Swordmaster's Youngest Son Chapter 809
Previously on Swordmaster's Youngest Son...
Chapter 809
The Bird Dragon Fortress functioned as more than a mere training facility for Hairan’s Dragon Knights; it was the very heart where their avian mounts were bred and raised.
Following their strike on Zipple’s second-class Magic Tower, the Red Legend Tribe designated this fortress as their next objective for slaughter.
The surrounding region, known as the “Quassel Plain,” was populated exclusively by Dragon Knights, trainees, and bird dragons to ensure the strict security and specialized nature of their drills.
The Red Legend Tribe sought the lifeblood of the powerful.
To them, the bird dragons and their remains were easily harvested resources that offered magnificent sustenance.
These creatures held a value that surpassed even the White Wolf or Red Tiger Tribes, and the knights who rode them were equally prized.
Furthermore, the defensive measures of the Bird Dragon Fortress appeared pathetic to the Red Legend Tribe.
Utilizing dimensional portals and the overwhelming might of their armada, they seized control of the firmament above the fortress with the same swiftness they had shown during the Zipple assault.
The crimson fleet of the Red Legend Tribe unleashed their cannons the moment they emerged.
In a flash, the aerial bombardment reduced the entire stronghold to a scorched wasteland.
Caught off guard by a teleportation-based siege, the Dragon Knights had zero time to organize a defense or formulate a counterattack.
“How dare they…!”
Thud!
Dante ground his teeth, shoving aside the falling rubble and jagged metal raining from the sky.
Dante usually resided at Hairan’s second castle, but he had traveled to the Bird Dragon Fortress today for a personal inspection of the troops.
Had he been absent, the Red Legend Tribe would have slaughtered and looted the Quassel Plain without resistance before vanishing into the night.
“Are you unharmed, Patriarch-nim?!”
“I am fine. Check the status of the young knights and the bird dragons!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Rescue them immediately and move them to safety. They cannot withstand this enemy. Furthermore, dispatch our swiftest Dragon Knight to the second castle to report this crisis!”
“Understood!”
The surrounding knights scrambled to clear the wreckage of the destroyed briefing room.
Though a profound and nameless fury burned within him, Dante kept his head and stepped outside. More than a hundred warships of the red fleet had completely encircled the fortress.
The men standing in the central hall with Dante were all high-ranking Dragon Knights.
They had survived the initial volley without major injury, but the situation was dire for the fledglings and beasts on the far side of the grounds.
Calamine, the Commander of the Dragon Knights, was away, and the rest of the elite forces were currently scattered across the Empire on various missions.
Dante looked upon the corpses of his men and dragons nearby, the screams of his subordinates echoing in his ears. With a gaze both icy and focused, he drew his blade and fixed his eyes on the enemy flagship.
‘Is this the Red Legend Tribe Jin warned me about? Their fleet is formidable, but there is more. One of those passengers must possess transcendent power.’
Dante’s instincts screamed this truth to him.
Commanding the fleet that loomed over the fortress was Drek Hon.
Drek Hon was the sovereign of the Red Legend Tribe and the recently awakened Great King of Battle. Unlike Rakiman, his strength was almost entirely restored.
“Is that human not the one called the Sword Emperor? His presence and appearance match the descriptions. Compatriot Henji, why is he here?”
“My apologies, Compatriot Drek. As Dante Hairan is currently the leader of the Empire, tracking his exact movements proved difficult.”
“I see. I understand. In that case, I shall make you understand that you are to become an immortal warrior under my command.”
Drek seized Henji by the head before he could utter a word.
“Ack, no, aaargh…!”
In a heartbeat, Henji’s massive frame shriveled, his flesh becoming dry and brittle like dead wood.
The blood drained from his body, turning into crimson mist that was sucked into Drek’s palm.
Thud!
The sound of the Light Heart hitting the floor caused the other members of the Red Legend Tribe to stiffen.
“Open the bridge. I wish to speak with the Sword Emperor.”
As the flagship’s platform lowered, Dante caught sight of Drek.
Drek peered down at Dante with thin, mocking eyes.
“Sword Emperor, I am Drek Hon, the Great King of Battle of the Red Legend Tribe. I offer you a single choice. Leave this wretched fortress and run. Do so, and I will spare your life today. We will depart once we have harvested enough blood, and you can live to plot your revenge.”
Dante’s impulse was to leap up and strike Drek down, but he remained silent to stall for time.
He needed every second so his knights could tend to the wounded trainees and dragons.
Reading his thoughts, Drek smirked.
“Wasting a few moments will not change the destiny of the humans here. They are all destined to become our food.”
Sword Emperor’s Secret Technique, Celestial Flash.
The moment Drek stopped speaking, Rashid erupted in a blinding radiance.
A massive wave of sword energy surged toward the front of the red fleet.
Drek, however, did not move a finger.
He allowed the fleet’s defensive barriers to absorb Dante’s strike.
