Chapter 377: Bloody Wild Dragon Dance
"Roar..."
"Roar..."
The sky echoed with the thunderous roars of dragons as they burst from the clouds, diving one after another. Sunfyre, Sea Smoke, and Grey Ghost led the assault.
Rhaenys, clad in crimson armor, spurred Meleys forward, appearing last and swiftly charging toward the pirate ship.
"Dracarys!"
Dragonfire of various hues streaked across the sky in unison. The forces of the three allied kingdoms had no time to mount a defense before being engulfed in the inferno, their cries of agony filling the air.
The Cannibal ceased its fiery assault and soared toward the ship where Rhaegar stood, hovering momentarily with powerful wingbeats.
"Lord Corlys, encircle the Triarchy fleet," Rhaegar ordered.
With a dramatic flourish, Rhaegar leapt from the deck, grabbing onto the dragon's tail. Cannibal's tail lifted him effortlessly onto its back.
"Roar!"
With a fierce cry, the Cannibal surged towards the Triarchy warship once more.
The four dragons took turns bombarding the enemy fleet, the sky churning with their ferocity as flames quickly spread across the sea.
"Cannibal, Dracarys!" Rhaegar commanded, his gaze steady.
"Roar..."
Cannibal swooped low, unleashing a ghostly green blaze that set a pirate ship ablaze as it passed.
"Roar..."
"Roar..."
Laenor circled the fleet on Sea Smoke, dragonfire raining down uncontrollably. Aegon followed on Sunfyre, matching Grey Ghost's trajectory, their combined flames relentless.
Meleys darted nimbly over the fleet, targeting pirate ships bristling with scorpion crossbows.
"Counterattack! Ready the scorpion crossbows!" bellowed Sharako Lohar, the commander of the Triarchy's navy, as he personally aimed a scorpion crossbow at the light gray dragon.
Whoosh—
A steel spear shot through the air, narrowly grazing the light gray dragon's tail.
"Roar..."
The Grey Ghost whipped around in surprise, its vertical pupils locking onto a specific pirate ship. Gathering energy, it unleashed a fiery dragonfire ball.
Boom—
Sharako's scream was cut short as the three-meter-diameter fireball consumed him. The deck erupted in flames, the bow of the ship tilted downward, and mercenaries fled in terror.
"Fire the scorpion crossbows!"
"The dragon is coming!"
Chaos reigned across hundreds of pirate ships. Mercenaries, unaccustomed to facing dragons, frantically scrambled to launch their scorpion crossbows.
The five dragons soared above, becoming elusive, high-speed targets.
Rhaegar took a quick glance at the scene and coldly muttered, "Kill them all."
Cannibal's wings beat powerfully, ghostly green dragonfire spilling recklessly, transforming into wings of death that obliterated everything in its path.
Steel spears shot upward, futilely chasing the five dragons. Only the fearless charge of the Cannibal sent the crossbow bolts scattering uselessly.
The remaining four dragons remained unharmed, not a single steel spear even grazing their scales.
"Dracarys!" Laenor shouted excitedly, Sea Smoke beneath him swooping back and forth, attacking with increasing ferocity.
"Roar..."
Sunfyre and Grey Ghost roared continuously, their gold and gray forms intertwining as they destroyed swathes of pirate ships.
The pirates of the Triarchy looked on in horror, their hearts pounding wildly as they helplessly fired their scorpion crossbows and arrows.
The dragons danced in the sky, their movements almost graceful. Dragonfire rained down, and the sea ran red with blood.
...
In the blink of an eye, hours slipped away.
Crackling...
Rolling black smoke billowed from the vast sea, the sea breeze carrying the acrid stench of charred remains.
The fleet of the three allied kingdoms was nearly annihilated. Wrecked ships littered the water, charred corpses marring the azure sea.
"Roar..."
Meleys streaked by, its scarlet scales glistening as if bathed in blood, hunting for surviving mercenaries to incinerate.
Whoosh—
The fleet bearing the three-headed red dragon banner advanced slowly, bypassing the ten-mile-wide bloody battlefield, and approached Lys's harbor.
The Sea Snake's face tightened as he inhaled the thick stench of charred wood, secretly clenching his weapon.
No one here had been an eyewitness to the ancient Valyrian conquest of Essos; there were only stories.
Now, the Targaryens' assault on the Triarchy was unfolding before their eyes.
The dragons danced together, invincible and unmatched.
Hoo! Whew!
A shadow loomed overhead as the Cannibal circled slowly, exuding a sinister aura.
Rhaegar, steady in his saddle, surveyed the tragic scene below and shouted, "Laenor, Aegon, clear the battlefield."
The dragons had incinerated the ships, and many mercenaries had leaped into the sea to survive, their numbers were too great to ignore.
Sea Smoke and Sunfyre were not far away, their roars echoing through the air.
Laenor and Aegon led the charge, continuing to burn the floundering mercenaries in the sea.
Rhaegar slapped the back of his pitch-black dragon and directed the Cannibal across the battlefield, heading straight for Lys.
Grey Ghost chirped and flapped his wings, following closely.
Rhaenys glanced at her husband on the ship and arrogantly commanded, "Go after them!"
"Roar..."
Meleys roared, picking up speed.
The Sea Snake, a great explorer who had ventured to sea nine times, was always ahead in his journeys.
Rhaenys, though occasionally worried, never traveled with him, for she always anticipated Corlys's every move, staying one step ahead of him.
...
Lys, Magister's Mansion.
Bambaro paced anxiously in the attic, his anxiety evident.
A hundred warships had been dispatched, nearly the entire naval force of Lys. He dared not deploy Morghul, fearing it would be overwhelmed by the Targaryen dragons in a sea battle.
