Translated by: SaltyTank
Edited by: crimsonwolf8439
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Chapter 25
Claudius gave the elven elders quite the headache; as realists, they had been trying to negotiate with Sylvia for a cease fire. After undergoing decades of war, the residents of Greenliner were inevitably weary, both physically and mentally. Yet due to the existence of G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses, the elven priests and druids opposed the peace talks. As a result, the possibility of both sides reaching a ceasefire was basically non-existent.
For the elven elders, the opportunity to end the war lay in the Crimson Dragon which demanded a leaf of Yggdrasil. It was quite obvious that Claudius was trying to obtain the leaf through negotiation, but his current position also implied he was willing to take it by force. The elders of Greenliner may have been slow thinkers, but that did not necessarily mean that they were dumb. After living for all those years, they could more or less understand the stance Claudius was taking on the matter.
However, understanding Claudius" stance did not equate to giving in to his threats. At the very least, the elders still had a sense of pride and were insistent on certain things.
Claudius waited impatiently as the elves continued to fortify the fortress with layer after layer of barriers. It was just a simple task of activating the magic circles, but the elves still did their job with diligence.
After being ignored for two hours, Claudius could no longer withhold his rage.
"No answer, huh? It seems that I"ve been underestimated!"
The ground shook as Claudius stomped his legs, and sparks were sprouting out of his widened jaws.
Noticing his actions, Britannia led the evil army towards the fortress, worsening the situation. Naturally, the Crimson Dragoness also plunged into action. Battle broke out between the two armies in an instant.
Without any sign of hesitation, the elves fired the magically enhanced crossbow, which was more like a stationary turret, at Claudius. If not for his high Dexterity, Claudius would have had a gaping hole in his body right now. Despite the anger swelling up within him, Claudius still managed to keep his cool. He spread his wings and left the battlefield, but he was not fleeing; the enraged Crimson Dragon headed towards a small-scale elven outpost located at the frontlines. With his humongous body and wings covering up the sky, Claudius gave off a terrifying aura. The heat haze surrounding the shadow further dignified his presence.
Elven fortresses and outposts were all wooden structures, but they were no ordinary logs. These were all living trees which were shaped into forts with exclusive magic which only the elves could wield. While the trees were not hundreds of metres tall, they still had thick branches which tangled to form st.u.r.dy walls. The st.u.r.diness of these magically enhanced walls was comparable to walls made of steel, not to mention the sharp thorns which could prevent enemies from climbing over. Hiding behind leaves which were as tough as leather, the elves could focus solely on firing their longbows and catapults, decimating the invaders.
No matter how st.u.r.dy these fortresses were, their major weakness was still fire. Nothing could be done towards the Crimson Dragon diving straight at the outpost; it was impossible to station high level mages and warriors at every single outpost and fortress. The capable druids and elven mages were all in battle with Britannia, thus the elves at the outpost could only fire their arrows at Claudius in despair.
Flames flooded the area at the blink of an eye. The spa.r.s.e white fumes from Claudius" breath attack ignited after travelling around 1 metre in the air, descending down to the outpost like a fiery cloud. Claudius almost sc.r.a.ped the ground as he sped through the area, incinerating everything to ash. In the 20-metre-long path, nothing but ash and burnt soil could be seen. Elves, beastmen and gnolls were all mercilessly burnt to death indiscriminately. A blackened path was formed, and the number of gnolls and beastmen who died far surpa.s.sed that of elves.
Claudius descended in front of another elven fortress without paying much heed to the rain of arrows. The arrows endowed with magic were rendered useless against the Crimson Dragon. Before reaching Claudius, the arrows all ignited and disappeared into the thin air due to the overwhelming heat surrounding the dragon. The elves swiftly evacuated deep into the fortress, shutting the air valve to prevent the heat from gushing into the interior. The circular fortress was clearly well-made, as it could withstand the weight despite only having a 30-metre radius.
Claudius lowered his wings as if covering up the fortress. Raising his head, the Crimson Dragon took a deep breath. He then prepared his wings, and with a flap while leaping backwards, Claudius was now showering flames with a crackling sound at the fortress.
The compressed air released at a high velocity produced a screeching sound before slamming into the top of the fortress. Boiling hot air and mist seeped through the tiny gaps into the interior of the elven fort, causing the air to rapidly expand. It was unfortunate that there was no such thing called airtight doors and compartments in this fantasy world; the hot air deflagrated within the fortress, burning it from the inside.
With just a simple breath attack, Claudius turned the fortress into h.e.l.l in no time. This was the power of the teenage Crimson Dragon. The devastating power and variability of his flames rivalled, no, surpa.s.sed that of adult Crimson Dragons. It was a breath attack on an unprecedented level for the elves. Over a hundred elven warriors became torches, and the circulating air brutally sc.r.a.ped the charcoaled body parts of the skeleton of the burning elves. Only darkened bones remained, and the survivors could only freeze in terror while awaiting their demise. Suffocation soon struck the remaining elves.
Not only did the elves died miserably, the gnolls and beastmen almost shat their pants at the display of overwhelming might as well. The will to fight could no longer be seen on the battlefield as the evil army scattered like ants. Britannia was also stupefied by Claudius" attack, and could only stare at the scene while hovering in the air.
As Claudius could not be hurt by his own flames, he roared while standing on top of the fiery fortress devoid of life. Under the bright sky, a dark shadow could be seen amidst the fire. The monstrous appearance and overwhelming presence of the Crimson Dragon was carved into the minds of all those who witnessed the terrifying scene.