Chapter 651: Scorching Divine Dragon

CH651 Scorching Divine Dragon

***

Witnessing this, the remaining hostiles abandoned any lingering illusions of victory against the Dravo tribe barbarian.

Panic took hold, and they turned tail, retreating towards the core of the settlement.

Similar scenes unfolded across the town as the Lost Heathens withdrew, collapsing their defensive lines inward towards the central stronghold—the two-storey building.

Havel, Kavakan, and Mogal advanced along the main street leading to the structure. However, they halted several tens of metres away from the enemy’s newly formed defensive line, choosing not to press forward just yet.

One by one, the rest of the Fortuna Company began to regroup.

First came the Fury Knights, followed by Silver. Soon after, the crossbowmen arrived in staggered succession, taking up positions behind the main line.

Moments later, a large pack of wolves surged into the area, spreading out and nearly encircling the Lost Heathens’ defensive formation—making it abundantly clear that escape would not come easily, not without a desperate fight.

Fen dropped down from a nearby rooftop and landed lightly before the Fortuna line. With calm, measured steps, he moved forward and took his place beside them, his presence radiating quiet authority.

Then, Queen Senu arrived.

She hovered high above the centre of the town, her form cutting a regal silhouette against the night sky.

As she dominated the airspace, not a single creature dared take flight in her presence.

A subtle tremor rippled through the Lost Heathens’ ranks as they stared at the force before them—the very group that had single-handedly devastated their base.

Even as the Fortuna Company stood in silence, none of the defenders dared to make the first move.

"Skreee!!!"

The herald’s cry pierced the night, announcing the arrival of her master.

Moments later, Alex walked ahead, reaching behind his formation, accompanied by his wives, with Sugud and Kron Belloc following closely behind.

He raised his gaze and looked ahead.

Through his Spirit Sight, he counted the remaining enemy signatures—roughly a couple hundred clustered behind the defensive line.

Even he felt a flicker of surprise.

A force of about twenty had reduced a stronghold of nearly a thousand to scarcely a fifth of its original number.

This was the result of the Stele trials as well as the party’s subsequent growth and improvements, now manifesting vividly before their eyes.

There was no denying it—the core members of the Fortuna Company had grown significantly stronger.

Alex subtly clenched his fist, then relaxed it out of sight.

’Let’s not celebrate just yet. There is still far too much room for improvement,’ he reminded himself.

Both as a warning... and as a reminder.

At the end of the day, within the grand scheme of things, the Lost Heathens were merely a bandit group—no different from common thugs in the eyes of the true powers that governed this world.

And those powers... were the true competitors of Alex and Fortuna—not insignificant rabble like this.

Shaking his head lightly, Alex was about to step forward when his attention sharpened.

One of the energy signatures within the Lost Heathens’ backline—the largest one—suddenly flared.

’So, you can no longer remain still, can you?’

A sorcerer within the backline had begun casting.

A flaming, serpentine dragon conjured into existence, rising into the air above the Lost Heathens’ formation. Its blazing form twisted with fury, its expression mirroring the rage of its caster as it fixed its gaze upon the Fortuna Company.

In the next instant, it lunged forward—charging directly towards them.

Zora shifted, ready to intercept—

—but Alex raised a hand.

"Stop."

His calm voice carried across the battlefield.

[Spell Interception]!

At the same moment, OmniRune analysed the spell structure through Alex’s perception, rapidly constructing a countermeasure and seizing control of the incoming attack.

The flaming dragon halted abruptly—suspended mid-air just before the Fortuna line.

"What?!"

The sorcerer in the backline recoiled in shock and disbelief.

"How is that possible? What did you do?! Who are you?!" he roared.

"Who am I?" Alex’s voice echoed once more.

The Fortuna formation parted smoothly into two orderly lines. Alex stepped forward between them, his wives following closely at his side.

With his hands calmly clasped behind his back, and the intercepted Flame Dragon spell hovering ominously above him, Alex advanced to the forefront.

"My name is Alex Fury—Leader of the Fortuna Company," he declared.

Ripples of shock surged through the Lost Heathens’ defensive ranks.

They knew the name. After all, their leader, Brock Peyton, had already marked this group for death.

Yet never—not even in their wildest estimations—had they imagined the Fortuna Company to possess such overwhelming strength that they were able to decimate their base with such paltry numbers.

Alex’s voice rang out once more, cold and unwavering.

"I have come to accept your unconditional surrender.

"Those who lay down their arms will live. Those who do not... will perish."

A flicker of surprise passed through the minds of the Fortuna Company, yet not a single one of them showed it outwardly.

"Choose now. Surrender... or death."

Alex’s words descended like an invisible weight upon the Lost Heathens’ backline, pressing down on them with suffocating intensity.

A moment later—

"I... I will surrend—"

Some among them began to falter, ready to lay down their arms.

However, they were cut down before they could finish their words.

A sudden uproar erupted within the Lost Heathens’ ranks as those willing to surrender clashed with the hardliners determined to fight to the very end.

The Fortuna Company watched in silence.

Many of them glanced at Alex with a trace of awe, assuming he had deliberately incited discord within the enemy ranks with nothing more than a few measured words.

’Silver tongue, indeed.’

The nickname Zora had given him surfaced quietly in their thoughts.

Whether this outcome had been intentional or not, only Alex himself knew.

Even as chaos unfolded before him, he issued no command. He simply observed.

Moments later, the turmoil subsided.

The hardliners had prevailed.

The voice of the Lost Heathens’ sorcerer rang out across the battlefield.

"The Lost Heathens do not surrender! We will not be cowed by a handful of weaklings! We hold the advantage in numbers—"

His aura surged violently.

"—and in strength!"

The presence of a Fourth Circle sorcerer—equivalent to a Great Mage or Combat Master—flared into existence, bearing down upon the field.

"We will not be defeated!"

"HAAA!!!"

A thunderous battle cry answered him, echoing from the remaining Lost Heathens.

"It seems you have chosen resistance," Alex said calmly, noting the archers drawing and notching their arrows.

He raised his hand, forming a simple gun-like gesture, pointing towards the enemy line.

Only then did the purpose behind his earlier stillness become apparent.

A spell formation manifested above him. It passed through the suspended Flame Dragon spell. Mana surged through the formation, reshaping and refining the conjured flame dragon into something different and far more detailed.

The armless, serpentine construct twisted and transformed—its form expanding and morphing—until it became a majestic, solar-elemental five-clawed golden eastern dragon, radiating a potent regal aura and the scorching heat of the sun.

At that very moment, the Lost Heathen archers released their arrows.

While mimicking a shooting gesture with a slight motion of his hand, Alex spoke—his voice cutting through the battlefield, silencing all else.

"Scorching Divine Dragon."

Roar!

The golden dragon surged forward.

Every arrow fired towards the Fortuna Company was reduced to ash before it could even approach, incinerated by the overwhelming heat and force radiating from the construct.

The dragon crashed into the Lost Heathens’ defensive line.

[Iron Dome Shield]!

The sorcerer hastily erected a barrier in an attempt to withstand the attack.

For a brief moment—

Crack!

Shatter!

The shield held.

Then it broke.

Roar!

With overwhelming force, the divine dragon tore through the shattered barrier and plunged into the enemy ranks.

Boom!

***