Chapter 104: Conflict
The voice was strong and powerful, yet unmistakably carried the high-pitched sharpness unique to a female voice. The leader of these Dragon Riders was, surprisingly, a woman.
Provence’s mind raced swiftly as he bowed with a noble gesture, neither servile nor arrogant, and said, “Honorable Knight, we are travelers from afar who happened upon this place by chance and were besieged by these monsters. We are grateful for your rescue.”
The female knight responded coldly, “From afar?”
Her spear was aimed directly at Provence’s head. With a slight thrust, it could pierce his skull. She spoke loudly, “There is no such thing as ‘afar’! Beyond the God-bestowed lands lies only desolation. Do you survive by eating dirt?”
Provence calmly waved away his comrades who wanted to defend him, gently diverted the spear, stood upright, and said, “Perhaps your god’s grace extends beyond these lands? Please do not be so certain.”
Had Provence insisted they came from elsewhere, the female knight would have surely turned hostile. But now, by seizing on the phrase “God-bestowed lands” as a key term to fabricate a story, Provence made the knight hesitate.
She momentarily lowered her spear and fell silent. After a pause, she said, “Once this battle is over, come with me to the Holy City. I need to bring you to meet the High Priestess for guidance.”
Provence nodded, “It is an immense honor to meet the emissary of the divine.”
His respectful manner softened much of her hostility. Though she was not fully at ease, she no longer regarded them as enemies.
With Provence leading, the female knight’s attitude toward the other apostles also softened. She gave a command and, accompanied by two knights behind her, dove into the thick of the battle.
The dragons were generally over three meters tall, with wingspans reaching four meters, but their strength was tremendous. They could sweep away swathes of smaller monsters with ease, and even together with their riders, slay creatures akin to werewolves.
Yet the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming. In a brief engagement, though the Dragon Riders achieved several times the usual kills, one comrade was pounced upon by a dog-headed monster mid-leap, torn apart by swarms of beasts. The riderless dragon, confused and helpless, was soon reduced to a mass of blood and flesh.
Another knight was attacked by a hairless baboon that suddenly emerged from underground, grabbing the dragon’s wings from behind. The knight’s spear barely pierced the beast’s broad chest and could not push further, facing imminent doom.
At that moment, a red figure streaked past the dragons like a meteor and slammed directly into the baboon’s chest, pushing back the massive creature—three meters wide and tall—five or six steps, causing it to release the dragon’s fractured wings.
Battle Mage Anglora’s Battle Style: Meteor Fall!
She withdrew her staff from the baboon’s chest, suspended herself midair, ignoring the enraged baboon’s grasping hands. Taking a deep breath, her entire body radiated a blood-red magical circle. Gripping her staff tightly, she struck down again and again—thirty-five times in three seconds—her magic enhancing her speed and power beyond human limits.
Battle Style: Gale Strike!
With each successive blow, the glowing patterns on her body intensified, and her strikes grew ever more powerful. By the end, the baboon’s chest was nearly shattered, its internal organs and blood splattered all over the young mage’s face.
The enormous creature seemed unaware of the damage, a puzzled expression on its ugly face, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Anglora landed and exhaled deeply, trembling slightly.
The rescued Dragon Rider looked at Anglora with gratitude but was panicked, overwhelmed by his dragon’s grievous wounds.
Anglora whistled sharply and shouted, “Buddy, stop playing around and come protect me!”
Five seconds later, with a roar that shook the ground, a colossal black-and-white figure burst from the earth, a severed lizard tail dangling from its mouth, blood-red mist swirling around it. Its bloodthirsty gaze swept the battlefield, terrifying both dragons and monsters alike.
Unfazed, Anglora calmly stepped forward, poking the giant beast’s chin with her staff. “Buddy, wake up, it’s me!”
The panda beast swatted a werewolf’s head into its chest, quickly recognizing its companion. The bloodlust in its eyes faded considerably. It scratched its head clumsily, shrinking from a towering three-story height to the size of a truck cab, yet still radiated a terrifying aura.
The female knight’s gaze hardened when she noticed the thick lizard tail in the beast’s mouth, her shock evident.
She murmured, “A demon-class beast soldier, and it was killed so easily?”
---
In an instant, two more knights fell.
Their comrades’ deaths seemed to enrage the female knight. With a furious roar, she swung her spear in a wide arc, releasing a golden crescent-shaped wave that swept through a diving swarm of bat monsters.
The formidable crescent slash effortlessly tore the monsters to shreds, dissipating after flying fifty meters.
She dismounted her dragon, no longer relying on it, and unleashed an unmatched fighting mode on the ground. Her three-meter spear shimmered with golden battle energy, each sweep leaving behind the mutilated corpses of a dozen or more monsters.
A few knights displayed extraordinary combat skills, unlike most who fought solely alongside their dragons.
Together with the apostles and Dragon Riders, the monsters’ numbers rapidly dwindled. Eventually, when only a tenth remained, the monsters broke and fled.
The female knight raised her spear and launched a firework into the air, halting all pursuit.
