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Chapter 284 part 3

The dragons in the line of the ancestral dragons and earthly species refer to them as faux dragons, thinking of them as counterfeits or fakes. However, faux dragons did not refer to themselves in such a manner. Rather, they called themselves exclusively with the term evil dragons. Just as the true lineage of dragons refused to be called dragons, faux dragons abhorred the term faux dragon or fake dragons. 

「Well, you’re right, Shoha. I heard that there are dragons of Mores Mountains equal or comparable to the ancient dragons and dragon lords. Unlike Bern, they would attack us with glee if they detected us.」　

Envio was still on high alert. Yet, even he could not imagine that the dragons of Mores Mountains and Bern had formed a firm and strong alliance. At present, not many from the demon lord’s army had imagined the possibility that Bern would swoop in for an attack after the dragons distracted the enemy or that both parties would work in tandem to attack the demon lord’s army. 

This was precisely the reason Almarach’s warning snatched their attention completely from Bern’s army on the ground to the enemy in the sky. 

「Strong incoming firepower from above!」　

At the sound of the youngest of the three faux dragons, Almarach, Envio and Shoha immediately deployed defensive barriers above them to deal with the attack. The commanders accompanying them suppressed their shock at this news. As they did so, they reached for their communication devices in their cockpits to communicate with their men.

Dozens of blazing heat rays hit their commanders flying in a blue sky deprived of clouds. Each ray was burning with incredible heat that even a fire dragon highly resistant to flames and high heat could not handle. 

The heat rays that poured down easily penetrated the defensive barriers raised by the three faux dragons, piercing through several faux dragons and nearly 40 Nyverns. The phenomenal heat also turned the mounted aerial knights into ashes. 

The Nyverns immediately dispersed to avoid the dangers of being hit. This attack did not just involve heat rays, but it was followed by high-speed lightning spears, sharp wind blades, and accelerated rocks raining down. There was no time for any of them to rest their wings. 

「So, they’ve got an altitude advantage. Nyverns, spread to the left and right. Shoha, Almalach, evil dragons, follow my lead. Let us greet those dragons born from the ancestral dragon!」　

Envio had already detected the enemy Wyverns from Mores Mountains and the overhead attackers approaching. 

「Trying to break up our command and formation with your first ambush? You won’t succeed!!」

Envio caught sight of the young crimson dragon boiling with belligerent magical powers. At the same time, he also noticed the old earth dragon as immovable as a mountain, and the young wind dragon and thunder dragon filled with vitality. The crimson dragon and the old earth dragon were ancient dragons, with the crimson dragon only beginning to enter adulthood. Despite the youth of this particular dragon, she possessed phenomenal powers.

After dodging countless attacks, Envio finally reached the same altitude as the dragons of Mores Mountains. As he closed the distance between himself and the enemy, he fired a barrage of magic bullets that solidified into poison. Following close after him were Shoha and Almalach.

On the other hand, the dragons of Mores Mountains, namely the crimson dragon Vaje, the old earth dragon Giorda, the wind dragon Winchant, and the thunder dragon Klaubord were in high spirits. Their rising morale showed no signs of abating. The same was true for the wind dragon Oxis and the fire dragon Freala leading the Wyverns and other followers into battle. 

Even so, Vaje’s fighting spirit was astounding. She had the honor of being mentored in combat by an Ancient-Celestial Dragon and the remorse of having been disrespectful to him. Right now, Vaje was trying to make up for her past failures with these feelings intertwining in her. She was also surging with anger at the potential danger to her friends from other races, Fatima and Nelneshia. 

「Here you are, here you are, defective creatures of the evil god, counterfeits of us, replicas that fail to compare to the real thing, minions of the demon lord!」　

Each time Vaje spoke, superheated flames spilled from her mouth. The power of the heat rays emitting from around her intensified. Vaje paid no attention to the Nyverns turned to ashes afte being pierced by those heat rays. Instead, she saw Envio approaching her and offsetting the heat rays with his poison magic. 

Flying at supersonic speed, Vaje accelerated further. Her entire body was covered in deep red flames. The heat that enveloped her could fool anyone into thinking that this was the sun in the shape of a dragon as she aimed for Envio’s neck!

「Old Giorda, I’ll reduce that purple chap to ashes. I’ll leave the rest to you, Winchant, and Klaubord!」　

Giorda did not bother concealing the sigh that left her as Vaje blasted through the blue sky like a red meteor. The dragons of Mores Mountains had been eager ever since they detected the imminent attack of the faux dragons. However, Vaje’s enthusiasm was bordering on inexplicable.

「I knew this would happen, but good grief, there’s nothing to be done about it. I’ll take on that steel dragon. Winchant, Klaubord, deal with that female dragon. It’s as powerful as an ancient dragon, but with your current capabilities, you won’t lose if you treat it as a fight with Vaje.」　

Giorda did not mention a word about it being a tough victory. 

「Roger that. So, she’s just another reckless shrew like Vaje!」　

「I’d like to think that she isn’t as reckless…」　

Their replies clearly revealed their impressions of Vaje. The battle of the strongest air combatants of each side—Wyverns against Nyverns, dragons against faux dragons—had begun.

Countless long-range tracking artillery shells fired with dragon language magic and faux dragon language magic rained down on defensive barriers deployed time and again within a short span of time. Those who were unfortunate enough to be fit fell with a large gaping hole somewhere in their bodies. In the worst cases, entire bodies were blown off and other victims were almost completely disfigured. 

In the blink of an eye, the white clouds and blue sky had been transformed into a battlefield where life and death intertwined endlessly, colored in spots of flames and flying pieces of flesh. 

Vaje keenly felt the roars of her comrades surging with their fighting spirits and the clash of magic powers. She glared at Envio, the one she had judged to be the strongest among the enemy, and unleashed a power that was adequate to behead one or two of her peers. 

Even an experienced fighter like Envio could not help but be appalled by the quality and sheer force of power that was unleashed. 

「Turn to ashes, faux dragon!」　

As if in greeting, Vaje condensed her magic powers at the front of her open mouth and released an enormous bout of flames. The fire was like a tidal wave as it turned the vicinity into a scorching hell. The crimson flames that swallowed the entire field of vision were like a natural disaster. 

This single blow was enough to prove that dragons were rightly feared as the strongest species on earth. Envio, the very one termed as a faux dragon, spewed a poisonous smog the same amethyst color as his scales from all over his body to take on the oncoming tsunami of flames. 

The collision of both blows triggered a shockwave of magic that blasted the vicinity in a fierce wind. 

「Not bad, counterfeits that pretend to be dragons! Bring it on!」　

「Such arrogance predictable of dragons in the lineage of the ancestral dragon. How mundane. In that case, die from my poison like a common dragon. That is the fate of all dragons who have encountered me.」

「Did you call me mundane? Heh heh heh, find out if that is true or not with your life!」　

Once again, crimson and purple painted the blue sky, spreading out in all directions. They clashed and raged to annihilate the other. 

The fundamental tactic of the demon lord’s army was to strike by air and then attack on land. The intervention of the dragons of Mores Mountains had impeded them, but they had not stopped their march. 

While the fierce battle between the faux dragons and true dragons was being waged in the sky, the battle between the troops of the demon lord and Bern was also beginning on the ground.