The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Fierce Earth Dog, the King of Thorn Ridge, a powerful low-level Magical Beast.

It is very likely related by blood to Douson—Douson’s mother had died, but its father was probably the very same one before them.

Despite the possibility of kinship, it did not stop Douson from launching an attack under Liszt’s command.

Magic Power sprayed from its mouth, crossing the gap in space to accurately converge at the designated location, forming the Earth Attribute magic—Rock Spike.

Whoosh!

The Rock Spike burst from the ground beneath the Fierce Earth Dog’s belly, nearly skewering it through. The Fierce Earth Dog quickly sidestepped, dodging the Rock Spike with agility and continuing its evasion as it also avoided the four arrows shot at it. Then, it adjusted its stance and charged at the Retainer Knight once more.

The Retainer Knight, having caught a moment to breathe, was ready to defend, propping up his round knight’s shield in front of him.

But he suddenly heard Lord Landlord’s bellowing command in his ear, “Zachary, roll!” His body involuntarily followed the voice’s command, falling to one side and rolling twice on the muddy ground.

In their knight training sessions, Marcus had repeatedly ingrained the concept of “Lord above all” in their minds. As for the commands from Lord Landlord, there was absolute obedience. Therefore, Zachary didn’t need to think with his brain; his body had developed a conditional reflex to act upon Liszt’s commands.

This time, obeying the command saved his life.

Where he had been just a moment before, a thick Rock Spike shot out from the ground. Had Zachary not moved, the Rock Spike would have pierced through his body, likely impaling him in a critical area.

Cold sweat broke out in torrents.

Zachary swallowed hard and felt even more grateful towards Lord Landlord for the life-saving warning. However, there wasn’t much time for gratitude, as the Fierce Earth Dog, missing its strike, charged at him again, seemingly fixated on biting and hunting him down to the death.

“My Lord, you shoot the arrows, I’ll charge!”

Seeing that the arrows could not hit the Fierce Earth Dog, Marcus called out loudly.

Liszt had no objections to such a command—at that moment, he was fully embodying a qualified archer, understanding that dealing damage from the rear was the logical choice.

Besides, he also had to command Douson to cast spells and remind the Retainer Knights to dodge the Rock Spikes.

The task was heavy.

In the chaotic battlefield, there was an order. The Fierce Earth Dog was indeed fierce, and the Rock Spikes appeared unpredictably, but under the observation of Liszt’s Eye of Magic, every move it made was revealed. Aside from scratching an unwary Retainer Knight, the other Rock Spikes had not achieved any success.

About ten minutes of skirmishing.

The Magic Power of the Fierce Earth Dog had plummeted to a low ebb, and based on Douson’s daily spellcasting experience, Liszt understood that the Fierce Earth Dog would have difficulty casting Rock Spike again in the short term.

He abruptly drew his Crimson Blood Sword, “Charge, finish it off!”

His steed, the Li Dragon Horse, lifted its head proudly, galloping furiously, rushing towards the Fierce Earth Dog that was now surrounded and with no escape. Douson also charged with him; it did not understand the concept of kindred cruelty—Liszt’s command was its code of conduct.

Two Earth Knights.

Ten Apprentice Knights, plus two for chores.

Fourteen men against a Magical Beast whose Magic Power was exhausted; the outcome was inevitable. All knights practiced coordinated attack patterns, secure in their positions, leading to Marcus taking the brunt of the assault head-on while Liszt found an opportunity to strike.

“Heart of the Fire Dragon Drill!”

The Crimson Blood Sword, in combination with the Ultimate Mystery Technique of the “Fire Dragon Drill”, was unmatched in momentum, fully enveloping the cornered Fierce Earth Dog. Flames filled the sky, the manifestation of Liszt’s explosive Dou Qi.

Howl!

The Fierce Earth Dog let out continuous pitiful wails.

The King of Thorn Ridge, under the humans’ hunt, could only end in bitterness.

