Chapter 253

Yupir's Heavenly Thunder engulfed the Drakes entering Harens Gorge, shrouding the gorge's entrance with a surge of lightning. The Thunderbolt Swords struck the Drakes, their massive forms ensnared in a wave of golden lightning. This momentarily stunned the Drakes and compromised their defenses.

Witnessing the opportunity, the Grand Masters and High Elves swiftly initiated their assault. The Grand Masters, clad in Chevalier Armors, swiftly closed the distance, wielding Aura Blades extending over five meters in length. They targeted the heads of the Drakes, momentarily stunned by the golden lightning.

The High Elves from the Ice Elves tribe thrust spears, infused with the power of the ice spirit, into the Drake's body. However, just before their attacks could land, a burst of flame erupted from behind. The other Drakes, trailing behind, had become aware of the situation unfolding in the front and unleashed their Flame Breaths.

The Grand Masters and High Elves swiftly halted their assault, intercepting the oncoming Flame Breaths. While successful in blocking the fiery onslaught, they were unable to completely withstand the impact and were forcefully propelled backward by the flames.

"Deploy Yupir's Heavenly Thunder once again, this time directed at their rear!"

Observing the situation, Luke hastily directed the other two Paladins. In a swift response, the additional Paladins released Yupir's Heavenly Thunder. Luke followed suit, initiating another onslaught of golden Thunderbolt Swords from the sky, specifically aimed at the Drakes positioned at the rear.

However, the Drakes did not fall for the same trick twice. Those at the rear synchronized their movements, lifting their heads simultaneously to unleash a Flame Breath toward the sky. A heavy stream of flame ascended, colliding with the descending Thunderbolt Swords in a fiery clash.

Accompanied by a resounding blast, the falling Thunderbolt Swords erupted in a dazzling display. As the Thunderbolt Swords disintegrated, shards of lightning descended from the sky, creating a stunning spectacle reminiscent of golden firecrackers illuminating the airspace above the gorge.

Yet, for the Alfne Mountain Range's expedition squad, the sight was far from beautiful. During this time, the Drakes, now recovered from the stun induced by Yupir's Heavenly Thunder, roared furiously in response to the inflicted damage. Fueled by anger, they charged aggressively toward the knights and High Elves.

Using the water flowing along one side of the gorge, the High Elves initiated a defensive maneuver. Transforming the gorge's water into a colossal ice dragon, they erected a barrier to impede the Drakes' relentless charge. Unfazed, the Drakes pressed forward, swinging their massive forelimbs in an attempt to break through.

The red aura shrouding their front paws clashed with the ice dragon, resulting in a massive explosion. The ice dragon crumbled into fragments due to the force of the red aura. Yet, amid the chaos, the ice dragon managed to sink its icy fangs into the Drakes' forelimbs.

The Drakes, having their forelimbs ensnared by the icy bite, succumbed to a potent surge of cold energy. Swiftly, the freezing process extended from their paws to their shoulders. Despite their attempts to mobilize the frozen limbs, the Drakes found themselves immobilized, unable to take a single step as the frost encased their paws from the ground upward.

Attempting to shatter the ice by emitting their aura proved futile, as the enchantment of the ice energy thwarted their magical efforts. The Drakes left with no alternative, resorted to swinging their unaffected paw against the frozen one. However, despite their forceful blows, the ice covering their front paw remained unyielding, displaying remarkable resilience against the powerful strikes.

The ice created by the ice spirits was sturdy enough to withstand their aura. It was not something that could be shattered by strength.

The Drakes channeled aura into their claws, swiping forcefully. This time, the ice yielded to the pressure, shattering under the impact. However, in the aftermath, the Drakes staggered momentarily as the force also reverberated through their front paws during the fracture of the ice.

Meanwhile, when the Drakes in front were immobilized, those whose paths were blocked, climbed the cliff and jumped over them. Then, they lunged at the knights and High Elves.

The Paladins retaliated against the oncoming Drakes with Yupir's Hundred Lightning. This formidable technique, known as the Hundred Golden Lightning Wheel Wave within the Heavenly Descent Thunder God Sword Art, cast a cascade of golden lightning upon the charging Drakes.

