Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence

Chapter 549: Chapter 419: The Ruined Black Stone Castle and the Sun’s Advancement

Two days later, at the crack of dawn.

One after another, urgent reports flew into the temporary camp outside Black Stone Castle.

"My Lord! It’s an emergency!"

"A massive number of... Fire Sparrows have appeared on the eastern border of the territory!"

"Fire Sparrows?"

Raylo frowned.

They were a type of Low Tier, Fire Element Demon Bird. Most of them were Unranked, with only a small number able to advance to Tier One Demon Birds.

A single Fire Sparrow posed almost no threat.

"It’s not just one or two... it’s... it’s hundreds, even thousands of them!"

the Knight said.

"They’re flying everywhere. They’ve already set several villages and wheat fields on fire, right before the harvest!"

Raylo’s expression turned grim in an instant.

As a Fire Domain Level Magical Beast, it was a simple matter for the Blazing Phoenix to command these Low Tier Fire Element beasts.

It was now using these swarms of Fire Sparrows to harass Black Stone Territory on a massive scale.

These swarms of Fire Sparrows weren’t particularly lethal, but they were incredibly destructive and exceptionally irritating.

They were like swarms of locusts, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.

If they weren’t stopped, the entire autumn harvest in the eastern part of Black Stone Territory would be ruined in a matter of days.

Raylo walked to the entrance of his study and gazed out at the distant horizon.

He previously couldn’t understand why the Blazing Phoenix had gone to the Black Stone Mountain Range and the Jade Swamp.

But now, it all made sense.

’At first, the Blazing Phoenix tried to go to the Black Stone Mountain Range and the Jade Swamp to subjugate Magical Beasts, intending to use them to attack Black Stone Territory and create a chance to seize the Sun Crown Stone.’

’But, being a stranger in a strange land, it suffered setbacks in both the Black Stone Mountain Range and the Jade Swamp, forcing it to retreat.’

’In the end, it chose Silver Moon Territory, a land left vacant after the Crimson Bloodline’s massacre.’

’There, it subjugated these Low Tier Fire Sparrows to harass Black Stone Territory.’

"Ed!"

Raylo said to Ed, who was sitting beside him.

"Here!"

"Relay my orders! Dispatch all the Griffin Knights and Pegasus Knights. Drive these Fire Sparrows out of Black Stone Territory!"

"Furthermore, dispatch Knights to instruct all the villages to begin their harvest early to minimize losses."

"My Lord, what about the defenses here at the castle...?"

Ed asked worriedly.

"The Giant Legion will remain here. They will be sufficient."

Raylo said.

The Blazing Phoenix’s harassment was vexing, but Raylo had not lost his composure.

The harassment from the Fire Sparrows was merely a nuisance. Although the losses were significant, they were not unbearable.

Thus, despite his anger, Raylo did not rashly deploy his Domain Level Power or his most powerful asset, the Giant Legion. He kept them at Black Stone Castle to guard against a potential surprise attack from the Blazing Phoenix.

He turned, his gaze falling once more upon Black Stone Castle, which had become like a giant furnace.

Now, his only concern was the Sun at the top of the castle, its aura growing more and more violent.

Time trickled by in a torment of suffocating anticipation.

In the days that followed, the eastern border descended into a chaotic battlefield.

The Pegasus Knights, like tireless couriers, shuttled back and forth between Black Stone Castle and the front lines, delivering the latest battle reports.

Reports of victory were frequent.

With the Griffin Knights and Pegasus Knights mobilized, the seemingly endless swarms of Fire Sparrows began to be repelled and destroyed at a visible rate.

But the cost was immense.

The Knights had almost no time to rest. After clearing one area, they had to immediately rush to the next location where a swarm of the birds appeared.

Their mounts were exhausted, and the Knights’ armor was caked with the filthy blood and feathers of the Fire Sparrows. Their eyes, too, were filled with a deep weariness.

Despite the string of victories, Raylo remained deeply troubled.

The Fire Sparrows had little combat prowess. Whenever the Griffin and Pegasus Knights attacked, they refused to engage directly, scattering and fleeing immediately.

As a result, even though Black Stone Territory’s Flying Cavalry won battle after battle, the actual number of kills was not high.

Furthermore, there were simply too many Fire Sparrows—well over ten thousand. Even though they were continuously being driven off and eliminated, the harassment of villages in Black Stone Territory showed no sign of letting up. In fact, it was only getting worse.

The whole situation was incredibly frustrating for Raylo.

’It’s like I have all this Power, but every time I strike, I’m just hitting a firework that scatters in every direction.’

This went on for half a month.

「That day, at dusk.」

Raylo was in his command tent, listening to the latest battle report.

The news from the border was not good.

In addition to the swarms of Fire Sparrows, more types of Magical Beasts had appeared.

Just then...

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted from the direction of Black Stone Castle!

The entire ground trembled violently.

The teacup on the table fell to the floor, shattering with a sharp CRACK.

Papers scattered across the floor.

Raylo’s head snapped up, and he rushed out of the tent.

A horrifying scene unfolded before his eyes.

Atop Black Stone Castle, from within the massive Dragon’s Nest, a Sun had risen!

Flame shot up from above Black Stone Castle, forming a colossal pillar of fire that connected the heavens and the earth!

Bathed in the light of this golden pillar, the entirety of Black Stone Castle was rendered in a resplendent gold.

Golden, searing magma cascaded from the top of the castle, flowing slowly down its walls like a waterfall.

All of Black Stone Castle was burning.

It was melting.

It looked as if it were transforming into a Divine Hall forged from pure Gold and Flame.

"Gods..."

In the camp, everyone was struck dumb by the sight, their mouths agape, unable to utter a single word.

ROAR!

Just then, a dragon’s cry that shook the heavens and the earth boomed from within the golden pillar of fire!