"Miss, young master, you two head into the castle first and find a way to raise the drawbridge. I'll hold it off," Master Perugino was in dire straits, and Dull had temporarily taken command. This seasoned knight, faced with the looming threat of the Spiked Back Dragon that could potentially annihilate their team, remained calm and made a series of sound decisions. The massive creature behind them was intimidating; while the castle entrance was wide enough for it to enter, the narrow streets within the city would limit its movement. They just needed to slip inside the city and buy some time until Master Perugino's injuries stabilized, giving them a chance to deal with the ferocious beast that had pursued them through the Misty Forest.
After entrusting Master Perugino to Joanna, Dull turned and charged at the Spiked Back Dragon, needing to buy time for the others to retreat into the castle. Once again, he summoned his golden lion and quickly attached it to his armor, standing firm at the bridge's edge to block the advancing dragon.
Fars, now a mere observer, found it quite enjoyable to watch Dull engage in combat with a beast far stronger than himself. Without the assistance of a mage, Dull's armor, conjured by his phantom beast, was insufficient to withstand the dragon's onslaught. After just a few exchanges, Dull was sent flying by a sweeping tail strike from the dragon. It wasn't that Dull was weak; even if Fars had taken his place wielding the great sword transformed by Danis, he would have struggled against a creature that ranked among the top magical beasts. Any beast that resembled a dragon or had "dragon" in its name carried traces of dragon blood. Dragons were once incredibly powerful beings in ancient times, only rivaled by phoenixes and certain feral creatures that reached lord-level strength. Dragons were known for their promiscuity, resulting in countless sub-dragon species throughout history. The Spiked Back Dragon was one of the stronger and more numerous sub-dragons.
True to the name Fars had whimsically given it, the Spiked Back Dragon not only withstood the high-level spells unleashed by Joanna and the others but also resisted the powerful sword techniques from the knight. Given the current state of their team, attempting to slay this dragon was akin to trying to kill a true dragon. They couldn't even breach its defenses, let alone talk about slaying it.
If anyone was unlucky, it was certainly these noble individuals. Fars might be a minor jinx; whenever he was around, the Wolf King had appeared, and now a vengeful spirit comparable to a mage had also emerged. Joanna had always thought this way. Her initial fondness for Fars had only sparked when he admitted that the formation he constructed consisted of three runes. Even though Fars possessed an extraordinarily handsome face, this equally stunning young lady had completely overlooked him. Perhaps she had seen too much of the world to be swayed like those lovesick girls in cheap hero and beauty novels, starry-eyed at the sight of a handsome face. She had thought that once Fars fled during the spirit's attack, his bad luck would leave with him. Unfortunately, while Master Perugino had successfully slain the spirit, he had sustained severe injuries, and his mental power had been drained, leaving him unable to exert even half of his strength for a time.
Without Fars, who had been a responsible guide, Master Perugino, after some contemplation, decided to create a formation to shield them from the maze's effects. Perhaps the maze had existed for too long, but this plan proved feasible. Although the formation could only cover a limited area of about a mile, it was simple and easy to set up. The group advanced cautiously, but the Misty Forest was far from peaceful; it was a place that led to confusion. The earlier appearance of the vengeful spirit was the best proof of that. Just as they were about to reach the Gonzago Ruins, the massive creature set its sights on them. After some probing, the Spiked Back Dragon deemed them easy prey, and Master Perugino's group felt it was best not to engage, opting to fight while retreating. The wounded mage, despite his injuries, still worked with Dull to intercept the dragon, but the dragon's formidable magical defenses ultimately thwarted the mage's efforts, and he was struck by a fireball spewed from the dragon's mouth. As a sub-dragon, the fire it breathed was far more potent than that of a human mage, rivaling high-level spells. The well-protected mage was sent flying as his shield shattered, and with old wounds resurfacing, Dull had no choice but to support the mage and flee. They finally entered the Gonzago Ruins, where the scene Fars had witnessed began to unfold.
In just a few moments, Dull went from blocking the dragon to being sent flying, while the others barely crossed the drawbridge. The knight was clearly reaching his limit, and Agno turned back to see Dull struggling to hold his ground. This usually silent and somewhat aloof young master couldn't bear to see the loyal knight sacrifice himself for their sake, so he turned back to assist.
Phantom beasts, once a rare and mysterious sight, had become quite familiar to Fars lately. Besides Danis, who was always by his side, Dull's lion was one, and now he was seeing another.
Agno wasn't the type to act recklessly; he understood the Spiked Back Dragon's strength. He knew that even if he teamed up with Dull, they wouldn't make much of a difference. If they could, they wouldn't be running; they would have taken the dragon down directly. But without doing so, Dull could very well lose his life while they were raising the drawbridge. If they didn't pull it up, the dragon would surely charge in. While there were some narrow paths for them to hide, they wouldn't have any time to rest or recover.
