Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 423 An overwhelming victory and the goofy red dragon Drake

Once Su Li made his decision, the entire territory sprang into action with swift and decisive action.

As a simple-minded red dragon, Drake is easy to target; a small number of high-level combatants can be gathered to decapitate him.

Therefore, the territory of Hessian quickly mobilized a large number of chosen ones. Apart from Orstein, who continued to be stationed in Hessian territory as marshal, all other secular knights and church knights were dispatched.

This includes Bradley, the vice-commander of the Knights of Eternal Light; Hilde, the High Attendant-in-Chief of the War Saintess; Tiberius, the Chosen of the Sun Goddess; Ron; Demst, the Chosen of Mor; Dietrich, the Chosen of Sharya; and Sogard, the Chosen of the Dwarves.

Of course, there's also the green dragon, Aria, who was most excited to participate in this battle.

A total of eight Chosen Ones, along with nearly a hundred Champion Knights, riding a large number of griffins, half-griffins, horse eagles, and pegasus, quickly arrived at the Twilight Mountains.

Su Li rode his mount, Deathclaw, wielding a warhammer. Surrounded by countless armored warriors and powerful knights, he soared high in the air, banners waving behind him, and armored soldiers standing tall, looking down at the warhammer below.

Deep within the Twilight Mountains, the harsh winter chill was largely dispelled by the surging heat from the earth, but biting winds still howled among the towering peaks. A vast lava lake, like an unhealed scald on the earth, slowly churned with crimson magma, emitting a suffocating stench of sulfur and billowing heat. On an island in the lake's center, composed of solidified black lava and massive obsidian stones, resided the ruler of this region—the high-ranking chosen red dragon, Drake.

His massive body was covered in thick, crimson scales that gleamed with a dark, metallic sheen in the lava. A thick neck supported his menacing head, and his nostrils spewed out plumes of smoke carrying sparks with each breath. At this moment, his enormous body rose and fell slightly as he lay sprawled on the piles of metal ingots and rough ore, seemingly taking a nap. On the island's edge, in the crevices of the rocks untouched by the heat, clung to patches of unmelted snow.

Suddenly, a high-pitched, powerful dragon roar tore through the oppressive air above the lava lake! Arielia's true form, a green dragon, swooped down from the leaden-gray clouds thick with sulfurous steam, her emerald scales standing out starkly against the crimson background. Instead of attacking directly, she circled rapidly above the lava lake, emitting continuous, sharp, provocative hisses, her forest-like, chilling dragon aura pressing down on Drake.

Considering the animosity and contempt between the green and red dragons, Su Li did not ride on the green dragon's back in this battle, lest her pride and self-esteem be insulted and mocked by the red dragon.

Even so, the red dragon immediately roared at the green dragon: "Roar—! Ariria! You traitor! The reptile's plaything! How dare you trespass into my territory!"

Within the Twilight Mountains, Drake's massive head suddenly rose, his golden vertical pupils instantly locking onto the green shadow in the sky. His furious roar unleashed a scorching wave of air, causing rubble to fall from the cave ceiling.

Then his massive body abruptly rose to his feet, his wings unfurling and blocking out the light from a large portion of the lava lake. He felt utterly offended; a green dragon dared to lead a group of humans and dwarves into his lava throne!
Lies don't hurt, the truth is the sharpest knife.

In fact, Arielia's current identity is Su Li's plaything. Just last night, Su Li conquered her many times, riding on her and dominating her, forcing her to cry and beg for mercy. She had no dignity as a dragon and had become a plaything conquered by a reptile.

Although Arielia enjoyed her current life, being mocked like this by a red dragon still ignited her anger. Her golden eyes shot out a chilling glint of light: "Drake, you muscle-bound idiot! You dare to provoke us? We've come to take you in!"

"Then come down here! You lowly, vicious, and cunning dragon scum!" Drake roared, whipping up a cloud of dust and stones with a flap of his wings. "Come down and fight me! Let's see who wins! I'll tear you to pieces. You green dragons are a disgrace to the dragon race!"

Before Arielia could reply, Su Li patted the back of Deathclaw, and the griffin immediately drew a perfect arc in the sky and landed beside Arielia. Hilde appeared behind him, holding high the powerful banner of the Black Forest Territory, followed by a large number of knights who passed through the dense clouds in the sky and lined up under the banner.

In an instant, a powerful military formation stood tall in the sky, its imposing array of armor and banners illuminating the heavens and earth.

