Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 221 - 215: "Iron Wall" Gaius

"Relay my orders."

Valerius’s voice was firm and decisive.

"All Pegasus Knight Orders, mobilize."

"Your target is every floating bridge, with the exception of No. 1 Floating Bridge, which is guarded by Elvin."

"At any cost, burn them all to the ground before nightfall!"

"Marshal!"

The face of a general in charge of the Flying Knights turned pale.

"This... this is sending all our Pegasus Knights to their deaths!"

"Execute the order."

Valerius didn’t waver in the slightest.

"Preserve our effective strength and prepare to withdraw. The Fiery Sun Knight Order will rest ahead of schedule and be ready to cover the retreat at a moment’s notice."

...

The order was quickly relayed down the chain of command.

Soon, Raylo witnessed a scene that could only be described as tragically heroic.

From the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s formation, nearly two thousand Pegasus Knights rose into the air, forming a great, dark cloud.

They abandoned their dogfights with the Thunder Dragon Duchy’s Iron Feathered Eagle Knights and ignored the arrows shooting up from the ground. Like moths to a flame, they charged resolutely toward the floating bridges on the river.

"WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!"

Arrows fell like rain, weaving a net of death in the sky.

One after another, a Pegasus would cry out in sorrow as it fell, carrying its Knight down into the churning waters of the Nu River.

The Iron Feathered Eagle Knights also launched a ferocious interception from the flanks, their talons and long spears tearing through fragile wings and Armor.

However, the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s Pegasus Knights fought as if they had gone mad. When one in front fell, another immediately took its place.

They carved a path with their lives, forcing their way above the floating bridges to hurl down clay pots filled with flaming oil.

"BOOM!"

The first floating bridge erupted in flames.

It was followed by the second, then the third...

At dusk, the afterglow of the sunset mingled with the soaring fires, dyeing half the sky a terrifying shade of orange-red.

With the exception of No. 1 Floating Bridge, which was enveloped by the Cold Domain of Elvin "Frosty Winter," all the other bridges had been turned into giant torches on the water’s surface.

Of the nearly two thousand Pegasus Knights, less than half returned.

As night fell.

Scouting Knights discovered that, illuminated by the fires, the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s army had already regrouped. Their formation was orderly as they slowly retreated, gradually melting into the descending twilight.

Only one unit of about three thousand men, the Golden Armor Heavy Cavalry Order, remained behind.

They were covered head to toe in resplendent Golden Armor, which still shimmered with a heart-stopping luster even in the dim firelight.

Three thousand Golden Armored Knights formed a massive square phalanx, standing silently on the hillside. Man and horse were as one, utterly still, like a mountain cast from solid Gold. They radiated a suffocating sense of pressure.

"The Fiery Sun Knight Order..."

Ed said with a sigh.

"Truly worthy of being the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s most elite trump card."

Raylo nodded, not giving the order to pursue.

He knew very well that this Knight Order was a warning left by Marshal Valerius of the Fiery Sun Kingdom.

’We can leave, but if you dare to pursue, be prepared to have all your teeth knocked out.’

Sharing Raylo’s sentiment, neither the Commander-in-Chief of the Thunder Dragon Duchy’s main army nor Luke gave the order to pursue.

Facing such a Top Knight Order, one that was well-rested and spoiling for a fight, a rash pursuit would be no different from suicide.

The forces under Luke’s command were too varied to directly confront the elite Fiery Sun Knight Order.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Thunder Dragon Duchy could only cross the river slowly via the single remaining No. 1 Floating Bridge. An army of tens of thousands would need at least a day or two to cross the Nu River completely.

This was precisely why the Fiery Sun Kingdom had been willing to sacrifice nearly a thousand Pegasus Knights—to buy time for their main army to retreat safely.

The Thunder Dragon Duchy’s main force, the only one capable of a real fight, still had to cross the river slowly.

And Luke, who was already on this side of the river, lacked the strength to pursue.

The night deepened. The battle cries on the field had long since fallen silent, leaving only the CRACKLE of the floating bridges as they burned.

The Fiery Sun Knight Order waited until late into the night. After confirming that the Thunder Dragon Duchy had no intention of pursuing, they finally moved.

They made no sound, like statues come to life. Silently, they turned their horses as one and melted into the heavy darkness of the night, vanishing completely.

The Nu River Defense Line had fallen. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The waters of the Nu River continued to flow, but the surface was no longer littered with the wreckage of corpses. In their place were newly constructed floating bridges.

Engineers shouted chants as they hammered huge iron chains into the riverbanks. The army of tens of thousands, a flowing torrent of steel, took a full two days to cross the natural barrier.

The new encampment spread out along the riverbank, several times larger than the previous one, with countless tents scattered about like stars in the sky.

Inside the main command tent, lamps burned brightly.

A massive military sand table sat in the center, depicting the terrain on both banks of the Nu River in minute detail.

Thunder Dragon Duke Aiden, the supreme ruler of the Duchy, was studying the sand table with great interest.

Seated in the place of honor was, indeed, Thunder Dragon Duke Aiden.

He was nearly fifty, with a sharp gaze and a naturally imposing aura.

Standing in the tent were all figures of great importance in the army.

Beside him stood an old general, built as burly as an iron pagoda.

He wore a suit of dark cyan Heavy Knight Armor, not even taking it off inside the tent. His face was covered with the marks of time and battle, and his eyes were as sharp as a falcon’s.

This was the current commander of the Thunder Dragon Knight Order, Gaius "Iron Wall".

A legendary general who had climbed step-by-step from the rank of a common soldier to his high position through military merit. He was a strict disciplinarian with a will of iron, a companion who had fought and struggled alongside Duke Aiden since their days as soldiers.

He was also the only Knight outside of the Thunder Dragon Family to have a pact with a Thunder Dragon.

This alone spoke volumes about his relationship with the Duke.

Luke and several core generals stood on the other side, the atmosphere somewhat solemn.

Elvin "Frosty Winter" was his usual icy self, standing silently to one side as if he had merged with the cold air outside the tent.

"Have a seat, all of you. Don’t just stand there."

Duke Aiden was the first to break the silence. He casually pointed to the chairs nearby, then unceremoniously plopped himself down on the edge of the sand table.

"Gaius, you sit too. Stop walking around with such a long face. We’ve won the battle, you look like someone owes you money."

Everyone sat down.

"Luke."

Duke Aiden’s voice was gentle, breaking the quiet in the tent.

"You led the Northern Alliance Army well. Killing ’Blood Lion’ on the battlefield removed a great threat to the Duchy. With them down one Domain Level combatant, facing the Fiery Sun Kingdom will be much easier for us from now on."

This praise was heartfelt and carried immense weight.

Several generals in the tent cast admiring glances at Luke.

Luke stood up and bowed slightly.

"You praise me too highly, Your Grace. This victory would have been impossible without the full support of the Northern Lords and the soldiers who fought fearlessly. I merely fulfilled my duty."

He didn’t take credit for the achievement, instead changing the subject to another matter.

"Raylo of Black Stone Territory was particularly outstanding. He achieved great merit on multiple occasions. Baron Raylo’s contributions to the Northern Alliance Army’s string of victories were indispensable."