Evil Red Dragon

Before long, Goron led half of the search party and all the kobold prisoners back along the way they had come.

The group stretched out in a long line, moving swiftly through the forest.

Gru watched them disappear into the shadows of the trees, then turned to the remaining warriors:

"Dismantle the scene, check the equipment, and we're heading to the third mine."

The soldiers silently buried the bodies.

Once everything was ready, Gru gave the order:

"Walk."

They soon arrived at their destination.

The entrance to this mine is about 10 meters high and wide enough for three mine cars to drive side by side, making it significantly larger than the previous two mines.

The cave entrance is surrounded by piles of ore and garbage, and several paths extend from the entrance to nearby streams and bushes.

"A direct, forceful attack!"

With a roar, Gru shot out like an arrow.

The team advanced at full speed, their footsteps echoing like muffled thunder across the land.

The shaman apprentices chanted, and magic intertwined in the air.

The two kobold sentries on duty inside the cave were dozing off when they were startled awake by the sudden roar.

They had barely raised their stone spears when Gru charged at them.

The dragon's might, as real as a physical force, instantly pressed down, and the two kobolds immediately collapsed to the ground, defecating and urinating in unison.

Gru didn't even look and rushed straight into the mine.

The view inside the cave suddenly opened up.

The mine has been transformed into a huge settlement, about 20 meters high and nearly 100 meters in circumference, with various passages leading underground.

Numerous small caves were carved into the cave walls, and each cave was divided into a hut using wooden frames and animal hides.

Several bonfires burned in the central open space, and a large iron pot was simmering with a mushy food, around which a dense crowd of kobolds sat waiting to eat.

The moment Gru burst in, all the kobolds turned their heads at once.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

They saw a troll covered in dark red scales standing at the cave entrance, followed by more ferocious-looking trolls and orcs.

What truly terrified them was the overwhelming, ferocious dragon's might.

"Waaah..."

Several kobolds near the cave entrance fainted immediately.

"Dragon... Dragon..."

Some of the kobolds trembled and crawled on the ground.

But there was one oddball among this group of dog-headed people.

A dog-headed creature, larger than its kind, suddenly stood up.

It was nearly 1.8 meters tall, holding a bone scepter in its hand, and its eyes gleamed with ferocity.

"It's a kobold warlock!"

Gru felt a chill run down his spine.

These mutated kobolds possess spellcasting abilities and are highly intelligent, often serving as the de facto rulers of kobold tribes.

The kobold warlock raised his scepter, and an earthen wall rose from the ground, blocking Gru's path.

At the same time, it roared:

"Arise! Fight! They are not real dragons! They are imposters!"

Encouraged, the burly kobolds around it grabbed stone spears and bone clubs, baring their teeth as they gathered around the sorcerer.

But many kobolds still hesitated, as the dragon's might suppressed their nature too much.

"court death."

Gru snorted and slammed his spiked club heavily against the earthen wall.

With a loud crash, the earthen wall collapsed, sending rubble flying everywhere.

He stepped forward and went straight for the sorcerer.

The kobold warlock retreated hastily, tapping his staff repeatedly, sending several acid balls flying towards Gru.

Gru neither dodged nor avoided the acid, which hit the scales with a hissing sound, but only left shallow white marks.

"Stop it!"

The warlock screamed at his guards.

Four exceptionally strong kobold warriors pounced on Gru.

They were equipped with crude metal armor, wielded poisoned short spears, and moved with lightning speed.

Gru swept his spiked club across, sending both flying.

The other two took the opportunity to get close to Gru's side, and as they jumped, their short spears pierced his knees.

Ding!Ding!

The spearhead pierced the scales, producing a metallic clanging sound.

The scales of the Gru were harder than they had expected.

Taking advantage of their momentary lapse in attention, Gru reached out with his left paw, grabbed the head of a kobold, and exerted force with his five fingers.

Pfft.

Red and white spilled out from between my fingers.

The other kobold was so frightened that it turned to run away, but Gru kicked it in the back, breaking its spine and causing it to collapse to the ground.

In an instant, all four guards were killed.

Fear flashed in the kobold warlock's eyes.

It swung its scepter sharply, and several stone spikes rose from the ground in an attempt to stop Gru.

Gru smashed through the rock spikes and brought his spiked club down on his head.

The sorcerer raised his scepter to block.