Under the powerful banners, this group not only looked majestic and imposing, but also had enormous, terrifying physiques, exuding a sense of oppression.

Su Li looked calmly at Drake below and said, "Drake, you have repeatedly sent your followers to harass the human settlements below the Twilight Mountains, causing a great deal of bloodshed. Now, my mighty army is ready to fight back, and those who dare to defy me will be killed, no matter how strong they are."

“I’ll give you two choices: either put up a fight, or today will be the day you are beheaded! We will skin you alive and take all the treasures from your dragon’s lair.”

"You will submit and hand over half of the treasure in your dragon's lair. We will spare your life and even allow you to remain in the Twilight Mountains. Of course, you must disband all your followers, retreat to your dragon's lair, and be responsible for clearing out all monsters in the Twilight Mountains. Any looting and damage caused by monsters coming down the mountain must be compensated by you with the treasure in your dragon's lair."

The Twilight Mountains are uninhabitable for humans. Frequent volcanic eruptions and a climate completely unsuitable for human habitation have only fostered monsters. Even if Su Li kills Drake, other monsters and threats will emerge, and it might even fall into the hands of cultists, such as Khorne's followers and Chaos Knights. After all, Khorne also favors this volcanic terrain.

If this place becomes an evil land teeming with chaotic monsters, or even a lair or stronghold of the Church of Khorne, Su Li would still prefer a red dragon to occupy it.

The legend of "There is a dragon here" will simply continue, and it can be considered a beautiful story.

Dragons inhabit the deep mountains of many territories within the empire, and some dragons are even able to reach advertising agreements with mortal territories, acting as spokespeople for mortal farmers and fruit growers for their apples.

Humans and dragons are not entirely incompatible.

Therefore, Su Li is willing to give Drake a chance.

Unfortunately, Drake flew into a rage upon hearing Su Li's words! His enormous, molten gold-like vertical pupils stared intently at the human knights arrayed in the air, especially Su Li, who was surrounded by them like a star in the center. Every word of Su Li's calm speech felt like a red-hot iron branding his dignity. He wanted his treasure? He wanted him to submit to his will? He wanted to disband his retinue? He wanted compensation for the losses?

"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!" A deafening roar, carrying a sound wave powerful enough to shatter rocks and a scorching sulfurous aura, soared into the sky, causing huge ripples on the surface of the lava lake. Drake's massive body trembled slightly from extreme rage, and fire seemed to spew from the gaps between his crimson scales.

“You lowly reptiles! You ignorant ants!” His voice boomed like thunder in the lava cave. “You creatures, fit only for snacks in my lair, dare to covet my treasures? Dare to command the great Drake? I will burn you all! And that wretched green lizard! To ashes! Your bones will adorn my throne!”

With a sudden flap of his massive dragon wings, he unleashed a scorching and violent gust of air. His enormous body withstood the dragon's might and the oppressive aura of the aerial knights, and soared into the sky! His target was Su Li and the banner behind him! He was going to crush this source that dared to insult him!
“Stubborn to the end.” Su Li’s voice was icy, showing no surprise whatsoever. He had already anticipated the outcome. He pointed his warhammer forward, his voice piercing through the howling wind and the dragon’s roar: “According to plan! Take it!”

The order was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating huge ripples!

"Restrain!" Hilder roared like a holy bell. Her entire body erupted with blazing eternal holy light, like a golden meteor, as she leaped from the griffin, her divine form exploding forth, violently colliding with Drake's rising, massive form! The Beast Slayer transformed into a blazing longsword over forty meters long, carrying the will to purify everything, slashing fiercely at the base of the red dragon's flapping right wing membrane! The holy light clashed violently with the red dragon's hard armor, producing a piercing tearing sound and a deafening explosion of annihilated energy.

Drake's massive body was momentarily thrown off balance by the powerful blow, and like a red meteorite, it crashed violently into the earth from the sky. The violent collision shattered a mountain range, causing the ground to shake and rocks to fly everywhere.

"Damn bug!" It scrambled to its feet and unleashed a devastating molten lava breath, a torrent of orange-red water carrying the intense heat of molten steel that swept outwards!

But the attack failed. In the instant Drake's attention was drawn to Hilde, Arielia moved! Instead of spewing acid, she swooped down with astonishing speed, her massive dragon claws tearing through the air with a piercing shriek, precisely grabbing at Drake's head, which he had just raised to spew! The timing of this attack was cunning and ruthless, forcing Drake to interrupt his breath, his head jerking back to dodge. The lava flow he spewed veered off course and shot towards the rock wall, causing a violent collapse.

