Evil Red Dragon

Night had fallen, and Alecto flew at high speed in stealth mode, braving the cold wind.

Helena had been pursuing him very closely, and it would take her some time to return to Greystone Town.

About fifteen minutes later, he passed by Greystone Town and headed straight for the abandoned mine.

The terrain beneath us began to change, and hills started to appear.

According to the markings on the map, the abandoned mine should be located in this area.

He quietly activated his all-encompassing vision, expanding the scope to its limit.

Sure enough, after flying a few more miles, a road appeared below, winding its way to the foot of an inconspicuous hill.

On the side of the hill facing the road, the original mine entrance has been transformed into a gatehouse, and walls have been extended on both sides, enclosing the entire front of the hill.

Watchtowers were set up on the walls, with flickering flames on them, and figures clad in silver armor could be seen everywhere.

The gatehouse was brightly lit, and twenty fully armed soldiers stood guard, silently watching the surroundings from the wall.

But none of that is the key point; nothing can stop him.

Importantly, the entire mine area was enveloped by a large, complex magic circle in the overall field of vision.

The magic circle was hidden underground, radiating outwards from the mine pit with a radius of about three hundred meters.

The energy fluctuations were extremely subtle; if he hadn't activated all his senses at that moment, he wouldn't have been able to detect them at all.

The formation features a complex interplay of protective, warning, and confinement effects, clearly the work of a high-level mage.

"It must be Helena's doing..."

Alecto understood perfectly, but also secretly complained.

The trouble is big.

He did learn a great deal of magic from the inheritance, but over the years he has only focused on studying offensive magic and knows nothing about how to break through this protective magic array, let alone how to sneak in silently.

"Forcing a breakthrough will trigger an alarm, and Helena will immediately return... but if we don't break through, there will be even less chance once she comes back."

Alecto closed his eyes and quickly recalled the records about magic circles in the inheritance.

Most red dragons treat magic circles in a simple and crude way.

Either go around it or crush it.

Time waits for no one; a choice must be made quickly.

The fact that such a large magic circle is used for protection means that the contents inside must be extremely valuable; they might even be Helena's personal belongings.

A level seven mage's possessions are absolutely overflowing with riches, let's go!

He opened his eyes, a resolute glint in them.

"Then crush it violently."

Alecto folded his wings and skimmed low over the ground toward the watchtower.

These lowly minions aren't worth his magic; it's a waste. He should keep them around to escape.

Alecto approached silently, and none of the soldiers noticed him until his dragon form suddenly appeared and his claws swept across.

A soldier on the watchtower was instantly sent flying, armor and all, crashing into the rock wall; the sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.

"Enemy attack!"

The exclamations abruptly ceased.

Before the three people next to them could react, the dragon claw had already snapped them in half at the waist.

The archers on the other watchtower reacted and their arrows flew through the air.

But the arrows couldn't even pierce Alecto's scales; they all bounced off with a clang.

Alecto raised his head and breathed out dragon's breath.

A pillar of fire erupted and instantly engulfed them.

The tower collapsed, and they were reduced to charred remains before they could even scream.

In the darkness, Alector's dragon body cast a ferocious silhouette in the firelight.

From launching the attack to eliminating all the archers on the watchtower, it took no more than ten breaths.

He folded his wings, swooped down to land, and pebbles flew everywhere.

The remaining guards in front of the gatehouse finally realized what was happening, but it was too late.

Twenty silver-armored soldiers quickly formed ranks, spears pointing forward, shields touching, their movements perfectly synchronized.

The captain at the head drew his longsword and shouted, "Form ranks! Prepare in unison—"

Before he finished speaking, Alecto had already moved, and a terrifying power erupted at that moment.

The dragon charged forward like lightning, cracking the ground beneath its claws.

The first line of shields shattered like paper under his impact, soldiers were thrown backward, their armor dented, and blood mist spurted from their mouths.

The spear struck the dragon scales, making a harsh scraping sound, leaving only shallow white marks, but unable to penetrate even a fraction.

Alecto's dragon claws swept across, creating a whistling sound.

The approaching soldiers tried to block, but were swept away along with their weapons, crashing heavily against the wall with a dull thud as their bones shattered.