“It didn’t take much effort, and it fell.” Liszt calmly sheathed his Crimson Blood Sword, waiting for the flames to die down, to see the grim fate of the Magical Beast he had just killed by his own hand.

But just when everyone relaxed a bit.

Before the flames could dissipate, a charred silhouette suddenly burst forth, breaking through the slackened encirclement. It was the Fierce Earth Dog that was supposed to be killed by Liszt’s powerful move. It was covered in wounds, even giving off a faint scent of roasted meat, but it still had the ability to run.

“Pursue!”

How could Liszt tolerate his prey running away just as it reached his mouth?

The Knight Squad didn’t bother tidying up their barbecue setup; they all pursued. Douson was particularly eager, leading the chase after the scorched Fierce Earth Dog.

“My lord, be careful, we might encounter other Magical Beasts.” Marcus’s mood was quite gloomy, “I didn’t expect a Fierce Earth Dog to be so tricky, feigning death and escaping. It was also my negligence, without confirming the death of the Magical Beast, one must never let their guard down, they are cunning!”

“Magical Beasts are indeed cunning, but it won’t survive, its body is nearly burnt to a crisp!” Liszt’s morale was still high, unaffected.

On the battlefield, he did indeed fear death and instinctively hid behind others.

But once he set his mind to something, he would give it his all to accomplish it. If he said he would hunt down a Fierce Earth Dog, then he definitely wouldn’t allow it any chance to catch its breath.

With the Eye of Magic, he could already discern the timings of when Magical Beasts released magic, which meant he no longer faced any magic from Magical Beasts that could be fatal to him.

A Magical Beast without magic is no different from a wild beast!

Thorn Forest, there was nowhere in it Liszt couldn’t go!

Moments later.

The fleeing Fierce Earth Dog finally stopped running. It stood in front of a plant, gasping for breath, with burnt wounds bleeding profusely. It turned to look at Douson, who was closing in, and the many Knights following behind, as if making a decision. Its gaze shifted to a golden, fist-sized fruit hanging on the plant’s branches.

The dog leaped towards the fruit, attempting to consume the golden treasure.

However, a sharp whooshing sound came from behind. In the next instant, the Fierce Earth Dog felt its body being propelled by a force, inadvertently leaping half a meter further forward. Its mouth grazed the golden fruit, missing its bite, and upon landing, pain engulfed its body, and it could no longer hold on.

It died.

A short distance behind it, Liszt put down his bow and arrow, letting out a sigh of relief.

“What a tough creature, it really could run… Fortunately, I arrived just in time.”

Through the Eye of Magic, he had already spotted the magic-infused fruit, the Bloodline Fruit. Clearly, it had not yet matured and would be a waste if consumed by the Fierce Earth Dog now.

Next to the dead body of the Fierce Earth Dog, Douson crouched down, its dog eyes fixed intensely on the golden fruit as drool flowed like a waterfall.

It too was drawn to the allure of the Bloodline Fruit.

“Douson, stop drooling!” Liszt scolded, calling Douson back from reaching towards the Bloodline Fruit.

“Woof, woof!” Douson immediately wagged its tail at Liszt, constantly glancing at the golden fruit, clearly trying to please Liszt in hopes of getting a taste of the Bloodline Fruit.

“Hold your horses, it’s not ripe yet.” Liszt dismounted, scanned the surroundings to ensure there were no other Magical Beasts nearby, and then turned his attention back to the Bloodline Fruit.

The plant was unidentified, likely belonging to some kind of fern.

Bearing just one golden Bloodline Fruit, it appeared rather striking.

The fruit was very beautiful, round and full, not only was the color a dazzling golden hue, but there was also a translucent quality just beneath the skin. It didn’t give off any fragrance, nor did it seem to radiate magic power outward. However, in the field of vision granted by the Eye of Magic, it contained a substantial amount of magic power within.

It was almost at a solidity level.

“Is this… a Bloodline Fruit?” Marcus, who had just finished dealing with the Fierce Earth Dog’s body and checking the terrain around, approached Liszt and immediately exclaimed in a low voice.