The bone scepter broke like a withered branch before the mace.

The staff, still carrying considerable momentum, struck the sorcerer's left shoulder.

Scales shattered, bones collapsed, and the sorcerer screamed as he fell to the ground.

Gru stepped on its chest and grabbed its throat:

"Make them surrender."

The warlock coughed up blood and cried out in a panic:

"Lay down your weapons...surrender..."

With their leader subdued, their already dwindling will to resist completely vanished.

The kobolds threw down their weapons, knelt on the ground, and whimpered and begged.

The sounds of battle ceased instantly.

"Tie them all up."

Gru gave the order.

They tied the kobolds together with ropes.

This time, there were a total of 193 kobold prisoners, bringing the total number to over 400, including the previous two batches.

The kobold warlock was tied up alone, and Gru examined the wound on its shoulder.

Although heavy, it is not fatal and can live for a long time.

"You can speak Dragon Language?"

Gru kicked the warlock.

The warlock raised his eyelids, his eyes still filled with hatred, but he still answered in broken dragon language:

"Yes...a little."

"Why resist?"

Gru asked:

"You should be able to sense the dragon's might."

"Dragon's Might... is not a real dragon."

The warlock gasped for breath:

"You have dragon blood in you, but you are not a dragon. My tribe... will not submit to false dragons."

"A pseudo-dragon?"

Gru grinned:

"I will take you to see the real red dragon. When you do, you will kneel down and lick his claws."

The warlock's pupils contracted, but he did not refute.

After the count was completed, Gru had his shaman apprentices give the wounded warriors some basic treatment, and then led the new prisoners away.

Meanwhile, at the site of the Silverblade Adventurers' annihilation.

Fifteen bodies have been dug up and neatly arranged in a row.

Nearly a hundred adventurers, mercenaries, and town guards gathered here, whispering among themselves around the row of corpses.

The Silverblade Adventurers are a well-known adventurers group in Graystone Town, and many people know them.

Their bodies were quickly identified by acquaintances.

"It's Paul and the others, they're all here."

"We were drinking together yesterday, and he was bragging that he was the best in the world, and now..."

This world is such a mess; you never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

The people you were drinking and bragging with yesterday are gone forever in the blink of an eye.

As adventurers, they were already aware of life and death, but when faced with the moment of parting, they still found it difficult to remain completely calm.

"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!"

A roar rang out.

The crowd parted like a tide, and a burly man with a fierce face and a robust build strode forward.

He wore studded leather armor and carried two short-handled warhammers at his waist.

"It's Marcus!"

Someone whispered.

Marcus, leader of the Iron Hammers, the number one ranked adventurer group in the Graystone Town Adventurers' Guild, is a level 5 peak warrior known for his berserk fighting style and ruthless methods.

He stopped in front of the body, squatted down, and frowned:

"The Silver Blade soldiers weren't weak. Paul was a level five warrior, and the vice-captain was also level five. How could they have been wiped out so quickly?"

Those nearby were equally puzzled:

"Unless it's a level six or higher magical beast, but where would you find a high-level magical beast near Graystone Town?"

Marcus examined the wounds on each body one by one.

Most of the bodies were killed by blunt force trauma, resulting in shattered bones and ruptured internal organs.

A few bodies showed signs of magic, but the fatal wounds still came from brute force.

He stood up and dusted off his hands.

"These wounds look more like they were caused by being smashed by a huge blunt object, such as a spiked club."

Everyone looked at each other.

A spiked club? That's a weapon favored by barbarians like trolls and orcs.

"you mean……"

The person standing to the side seemed to be deep in thought:

"Was the one who attacked Silverblade a troll?"

Marcus nodded:

"Very likely, search! The trolls here definitely have ill intentions; we must eliminate them."

Gru led the prisoners through the forest.

There were too many newly captured kobolds, and the procession was moving slowly.

He kept urging him on, a vague unease creeping into his heart.

Half a day has passed since the signal flare was launched, and human reinforcements are likely nearby.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"

He growled in the dragon language, and the kobolds shrank their necks in fear, frantically moving their short legs.

Just then, a whooshing sound came from behind.

Gru turned around abruptly, his pupils contracting to slits.

In the distance, dozens of figures were rapidly approaching through the woods. The figures at the forefront were moving extremely fast and were clearly professionals.

"They're here."