The dragon let out a ground-shaking roar, its massive body suddenly swaying, sweeping its colossal tail towards Mark Cooper, who was launched into the air and collided with a ruined building.
Mark felt waves of excruciating pain surge through him, his bones seeming to shatter, his organs violently jarred.
He gritted his teeth, fighting against the intense pain, as he struggled to rise.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes flickered with unwavering determination.
He knew his odds were slim, but now, inside Riverside, he was the last person who could retreat.
Taking a deep breath, he harnessed all his strength for another charge at the dragon.
The gleam of his sword pierced the dark night sky.
Mark Cooper’s attack was fierce, akin to a thunderbolt, and he relentlessly slashed at the dragon.
Each strike embodied his rage and resolve.
For the first time, Ethan was wounded…
However, despite Mark Cooper’s relentless resistance, the disparity between him and the dragon was still too immense.
Ethan’s draconic form was like an insurmountable fortress.
“This is it…” was his last thought as Ethan’s dragon claw crushed Mark Cooper’s head.
With Mark Cooper’s death, the defending army descended into chaos.
Soldiers joined the fleeing populace, scattering in panic like headless chickens.
…
Meanwhile, the guards on the city wall could hardly believe the sight before them.
They clutched their weapons tightly, their hearts filled with dread.
A massive army slowly emerged on the horizon.
“Defend, defend!”
“Where are the archers? Archers! Get the city guards to back us up, where are the Heroes? Where have those damned Heroes gone?”
The soldiers atop the city wall tensed up, their hearts reaching their limits. Not long after, the first wave of the enemy forces reached the city walls.
Gnolls and Pigmen charged to the walls, their enormous hammers slamming violently into the stonework, sending shards flying.
A group of soldiers attacked the monsters from above, momentarily creating a stalemate.
But this didn’t last long.
The soldiers’ biggest reliance – the city gate – suddenly, without any warning, swung open.
Samuel Jenkins watched with a pained expression as the enemy forces streamed into the city.
For a fleeting moment, he considered holding the city with all his might, wondering if there was a slim chance of victory…
But the overwhelming size of the enemy forces quelled any lingering hope.
Dark Lord Ethan… such a force was truly invincible.
“Charge!”
The soldiers desperately held their ground, but the monstrous strength of their enemies made it nearly impossible to resist.
They traded their fearless sacrifice for precious time, allowing the remaining forces to reorganize.
Squads of Pigmen charged forward, roaring like beasts, their axes slicing through soldiers, spewing blood and flesh everywhere.
The frontlines turned into a meat grinder, claiming countless lives in an instant.
Werewolves transformed into ferocious beasts, weaving through the soldiers, their claws tearing through flesh.
The soldiers fought back, but the werewolves’ speed and power were too much to handle.
Their howls echoed in every corner of the city, streets stained with blood.
Dark Elves appeared in the shadows, holding dark magic staves, casting deadly spells.
Dark energy coalesced into sharp arrows, piercing through the soldiers’ armor, claiming their lives.
Vampires prowled in the night, closing in on the soldiers in a flash and draining their blood in an instant.
Cries of fear and anger mingled as the soldiers attempted to resist the onslaught of the vampires…
The battle situation was disheartening.
The Dark Lord Alliance began to inch forward and soon breached into the city.
Riverside’s defenders quickly lost ground against the surging onslaught, and at that moment, a group of well-equipped Heroes went against the flow to stand in the way of the monster army.
“These NPCs are useless, brothers, follow me!”
“Damn it, finally, a siege scenario, I’m gonna have a killing spree this round!”
A bunch of Heroes charged at the monster army, entangling in combat instantaneously.
A new round of battle was ignited, and this time, the Heroes gradually gained the upper hand.
And this, was exactly what Ethan was worried about.
Compared to the NPCs of Riverside, the Heroes faction was his greatest concern.
An NPC might take ten years to grow to C-rank, possessing the power to fight against the Dark Lord soldiers.
However, the Heroes… they leveled up more than ten times faster than NPCs.
There were tens of thousands of players in Riverside right now.
Once united, they represented a formidable force.
The Dark Lord Alliance’s offensive was hindered, and Ethan had new enemies on his side.
…
A team of high-rank Heroes blocked Ethan’s path.
The lead Hero was named Anthony Nelson, renowned in the Hero faction.
He hadn’t joined any guild and was known as the top independent player, a fearless swordsman.
Anthony Nelson was incredibly tall, his bulky muscles making him seem like a small mountain.
His eyes were filled with endless fighting spirit.
Wielding his great sword, he emanated a chilling murderous aura.
