Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 192 - 186: Karachi’s Fighting General Invitation
"Baron Raylo."
He looked up, regarding the young man before him with a solemn expression.
"I will remember this favor."
Raylo looked at the Horn in Knight Luke’s hands and added,
"Knight Luke, the core of this Horn is a Tier Four Magic Core that I embedded previously. If you happen to have a Tier Five Magic Core, you should try replacing it. I believe the summoned Starfall Knights might bring you an even greater surprise."
Knight Luke nodded.
"I do have a Tier Five Magic Core in my collection. It’s a trophy from a Tier Five Earth Bear King I slew deep within the Black Stone Mountain Range a few years ago."
Without any unnecessary movements, Knight Luke flipped his wrist, and a Storage Pouch embroidered with intricate silver patterns appeared in his palm.
What he took from it was not a glittering Gemstone, but a Magic Core the size of a fist, its color a deep, earthy yellow.
The surface of the Magic Core wasn’t smooth. Instead, it was covered in natural, crack-like patterns, reminiscent of parched earth. A heavy, dense aura of the Earth Element washed over them.
The Magic Core of a Tier Five Earth Bear King.
Knight Luke didn’t even use a tool. He hooked his fingertips around the edge of the Tier Four Magic Core on the Soul Horn, applied a little pressure, and with a soft CLICK, the Magic Core popped right out.
Immediately after, Knight Luke pressed the Tier Five Earth Bear King’s Magic Core precisely into the central socket of the Horn.
It was a perfect fit.
HUMMMMM!
A hum, far deeper and more resonant than ever before, emanated from the Horn.
The originally simple ivory Horn now seemed to come alive.
The mystical Magic Patterns engraved upon it were no longer lifeless symbols. They were like tiny golden snakes, awakened and slithering slowly along the Horn’s texture, finally converging on the earthy yellow Magic Core at its center.
The Magic Core’s earthy yellow light was no longer restrained. It bloomed outward in heavy halos of light, within which the phantoms of mountains seemed to rise and fall.
The entire aura of the Horn underwent a qualitative change. It was no longer a mere container for Magic Power, but more like a dormant volcano, accumulating a terrifying Power within it, enough to shake the heavens and the earth.
"A fine item."
Knight Luke gripped the Horn, feeling the surging Power in his palm that seemed on the verge of breaking free from his grasp. A fiery glint flashed in his eyes.
Knight Luke carefully placed the Soul Horn into his Storage Pouch, then looked up at Raylo, his gaze burning.
"Now that we know their trump card, it’s time I prepared a ’reciprocal gift’ of my own. If Karachi wants to play dirty, I’ll play along until the very end."
The corner of his mouth curved into a sharp arc—the confidence of an Iron Blood Knight.
"Go back and prepare. The entire army moves out in one hour."
"Yes, sir."
Raylo performed a standard Knight’s salute and turned to leave the commander’s tent.
Outside the tent, Raylo patted Moonlight, who was perched on his shoulder.
"Can you create a clone for Knight Luke?"
he asked in a low voice.
Moonlight shook its large head. Apparently, a Tier Five Domain Level being was beyond the scope of its Clone Magic.
Returning to his own camp, he was met with a wave of clamor and killing intent.
The Knights were making their final pre-battle preparations, checking their Armor and Weapons, and feeding their mounts fodder mixed with Magic Potions.
An hour later, the sound of a Horn echoed throughout the Allied Army’s camp.
WOOOO!
Amidst the low, long call of the Horn, the massive army began to move slowly.
Countless banners unfurled in the wind.
The great army marched out, kicking up billowing clouds of dust as they headed straight for Wind Cry Plain.
It was a silent march.
No one spoke. Only the torrent of shuffling footsteps, thundering hooves, and the clang of Armor filled the air.
On a gentle slope, still twenty kilometers from Wind Cry Plain, Knight Luke’s command came again: the army was to halt and rest.
The soldiers sat down where they stood, taking out the rations they had prepared.
Hard black bread and dried meat strips.
They chewed in silence, rehydrating from their waterskins while using the last moments of their break to inspect their weapons and gear.
Raylo didn’t eat. He simply sat beside Baofeng, his gaze fixed on the distance.
The short rest ended, and the Horn sounded once more.
The entire army set out again.
As they drew closer, the terrain became increasingly flat and open.
Wind Cry Plain had finally appeared before them.
At three in the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly.
When Raylo, leading the Thunder Dragon Knight Order with the main force of the army, crested the final slope, the sight before them made everyone’s breath catch in their throats.
On the other side of the plain, an endless ocean of crimson and gold stood arrayed on the horizon, ready for battle.
It was the army of the Fiery Sun Kingdom.
Countless banners bearing the Fiery Sun Emblem snapped in the wind, like a forest of gold.
Elite heavy infantry formed impenetrable phalanxes, standing on the earth like unyielding rock.
On the flanks of the infantry squares was a torrent of cavalry that flowed with a golden brilliance.
The Knights wore Golden Full Body Armor, and their warhorses were clad in heavy barding. Man and beast moved as one, exuding a suffocating sense of pressure.
And at the very center of the army, beneath the largest command banner, a figure in Dark Red Battle Armor sat astride a ferocious Crimson Flame Demon Lion, looking like a blazing inferno.
Even from such a great distance, one could almost feel the tangible, berserk aura radiating from him.
"Blood Lion" Aston.
Beside him was a young man also clad in Golden Armor—the Crown Prince of the Fiery Sun Kingdom, Karachi.
Two armies, each numbering over ten thousand, faced each other from a distance across the vast Wind Cry Plain.
As the two armies faced off, the killing intent was so thick it felt tangible, as if the very wind had frozen over the vast plain.
Into this suffocating silence, a voice laced with a hint of frivolity and arrogance shattered the quiet, like a stone tossed into a still lake.
"Knights of the Thunder Dragon Duchy, I am Karachi of the Fiery Sun Kingdom."
The voice, amplified by Magic, carried across the entire battlefield.
"Life is a wilderness, and war a savage beast. Before death arrives, why don’t we start with an appetizer? Let us raise the curtain on this feast with the glory of true Warriors."
Raylo narrowed his eyes, gazing toward the command banner in the distance.
Karachi’s voice was inflammatory, every word seemingly crafted to stir the soldiers’ most primitive, belligerent instincts.
"I propose a contest of three duels between champions to decide the victor."
"One aerial combat, one mounted combat, and one ground combat."
"To keep things fair, the combatants will all be below the rank of Domain Knight. Warriors of the Northern Territory, do you... dare to accept the challenge?"
He deliberately drew out the last word, his provocation undisguised.
A suppressed commotion rippled through the ranks of the Allied Army.
The young Knights, hot-blooded and proud, could not bear such a direct provocation. Each one gripped their Weapon tightly, fury burning in their eyes.
Raylo turned his gaze toward the command banner of the central army.
He knew Knight Luke could not refuse such a blatant ploy. To refuse would mean showing fear, which would be a fatal blow to morale for the coming battle.
Just as he expected, a moment later, a voice, also magnified by Magic, rang out from the center of the Allied Army.
The voice was deep and resonant, filled with the scent of iron and blood—concise and powerful.
"As you wish."
Just three words, yet they seemed to contain immense power, instantly sweeping away the frivolity and clamor Karachi had created.
The Knights erupted in a massive cheer that shook the clouds.
