Translator: AnubisTL
As Chieftain Bloodhoof soared into the sky, flapping his demonic wings, the red-iron dragon, its twin wings trailing comet-like flames, surged upward at even greater speed. It then abruptly reversed course, plummeting like a meteor straight toward Bloodhoof. The chieftain, now in his second stage, roared defiantly, refusing to yield.
Scales on his wing membranes clattered, showering sparks of molten fire. The remaining explosive scales glowed like red-hot iron.
In an instant, the impossibly majestic juvenile dragon collided with the abyss-born monstrosity.
Boom!
A deafening roar and shockwave erupted, unleashing a fiery explosion that lit the sky with blinding light and searing heat—as if a second sun had risen.
The red-iron dragon was hurled backward dozens of meters before regaining its balance.
Having expended all its explosive scales, its obsidian-like armor was now fully exposed. Lava-like patterns pulsed with crimson light across its scales, complementing its formidable physique and weapon-like features, making it even more terrifying than the abyssal demon.
Simultaneously...
A pitch-black figure, engulfed in flames, plummeted straight toward the ground—Baal fell even faster than he had risen, his body now crisscrossed with deeper fissures from which magma-like blood flowed.
Whoosh!
Baal's demonic wings suddenly snapped open with a violent beat.
The gale flattened the ground's vegetation and sent earth and stones swirling into the air.
His descent slowed, his body adjusted, and he avoided crashing into the ground. Just before impact, he surged skyward again, hurtling toward the red-iron dragon.
"The outer layer of scales that absorbed my power is gone," Baal thought, his gaze fixed on the red-iron dragon, his battle spirit blazing. "Now that we're back in close combat, the advantage is mine."
Yet facing the ferocious Chieftain Bloodhoof, Garos merely flicked his wings, leaving a comet-like trail across the sky as he dodged Baal and dove toward the ground, skimming the earth at breakneck speed.
The keen blade-like dragon wings sliced through the battlefield.
Minotaur warriors were cleaved in two.
Bathed in the spray of blood, Garos spun around, his vertical dragon eyes locking onto an elite boss.
A minotaur warrior's massive axe cleaved through an ogre's armor, the blade sinking deep into its chest cavity. With a brutal kick, the heavily wounded ogre was sent flying.
The minotaur warrior was about to roar in triumph, venting his bloodlust.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, as if he were being stalked by an overwhelming predator. A malevolent wind surged from behind.
The boss's pupils constricted sharply as he whirled around, his eyes meeting the overwhelming dragon might of the red-iron dragon charging toward him with unstoppable force.
With a guttural roar, the boss's eyes turned bloodshot, his muscles bulging as his spirit focused to its absolute limit in this moment of crisis. He channeled all his life's skills into the battleaxe clenched in his hands, swinging it head-on at the red-iron dragon.
But the dragon's claws struck faster than the axe could fall.
Garos casually swept his claws sideways.
Boom! A burst of bloody mist erupted as the boss was instantly killed.
By this point in the battle, the Ironforged Legion had already gained a decisive advantage.
From the moment Baal and Garos began their duel, the scales of victory had gradually tilted in favor of the Ironforged Clan. The Bloodhoof forces, having charged relentlessly without rest, had already exhausted much of their stamina. Meanwhile, the Ironforged Clan's assault on the Bloodhoof Clan's main camp had been relatively effortless, allowing them to conserve their strength.
Initially, the gap between the two sides was not yet significant.
But as time wore on, in the meat-grinder intensity of the battle, the Bloodhoof forces' stamina was severely depleted, causing them to falter. This was followed by sluggishness, weakness, and other debilitating conditions, leading to their rapid collapse.
"Don't run!" Baal roared, flapping his demonic wings as he pursued Garos, but his speed and agility were no match for the dragon's.
Garos aimed to win the war with minimal losses. He skillfully kited the minotaur demon, ignoring its taunts while targeting the Bloodhoof Chieftains who stood out on the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, he secured a massive advantage for the Ironforged Legion.
Realizing he couldn't catch Garos even at full speed, Baal desperately suppressed his surging rage and violent impulses.