Then he opened his dragon mouth and spewed out his dragon breath.

The flames swept across like a tidal wave, engulfing all the remaining people.

The screams were piercing and then faded into silence in the intense heat.

The captain gritted his teeth and charged forward, cleaving through the dragon flames with his sword and slashing at the dragon's neck.

Alecto raised his claw and slapped the sword, breaking it in two. The captain was slammed into the ground, his armor twisted and deformed, and he was no longer alive.

There was no one left standing in front of the gate tower.

The corpse lay strewn about, its silver armor melted and stuck to its bones and flesh.

The walls were cracked from the flames, and the ruins of the watchtower were emitting black smoke.

The wind swept across the battlefield, stirring up ashes, its mournful sound like weeping.

Alecto turned toward the mine entrance, wanting to test whether he could go straight in.

He took a step forward, and the instant his dragon claw touched the edge of the mine entrance, a blinding light suddenly erupted from the ground.

The magic circle was triggered, and the previously hidden patterns seemed to come alive, layering and intertwining to form a huge barrier that tightly sealed the entire mine entrance.

The barrier is composed of countless runes, each of which is rapidly changing, intertwining and repelling each other to form a powerful energy field.

Alecto felt a powerful repulsive force coming from in front of him, as if a Titan was stopping him from moving forward.

He tried pressing forward with his dragon claws, and the magic circle immediately rebounded with an even stronger repulsive force.

An electric arc erupted from the point of contact, spreading along the dragon's claw, and a numbing sensation followed.

Alecto retracted his claws, revealing several charred marks on the dragon scales. Although they did not cause any fundamental damage, they were enough to demonstrate the defensive strength of the magic array.

He muttered to himself, "It just didn't work..."

Since we can't get in, we'll just have to force our way in.

Alecto took a few steps back, spread his wings, lowered his dragon body slightly, and began to mobilize the remaining magic power within his body.

He felt a dull ache from the cracks in the two corridors, but he couldn't worry about it. Time was of the essence; he had to break through this barrier before Helena returned.

Flames gathered in his throat, and his breath erupted forth, transforming into a crimson pillar of light that slammed violently into the magic circle.

The moment the two made contact, the barrier trembled violently, and the runes flickered wildly, attempting to disperse and absorb the impact.

Flames and runes intertwined and tore at each other, bursting forth with countless sparks and lightning bolts that illuminated half the night sky.

However, the barrier did not break.

It's like a highly elastic net, spreading the energy of its breath in all directions.

The rock walls on both sides of the mine entrance were hit by the aftershocks, causing the rocks to melt, collapse, and rumble.

However, the magic circle itself only caved inward a few meters before slowly rebounding. Although the runes on the surface were somewhat dimmed, they remained intact.

Alecto stopped breathing and gasped for air.

The resilience of this magic circle is beyond imagination. Do we have to use the Sevenfold Fire Realm again?

But the cost was too high; he wasn't even sure if the corridor would break if he used it again.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that the energy in the magic circle was not evenly distributed, but rather concentrated and flowed to three nodes around the point of impact.

That is the magic crystal supply point buried underground, which is the key to maintaining the operation of the magic array.

"We've found the weakness..."

A fierce glint flashed in Alecto's eyes.

He focused his attention on those three nodes.

The next second, the earth trembled violently, and at the locations of the three nodes, the soil surged and rocks crumbled, revealing the three nodes.

Three Crimson Lotus Bombs were fired simultaneously, blasting wildly towards the three nodes.

boom!

All three nodes were intact, but the magic circle dimmed slightly, and the speed of the runes' rotation slowed imperceptibly for a moment.

It works! Let's try again.

Alecto's spirits lifted, and he fired three more Crimson Lotus Bombs.

Three after three, the explosions continued incessantly.

He seized the opportunity and unleashed his dragon breath once more.

This time, the magic circle's resistance was greatly reduced, and cracks began to appear in the areas that were being continuously burned.

The cracks gradually spread, and faint cracking sounds continued to appear.

The magic circle's self-healing mechanism is also being activated.

The runes around it flowed toward the damaged area, attempting to mend the gap.

But Alector would not allow it to succeed.

With a powerful flap of its wings, the dragon soared into the air, then swooped down, its claws striking the area with the densest cracks.

boom!

