Evil Red Dragon

Gru quickly said to Kargath beside him:

"You continue forward with the prisoners to meet up with Goron. I'll cover the rear with Rag and the others."

"But……"

Gru interrupted him:

"No buts, you'd only be a burden if you stayed."

Kargath gritted his teeth, nodded, and turned to roar at the kobold:

"Hurry! Anyone who doesn't want to die, follow me!"

The kobolds stirred and fled at a faster pace, driven by the ordinary trolls.

The wind in the woods stopped.

Gru stood still, with Rag, Mog, and Ug standing to his left and right respectively. The four dragonborn trolls formed an impregnable wall between the pursuers and the group.

Gru slowly tightened his grip on the spiked club, then stretched his neck, his joints cracking.

Dragon blood surged through his body, and every muscle in his body was excited by the impending battle.

Three rangers were the first to rush out.

They were dressed in light leather armor, and their longbows were already nocked and strung.

The moment they saw the four demons of Gru, the three of them stopped abruptly and drew their bows.

"Trolls! It's trolls!"

They shouted warnings.

More figures emerged from the woods; a rough count revealed more than 30 people.

They quickly dispersed, forming a semi-circle, weapons unsheathed, elements flashing at the tips of their staffs.

The crowd parted, and Marcus strode out.

His gaze swept over the four demons of Gru, then turned to the fleeing group that could be vaguely seen in the distance.

"Four trolls think they can stop us?"

Marcus drew his twin hammers from his waist, and struck them together with a resounding clang:

"Did you kill the Silver Blade men?"

Gru did not answer.

He slowly raised his spiked club, pointing it at Marcus, and his dragon aura spread out.

The weaker level three warrior's face immediately turned pale, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

"Still a dragon descendant..."

A look of surprise flashed in Marcus's eyes, which then transformed into an even stronger killing intent:

"No wonder Silver Blade was wiped out, but today, you will all die here too!"

He raised his warhammer high:

"Everyone, attack! Leave no one alive!"

The battle erupted the moment the order was given.

The three rangers made the first move.

The bowstring trembled, and three armor-piercing arrows tore through the air, heading straight for the troll's face.

Gru neither dodged nor evaded, sweeping his spiked club horizontally.

clang!clang!clang!

The arrow was knocked away and embedded in the tree trunk, its tail feathers trembling violently.

Five warriors flanked from both sides, separating the four demons of Gru.

They worked in perfect harmony, their attacks weaving a web of death.

Rag roared and turned to the left.

Sparks flew as the mace clashed with the battle axe.

The level four warrior felt his hand split open, and his battle axe flew out of his hand.

Before he could even retreat, Lager's second baton had already arrived.

His head exploded like a watermelon.

On the right, Mog and Ug brothers fight side by side.

The two spiked clubs swirled like a whirlwind, forcing the three soldiers to retreat repeatedly.

One of them tried to attack from the side, but was hit in the ribs by Ug's backhand.

The crisp sound of ribs breaking was clearly audible, and the man flew backward, spitting blood.

But the numerical advantage of humans began to emerge.

The seven monks finished chanting simultaneously.

"Earth Spike Technique!"

"Burning rays!"

"Ice Ray!"

……

Magic poured down on Gru like a torrential downpour.

At the same time, a glint flashed in Marcus's eyes, and he swung his double hammers in a wide arc, charging forward like a cannonball.

His charge left deep footprints in the ground as he pounded his hammers into Gru's chest.

If this strike hits, it will be the full power of a level 5 peak warrior, enough to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Gru's pupils contracted sharply.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

There's no way to dodge it; you have to take it head-on.

The dragon blood within him instantly boiled.

Rock Armor.

Magic resonates with the earth.

hum-

A sudden, earthy-yellow light shone from Gru's body, and thick rock armor instantly covered his upper body, forming a suit of battle armor.

Countless magical attacks struck the battle armor, causing an instant explosion that sent ice and fire flying and dust billowing everywhere, but the battle armor remained completely unharmed.

Before Gru could even catch his breath, Marcus's twin hammers were already upon him.

He neither dodged nor avoided, but swung the spiked club at the head of the hammer.

clang--

A deafening roar exploded through the forest.

The shockwave spread outwards from the point of impact, stirring up dust and fallen leaves, making it impossible for the surrounding soldiers to open their eyes.

Marcus felt a terrifying force coming from the hammer handle.

His arms trembled violently, his tiger's mouth was torn open, and blood flowed down the hammer handle.

He was so shaken that he slid backward three zhang (approximately 10 meters), his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground.