A surge of golden lightning wrapped around the Paladins, morphing into Thunderbolt Swords that swiftly propelled towards the oncoming Drakes. Each Paladin conjured a hundred of these Thunderbolt Swords, resulting in a combined onslaught of three hundred, aimed directly at the trio of Drakes hurtling towards them.

Despite the Drakes' attempts at defense within the confined space, the relentless speed of Yupir's Hundred Lightning left them little room to evade. Trapped in the narrow gorge, they succumbed to the assault of Thunderbolt Swords, forcefully propelled backward by the unrelenting onslaught.

The coordinated assault continued as Denion and Kamel relentlessly wielded their Aura Blades, leaving the Drakes battered. Simultaneously, the High Elves summoned another ice dragon, which swiftly attacked the already weakened Drakes, clamping down on their bodies and necks, preventing any opportunity for recovery.

The Drakes stood frozen, their necks and bodies seized when the ice dragons' teeth met. Rooted to the ground, a layer of ice enveloped a significant portion of their forms. If not interrupted, the ice energy coursing through the ice dragon's teeth threatened to freeze their insides entirely.

Yet, the Drakes at the rear weren't mere spectators; they unleashed a barrage of Flame Breaths upon the ice dragons. The ice dragons, upon being struck by the fiery breaths, convulsed as if in pain, rapidly succumbing to the intense heat and melting away.

Denion exclaimed, "We can't press on! We must retreat immediately!” witnessing the ice dragons melting.

"Go ahead! We'll erect an ice wall to halt their advances," Olaf, the chief of the Ice Elves tribe, addressed the humans.

Olaf directed the High Elves by his side to construct an ice wall within the gorge. Following Olaf's instructions, the High Elves manipulated their ice spirits, utilizing the flowing water in the gorge to craft multiple layers of ice walls, effectively sealing off the gorge entrance.

As the High Elves diligently built the ice walls, the knights swiftly withdrew to the rear. Once over ten layers of substantial ice walls were in place, the High Elves, too, followed suit, joining the knights as they ventured deeper into the gorge.

Blocked by the ice wall, the Drakes attempted to break through by ramming their bodies into it. Despite their relentless efforts, using sharp claws and tails, the ice walls remained unyielding, refusing to budge.

In time, the Drakes resorted to spewing Flame Breaths, attempting to melt the ice walls. Despite the intensity of their fiery onslaught, the ice walls, forged by the ice spirits, resisted melting easily. The Drakes, taking turns unleashing Flame Breaths, found the endeavor powerful yet mana-draining.

The Drake pack divided into two groups: one tirelessly melting the ice walls, and the other regaining their Mana. The Drakes' Mana recovery outpaced that of the humans, yet it still required a considerable amount of time.

Having expended a significant portion of their Mana to entirely melt the ice walls, the Drake pack refrained from the immediate pursuit of the humans and High Elves. Instead, they prioritized replenishing their Mana reserves.

As the Drake pack melted the ice wall and replenished their Mana, the human knights, and High Elves tactically retreated to the gorge's midpoint. There, they reorganized into a battle formation along the winding trail.

Opting for the winding trail, the expedition squad knew it would impede the Drakes' movements due to the terrain's curvature. With a battle formation in place, the human knights and High Elves concentrated on recuperating their energy, mirroring the efforts of the fatigued Drake pack.

Initially, the High Elves rejuvenated their spiritual energy by consuming spirit water crafted from spirit stones. Following suit, the Paladins replenished their drained Mana, seeking the priests' aid through a power called Yupir's Holy Blessing.

In contrast to the High Elves and Paladins, the knights from the three kingdoms lacked a swift Mana restoration method. Their only recourse was the gradual Mana circulation technique to replenish their energy.

Despite lacking a rapid Mana restoration method, the knights had sufficient time to recover as their Mana consumption was relatively lower than that of the High Elves and Paladins. As the expedition squad rejuvenated their Mana in readiness for the second battle, the ground of the gorge and the cliffs on both sides trembled, accompanied by the resounding footsteps.

The Drakes recovered their Mana and started moving again.

“Everyone, get ready!”