The dragon's claws collided with the barrier, producing a loud bang, and the cracks widened further.

Alecto felt a sharp pain from the recoil, but he gritted his teeth and struck again!

Time and again, they used sheer physical force to violently strike.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every time it happened, the earth shook.

The cracks on the barrier grew more numerous and deeper, eventually bursting open completely near a certain point.

The runes at the edge of the gap shattered inch by inch, turning into specks of light and dissipating.

The magic circle was still struggling, with the remaining energy surging towards the gap, attempting to close again.

Alecto immediately thrust his dragon claws into the gap, grabbed the barrier, and forcefully pried it open, while simultaneously channeling all his remaining magic into his dragon breath.

The flames changed color from crimson to incandescent white, and the temperature soared to a terrifying level.

"Open it!"

The blazing white breath surged towards the magic array like a torrent.

Wherever it goes, all obstacles are cleared away.

The breath lasted for a full ten breaths, until Alector felt his magic power deplete and then stopped.

He looked ahead, panting heavily.

The mine entrance was completely deformed, the barrier was shattered, and the remaining runic civilization flickered and eventually went out completely.

The magic circle was violently torn open, leaving no further obstacles.

Alecto immediately transformed into human form and leaped into the tunnel, running forward at high speed.

At the same time, members of the Silverwing Knights from Graystone Town were rushing over, led by Isa, who was wearing silver armor that shone brightly in the moonlight.

Helena had just arrived at the spot where the clone had disappeared.

She hovered at the edge of the semi-circular pit, her purple robe fluttering in the wind.

The edges of the crater were still molten, as if the culprit had just left.

"The tracks are still fresh; we can catch up..."

Helena murmured to herself, slowly raising her right hand, and a crystal prism appeared in her palm.

The prism hovered and rotated, gradually outlining a blurry map-like image. This was a tracking spell built upon residual magic.

Just as she was about to infuse her magic, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her brow.

"Buzz—"

In his mind, the feedback from the magic circle trembled violently.

A scene is forcibly cut in.

The dragon's claw tore through the night sky and slammed heavily onto the surface of the magic circle... The image flickered, accompanied by the buzzing of alarms indicating that the magic nodes were under attack.

Helena suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils contracting.

"The mine...he actually went to the mine!"

A genuine surge of anger rose in her chest.

Those things inside don't belong to her!

She instantly raised her hands to form a hand seal, her lips moving rapidly, as if she wanted to activate a teleportation spell to return to the mine.

But she froze halfway through reading.

The condensed spatial magic suddenly dissipated, like a handful of sand slipping through your fingers.

Helena's face paled as she suddenly remembered.

She set the teleportation anchor at the top of the clock tower in the town center, while the anchor in the mine was removed on Elena's orders.

If you want to teleport now, you can only return to Graystone Town first, and then go to the mine from there.

This would not only waste a lot of magic, but also take about the same amount of time, so it would be better to just fly back.

"Damn it!"

She gritted her teeth and cursed.

But time cannot be wasted.

Helena decisively abandoned the spell and her figure suddenly rose higher.

The hem of the robe unfurled, transforming into a pair of wings formed from wind elements.

She turned in mid-air, her gaze piercing through the night, locking onto the undulating hills on the distant horizon.

That place is where the abandoned mine pit is located.

whoosh-

Magic flowed in, her wings flapped violently, and the airflow swirled behind her.

Helena transformed into a purple streak of light, soaring through the air at an incredible speed, three times faster than her normal flight speed.

He hoped that the complex magic circle he had set up could hold out. It was a magic circle that combined the effects of protection, warning, and confinement, and in theory, it was enough to withstand the continuous bombardment of a level seven mage.

You have to hold on! Otherwise...

After passing through the passage, the space suddenly opened up at the end, revealing a vast underground space to Alecto.

The sight in the center made him hold his breath instantly.

A mountain.

A mountain made entirely of treasure.

It was a colossal entity formed by the haphazard accumulation of countless riches.

The bottom layer consisted of gold ingots and silver bricks cast into standard shapes, stacked neatly, but above that, it was completely immersed in a vortex of extravagance.

Thousands upon thousands of gold coins cascaded down the mountainside, mixed with countless silver and copper coins.

