Lord: I can see loyalty.

Chapter 278 The Friend of the Red Dragon

In the dense forest, the golden vertical pupils of the red dragon Draenei suddenly contracted.

It stared at the figure emerging from the bushes, its chest heaving violently, the wound on its neck reopening, dark red dragon blood dripping down its scales, but it was completely unaware.

A deep rumble came from the depths of its throat, not dragon breath, but anger.

Pure, uncontrollable anger.

"How the hell did you manage to get here?!"

Its sound was like muffled thunder, causing the leaves to fall in a rustling motion.

Vio stopped at the edge of the open space and did not go any closer.

His armor still bore the marks of three days of fighting, the magic feather shield was riddled with cracks, and the runes on his magic gloves had dimmed somewhat, but his eyes remained bright. "I told you, I won't leave until you agree."

Two streams of hot white vapor shot out of Delaney's nostrils, sparks crackling in the air.

It suddenly stood up, spread its wings, and the wing membranes covered the sky above its head. The surrounding trees were knocked down by its wings, and gravel flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

Its body began to heat up, the muscles beneath its scales bulged, and dark red lines spread from its chest to its neck, and from its neck to its jaw.

That's it gathering its strength, concentrating all the magic power within its body into one point, preparing to unleash its strongest attack!

"You think I'm joking with you?" Draenei's voice was no longer filled with weariness and helplessness, but instead carried an almost manic killing intent. "You think you can be arrogant in front of me just because you've beaten me for three days? You think you won't die just because you blocked my dragon breath?"

Vio's figure was reflected in the golden vertical pupils.

The figure appeared so small in front of the dragon, but he did not retreat, nor did he even frown.

"I'm giving you one last chance," Draenei's voice was low and menacing, like the pronouncement of death. "Now, get out of my sight. Otherwise, deep within its throat, a red light will gather. Not the orange-red flames of before, but a pure, dazzling, incandescent white, like the core of lava."

The temperature in the air suddenly rose, the surrounding leaves began to curl and turn black, and the gravel on the ground cracked in the high temperature.

That sense of oppression was stronger than ever before, so strong that even Vio's fourth-tier knight aura was almost suppressed and unable to unfold!

Vio took a deep breath and raised his magic shield. The purple magic shield glowed, its light more dazzling than ever before.

He channeled all the magic power within him into the shield, and the runes on his magic gloves shone brightly, illuminating the three magic circles simultaneously.

When activated, it forms a barrier in front of him, interwoven with lightning, fire, and a magical shield.

He knew he had to block that attack.

"Go to hell!"

The Draenei opened its massive maw, and a blazing white dragon breath erupted from the depths of its throat. Instead of spreading out in a fan shape as before, it condensed into a straight pillar of light, like a sword of the gods, slashing straight at Vio!

Wherever the beam of light passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a piercing shriek. A deep trench was plowed into the ground, and the rubble melted in the high temperature, turning into dark red magma. The surrounding trees turned to ashes the moment they came into contact with the beam of light, leaving not even a trace of smoke.

That force was enough to level a small mountain.

Vio's magic shield trembled violently the moment the beam of light touched it, and cracks spread like a spider web.

His body was propelled backward by the enormous impact, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground.

The purple light on the Demon Feather Shield flickered, each flash accompanied by a tremor in the shield's surface.

"Damn it—"

Vio gritted his teeth and poured the last bit of magic power in his body into the shield.

The runes on the magic gloves burst forth with dazzling light, and three spells were released simultaneously, forming a beam of light in front of him.

Multiple barriers interwoven with electricity, fire, and frost.

The dragon's breath collided with the barrier, producing a deafening roar. Fire, lightning, and ice mist scattered everywhere, turning the entire open space into chaos.

After an unknown amount of time, the dragon's breath finally stopped.

Draenei was panting heavily, the wound on his neck had reopened, and dragon blood gushed out like a waterfall.

Its body swayed, and it almost fell over.

It stared at the clearing ravaged by the dragon's breath, its eyes filled with exhaustion and relief.

On the open ground, there was nothing left. The trees had turned to ashes, and a layer of the ground had been sheared away, leaving only charred rocks and flowing lava.

That human should have already vanished into thin air.

"Finally dead—what a pity. Such a young fourth-order human. If he hadn't been so stubborn, he wouldn't have died so young." Draenei muttered to himself, about to close his eyes.

"It's not over yet."

A hoarse voice came from the smoke and dust.

Draenei's pupils contracted sharply!

As the smoke cleared, Vio stood on the scorched earth, covered in blood, his armor cracked, the magical runes on his magic shield completely faded, and the shield surface was covered with cracks, almost falling apart.

The runes on the magic gloves had also dimmed, and the magic crystal in the palm was covered with fine cracks.