How is that possible?!

He looked up in horror.

Gru stood still, motionless.

At the point where the mace collided with the double hammers, the head of the mace was slightly dented.

But Gru's battle armor still gleamed, completely undamaged.

The Rock Armor is made of magic as its bone and the earth as its armor.

Defense is tripled, strength is doubled, and resistance to earth magic is greatly enhanced during the duration.

The cost is continuous mana consumption and a 30% reduction in movement speed.

But for Gru at this moment, speed is no longer important.

What he needs is someone who can stand firm, withstand pressure, and cut through enemy lines!

"Is this the power of the Dragonborn?"

Marcus gritted his teeth and spat out blood.

The clumsy trolls don't know magic, but after becoming dragonborn, they have endless possibilities.

Gru stared intently at Marcus:

"My turn!"

He strode forward.

The ground tremors slightly.

Although the pace was slower, every step felt as heavy as a mountain.

The spiked club dragged behind him, its tip scraping across the ground and carving a shallow furrow.

Three soldiers pounced from the side.

Gru didn't even look, and swung his spiked club.

boom! boom! boom!

The three people were instantly sent flying backwards, dying in mid-air.

"Stop him! Mage! Control your spell!"

Marcus roared.

Two sorcerers cast spells simultaneously.

"Mud Swamp Technique!"

The ground beneath Gru's feet turned into a sticky mud pit, and his legs sank into it.

Another mage spat with his staff:

"Petrification!"

A grayish-white light shone towards Gru.

A flash of light appeared on Gru's battle armor, and the petrification spell crumbled upon contact, unable to even delay it for a moment.

Earth magic is ineffective against him!

As the monk exclaimed in surprise, Gru had already pulled his legs out of the mud.

The Earth Affinity granted by the Rock Armor gives him extremely strong resistance to terrain-based spells.

Although he will still be subject to restrictions, they will no longer be enough to confine him.

He continued forward.

Five shield warriors formed a battle formation and charged toward Gru.

They form a standard defensive array, sufficient to withstand most impacts.

But Gru did not stop.

The mace was swung in a circle, and red light flowed along its shaft.

A stick came crashing down.

The shield at the very front shattered instantly, and the shield-wielding warrior collapsed to the ground with both arms broken, screaming in agony.

A gap appeared in the battle formation, and Gru stepped in, sweeping his spiked club left and right.

The blood mist exploded.

All five soldiers perished within three breaths.

Marcus's eye twitched.

This is no longer a battle, it's a massacre.

"Everyone! Charge together! Hold him off! Ranged DPS, go all out!"

"Attack with fire and acid! Stop his regeneration! Don't give him a chance to breathe!"

He roared and charged again.

This time he changed his strategy. Instead of using his hammers to strike head-on, he moved around and engaged in close combat, striking relatively vulnerable areas such as Gru's joints, armpits, and knees.

The remaining 20 or so people could only focus their efforts on attacking the four demons.

The knight-errant's arrows rained down, targeting areas without scales, such as the eyes and mouth.

The mages abandoned control and switched to pure offensive magic.

Fireballs, ice spears, lightning chains, acid bombs... all sorts of spells intertwined in the air, bombarding Gru.

But all of them were blocked by the Rock Armor, and were of no use except for making a hissing sound.

There were also thieves who slithered into the shadows, carrying armor-piercing daggers, waiting for their chance to strike Gru's weaknesses from the shadows.

Gru was completely overwhelmed by the attack.

The sounds of explosions, collisions, shouts, and screams mingled together.

The rock-solid armor flickered intermittently under the bombardment.

A poisoned dagger stabbed Gru in the back of the neck from behind.

But this time, Gru grabbed the thief's wrist with a swift backhand.

With a cracking sound, his wrist bone shattered. Before the thief could even utter a scream, he was thrown away and crashed into a tree, his spine breaking along with the tree.

On the left, three warriors simultaneously thrust out their enchanted spears.

Gru blocked with his left arm, his spear piercing the armor, the tip bending and unable to advance any further.

It failed to penetrate!

Gru then swung his spiked club horizontally, sending the three men flying backward.

On his right, Marcus swung his hammers repeatedly at the back of his knee.

Gru kicked out.

Marcus blocked with his hammer, but was still shaken by the immense force, causing his blood to churn.

"Damn... this defense is too tough..."

He cursed inwardly.

The battle has been going on for fifteen minutes.

Gru's rock armor remained, but it was noticeably duller.

Rag and his men also suffered injuries, but because Gru drew most of the firepower, they were generally unharmed.