Though the apostles appeared battered, not a single one died, and the newcomers were well protected.
The Dragon Riders, however, suffered over twenty casualties, proving themselves mere cannon fodder against the overwhelming tide of monsters.
Rather than retreating immediately, the Dragon Riders dismounted to collect purple crystals from the slain monsters to feed their dragons.
One dragon, after gorging on the crystals, let out a long, piercing roar. Though its appearance remained unchanged, its rider gleefully drew his sword and slashed a small golden crescent wave.
It seemed a knight’s ability to wield battle energy depended on whether their dragon had consumed enough of the purple crystals.
Without Provence’s orders, his team secretly stashed some of the crystals for study.
The Dragon Riders solemnly arranged their fallen comrades into a square formation and followed the female knight, awaiting orders.
Suddenly, the female knight dove down, spear pointed directly at Roger the Rabbit, who was distracted after the battle.
Roger instinctively sensed the ambush. Despite his vacant eyes, his movements were swift and agile. With a sturdy stomp, he leapt and spun a full 360 degrees along the horizontal plane, evading the spear.
The female knight spun around and struck again.
Roger sighed, swung his iron anchor, and hurled it toward the strong dragon. With a flick of his wrist, the chain clanged and wrapped around the spear, tying a slipknot. The massive rabbit landed firmly and held the chain tightly like a rock.
Caught off guard by such resistance, the charging female knight instantly released her spear, lest she be pulled off her dragon and severely injured.
Disarmed, her face radiated murderous intent, filled with disgust and hatred. Her dragon snarled fiercely, confronting Roger.
Roger’s two companions, Anglora and the panda beast, stood in front of him, glaring fiercely at the female knight.
The panda’s eyes glowed blood red again, its form seemingly swelling.
The female knight coldly asked, “As a human, why do you stand with the demons?”
Anglora realized the question was directed at her and responded irritably, “What demons? My buddy and Roger just happen to look like this. What’s your problem?”
The female knight replied seriously, “It’s because of demons that this once fertile world has become a forsaken land! Eradicating demons is everyone’s duty.”
Anglora found it ridiculous, “You don’t speak human, do you? We’re not demons. On the contrary, we might be here to help you.”
Roger smiled bitterly, “Respected lady, you’re terribly mistaken. I am a special species from another world, not a demon of this one.”
Yet the female knight remained obstinate. “Since you’ve betrayed humanity, then die alongside these filthy creatures!”
Roger was speechless, realizing there was no hope of explaining the concept of another world to these native Dragon Riders.
---
At her command, the landed Dragon Riders took to the air again, eyeing Anglora, Roger, and the panda with predatory intent.
Roger seemed to have made a decision and said to Anglora, “It seems the human faction on this mission will never accept us.”
Non-humans faced discrimination in the human world; it was something Roger was accustomed to, though he felt guilty for involving his young mage companion.
Anglora sneered, “I don’t like dark, damp places, especially when they’re ugly.”
The panda grunted in agreement.
Roger shrugged, “We’ll just have to endure it.”
After a secretive exchange, the three braced for a fight to the death. The Dragon Riders began their dive attack.
But suddenly, the trio changed direction with lightning speed and fled into a vast cavern where monsters surged forth, disappearing into the bottomless darkness.
They had fled—and into the demons’ underground stronghold, confirming their demonic identity.
Several battle energy slashes pursued them into the cave but found nothing.
The female knight glared resentfully at the collapsed entrance but dared not follow.
She approached Provence. He immediately responded tactfully, “I do not know those people; it was a chance encounter.”
The female knight snorted coldly, signaling a dozen knights to shift their mounts slightly, making room for Provence and his team to mount and return together.
Provence hesitated. Being taken into the sky meant risking their lives beyond their control. Smiling, he shook his head, “Your knights are exhausted. Don’t worry about us—we can keep up.”
The female knight raised an eyebrow and accepted. “I am Xiroya. I will be watching you. Don’t even think about running away...”
She slashed the ground with her spear, cracking the earth open in a long fissure.
“...or I won’t hold back.”
Provence smiled calmly, refusing to confront her directly.
His team concealed their scorn for the natives’ threats, hiding their cold sneers deep within.
The three newcomers were bewildered by the sudden turn of events, but Xiroya showed surprising patience, not pursuing those who had sided with Roger and leaving seats for the newcomers—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.
The newcomers did not refuse, knowing their weakness.
Except Xu Xiaoke, a frontline soldier from the star era. Enhanced through genetic optimization and combat training, his nearly two-meter-tall frame was no mere show. High-frequency neural impulses, rubbery resilient muscles, steel-reinforced bones—he was a killing machine designed for war.
In the recent battle, Xu Xiaoke single-handedly killed over a hundred underground monsters with his submachine gun and even tore apart a long-necked giant bird, fighting with exceptional ferocity. Even without enhancements, he likely qualified as a second-tier warrior.
Only Provence noticed that Adongsa had disappeared without a trace.
What he did not know was that simultaneously vanished an entire set of dragon and rider corpses.