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Chapter 18: Refugees and the Dragon

No need for Karl to give an order; everyone shut their mouths, hands on their sword hilts, expressions grim, as if facing a great enemy.

The proud griffons rarely showed such agitation.

Most of the time, the monsters in the wild were only Sequence 8 or 9; they wouldn’t dare go near a griffon convoy, and the Stormwind Griffons wouldn’t bother reacting to those timid little creatures.

But once the Stormwind Griffons got serious, it meant the potential threat was at least Sequence 7 or higher.

“They must have caught a whiff of some monster’s scent.”

The seasoned griffon knight wouldn’t dismiss his partner’s reaction; Karl didn’t need to explain; everyone present understood the situation.

The bearded knight scratched his head, “But that shouldn’t be; we’re pretty close to Twilight City, there shouldn’t be any monsters around, right?”

The Lionheart Kingdom was full of mountains and forests, and to prevent monster attacks, the city regularly organized knight patrols to eliminate threats in advance.

While the monsters deep in the mountains couldn’t be completely eradicated, over the years, vicious creatures had rarely been seen in the woods around the towns.

Especially during this season, spring was not a time for monster agitation; any monster that could trigger a reaction from the Stormwind Griffons was exceptionally rare.

Karl couldn’t figure it out either but didn’t relax his vigilance.

“That’s true, but there are always unexpected things in the world; we can’t let our guard down.”

“If there are monsters nearby, they could threaten the farmers planting seeds; it’s better to deal with it in advance.”

“Scout formation, move out.”

In principle, such a situation should be reported to the lord’s residence to request backup, but the lord himself, along with the Iron Blood Ridge’s elite griffon knights, was right here, so there was no need to waste time.

In a few seconds, the originally dozens-strong escort turned into a scouting party, with experienced griffon knights spreading out in a fan shape, some flying high to secure visibility while others followed on the ground, ready to assist at any time.

Typically, escort teams weren’t good at attacking.

But for the kingdom’s knights, guarding wasn’t their specialty; open-field combat was where they shined.

When it came to scouting, the previously listless knights lit up with excitement, suddenly full of spirit.

The knights dove into the thicket.

Before long, the knights in the sky spotted something.

“Master Karl! There’s smoke to the northwest!”

“Looks like someone’s fighting monsters!”

“Full speed ahead!”

In an instant, all the split-tailed griffons soared into the air, riding the wind to the scene.

Deep green foliage rushed past them, and guided by the scouts, they quickly crossed difficult terrain for infantry, arriving at the site.

Gunpowder, flames, blood, and wails.

Despite being prepared, the knights were still shaken when they saw those vicious monsters.

Not because they were unfamiliar, but because they were too familiar.

Claws sharp enough to shred steel, scales as tough as city walls, distorted wings, twisted jaws, and eyes radiating a bloodthirsty aura.

These grotesque monsters stood clearly taller than adults; they were low-tier drakes.

A group of refugees had obviously faced attacks from the drakes; the escort had already been wiped out, and these crazed monsters wreaked havoc among the defenseless civilians, stirring up a bloody storm and leaving behind severed limbs.

These monsters displayed no mercy, far surpassing the usual ferocity of magical beasts, slaughtering in an almost deliberate manner.

One of the drakes zeroed in on a woman holding a baby, showing an utterly cruel grin, opening its mouth wide in the midst of terrified screams.

But in the next second, that ugly grin was crushed under a griffon’s claw and stomped into the ground.

“Lord, Lord?”

“It’s the lord who’s come to save us!”

The mother holding the infant immediately knelt down, crying tears of joy, as the surviving people dove behind Karl like they were flocking to the only light in the darkness.

The bloodthirsty drakes instinctively wanted to chase their prey; however, Karl, their leader, only needed to cast a glance to release a crimson wind.

The Sequence 5 supernatural aura solidified into something tangible, the aura of iron and blood overwhelming their bloodlust, forcing these frenzied monsters to recall their primal fear.

Without an order, the stern-faced knights had already drawn their silver swords.

While drakes overrun infantry with ease, for the griffon knights mounted on Sequence 7 steeds, these low-tier monsters were hardly anything but the hunted.

The ugly drakes got their guts ripped out by the griffons, their heads cleaved off by sword blades.

The seasoned griffon knights had long known how to deal with these monsters.

But a dragon’s roar rang out like a muffled thunder, bursting forth with layers of sound, abruptly halting the knights’ momentum.

Deep in the forest, a pair of bloodshot golden eyes lit up.

Following that, a massive dragon body rushed in like a speeding mountain, like a storm descending, whipping up violent winds that sent the griffon knights reeling back.

“Good grief!”

“Pureblood dragon?! How the hell did these beasts end up here?!”

“Be careful, it’s coming!”

Battle-hardened knights wouldn’t back down easily, but the difference in bloodline and life level was not something that mere caution could handle!

A Sequence 6 pureblood dragon was a true supernatural being!

The dragon roared and swooped down with a claw.

The bearded knight raised his sword to block, but with a deafening crash, both he and his griffon were sent flying hundreds of meters.

The knights trying to provide support were either swept away by the dragon’s tail or fanned off by its wings; for a moment, no one could get close.

Like an unstoppable hurricane, the black-scaled pureblood dragon roared as it pounced on the gathered crowd.

Having witnessed their fellow kin devoured by that monster countless times, the people screamed in terror, yet because of the oppressive pressure, they didn’t even have the courage to flee.

However, they didn’t need to run.

Karl descended from his griffon, stabilizing himself as he faced the hurricane, then his eyes slightly narrowed, and he swung a massive punch.

【Bloodline Manifestation】.

The hurricane was forcibly stilled.

A blood-red phantom emerged, outlining a massive knightly figure, and a heavy punch fell like red lightning, pushing back the charging dragon with just one hit.

Karl first grasped the hilt of his sword, then recalled that this was a royal gift, and instead clenched air, conjuring a mithril longsword.

The blood-red knight born from his bloodline manifested a similarly blood-colored longsword.

The sword fell, striking like blood-red thunder.

The battle raged on for a long time.

Until a bolt of thunder pierced the hurricane, the pureblood dragon was finally punctured through the heart by a single sword.

The clash between supernatural beings was like a thousand armies clashing, or a lightning storm sweeping through, annihilating all the surrounding forests.

Karl tossed aside his dull sword and exhaled a long breath, sitting atop the dragon’s corpse.

The knights cheered with excitement, celebrating the Iron Blood Lord’s valor endlessly.

“Just as expected from Master Karl!”

“To kill a Sequence 6 pureblood dragon without a scratch? Other Sequence 5s could hardly manage that!”

The dragon’s enormous size, incredible brute strength, and sheer ferocity meant that even among Sequence 6 beasts, few bloodlines could fight it head-on. Even among Sequence 5, only silver-ranked knights adept at close combat could prevail in a melee.

“Not quite,” Karl waved a hand, catching his breath slightly.

He took out the charm given to him by Alice, marveling, “If it weren’t for this, which suppresses dragon blood invisibly, this battle wouldn’t have been so easy.”

“Enough chit-chat.”

Karl turned to the group of refugees, his frown still evident despite the dragon’s defeat.

A pureblood dragon was certainly terrifying, but that didn’t explain why such a large number of people were chased into the forest.

The knights located a surviving soldier and brought him before Karl for questioning.

Karl confirmed, “Tell me, what in the world have you experienced?”