Beneath the Red Dragon

The thunder rumbled overhead, and the storm subsided, but the dark clouds shrouding the Golden Coast grew even heavier.

The oppressive thunder, echoing as if to shake the entire world, erupted across the firmament. Countless tree-branch-like lightning bolts blazed forth in the gradually dimming sky, linking the sea and sky in a brilliant web, streaking and crackling violently.

The intense presence of Dragon Power filled the night sky, with glimpses of the massive blue Giant Dragon occasionally emerging from the clouds.

Beneath this terrifying silhouette, beyond the broad harbor, rows of massive ships formed an arc on the sea, their sails fluttering, flags unfurled.

Black cannon barrels and huge Dragon-Hunting Crossbows were lined up, pointing toward the coast.

"Aim at the castle windows and the watchtower, target the cliffs on both sides, fire,"

Every commander of the main ships was roaring, passing their orders to the messengers and flagmen.

These messengers and flagmen loudly shouted commands, signaling orders to every ship involved in the attack.

Amidst the waving flags and roaring voices of countless Beastman warriors on the ships, the firepower and giant crossbows unleashed sounds more terrifying than the thunder above, with the intense vibrations even shaking the huge hulls. Some smaller two-masted gunships were pushed back by the recoil of their own cannon fire.

Cannon barrels burst with intense firelight, blending with the shrill whistling of the giant crossbows, crashing into the towering castle.

Boom,

Countless ordnance bombarded the castle, specifically constructed for the Giant Dragon, creating crater-like holes in the sturdy walls. The Dragon-Hunting Crossbows pierced directly into the hard walls, their enormous force causing the thick bolts’ tails to hum and tremble.

Some precise Dragon-Hunting Crossbows even pierced through and exploded the bodies of archers who dared expose themselves in the castle windows and on the watchtower, their momentum unabated as they embedded into the dark castle.

However, this castle, bearing the brunt on an island reef extending into the sea, was designed for unhindered Giant Dragon activity.

So, even though the fortress was pockmarked and some places exposed Magic Rune Stones, it still couldn’t have its defenses destroyed in such a short half-day.

After evading this wave of cannon and crossbow tarracks, numerous heads emerged from the windows and watchtower of the dark castle.

Each Elf Archer and mixed crew took their positions, the Elf Archers requiring no training or command as they were born sharpshooters.

Row upon row of Elf Archers raised their longbows, forming an arcing trajectory, then pulled the bowstrings tight. Countless sharp iron arrows, with a fierce whistling, rained down on the ships like a sudden downpour.

These Elvens’ strength, combined with their refined longbows, could pierce finely crafted Leather Armor from up to five hundred meters; in flat shots, they could even penetrate thinner Iron Armor.

"Pay attention to defense and evade," the Beastman Captain on the two-masted gunship roared, while nearby guards raised shields, protecting the Captain’s body.

The rain-like arrows whistled down, shooting down Beastman warriors on the small gunships. Many arrows were blocked by the shields of the Beastman warriors, nailing into the shields.

The Elf Archers aimed at medium and small ships with inadequate defensive power, whereas large ships and main ships, protected by Magic Runes and Casters, were hard to effectively damage.

Meanwhile, the crew stationed at the castle bay windows and watchtower had loaded their cannons, unleashing a volley with a thunderous roar.

The cannonfire burst erratically across the sea and ship decks, with iron spikes and caltrops shooting in all directions, penetrating the unprotected limbs of Beastman warriors. Several unlucky Beastmen lay on the ground, rolling and wailing.

Rumble, the thunder roared, and the wild lightning cut through the moist air, tearing apart a two-masted gunship’s fragile mast.

The remaining force radiated out, striking down two Beastmen passing under the mast, carrying explosives and crossbows, leaving them convulsing on the deck, a charred, pungent scent emanating from their bodies.

Under the shrouding clouds, bright flames suddenly exploded on the cliffs on both sides of the dark harbor. Cannon barrels and modified Eight-Ox Crossbows retaliated towards the ships on the sea surface amidst the roaring flames.

Even these warriors with exceptional arm strength required twenty strong warriors to operate the Eight-Ox Crossbows, infused with the Spiritual Light of magic.

The whistling giant crossbows pierced the explosive air, directly shooting through the Magic Barrier raised by Casters on the main ship, stringing together several closely-standing Casters.

"Descend past, prepare to aim and throw," Batorri, riding the massive Flying Dragon Swift Shadow, raised her right hand and waved it downward.

Before the other Casters could react, the bat-winged Flying Dragon burst from the clouds, and the Flying Dragon Riders dropped dozens of explosive projectiles, each going off with a resounding bang.

Though flying high to avoid the fleet’s firepower, reducing their throwing accuracy, over a hundred of these explosions still fell onto the massive ships, detonating with lethal iron flame, embedding iron spikes and caltrops into the bodies of the Beastmen.

Yet these attacks provoked even fiercer retaliation, with the ships lined up on the sea roaring louder than the thunder and lightning above, as rows of heavy cannons and Dragon-Hunting Crossbows launched oppressive strikes against the daring attackers.