Chapter 2474 – Fortress Startled
“Why has a Dragon appeared?” Fithalia’s expression darkened when she saw the Divine Dragon, which was over a hundred meters long, in the sky.
She had seen a Dragon personally during a quest and was certain that it was a disastrous creature. Neither players nor NPCs, not even NPC cities, could stand before a Dragon’s might.
She had watched a Dark Dragon destroy an empire’s border city and annihilate any reinforcements the empire had sent. Players like her had only been able to watch as the Dark Dragon destroyed the NPC city and the Tier 4 NPC-led army.
If the War God’s Temple in the empire hadn’t sent its forces in time and eventually defeated the Dark Dragon, the creature would’ve even slaughtered the nearby players.
Other than Fithalia, every Divine Tribe member in the Starlight Fortress panicked.
Most of them had never seen the horror Dragons could wreck, but they could all tell how terrifying the creatures were after seeing Auerbeck’s statistics.
Auerbeck’s level of 111 wasn’t anything special, but how did it have 10 billion HP?
With the incredible Defense of Dragons, they would never overcome Auerbeck’s battle recovery, even if Auerbeck stood there and allowed the tens of thousands of players in the fortress to attack.
Compared to Auerbeck’s insane HP, the pressure the Dragon radiated was nearly fatal to Divine Tribe’s members. They were all experts, with hundreds of tough battles under their belts, yet they felt as if they were filled with lead as they bathed in Auerbeck’s Dragon Might. In this state, they’d be fortunate if they could muster the strength to flee, much less fight.
“Why is this happening?” MacAffrey despaired as he watched the Divine Dragon soar above the Starlight Fortress.
Like Fithalia, he had witnessed the power Dragons wielded. Current players had practically no hope of defeating such a creature. Even if they still had their Tier 4 Hero, they wouldn’t stand a chance against this Dragon.
Still, Divine Tribe had gone to great lengths to secure its temporary Residence in the Starlight Fortress, investing tons of manpower and resources to develop it. The loss of abandoning the fortress would be extraordinary.
“We don’t have a choice. MacAffrey, notify all Tier 3 players and tell them to prepare for battle. I’ll try to attract the Dragon’s attention while you get everyone out of the fortress. Once we convene, we’ll try to lure it away,” Fithalia said, taking in a deep breath as she prepared herself for a final struggle.
They knew they were no match for the Dragon, but if Auerbeck wasn’t here to capture the Starlight Fortress, they only needed to lure the creature away to save it.
“Isn’t the price of this plan a little too high, Commander Fithalia?” MacAffrey paled a bit when he heard the command.
Fithalia wanted to lure the Dragon out of the fortress, but even ordinary players would realize that Auerbeck could likely kill Tier 3 players with a single hit. His commander intended to use their players’ 1W Tier 3 experts, as bait.
The various superpowers’ Tier 3 experts were desperately grinding to level up. If they sacrificed so many of their Guild’s Tier 3 experts now, Divine Tribe would find itself at a disadvantage when it competed with the various superpowers later.
“This is our only option,” Fithalia said. “If we don’t lure the Dragon out of the fortress, everything we’ve invested thus far will go to waste. As long as we can draw the Dragon out, we can recoup our losses with the Starlight Fortress’s conveniences.”
“I understand.” Gritting his teeth, MacAffrey began to contact the Tier 3 players in the fortress.
As Fithalia had said, the levels they’d have to sacrifice to lure Auerbeck away would be nothing as long as they secured their hold on the Starlight Fortress. The fortress offered massive advantages, after all.
Suddenly, Crimson Witch interrupted, pointing at the Divine Dragon in astonishment, “Commander Fithalia, it looks like there’s a player on the Dragon’s back.”
“A player? How is that possible?” For a moment, Fithalia assumed Crimson Witch was hallucinating.
They were talking about a Tier 4 Dragon. Even if it were only an Infant Dragon, it still wouldn’t degrade itself by serving as a Mount, not even for Tier 4 or 5 NPCs.
In God’s Domain, there were individuals known as Dragon Knights that could ride Dragons after capturing and nurturing a Tier 3 Newborn Dragon. These Dragon Knights stood at the very apex of God’s Domain, and they even demanded respect from emperors.
But riding a Dragon was nothing but a dream with players’ current strength!
And yet, as soon as Fithalia finished her question and turned toward the Divine Dragon, the sight stunned her.
She could actually see someone standing on Auerbeck’s back. Although she couldn’t tell who it was due to the bright light emitting from the Divine Dragon, she could spot the green diamond marker, which only players possessed, hovering above the figure’s head when she squinted.
Before she could recover from her daze, however, Auerbeck began to descend.
As the Divine Dragon approached the ground, the green diamond marker became clearer. It wasn’t long before many of the other Tier 3 experts in the fortress noticed it, as well.
“How is that possible?! A player can actually ride a Dragon?!”
“Who is that?”
Surprise and confusion overwhelmed everyone as they stared at the figure on Auerbeck’s back.
“Commander Fithalia, it’s coming toward us,” Crimson Witch exclaimed when she realized that Auerbeck was flying in their direction.
When Auerbeck had first appeared, the Divine Dragon had been too far away for her to notice anything peculiar. Fortunately, unlike Tier 2 players, she could, more or less, resist Auerbeck’s Dragon Might, but as the Divine Dragon approached, the pressure she felt grew stronger. Now, even breathing became a challenge.
“Hopefully, the Dragon rider isn’t an enemy. Everyone, prepare your Instantaneous Movement Scrolls! If you notice even a hint of aggression, flee! Every life we can save matters!” Fithalia reminded her comrades in a grim tone.
If they had merely faced a wild Dragon, they would, at worst, lose the Starlight Fortress, abandoning it and allowing the creature to destroy it. If the Divine Dragon were under a player’s control, however, they had a much bigger problem. If that player wanted to, they could command their Dragon to massacre every Divine Tribe member in the area.
All of the Guild members in the fortress were Divine Tribe’s experts, including the Guild’s two trump card legions. If they were annihilated, the consequences would be unimaginably dire.
Everyone around Fithalia did as they were told, pulling Instantaneous Movement Scrolls from their bags. Crimson Witch and the Guild’s other upper echelons all retrieved Tier 3 Instantaneous Movement Scrolls, trump cards the Guild had prepared for them as a protective measure. These scrolls were incredibly rare, only obtainable by luck.
While Divine Tribe’s members in the temporary Residence prepared to flee, Auerbeck arrived above the building. The Divine Dragon’s speed caught everyone off guard.
Crimson Witch and the others were wracked with hopelessness, realizing that they couldn’t actually activate the scrolls in their hands. Worse, the Instantaneous Movement Scrolls weren’t the only thing that had abandoned them. They felt as if space itself had left them to die, siding with the Divine Dragon hovering above them.
“Spatial Imprisonment?! How is this happening?!” Astonished, Fithalia could do nothing but stare at the Divine Dragon as it began to land.
Spatial Imprisonment was a move only the strongest Tier 4 NPCs could use. No monster should be capable of mastering the Skill.
Yet, this Dragon had a naturally-occurring Domain that included the Spatial Imprisonment’s effects...
Now, they had no hope of escape. This stranger held their lives in his hands.
As Fithalia and her comrades’ anguish reached its peak, a familiar voice reached their ears. “I was hoping to find you. I’m glad you’re all here.”
As the Dragon’s rider spoke, he jumped down from Auerbeck’s back.
Seeing the player up close, everyone was stupefied.
“Guild Leader Black Flame?!”