The Medici family's crest featured a white-headed vulture holding a crown, indicating that their lineage had once held royal status. Why they were now just a prominent family in the Miliot Empire was unclear to Fars. The phantom beast passed down through their family was indeed a white-headed vulture, and the one Agno summoned was a young one in its growth phase. It couldn't compare to Danis's noble phoenix or Dull's mature lion. This might explain why they hadn't used a white-headed vulture as a mount in the Wolf Valley; a young one couldn't carry the weight of an adult.
Summoning a phantom beast at this moment was similar to what Fars had done; Agno sought to harness the vulture's power to enhance his own strength. Agno's vulture was about two meters long, with a wingspan nearing four meters, appearing quite majestic even in its youth. Fed well, it was nearly the size of an ordinary adult white-headed vulture. Agno's phantom beast transformed into a spear, which surprised Fars after witnessing Agno's calm and grand sword techniques. He hadn't expected him to wield a spear. If this was a hidden card, then Agno might be even more skilled with the spear than with a great sword.
As expected, with Agno's involvement, the situation improved significantly. Dull, clad in powerful defensive armor, and Agno, wielding a spear, worked together. While their attacks didn't do much damage, they effectively distracted the Spiked Back Dragon, forcing it to split its focus between Dull and Agno.
After a few more exchanges, the dragon began to grow agitated, and Fars witnessed just how terrifying the fire breathed by a sub-dragon could be. The two narrowly avoided the flames, but the drawbridge they had been raising didn't fare as well. The sturdy drawbridge, far thicker than the wooden window Fars had destroyed, was blasted apart, with half of it reduced to rubble. The drawbridge spanned several dozen meters, and the massive chains holding it had snapped in several places.
Fars felt a chill run down his spine at this sight. Leaving that night had truly been the right decision. He glanced at Danis perched on his shoulder; if she were fully grown, wouldn't she be able to freeze everything in an instant, her wings spreading wide, accompanied by ice and snow? With Danis by his side, he would be incredibly stylish.
Despite the damage, the drawbridge was successfully raised by Panassus and Joanna, who was no less strong than any man. The two outside had achieved their goal. However, the raised drawbridge temporarily blocked the rampaging Spiked Back Dragon while also preventing Dull and Agno from entering. Fortunately, both were agile, and Dull's fighting spirit had long since grown strong enough to allow him to momentarily soar into the air, though he couldn't fly for long like a mage using flight spells. This temporary elevation was known by many as "Sky Dance," a name even more appealing than flight spells.
Seeing the situation resolved, Dull grabbed Agno and soared into the air. The practicality of the Sky Dance was immediately evident. Dull's agility far surpassed that of the lofty mages, and he deftly maneuvered with Agno in the air, avoiding several attacks from the dragon.
The dry moat, while empty, was still ten meters deep and about several dozen meters wide, effectively blocking the dragon's advance. Once they reached the other side of the moat, Dull finally could no longer sustain the Sky Dance and fell to the ground. The dragon, unwilling to relent, unleashed several fireballs toward the closed castle gate. While they missed the two who had just landed, they struck the already damaged drawbridge, further reducing it to ruins. This fortuitously allowed Dull and Agno to enter easily, as they leaped across the remaining few meters of the drawbridge.
The Spiked Back Dragon would not let them off so easily. Though the drawbridge spanned several dozen meters, it was only about twenty meters wide, making it relatively easy for the dragon to leap across. The reason it hadn't pursued them directly before was that there had been no solid ground to land on the other side of the moat. Now, with a fireball completely obliterating the drawbridge, the dragon found its footing. After retreating a hundred meters, it accelerated and leaped over the moat, landing at the castle entrance.
As the situation unfolded, Fars felt a bit lost. He had hoped that with Dull absent and Agno returning to support, he might have a chance to sneak attack Master Perugino and Joanna. However, once Agno summoned his phantom beast, Fars felt his hopes dashed once more. Coming from the same family, Joanna and the others were not lacking in resources. Surely they had some hidden cards up their sleeves, right? They must have at least one phantom beast.
With Danis at his side, Fars had a powerful weapon, but she was still in her juvenile phase and couldn't maintain her great sword form for long. If exposed, a drawn-out battle would surely end in tragedy. Joanna, being an assassin-type, would make it difficult for Fars to succeed in a sneak attack.
Calming himself, Fars watched as they took the opportunity to hide in a nearby alley within the city, seeking refuge in a house. It seemed he would have to leverage the Spiked Back Dragon as a weapon. Having experienced many battles, Fars understood the importance of using opportunities to his advantage. The dragon was large and cumbersome to navigate, so he would help guide it, offering them a surprise in return for the "favor" they had shown him in the past.