Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 183 - 177: Battle of Eagle’s Sorrow Castle
The Count of the Falcon saw only a blur as an inescapable shadow of death enveloped him.
He didn’t even have time to make a second defensive move before Baofeng’s sharp talons had already pierced precisely through the gap between him and his mount.
"SQUELCH!"
A dull tearing sound.
The expression on the Count of the Falcon’s face froze. He looked down, only to see a giant talon that had pierced through the chest of the hawk beneath him and emerged from its back.
Blood and fragments of entrails splattered all over him.
Meanwhile, the other talon, from a vicious angle, directly crushed his mount’s neck.
Its life extinguished, the hawk let out a short, mournful cry and plummeted toward the depths of the canyon, carrying its master with it like a kite with a severed string.
As the Count of the Falcon fell, his eyes were filled with disbelief.
’I am a Count, a Tier Three Earth Knight... and yet, in a single clash, my mount was stolen and I was so utterly defeated.’
Raylo gave him no chance.
Baofeng let out a triumphant roar, and with a beat of its wings, it dove, catching up to the falling Count in midair.
"No!"
The falling Count of the Falcon had completely lost the power to resist.
Amidst his final roar, the Count of the Falcon’s life was ended by a swipe from Baofeng’s talon.
From the start of the battle to the death of the Count of the Falcon, less than three minutes had passed.
The death of their commander was the last straw.
"The Lord Earl is dead!"
"Run!"
The remaining Hawk Knights completely broke. They lost every last scrap of their will to fight and, like a startled flock of birds, scattered and fled in a panic.
Some subconsciously fled back the way they came, toward Morning Star City.
Others, due to momentum, continued their desperate flight toward Eagle’s Sorrow Castle.
"Ignore the ones fleeing to Morning Star City," Raylo declared.
"Storm Knights, Pegasus Knights, pursue the remnants fleeing to Eagle’s Sorrow Castle with everything you have! I want the people inside Eagle’s Sorrow Castle to see how their Hawk Knights fall before us!"
"Yes, sir!"
Morale soaring from the great victory, the Knights spurred their mounts and began a ruthless hunt for their terrified prey.
The Storm Griffins were far faster than the hawks, and every dive they made claimed another life.
The arrows of the Pegasus Knights followed like shadows, precisely shooting down one deserter after another.
The pursuit continued until the grey-black silhouette of Eagle’s Sorrow Castle was visible in the distance.
In the end, out of nearly one hundred Hawk Knights, fewer than ten—blood-soaked and battered—managed to flee back to the sole sanctuary of Eagle’s Sorrow Castle.
They brought back not reinforcements, but panic and despair.
Raylo reined in Baofeng, hovering in midair as he gazed at the Fortress on the lonely peak.
In the morning light, the grey-black silhouette of Eagle’s Sorrow Castle resembled a silent Giant Beast.
But now, it was a trapped beast, defanged and declawed.
"Cease the pursuit."
The order was given, and the pursuing Knights reined in their mounts. They circled in the air, reforming into an orderly formation before finally landing in the temporary camp outside Eagle’s Sorrow Castle.
The Knights dismounted, excitement and exhaustion mingling on their blood-stained faces.
In the makeshift camp, the warm smoke from the fires rose, dispelling the morning chill and the stench of the recent slaughter.
Lillian’s face was pale from continuous Casting, but her spirits were exceptionally high.
"Brother, when do we storm the castle?"
"No rush."
Raylo took the waterskin Ed handed him and took a drink.
"Have Kaine proceed as planned. We... will eat and sleep."
Ed nodded in acknowledgement.
As per Raylo’s pre-battle arrangements, the ground forces led by Kaine had already begun their mission.
Their mission was not to launch a full-scale assault, but to carry out continuous harassment against Eagle’s Sorrow Castle.
It was a form of psychological torture.
The attacks were all thunder and no lightning, but it was enough to keep the defenders inside the Fortress constantly on edge, unable to find a moment of peace.
Now, the aerial forces they had prided themselves on had been utterly crippled, and all that returned to the castle was news of a crushing defeat and endless panic.
Exhaustion and fear were the best weapons for shattering morale.
Now that the Count of the Falcon was dead, they had neither the reason nor the courage to die for Eagle’s Sorrow Castle.
What Raylo wanted was for the defenders of Eagle’s Sorrow Castle to face true despair under this dual torment.
Throughout the morning, the Black Stone Territory’s camp was unusually calm.
The Knights seized the time to rest, polishing their Armor and Weapons and grooming their mounts’ feathers.
Aside from the occasional, sporadic whistle of arrows from the skies above the distant Eagle’s Sorrow Castle, there was no other sign of battle.
The afternoon sun grew hot, searing the mountain rock until it was scorching.
Raylo rose to his feet and put on his cold Armor.
His gaze once again fell upon the Fortress on the lonely peak.
"All forces, assemble!"
The command spread throughout the camp.
The well-rested Knights, full of vigor, mounted their steeds, and a murderous aura once again enveloped the valley.
"Storm Knights, Pegasus Knights, take to the sky!"
At Raylo’s command, Baofeng was the first to spread its wings, soaring into the heavens on a fierce gust of wind.
The Storm Griffin Knights and Pegasus Knights followed close behind, forming an arrowhead formation. In the sunlight, their armor and their mounts’ wings flashed with a dazzling light.
When Raylo’s aerial force appeared above Eagle’s Sorrow Castle, the already terrified defenders on the walls fell into a deathly silence.
They stared blankly at the sky, the hands gripping their Weapons trembling uncontrollably.
Their Hawk Knights were gone.
’What could they possibly use to fight those enemies in the sky, who were like Divine Weapons descending from the heavens?’
Lillian stood upon the back of a Golden Feathered Griffin, her Magic Staff held high as a clear chant rang out.
Massive Fireballs materialized in the air, trailing long tails of flame as they smashed into the city walls like a meteor shower.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Amidst the violent explosions, shattered stone and severed limbs flew into the sky.
Immediately after, tornadoes of Wind Blades and volleys of Ice Cones showcased the destructive power of Magic to its fullest extent.
The defenders on the walls could not even mount an effective counterattack as they were swept away in droves under this baptism of Magic.
At the same time, on the only mountain path up to Eagle’s Sorrow Castle, heavy footsteps began to echo like the beating of war drums.
"Charge!"
The Mammoth Knights let out a heaven-shaking roar. The War Giant Beasts began their heavy advance, the very earth trembling violently beneath their tread.
Their target was the seemingly indestructible Black Iron Gate of Eagle’s Sorrow Castle.
The Archers on the walls tried to fire at them, but the arrows that landed on the Mammoths’ thick hides dealt no effective damage whatsoever.
"Break it down!"
The lead Mammoth let out a piercing cry, accelerating to its maximum speed. Its massive body, like an out-of-control Siege Hammer, smashed violently into the Black Iron Gate.
