Ashen Dragon

The leading female Dwarf Warrior swung her axe, smashing a corpse puppet, then turned and growled, "Quick, run northeast! Head to the earth vein tunnel beneath the stone tomb!"

Adrian recognized the emblem on their breastplates: the Dragon Tooth Dwarf Tribe of the Cold Iron Mine—a race once enslaved by the Dragon Worship Cult, now allies of the Rebel Army.

He gritted his teeth, waded through the filthy mud, and staggered northward, with the shrill cries of the Servant Monk from behind: "Do you dare defy the will of the Dragon Queen? Lord of the Rot Swamp will crush you..."

Before the words were finished, a deafening roar echoed from the depths of the swamp, and a massive, sinister figure emerged from the mist.

"This is..."

A Mature Green Dragon over twenty meters long tore through the fog, its scales like rusty copper coins, spewing acidic breath that turned the surrounding vegetation into smoldering ashes.

—It was the progeny of the "Lord of Rot Swamp," the Mature Green Dragon Grotar.

Grotar flapped its tattered Dragon Wings, the blood-scented gale dissipating the mist as it walked leisurely, the mud beneath its feet splattering.

"Pathetic mortals, still struggling in vain?"

"Hahaha, tremble before the mighty Grotar! My grandfather once said that it's perfectly normal to accidentally eat a Human or two during a hunt."

With a raucous hiss, a cone of acidic breath spewed from the Mature Green Dragon's throat, surging toward the group.

Just as the acidic Dragon Breath was about to engulf everyone, a scarlet light suddenly brightened the sky, and the air twisted with extreme heat, causing vapor to churn above the swamp.

A gold-red Pillar of Fire descended from the sky, forcing the Green Dragon to fold its wings and dodge, letting out a roar filled with anger and surprise.

"Who are you?! This is the territory of the almighty, wise, and noble Lord of the Rot Swamp! Who allowed you to intrude here?!"

Amidst the fiery rain emerged a red-haired woman, her forehead adorned with slender horns, red scales faintly outlining her cheeks, and her pupils were long and gold like those of a serpentine dragonkin.

She stood on a floating platform forged from Lava, the Dragon Crystal in her Magic Wand emitting a blinding light.

The invisible Dragon's Might swiftly spread, causing the members of the Dragon Worship Cult—and even the Mature Green Dragon—to tremble and feel their legs weaken.

"Such Dragon's Might... how is this possible?!" the Servant Monk raised his head, staring at the woman in the sky, muttering in disbelief.

Although clearly a Dragonborn, how could this woman possess a Dragon's Might stronger than that of a true giant dragon? This was not Magic!

"Who are you, really?"

Only after sensing the Dragon's Might did the Green Dragon let out a roar filled with both surprise and anger.

"The energy of the fire element... Are you a subordinate of Deep Red Embers 'Kazuul'? A strange Dragonborn, you should not be here.

The Ashen Swamp belongs to the 'Lord of the Rot Swamp.' Do you intend to defy His Majesty Tiamat's command and attack an ally at this critical moment?"

"Ally?"

The woman coldly laughed, raising her slender hand: "You consider yourselves worthy? I would never have such ugly and filthy allies; you're just like maggots reeking of acid, disgusting."

"Lord Kazuul has no need for so-called allies!"

Fire, like a frenzied scarlet snake, erupted with terrifying energy, accompanied by the sharp crackling of air, assaulting the Green Dragon and the members of the Dragon Worship Cult.

"Boom!"

"Honored one, we are not your enemies!"

The black-robed Servant Monk's voice trembled, and he raised his withered fingers, a black, spherical mist forming in his palm.

The black mist flew out following the Servant Monk's actions, transforming into a roaring black giant dragon, shielding him.

But the tongues of fire pierced through the black fog dragon instantaneously, their searing gusts appearing before the group, while the Green Dragon flapped its wings, retreating.

Meanwhile, the Humans and Dwarves were sprinting madly toward the stone tomb, shouting: "Hurry! Both sides are Evil Dragon's claws and fangs. If we wait for either side to win, we can't escape!"

The leading Servant Monk knelt down hastily, shouting, "Don't kill me! I still have value!"

"Oh?"