Jade and gemstones are scattered among them, each as large as a pigeon egg, pure and flawless.

There are also various alchemical tools, as well as dozens of magical items, including staves, rings, necklaces, and armor...

They were casually piled up on the edge, as if they were just inconspicuous embellishments.

At the top of Treasure Mountain, a deep red figure was huddled.

It was a red dragon, about ten meters long, with its wings folded and its spine rising and falling slightly with its long breaths.

The dragon's head rests on its folded forepaws, its eyes are closed, and occasionally it exhales two streams of hot breath from its nostrils, blowing down a few gems.

She was sleeping soundly, with soft snores.

It's Cinsera.

Alecto recognized her at a glance.

What is she doing here?

Moreover, judging from her environment and treatment, she doesn't seem like a prisoner, but rather someone who has been carefully raised.

But these thoughts only flashed through his mind for a moment before being forgotten.

Now! Nothing matters except the treasure!

It's his! All of these are his!

These shimmering physical entities should prostrate themselves beneath him!

Alecto charged out suddenly, heading straight for the golden mountain.

In the blink of an eye, the dragon's body reappeared, even larger than the sleeping Cynthia, its streamlined form exuding explosive power.

But all he had in his eyes were those treasures.

Alecto rushed to the foot of the mountain of gold, his dragon claws sweeping wildly, scattering handfuls of gold coins and gems haphazardly.

"A space bag! That's right, a space bag!"

He took out his spatial bag, infused it with magic, and the bag opened, beginning a frenzy of buying.

The dragon's claws, like shovels, shoveled piles of gold and silver coins directly into its spatial bag.

Large, scattered gemstones, regardless of color or type, are all swept up as long as they are big and shiny enough.

His movements became faster and more skillful, and he even began to pick and choose.

He prioritized weapons and armor that shimmered with intense magical light, such as a longsword with ice-blue runes flowing across its blade and a staff with a thunderbird feather at its tip, and put them into his spatial bag.

He threw in bundles of magic scrolls, and even the alchemical vessels weren't spared.

He even found several boxes, but didn't have time to open and check them; he just took them away, box by box.

Treasure Mountain is shrinking at a visible rate.

Area after area was cleared, revealing the ground beneath.

Alecto was so engrossed in digging that a large amount of gold coins and jewels that served as his mattress slipped and fell due to the sudden collapse of the supports.

Cinsera, who was fast asleep, suddenly sank downwards.

"Huh? What are you guys up to this time? How much more are you moving?!"

A muffled murmur escaped from Cinsella's throat.

Her eyelids twitched a few times, and her vertical pupils slowly opened.

Cinsera thought that Elena had sent someone to collect the treasures again. Although it was painful to do so each time, Elena would soon send even more treasures.

After a while, she stopped caring too much about temporary gains and losses.

Speaking of which, Elena said she had to deal with some nobles and went to a place called Twin Moon City, but she still hasn't finished dealing with them...

But the next second, she sensed something was wrong.

Hmm... no, that's not right!

Is the support feeling weaker? Is there a gap on my side?

My treasure is disappearing at breakneck speed?!

Cinsela's pupils suddenly contracted, her sleepiness instantly vanishing.

She abruptly raised her head, turned her face to the side, and looked at her own body—

A red dragon, even larger than her, was standing with its back to her, frantically stuffing her treasure into a bag with both claws!

Moreover, a large part of that area has been vacated!

The gold plate she used to sharpen her claws is also gone!

The two-handed greatsword inlaid with the core of the fire demon is also gone!

"ah!!!"

Shock, confusion, and then rage.

Cincera suddenly raised her dragon body, her wings spread wide, and her dragon scales burst open.

"Thief! Robber! Shameless thief! How dare you touch my treasure!!!"

Alector was startled by the roar and froze, briefly snapping out of his plundering frenzy.

Holding the pure gold statue he had just snatched into his arms, he subconsciously turned around and met Cinsera's vertical pupils burning with raging anger.

Eyes facing each other.

In an instant, the bloodline connection was triggered.

Cinsera recognized Alecto instantly.

"Alecto!? What are you doing here? And! Put down my treasure!"

But at this moment, nothing is more important than treasure.

