Chapter 194: Cannibal’s Crushing Grind

In the midst of the shouting, an arrow flew from behind.

With a sickening thud, it pierced the Sea Snake's right shoulder through a gap in his armor. Blood splattered, and the Sea Snake screamed in agony, staggering and nearly falling.

"Brother!"

Vaemond, hearing the cry, was shocked. He swiftly stabbed a pirate attempting to attack the Sea Snake and shielded him.

"Corlys!"

Rhaenys, watching anxiously, was equally alarmed and worried about her husband's condition.

"Shoot!"

A new volley of scorpion crossbows was fired, and Meleys surged into the air. The pirates below had anticipated the scarlet dragon's path and launched their steel spears accordingly.

Before Rhaenys could react, a spear hurtled towards Meleys' neck.

"Roar..."

Sensing the danger, Meleys dodged just in time, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike. However, the spear flashed dangerously close to Rhaenys' face. In an instant, cold sweat trickled down her brow, and the rushing wind stung her cheeks. She had come within mere meters of being impaled.

"Dracarys!"

Regaining her composure, Rhaenys, furious, urged Meleys into a frenzied attack, scorching the pirate ships' scorpion crossbows. Her desperate assault caused Laenor great concern. He attempted to alleviate the pressure on his mother by directing Sea Smoke in attacks on the pirate ships.

Despite their efforts, the battle deteriorated. As the Dornishmen finished firing their bows and arrows, they lowered their ramming horns, preparing for close combat.

"Mother, get in the air!" Laenor shouted suddenly.

The Dornish ships also bore scorpion crossbows and had locked onto Meleys, who was entangled with the pirate ships. But Rhaenys, ignoring the plea, continued her relentless assault.

"Fire!"

The command rang out, and the Dornish scorpion crossbows fired in unison. Sensing imminent danger, Meleys flapped her wings and soared upwards, narrowly escaping a barrage of steel spears.

"Attack! Board and fight!"

The Dornish warships crashed into the Sea Snake's fleet, and dark-haired, dark-skinned Dornish soldiers swarmed aboard. The battle's tide quickly turned for the worse.

The Sea Snake fought valiantly, protected by Vaemond and his men, but the enemy's encirclement tightened. The bodies of fallen soldiers were cast into the sea, and the Triarchy's pirates loomed closer.

The Sea Snake, drenched in blood, continued to fight fiercely, retreating step by step amidst the growing encirclement.

"Roar..."

A deep dragon roar echoed across the Stepstones, catching everyone's attention.

From the thick clouds, a pitch-black dragon shot out like a dark meteor.

"Dracarys!"

Rhaegar, perched on the dragon's back, gazed down indifferently as he uttered the High Valyrian command.

Cannibal swooped over the battlefield, its cold, merciless eyes gleaming. It opened its maw, releasing a torrent of Dragonfire.

Boom!

The dark green flames filled the air like smoke, engulfing half of the battlefield in an instant.

"Help!..."

More than a dozen pirate ships were consumed by the flames, their crews screaming in agony as they were turned to ash. Cannibal's Dragonfire was extremely adhesive, clinging to anything it touched until it was completely incinerated. The ships burned slowly, enveloped in the dark green flames.

"Roar..."

Cannibal, unafraid of flying low, glided close to the ground, its thick neck spewing Dragonfire in every direction. Its massive body blocked the sun, casting a shadow over the battlefield.

Rhaegar shouted to Rhaenys and Laenor, "Go support Lord Corlys! I'll handle this!"

Corlys was trapped in a fierce battle with the Dornish and the pirates of the Triarchy. The presence of two more dragons would be crucial in turning the tide.

"Be careful!" Rhaenys called back, worried about her husband. She urged her dragon towards the Dornish fleet.

Laenor, excited and determined, led Sea Smoke to support their fleet. As he turned, he glanced back to witness Cannibal's devastating assault.

"Roar..."

Cannibal rose higher, its powerful hind legs smashing into the mast of a pirate ship, nearly toppling it with the sheer force.

"Reload the scorpions, quick!"

Panicked, the pirates of the Triarchy pinned their hopes on the remaining scorpion crossbows.

Rhaegar commanded, "Dracarys!"

Cannibal, still climbing, lowered its head and unleashed another wave of Dragonfire. The steel spears of the scorpions were engulfed in the flames, melting into puddles of iron that fell into the ocean.

"Roar..."

Cannibal reached a certain height and then dove again, spewing eerie green Dragonfire onto the remaining pirate ships.

Boom!

The ships that encountered the Dragonfire were instantly engulfed in flames, leaving no pirates alive. The surrounding ships, their hulls scorched by the flames, faced their doom in utter despair.

In a matter of moments, the hard-won advantage of the Triarchy's fleet was gone. Compared to the 60-year-old Meleys and the young Sea Smoke, the 100-year-old Cannibal was an unstoppable force. The giant dragon dwarfed the warships, and its green dragonfire clung to its targets, consuming everything in its path.

"Cannibal, turn around."

With the Triarchy's fleet in ruins, Rhaegar shifted his focus to the Dornish forces. After parting ways with Rhaenyra at Dragonstone, he had flown directly to the Stepstones without delay. His timely arrival proved crucial, as the Kingdom's fleet had been on the verge of disaster.

Cannibal's devastating attack on the Triarchy's ships quickly turned the tide of battle. The massive dragon's relentless destruction relieved much of the pressure on the kingdom's forces. Rhaegar then turned Cannibal on the Dornish fleet, unleashing dark green flames.

Meleys and Sea Smoke flanked Cannibal on either side, their differently colored scales adding to the intimidating presence of the dragons. Together, they rained destruction upon the Dornish fleet.

Boom!

A Dornish ship was incinerated, and thousands of soldiers perished in the dragonfire, their dying screams filling the air. With the dragons' support, the Sea Snake's forces rallied and broke through the pirate encirclement with renewed vigor.

Half an hour later, the Sea Snake and Vaemond sat in a pool of blood, their dark faces turned toward the sky, their chests heaving with exhaustion. The victory had been hard-won, and they were exhausted.

The surviving soldiers began to clean up the battlefield, tossing the bodies of pirates and Dornishmen into the sea. In the distance, the smoldering remains of enemy ships lit the horizon with dark green flames, casting an eerie glow over the ocean.

Rhaegar sat on Cannibal's back, listening to the dragon's triumphant roar. He enjoyed the thrill of its destructive power.

"Cousin, I'm glad you made it in time," Laenor said, flying over on Sea Smoke, his voice tinged with relief.

"I didn't expect the Triarchy's attack to be so fierce either," Rhaegar replied, understanding the gravity of the situation.

After receiving the raven's message last night, he and his father had quickly mobilized their troops, but even then, they had almost been too late.

"You two stop chatting and hurry to support Bloodstone Island with me!"

Meleys flew past, Rhaenys's voice stern and urgent.

"Cannibal, follow!"

Rhaegar directed his dragon toward the smoke-filled Bloodstone Island.

At that moment, on Bloodstone Island, Cole and his soldiers were locked in fierce combat on the beach. The battle had reached a critical point.

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