Age of Adepts

Of course, the commotion in the distant valley could not be concealed from the adepts.

With the life detection arrays fitted within the eyeball machines and the infrared beams of the goblin’s technology, the entire geography of Deadmoon Valley and the many red dots within it had already appeared in the command hall of the Mothership ten kilometers away.

Magical equipment that resembled a tome was embedded into the floor in the center of the hall. As the data from the eyeball scans were transmitted back to the ship, the panoramic geographic map displayed by this magical equipment became even clearer and detailed.

“Eighty-three dragonborn, four hundred and sixty-five native creatures, two of which are Second Grade and one hundred and three of which are First Grade. The rest are all insignificant rabble. However, it seems like the opponent has arranged some soldiers on the cliffs above with plenty of boulders and logs prepared. They probably intend to ambush us with the boulders when we pass through the valley.” Adept Meryl confidently analyzed as she stood in the center, dressed in a large red robe.

All the Second Grades of the Crimson Clan were gathered around her, silently observing this battle. Even Gru was standing to a side with his metal body, silent throughout the meeting.

It was no more than a pebble in their path. There was no need for powerhouses like them to mobilize. They were only here in an attempt to score some contributions for the clan.

While the Second Grades watched on dispassionately, Meryl’s orders had already reached the army below. Twenty goblin chariots immediately left the formation and accelerated toward Deadmoon Valley. Ten goblin skyships followed closely behind, covering the sortie from above.

The twenty goblin chariots suddenly stopped one kilometer away from Deadmoon Valley. They spread out in an arc and swapped into siege cannon mode. Over a hundred Archers leaped out of the ten skyships that followed behind them. These Archers used their metal bodies to form an unbroken line of defense in front of the chariots.

The dragonborn and Dragon Cultists hiding within the valley had never experienced the power of the goblin magical machines. While they were stunned in confusion at the enemy’s abrupt pause on the frontlines, the magic energy cannons started to fire.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

A blinding red light suddenly glowed within the black cannon barrels that had extended out of the chariots. Plasma fireballs containing ferocious magical energy crashed down toward the valley, dragging long trails of black smoke behind them as they traveled across the sky.

What was this?

The ordinary dragonborn and Dragon Cultists were still confused as they watched everything unfold in the distances. However, Zamu and Mos had already turned pale, their hearts beating wildly and furiously.

“Cover…everyone find some sort of cover!”

Zamu’s loud voice immediately echoed throughout the valley.

Unfortunately, his battlecry was quickly drowned out by earthshakingly loud noises.

The plasma fireballs exploded with a loud bang wherever they landed as soon as they came into contact with something solid. First, a flood of bright blue plasma lightning slithered outward, quickly followed by wave after wave of violent, surging flame shockwaves.

A single plasma fireball could engulf an area of ten to twenty meters. Twenty plasma fireballs together were enough to raze the entrance of the valley in a single instant.

It was destroyed with plasma and razed in a sea of fire.

Meanwhile, they burned away at the lives of the dragonborn and Dragon Cultists hiding within the valley!

The impact of the flame shockwaves might have been on the weaker side, with only one hundred and twenty points of power, but they covered a large area and were truly a tool of slaughter in war. Meanwhile, the plasma lightning that erupted outward covered a slightly smaller area but dealt upwards of one hundred and eighty points of lightning damage.

The dragonborn warriors fared better against such magical attacks with their robust Physique and excellent magical resistance. However, the Dragon Cultists only had ordinary magical resistance and instantly became victims of the magic’s destruction.

Dragon Cultists caught in the flame shockwaves were bathed in fire, screeching as they ran around the valleys as human torches. They ran left and right, calling for help from those around them, or rolled about the ground in an attempt to douse the fires.

Unfortunately, it was a magical fire that burned on their bodies. It was not something that could be extinguished by sand or water.

The first flame shockwave washed over the place, and twenty howling human torches started running through the valley. The second flame shockwave rolled across the land, and the human torches collapsed to the ground, reduced to burning bonfires. The third flame shockwave blew across, and all signs of life ceased, revealing charred and crumbling corpses beneath the fire.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Cultists that had been caught in the plasma lightning were instantly vaporized and extinguished from existence.

After the first wave of attacks, twenty-three Dragon Cultists had died, with eleven more severely injured. Two dragonborn warriors had also perished, with many more injured.

The two dragonborn warriors who died were the most unfortunate ones. They had been caught in the crossfire of two or three plasma fireballs; they were turned to ashes before they could even cry out in agony.

Just as the valley descended into chaos, the goblin chariots in the distance jerked violently once more. Another twenty plasma fireballs rose into the air and fell toward the valley.

