Chapter 809
Episode 201: The Invasion Begins (Part 2)
The Zoryong Fortress served as both the training ground for the Hailan Dragon Knights and the breeding ground for their dragon companions, the Zoryong. The Red-Eyed Tribe had chosen this place as their next hunting ground after their assault on the Level 2 Magic Tower in Jiple.
The land where the Zoryong Fortress stood—the Quasel Plains—was exclusively inhabited by Dragon Knights, their trainees, and the Zoryong themselves, a measure taken to maintain the secrecy and security of their training.
What the Red-Eyed Tribe sought was the blood of strong living beings.
From their perspective, the Zoryong and Dragon Knights were easy prey and excellent sources of nourishment. Even though the Zoryong were ethereal beings, their value surpassed that of the White Wolf or Red Tiger tribes, and the Dragon Knights were no less valuable.
Moreover, by the Red-Eyed Tribe’s standards, the fortress’s defenses were laughably weak. As they had demonstrated during the Level 2 Magic Tower raid, they swiftly dominated the skies above the fortress through dimensional shifts and fleet drops.
The Red Fleet appeared again, unleashing a barrage of bombardments the moment they arrived.
The sudden shelling from above reduced the entire fortress to ruins within seconds.
Because the attack came through spatial leaps, the Dragon Knights had no time to prepare or mount an effective defense.
“How dare they…”
Crunch!
Dante grit his teeth, swatting away debris and shrapnel falling overhead.
Normally, Dante handled affairs at Hailan’s Second Fortress, but today he had come personally to check on the Dragon Knights.
Had Dante not been here now…
The Red-Eyed Tribe would have easily and swiftly slaughtered and pillaged the fortress, then slipped away from Quasel without a trace.
“Commander, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Check on the young knights and the Zoryong!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Rescue them immediately and evacuate! They are no match for these enemies. And send the fastest Dragon Knight to Hailan’s Second Fortress to report this at once.”
“Understood!”
The knights nearby pushed aside the rubble of the collapsed meeting hall and scattered.
A deep, fierce anger surged within Dante, but he kept his composure and stepped outside. Over a hundred crimson ships surrounded the fortress.
Everyone in the central hall with Dante were the highest-ranking Dragon Knights. That was why they suffered little damage from the initial bombardment. But the knights and Zoryong elsewhere were not so lucky. The Dragon Knight Captain, Kalmain, was absent, and the elite knights had all been dispatched across the empire.
Corpses of fallen knights and Zoryong lay nearby, and the screams of his subordinates reached Dante’s ears. With calm, sharp eyes, he scanned the enemy flagship and drew his sword.
‘So this is the Red-Eyed Tribe Jin mentioned. Their fleet isn’t the only threat—there’s a transcendent warrior among them.’
Dante sensed this instinctively.
The commander of the Red Fleet encircling the fortress was Drek Hon.
He was the leader of the Red-Eyed Tribe’s Khan clan and the newly awakened Great Overlord. Unlike Rakiman, he had nearly regained his full strength.
“That man… isn’t he the Sword Emperor from Inse? His appearance matches, and his aura is formidable. Hendo comrade, why is he here?”
“Apologies, Drek comrade. Dante Hailan is currently the empire’s leader, so we couldn’t confirm his exact schedule.”
“I see. Understood. Then, Hendo comrade, you must accept that from now on, you will become an Undying Warrior by my will.”
Before Hendo could respond, Drek grabbed his head.
“Gah! Ugh! Aaaah…”
In an instant, Hendo’s massive body withered away like a dry branch. His blood drained out, transforming into red particles that Drek absorbed into his grasp. The sound of a glowing heart dropping to the floor echoed, and the Red-Eyed Tribe tensed.
“Open the bridge. I have a proposal for the Sword Emperor.”
As the flagship’s bridge opened, Dante caught sight of Drek. The overlord looked down at him with narrowed, intrigued eyes.
“Sword Emperor, I am Drek Hon, Great Overlord of the Red-Eyed Tribe. I offer you a chance. Abandon this pitiful fortress and flee immediately. If you do, I will spare your life today. We will take a suitable amount of blood and return, and you can live to fight another day.”
Dante wanted nothing more than to ascend and kill Drek on the spot, but he remained silent, buying time. He needed to give the scattered knights a chance to gather the injured trainees and Zoryong for evacuation.
Drek saw through his intentions and sneered.
“Delaying for a few seconds won’t change the fact that everyone here will become our nourishment today.”
The Emperor’s Sword Technique, Celestial Slash.
As Drek finished speaking, Rashid emitted a brilliant light. A massive sword energy shot forward, sweeping across the entire Red Fleet ahead.
But Drek didn’t even bother to use his own power. The fleet’s shields alone blocked Dante’s strike. Not only was Drek’s personal strength overwhelming, but the fleet’s performance and firepower far surpassed what Rakiman had when he attacked the Kinzel Third Branch.