On the human side, more than half of the population has been lost.

More than ten corpses lay on the ground, and five or six people were seriously injured and lying on the ground, groaning incessantly.

The ranger has run out of arrows and is changing into a melee weapon.

The mages' magic power was mostly depleted, and the intervals between their spells were getting longer and longer.

"He can't hold on much longer!"

A level four mage shouted, panting heavily:

"This level of defensive magic must consume a huge amount of energy! Keep at it! Wear him down!"

Marcus gritted his teeth.

That being said, every extra moment they lingered meant more deaths.

He looked at Gru.

This troll doesn't look exhausted at all. The fleeing group has disappeared into the depths of the forest. Why haven't our reinforcements arrived yet?

Gru stood still, his chest heaving as the earth element solidified once more, dispersing all the acid clinging to his armor.

Marcus gripped his hammers tightly; the cut on his hand had stopped bleeding, but his arm was still trembling slightly.

He stared intently at Gru, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

We can't keep dragging this out any longer.

"Change formation!"

Marcus roared:

"Warriors, retreat! Mages, prepare your composite spells! Rangers, prepare your Alchemy Arrow!"

The crowd responded and moved.

The seven monks quickly gathered together, raising their staffs high, and chanting rose and fell in waves.

Magic converged wildly, and fire and wind elements intertwined to form a three-meter-diameter vortex of fire.

"Combined Magic! Fiery Tornado!"

The vortex suddenly expanded, transforming into a ferocious fire dragon that lunged at Gru with bared fangs and claws.

Wherever it passed, the vegetation withered and the ground cracked.

At the same time, the ranger drew a long, jet-black arrow from his quiver.

The arrowhead was engraved with fine runes and gleamed with a deep blue light.

These are magic-breaking arrows specifically designed to break through magical defenses. They are very expensive to make, each costing 100 gold coins.

The bowstring was drawn to its fullest extent.

call out!call out!call out!

Three black arrows were shot out, arriving first despite being launched later, striking the rock-solid battle armor ahead of time.

boo——

Like a pebble thrown into water, the moment the arrow tip touched the rock-solid armor, the azure runes exploded, and countless cracks instantly spread across the surface of the armor.

Gru's pupils contracted sharply.

The Rock Armor is being destroyed!

At that moment, the Fiery Dragon Tornado was already upon them.

"roar!"

Gru roared and swung his spiked club in a wide arc, smashing it down on the head of the fire dragon.

boom--!!!

The loud explosion shook the entire mountain forest.

The blazing white flames engulfed Gru's figure, and the heatwave spread outwards as if it were a tangible force. Two nearby warriors were thrown to the ground, their leather armor instantly charred black.

"I won!"

A mage shouted excitedly.

But the next second, his expression froze.

The flames died down.

Gru remained standing.

The rock armor was broken in many places, the scales rolled off and fell off, revealing the bright red flesh underneath.

A fist-sized hole was burned into his left shoulder, and the stench of burning flesh mixed with the smell of blood permeated the air.

But Gru didn't fall.

In fact, the murderous glint in those red eyes was even stronger than before.

"this one?"

Gru uttered two words.

Marcus's face immediately turned ashen.

The combination of the Demon-Slaying Arrow and complex magic was the strongest attack they could muster in a short time, yet it still failed to defeat the troll.

"Keep going! He's dying!"

Marcus gritted his teeth and roared:

"All warriors, advance! Hold him off! Mages, prepare for the second round!"

Before he could finish speaking, Gru moved.

He stopped playing defensively and instead charged towards the mage camp, dragging his spiked club.

His footsteps were heavy, each step causing a slight tremor in the ground.

Although the Rock Armor reduces speed, the distance of tens of meters is only a matter of three or four seconds.

"Stop him!"

Marcus crossed his two hammers and stood in front of Gru.

The remaining warriors followed closely behind, thrusting and slashing from both sides with spears and battle axes.

Gru didn't even look, and swung his spiked club horizontally.

boom!boom!boom!boom!boom!

A series of muffled thuds sounded simultaneously.

All the soldiers were sent flying backward, crashing through trees and rolling to the ground, groaning in pain.

Marcus seized the opportunity to smash his twin hammers into Gru's knees again.

clang!

The hammer struck, producing a metallic clang.

A layer of rock armor had somehow appeared on Gru's knees, seamlessly integrating with his battle armor.

"you!"

Marcus looked up in astonishment, meeting Gru's red eyes.

"Have you had enough fun?!"

The spiked club came crashing down from above.

Simple, direct, and without any frills.

