Chapter 623: The Falling Dragon
Day 43 of the Month of Awakening. Clear skies, light breeze, good visibility.
Griffon Knight Jina guided her longtime companion—her griffon partner of eight years—sheltering the elven giant eagle as it soared across the bright blue sky.
Below, the landscape stretched out clearly in Jina’s view. She saw scorched earth blackened by blazing fire and precise calibration beams, the ground pocked with terrifying craters. Wisps of smoke still rose from between the shell holes. Far to the north, she could just make out the staggering forms of colossal giants.
These were the scars of war—an unprecedented kind of war. The clash between machines and monsters had torn this land apart, and the tearing was far from over.
The nature of warfare had changed. The former knight, once sworn to Viscount Leslie, understood this deeply. She had transformed from a mere noble messenger into an aerial scout for the Cecil Legion, riding her griffon from the southern front all the way north. She looked down upon the battlefield, upon the devastation wrought by war machines, reflecting on how much her life—and the very face of war—had changed.
Charging knights on horseback had been replaced by thunderous armored vehicles. Soldiers clad in crude armor charging blindly had become magically enhanced combatants rivaling the gifted. Countless new things had supplanted the old. Jina wondered: when would griffon knights themselves be replaced?
A wisp of cloud drifted nearby. The elven giant eagle adjusted its flight path slightly, and Jina immediately tightened the griffon’s auxiliary reins to keep pace with their elven allies.
Griffon knights were among the few “old era” troops still active in the Cecil Legion. Their unique flying ability meant no new unit had yet replaced their role. These sky-riders remained the best messengers and scouts. Many comrades took pride in this, but Jina had a nagging feeling: that incredible duke would sooner or later devise something to replace griffons. What awkward position would she find herself in then, knowing only how to ride griffons?
Better keep reading more books… might make finding a new job easier.
A fleeting daydream passed through her mind. Jina slapped her cheek, forcing herself to focus on the mission.
They hadn’t yet entered hostile territory, but vigilance was still essential. Though griffons flew high, the powerful crystal giants could strike lightning into the air—two inexperienced griffon knights had already died on reconnaissance missions. Jina had no intention of becoming the third.
She adjusted her posture in the saddle, glancing at the specially designed large saddle racks beside her. Mounted there were new equipment for griffon knights: a magical terminal capable of firing extended-range arcane missiles for self-defense, and a steel cable ring. Pulling the ring would release two ten-kilogram crystalline bombs hanging on the griffon’s shoulders, dropping them onto the ground as offensive weapons.
To griffon knights, these were impressive, even exciting upgrades. Yet the duke seemed unsatisfied. Jina had once overheard him muttering that the griffon’s carrying capacity was still insufficient—ten kilograms was nothing, some kind of aerial bomb he didn’t fully explain.
Suddenly, a voice whispered in Jina’s ear: “Approaching the red line. Heighten alert.”
Jina looked up. The lead elven giant eagle was climbing higher. The high-ranking messenger riding it spread her arms slightly—a pale blue magical aura radiated outward from the eagle. The three griffons escorting it were immediately blessed by elemental wind magic, easily matching the eagle’s altitude and speed.
Elven giant eagle riders had superior ground observation and flight capabilities, making them better scouts than griffon knights. But their carrying capacity was poor; once carrying a slender elf, they could barely bear any additional load. They couldn’t carry defensive weapons or armor. These elven allies were precious—losing even one of the few giant eagle riders was unacceptable. So recently, commanders had assigned fully armed griffon knights as escorts for the giant eagles. Cecil-style griffon knights wore thin steel plates over their chests and abdomens, carried shield generators, and wielded weapons effective against both ground and air targets. Their pure combat power far exceeded that of the giant eagles.
The wind howled outside the shields, but only a gentle breeze brushed the knights’ faces. The reconnaissance squad rapidly gained altitude, soon reaching the cloud base. At this height, neither human nor griffon eyes could discern ground details—even with Eagle Eye magic. So the detailed observation fell to the elven messenger and her… eagle-shaped pigeon.
Sonia Frostleaf’s eyes glowed faintly blue. She cast a spell to enhance her “coo-coo’s” vision, then shared the giant eagle’s view—a skill requiring long training and coordination. Wild birds, when suddenly granted enhanced sight, often became disoriented and couldn’t judge their true altitude. Nearly two-thirds of the giant eagles raised by the elves were eliminated for failing to adapt to this spell, unable to become scouting partners.
If it weren’t for Master Thornheart, the greatest trainer of giant eagles, who had nurtured “Coo-Coo,” the pigeon would have been discarded long ago.
If only Master Thornheart hadn’t raised so many pigeons in Moon Valley…
Sonia sighed for no particular reason, then caught a flicker of abnormality on the ground below.
“Attention, right front—sunlit slope of the hill. Situation detected.”
A battle seemed to be unfolding there.
Hundreds of crystal giants gathered near a small hill, besieging a massive figure fallen on the slope. Arcane lightning crackled relentlessly in the air. The besieged was a winged, enormous creature covered in black scales…
It looked like a dragon.
Sonia assessed the threats within sight, then issued a command using the Wind Speech spell: “Squad, prepare to descend for closer observation. Heighten alert.”
Several griffon knights responded immediately. Jina pressed a leaf-shaped metal token to her lips: “Received. On guard.”