Instead of putting down the stolen goods, Alecto pulled the golden statue closer to his chest, his vertical pupils narrowing:

"Yours? It has your name on it?"

"The weak are not worthy of treasure."

The typical Red Dragon logic is that power equals ownership.

"You're asking for it!"

Cinsela was completely enraged.

This is not just theft; it is a trampling of her dignity and an insult to her dignity!

Completely disregarding the size difference, she kicked off the mountain of gold with her hind legs, her dragon body like a cannonball, carrying flying gold coins, and pounced towards Alecto.

Its right claw aimed straight at its face, and from its wide-open mouth, the dragon's breath was poised to burst forth.

Alecto didn't even bother to dodge; he didn't even loosen his grip on the pure gold statue in his arms. He simply lowered his dragon body slightly and used his left claw to meet Cinsera head-on.

This attack was completely devoid of any fancy moves; it was purely a crushing blow of strength and size.

Cinsera's momentum was abruptly halted. Her dragon body swayed backward, and the golden mountain beneath her feet collapsed once more, with gems tumbling down with a clatter.

"Cinsera, you've become weaker, and you shouldn't have gotten close."

Alecto's right claw followed closely, slamming down hard on Cinsera.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Cinsera's dragon scales rolled off, and blood gushed out.

She roared in pain and swung her left claw, but when it hit Alecto, it felt like hitting an impenetrable wall.

Alekto's dragon body remained completely still, though a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes.

We need to hurry, time is running out.

With that thought, he suddenly grabbed Cinsella by the neck and lifted her up sharply.

"I don't have time to argue with you, so lie down right now!"

Cinsera's dragon body lifted off the ground, its wings flapping wildly, its hind claws scrambling, but it could only frantically pry off pieces of gold coins.

She twisted and struggled, her dragon tail sweeping across the golden mountain and collapsing half of the pile of gems.

Before she could gather her strength, Alecto swung her up and slammed her dragon head towards the ground.

Boom—rock fragments flew everywhere.

Cinsela groaned, and before she could catch her breath, she was lifted up again.

Alecto spun around and flung her sideways, sending her crashing into the rock wall.

The rock wall collapsed with a crash, sending dust flying everywhere.

Blood and foam immediately spilled from Cinsera's mouth, and dragon breath surged in her throat, but she couldn't spit it out at all because her neck was being strangled.

She flapped her wings desperately, trying to break free, her dragon claws scraping sparks from Alecto's arm, but she couldn't break through a layer of scales.

Alecto remained expressionless, but increased his strength.

He strode forward, swung Cinsera, and slammed it into the ground again, making the entire mine rumble.

Gold coins and gems rained down, jingling and tumbling.

Cinsera crouched for a moment, then sprang up, tearing at Alecto's face with her left claw.

Alecto turned his head to avoid it, then pressed down with his right claw, burying her head in the rubble.

The rock strata cracked, the scales on Cinther's head shattered, and blood seeped into the cracks.

She let out a low growl and slammed her hind legs against the ground, trying to roll over.

Alecto stepped on her back, still holding her neck, lifted her upper body, and slammed her down again.

One, two, three...

The dull thud sounded like a drumbeat, and cracks appeared on the ground.

Cinsera's struggles weakened, her wings drooped softly, and her four claws hung limply.

Alecto loosened his grip, lifted Cinsella, and examined her closely.

At this moment, Cinsera's vertical pupils were unfocused, blood was gushing from her mouth and nose, and she had completely lost the ability to resist.

Hmm, it probably can't move anymore.

Alecto casually tossed her onto the mountain of gold.

The dragon's body slid down, crushing a pile of gold ingots with a dull thud.

Cinsera lay there limp, only the tip of her tail twitching slightly unconsciously.

Alecto glanced at her.

Whether it was an illusion or the result of a long separation, Cinsera's posture at this moment accentuated her graceful figure.

"Looking at it now... she seems to have become even more beautiful."

The thought flashed through his mind, and he looked away.

What's the use? Alecto turned around and continued putting away the treasures.

Little did they know, Cinsera was frantically sending messages to the distant other side through the blood pact.

"Elena! Mine invasion! It's the Red Dragon, my brother! He's stealing my treasure!!!"