Beneath the Red Dragon

Centaur Chiron stood atop the hill, gazing towards the mountains, where the vast sun was casting its last glow before slipping beneath the peaks.

Lady Selene’s Bright Moon Gem was rising on the other side of the sky, with the mystical veil of the Moon Maiden gradually enveloping the entire heavens, serene and ethereal.

Legend has it that in the prayers of devout believers, those who worship the Moon Maiden will, at the moment of their death, behold the sacred and mysterious Moon Gate.

The purest souls can pass through this Moon Gate, into Joseph’s Garden where the Moon Maiden resides, finding solace and peace in the soul’s return.

Once, many warriors of the Centaur Clan worshiped the Moon Goddess, but now their deity of faith has become the Red Monarch, who rules wastelands and forests, earth and sky.

Thus, those loyal Centaur warriors and the heroic spirits of the fallen should serve beside the throne of the Red Dragon, belonging to the Holy Hall of the Giant Dragon.

The evening wind of the prairie brings the songs of dedication of the living afar, guiding the devout souls of the dead to their return.

"Cross the endless forests, tread over the interminable rivers, traverse the cemeteries that bury countless warriors, ascend to the pinnacle of that sacred mountain,"

"The Holy Hall of the Giant Dragon sits atop the mountain’s peak, a place of solace for loyal and brave souls,"

"Oh, souls unwilling to perish, then return to the Hall of Heroic Spirits, where with the most loyal of souls, you shall tread this hall, enjoying eternal peace, forever accompanying the throne!"

This robust Dragon Descendant monster, with its armor long dented, inner armor pierced, the exposed blood scales shattered, and the dark armor stained dark red with blood like a thick rust.

Yet Chiron’s body still stood straight and firm, with the flag of the Beastman Alliance Army used as a staff to support his heavy body from behind.

The head of the mighty Beastman Chieftain Detan An still glared fiercely, but now the intertwined blood threads in his eyes had faded.

Because his head had been severed by a Centaur, held in hand, gazing with them upon the entire battlefield.

Chiron looked upon the now silent battlefield filled with countless corpses, the bodies of each Steel Knight already fallen but still standing upright.

The battle lances and swords piercing through these warriors’ bodies supported their corpses.

The unyielding spirit of the Steel Knights against death supported their spines.

Loyalty and faith in the Giant Dragon upheld their proud heads.

Before every Steel Knight lay several times the number of fallen enemies, their bodies cleaved apart by the Steel Knights, with the broken blades of the Steel Knights embedded in their bones.

All the Beastman cavalry were laid to rest here, none escaped, and none survived.

The living Steel Knights stood beside the dead, singing the songs of dedication.

Centaur Chiron was also moved by the solemn and desolate atmosphere, led by these songs of dedication, singing hoarsely along.

Two giant dragons lay in the center of the battlefield, their iron scales shattered, dragon hide oozing blood, membrane wings torn, long tails bent.

Yet these two female dragons still stretched their long necks high, the heads of the giant dragons raised, singing loudly, echoing the song of the living, carried by the evening wind afar, crossing space and time, to the mountain peaks.

The Gray Wolf Knights drove the retreating Beastmen to gather together, like shepherds herding sheep. Even with their arrows exhausted and ammunition depleted, no Beastman dared to resist these diminutive Kobolds and green-skinned Goblins.

These Kobolds and green-skinned Goblins drove wild wolves, herding the Beastmen, singing along with the songs carried by the evening wind.

Thousands of logistics and support infantry legions were composed of volunteers conscripted as warriors.

Although they had not yet undergone extensive training to form effective combat capabilities, they still rode warhorses from the Beast Garden, swinging long whips with their left hands like driving reluctant chickens and ducks, intercepting the panicked Beastmen on the prairie.

Every human soldier could intercept one or two Beastmen, and some bold warriors drove a dozen or more Beastmen forward simultaneously, with the long whips striking Beastmen who slowed their pace.

Thousands of soldiers, facing the last glow of the sun, drove more than twenty thousand fleeing Beastmen back to the battlefield, with their voices amongst the increasingly resounding songs of the evening wind.

The song was resounding, but the life of Kali, the once powerful Centaur female warrior, leader of the Centaur Tribe, was approaching its end.

A battle lance forged from the spine of the Shadow Dragon, the weapon of the powerful Beastman Chieftain Detan An, had pierced this Centaur warrior’s body, pinning the Centaur to the battlefield.

But when this formidable weapon pierced through Kali’s body, this brave and fierce female warrior tightly grasped the lance, causing the Beastman Chieftain Detan An to lose his most powerful weapon, meeting his destined end.

Yet even the resilient life force of a Centaur, a powerful warrior stepping into the Extraordinary Realm, was nearing life’s extinction from this blow.

The head of Centaur Kali was gently held up by her mate, the equally powerful Centaur warrior Zogo.

The male Centaur had removed his gauntlet, his broad hand cushioned beneath his mate’s head, to shield his love from the chill of the evening dampness and dew.