Chapter 319: The Creator of the Dense Forest
"Boom!" "Boom!" The roaring of the magic cannons echoed through the sky, as scorching beams of energy fell into the dense mass of monsters, followed by a barrage of screams. Countless monsters were killed under the barrage, with limbs and body parts scattering in all directions.
Some monsters, having lost only part of their limbs, were lucky enough to survive. Even without their lower bodies, they still desperately crawled forward. For in the charging wave of monsters, to stop moving meant certain death. They would be pushed to the ground by the monsters behind them and then trampled into a pulp.
On the battlefield, minor injuries were manageable, but serious injuries, especially to the legs, were akin to a death sentence. Moreover, there was a high likelihood of being trampled to death by one's own side.
Blood and flesh flew everywhere, and fresh blood once again soaked the already blood-stained earth. Amidst the battle cries, the charging wave of monsters collided with a neatly organized battalion of heavy infantry.
Then came another wave of intense screams, as the monsters were slaughtered. Faced with well-equipped humans, ordinary low-level monsters had no choice but to face their demise.
However, these were just low-level monsters, meant to attract human attention and deplete their firepower. As soon as they made contact with the human heavy infantry, elite monsters hidden within the horde revealed themselves.
"Boom!" "Boom!" Several gnoll sorcerers, awakened with the power of dragon veins, protected by gnoll warriors, conjured several large fireballs and hurled them at the heavy infantry wielding large shields.
The shields, forged from ordinary steel, were instantly heated red-hot by the fireballs. The spots hit by the fireballs even began to melt.
Even soldiers who had undergone strict training couldn't help but scream and throw away their shields, allowing goblins, gnolls, and other low-level monsters to swarm over the humans whose shields had been destroyed.
Then came the helpless and miserable screams of the human soldiers as their heavy armor was torn off by the monsters, and their flesh was brutally ripped apart.
The heavy infantry battalion that made contact with the monster wave had their formation dispersed early on, and nearly ten thousand humans of bronze and silver strength fought desperately against the monsters.
These human soldiers were essentially cannon fodder, existing to consume the low-level monsters and draw out the powerful beings hidden among them.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" As stronger monsters like gnoll sorcerers, ogres, and saurians revealed themselves, a barrage of aura-condensed arrows shot out from the human formation, accurately striking the vital points of these powerful monsters.
These were the human archers, skilled in taking down elite monsters on the battlefield.
When hundreds of elite monsters fell to the sneak attacks of human archers, boulders, hand axes, and other miscellaneous objects flew from the monsters' hands toward the human camp. Most were intercepted by the archers and mages, but a few still hit the troops, causing blood to spatter.
...
"What a cruel war." Muria lay on Troy's back, high in the sky nearly ten kilometers above the battlefield, with two red dragons and four green dragons in human form quietly standing by her side, their presences concealed.
Under Muria's gaze, a thousand-strong griffin knight squadron clashed with a dragon swarm, with flesh, bones, and corpses raining down like a storm.
On the ground, various monsters, following orders from a temporary command post, fought fiercely, constantly pressing against the human army.
Humans, indeed one of the most prolific races, sent another crusader force to take the place of the nearly annihilated heavy infantry battalion, holding off the monsters' assault.
"Your Highness Muria, shall we not join the fray?" Red dragon Altres expressed a hint of eagerness at the sight of the battlefield below, resembling a meat grinder.
"This war is of no concern to me," Muria lazily replied, half-submerged in Troy's soft fur.
"But the humans have offered you such a large sum, won't you consider it?" Red dragon Altres showed a trace of pain recalling the experience.
"There's no need. A war launched for profit," Muria waved her hand dismissively, "participating in such a war would be an insult to my dragon's honor."
Just recently, Muria, riding on Altres with a group of dragons, arrived at a city they had saved from an aberrant dragon's attack, seeking out Cardinal Sucada without wasting words, directly inquiring about the ancient red dragon Bronia.
As Muria expected, the cardinal indeed knew of Bronia's existence. As an ancient red dragon, Bronia's presence was something no one could ignore, thus her name was well-known.
From Cardinal Sucada, Muria learned some commonly known facts about Bronia, such as the dragon's title bestowed by the beings of the continent: The Creator of the Dense Forest.
Honestly, when Muria first heard this title, she was baffled. The Creator of the Dense Forest! Was this a title befitting a cruel and ferocious ancient red dragon?
Such a title seemed more appropriate for a powerful druid, elf, or plant life form, not a red dragon.
Cardinal Sucada, with a helpless expression, explained to a stunned Muria the origin of this title, which was seriously inconsistent with Bronia's species.
Bronia was a red dragon who disliked slaughter and was of a lazy disposition. When other beings finally took notice of her, she was already an ancient dragon that no one dared to provoke. No one knew her experiences before becoming an ancient dragon, as she kept a low profile.
After becoming an ancient dragon, the most high-profile thing she did was to claim a hill area the size of a duchy as her territory. This was a barren region, essentially no-man's-land, so it barely caused any disputes.
In fact, Bronia simply occupied a large hill. When neighboring countries heard about it, they immediately designated the area as Bronia's territory, unwilling to provoke a powerful ancient red dragon over a worthless piece of land.
Settling in the wilderness hills, red dragon Bronia spent her days sleeping in her lair, not engaging in the destructive and plundering activities typical of red dragons, so low-key that it was hard to believe she was one.
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