“Dammit, dammit, dammit!”Second Grade Dragonborn Leader Zamu cursed with all he had. He had never seen an enemy with such terrifying long-ranged attacks.

Though there were also magical creatures with powerful ranged attacks in Lance, they could not form on a sufficiently large scale, let alone become enemies with the dragon lords. Yet, these insignificant enemies before their eyes were able to unleash magic energy of such power by hiding in their metal buildings.

It…it was entirely outside of Zamu’s expectations!

Against such an enemy, they would have to find ways to approach them and engage them in a melee.

Sadly, the dragonborn leader had no time to lament his faulty strategy, for the second wave of attacks had now descended.

The path between the two steep mountains was only thirty meters wide and stretched for over a kilometer from south to north. Dodging plasma fireballs crashing from the skies in such a narrow space was an impossible task.

As such, Zamu raised the two giant blades in his hands and gave the order for his dragonborn to charge at the enemy immediately.

He also took to the very frontlines, stepping across several charred figures as he did so. He smashed through the stone fortress and lunged wildly at the goblin chariots. Several dragonborn warriors covered in soot and shrouded in the smoke also started rushing behind him, stumbling a little as they did so.

However, the moment they revealed themselves, countless goblin missiles dropped out of the goblin skyships above, instantly drowning them in a festival of explosions.

The wild blasts of the alchemical explosives were lethal on the battlefield as they sent shrapnel shooting across the air. Without exception, every dragonborn warrior that had emerged from the valley was now injured, their purple-black scales covered in blood stains and bloodied wounds.

The various injuries all over their bodies bled profusely with every step they took.

As expected of a Second Grade dragonborn leader, three elementium shields had appeared around Zamu, keeping most of the attacks away from his body. Only some small scratches were visible on some parts of his lower body where the shields could not reach.

Just as Zamu attempted to approach the chariots in a single dash, a gray aura suddenly appeared around him, reducing his speed by half. The desolate plains in front of him suddenly turned into quicksand, causing his thick limbs to sink the moment he stepped within.

A First Grade Curse of Decripification!

A First Grade Quicksand Trap!

One couldn’t underestimate them simply because they were First Grade spells. When used on Second Grade Zamu, they were just as effective as Second Grade spells.

While Zamu and a few of the dragonborn warriors were caught in the quicksand, the black cannons on the chariots creaked and moved, setting their sights on these immobile targets.

Meanwhile, the Archers guarding the chariots raised their magic energy rifles and unleashed a barrage of energy beams at the enemies within sight, as fast as they could.

Penetrative Scorching Rays.

Frost Rays that could slow the enemy’s movements.

Petrification Rays that could turn a part of the enemy’s body into stone.

Blinding Rays that would blind the enemy.

……

Magical beams of various colors and effects landed on the charging dragonborn, causing their bodies to fall under all sorts of weird magical effects as they groaned in pain.

While the Archers’ attacks obstructed the dragonborn, several ferocious plasma fireballs descended on them, instantly causing horrifying damage to their ranks.

The bodies of the dragonborn warriors were like snow before a blinding sun where the plasma lightning crackled. Their body parts melted into green smoke, crippling them and covering them in even more wounds. As the waves of fire spread out, the tattered scales of the dragonborn could no longer protect them. Their flesh burned beneath the flames, and they started howling from the unbearable pain.

Above them, goblin missiles and alchemical bombs rained down like a perpetual storm. Below them, the quicksand trap sealed their path forward. In front of them, Archers bombarded their bodies, and in the distance, goblin chariots annihilated their allies with magic energy cannons.

The dragonborn had only just charged out of the valley, and they had already been stopped. They could only raise their battleaxes over their heads, grit their teeth, and power forward with all they had.

Finally, a few lucky dragonborn warriors made it through the purgatory of blood and flesh, clashing with the Archers in close combat.

Several Archers were torn to pieces by their vicious and fearless strikes. Sadly, the Archers far outnumbered these warriors. The few already injured dragonborn warriors were quickly riddled with holes from a barrage of energy beams at close range. Tragically and heroically, they collapsed three hundred meters away from the goblin chariots.

The leader known as Zamu ultimately howled and fell helplessly to the constant waves of plasma fireballs. His body was scorched black, and pieces had been carved out everywhere. It was hard even to identify him now.

As the dragonborn frontline was torn apart, the one hundred eyeball machines in the air dove down and soared past the two cliffs. Beams of Scorching Rays fell like raindrops. The native warriors hiding above the cliff and in the shadows of the valley started fleeing, crying as they did so, before being shot down, one by one.

In just thirty minutes, the enemies within Deadmoon Valley had been completely exterminated!