When Garros's command to attack was issued...
The war behemoth that was the Molten Iron Tribe suddenly awakened, letting out a roar that shook the clouds. It moved with heavy steps that made the earth tremble, surging toward Echo Canyon.
"Roar——!!!"
The Amethyst Lion King's roar converged into a sound wave so intense it almost solidified.
The towering rock walls on both sides of the canyon were affected; rubble tumbled down, and dust filled the air.
About ten Advanced Lion-Beasts had already leapt onto the top of the canyon. Their muscles were taut, and their claws dug deep into the rock surface. Though their faces were fierce, they still suppressed their boiling Battle Intent as they confronted the dragons circling endlessly in the high sky, blotting out the sun.
At the same time.
Receiving the Lion King's command, the entire lion pride legion erupted like a bursting dam, beginning a full-scale charge just like the Molten Iron Legion.
The distance between the two sides was already short, and now it was closing rapidly.
The earth shook violently under Iron Hooves and giant claws, letting out groans as if it could no longer bear the weight.
The charge of the Mammoth Lion pride was like a landslide or a tsunami. Every time their heavy paws hit the ground, they crushed the rocks, leaving behind spiderweb-like cracks.
The bodies of these behemoths far exceeded those of ordinary giant elephants. Their knotted muscles bulged like granite, and their curved tusks glinted like scimitars. The momentum of their charge was enough to demolish the sturdiest city walls.
On their flanks, the Shadowmane Lion pride turned into eerie black afterimages. Their claws tore through the air with ear-piercing screeches, their speed as swift as ghosts.
The air itself wailed as it was torn apart.
The Galeblade Lions spread their translucent elemental wings, their wings churning the airflow frantically to whip up a gale that blotted out the sky. They kicked up dust and sharp gravel, attempting to completely obscure the defenders' vision and create a perfect opportunity for the ground lions' fatal assault.
However, what met them was the fierce bombardment the Molten Iron Legion had already prepared.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Alchemy Heavy Cannons let out deafening, violent roars, firing in alternating rounds.
Searing Alchemical Projectiles cut through the sky, exploding violently amidst the charging lion pride. They bloomed into cruel flowers woven from shattered flesh, torn limbs, and scorching flames.
The lion pride quickly reacted.
The magical beasts among them unleashed long-range attacks, some using wind blades to intercept the whistling shells, others condensing fireballs or firing spines in retaliation.
Furthermore, the Vicious Beasts charging at the very front were particularly thick-skinned.
As long as they weren't hit directly by a shell, even if their limbs were mangled and they were drenched in blood, most could struggle back to their feet, let out pained and angry roars, and continue the charge.
Tragic casualties did not stop the flood.
Before long, the vanguard forces of both sides collided with a crash, officially entering the white-hot stage of close-quarters combat.
In terms of individuals, the average Life Level of the lion pride was significantly higher; their strength, speed, and Physique all surpassed the ordinary warriors of the Molten Iron Legion.
However, they were starkly different from the outpost guards in the border territories, who had varying equipment and inconsistent levels of training.
Every Molten Iron warrior assembled at Echo Canyon now was a veteran who had survived countless bloody wars. They had undergone day after day of training, engraving tactical coordination and synchronized movement into their instincts. They were an elite force that truly understood how to wage war.
On this vast and chaotic battlefield...
Unless an individual's Life Level was high enough to take on a thousand alone and ignore formations, the tacit cooperation between warriors still played a decisive role.
"Form Ranks—!"
The Warlord's roar was like a war drum, echoing across the battlefield.
The Ogre heavy warriors let out an earth-shaking collective shout at the command, instantly slamming their giant shields onto the ground.
Amidst the roar of clashing steel, a towering and cold wall of iron rose from the ground in an instant.
Spell—Resist Impact!
Spell—Physical Damage Protection!
Spell—Shield!
...
The Legion Warlocks in the rear calmly waved their staves, their movements uniform.
