Ashen Dragon

Alger dove rapidly, taking advantage of the Red Dragon's massive and clumsy body, preparing to skim past its side, launching an attack, and then darting into its blind spot.

"Act before the enemy,"

Cassius's vertical pupils shimmered with purple magic aura, directly seeing through Alger's flight path, the powerful claws following his trajectory to strike.

"Eagle!"

Alger squeezed his legs tight, pulling the reins around the giant eagle's body, forcing it to turn right. In the high-speed dive, he managed to barely dodge the sweeping claw.

"Swish—"

The sound of air being sliced open echoed behind him.

Alger maneuvered the giant eagle to the side, his brows knitted tightly, heart pounding rapidly.

He glanced towards the distance, where a dozen Northwind Eagle Guards had narrowly escaped the dragon's line of sight, but they were still being pursued by the wyverns, screeching in chase.

"At least, I've got to hold out until they fully escape."

Alger murmured to himself.

He felt like he had just flown by the gates of death.

The monster before him was extraordinarily agile, almost unlike a true Red Dragon. It also seemed to anticipate his attacks, making ordinary feinting and harassment tactics ineffective.

Cassius, on the other hand, grew intrigued by this extremely mobile Giant Eagle Knight.

"As annoying as a fly,"

"But quite a decent unit."

He watched the rapidly circling giant eagle, exhaling a breath of sulfurous heat.

Alger continued to circle, trying to find a flaw in the Red Dragon's defenses. Finally, he spotted a blind spot in its vision.

"It's right here!"

He again dive-bombed down resolutely.

Alger clutched his Silver Sword with both hands, using the momentum of the dive to slash at the Red Dragon's body with all his might.

"Clang—"

Not only did he fail to harm the Red Dragon, but the impact made his arms go numb.

The scales struck by the sword turned into a lustrous gold. It was like hitting a piece of metal.

"Remnant of the Storm!"

Cassius let out a light whistle, as lightning abruptly burst out from his claws, quickly covering his body.

Alger immediately withdrew his sword and attempted to evade, but the electric current had already traveled along the Silver Sword, coursing through his body and the giant eagle.

A sharp eagle screech rang out.

The feathers of the giant eagle stood on end, arcing with fine electric currents, causing it great pain and rendering it paralyzed and weak.

"Clearly a Red Dragon, how could it..."

As a warrior, Alger had a strong constitution. Although in pain, he was not severely injured by the fleeting electric current.

He barely managed to keep the giant eagle balanced, preventing it from falling. Yet with each flap of its wings, bolts of current jolted through its body, so he reduced its movements, gliding slowly through the air.

"A spellcaster!"

This Red Dragon was a spellcaster!

And this lightning spell was not an innate ability, it was learned!

Alger's heart sank. Facing a Dragon Mage or Sorcerer was the worst scenario.

As he turned his head, he saw the Red Dragon baring its teeth, its golden pupils flashing with a terrifying light.

His instincts screamed danger. He reflexively wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't evade the spell's swiftness.

"Phantom Force!"

A heavy, scorching hot chain wrapped around Alger.

He wanted to believe it was an illusion, but the searing pain on his body was too real, a sign that it was almost impossible to resist without proper training.

The more the target believed in the illusion created by Phantom Force, the more real and logical it became.

Now, in Alger's eyes, his body was covered in blackened burn marks, with the chains even exuding flames.

He and the giant eagle plummeted together, dragged down by the chains.

"No! No!"

"It's fake!"

"I haven't avenged them yet, how can this..."

"Just end like this!"

Alger roared, his voice hoarse.

He endured the excruciating burning sensation, tightly closing his eyes. Relying solely on his sense of the airflow, he maneuvered the giant eagle to gliding flight, forcing himself to break free from the spell through sheer willpower.

When he opened his eyes again, everything was gone.

The chains, the flames, the scars, all vanished.

Even Cassius was slightly surprised in the high sky.

"Impressive, still able to break free from the spell. Truly the Captain of the Northwind Castle Eagle Guards."

Witnessing such an impressive performance, Cassius finally remembered the identity of this Giant Eagle Knight.

The renowned gate-keeper boss from the past life, known as the "Claw of the Male Eagle" and "Rackman's Sharp Sword," the Captain of the Northwind Eagle Guards—Alger Yorman.

He had led the Eagle Guards multiple times in the massacres and hunts against Tieflings. He was the infamous butcher under the Duke Brad and the future Death Knight.

Orphaned at a young age, Alger was indoctrinated by Duke Brad to believe that his parents were sacrificed to devils by Tieflings. Thus, he was manipulated into becoming a Death Warrior for the Rackman Family, swearing lifelong loyalty and participating in the horrific "Tiefling Camp Massacre."

But when Alger approached the truth behind his parents' death, the once trusted Duke Brad turned him into an unconscious Death Knight, forever wandering outside the Ducal Mansion on his Bone Eagle.

Thinking of this, Cassius decided not to kill him yet—such a waste. It wasn't out of mercy or some leftover human empathy from a past life; it was solely for setting the stage for his takeover of Northwind Castle.

After all, goblins and kobolds were nothing but expendable tools in his eyes, their deaths insignificant.

A loyalist grown in Northwind Castle and a Chief Guard for many years, an elite Giant Eagle Knight, was invaluable. Cassius was sure he could extract significant benefits from him and possibly even train an air force for the Ashen Nest.

The Red Dragon swooped over the sky, closing in on the slowly gliding Giant Eagle Knight.

Before he could react, Cassius cast twin spells, aiming at two targets simultaneously.

"Sleep spell!"

A flash of magic aura occurred, and the exhausted knight, along with his giant eagle, fell into a deep sleep, descending from the sky and caught roughly by the Red Dragon's strong claws.

Under normal circumstances, Alger's strength would resist a sleep spell, but drained by the fight, he was left defenseless.

"You could withstand illusions, but can you escape hard control?"

Cassius dropped him to the ground, unable to resist exclaiming.

[Based on your own strength and the enemy's "sleep" state, you can observe the following information]

[Chief Guard of the Northwind Eagle Guards]

Name: Alger Yorman

Category: Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Neutral

AC: 18 (Fine Plate Armor)

Speed: Flight 90 ft, Ground movement 30 ft

Strength——17

Agility——16

Constitution——14

Intelligence——11

Perception——13

Charisma——12

Occupational Level: Warrior (Giant Eagle Knight) Level 8

Mount: Giant Eagle of the Anzeta subspecies (Level 4)

Military Weapons: Long Sword, Short Sword, Great Sword, Long Bow, Heavy Crossbow, Spear

Simple Weapons: Dagger, Short Bow, Light Crossbown/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Skill Proficiency: Riding +14, Military +9, Hunting +7, Athletics +6, Perception +4, Leadership +4, Survival +4, Investigation +2, Tracking +4, Stealth +4

Senses: Passive Perception 14

Language: Common Language

Actions: Group Attack, Commander's Surprise Attack, Dive Attack, Aerial Quick Stop, Swift Turn, Slashing Attack, Piercing Attack, Actions Like Tides, Recovery

Feats: Vigilance, Downward Slash, Great Weapon Master, Heavy Armor Usage, Riding Expert, Flying Master

Combat Equipment: Eagle Shriek Silver Sword, Northrun Castle Standard Plate Armor, Eagle Guard Cloak

Challenge Level: 9 (5,000 XP)

"What a luxurious panel,"

Cassius clicked his tongue in admiration.