, feeling a shudder and admiration in his heart.
He had not yet reached the master level, but he could defeat a long-established master-level warrior. This ferocity and madness were simply unimaginable.
A group of enchanting figures flew from the sky, and one of them landed on the ground.
Ava Black Feather walked straight over, and the surrounding dragon-blooded warriors subconsciously stepped aside. While they were guarding the clan leader and others, casting healing spells, they had seen how terrifying this woman was. No one knew how many warriors and spellcasters had been slaughtered and harvested by the harpies she led.
"How is Brian? Is he dead?" Ava's lazy and charming voice came before she arrived.
"Commander Blaine's condition is not very good, but his life can be saved." Two intermediate mages, Witte and Butch, continued to release healing spells. Roy stepped forward and used magic and mental power to carefully check Blaine's damaged body, his tone a bit heavy.
"But what? Say what you have to say, it doesn't matter even if he dies." Ava came closer, took a look at Blaine's miserable condition, and spoke casually.
As the master's bodyguard and maid, Ava didn't take these brutal monster warriors too seriously, even the fourteenth-level Blaine. Ava believed that, with her master's strength and bloodline, even a master-level creature could be easily conquered, so she didn't need to care about the death of a high-level monster at all.
Roy glanced at Ava. Although Ava was a gift from their family, today was different from the past, and her situation and status had changed dramatically. He lowered his head slightly and spoke in a polite tone.
"The injury suffered by Commander Brian is one thing. Even if his hand is broken, it can be restored by high-tier magic. However, the blood in his body has been almost completely burned, the foundation is damaged, and his body has become an empty shell. Even if he survives, his strength is likely to be greatly reduced."
"In other words, he will become a waste in the future?" Ava stopped Roy from saying more and spoke directly, her expression cold.
Roy hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly, "Unless it is a true high-tier spell or even a forbidden spell, there is a high probability that it cannot be restored."
True High Tier or Super-level spells are the names of ninth-tier spells. Many of the highest-tier spells used by archmages who have reached the legendary level are of this level. Needless to say, the forbidden spells start at the tenth tier, with eleventh and twelfth tiers as well. At least a legendary mage can learn and release them. Some extremely terrifying forbidden spells can even overturn a material plane or create a new one.
"Super Position? Super Tier Spell Scroll? Forbidden Spell?" Ava smiled, and the wide black feather wings behind her flapped as she flew into the sky.
Watching Ava leave quickly with the harpies, Roy said nothing, but Witte couldn't hold back.
"It's surprising how ruthless some people can be, especially when they all follow the same Lord."
"Haha, in this world, even relatives and children can be sacrificed to devils, demons, and so many gods, just to become stronger, let alone the so-called same camp? Witt, you are still so naive." Roy smiled slightly, turned to Witt, and said something,
"Alright, let's treat Commander Brian well. Maybe he will have a chance to get back up again."
"Clan leader, what does this mean?" Witt frowned slightly, confused.
Didn't you just say that some kind of super position or forbidden spell is needed to cure it? Now you say there is a chance?
Are you going to ask the Archmage to cast a spell?
However, Roy did not answer Witt's question, as he himself was not sure.
'The master's dragon vein power is very special, maybe...' Roy pondered as he thought of feeding Brian and his Bloody Wolf top-quality food enriched with blood energy.
With the death of Dalton, the commander of the army of the Principality of Kass, this sudden war came to an end quickly.
Approximately 35,000 human troops participated in this battle.
Among them, about 10,000 corpses were left behind, around 18,000 people were captured by the monster army, and about 7,000 fled in all directions.
As for the monster army, 10,000 participated in the battle, with hundreds of elite support from the Siglind family.
Among them, about 330 monster warriors died, and the total number of minor and serious injuries was less than 2,000 (mostly minor injuries).
Most of the dead monster warriors were intermediate monsters that had just entered the fifth order and were unlucky enough to be shot in the head by enchanted arrows from the human army, pierced to death, or killed by concentrated fire. Of course, a considerable number died in fierce battles with the Redthorn Knights. However, the latter suffered even greater losses. The forces they took five or six years to rebuild were crippled again, with greater losses than the last time they were besieged by the Queen of Darkness and the Centaur Hurricane Knights.
"This is a great victory," Roy couldn't help but sigh as he watched the army of monsters collecting corpses and driving away prisoners to retreat.
Such a powerful monster army is simply not something that a human principality can resist.
Even in the tightly knit Albit Kingdom, if the Legends and Masters are not eliminated, the outcome of the competition remains uncertain based on the combat effectiveness of the professional army.
This is assuming they can be united. In fact, the Albit Kingdom cannot unite.
Intermediate professionals are not just fish. They have already met the minimum requirements to receive a development order from the great nobles. Once the development is successful, they will be automatically promoted to nobility, usually as the lowest knights or lords.
---
Creak.
The fully gold metal wine glass was flattened by the palm of a hand.
The owner of the palm had a gloomy look in his eyes. He sat on the throne, and the noble ministers below him were silent.
"Dalton is dead? Only a little over 300 out of the 1,000-strong Redbud Knights remain?" Grand Duke Redbud said to himself.
After a long time, he took a deep breath, and his vigor seemed to diminish as if he aged ten years in an instant.
"Give up the northern border and withdraw all remaining troops."
As soon as this order was issued, some nobles below became anxious. "Grand Duke, how can we allow this? The Siglinde family is merely a viscount family. Why?"
Grand Duke Bauhinia glanced at them lightly, his terrifying aura making the nobles fall silent.
"Stop this nonsense. If you northern nobles are unwilling to part with your territory and interests, and are unwilling to retreat, then go and join the Siglinde family.
From the news I received from the southern wastelands, you should know that the nobles who took refuge with the Siglinde family are still alive and well."
As he spoke, Grand Duke Bauhinia glanced at the nobles in the hall with a calm expression.
His meaning was very clear.
The northern nobles who had initially wanted to protest had nothing to say and fell silent one by one.
After all the noble ministers had retreated, Grand Duke Bauhinia narrowed his eyes and wondered what he should do.
"There is an army of tens of thousands of intermediate-level monsters, and judging from the characteristics and auras of those monsters, they are all black dragon-veined creatures. Which black dragon has the Siglinde family taken refuge with?"
First, rule out the Queen of Darkness.
The scent is wrong. Moreover, the Queen of Darkness's growth trajectory is relatively clear, and it is impossible for her to suddenly create such a powerful army.
However, there is also an army of monsters with the same aura over in the Dark Nest, serving under the Queen of Darkness.
"The consort of the Dark Queen?" Grand Duke Bauhinia could only guess in this direction.
This is why, after his army's crushing defeat, Duke Bauhinia didn't dare personally lead a counterattack. Instead, he swallowed his pride and chose to endure the loss, even considering ceding part of his land voluntarily.
***
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