They didn't waste their precious Demonic Energy on offensive Spells, but instead put all their effort into providing buffs for their allies on the front lines who were bearing the greatest pressure.
The Ogre heavy warriors, already as strong as hills, seemed to expand further under the layers of Spell light. Their muscles bulged, and their skin took on a metallic luster, making them look like a truly indestructible wall of bronze and iron.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The violent charge of the Mammoth Lion pride slammed into the shield wall like a heavy hammer.
Dents appeared on the surfaces of the sturdy shields. The bodies of the Ogres holding the shields shook violently, their thick arm muscles twisted, and blood seeped from their noses and mouths.
But their legs were like cast iron pillars, nailed firmly into the earth, not retreating an inch!
Moreover, under the continuous chanting and amplification of the warlocks behind them, this wall of steel began to emit low roars. Instead of buckling, it pushed forward against the immense pressure step by step, forcing those massive Mammoth Lions to stumble backward.
Buzz—!
The moment the lion pride's momentum faltered, the Alchemy Golems—the Steel Tearers—activated.
The engines in their chests roared, and the Chainsaw Swords in their hands let out a tooth-grinding high-speed spinning sound as they marched into the gaps in the line with heavy steps.
Once the high-speed rotating serrated blades touched the bodies of the Lion-Beasts, they instantly caused horrific tearing wounds.
Lion fur, muscle, and bone shattered and flew amidst the piercing noise.
The Centaur Knights on both wings charged from the flanks.
Their four hooves flew, galloping wildly across the earth.
Using their speed, they thrust out multi-meter-long Steel Lances, easily tearing through the air and precisely piercing the lions' ribs and necks, leaving behind massive wounds that geysered blood.
In the sky, the Galeblade Lions tried to condense compressed wind blades, locking onto the rampaging Centaur Knights or the warlock arrays below.
"Fire!"
The Centaur Archer Centurion gave the order, and the well-trained archers immediately responded with a volley.
Specially made Alchemical Armor-Piercing Arrows rose and fell like a torrential downpour, covering the airspace where the Galeblade Lions were. The sharp arrowheads targeted vulnerable spots like eye sockets, throats, and wing joints.
The Galeblade Lions were forced to interrupt their attacks, scrambling to dodge in mid-air. Yet, unfortunate ones were still hit by arrows, letting out shrill wails before falling and crashing into the dense lion pride below, triggering a wave of chaos and trampling.
At the same time, the Shadowmane Lion pride emerged from the corners of the battlefield's shadows.
Their claws were as fast as lightning, raking across the Molten Iron warriors' armor and kicking up a series of dazzling sparks, but they found it difficult to instantly breach the thick protection.
But in the next second, several battleaxes and scimitars would hack down from different angles in perfect coordination, forcing these agile hunters to abandon their attacks and retreat rapidly back into the shadows.
Gnoll warriors formed hunting squads, their scimitar strikes tricky and ruthless, specifically targeting joints and gaps in the tendons.
Once they succeeded, even a powerful Lion-Beast would instantly lose its balance and speed, becoming a lamb to the slaughter.
Rip—!
An exceptionally strong Advanced Lion-Beast leader swung its giant claws in a rage. Its terrifying power swatted a heavy-armored Ogre, shield and all, sending him flying and crashing into several warriors behind him.
But before this lion leader could capitalize on the opening, a whistling giant spiked mace slammed into the side of its head like a battering ram.
Its skull cracked, blood sprayed, and it staggered with a pained roar.
Karu the Gluttonous Ogre, who had just snapped a Lion-Beast's neck with his bare hands, charged over like a human cannonball, clashing violently with this wounded lion leader.
After a brief bout of close-quarters combat...
The Gluttonous Ogre's claws ripped out the lion leader's still-beating heart.
Karu stood on the corpse, gorging on the hot, bloody lion heart. His hideous gaze scanned the battlefield, quickly locking onto his next prominent prey before pouncing once more.
