3 bar menu

Chapter 85: Start of War

～Aun’s Perspective～

While we were flying on Drake’s dragonback towards the Dragonewt village, I got a call from Ruzark.

『Aun, 3 battleships from Botlock to Alraine and 5 battleships were spotted taking off towards the Dragonewt village!

Along with that, soldiers are also gathering near the border. Attacks are expected to begin soon after the declaration of war.

First, protect the Dragonewt village, and then head to Alraine as soon as possible.』

『The battleships are heading to Alraine as well? Are you sure you’ll be okay?』

『It’ll be fine for a while. The city will probably suffer damage, but most of the residents have already been evacuated to other cities.

There were some residents who refused to evacuate, but they have already evacuated to the arena and the royal castle. In addition, the royal castle also has an improved special barrier.

We should be able to hold out somehow.

The battlefield is expected to be near the border, but we have put in place defensive measures to prevent casualties in the event of an assault on the city.』

『Understood.』

The Empire has begun to move.

It’s going to be a race against time from now on.

「Guys, the Empire has begun to move. For the time being, we will share the information as soon as we arrive at the Ryuujin village.」

「Understood!」Drake.

We arrived at the Dragoenwt village 10 minutes later and immediately decided to share the information.

The dragonewt tribe was already fully prepared for battle. Even the old were itching for battle.

「Hey, is the dragonewt race some kind of combat maniacs?」

「It’s not like that. Everyone is just fired up to protect their village and their friends.」Drake.

「Fafnir, what about the village chief?」

「I have been put in charge of the overall command this time. My father is in high spirits to fight on the front lines. Before Drake left the village, our father was the strongest in the village. If you’re late, you won’t get a piece of the battle.」

「I see. Five battleships are heading this way. What will be our strategy?」

「We’re going to prevent the village from being destroyed, of course.

The dragonewt tribe has been divided into 4 teams and will use a wave formation to fire as many breath attacks and magic as they can before retreating. Aun, fly around the battlefield on Drake’s back and assist and destroy where needed.」

「Got it. We’ll head to Alraine as soon as we’ve cleaned up here. There should still be at least two more battleships at Botlock’s base. Once we’ve repelled the attack, return to the village and prepare.」

「Alright.」

When Fafnir gave the command, all the dragonewts except children and women used [Dragon Transformation].

The sight of 20 dragons facing me was simply incredible.

I thought that this might be too excessive of a force, but the enemy is equipped with offensive magic tools that can destroy 20% of a city with a single shot from the main cannon. We shouldn’t be complacent.

Then a message came in from Ruzark.

「Aun, war has been declared. The ground collision is about to begin over here. I’ll leave the other side to you. I pray the fortunes of war will be on our side.」

「Yeah! Don’t die, Ruzark!」

As I turned towards Fafnir, he seemed to have heard the transmission. When I nodded, he began issuing instructions to the dragonewts.

Fafnir’s strategy and instructions were precise and he had earned the trust of his fellow villagers. He seems to possess the qualities of a soldier.

「The Ibrudia Empire has just declared war! It seems that the enemy’s goal is to destroy the Dragonewt village… I cannot help but say that we have been severely underestimated! Let’s show the strength of the Dragonewt tribe to the soldiers of the Empire!!」

『『『GYARURUROOOOOOO! ! !』』』

The roars of the dragons caused the earth to tremble. The gleam in their eyes was that of the strong who didn’t even consider the slightest about the possibility of defeat.

「Once you’ve fired your Breath, rotate around and adjust the formation while avoiding enemy’s attacks!

In the event that someone is injured, the paired up person should cover for them and follow the instructions of the unit commander in order to withdraw!

Listen, you are not allowed to die! The victory condition of this war is to keep the casualties to zero and shoot down all enemy planes! Let’s Goooooo! !」

In tandem with Fafnir’s roar, 20 dragons flapped their wings all at once and soared into the sky.

And then, five of them formed a group and flew off toward the north.

At the head of the group is probably Lindworm, the village chief.

「Drake and I should get going too! Kinu, Shinku, Nelfie, stand by and protect the Dragonewt village just in case.」

「Nn. Good luck.」

「Understood, Aun-sama!」

「Okay!」

As I got on Drake, who had turned into his dragon form, we gently rose into the air.

「See you guys later!」

As Drake instantly accelerated, we quickly caught up with the dragons that had taken off first.

It seems that the evolved Drake is way ahead of the pack when it comes to speed while in dragon form.

After about two hours of flying, a huge airship could be seen approaching from the front.

The feeling of tension was high among the dragonewts.

The declaration of war had already been made. It wouldn’t be strange if they attacked at any time.

It seems that we are not within the range of the dragons’ breath, as we have not yet received any instructions from Fafnir. So we continued closing the distance.

Right then, the bow of one of the battleships flying at the front of the enemy force opened, revealing a huge main cannon.

「The main cannon is going to shoot! Evade!」

When I shouted out, the dragons quickly circled around and spread out, then started evasive movements.

The next moment, a pillar-like beam of light fired from the battleship with an explosive roaring boom.