At Luke’s words, the knights wore their Chevalier Armors. The High Elves also summoned ice giants over their bodies.

“This time, too, we will begin the attack with Yupir's Heavenly Thunder.”

The High Elves and knights acknowledged Luke's words with nods. In the prior skirmish, the Drakes obliterated Yupir's Heavenly Thunder with their Flame Breaths, leaving a void in terms of a reliable and potent attack.

Luke and the two Paladins readied themselves to unleash Yupir's Heavenly Thunder as soon as the Drakes came into view. When a Drake's head appeared at the trail's corner, Luke unfolded Yupir's Heavenly Thunder. A thousand Thunderbolt Swords descended, embedding themselves directly into the advancing Drakes at the forefront.

Following Luke's lead, the other two Paladins consecutively unleashed Yupir's Heavenly Thunder towards the rear, aiming to harm the Drakes at the back. From the trail's corner to the gorge's end, a cascade of golden lightning erupted, enveloping ten Drakes within its formidable reach.

After the Paladins' onslaught, a formidable force comprising the Grand Masters and Master Knights from the three kingdoms, totaling twenty individuals, engaged the Drakes at the forefront. Simultaneously, the High Elves conjured an ice dragon through their ice spirits, directing the frozen entity to assail the Drakes positioned behind.

The assault wasn't solely targeted at the two or three Drakes in the front; it concurrently struck those in the rear. The attack yielded favorable results as the Drakes at the back, disoriented by the impact from Yupir's Heavenly Thunder, couldn't halt the approaching ice dragon. Subsequently, they succumbed to freezing bites on their necks and bodies. Meanwhile, the Drakes at the front sustained extensive injuries from the relentless onslaught of the knights.

The three Paladins who initiated the assault unleashed Yupir's Heavenly Thunder once more upon the Drakes at the rear. Despite the Drakes at the back attempting to aid their companions facing adversity in the front, they hastily defended themselves upon witnessing the Thunderbolt Swords descending from the heavens.

The golden Thunderbolt Swords descended onto the Drakes, each enveloped in multiple layers of magic force field around their bodies, triggering an explosive blast. However, the Thunderbolt Swords failed to breach the Drakes' resilient magic force fields, shattering upon impact and dispersing a surge of lightning in all directions.

Having successfully thwarted the Thunderbolt Swords, the Drakes raised their heads to the sky and let out resounding roars. Initially perceived as mere displays of prowess, the expedition squad soon realized it was more than that. In response to the Drakes' roars, distant monsters echoed with their own roars. The unexpected reaction left the expedition squad bewildered.

The echoes of other monsters responding to the Drakes' roars hinted at potential reinforcements. The expedition squad's apprehensions proved accurate as colossal monsters were spotted soaring from the distant sky, converging towards the gorge.

“Wyverns!”

Denion was taken aback at the sight of the massive monsters in the distant sky. There was no mistaking it; they were Wyverns, known to be even more formidable than the Drakes. In a scenario where confronting the Drakes alone was already formidable, the appearance of Wyverns posed a grave threat, potentially leading to the annihilation of the entire expedition squad.

“Wyverns are coming! We have to get away right now!” Denion shouted at the expedition squad.

"It's futile to escape now. Even if we attempt to flee, we stand no chance against the Wyverns soaring in the sky," Kamel stated with a somber expression.

“Damn it! I warned all of you, didn't I? Even if it means abandoning the Kraiss Kingdom, we should have retreated," Denion yelled at Luke and Kamel angrily.

“I never thought the Wyverns would appear. It’s my fault. Nevertheless, it's not the end. Let’s not give up, for the mighty Yupir will guide us," Luke blamed himself, yet clung to optimism.

"Even with Yupir, in the current circumstances, there's nothing to be done. We'll be buried here," Denion declared in despair.

Olaf, chief of the Ice Elves tribe, responded to Denion while gazing at the sky where the Wyverns were in flight,

“Well, I don’t think the almighty Sky God has abandoned us yet.”

Denion and the other knights directed their attention to where Olaf was looking. To their surprise, they observed figures swiftly soaring through the air, mounted on wind giants.

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