On the other side, the Dragon Vein Werewolf Russell's size wasn't particularly eye-catching among the battlefield behemoths, but his movement was unimaginably agile, leaving behind dizzying afterimages as he moved.
Wherever he passed, the carotid arteries and groins of lion after lion were precisely sliced open, blood spurting out like fountains.
As the battle reached a fever pitch...
The werewolf suddenly stopped, threw his head back, and let out a loud, long howl.
His originally humanoid upright body quickly crouched down. His muscles inflated as if being pumped with air, and his joints popped like firecrackers. In an instant, he transformed into a terrifying Dragon-Wolf the size of a giant lion, with claws and teeth glinting with a metallic sheen, and he boldly lunged into the densest part of the lion pride, creating a storm of blood and gore.
Meanwhile.
The iron shield wall formed by the heavy-armored Ogres maintained a tight formation throughout, like a rising tide, steadily and firmly compressing the lion pride's space to maneuver.
No matter how fast the Lion-Beasts were or how agile their movements, they couldn't weave freely through the forest of spears and battleaxes.
What's more, there were constant debuff Spells like Grease, Entangle, and Enfeeblement Rays being fired from the warlock array in the rear, providing continuous interference and restriction.
...
The lion pride was by no means weak; they were individually powerful, fierce, and fearless.
However, they appeared quite primitive in terms of large-scale legion-level coordination, relying more on individual bravery and instinctive hunting techniques.
When they had previously scattered to attack border outposts, they could leverage their mobility and the element of surprise.
But now, facing the battle-hardened Molten Iron Legion in a head-on clash, their advantages vanished instantly.
Almost from the start of the engagement, the lion pride fell into a passive situation where each fought for themselves, and they were firmly suppressed by the Molten Iron Legion.
Roar!
Overlooking the rapidly deteriorating situation below, which was becoming a one-sided slaughter, the Amethyst Lion King squeezed a low roar of mixed anger and anxiety from its throat.
Its gaze swept over the dragons that had not yet entered the fray, and it anxiously scraped the rock beneath its feet with its claws.
Claw tips collided with the hard rock surface, sending brilliant sparks flying.
A few seconds later, it let out another low growl.
The dozen or so Advanced Lion-Beasts guarding the Lion King seemed to receive an order. No longer able to suppress their boiling Battle Intent, they began to sprint across the rugged and steep canyon walls as if on level ground, rushing to reinforce the retreating lion pride.
Their Life Levels were all very high.
Among them were even two lion beast commanders with a Rank as high as 16, their Aura being extremely fierce.
"Solrog, Samantha."
The Red-Iron Dragon turned his head and said in a heavy voice to his two kin beside him, "Those two Rank 16 lion beast commanders are yours to handle."
The Iron Dragon Sorog nodded steadily. "Understood!"
The Red Dragon Samantha let out an extremely excited roar, sparks flying from her dragon muzzle. "I will make these lowly reptiles remember with their lives what true Dragon Fear is!"
The two powerful Young Adult Dragons suddenly flapped their wings, their bodies crisscrossing as they dived down.
A metallic, hardening luster surfaced around the Iron Dragon's body; meanwhile, dense runes flickered on the Red Dragon's body armor, and her Dragon Fear swept out in all directions like a tide.
The Red-Iron Dragon then turned his gaze toward the other two eager Young Dragons and gave a brief command.
"Heriam, Cahill, you two also move out. Clean up the other Advanced leaders and support the ground legion."
The Storm Dragon and the Wild Dragon let out a deafening battle cry in unison to acknowledge the order. Then, unable to wait any longer, they flapped their dragon wings and dived into the fray like two arrows leaving a bow.
Only then did the Red-Iron Dragon slowly withdraw his gaze and lock back onto the Amethyst Lion King standing proudly atop the mountain peak.
At this moment, all idle distractions had been eliminated.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
On the other side, the Lion King's purple flame mane burned as fiercely as a wildfire. Its broad wings flapped powerfully, allowing it to rise steadily into the air.
