Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Moonlight’s Breakthrough

The Black Wind Terror Wolves were extremely fast, using their agility to try and slip through the gaps in the Knight Shield Wall.

But Ed and the Knights under his command were experienced and worked together with perfect coordination.

Their Shields held firm against the impacts, while their Long Spears and Knight Swords struck with precision. Taking advantage of the terrain’s limitations, they continuously stabbed down any Terror Wolves that tried to get close.

The hyena-dogs were even more cunning. They kept their bodies low, trying to attack the Knights’ legs from underneath.

But the Militia played a crucial role.

Their bows and arrows specifically targeted these thin-skinned, low-health hyena-dogs, effectively protecting the flanks and rear of the Knight formation.

The most troublesome foes were the Thornback Barbarian Bulls.

Their charging Power was simply too immense!

Several Barbarian Bulls roared, charging like living Siege Hammers and slamming violently into the Knight Shield Wall.

THUD!

THUD!

With the heavy sounds of impact, several Knights were knocked back, their Shields even showing cracks as their arms went numb.

If not for their advantageous position and the combined strength of several men holding the line, they would have been sent flying in an instant.

Just as the ground battle reached a stalemate, support from the sky arrived.

The Pegasus Knights either dove with Long Spears at the ready or provided support with bows and arrows, attacking the Magical Beasts from behind.

Raylo, riding his Storm Griffin, circled high above the battlefield.

At this moment, the greatest threat to the Knights on the battlefield were the Thornback Barbarian Bulls. These Tier Two Magical Beasts had thick hides and immense Power, and their reckless charges put the Knights’ defensive formation in grave danger. If Ed hadn’t repeatedly intervened to kill the two Thornback Barbarian Bulls leading the charge, the line would have nearly collapsed.

”Storm! Go!”

Raylo patted the Storm Griffin’s neck.

The Storm Griffin let out a screech that could pierce clouds and shatter stone. It folded its wings and dove straight down like a meteorite!

Its target was a Thornback Barbarian Bull trying to break through the Knights’ defensive line!

The Barbarian Bull seemed to sense the deadly threat from above. It pawed the ground uneasily and looked up at the sky.

But the Storm Griffin was too fast!

A massive shadow enveloped it in an instant.

SQUELCH!

The Griffin’s nigh-unbreakable talons sank viciously into the Barbarian Bull’s relatively fragile neck!

Blood vessels in the Barbarian Bull’s neck ruptured, and fresh blood gushed out. It let out a pained, sorrowful cry, its massive body shuddered violently, and then it crashed to the ground. After a few twitches, it stopped moving.

Raylo didn’t pause, immediately pulling up to gain altitude and search for his next target.

The Pegasus Knights used their aerial superiority, constantly attacking isolated or flanking Magical Beasts with their Long Spears and bows and arrows.

While their attacks weren’t enough to kill the Barbarian Bulls in one hit, they were highly effective against the Terror Wolves and hyena-dogs, greatly reducing the pressure on the ground troops.

One particularly bold and skillful Pegasus Knight even guided his Pegasus in a low pass over a Barbarian Bull that was charging the shield wall, precisely thrusting a Long Spear into its eye!

Maddened with pain from losing an eye, the Barbarian Bull bolted, charging blindly and instead knocking over several hyena-dogs, causing a small bout of chaos.

With the support of the aerial forces, the pressure on the ground troops decreased sharply.

The number of Magical Beasts was dwindling rapidly.

The casualties from the traps, the attrition from the arrows, the precise strikes from the air, and the valiant resistance of the ground forces—the scales of victory were beginning to tip decisively.

The remaining Magical Beasts finally felt fear.

Some of the hyena-dogs began to whimper and retreat, trying to find an escape route.

A few Black Wind Terror Wolves also lost their will to fight, turning tail and running.

Even the few remaining Thornback Barbarian Bulls began to hesitate.

”Don’t let them escape!”

Ed roared.

”Surround them!”

Morale soaring, the Knights and Militia shouted as they launched their final encirclement.

