Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 194: Chapter 188: The Fighting General Begins

With the selection for the aerial combat settled, the atmosphere grew lively again.

”Your Excellency Luke!”

Count Barton eagerly stepped forward again, pointing to himself.

”I have no objection to giving the aerial combat to Baron Raylo, but it must be my turn for the cavalry battle! My Black Wind is thirsting to drink the blood of those bastards!”

The Count of Giant Stone was a powerful Sky Knight in his own right. His mount, a Winged Demon Tiger named Black Wind, was also one of the finest among Tier Four Magical Beasts, and its lethality on the ground was even more terrifying.

This time, even Count Raymond of Iron Pine, who was always at odds with him, didn’t object.

When it came to the sheer frontal assault power of a cavalry charge, no one present could surpass Count Barton.

Luke pondered for a moment, then nodded.

”Very well. Count Barton shall fight in the cavalry battle. Your valor is known throughout the entire Duchy!”

”Hahaha! Just you watch!”

Count Barton excitedly pounded his chestplate, and the loud noise made a nearby Viscount’s warhorse nervously paw the ground.

”Then, all that remains is the close combat.”

Count Raymond spoke up again.

”I once again recommend my chief knight, Rodney, ’the Barrier.’ His defense is widely recognized as the best in the Duchy. In this fight, as long as no Domain is used and his feet are on the ground, no one can defeat Rodney.”

”Good.”

Luke agreed.

”For the close combat, Rodney of Iron Pine Territory will fight.”

And with that, the champions for all three duels were decided.

Raylo, Count Barton of Giant Stone, and Rodney, the chief knight of Iron Pine Territory.

Luke looked at the three men before him.

He cleared his throat, and the atmosphere before the commander’s tent grew solemn once more.

”You three are the Warriors of our Allied Army, representing the honor of us all. In this battle, victory is expected, and defeat is not an option!”

”To boost morale, and to reward our Warriors.”

Luke’s tone shifted as he dropped a bombshell.

”I, in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Army, promise that anyone who represents the Allied Army in battle, regardless of victory or defeat, will have the first right of choice to select any one item from the spoils of war afterward!”

A commotion swept through the crowd.

It was a wave of irrepressible gasps.

The right to first pick of the spoils!

And the very first pick at that!

What did this mean?

It meant that if they captured powerful Magic Equipment, precious Alchemy Materials, or even rare Magical Beasts, they could ignore military merit, ignore noble rank, and be the first to step forward and take their prize!

To them, this reward was astonishingly tempting.

Even the eyes of the ever-boisterous Count Barton glinted with a fiery light.

Luke took in everyone’s reactions. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

He smiled faintly and upped the ante again.

”If you can achieve victory and slay the enemy champion...”

He paused, each word landing like a hammer blow on everyone’s heart.

”That number becomes two items!”

Two items!

If one item was a surprise, then two was sheer ecstasy!

Before the commander’s tent, it was as if the very air had been set ablaze.

Before anyone could speak, Luke waved his hand.

”Alright, the champions have been chosen. Go back and prepare! The duels are about to begin!”

”Yes, sir!”

Everyone answered in unison.

The nobles dispersed one by one, returning to their respective camps.

As Count Barton walked past Raylo, he clapped him twice on the shoulder with a hand as large as a cattail fan.

”Baron Raylo, when we win, I’ll treat you to the finest ale!”

”I’ll hold you to it.”

Raylo returned to the Black Stone Army’s formation.

The banner of the Black Stone Territory snapped in the wind.

”My Lord!”

Ed stepped forward, his voice filled with emotion.

”Are you really going to personally...”

Raylo raised a hand, signaling for him to say no more.

”Ed, there’s no need to worry.”

Raylo’s voice was calm.

”Your task is to prepare to welcome victory.”

”Yes, My Lord!”

Ed straightened his chest and answered loudly.

Baofeng was leisurely preening its tawny Iron Feathers, showing no tension at the prospect of the impending battle.

”Alright, old friend. I’ll be relying on you in a bit.”

Raylo patted Baofeng’s sleek, hard neck, feeling the surging Power coursing through its body.

On Baofeng’s broad back, Moonlight was licking its paws, seemingly oblivious to the tense, murderous atmosphere.

”Your Excellency, Chief Mage, how are the preparations coming along?”

Raylo walked closer and asked, half-jokingly.

Moonlight merely lifted its eyelids lazily, its pale gold eyes glancing at him before it meticulously resumed grooming its fur.

Its expression seemed to say: ’You think a small scene like this requires preparation?’

Raylo chuckled, at a loss for words.

「Time slipped by quietly.」

The north wind howled, kicking up sand and dust from the ground. The sky was overcast, brewing with the oppressive tension of the coming battle.

For the two sides awaiting the duels, an hour felt both endlessly long and fleetingly short.

WHOOOO—

The desolate sound of the Horn, long and solemn, instantly spread across the entire battlefield.

Raylo’s gaze sharpened, and he looked up.

A cyan figure shot into the sky like a bolt of Lightning, carving a swift arc through the air.

It was His Excellency Luke, riding his mount, a Thunder Eagle, appearing at the very front of the Allied Army’s formation.

The Thunder Eagle’s wingspan was over ten meters wide. Each flap stirred up powerful currents of air, and cyan sparks of lightning danced and flickered between its feathers, an impressive display of might.

Almost at the same time, a blinding ball of golden light abruptly rose into the air from the front of the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s army.

It was an exceptionally majestic, giant bird of prey, its entire body covered in brilliant golden feathers. Under the gloomy sky, it looked like a miniature Sun.

Its beak and talons glinted with a sharp, cold light, and the flap of its wings carried a wave of scorching heat.

It was none other than the Prince of Karachi from the Fiery Sun Kingdom, riding his mount, the ”Sunshine Golden Eagle.”

At the Sunshine Golden Eagle’s side, a blood-red figure followed like a shadow. It was Aston, the ”Blood Lion” of the Fiery Sun Kingdom.

He wasn’t riding a mount, but rather levitating beside the Prince by relying on his own formidable Fighting Spirit, clearly acting as a bodyguard.

The two commanders faced each other from several hundred meters apart in the sky. An invisible pressure spread out, and the clamor of the battlefield fell silent.

”Luke, it’s been many years.”

The Blood Lion, Aston, was the first to speak, his voice amplified by Magic Power to carry across the battlefield.

”Couldn’t your Thunder Dragon Duchy find a single decent nobleman to be its Commander-in-Chief?”

Luke let out a rough, hearty laugh that boomed like thunder.

”Aston, didn’t you haul out that statue of your ’god’ to worship before starting the battle?”

These words were incredibly biting, striking directly at the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s foundation of ruling through Divine Authority.

A chorus of angry roars immediately erupted from the ranks of the Fiery Sun Army.

The Prince of Karachi’s face darkened, and he sneered.

”A bunch of faithless barbarians are fit to speak of a god’s radiance? Your Duchy was founded only a few decades ago, a mere ripple in the long river of history. Do you dare contend with my Fiery Sun Kingdom and its thousand-year legacy?”

”No matter how long your history is, it’s a history spent on your knees.”

Luke curled his lip in disdain.