“So this is your answer. Truly a sword worthy of the title Sword Emperor. I almost want to come down and test blades with you myself… But we didn’t come here for a duel. This is an invasion. What a pity.”
The bridge closed, and Drek’s figure vanished. Dante roared, unleashing Celestial Slash repeatedly, but the fleet’s shields only glowed redder.
No matter how strong the Red Fleet’s shields were, they couldn’t withstand Dante’s techniques forever.
The problem was that Dante didn’t hold the initiative on the battlefield. The Red Fleet bombarded from above, striking the entire fortress at will, while Dante had to protect the Dragon Knights and Zoryong below.
The bombardment resumed. Fierce shells imbued with Red Brain energy trampled the Zoryong Fortress. Knowing Dante was present, Drek ordered an even more ferocious assault than before.
‘I can’t save them all.’
Dante had to admit it. With his current power, he couldn’t protect everyone here.
Perhaps accepting Drek’s offer and retreating would have been the wiser choice. After all, Drek had only wanted to gather prey and leave rather than risk losses fighting Dante.
But the first stroke of luck was that Dante had come to the Zoryong Fortress today.
The second was that he hadn’t come alone.
Swoosh… Crackle!
Suddenly, an explosion erupted in the left rear airspace of the Red Fleet’s encirclement. Someone had attacked the fleet’s rear.
Until now, the Red-Eyed Tribe had focused their energy on the front shields to block Dante’s attacks, leaving the rear vulnerable.
No matter how formidable their ships, they couldn’t withstand a strike from the strongest ground brawler without shields. The Red-Eyed Tribe hastily deployed rear shields, but two ships had already been lost.
“…I should have asked about that man before granting Hendo the honor of becoming an Undying Warrior.”
Drek sighed, staring at the left fleet.
“This time, it’s Hedo, a key officer of the Bamel Alliance.”
Hedo.
Right after hearing about the Level 2 Magic Tower’s assault in Jiple, Jin had dispatched Hedo to the empire. He judged it impossible for Dante alone to defend the empire until a proper countermeasure was devised.
“From now on, all ships except the flagship will focus their fire on the Sword Emperor and Hedo. We’ll catch any prey trying to escape. The flagship will open its power to the maximum. I will personally amplify the neural energy. It would be best to take down at least one of them today.”
The bombardment that had been raining down across the fortress now concentrated on the two.
Thanks to this, the trainees and Zoryong seemed to have a better chance to evacuate—if only briefly. As soon as Drek connected his glowing heart to the power source, the flagship Barion’s firepower surged.
Wings unfolded on both sides of Barion, crackling with fierce neural lightning. It instinctively felt dangerous, but neither Dante nor Hedo had yet fully experienced the Red-Eyed Tribe’s fleet.
So they didn’t stop the trainee Dragon Knights from taking flight. If the two could hold off the bombardment together, flying away on their Zoryong was the best escape.
But the Red Brain energy clinging to Barion’s wings quickly engulfed the Quasel Plains’ sky, causing the Zoryong to plummet.
The sky, saturated with Barion’s Red Brain energy, was like a lava field. It had the power to annihilate anything airborne, far surpassing the Red Chain Barrier used by the Empire’s Special Forces.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Kiiik…!”
The Zoryong turned to ash as they fell. The trainees riding them were also reduced to ashes. Dante suppressed the rising despair and swung his sword toward the flagship.
But the relentless barrage prevented him from closing the distance. All ships except Barion pressed Dante and Hedo.
The fleeing Dragon Knights had no choice but to run on foot. The Zoryong snorted in frustration as Barion even fired upon them.
In other words, there was no safe escape route for the Dragon Knights—neither in the sky nor on the ground.
“Sword Emperor! At this rate, the Dragon Knights will be wiped out soon.”
Hedo shouted, standing beside Dante.
“Lord Hedo.”
“Then you protect the retreating formation and get out of here as fast as possible. Head to Hailan’s Second Fortress and call Jin on the communicator. Until then, I’ll hold them off alone.”
If they weren’t going to abandon all the Dragon Knights, this was the best plan.
But Dante believed that if anyone was to take on the more dangerous role, it should be him. Staying behind in Joryong Fortress was undoubtedly a matter of risking one’s life.
This was the Empire—Hailan’s territory—and he was the head of the Hailan family.
“…I’ll stay behind. Lord Hedo, you should go.”
“No, you’re strong, but you’re still a weakling.”
“What are you talking about? It’s only right that you go, Lord Hedo.”
“No matter what, do you think the Sword Emperor is tougher than me? If I get hurt, I can just heal up, but if you die, the entire Empire will be shaken. There’s no time to argue. Go fetch Jin immediately! If he refuses, I’ll snap you in half before worrying about the Red-Eyed Tribe. I’m serious.”
Faced with Hedo’s stubborn resolve, Dante had no choice but to nod.
“…Understood. I won’t forget this favor, Lord Hedo.”
After confirming Dante’s retreat, Hedo glared at the approaching enemies.
“Hoo, this is tight. Well then, let’s see how long we can hold out.”