But it's too fast and too powerful.

Marcus only had time to cross his hammers and raise them upwards.

clang--

With a deafening roar, Marcus's knees buckled, and he was slammed to his knees.

The ground cracked and subsided, forming a shallow pit.

He was in excruciating pain in both arms, his bones groaning as if they were about to break.

His hand split open again, and blood dripped down the hammer handle, mixing with the soil.

Gru raised his foot and kicked Marcus hard in the chest.

boom!

Marcus was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through three giant trees before finally slamming to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Commander!"

The wandering swordsman cried out and tried to rush over to help.

"Leave me alone!"

Marcus struggled to his feet, his chest caved in, with at least three ribs broken.

"Kill him! Now!"

But morale had collapsed.

Gru's combat prowess far exceeded expectations, and Marcus's serious injury cast a shadow over the remaining men.

"Lag! Mog! Ug!"

Gru suddenly roared:

"Come closer to me!"

Upon hearing this, the three dragonborn trolls quickly broke free from their entangled enemies and retreated behind Gru, forming a triangular formation back to back.

They each had scars on their bodies.

Rag's left arm was pierced by an ice spear, and blood was flowing continuously. Mog had a deep knife wound in his abdomen that exposed the bone. Ug had the least serious injury, with only a few large areas of scales falling off.

But his eyes remained fierce.

Gru surveyed the battlefield.

There are 18 humans left.

All four of our demons are injured, but their fighting strength remains.

Gru whispered:

"It's time to retreat. The team has already gone far enough; there's no need to fight to the death."

"They won't let us go."

Rag spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Then beat them until they hurt."

Gru grinned, revealing his gleaming white fangs.

He took a deep breath, and the dragon blood within him boiled once more.

The Rock Armor suddenly shone brightly, its earthen yellow radiance enveloping the area. The ground trembled, and rocks rose up, forming a rock wall about half a person's height, protecting the four demons behind it.

"Does he want to hold out?"

A monk frowned.

"No."

Marcus clutched his chest, his face pale.

He wants to break through.

Before he could finish speaking, Gru slammed his spiked club heavily against the rock wall.

Boom!

The rock wall crumbled, and rubble rained down on the human camp.

"defense!"

The mage roared and raised a magical shield.

But there were too many gravel stones, and they were too dense.

The two rangers were unable to dodge in time and were struck by the rock, falling to the ground and temporarily losing their ability to move.

A soldier raised his shield, which was dented by the impact, and he staggered backward.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the four demons of Gru turned and fled, using the trees for cover.

"Chase!"

Marcus roared and coughed up another mouthful of blood:

"We can't let them go!"

The remaining men gritted their teeth and gave chase.

But the trolls were faster than them, and with Gru deliberately choosing complex terrain, the distance between the two sides gradually increased.

A thief sneaked to the flank, attempting a surprise attack.

As if sensing something, Ug suddenly turned around and swung his spiked club horizontally.

The thief jumped back in a panic, but crashed into a large tree.

Ug stepped forward and brought his club down.

puff.

The thief was turned into minced meat.

"Don't get too close!"

Marcus roared:

"Remote harassment! Just keep them occupied!"

The mage and ranger began their ranged attacks.

Fireball, ice arrow, wind blade...

Spells flew through the forest.

Gru neither dodged nor avoided the attack, but instead took the hit head-on with his body.

"He won't last much longer!"

A look of delight flashed in the eyes of one of the monks:

"One more volley, and the armor will surely break!"

The seven mages once again gathered their magic.

But just then, Gru suddenly stopped.

The four demons turned around simultaneously to face their pursuers.

"What's wrong, can't run anymore?"

Marcus grinned maliciously, even though his chest throbbed with pain with every word he uttered.

Gru did not answer.

He simply raised his spiked club and pointed it at the mage who had just spoken.

Then, charge.

There was no warning, no roar.

It's simply a pure, violent, and relentless charge.

A hundred meters can be covered in three steps.

Flames blazed at that moment, Gru's muscles bulged, blood seeped from the gaps in his dragon scales, and he moved so fast that he became a dark red afterimage.

"Stop him!"

Marcus was horrified.

The remaining soldiers gritted their teeth and stepped forward.

Gru swept his spiked club across the room.

The first soldier raised his shield to block, but the shield shattered, his arm broke, and he was sent flying.

The second soldier was struck in the shoulder and neck by the remaining force of the spiked club, shattering his collarbone.

The third warrior tried to dodge, but Gru grabbed his head with his left claw and exerted force with his five fingers.

Pfft.