The Dragonborn woman had a half-smile, clenching her fist, letting the tongues of flame hover menacingly at a distance: "What value could a mere low-blooded mixed-breed human possibly have?"

The servant monk kowtowed frantically, shouting incoherently: "I can help you deal with the Lord of the Rot Swamp! I've served him for a long time, I know quite a bit of information!

Besides, I am also a servant of Her Majesty the Dragon Queen, killing us... Lord Kazuul behind you gains no benefit either!"

"Traitor! Humans truly are despicable scum, utterly untrustworthy! Betrayed my grandfather's trust!"

The Green Dragon in mid-air roared angrily, but instead of attacking the Dragonborn woman, it spewed acidic breath toward the servant monk.

Caught off guard, the kneeling servant monks had no time to react and were swallowed by the rushing acid.

Accompanied by a hissing sound, the dark green acid corroded the servant's robe, skin, and even flesh.

"No—"

"My lord, I was wrong!"

Their faces twisted, emitting cries of pain, writhing and twisting frantically, exposing pale bones.

Soon, those servant monks disappeared, leaving only a few broken skeletons in the swamp's muddy ground.

"What a pity..." The Dragonborn woman shook her head and looked at the mature Green Dragon with eyes aflame.

In an instant, a gale carrying streams of flames swept through the sky, scorching the Green Dragon's scales and wing membranes, causing it to wobble precariously in mid-air.

The Green Dragon turned its head with horror on its face, gritting its teeth: "Dragonborn, you are merely a human mixed-breed, at the core just a slave serving the dragonkin!

Do you intend to kill a real giant dragon under Her Majesty the Dragon Queen's gaze? Even that madman Kazuul can't save you!"

The Dragonborn woman sneered again, her golden eyes even more dangerous, stunningly beautiful: "If I kill everyone present, who would know who did it?"

"Rest assured, I will report to the Lord of the Rot Swamp... that you heroically died in battle against the Gold Dragon."

Grotar, infuriated, cursed angrily: "Madman! Kazuul's Red Dragon Clan—including himself, are all completely mad!"

Seeing the flames wrapping around him, about to burn his body, the mature Green Dragon gritted its teeth and tore off a rune-engraved scale from its chest, splattering blood as it crushed it. For a smo.ot$her& r&e$ad.ing e%xp*erience., v@is@i#t MV&+L-EM#PY&R%.@

"Crack."

A crisp sound rang out, the rune on the scale lit up, the surrounding space rippled ceaselessly, and a dark rift appeared in mid-air.

Grotar appeared exceptionally disheveled, ignoring the flames covering his body, he couldn't wait to dive in: "I will definitely report this to my grandfather! This is declaring war on the Lord of Rot Swamp!"

"By then, even that magma-head Kazuul won't be able to protect you!"

The Green Dragon's resentful roar echoed through the swampy forest, causing flocks of crows to take flight, making raucous cries.

"They've resolved their conflict, it was that Dragonborn of the Red Dragon Sect who emerged victorious. Regardless of who wins, it's not good for us. We need to speed up!"

Deep in the forest, Adrian hurriedly said.

As a rebel who had fought against the Dragon Worship Cult for months, he had some understanding of the inner workings of the Dragon Worship Church.

The Church all worshipped Tiamat but was divided into five different sects, each corresponding to one of the five-colored evil dragons.

Within the Dragon Worship Church, the most powerful were the Red Dragon, Blue Dragon, and Green Dragon sects, each backed by a Tiamat devotee comparable to a demigod.

Regarding today's events, Adrian felt rather fortunate; originally, when Grotar arrived, they were almost certainly doomed.

But at this critical moment, he happened to encounter internal strife within the Dragon Worship Church, allowing them to escape from the Green Dragon's grasp.

"Ahead is the Talos Stone Tomb! Once we reach the Earth Vein Cave, we'll be temporarily safe!" the Dwarf woman shouted.

But at this moment, the Mage's expression halted again, pointing with his Magic Wand into the distance, tremblingly saying: "Y-you guys, look over there..."

Adrian followed the direction of his finger, seeing the red-haired, golden-eyed Dragonborn woman hovering above the stone tomb, looking down at their group with a half-smile.