His left arm hung limply at his side, clearly broken, but his right hand still gripped the Demon Feather Sword, its blade gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

Vio circulated his breathing and began to rapidly heal his wounds.

He then raised his head, looked at Delaney, and slightly raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a mouthful of bloody teeth.

"That's it?"

Delaney was stunned.

It has lived for over four hundred years and has seen countless humans, some brave, some cowardly, some intelligent, and some foolish.

But it had never seen a human like this before—standing, laughing, and mocking it after taking its full-force blow.

"You bastard—what exactly do you want? Why go to such lengths?" Delaney's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of wavering that even it itself didn't realize.

Vio took a deep breath, enduring the excruciating pain in his left arm, and planted the Demon Feather Sword in the ground to support his body.

His voice was hoarse, but every word was clear and powerful: "My request has been the same from beginning to end—join me and help me kill Cedric."

Delaney stared at him, his golden vertical pupils filled with complex emotions.

It wanted to refuse, but it had already refused three times, each time being pushed back by the human with his sword and magic.

It wanted to kill him, but this human was not weak, and it would probably take a lot of effort to kill him.

It tried to escape, but the other side always managed to find it.

"You killed Cedric, and then what?" Delaney's voice was low. "What good did it do me?"

A glint flashed in Vio's eyes.

It's negotiating terms, which means it's wavering.

"There are many benefits." Vio straightened up, enduring the excruciating pain, and counted on his fingers, "First, and most obviously, with Cedric dead, you naturally won't have to worry about the Northern Army and the Griffin Knights coming after you."

"Second, since you helped me, the Southern Territory will be your ally and will no longer attack you. Third," he paused, "don't you hate being harassed? Now that Cedric is dead, I am the King of Rovia, and no one in the entire Rovia will dare to harass you anymore."

"You can sleep soundly, eat whenever you want, and sleep whenever you want. You can even move to the Southern Border, where the climate is mild."

"It's warm, and there's plenty of prey; it's much better than this wretched mountain of yours."

Delaney remained silent for a long time.

The golden vertical pupils stared at Vio, at his bright eyes, at the sincere smile on his lips.

It tried to find any trace of lying on his face, but it couldn't. This human was genuinely negotiating with it, not deceiving it.

"Why should I believe you?" Draenei's voice was calm. "I need an oath. Don't you human knights have oaths?"

Vio raised his right hand, which was trembling, but his voice was firm.

"I, Vio Ross, Earl of the South, hereby swear that if the Red Dragon Draenei and I defeat Cedric and annihilate the Gryphon Knights, I promise to grant them freedom and peace after the war. The mountains within the Southern Territory will forever remain open to them; if I break this oath, may I be condemned to eternal damnation in hell."

Delaney stared at him, remaining silent for a long time.

Then, it suddenly raised its head, opened its huge mouth, and let out a deafening roar!

The roar soared into the sky, shaking the mountains, startling birds into flight, and causing beasts to flee.

With a roar, it spread its wings and took flight, the flapping of its wings sending shards of stone and ash flying into the air.

High in the sky, a voice echoed, "If you dare to back out, I'll make you regret ever being born!"

Its sound is deep and resonant, like muffled thunder.

Vio raised his head, gazing at the enormous figure hovering in the clouds, a slight smile playing on his lips. A panel appeared before him, his gaze falling on the familiar column.

Loyalty: 20%

20%.

It's not enough as a subordinate, but its loyalty as an ally is sufficient; at least, it won't stab him in the back.

Vio retrieved the panel, enduring the excruciating pain in his left arm, and pulled the Demon Feather Sword from the ground, sheathing it.

He looked up and shouted at the circling figure in the air, "Draenie, time is running out! I need your help now!"

The words fell.

The red dragon swooped down, circled above his head once, and then landed in front of him.

The shockwaves from its wings nearly knocked Vio over, but it paid no heed, simply lowering its head and staring intently with its golden vertical pupils.

he.

"Hold on tight, I'm not responsible if you fall and die." Its voice was indifferent, with a hint of helplessness.

Vio circulated his breath, leaped up, flipped onto the dragon's back, and grabbed the bone spur on its neck.

The Draenei's scales are cool and smooth, but there are a few protrusions where the bone spikes are, which are just right for gripping.

He glanced back at the dense forest behind him, where flying monkey bats stood on the treetops, looking at him with reverence in their blood-red eyes.

The leader, perched on the tallest tree, stared at him and let out a short hiss.

Vio nodded at it, then patted Delaney on the neck.

"Let's go, my ally!"

The draenei spread their wings and took flight, the gale whipping up fallen leaves and pebbles.

It flew towards the battlefield at an extremely high speed, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

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