Chapter 104: Aerial Csh

  After several Eagle Guards were mercilessly shot down by the pyers, they finally closed in to a suitable range and began to terattack.

  Unfortunately, their accura high-speed flight oor, and evehey did hit, the feeble arrows couldn’t pee the tough scales of the dragons.

  Oher hand, the pyers fought fiercely, pig off eagles at cle with precision. Some pyers who specialized in throwing ons hurled spears that pierced both rider and eagle.

  "Hell yeah, this is amazing!"

  The pyer with the ID "Big Sword" cheered.

  With a strength score of 17, he was the group’s powerhouse, even specializing iavern Brawl】 skill for the thrill of high-altitude throws.

  Uhe dragons, the eagles had only soft feathers for flight and no hard scales for prote.

  "Damn it…"

  Nelly bit her lip, her gaze heavy.

  She watched as her Eagle Guards fell one by one, having lost ten without making a dent in the enemy.

  Even she had narrowly dodged an arrow in a daring side-roll, barely avoiding the attack.

  "This ’t go on."

  She made a quick decision, raising her sword and shouting, "Northwind Eagle Guard, listen up! Close in and form a circle formation!"

  Sharp eagle cries echoed across the sky.

  The Eagle Guards ceased their futile archery and accelerated toward the enemy, aiming to form a tight circle of three or four around each Crimson Scaled queror, using agility and o take them down one by one.

  This was a textbook maneuver from the Eagle Guard’s tactical training.

  But they had e up against their former ander—

  —Alger.

  As the close-quarters battle approached, Alger noticed the Eagle Guards grouping to encircle him, led by her than Nelly.

  "Looks like she learned well."

  "Nelly."

  He reized the familiar tactics immediately.

  But from his time with the pyers, he had learned much, including the "energy maactics—turning kiid potential energy into effective aerial bat responses, maximizing bat efficy.

  The eagles, smaller and faster than the dragon-blooded eagles, had superiility.

  Five Eagle Guards circled Alger, waiting for the perfeent to strike.

  "Igor."

  Alger remained calm, urging his dragon-blooded eagle to asd, verting kiiergy to potential energy, exeg a powerful aerial turn to slip out of the encirclement with ease.

  Nelly gred at the half-dragon knight, her brow furrowed.

  "Keep surrounding him! Don’t give him any ce to ter!"

  She shouted.

  Eagles weaved, banked, and rolled through the air.

  Reizing the half-dragon knight as the leader, Nelly led five Eagle Guards to front him directly, yet they were toyed with in the sky.

  For some reason, she found his movements eerily familiar.

  "Why is that…"

  Alger reached the highest point of his ast, flipping over and diving back down.

  "Danger!"

  Nelly shouted.

  The dragon-blooded eagle dove in a graceful arc, charging one of the Eagle Guards in the circle with unstoppable speed.

  The Eagle Guard didn’t even realize the danger until it was too te.

  "Swish—"

  With the terrifying speed of the dive, Alger’s fming greatsword ly decapitated the eagle, sending its rider screaming down to his death.

  Alger asded once more, moving slowly as he prepared for the devastating strike.

  "Damn you, dragon’s minion!"

  Nelly gritted her teeth, wishing she could ssh that dragon’s face to pieces.

  But she forced herself to stay calm, , "Attack while he’s asding! Watch for his dive!"

  The Eagle Guards quickly drew their bows, firing arrows.

  Alger, however, performed fluid flips, turns, and sidesteps, gliding through the sky with the grace of a waltz, effortlessly dodging the arrows.

  "Igor."

  Alger whispered.

  The dragon-blooded eagle uood and dove down again.

  Feathers flew, blood sprayed, and anle Guard fell, life taken with ease.

  Against the half-dragon knight on his dragon-blooded eagle, the Eagle Guards seemed like mere pythings in his hands.

  Nelly remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly,

  "Everyone, fall back. I’ll handle him."

  "I won’t lose again."

  Determination flickered in her deep brown eyes.

  This rare female Eagle Guard had endured grueling training aless drills, carrying the will of her fallen rades after that harrowing battle, eventually being the first female captain in a tury.

  She would never allow what happened five years ago to repeat.

  Even if it cost her life!

  "Turner."

  She whispered her eagle’s name, her voice steeling.

  "This time, I won’t—"

  "—flee in haste again!"

  g her legs, she spurred her eagle forward, lifting her silver sword, charging directly at her formidable foe.

  "Die, dragon’s minion!"

  Alger watched Nelly’s head-on charge, murmuring to himself,

  "Is this a challenge?"

  "Then bring it on."

  Alger’s gaze sharpened.

  Leaning forward, he gripped his Everfme Greatswuiding his dragon-blooded eagle into a diving charge.

  The two closed the hundred-meter distaween them.

  At flight speed, they would csh in mere moments.

  Nelly’s heart pounded as she watched her oppo’s charge, sweat dripping from her grip on the sword, close enough now to see every scale on the enemy’s face.

  The half-dragon knight dove, brandishing his fming sword.

  In that split sed,

  Nelly hesitated.

  The motions—the dive, the ssh, even his posture—felt so familiar.

  A horrifying possibility fshed in her mind: this half-dragon monstrosity might be the ander she once admired.

  No, it couldn’t be!

  No, I’m still in battle!

  Shaking off the thought, Nelly gripped her silver sword tightly.

  But in that moment of hesitation, she had lost her final ce.

  "Swish—"

  Fmes filled her vision as the sharp bde sliced mercilessly across her vulnerable neck.

  As her head fell from the sky, her beautiful and resolute face remaiched with a look of fusion and disbelief.

  AnnouA big thank you to [John Doe] for joining my Patreon! Your support means a lot to me.

  FAL