Its flight posture was skilled and vigorous, looking every bit like a true overlord of the sky.
Those giant wings, which resembled dragon wings, were not just for show.
Four eyes met in the air, the invisible collision of Auras seemingly causing the air to freeze.
In the next second, the Red-Iron Dragon and the Amethyst Lion King flapped their giant wings simultaneously, exploding with astonishing speed. Like two comets tearing through the sky and trailing energy wakes, they charged at each other with destructive force!
The air seemed to be compressed to the point of exploding by these two terrifying Auras, tearing open huge fissures.
—Mind Blast!
The moment they entered attack range, the Amethyst Lion King's eyes suddenly snapped wide, psionic light shining within them.
An invisible mental shockwave ignored physical distance, instantly slamming into the Red-Iron Dragon's mental world.
Like an invisible bomb exploding in the deepest part of his mind, Garros's dragon pupils suddenly constricted. His racing thoughts went blank for a moment, and his flight movements became briefly stiff and sluggish.
The Amethyst Lion King was experienced in battle. Its sharp claws took the opportunity to tear through the air, striking heavily against the Red-Iron Dragon's forehead, which was covered by a thick faceplate, with immense force.
Bang!
A dull, tooth-aching impact sound erupted. The Red-Iron Dragon's head was knocked to the side, and several shattered scales and sparks splattered out.
However, the blood that splattered out along with them belonged to the Amethyst Lion King.
The Red-Iron Dragon's head structure was exceptionally thick. His majestic horns and solid faceplate formed perfect protection; in particular, many short, sharp black spines grew naturally upon the faceplate.
The Amethyst Lion King's determined claw strike certainly left several white scratches and minor cracks on the Red-Iron Dragon's faceplate, but its own soft paw pads were simultaneously pierced through by those hard, sharp faceplate spines, instantly becoming a bloody mess.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Amethyst Lion King's claws created a blur of afterimages, falling frantically upon the Red-Iron Dragon's head, neck, chest, and other vital areas at a speed difficult for the naked eye to track.
The Red-Iron Dragon's body trembled slightly, and his dragon scales shattered.
But similarly, with every collision, the Amethyst Lion King's claws felt a powerful counter-shock force and were continuously cut by those hard scales and spines.
It was truly a case of 'harming the enemy eight hundred while losing a thousand oneself.'
At the same time, the Red-Iron Dragon's gaze quickly regained clarity.
His counterattack was as fast as lightning. A dragon claw with bulging muscles tore through the air, grabbing toward the Amethyst Lion King's neck with pinpoint accuracy, attempting a throat-lock in one strike.
Psionic Step!
The Amethyst Lion King flapped its wings, advancing instead of retreating. Its neck suddenly turned into an afterimage and vanished the moment it was about to be seized by the dragon claw. Its true body then flickered and appeared in the attack blind spot behind the Red-Iron Dragon, opening its bloody maw to bite down hard on his spine!
This strike was both ruthless and swift,
Yet the result was completely beyond the Amethyst Lion King's expectations.
Bang! Bang!
As if hit by two invisible heavy hammers, the Amethyst Lion King felt a heart-wrenching pain from its shoulder blades and chest.
Caught off guard,
Its massive body had no time to perform any force-deflecting movements. It was sent tumbling backward in a pathetic state. Two clear indentations appeared on its shoulder blades and sternum, and the surrounding fur and muscle were unnaturally twisted.
At the same time,
Two heavy thuds also came from the corresponding positions on Garros's body, and minor cracks appeared.
It was the common mental spell—Damage Transfer.
On the other side, the Amethyst Lion King endured the sharp pain and flapped its wings to stabilize its flying body.
Psionic light flickered in its eyes as it caught sight of two massive arms, condensed into substance and composed of black-red energy, extending from near the shoulder blades on the Red-Iron Dragon's back.