This leaf-shaped metal piece wasn’t a new Cecil-made communicator—the griffon knights’ communication devices were fixed to their saddles, advanced miniature arcane network terminals weighing two kilograms. The leaf was an elven gift, allowing the bearer to use Wind Speech near the messenger. Though limited, it was convenient in this mixed squad centered on the elven messenger.
As they descended, more details came into Sonia’s view. The besieged was indeed a dragon, at least in appearance, but smaller and thinner than any dragon she knew. Its wings looked twisted and malformed.
The dragon’s situation was dire. Though stronger than the crystal giants, it was outnumbered. It fought back with sharp teeth and claws, occasionally unleashing a fiery breath, but crystal giants kept attacking from blind spots, adding fresh wounds to the fallen dragon.
“Is that really a dragon?” one escorting griffon knight gasped. “I’ve only heard of them in stories!”
“Why would such a legendary creature appear on this battlefield?”
“Lady Frostleaf, what do we do? Should we rescue it?”
Sonia thought quickly. On a battlefield, the enemy of one’s enemy isn’t necessarily a friend. But a black dragon besieged by crystal giants was too significant to ignore. Why was it under attack? Why here? What had it seen or known? These questions made the high-ranking messenger realize she couldn’t just watch the black dragon die.
At least compared to the crystal giants, the dragons recorded in elven lore were neutral to the continent.
But a single reconnaissance squad wasn’t enough to face so many crystal giants.
“Report to command first. Miss Jina, try to draw the giants’ attention and ease the dragon’s pressure. I’ll guide the dragon’s breakout—”
Before she finished, Sonia used the messenger’s powerful communication spell to contact the rear command. She briefly explained the incredible situation, called for reinforcements, and arranged a rough breakout direction. Then she followed behind the escorting griffon knights, lowering altitude once more.
…
Maggie could feel her wounds—burning, aching, growing harder to bear. Even a dragon had limits.
She knew her strength was rapidly fading, and hope of breaking through was slipping away.
Perhaps the moment she was struck by arcane lightning and fell was when her fate was sealed.
Her malformed, powerless wings doomed her to fly no higher. Yet Maggie couldn’t understand how these crystal monsters—once mere civilians and mediocre noble soldiers—had developed such strong anti-air awareness and aerial combat skills.
How had they trained their aim so well?
But frustration was useless. As the situation worsened, Maggie knew her time was running out.
In the end, she had failed Victoria.
A hideous crystal giant launched a sneak attack from the left. It was a powerful brawler, striking like a gale. Maggie swept it aside with her strong tail, then incinerated it with a burst of flame. But a sharp pain suddenly flared on her right side—a cowardly spellcaster had struck an arcane bolt through her defense gap.
“You malformed monsters!” Maggie roared, uttering words she hated to hear herself say. “Malformed! Malformed! Malformed!”
But the crystal creatures paid no heed. They surged forward again.
Maggie braced her defenses, preparing to meet death with a thunderous counterattack. Then, suddenly, a voice sounded in her ear: “Hold on! We’re coming to help!”
Was that the elves’ Wind Speech?
Maggie was momentarily stunned, then heard two deafening explosions in the distance—boom! Boom!
The blasts landed far away, barely affecting the crystal giants. Yet the mutated monsters instantly shifted their attention, all turning toward the explosions and the sky nearby. Maggie thought she even saw them flinch in surprise.
Then she saw the dark shapes rapidly approaching from above.
A giant eagle of the Elven race, accompanied by three human griffins.
What a strange combination.
The wind-whispered voice came again: “The dragon on the ground—can it still fly?”
By now, many of the crystal giant’s attention had been diverted. Maggie, fending off the remaining enemies, responded in draconic magic: “It can’t take off.”
“Understood. I’ll point you the way. Follow me and break through—we’re the vanguard scouts of the Cecil Legion.”
In an instant, Maggie was struck with overwhelming shock: Cecil? The army of the Cecils?!
Why was the Cecil army here? When did they arrive? This place was already a thoroughly fallen, corrupted zone—how did those Cecils get in?!
But despite her shock, Maggie’s body reacted without hesitation. She immediately accepted the stranger elf’s aid and began pushing toward the direction he indicated, anxiously calling out, “Stonehold needs support! The Duke of the Northlands and the last mountain legion are still holding—but they won’t last much longer!”
Encountering the Cecil army here was a huge surprise, but it also made Maggie realize something: if the main force from the southern lands had reached this area, if they could fight their way this far, then maybe Stonehold still had a chance!
The stranger elf quickly replied, easing Maggie’s tension slightly: “Received. I’ll report immediately—but you’d better survive and deliver the situation to Duke Cecil yourself.”
“I will survive.”
More attacks rained down from the sky—bright arcane missiles and some kind of massive explosive device.
The crystal giants were drawn to these aerial assaults, and the pressure on Maggie suddenly eased. At the same time, she saw the giants launching a counterattack against the griffins in the sky—they spread out rapidly, firing dense, intersecting arcs of arcane energy to try and block the griffin riders’ flight paths. The griffin riders, astonishingly skilled, weaved through the arcs, launching wave after wave of strikes—
This seemed to be the norm.
Guided by the stranger elf, Maggie charged toward the southern edge of the battlefield, a question rising unbidden in her mind:
In the more than thirty days since Stonehold was besieged, how much had this battlefield changed?
(End of chapter)