"Restrict him!" Durmst's voice rang out. He raised the Mordred Warscythe high, and dark death energy condensed into several black ravens that began to circle Drake's massive body, drawing upon its boundless life force.

Tiberius and Ron, the two Chosen of the Sun, emerged from behind the rocky bunkers on either side like two moving suns. Their blazing divine power, channeled into their giant axe and spear, carried a will to scorch through everything, and they viciously thrust towards Drake's hind leg joints, which supported his airborne body! Their attack wasn't intended to kill, but merely to disrupt his balance and point of leverage.

The chosen one of Salya, Dietrich, held aloft a religious icon, dispelling the dragon's might and giving all allies great encouragement and protection.

The most terrifying attack undoubtedly came from the Dwarf Dragon Butcher!
The dwarven chosen one, Sogard, let out a deep, thunderous battle roar. His axe blade, gleaming with a chilling light, rose high, then slammed down with a devastating, mountain-splitting force. This terrifying chosen weapon, like a mountain-splitting axe, suddenly grew larger, capable of cleaving mountains! It severed Drake's right claw at the root, causing a torrent of scalding dragon blood to gush out.

Drake howled in agony as his massive body writhed uncontrollably between the mountains. His terrifying red dragon form smashed through mountain after mountain, spraying blood across the earth.

"Now!" Su Li's calm voice rang out. He didn't participate in the main attack, but instead, like a commander on the battlefield, his sharp gaze fixed on Drake's movements. Just as the red dragon went berserk due to Sogard's attack, he shouted, "All troops! Suppress!" Nearly a hundred champion knights circling nearby, riding griffins, half-griffins, and horse eagles, burst forth with dazzling golden light, erupting instantly at Su Li's command!

The Red Dragon is indeed very strong, but the Champion Knights are already the ceiling of human organized forces!
In particular, many of the knights who came were members of the Sunfire Knights, who possessed the standard tactical ability of the main Flame Sun Knights: [Blinding Charge]!
When they charge in dazzling golden light, the enemy troops being charged have a chance to be blinded, and their melee skills and shooting accuracy will decrease by 1.
This ability has a chance to blind the opponent, but frankly, the probability of it appearing on a red dragon is not high, especially if an elite knight is attacking a chosen red dragon, it is almost impossible for it to take effect.

But things are completely different now!

Those who charged the Red Dragon were all champion-level knights, and they were all wearing perfect-grade vibranium rune armor. Each of them was shining with golden light and dazzling.

As long as Red Dragon Drake hasn't broken through to the Legendary level, he can't be exempt from all of this! And dragons don't have the ability to unleash their bloodline and break through in dire situations!

The Creator is fair; since their dragons' talents can already be enhanced while they are asleep, they cannot possibly break through to a new level in battle.

If you're not old enough, you can't break through to the legendary level. No matter how angry you are, it's useless.

Therefore, in this battle, Drake is destined to be able to deal with the Black Forest Territory's encirclement and annihilation only with the strength of a high-level chosen god.

The disastrous result was predictable: when the divine spell Blind Charge took effect, the powerful Chosen Red Dragon's melee skills dropped to a level comparable only to a Champion-level dragon.

Even more terrifying, these champion knights didn't charge recklessly; instead, they split into several small teams, swooping down from various tricky angles! Poisoned, armor-piercing crossbow bolts rained down on Drake's relatively vulnerable wing membranes, joint gaps, and eyes! Heavy javelins whistled as they plunged into his back! Several valiant knights, riding the strongest griffins and horse vultures, attempted to swoop down and close in, using their heavy lances to stab his relatively thin-scaled chest and abdomen!
Drake was completely enraged! His absolute strength, which he was so proud of, was now being restrained at every turn by the precise tactical coordination of eight Chosen Ones! A large number of champion knights were constantly inflicting terrible damage on him. Holy light scorched his scales and wing membranes, death energy corroded his strength, the power of the sun god pierced his joints, the dwarven battle axes interfered with his balance, and those annoying "flies" in the air kept harassing his relatively vulnerable parts with crossbow bolts and javelins!