It was this pair of giant arms that had dealt it a head-on blow at the very moment it thought it had succeeded.
Boom!
The Red-Iron Dragon did not pause for a moment. His wings spread wide as he pursued the advantage, flying toward the injured Amethyst Lion King.
—Mind Blast!
Shock and anger flashed in the Amethyst Lion King's eyes. It concentrated its psionic energy again, attempting to repeat its old trick to interrupt the Red-Iron Dragon's aggressive offensive rhythm.
However, just an instant before it could cast Mind Blast, black-red energy suddenly surged over the Red-Iron Dragon's face, instantly condensing into a thick and hideous helmet.
The Red-Iron Dragon's entire head was tightly encased, revealing only a pair of eyes as deep as an abyss.
The Amethyst Lion King's mastery of mental spells was even higher than that of Iron Dragon Sorog.
Garros could rely on his own resilient spirit to weaken its influence, but he could not be completely immune.
Therefore, he used Visage of the Astral Self to further increase his mental attributes. While enhancing his perception, it also significantly strengthened his resistance to mental attacks.
This time, the effect of the Mind Blast was reduced to a minimum.
Garros only experienced an almost imperceptible moment of stiffness; his speed did not even slow down in the slightest.
The Red-Iron Dragon shook off the mental interference faster than before, and in the blink of an eye, he was once again before the Amethyst Lion King.
The Amethyst Lion King let out a low growl mixed with pain and suspicion, once again using Psionic Step to dodge.
But just as its body appeared on the other side, the Red-Iron Dragon turned instantly like a shadow following its source, chasing after it as if he had already predicted its movement.
Four thick arms and claws loomed over it from all directions, completely sealing off all space for the Lion King to dodge.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Red-Iron Dragon showed no mercy, striking with all four arms. In a storm-like onslaught, fists, claws, and energy strikes fell heavily upon the Amethyst Lion King's body like a blacksmith's hammer, suppressing it from the air and finally smashing it diagonally into the towering mountain wall of Echo Canyon.
Accompanied by a series of violent tremors, dust filled the air and rubble flew. The entire mountainside seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Roar!
A loud, pained, yet even more furious roar suddenly erupted from the dust.
A peerless psionic shockwave exploded in all directions, and countless dust and rubble were instantly blown clear.
The Red-Iron Dragon's heavy body was also pushed back by this psionic surge. The huge crater on the mountain wall was revealed, along with the Amethyst Lion King's current appearance.
It was covered in dust and its own splattered blood. Its fur had become dull and lusterless, and beneath the fur were terrible indentations and bruises. There were even multiple wounds deep enough to see bone, with blood gurgling out.
Even with Damage Transfer sharing the burden, Garros's violent barrage of continuous heavy strikes had made it pay a heavy price.
Opposite it, the Red-Iron Dragon flapped his wings in the air, quickly stabilizing his body.
His hard outer dragon scales were also covered in cracks and claw marks. Especially on his chest and back, there were several obvious indentations and cracks caused by Damage Transfer.
While enduring the fierce attacks, the Amethyst Lion King had constantly used this psionic ability to reduce the damage it took and feed a portion of it back to the Red-Iron Dragon.
So far,
The Red-Iron Dragon's injuries were almost all self-inflicted.
Roar!
The Amethyst Lion King struggled to stand up from the rocky crater. It raised its scarred head and stared at the dragon in the air who seemed almost unscathed, letting out another earth-shaking roar. However, in this roar, besides anger, there was an added sense of determination.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The purple flame mane surrounding its neck suddenly flew up.
The purple light and flames surged rapidly, quickly condensing into a massive and illusory silhouette.
The Amethyst Lion King continued to let out low growls, and its body also expanded continuously along with the dancing flames. Layers of muscle bulged under its fur like steel, their texture clearly visible. Its claws and teeth also became sharper and larger, finally merging completely with that illusory silhouette. Its entire presence climbed frantically!