City of Sin Book 3, Chapter 55

War Of Attrition(2)
Richard arranged for Nyris and Agamemnon to be at the back of the troops, explaining to them that they were needed to prevent a flank from the enemies. However, the rebel forces were already ground away to the point that they didn’t have a chance to fight back at all, how would they have the energy to plan a flank? The two youths’ weapons were bursting with legendary power, but there was no opportunity for either to use them!
Nyris grew suspicious after a good half of the day, unable to help but ask Agamemnon, “This Richard… could it be that he feels like we’ve already won?”
Agamemnon seemed to be surprised by the question, slow to respond, “We have.”
“What about us?” The prince could not accept the fact that he had been a mere spectator in such a big war.
“Evidently, we have been disregarded.” Agamemnon had never cared much for the fourth prince’s reputation, nor his own.
“Cavalry, turn right and advance! Enter the city from gap 3, attack tower 2!” Richard finally mobilised the cavalry. A hundred mounted soldiers spurred their horses forward, turning around and bypassing the battlefield as they headed for the city walls.
The move completely warped Endor’s expression. Knowing he had no choice left, he flew into the sky with the intent to order the towers to attack. It was at this time that Richard finally unleashed Lina, “You can summon your dragon now.”
Finally receiving the command she had been waiting for, the Dragon Mage urgently recited the incantation. It was swift and bitter, strange and extraordinary; a portal appeared in the sky behind her, and a huge dark-red dragon flew out! The enormous creature spread its wings apart, flying around in the sky once before swooping down. A loud roar rang out as draconic flames rained down on the first magic tower!
This was an adult red dragon!
Even though it was well known that Lina’s special ability was to summon a red dragon, the stunning feeling when the real thing was soaring in the sky was something words could not describe.
Summon Red Dragon was a legendary spell, but Lina had managed to cast it as only a grand mage. This showed how special the Dragon Mage was amongst her kind, the reason for her title.
Even though the dragon in the sky was far away, its mighty aura cowered even Richard’s horse. The creature incessantly dug into the ground with its hooves, and Richard himself felt his heart pounding. Still, he quickly regained his calm; the greatest strength of mages was their will, and his was like steel.
He looked closely at the red dragon in the sky, taking a full half minute to assess that it was level 19. Based on its battle ability, the dragon surpassed Lina herself.
Up in the sky, Lina pointed at the first tower and roared, “Kaloh, full attack!”
The dragon replied with a long roar, flying up before quickly swooping down. Another burst of hot dragonfire rushed towards the tower.
Many lights were glimmering atop the tower, revealing a magical barrier to the naked eye. The draconic flames clashed directly with the tower’s light, instantly setting it ablaze. The lights grew dim, seemingly about to die down, but a burst of mana from within the tower turned them bright once more.
Still, such a weak magic tower could not adequately resist the red dragon’s flames on its own. Endor had risen to the sky, his large sword sending out a crescent of energy that extinguished the second burst. Within the suppression zone, the dragonfire was darkened and weakened to the point that he could deal with it effortlessly. Kaloh roared in anger, sending down another hail of flames.
However, the dragon wasn’t the only one for Endor to deal with.
Richard’s voice echoed out once more, “Lina, target tower 1. Use all your mana!”
Finally given an opportunity to showcase her full might, the Dragon Mage waved both her hands. A red blaze manifested within, gushing forward towards the tower as though it had a life of its own. This was a spell unique to her; the flames surged forward, no different from the fires of a true dragon. The explosive force wasn’t all that great, but the flames were thick and had a far greater range than ordinary fireballs.
As the first wave rushed towards the tower, Endor cried out angrily as he used two sword lights to disperse the flames raining down. This was just like before, with Endor in constant battle with the Dragon Mage to see who would use all their energy up.
However, there was a fundamental difference here. When Richard saw Lina about to cast the second wave of flames, he raised his hand and moved it forward aggressively, “Flowsand! Outburst!”
The Outburst spell! The pale gold radiance did not land on Richard’s body, instead enveloping the Dragon Mage!
In a flash, Lina felt all the mana in her body burning, as though she had fallen into a volcano!
“Lina! Attack as fast as you can, only use the draconic flames!” Richard cried out. The Dragon Mage obeyed his instructions, wave after wave of dragonfire appearing in her hands to form a continuous flow towards the tower. It didn’t take long for her to discharge more than twenty spells.
When he saw the endless fire, all the hair on Endor’s body stood erect. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped, body growing stiff like he had been hit with a stunning spell. At that moment, his mind was completely blank! Immense fear blocked all thoughts, the feeling like a lone man on the beach suddenly realising a ten-metre-tall tsunami was about to wash over him.
Who could envision a grand mage using up all her mana in a few seconds? The result was almost like a legendary mage was present. Endor’s instincts told him to run, but he couldn’t help but think, ‘The tower is behind me… If I hide…’
This large wave of flames would immediately destroy the tower. If even one of the three magic towers was destroyed, their chances of holding back the Archerons would plummet. Even if Lina came alone in the future, it would be difficult to fend her off. She was a powerful grand mage, possessing an extraordinary bloodline ability as well as many runes that allowed her to fight alongside a red dragon. With the two fighting in tandem, they could defeat an ordinary saint like him easily.
It was this knowledge of the consequences that made Endor hesitate, but soon he realised the flames were moving far too quickly. There was no way of avoiding them even if he wanted to! As the flames flowed over like a river, he realised that even attempting to retreat would be met with the same end.
The flames engulfed him and the tower behind. The battle was over.
From start to finish, Richard had not discharged a single spell.