Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 169 - 163: Subduing the Valen Family
Fireballs the size of washbasins, trailing long tails of flame, rained down like meteors;
Sharp Ice Cones materialized in the air, howling down with a bone-chilling cold;
Arcing Lightning Chains weaved wantonly through the crowd, each jump leaving a trail of scorched flesh and agonized screams.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sounds of explosions, screams, and whistling Magic instantly overwhelmed the entire platform.
The fighting spirit of the Valen Family’s Elite Knights, who had been mounting a desperate defense just moments before, was utterly shattered by a sequential assault of Pegasus Interference, a Clone Decoy, a Griffin Assault, gale-force crowd control, and finally, a blanket of Magic Coverage.
Their vaunted courage and Martial Arts seemed laughable and powerless in the face of such an unorthodox assault.
Their resistance crumbled in an instant.
The surviving defenders dropped their weapons and scrambled over each other, fleeing toward the stairwell that led into the main keep, wishing they’d been born with two more legs.
The platform was cleared. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
A few Storm Griffin Knights quickly descended, using their talons to completely destroy the wrecked Enchanted Bed Crossbows and eliminate any future threats.
"Kaine!"
Raylo commanded once more.
"My Lord!"
Kaine slammed a fist against his chest, his voice booming.
"The Blazing Flame Knight Order awaits your command!"
"Clear it out, from top to bottom."
Raylo’s command was simple and direct.
"As you command!"
Kaine raised his Two-Handed Greatsword and was the first to charge into the pitch-black mouth of the stairwell.
Four Earth Knights let out a roar, following close behind him like four humanoid tanks.
Following them, twenty handpicked elite Great Knights filed in.
The battle had entered its next phase.
Raylo paid no further attention to the battle inside the main keep.
He knew that with Kaine’s elite squad breaking in from the top and the main gate sealed shut, the defenders inside were like rats in a trap. Their defeat was only a matter of time.
He steered Baofeng to a slow descent, landing back on the ground.
He didn’t look at the sealed Refined Iron gate of the main keep. Instead, his gaze fell upon his troops, who were methodically clearing the battlefield.
The soldiers separated the bodies of their fallen comrades from those of the enemy. The wounded were gathered in the rear for treatment, while salvageable Weapons and Armor were piled together, awaiting "recycling" by Coal Ball.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
The air was still thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder, but the scent of victory was already beginning to brew.
The Knights wiped the blood from their swords. Their faces showed the fatigue of battle, but their eyes were exceptionally bright.
They looked at their Lord, their gazes filled with awe and fervor.
Lillian walked over and handed Raylo a waterskin.
"You must be exhausted, brother."
Raylo took the waterskin and drank, the cool spring water soothing his dry throat.
The minutes ticked by.
After about ten minutes, under the expectant gazes of the crowd, the Refined Iron gate that had once symbolized the glory and stubbornness of the Valen Family let out a heavy, grating CREAK.
Kaine’s burly figure appeared behind the gate, his Armor spattered with blood.
"My Lord, the inside of the main keep has been completely cleared!"
Raylo nodded and strode inside.
Ed immediately led a squad of his Personal Guard to follow, with Lillian close behind.
The air inside the main keep was thick with the heavy stench of blood and burning.
The walls were covered in sword slashes and scorch marks from Magic.
The surrendered soldiers and Knights of the Valen Family were gathered in a corner on the ground floor, all of them dejected and ashen-faced.
Crossing the ravaged hall, Raylo and his group ascended the steps leading to the Lord’s Hall.
The doors to the Lord’s Hall were ajar.
Raylo pushed the door open and saw his final opponent in this conflict.
Dozens of candles burned within the hall, brightly illuminating the entire space.
At the far end of the hall, seated on an ornate chair, was an old man with graying hair, dressed in the purple and gold attire of a nobleman. He was Count Haman Valen.
His face was etched with deep wrinkles, and his eyes, though cloudy, still held a spark of unyielding defiance.
Beside him stood a dozen or so core family members with bleak expressions, along with the captured Robert Valen.
They were the last of the Valen Family’s bloodline.
Seeing Raylo enter, Old Haman struggled to stand, but he seemed to have exhausted all his strength.
"Heh... heh heh..."
Old Haman let out a dry, rasping laugh.
"Well, well... what a young man. I admit, I underestimated you. I thought you were merely a lion cub with some strength, but it turns out you’re an Evil Dragon that has already grown its fangs."
The Fiery Sun Kingdom recognized the Light Deity as its state religion and considered nations built with the help of Giant Dragons to be realms of Evil Dragons, whose human inhabitants were mere servants.
His words were filled with resentment and venom.
"These are not the fangs of an Evil Dragon, Lord Earl."
Raylo walked to the center of the hall and met his gaze.
"It is simply the oldest rule of all: the victor is king, the loser is the villain."
"Well said!"
Old Haman slapped the armrest of his chair, agitated.
"That’s right, you’ve won! What do you want? Kill us, torture us, do as you please! There are no cowards in the Valen Family!"
The atmosphere in the hall instantly froze.
Ed and the Personal Guards all placed their hands on their sword hilts. At a single command from Raylo, they would turn this hall into a river of blood.
But Raylo didn’t get angry.
He looked at the old man, who was all bark and no bite, and slowly shook his head.
"What, is the Lord Earl prepared for the Valen Family to be erased from history?" he retorted.
Old Haman felt his lips go dry.
’How could he possibly allow his family to be extinguished under his watch?’
"Lord Earl, I noticed that Red Iron Castle doesn’t seem to have a Divine Hall to the Light Deity?" Raylo asked.
The Fiery Sun Kingdom’s sole faith was in the Light Deity. Knowing the style of the Light Holy See’s missionaries, they would never tolerate a territory within the Fiery Sun Kingdom that held other beliefs.
"The Light Deity doesn’t teach us Forging!" Old Haman retorted.
Raylo laughed heartily.
Realizing that the Valen Family were not the brainwashed, die-hard zealots of the Light Deity, Raylo felt he now had a very high chance of persuading them to surrender.
"Old Earl, I won’t mince words. The rules of the game are set by the victor."
"You have two choices..."
"One, you lead your entire family in joining Black Stone Territory. I will provide the Valen Family with an independent manor and fief."
"Two, I kill everyone unwilling to leave and take the rest as slaves to serve Black Stone Territory."
Raylo stared at the old man’s wizened face, his voice cold and hard.
"You have ten minutes to make your choice."
Old Haman gave Raylo a long, deep look.
The Old Earl did not take long to consider. He said,
"Lord Baron, the Valen Family can join your territory, but I have one condition I hope you will grant."
This time, Old Haman used a respectful title.
Raylo nodded.
"Please, speak."
"My grandfather was the first to manage Red Iron Castle, and it has been in our care for nearly a hundred years now. I hope you can understand our desire to leave an heir behind to watch over this family land."
Raylo agreed to his request, and even offered more in order to win over the hearts of the family.
"You may choose one heir to remain. You may also select one Earth Knight and ten Knights from those loyal to your family to stay and continue protecting this land."
Old Haman was somewhat taken aback by Raylo’s generosity. The offer far exceeded his expectations.
"Lord Baron, thank you so much."
"Old Earl, rest for now. I will need you to arrange the Valen Family’s relocation later. The smelting and forging equipment, the blacksmiths in the territory... I will be taking all of them," Raylo said.
"As you wish, My Lord."
Old Haman stood up and bowed.
"My Lord, from now on, you may simply call this old man Haman."