The complex terrain of the Chaotic Stone Slope limited the Magical Beasts’ escape routes. They were cut off, surrounded, and eliminated one by one.

Of course, there were a few particularly cunning or lucky ones.

A few hyena-dogs used their slender bodies to squeeze into narrow crevices in the rocks and disappear.

Several Black Wind Terror Wolves fought desperately to break through the Militia’s blockade, fleeing into the distant dense forest with their injuries.

One last Thornback Barbarian Bull, the strongest of them all, withstood the assault of several arrows and Long Spears to plow a bloody path, roaring as it disappeared over the other side of the Chaotic Stone Slope.

But the outcome was decided.

When the last Black Wind Terror Wolf, fighting with its back to the wall, was beheaded by Ed’s sword, the entire Chaotic Stone Slope finally fell silent.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast its light upon the Chaotic Stone Slope, which was now covered in the corpses and blood of Magical Beasts. The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood and battle.

Raylo guided the Storm Griffin in for a slow landing.

The Pegasus Knights also landed one after another.

Raylo jumped down from the Griffin and surveyed his surroundings.

He walked over to Ed, who was directing the Knights and Militia in handling the aftermath.

”What are the casualties?” Raylo’s voice was a bit hoarse.

”Two militiamen were killed. They couldn’t get out of the way when a Thornback Barbarian Bull charged.”

Ed’s voice was low, tinged with regret.

”Five Knights and thirteen militiamen are seriously wounded. They’ve all received initial treatment, and their lives aren’t in danger. We’re not counting the lightly injured.”

He paused, looking at the mountain of Magical Beast corpses around them.

”Compared to our victory, this price... is already very small.”

To have annihilated nearly a hundred Magical Beasts, including several Tier Two Thornback Barbarian Bulls, at such a small cost was indeed a praiseworthy victory.

The traps, the terrain, the air superiority, and the valiant efforts of the Knights and Militia—not one of these could have been spared.

Raylo nodded, feeling a little more at ease.

Sacrifices were always painful, but in a conflict of this scale, keeping the casualties this low was no easy feat.

”Arrange for people to treat the wounded as soon as possible. Send the seriously injured back to camp immediately. Everyone else, clean up the battlefield.”

”Yes, sir!”

Ed acknowledged the order.

Night gradually fell. Torches were lit one by one, casting flickering lights and shadows across the Chaotic Stone Slope.

The Knights carefully lifted their wounded comrades onto makeshift stretchers, their movements gentle and their expressions solemn.

The Militia, meanwhile, began to process the Magical Beast corpses.

It was a strenuous and tedious job.

It wasn’t until late at night, with the torchlight illuminating their tired but satisfied faces, that the cleanup of the battlefield was mostly complete.

...

「Several days passed in the blink of an eye.」

The battle at the Chaotic Stone Slope had concluded, and the camp had returned to its usual order.

Raylo had also been busy handling various affairs these past few days. Life seemed to have returned to normal, calm and routine.

However, a subtle, strange feeling began to linger in Raylo’s mind.

It was Moonlight.

’This little guy has been a bit too... quiet these last few days.’

In the past, no matter where Raylo was, as long as he wasn’t on an overly dangerous mission, Moonlight would follow him around like a little shadow.

It would either lie on his desk, pawing at his documents; curl up by his chair, purring contentedly; or perch on the windowsill, basking lazily in the sun.

’It’s prideful, but it never stays away from me for too long.’

But these last few days, Raylo had rarely seen it.

He tried to sense Moonlight’s aura.

As a partner bound to him by some kind of contract, he could vaguely perceive Moonlight’s presence.

This time, he sensed it, but the feeling was completely different from before.

It was no longer that docile, peaceful fluctuation of Magic Power, but a... deeper, more surging sense of Power, like a rising tide!

The source of this aura pointed to a nearly abandoned backyard behind the town, near the mountain cliff.

It was a place where miscellaneous items were usually stored, and few people ever went there.

’Calculating the time... it should be the day Moonlight breaks through to its Growth Stage.’