Chapter 482: Nighttime Aerial Combat (Part 2)

As the elf ranger with the keenest eyesight, Vereesa and Falstad's gryphon were in the forefront of the formation.

Duke, flying less than 20 meters behind Vereesa, glanced at the other gryphon riders and noticed that the other dwarves had spotted the two dragons.

Without needing a horn signal, the dwarven riders immediately adjusted their formation, spreading out and sending two teams of six gryphons ahead, overtaking the rest in the central group.

According to their established tactics, the dwarves began to cover Duke and his important guests.

In the distance, the two dragons were also moving strategically. Somehow, their aerial maneuvers reminded Duke of the paired formation often used in modern aerial combat before his travel to this world.

The larger dragon climbed to a higher position and then flew away from its companion.

Duke immediately understood what the beast intended.

Even if he didn't want to admit it, the confrontation between gryphons and dragons was limited. Gryphons could still use tactics to counter young red dragons, but once they reached the level of adolescent dragons, no gryphon except Kudran's Gryphon King could keep up.

It was like comparing propeller-driven biplanes against jet-powered fifth-generation fighters.

The dragon climbed not out of fear but because it was too fast. A direct charge might cause it to miss.

But if the dragon held the high ground, the situation would be entirely different. From a diving attack, the slower party could not evade the high-speed assault.

The dragon had made the sky its pot, with the gryphons and riders trapped inside, like turtles in a jar.

"These are experienced riders!" Falstad shouted excitedly. "Especially the climbing one! This'll be a glorious battle!"

A glorious battle? What about the promised safe landing?

At this moment, Vereesa wanted to strangle the damned dwarf rider. Once their blood was up, the dwarves tended to forget everything else.

With only seconds left to prepare for battle, Vereesa was cursing furiously.

"Hey, hey!" Vereesa triumphantly held up a horn. "Luckily, Duke gave me a silk bag before we left and told me to open it if you refused to listen—by order of Alliance Vice Commander Duke Marcus, Falstad Dragonsbane, land your gryphon immediately, or he will have Kudran Wildhammer ban you from the skies forever."

Falstad, who feared nothing, was terrified of being grounded. Knowing the situation was unfavorable, he had no choice but to abandon the fight with the dragons.

"Damn it! With the dragons coming at us like this, we might lose half our men! You'll take full responsibility, Vice Commander!"

"I don't care! Execute the order!" Vereesa knew that retreating now would only give the dragons an opportunity to pick them off one by one. But she had an unprecedented feeling in her heart—a complete trust in Duke.

The fear at the gates of hell, the joy after a narrow escape, the warmth and security—all were deeply imprinted in Vereesa's soul.

She believed she would never forget this complex feeling.

And so, the dwarven gryphon squadron, which had never retreated, ran.

This was exactly what the dragons wanted, and they were overjoyed.

What difference was there between the gryphons, who had given up speed, and powerless chicks in the eyes of humans?

Suddenly breaking through the thick clouds, the sky's rulers—the dragons—descended with unparalleled majesty.

Closer!

Even closer!

In less than thirty seconds, they would tear those pesky clawed birds into bloody shreds and scatter them across the sky.

Suddenly, the dragons thought they were seeing things.

Huh? More gryphons?

Instantly, the dragons realized this was no illusion. With a few twists, over a hundred gryphons appeared.

Not just the dragons, even the gryphons themselves were startled by their "companions," screeching sharply as the riders soothed them.

The dragons were flabbergasted. The younger one launched an attack first.

It swooped down, lightning-fast, clawing at a gryphon. To its surprise, instead of the feeling of flesh being torn, the gryphon exploded.

"Bang!" The explosion didn't harm the dragon, but it did scare it.

Yes, this was a typical "I don't want to talk to you, take this self-destructing gryphon."

Unexpectedly, after blowing one up, even more gryphons appeared.

The older, more experienced, and stronger dragon tried to discern the real gryphons from the illusion by the sound of the wind they broke in flight.

It failed!

It was astonished to find that all hundred-plus gryphons had the sound of breaking wind. The turbulence caused by high-speed flight couldn't be faked.