Lord of Caldera - Chapter 209

Chapter 209: Chapter 209

“Do not retreat! If anyone turns their back on the enemy, I’ll cut your neck myself!”

Bjorn’s shout made the soldiers flinch. Their faltering movements halted, and the crumbling formation was restored. But the morale that had plummeted was beyond saving.

“Even if we fight, the enemy is a dragon,” thought the soldiers.

“Damn, is this where I die?”

Even if there was a chance of victory, could they survive standing against a dragon directly? Forget the terrifying flames—just look at that massive body.

The mere swing of its forelegs or tail could shatter their ranks. Regret filled the eyes of the soldiers as they stared at the creature.

“Why is it only our commander who’s an ordinary human?”

Meanwhile, the other units holding back dragons suffered minimal losses, thanks to their commanders, who possessed superhuman strength.

Sylas, Toby, Rey, and Ragnar—these four exceptional leaders were strong enough to contend with dragons on their own, and their units only needed to support them.

But Bjorn was different. Since he couldn’t face the dragon alone, his troops had to step up and fight, risking their lives on the front lines.

“Is this my final battlefield…?”

Someone’s quiet murmur resonated like thunder. At that very moment, the dragon pulled back its head, and the flickering red aura made the soldiers pale.

“F-Flames!”

“I knew this would happen!”

“My wife, my kids…!”

As the soldiers cried out in despair, Bjorn dashed forward and hurled his axe.

“You beast!”

Thud.

The thrown axe flew straight to the dragon’s head. Yet it didn’t even scratch the dragon’s scales. It didn’t disrupt the dragon’s flame attack either.

The only reaction was the dragon’s annoyed gaze turning toward Bjorn. Realizing the target had shifted, Bjorn’s eyes flared.

“Stand back…!”

The moment he shouted, the dragon’s flames roared to life. Since it only targeted Bjorn, the flames didn’t spread toward the soldiers.

“Agh!”

“Sir Bjorn!”

The soldiers’ screams and the knights’ horrified voices echoed. Though the flames hadn’t reached them, the intense heat was palpable even from a distance.

These were flames that could melt a human down to the bone in seconds.

“Ah…”

With the commander’s apparent death, even the last traces of hope faded. Fear consumed the soldiers, extinguishing even the slightest courage.

Sensing this, the dragon smirked with satisfaction.

“Don’t laugh, you overgrown lizard!”

The voice rang out from within the flames, startling both the dragon and the soldiers. Bjorn leaped out of the blazing inferno, slamming his axe into the dragon’s head.

Boom.

The powerful strike pierced the scales this time, leaving a visible wound on the dragon. The dragon shrieked and writhed in pain.

Bjorn quickly distanced himself, grinning.

“Is this what you call fire? This is barely warm!”

“H-How…?”

One of the knights stammered, his mouth agape. As if in response, Bjorn raised his axe.

“No flame shall harm me! Soldiers, do not be afraid! I stand before you!”

“A-Ah…!”

Hope rekindled in the soldiers’ eyes. Morale relies on realistic hope and the spark of courage, after all.

The sight of the wounded dragon represented the former, while Bjorn’s survival amidst the flames embodied the latter perfectly.

“Fight on, sons of the North! I will lead, so follow me!”

A powerful cheer erupted in response to Bjorn’s words. Smiling confidently, Bjorn gripped his remaining axe, thinking to himself.

“Phew, that was close.”

Had the dragon chosen to strike with its claws instead of flames, Bjorn would have been finished. As things turned out, morale had hit rock bottom, and their formation would have collapsed.

But he was fortunate that the first attack was flames. Bjorn still had the artifact that Sylas had given him, making this an ideal situation.

“However, this won’t last long. When the casualties start piling up, reality will set in.”

Somehow, he had to kill or drive back the beast before that happened. Showing no fear and acting as though victory was assured was an added bonus.

“Well, it’s not too difficult.”

Even his liege, his fellow knights, and even his rivals for the throne were facing even greater trials alone.

For someone with aspirations to be king, he couldn’t falter at this. With a thin smile, Bjorn shouted.

“Let’s go! Today, we carve a new legend in the North!”

“Hail Sir Bjorn!”

“Goddess, watch over us!”

With the knights’ cheers, Bjorn’s unit clashed with the dragon.

The dragon shrieked.

“Circle back! Stop it from taking off!”

“H-How should we do that?”

“Fire arrows! Aim for the wings! Even if they don’t penetrate, the impact will hurt!”

Toby shouted at the knights and soldiers as he leaped forward. The dragon’s swinging forelegs met Toby’s sword strike head-on.

Boom.

“Gah, this is tough!”

With a wry smile, Toby steadied himself. The dragon, too, scowled and backed off slightly. The battle was at a standstill.

The soldiers were horrified but kept moving frantically as they witnessed the human and dragon locked in an even struggle. They knew that the moment the dragon escaped the superhuman warrior’s reach, their own lives would be at stake.

The dragon growled, its wings flapping.

“It’s trying to fly again!”

“Shoot! Keep firing!”

Seeing the dragon preparing to take flight, the soldiers panicked and unleashed a flurry of arrows. Although the arrows couldn’t penetrate its scales, they managed to jolt the wings enough to prevent it from taking off.

The dragon shrieked in anger.

“Keep your eyes on me, you lizard!” Toby shouted, seizing the opportunity as the dragon turned its head in fury. He leaped forward, his sword slicing through the scales and leaving a wound.

The dragon cried out in pain, thrashing as it flung Toby away. He rolled across the ground, regaining his stance. Smiling at the sight of the dragon’s agony, Toby thought to himself, The lord’s strategy is working well.

Sylas’s strategy was simple: a superhuman would hold the dragon in place while the surrounding soldiers provided support, taking advantage of the moments when the dragon was distracted by multiple attacks.