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Chapter 53: The Time to Die on the Battlefield Has Arrived

Under the guidance of the Bloodseeker Bat, Roy and the others sprinted onward.

Soon, they had a catch.

A rather grim catch.

The thick scent of blood wafted in with the wind, foretelling the grim situation ahead.

Even though they had expected it, they couldn’t help but shudder when they pushed through the dense foliage and beheld the scene before them.

Rivers of blood, corpses strewn everywhere.

Dragons, griffins, knights—all lay in disarray on the ground, with severed limbs and shattered bodies scattered about. Large patches of blood had turned the entire jungle into a brutally painted canvas.

Even the seasoned knights felt reluctant to look directly at the horror.

The blood had not yet dried, indicating that the battle had only recently taken place.

Among the corpses, Roy recognized several of his vassals.

With no time to dwell on his sorrow, Roy quickly scanned the area and soon confirmed that there were still signs of survivors nearby.

“Save them first! There are still people alive!”

The knights immediately sprang into action.

And at the far end of the battlefield, Roy found a familiar figure he could hardly forget.

Anya, the head maid of the Ainbrad family.

Once a mere maid, she was now clad in armor. They say she was one of the first griffin knights to follow Karl, contributing greatly in the past.

But now, her exquisite armor was marred with terrifying claw marks, and blood seeped through the gaps, while her once-vibrant face looked pale as paper, clearly on the brink of death.

Upon seeing Roy, her eyes widened in shock, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but her injuries were so severe that all she managed was a raspy cough mixed with blood.

“Don’t rush.”

Roy quickly stepped forward and pulled out a vial of holy water, feeding it to Anya drop by drop.

The holy water produced by the Holy Light Church was more effective than most healing potions and was a strictly controlled strategic resource.

Anya wanted to shake her head to refuse, thinking she was beyond saving and didn’t want to waste something so precious. However, she never expected that after swallowing the holy water, her muddled mind cleared instantly, and the intense pain in her body subsided significantly. She could clearly feel her injuries healing, bringing her back to life.

Roy smiled slightly, “Don’t worry; this is much more potent than the diluted stuff the Church normally provides. You’ll be fine.”

In addition to three golden-tier extraordinary items, Roy had also collected a ton of miscellaneous supplies, with the high-concentration holy water being the most valuable.

He had already distributed this holy water to the clergy so they could quickly treat the injured.

Though surprised by the concentration and quality of the holy water, the clergy quickly convinced themselves that it was no surprise given Roy’s relationship with the saintess.

As Anya’s complexion improved and she coughed up some clotted blood, once she could make a sound, she urgently grasped Roy’s hand and said, “My lord, Lord Karl… he’s in danger!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, a deafening explosion echoed from afar, accompanied by a towering pillar of fire.

And that was the direction the Bloodseeker Bat was headed.

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In a deep valley.

Looking around, dragon shadows loomed everywhere, and the royal army had nowhere left to retreat.

During the recent skirmish, they had left a small elite force to hold the rear and desperately fled, only to find themselves ambushed by dragons waiting ahead.

So, Karl made the final decision to escape into the valley.

If city walls and barriers were the most advantageous terrain for human defense, and the wild wilderness was the most suitable terrain for dragon hunting, then the narrow and confined valley was a battlefield where neither side could gain an advantage.

Humans lost cover and protection, but if the dragons wanted to attack, they too could only come from the front, leaving no room for ambush.

A face-to-face decisive battle—fight to the death.

The fire dragon saw through Karl’s thoughts and couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh.

“Finally decided not to run away, huh? Ant.”

“To deliberately choose a place like this to settle it, I don’t know whether to call you foolish or brave.”

Karl’s gaze coldly swept over the dragons hovering above.

There was no flaw in their encirclement, clearly a premeditated scheme; these dragons were much smarter than the fire dragons of nineteen years ago who knew only mindless killing.

“It seems you saw through us from the very beginning.”

“Since that’s the case, why not let your companion behind you take action personally?”

The fire dragon landed.

Even on the same level, it towered over Karl, like a wildcat facing a mouse.

Gazing at Karl, the fire dragon sneered, sparks dancing from its mouth: “Iron Blood, have you overestimated yourself too much?”

“A mouse armed to the teeth can’t beat a cat; in terms of both power and wisdom, we are above you mere mortals!”

“For you, this is war; for us, it is hunting. A creature of your caliber doesn’t even need to draw the Frost King’s attention! I, the fire dragon tribe, can do the job easily!”

Karl suddenly chuckled.

A light, derisive laugh was enough to prick the fire dragon’s nerves.

Its vertical pupils narrowed, flames of anger igniting.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I was thinking, you dragon tribe really hasn’t changed.”

“What?”

“You may be smarter and more united than the fire dragons of nineteen years ago, but at your core, nothing’s different; self-righteous, arrogant, and always looking down on us.”

The fire dragon sneered, its huge head maintaining the height of looking down at ants, not even worthy of deigning to lower itself: “Would you look up to your prey?”

“There’s a saying: even a lion exerts its full strength to catch a rabbit.”

“I must thank you for coming in person rather than sending that Seven Great Heavenly Dragon.”

The blade cut through the air, and the mithril sword was held high as the Iron Blood knight’s cold gaze spread a chilling aura.

“Prey and hunter aren’t always that different.”

“Cat and mouse? Lion and rabbit? Ridiculous! To me, you are nothing but ants!”

Karl feigned ignorance: “Is that so?”

“But your king has been defeated twice by ants, hasn’t he?”

In an instant, the dragon’s pupils burst with blood, and flames ignited across its surface.

“Shut up, mortal!”

Flames erupted, and the fire dragon roared.

In response, the blood-red knight’s phantom transformed into a towering pillar, sword raised to meet it.

Humans were just ants to the dragon tribe. In battles with dragons, such a mindset often shattered morale.

Nineteen years ago, he had followed the Lionheart King to face the blazing flames that filled the heavens.

A year ago, his child personally ended the fire dragon that brought disaster upon the kingdom.

These sky-darkening monsters exceeded mortal powers, yet they still felt pain, bled, and could be killed.

So, at this moment, what was there to fear?!

“Everyone! The time to die on the battlefield has come, and I will stand by you until the very last moment!”

“Perhaps we may not survive, but we shall make the arrogant invaders pay with iron and blood!”

“Follow me, dragon slayers!”

The blood-red blade light collided head-on with the fire dragon entwined in flames, and the explosive force shook the heavens.

 

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