His second transformation came at a cost. The boiling demonic blood made him more volatile and prone to losing control.
No longer pointlessly chasing the red-iron dragon, the minotaur demon folded its wings and plummeted to the ground like a cannonball, landing with a thunderous impact on its massive hooves.
War stomp!
The ground didn't shatter, not even a crack appeared, but an invisible force radiated outward from Baal's landing point, pulverizing the surrounding Ironforged retinue into bloody mist.
Hah!
Baal threw back his head and inhaled deeply.
Wisps of crimson energy peeled away from the slain creatures, writhing like living threads as they converged toward him, subtly enhancing his qi and healing the injuries he'd sustained from his earlier collision with Garos.
If we're not fighting head-on...
Then let's see who can kill faster!
Baal's pitch-black eyes burned with savage bloodlust as he scanned the battlefield, his gaze locking onto the familiars of the Ironforged Legion, particularly the Gluttonous Demon Karu.
The Gluttonous Demon was thick-skinned and resilient. Though wounded by Baal's initial assault, he remained combat-capable.
Noticing the dragonic features on Karu's body, Baal concluded that this ogre was a dragon blood creature—the core of the familiars. Killing him, he reasoned, would surely draw the wrath of dragonkind.
Baal unfurled his demonic wings and beat them powerfully.
The minotaur demon surged skyward, charging straight toward Karu.
But before he could strike, a crimson dragon shadow flashed past, slamming into the minotaur demon from the side and sending him hurtling skyward.
When Baal had tried to engage in direct combat, Garos had kept him at bay with hit-and-run tactics. Now, as he attempted to slaughter the familiars, Garos intervened again.
This suited Baal perfectly.
He could grow stronger through war, but what he craved most was to crush the red-iron dragon before him.
"Finally, you've stopped running!"
Baal fully extended his massive bat-like wings, a tidal wave of power surging through his body. He braced himself against Garos's impact, halting mid-air.
His colossal hand clamped down on the dragon's neck scales, exerting crushing force.
The red-iron dragon's massive body swung through the air. Baal raised his leg, his knee wrapped in a whirlwind of bloody wind, and slammed it into the dragon's abdomen.
If this strike landed true, even steel would shatter.
Suddenly, dragon Garos's tail whipped around, ensnaring Baal's left leg and violently yanking his knee strike off course.
The dragon's scale-covered belly grazed Baal's knee, sending sparks and scale fragments raining down like a storm. Baal seized the opportunity, slamming his elbow down like a hammer against the dragon's spine.
Garos's right wing shot up like a razor-sharp blade, slashing at Baal's groin.
Baal's eyes twitched as he twisted away, his attack interrupted. When he looked again, the red-iron dragon had already retreated, its wings carrying it far away.
"Coward! All you do is run?"
"Stop! Face me!"
Baal's demonic wings blotted out the sun, his body wreathed in surging black flames as he hovered above the battlefield like a demonic god.
His imposing presence bolstered the minotaurs' morale, inspiring them to fight fiercely even when outnumbered, preventing the Ironforged Legion from gaining further ground.
At that moment, the red-iron dragon halted, slowly raising its head.
Its warm-up was complete. Blood surged through its veins like a raging tide, amplifying the frenzy state's power to its peak.
"Then your wish shall be granted."
Staring into the minotaur demon's pitch-black eyes, the red-iron dragon spoke with its usual calm, yet a dangerous edge now laced its voice. "Now, let's truly begin."
Hearing those familiar words—the very ones he had spoken earlier—Baal felt a chill run down his spine, sensing something ominous.
Crack! Crack!
Countless golden lightning serpents erupted from the gaps between the dragon scales, shimmering densely as they danced across the red-iron dragon's body, unleashing a thunderous roar of ten thousand lightning strikes.
Garos's scales trembled slightly, his muscles bulging inch by inch beneath the crackling light. His already formidable physique swelled further, his savage, monstrous form bordering on the absurd.
Baal's pupils constricted sharply. He saw Garos's figure blur and vanish from his vision, leaving only a golden afterimage burned into his retinas.
(End of the Chapter)
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