Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 193 - 187: Fighting General Participants

"One hour from now, between our two armies. I shall await you!"

A moment later, Karachi’s voice rang out again.

Now that an agreement had been reached, the tension between the two armies, which had been stretched to its breaking point, temporarily subsided.

But everyone knew this was just the brief calm before the storm.

A few minutes later, the clear, piercing cry of an eagle echoed from overhead.

Raylo looked up to see an Iron Feathered Eagle Knight on his mount, diving from the sky like a black bolt of lightning and landing with pinpoint accuracy at his position.

"Baron Raylo."

The messenger leaped down from the eagle’s back, his movements crisp and efficient.

"Commander Luke orders you to the main command tent at once to discuss the matter of the Fighting Generals."

"Understood."

Raylo nodded.

He swung himself onto Baofeng’s back.

"Baofeng, let’s go."

Baofeng let out a low roar. With a mighty beat of his wings, he stirred up a powerful gust of air and launched himself into the sky.

The tawny figure cut an arc through the low sky, heading toward the main army’s command banner.

On the ground, countless soldiers gazed up at the magnificent Griffin King, their eyes filled with awe and envy.

Soon, Baofeng landed smoothly beneath Luke’s command banner.

A dozen or so people were already gathered there, every one of them a key figure in the Allied Army.

Their armor varied in style, each set bearing a different family crest, but every one of them exuded the powerful aura of a battle-hardened warrior.

Raylo recognized a few of them at a glance.

Gao Wen, Count Red Leaf; Barton, the Count of Giant Stone; and a host of other Viscounts.

One man stood beside Luke, his expression solemn, his posture as straight as a pine. It was Count Raymond of the Iron Pine Territory. His domain was famous for producing resilient Iron Pine Wood, and his Iron Pine Guard were renowned for their formidable defensive capabilities.

Raylo dismounted from Baofeng’s back and, holding the reins, walked into the group.

His arrival immediately drew everyone’s gaze.

A Baron.

Among this group of noble commanders, where the lowest rank was Viscount, Raylo’s status seemed out of place.

But no one showed any expression of surprise or disdain.

The reason was simple: his extraordinary combat record had forced the nobles present to acknowledge that he absolutely deserved to be part of the discussion about the Fighting Generals.

That record was enough to earn Raylo his place here and make him the undisputed candidate for the sky combat duel.

"Everyone’s here."

Luke stood beneath the command banner, his gaze sweeping over everyone present like a blade.

"I’m sure all of you see through Karachi’s little ploy. He’s undoubtedly been preparing for this. He wants to use three duels to probe our strength and, at the same time, crush our soldiers’ morale."

"But this is also our opportunity," Luke said. "A chance to knock their teeth in before the real battle even starts."

He paused, his eyes sharpening as he scanned the group.

"Three duels for the Fighting Generals: sky combat, mounted combat, and close combat."

"Now, tell me who you think are the best candidates."

The moment Luke finished speaking, Barton, the Count of Giant Stone, was the first to step forward. He slapped his breastplate, which rang out with a CLANG, and his voice boomed like a great bell.

"Lord Luke! Sky combat, mounted combat, count me in for either one! I’ve been itching to go and twist the heads off those Fiery Sun bastards! I guarantee I’ll smash that overconfident fool into a pulp!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The Count was famously warlike and refused to yield the opportunity. His Winged Demon Tiger was a top-tier Tier Four Magical Beast, making him a formidable opponent in both sky and mounted combat.

Nearby, Count Iron Pine, Raymond, spoke in a deep voice. His style was the polar opposite of Barton’s—calm and restrained.

"But since they dared to propose the duels, they must have an ace up their sleeve. For the close combat duel, I believe we should choose a more reliable candidate. My chief knight, Rodney, nicknamed ’the Barrier,’ is at the peak of Tier Four Sky Knights. He wields a tower shield with superb skill and has never been defeated by an opponent of the same tier."

"Hmph, what’s the point of fighting like you’re hiding in a turtle shell?"

Count Barton was clearly disdainful of this style.

"On the battlefield, you have to press forward without hesitation!"

"A style that wins is a good style."

Count Raymond did not back down.

"Commander-in-Chief."

Count Red Leaf, Gao Wen, stepped forward with a smile, interrupting their argument.

"As for the mounted combat duel, perhaps you could leave that to me. My Red Maple Knights excel at high-speed mobile warfare. My Vice Commander, Lance, is a Tier Four Sky Knight, and his swift spear-work is famous throughout the Northern Territory. No matter who they send, he has a fighting chance."

After him, the other Viscounts also spoke up, either volunteering themselves or recommending their most capable officers.

For a time, the area before the command tent was abuzz with voices. Everyone wanted to claim victory in this first clash and humiliate Karachi.

Raylo stood quietly to the side, not speaking, just listening in silence.

Luke didn’t make an immediate decision. He let them argue, his gaze passing over each of their faces as he weighed his options.

Eventually, the clamor subsided. All eyes, whether intentionally or not, began to converge in one direction.

The sky combat duel.

The candidates for the mounted and close combat duels were debatable, but from the start, there had been little suspense about who would fight in the sky.

Luke’s gaze finally fell on Raylo, the only one who had remained silent.

Baofeng seemed to sense the change in atmosphere and gave a soft snort, exhaling a puff of warm air.

"Baron Raylo."

Luke’s voice broke the silence.

"What are your thoughts on the sky combat duel?"

This question was less of an inquiry and more of a confirmation of whether Raylo was willing to fight.

Raylo raised his head to meet Luke’s gaze.

"Commander-in-Chief, if I am needed, I am ready to fight at any time."

"Good!"

The booming voice of Barton, the Count of Giant Stone, rang out again. His gaze on Raylo was filled with unconcealed admiration.

"The lad’s got courage! That’s the spirit!"

"We’ve all heard of Baron Raylo’s battle record. The Red Leaf Territory has no objection to him fighting for us," said Gao Wen, the Count Red Leaf.

Gao Wen’s words served as a reminder to the few Viscounts who still harbored doubts.

’That’s right, his battle record.’

On the battlefield, a combat record was always the best and most direct form of qualification.

Baron Raylo’s mount, Baofeng, had defeated the Thunder Dragon of His Highness Eliot a month ago. More recently, he had personally led an ambush on the Hawk Knight Order, killing the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s Count of the Falcon on the spot.

His record was, without a doubt, exceptional. If Baron Raylo was willing to fight the sky combat duel, their chances of victory were immense.

Defeating His Highness Eliot’s contracted Thunder Dragon was already a display of extraordinary prowess.

Slaying an enemy Count in battle was a feat worthy of being recorded in the annals of the Duchy.

The nobles who had just been vying to recommend their own candidates now fell silent.

The knights under their command might be valiant and powerful, but in the face of Raylo’s brilliant record, any words of recommendation paled in comparison.

There may have been jealousy, but it was overshadowed by a respect they could not deny.

This was a young man who had single-handedly carved his name into the battlefields of the Northern Territory.

"Since no one objects, Baron Raylo will fight in the sky combat duel," Luke declared, his decision final.