“I’ve been itching for a dragon fight. The dragon in the Mist Forest is too cowardly, I had given up on it. I didn’t expect such a pleasant surprise when I returned to the city.”
“I’m going to be the first dragon-slaying player!”
Anthony Nelson roared as he charged at the dragon.
Their steps were firm and powerful, each step shaking the ground.
When he got close enough to Ethan, he kicked off the ground, leaping high in the air.
His sword emanated a terrifying arc of light that transformed into a massive light blade slashing at Ethan.
Sizzle!
The attack was incredibly fast, and even though Ethan had dodged in advance, the light blade still left a huge blood mark on Ethan’s tail, with hot dragon blood dripping continuously.
“So not all Heroes are useless after all.”
There were individuals who had advanced to B-rank in the Dark Lord faction, and it was only natural that there were even more in the Hero faction.
The Hero in front of him was likely at the same level as Ethan, both at rank B+.
If Ethan didn’t have the Divine Dragon bloodline to strengthen him, this sword might have severely wounded him.
Ethan was also interested in measuring the gap between his power and that of the top Heroes.
ƥαṇdαs ηθνε| He flapped his wings, charging at Anthony Nelson!
“Bring it on!” Anthony Nelson shouted, sword in hand, slashing at Ethan.
The two collided in the air, causing a terrifying sonic boom.
Meanwhile, behind Anthony Nelson, a Hero dressed in light leather armor silently appeared.
Her name was Olivia Brown, a bowman.
Unlike Rose, who was a hybrid, Olivia had been a professional archer before coming to this world.
With the additional skills and attributes in this world, her arrows had become incredibly lethal.
Unaware Heroes of the same level could even be instantly killed by her arrow!
Her arrows were on point, every shot aimed precisely at Ethan’s eyes.
This annoyed Ethan to no end.
Every time he tried to take out this woman first, Anthony Nelson would step in, blocking his assault.
Their combination of offense and defense had Ethan tied up.
Elsewhere, a woman dressed in an exquisite mage robe emerged.
Her name was Amelia Thomas, a high-level elemental mage.
She was seen waving her staff from a distance, releasing powerful attacks of fire, frost, and lightning like a torrential downpour, massacring the monsters trying to assist Ethan.
Hiding behind the trio was a young woman dressed in white, named Isabella Jones, a cleric.
Whenever Anthony Nelson was injured in the fight, a healing light would fall instantly.
This allowed Anthony Nelson to assault Ethan without any worries.
Their teamwork was impeccable.
For a moment, Ethan was suppressed.
The battlefield became extremely intense.
Ethan roared repeatedly, trying to break free from the Heroes’ siege.
He waved his huge claws and tail wildly, tearing the air apart and spilling a terrifying magic light, but the four were like slippery eels.
Ethan’s attacks were hardly effective.
His gigantic size had become his weakness.
“This is how you take down a boss, haha, we’re gonna grind this guy to dust!” Anthony Nelson laughed loudly, swinging his greatsword at the dragon’s neck.
The clash of blade and scales produced a piercing noise.
Olivia Brown’s arrows ripped through the air, constantly shooting at Ethan’s weak points.
One of her arrows hit Ethan’s eye, causing him to bleed and lose half of his vision.
Amelia Thomas kept casting various spells.
After realizing her offensive magic had little effect on Ethan, she started to cast various debuffs on Ethan, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Anthony Nelson continually launched fierce attacks.
His greatsword hacked on the dragon scales, with each strike sparking a shower of sparks.
Some attacks even successfully breached Ethan’s defense.
Gradually, Ethan started showing signs of fatigue, suddenly falling to the ground. Seeing this, Anthony Nelson hurriedly rushed in.
“He’s almost done for. Watch me finish him off, haha!” Anthony Nelson slashed at the wounded Ethan, his greatsword successfully piercing Ethan’s belly.
Hot dragon blood flowed out, and an ecstatic look spread across Anthony’s face.
But in the next moment, his smile froze on his face.
Ethan suddenly reached out, firmly grabbing him.
A terrifying holy light centered around Ethan, madly spreading out.
The power of the Divine Dragon!
Ethan’s injuries instantly healed, and the Anthony Nelson in his hand was crushed amidst a series of shrill screams.
Ethan took flight, all his wounds healed.
He slowly turned to look at the darkness behind him, his tone irritable: “How long do you guys plan to watch the show?”𝔬𝗏𝓵xt.𝚌𝒐𝔪
“Oops, don’t be mad, Ethan. That was really scary,” a bell-like laughter came from behind.
Then, Dark Lords with terrifying power appeared behind Ethan…
The heroes on the scene were filled with despair.