He believed that the sheer number of ships would at least wear down the Iron Throne fleet, perhaps even bring down a dragon. As the enemy approached the harbor, thousands of well-defended garrison troops and city-state scorpion crossbows would keep the dragons in check.
With Morghul, their ultimate weapon, victory seemed assured.
Bang...
The door burst open, and several elaborately dressed officials rushed in, panic on their faces.
"How is the battle going?" Bambaro's eyes flashed with urgency.
"My lord, the Targaryen dragons have destroyed the fleet and are advancing on the city-state," an official reported, his voice shaking.
Bambaro's heart pounded as he asked, "What are the Iron Throne's losses?"
As long as the enemy had suffered significant losses, there might still be hope.
"No losses," the official replied, his fear evident. "They still have five dragons, and our fleet was helpless."
Bambaro stared in disbelief. During the Conqueror's time, three dragons had subdued the seven kingdoms of Westeros. Now, five Targaryen dragons seemed like divine retribution.
A young official, trembling, suggested, "My lord, war will only bring innocent casualties. Why not consider peace?"
Lys was not just the Magister's domain; it belonged to all the powerful and wealthy. The city had already endured the devastation of dragonfire once, and no one wished to relive that nightmare.
Anger erupted in Bambaro. "Get out! Inform the garrison to fight to the death!" he roared.
Negotiate peace? Never! The Triarchy and the Iron Throne were mortal enemies. With Morghul, they had a wild dragon on their side. Surrender or peace talks would only ensure his own death.
...
"Roar--"
Cannibal soared above Lys, churning the clouds and letting out a terrifying roar.
The sound of the dragon roar and his pitch-black wings, was too familiar to the terror to the Free City of Lys.
Civilians and slaves hiding in their homes looked up and recognized the pitch-black dragon in the sky.
One thought rose unanimously.
"The black dragon! It's descending on Lys again!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, the strange sounds of scorpion crossbows echoed from the hundreds of towers in the city, launching steel spears skyward.
Rhaegar observed the scene and commanded calmly, "Dracarys!"
"Roar..."
The Cannibal's green eyes flashed with disdain, and it unleashed a torrent of Dragonfire.
In an instant, hundreds of steel spears melted into molten iron, raining down on the city.
Man and dragon moved as one.
Rhaegar leaned forward, and Cannibal lifted its wings and swooped down, its massive body casting a shadow over the free city as Dragonfire rained on the guard towers.
Boom! Boom!
The dragon only left destruction in its wake, toppling towers and sending boulders crashing down, spreading chaos throughout the city.
Woo~
Solemn horns sounded from the harbor as the Iron Throne's fleet attacked.
Meleys and Grey Ghost circled above, coordinating with the fleet to capture the heavily fortified harbor.
The Targaryen assault was unstoppable.
"Roar..."
Suddenly, a maniacal dragon roar pierced the air.
Rhaegar turned to the sound and saw a massive silver and black dragon emerge from a domed building.
"Morghul!"
Rhaegar muttered as he sized up the giant dragon.
Their first encounter had been in the dangerous Smoking Sea.
Morghul, perhaps curious or lonely, had followed the Cannibal's scent to Dragonstone Island, harassing the other dragons nesting in the Dragonmont.
With determination in his eyes, Rhaegar shouted, "Kill!"
The Cannibal's green eyes gleamed with fierce intent, saliva dripping from its jaws as it dove with lightning speed.
One thought dominated its mind.
Prey!
"Roar..."
Morghul' vertical pupils glowed with madness as he charged forward.
On the dragon's back, the red priest Belle screamed frantically, "Morghul, stop!"
The dragon was out of control!
Instead of targeting the golden dragon or the light silver dragon from the intelligence, Morghul chose to confront the Cannibal, a dragon more than half its size.
Just like during yesterday's mission against the airborne fleet, this dragon attacked with reckless abandon.
Boom!
Green and gray Dragonfire clashed, mixing into a hellish mist that filled the sky with brilliant colors.
Cannibal crashed through the Dragonfire, its maw wide open with impatience.
Morghul, unafraid, charged directly into the Cannibal.
Pfft...
With a sickening sound, the Cannibal knocked Morghul backward, sinking its bloody jaws into the neck, hot dragon blood spurting out.
"Roar..."
Morghul howled in agony, unable to bite back as its claws struggled to tear at the Cannibal's chest.
Prick!
Gray claws scraped against black scales, sending sparks flying. The sharp claws managed to penetrate the scales but couldn't tear away much flesh.
Pfft...
Cannibal, driven by the scent of blood, ripped out large chunks of flesh, tilting its head back to swallow them whole.
Taking advantage of Morghul's screams, Cannibal locked its jaws onto one of Morghul's wings.
Click...
Fangs pierced the wing membrane, snapping the slender wing bone.
With a violent shake of its head, Cannibal shredded the wing membrane to pieces.
Bits of flesh and blood fell into its maw as Morghul's wings twisted and tore apart.
"Roar!"
Morghul wailed in pain but continued to attack fearlessly, twisting its body to bite into Cannibal's shoulder and neck.
Thick fangs broke through the scales, closing deeply around the flesh.
Hot dragon blood sprayed over both dragons.
"Roar..."
Cannibal, oblivious to pain, fell into a frenzied hunger, both rational and insane.
Morghul bit and tore relentlessly, but Cannibal flapped its wings to pull away, stomping hard on Morghul's body.
With a sickening crunch, scales broke, mixed with dragon blood.
Morghul grunted but did not release its grip.
Cannibal, growing more exuberant, bit down on Morghul's other wing.
Crack-
The bones were shattered at the roots, and the entire wing was torn in half.
(Word count: 1,821)