Red and white splashes everywhere.

In an instant, all three were killed.

Gru had already rushed up to the mage.

The mage's face turned deathly pale. He swung his staff frantically, and a magical shield lit up.

Gru smashed the spiked club down.

The shield shattered.

The mage turned to run away, but Gru kicked him in the back.

The crisp crack of the spine breaking was clearly audible. The monk collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The remaining six mages retreated in terror, and their chanting came to a complete halt.

"Who else?!"

Gru was panting, his spiked club pounding the ground.

Fresh blood gushed from the wound, dripping down the scales onto the ground.

His left shoulder wound was so deep that bone was visible, and blood was gushing out.

But he stood there.

Moreover, no one dared to step forward.

Marcus stared intently at Gru, his hands trembling, feeling a surge of anger and helplessness.

He knew he couldn't hold onto those four trolls today.

If the fight continues, even if we manage to kill them, our own adventurer group will inevitably suffer heavy losses.

Damn it, support seems a long way off. None of these guys are loyal. In the end, it's me, the sucker who doesn't get along with Paul, who wants to avenge him.

Damn! This battle has cost at least two thousand gold coins in medical expenses and compensation, and we'll have to recruit more people to replenish our forces.

We've lost a fortune!

"withdraw."

Marcus squeezed the word out through clenched teeth.

"Commander!"

Some people are unwilling to accept this.

"I said let's go!"

Marcus roared, coughing up blood again:

"Go back and gather manpower, spread the word... they can't get very far."

They began to slowly retreat, keeping a wary eye on the four demons.

Gru did not pursue.

He finally couldn't hold on any longer until the human figures completely disappeared into the depths of the forest.

"puff……"

Gru sat down hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Boss!"

The three demons of Ragnarok rushed forward.

"fine."

Gru waved his hand and stood up, supporting himself with his spiked club:

"It's a superficial wound; you won't die."

Even so, his breathing was extremely weak.

The series of fierce battles, coupled with the overexertion of his Rock Armor, had left his physical strength and magical power on the verge of exhaustion.

"Let's get out of here first."

Gru looked in the direction Goron had retreated:

"Head to the meeting point."

The four demons, supporting each other, staggered towards the Black Crow River.

About half an hour later, the sound of flowing water could be heard from ahead.

We've arrived at Black Crow River.

In the dense forest on the opposite bank, faint lights could be seen; that was the temporary camp set up by Goron.

"Send a signal."

Gru said.

Ug took out a bone whistle from his pocket and blew it loudly.

The clear sound of the whistle echoed across the river.

The firelight moved across the opposite bank, and soon, several simple wooden rafts were pushed out from the shore and rowed towards this side.

As the raft reached the shore, Goron jumped off and, upon seeing the horrific state of the four demons, his expression changed:

"Is it that serious?"

"They're not dead, but what about the prisoners?"

"They're all on the other side, not one is missing. Let's cross the river first."

The four demons boarded the raft, and the troll warriors rowed with all their might, heading towards the other side.

The river was swift, and the raft rocked violently.

Gru sat at the bow of the raft, gazing at the east bank that was gradually receding into the distance.

In this battle, they killed at least 30 human professionals, including the entire Silverblade Adventurer Group and Marcus's elite troops.

The cost was that four demons were severely wounded and two orc warriors were killed.

Is it worth it?

Gru didn't know.

All he knew was that he had carried out his master's orders.

This is enough.

The raft docked.

The campfire blazed brightly, and more than 400 kobolds, linked together by ropes, huddled in the center of an open space, guarded by orcs.

Upon seeing Gru's return, the kobolds stirred, but the commotion quickly subsided under the dragon's might.

Goron led Gru into the tent in the center of the camp.

Kargath had already prepared healing potions and bandages, and upon seeing Gru's injuries, he gasped in shock:

"It's almost closing up on its own?!"

Gru's penetrating wound to the shoulder and abdomen had mostly closed on its own and was no longer bleeding.

"No treatment needed?"

Gru moved his left arm.

"Probably not."

Kargas wiped his sweat:

"But Boss Gru, your injuries will require at least half a month... a week to recover?"

"understood."

Gru nodded and looked at Goron:

"Pack your things and head back to Chifeng."

"So urgent?"

Goron frowned:

"Shouldn't we wait? What if there are still pursuers..."

"We need to hurry because there might be pursuers."

Gru said calmly:

"The pursuers aren't all dead yet. They'll definitely go back and gather more people. It's too close to Graystone Town; it's not safe here."

Goron said no more and turned to leave the tent to make arrangements.