"Roar—! Reptiles! Insects!!" he roared madly, his massive dragon wings flapping wildly, whipping up scorching winds and raining lava, trying to repel any approaching enemies. Destructive lava breaths erupted again and again, but were either interrupted by Eliria or forcibly blocked by Hilder's Glory Creature - Eternal Shield of Holy Light. Each attack failed to achieve a decisive victory, instead draining him of enormous stamina and energy.

The icy mountain wind poured in through the gap in the mountain range, clashing violently with the scorching heat waves from the lava lake, creating bizarre turbulence that made Drake's massive body even more unstable in the air. His crimson scale armor, which was strong enough to withstand siege weapons, began to show fine cracks and charred marks under the repeated bombardment and energy erosion of the chosen weapon.

His absolute power, which he was so proud of and which he believed could crush everything, was being gradually eroded and restrained by the combined effects of precise tactical coordination, powerful individual attacks, and the frigid winter environment. Amidst his rage, a trace of disbelief... and trepidation quietly crept into the red dragon's furious heart.

So after a burst of dragon language magic that repelled a large number of surrounding enemies, Drake suddenly flapped his wings and flew back into the air.

At this moment, everyone saw the numerous wounds on its body. The largest wound was on its chest, where a long sword had pierced through its chest, revealing a hideous wound that was clear from front to back. From this wound, a large amount of dragon blood was seeping out, and when it dripped onto the ground, it emitted a lot of thick smoke like molten lava.

It stared at Su Li, panting, and roared, "I remember now, you are the supreme master of the Black Forest foothills, the slayer of the four-headed chosen monster, the imprisoner of the imperial dragon's offspring, the famous general favored by the Goddess of the Sun, and the master of the Black Forest Territory, Su Li, the Bauhinia!"

Su Li smiled and said, "Why are you recalling the fear that scared you away back then? But let me correct you, I'm no longer the killer of four Chosen Monsters, but the killer of more than a dozen Chosen Monsters. Even legendary knights have fallen to my hands."

Demst whistled at the monster: "You stupid dragon, you escaped quickly last time, where do you think you're going this time? Moore foresaw your death today!"

Demst never expected this battle to be so easy!

Before the battle, he thought he would have to withstand immense pressure to hold off the enemy. He was already prepared to be beaten.

But the battle turned out completely differently than he had imagined. Quantitative changes can indeed lead to qualitative changes. The eight chosen ones made the red dragon completely helpless.

At this moment, Drake's enormous, molten gold-like pupils contracted violently. Su Li's addition of "a dozen or so Chosen Monsters" and "Legendary Knights" was like a bucket of ice water poured on his enraged nerves. Its massive body swayed in the air, and scalding dragon blood gushed from the wound on its chest pierced by the Chosen Longsword, dripping onto the cold rocks below with a hissing sound and rising plumes of white smoke.

Durmst's shrill whistle and the declaration of "Moore foresees death" were the final straw that broke the camel's back. Drake looked around—eight powerful, unscathed Chosen Ones surrounded him like an iron wall, their eyes filled with icy killing intent; in the sky and on the ground, nearly a hundred champion knights rode raptors, their poisoned armor-piercing crossbows and heavy lances gleaming coldly, firmly locking onto every possible opening; further away, Su Li rode an incredibly large griffin, calmly overlooking the battlefield, as if watching a preordained farce.

Its once-proud scales were now covered in scorch marks, cracks, and even large chunks had been sheared off; its right claw had been severed at the root by the dwarf's terrible axe blow, the cut a bloody mess; its wing membranes had been scorched by the holy light, each flap bringing excruciating pain; death ravens circled around it, greedily draining its abundant life force; what terrified it even more was that each charge of those golden human knights caused its vision to blur with golden light, making its movements sluggish and clumsy, as if it were drunk! This battle was simply unwinnable!
"Roar...woo..." What should have been a furious roar took a strange turn midway, turning into a muffled groan with a hint of sobbing and frustration. Drake's massive head suddenly dropped, and his enormous body clumsily adjusted its posture in mid-air, before...slowly and very reluctantly descending towards the ground.

It carefully avoided the hostile Chosen Ones, especially the dwarf Sogard who wielded a terrifying axe and stared intently at its other claw, before finally landing with a thunderous crash on a relatively flat patch of lava not far from Su Li. The immense impact caused the ground to tremble once more.

Then, under the gazes of everyone—some astonished, some disdainful, some trying to suppress their laughter—this red dragon, which just minutes before had been clamoring to burn everyone to ashes, made a move that was extremely unbecoming of its status—it laboriously and clumsily used its only remaining, enormous left forepaw to carefully… cover the gruesome wound on its chest that was still smoking and bleeding.