Both Drek’s personal power and the capabilities of this armada were on a completely different level than those Rakiman had used against Kinzelo.
“So that is your reply. You truly deserve the title of Sword Emperor, wielding such a remarkable blade. I would enjoy a personal duel… but this is a conquest, not a contest. Such a shame.”
Drek vanished as the bridge retracted. Dante let out a roar, unleashing a series of Celestial Flashes, but the fleet’s shields only glowed a deeper red in defiance.
The barriers were strong, but they couldn't hold against Dante's relentless assault forever.
The true issue was the lack of tactical control. The red fleet owned the sky and could rain death upon the entire fortress, while Dante was forced to divide his focus between fighting and protecting his subordinates.
The shelling resumed.
A brutal storm of red lightning began to tear the Bird Dragon Fortress apart.
‘I cannot protect them all.’
Dante was forced to realize that his current power was insufficient to save everyone.
Perhaps retreating as Drek suggested was the logical path.
After all, Drek seemed more interested in gathering prey than wasting energy in a life-or-death struggle with Dante.
However, Dante found solace in the fact that his presence here was a stroke of luck amidst the chaos.
The second stroke of luck was that he wasn't fighting this battle alone.
Suaak…!
Creak!
Violent explosions suddenly rocked the upper left flank of the Red Legend Tribe’s formation.
The rear of the fleet had been blindsided by an unexpected attack.
Because the tribe had focused their energy on the forward shields to repel Dante, their rear was left exposed.
No matter how thick the armor of those warships was, they could not withstand a direct hit from one of the world's most powerful humans.
Though they tried to raise rear barriers, two ships were already lost.
“…I ought to have inquired about that human before granting Henji the gift of immortality.”
Drek sighed, glancing toward the damaged left wing.
“That is Hedo, a pillar of the Vamel Alliance.”
Hedo.
Upon learning of the Zipple Magic Tower massacre, Jin had sent Hedo to the Empire.
Jin knew it was too much to ask Dante to protect the entire Empire alone until the Red Legend Tribe’s tactics were fully understood.
“All vessels, excluding the flagship, are to concentrate fire on the Sword Emperor and Hedo. I shall hunt the escaping vermin myself. Flagship, push energy output to the limit. I will personally synchronize with the lightning. We will kill at least one of them before we depart.”
The fire that had been scattered across the fortress now converged on the two masters.
For a moment, it seemed the trainees and dragons might have a chance to flee.
But the hope was short-lived.
Once Drek linked his radiant heart to the power core, the flagship “Barion” surged with terrifying energy.
Wings extended from Barion's hull, crackling with feral lightning.
Dante and Hedo, despite their lack of experience with this fleet, felt a primal sense of doom.
They encouraged the young knights to take to the skies.
They believed that if they could suppress the bombardment, the knights could fly to safety on their bird dragons.
However, the red bolts from Barion’s wings instantly blanketed the Quassel Plain's sky, sending the dragons screaming toward the earth.
The sky under Barion’s influence became a scorched zone. It functioned like the Imperial Special Task Force’s Red Giant Linked Barrier, vaporizing everything in the air.
Naturally, Drek’s version was far more lethal.
“Kiaaah!”
“Kiiik…!”
The dragons were reduced to cinders mid-flight.
The young knights riding them met the same ashen end.
Fighting back a wave of despair, Dante swung his sword at the flagship.
Yet, he could not bridge the gap through the unrelenting wall of fire.
The other ships continued to pin down both Dante and Hedo.
The Dragon Knights on the ground were forced to flee on foot, but the bird dragons could only run so far while being hunted. Barion opened fire on the ground as well, unwilling to let any escape.
There was no sanctuary—neither in the clouds nor on the soil.
“Sword Emperor! The Dragon Knights will be wiped out if this continues!”
Hedo shouted, moving to stand beside Dante.
“Sir Hedo.”
“You must protect the survivors and break out of here. Get to the second castle and contact Jin immediately. I will stay behind and keep these monsters busy by myself.”
If they wanted to save anyone, this was the only viable path.
But Dante felt the burden of sacrifice should be his to bear.
This was his land, his people, and his responsibility as the Patriarch of Hairan.
“…I should be the one to stay. Please, Sir Hedo, you must go!”
“No. You are powerful, Dante, but you are fragile in ways I am not.”
“What does that matter? It is only right that you escape.”
“Do you think you’re more durable than me, Sword Emperor? If I take a hit, I can recover. If you fall, the Empire falls with you. We have no time for pride. Go find Jin! If you won't leave, I'll cut you down myself before these red bastards get the chance. I mean it.”
Seeing the unwavering resolve in Hedo’s eyes, Dante finally gave a sharp nod.
“…Very well. I will never forget this, Sir Hedo.”
Watching Dante retreat with the survivors, Hedo turned his focus back to the Red Legend Tribe.
“Phew, this is going to be tight. Well, let’s see just how long I can last.”