Chapter 283: Chapter 283 - Season Before Roasting
The grotesque flying creatures swarmed across the skies above the island, diving and weaving in chaotic formations. There weren’t just dozens, there were hundreds. It quickly became clear that the enemy’s main force wasn’t their ground troops at all, but their aerial army.
No wonder this enemy lord hadn’t surrendered yet, even after losing so many soldiers on the ground.
Atlas remained seated on his floating throne, while Edrik stood at his side, both watching the swarm circle and descend. Some of the riders swooped past them, laughing and shouting like deranged cowboys heading into a massacre.
From the lower levels of the island, the Flame Beacons began firing volleys of blazing fireballs upward. But the creatures were fast, too fast. Most of the explosions missed as the flying beasts twisted nimbly through the sky.
"Is this my cue to jump in?"
Before Edrik could answer, a chain of massive explosions lit up the sky to their right. When Atlas turned, he spotted Serenith soaring through the air, wings blazing, pursued by a swarm of flying monsters. She fired explosion after explosion, her sky lit with fire, shredding the enemy ranks one blast at a time.
But then Atlas froze. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Morganna!" he gasped.
There she was, still carrying Vienne, scythe gleaming in one hand as she shot through the sky like a crimson comet. She dove straight into a cluster of drake riders, spinning once before slashing her weapon in a perfect, fluid arc.
The blade cut clean through a creature’s wing. The beast shrieked and spiraled downward, crashing into the ground below with its rider still clinging helplessly to its back.
Atlas could only stare. "Blood," he murmured.
Edrik, standing beside him, inclined his head slightly. "My lord, remember. Vienne is a Dhampir. Blood is... nourishment to her"
Atlas exhaled, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Right..."
Edrik gave a small bow, then stepped off the throne’s edge. His body blurred into motion, whoosh! And he vanished from sight.
Moments later, one of the airborne monsters let out a strangled roar as its rider was thrown off violently. The creature’s back buckled under new weight. Edrik was there.
Now mounted atop the beast, Edrik steered it effortlessly as he pulled the drake into formation and flew straight toward the next wave of enemies.
**
On the far side of the island, Team Cinder remained surprisingly calm amid the chaos. Their leader, Garen, sat cross-legged on a chunk of stone, his heavy red-and-earth armor glinting faintly in the firelight. Around him, the rest of the team lounged in a loose circle.
Their supervisor, Baldric, the massive dwarf with a booming voice and a barrel-sized mug in his hand, laughed heartily as he continued his story.
"So there I was," Baldric said, slamming his drink down beside him for emphasis, "surrounded by a thousand enemy soldiers. Each one uglier than the last! And what do I do? I take a deep breath and blast them all with my flame breath!"
A few of the team members snorted with laughter, shaking their heads.
Explosions echoed in the sky above, but none of them seemed particularly worried.
Then, with a thunderous crash, a charred enemy corpse fell from above, landing not too far from their circle. Several of the soldiers scrambled back in alarm. Only to pause when Baldric simply glanced at it, shrugged, and continued his story.
They slowly sat down again, returning their full attention to him.
"Do you know what that poor enemy lord shouted at me after I roasted half his men alive?" Baldric asked.
The team leaned in.
He grinned, slammed his fist on his knee, and bellowed,
"’Hey! You’re cooking them wrong. You’re supposed to season first!’ HAHAHAHA!"
Laughter erupted all around. Even Garen, usually stoic under his heavy armor, couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
What else could they do? Most of the enemy forces were in the sky now. And judging by how things were going, it wouldn’t take long before Serenith, Morganna, Edrik, and Kurogasa finished clearing them out. The two women were practically tearing the heavens apart with their powers, while Edrik and Kurogasa leapt effortlessly from one flying beast to another, cutting through them easily.
Meanwhile, the other ground assault had already been dealt with by Mira and Team Veylor, and the outer defense line was secure under Dullorak, Lyrassa, and their squads.
By all logic, this battle should be over soon. It should be.
And yet, Atlas, still seated calmly upon his floating throne, couldn’t shake the unease creeping up his spine. Even as enemy riders occasionally soared past him, he didn’t move. He just kept watching.
Why hadn’t the opposing lord surrendered yet? Was this desperation? Or was something else coming?
Their enemy had launched the battle with a spectacular display. Massive waves of magic, catastrophic explosions, attacks that shook the entire island more than once. And despite everything, they still pressed on.
Even Atlas hadn’t come out of this unscathed; Mira’s once-pristine gardens had been nearly obliterated, and the carrot fields were nothing but scorched dirt now. But still... This persistence felt wrong.
Then... Something massive moved beyond the opposing island.
Atlas narrowed his eyes, focusing on the shifting shadow that slowly emerged from the storm clouds. It was enormous, wings spanning wide enough to blot out the moonlight, talons glinting like blades of steel.
"This lord really has a collection of monsters like this..." Atlas muttered. "Her system ability must be terrifying."
The creature flapped its colossal wings, sending shockwaves across the battlefield, and released a roar so deep it rattled the bones of everyone who heard it.
Atlas tracked its flight as it began to close the distance, directly toward him.
But then, something streaked past his throne from behind. A blinding surge of golden-white energy that split the night in two.
The next instant, the sky exploded.
KA-BAAANG!
A blinding flash tore through the air as the colossal draconic beast was struck midflight. Its left side disintegrated in an instant, chunks of molten flesh and shattered bone raining down in fiery fragments. The creature screamed once. A sound that made the clouds tremble. Before plummeting from the sky.
Its broken body crashed straight toward the ground. Right where Team Cider was gathered.
Atlas exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Ten percent charge power... just for one attack like that," he muttered under his breath.
He refocused his gaze toward the enemy island. There, at the far edge of the floating landmass, stood a figure. Even from this distance, Atlas’s sharp eyes could make out her silhouette. The crimson-haired lord.
His floating throne then surged forward, gliding swiftly through the air. The wind howled around him as he ascended higher and higher, until he hovered at the same altitude as the opposing island.
Atlas raised his voice just enough to carry across the distance between them.
"Is that all you’ve got?"
For a moment, she didn’t answer. The air between them was silent except for the distant rumble of dying thunder.
Then finally, she called back. Her voice was strong, but tinged with exhaustion.
"I’ll retreat. Please, don’t launch a counterattack. You’ve already taken everything worth winning."
A brief pause followed. Then, right before Atlas’s eyes, the familiar system message materialized.
[Karmina of Bloodroot Hollow has declared a retreat.]
[You have earned 15 Rank Points.]