In his enormous golden eyes, rage was replaced by a complex emotion mixed with extreme heartache, resentment, and a trace of... flattery?

“Um… cough cough…” Drake’s voice was much lower, a little hoarse and awkward. His eyes darted away, avoiding Su Li’s gaze, instead glancing at Ariria, who was watching the scene with great interest, seemingly seeking some kind of “family” recognition. But he only received a glare from the green dragon, undisguised and full of mockery. It cleared its throat, trying to make its voice sound less timid:
"Your esteemed... uh... supreme master of the mountains and forests, slayer of a dozen chosen monsters, terminator of legendary knights, imprisoner of the imperial dragon's offspring, majestic general favored by the Goddess of the Sun, and radiant master of the Black Forest Territory, Su Li, the Bauhinia!"

It pronounced this long string of prefixes with exceptional fluency, as if it had already thought it through in the air.

“Just now… just now it was me, Drake… uh… blind! I didn’t recognize the true dragon! Uh… no, I didn’t recognize God!” It stammered, its massive tail flailing uneasily across the ground, kicking up a cloud of gravel. “Your majesty… is as… as fiery as this lava! Your power… is as… as majestic as this twilight mountain range! Your… your conditions! I find… perfectly reasonable! Very farsighted!”

It paused, as if summoning all its courage, before finally shouting out the most crucial words, its voice trembling with tears: "The treasure! Half of it! I...I'll hand it over! Right now!"

Having said that, as if afraid Su Li would change his mind or that the people around him would attack again, it suddenly lowered its head, its massive dragon snout almost touching the ground. With its remaining forepaws, extremely clumsily and with immense reluctance, it rummaged through the pile of its most precious treasures from its belly and pulled out several huge, dark red shimmering gold ingots and several large, uncut flame gems, pushing them onto the open ground in front of Su Li's mount. The movements were so careful, as if it were cutting off its own flesh.

"This...this is the first batch! The...the best!" Drake's voice was muffled, thick with a nasal tone, and hot liquid seemed to be swirling in his huge dragon eyes. "The rest...I'll sort them out right away! I guarantee...I guarantee they're all top-quality, pure gold! Um...monster cleanup! I'll take care of that! If anything happens down the mountain again...you can...you can deduct money from my pay!"

Its massive body trembled slightly as it tried to shrink itself into a ball to minimize its presence, completely losing the imposing aura of the "Lava Tyrant" and resembling a pitiful hedgehog with all its quills plucked. Only its paws clutching its wounds and its eyes occasionally glancing at its treasure pile betrayed the excruciating pain in its heart.

The entire battlefield was deathly silent. Only the gurgling of the lava lake and the howling of the cold mountain winds in the distance could be heard. All the soldiers of Blackforest Territory, including the usually stern and unsmiling Chosen Knights, wore smiles. This goofy dragon was indeed just as Durmst had described before the battle.

Su Li sat atop the Claw of Death, watching the giant red dragon below clutching its chest, its face contorted in pain yet feigning docility. A slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth. He coughed lightly, suppressing the inappropriate chuckle, his voice regaining its composure, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:
“Very well, Drake. It seems you finally understand what ‘discretion is the better part of valor’ means. Remember your words today. From this day forward, the ‘dragons’ of the Twilight Mountains will only be law-abiding ‘dragons’ under the order of my Black Forest Territory. Hilde!”

“My lady.” Hilde suppressed a laugh and stepped forward.

“Take people to receive the treasure and take inventory of it. Also,” Su Li’s gaze swept over Drake’s terrible wound and broken claw, “treat its injuries. After all, it’s our Black Forest Territory’s newly appointed ‘mountain cleaner,’ so don’t let it bleed to death in its own den.”

"Yes, sir!" Hilde responded loudly, a slight smile finally appearing on her lips. She waved her hand, and several chaplains carrying healing potions and bandages cautiously, with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, walked toward their "new colleague" who was clutching her wound and looking mournful.

Arielia let out a loud, mocking snort beside her, her emerald dragon body gracefully turning around before lazily spiraling down to a towering obsidian pillar, watching with interest the "Passion of the Red Dragon" unfolding below. Drake's submission was even more swift than hers.

Who said red dragons are completely brainless? After being subdued by violence, they seem to be more accepting of the law of the jungle than other dragons.

(End of this chapter)