I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 839

Chapter 52: The Only Choice

Within the Ironblood Ridge.

In a cave deep within the mountains, thousands of knights were taking a breather.

A handful of griffon riders kept a vigilant watch for any signs or sounds around them. Even though they were utterly exhausted from days of fighting, they dared not let their guard down for even a moment.

The bloodthirsty dragon kin possessed a keen sense of smell, sharp as a hound’s, and even the slightest slip could lead to an ambush. A mere moment of distraction could result in a devastating strike from a flock of dragons diving down.

This was a lesson they had learned through blood before.

Carl, too, was cautious.

Unlike those soldiers who were grabbing some quick rest, Carl kept his bloodshot eyes fixated on the cave entrance, gripping his sword tightly, even while receiving bandaging.

As the lord, the head of the family, and the only rank 5 here, he was the sole Extraordinary Being capable of fending off a pureblood dragon, and the reason why the soldiers still had breath left in them.

When the dragons attacked, Carl was the first to step up, rallying the troops to counterattack and leading them to break through, which is why they hadn’t been wiped out by the dragon horde.

Thanks to this Ironblood Marquis, who had personally participated in the dragon slaying battle years ago, even when cornered in the mountains, starving and isolated, not just the griffon riders, but even the most ordinary soldiers had yet to give up.

However, as Carl’s trusted aide for many years, Anya could clearly see his fatigue.

“Sir Carl, please rest.”

As she tightened his bandage and watched the blood seep through, Anya couldn’t help but frown. “If this continues, you won’t be able to hold on.”

To be honest, the current situation was worse than it had been nineteen years ago.

Even back then, Carl had not been involved in continuous battle for days on end like now.

Even a body of steel has limits, and Carl had already skirted the edge several times.

If it were any other rank 5 from the kingdom, they’d probably be dead from exhaustion by now.

Carl glanced at the soldiers behind him and said calmly, “We have to hold on, we have no other choice.”

Anya opened her mouth, but no words came out.

There was, in fact, another choice.

To abandon all the soldiers present would be enough for Carl alone to break through and escape.

But that would never be Carl’s choice.

Taking a sip of honey wine, a specialty of the elven descendants, Carl felt somewhat revitalized, managing a reassuring smile. “I truly have to thank that kid Roy; if not for the gifts from his girls, I probably wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

The Holy Light amulet with healing and defensive effects, plus the honey wine that alleviated mental fatigue and restored Extraordinary Power—these two items were the reason he had held out until now.

Yet, Anya’s expression turned peculiar. “Girls…?”

The Holy Light amulet was mostly a gift from Alice, but what was up with the honey wine? Just how close did Carl have to be for women to hand gifts to an elder?

“Cough, cough.”

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Carl forcefully changed the topic. “Those dragons are relentless; they must be fixated on us.”

Anya nodded, agreeing. “Those dragons are smarter than they were nineteen years ago.”

“The blood-red fire dragon clan is stronger, yet they’re not as clever; they just act like beasts hunting their prey, unlike these that know how to track us and split up.”

At this point, Anya’s expression turned serious. “The pursuers behind us are more cautious than the blood-red fire dragons back then.”

Dragons can fly.

If not for depending on barriers or walls, even the weakest dragon, without rich scales, would be enough to take out ten ordinary soldiers.

In terms of numbers, humanity faced a natural disadvantage against dragons.

Tactics were one of the few advantages humans had, but now, before that mysterious lead dragon, even that slim chance was gone, deepening Anya’s worries.

“Since we can’t shake them off, let’s drag them into the mountains and trap them here.”

“Sir Carl?”

“It’s already challenging for us to escape and support the capital, but looking at it another way, they too are tied here, unable to move.”

Carl’s eyes sharpened, regardless of his wear, his edge remained.

“Sometimes, the hunter and the prey are not irreversibly defined.”

“If they’re dead set on devouring us, why not use that against them, set an ambush, and fight to the last breath!”

Anya was momentarily stunned. “This….”

The number of dragons matched theirs, also around three to four thousand, and when it came to combat strength, they far outnumbered them.

But as Carl said, with no means of escape left, there weren’t any better options now.

Initially, their plan was to hide in the mountains and maneuver with the dragons until reinforcements arrived.

But now, after all this time, supplies were nearly exhausted, and it seemed there would be no reinforcements coming.

At worst, they might be the only remaining force of the kingdom still intact apart from the capital’s main force.

From the distant night sky came the roar of a dragon, echoing the call to attack.

Soldiers jolted awake from their dreams, gripping their weapons as quickly as possible, readying to regroup.

Letting out a breath of frustration, the bruised Ironblood knight stood up once more, raising his sword, leading the knights forward.

It seemed as long as he stood firm, the kingdom’s knights would never retreat.

However, watching Carl’s increasingly faltering steps, Anya couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread.

Whether it was Carl or the troops, perhaps they wouldn’t last much longer.

With no reinforcements, making a last stand might truly be their only choice.

——————————

“Hmm, a cornered beast still fights back… weak yet tenacious, the descendants of Ironblood are still as difficult as ever after a millennium.”

On the peaks, frost permeated the air.

Originally the season of rebirth, spring had now turned into a harsh winter, covered in silver-blue snow and ice.

The dragons waited in silence, laying low.

Only in the frigid snow was a silver vertical eye seen spinning, letting out a chilling sneer.

“But it’s about time to end this.”

“The Silver clan has not arrived, and two of my pureblood kin have been slain by the descendants of Ironblood. We haven’t used this method; it seems the passage of time has erased your pride and respect as dragons…”

Fire ignited, outlining a red, grand silhouette.

“Frost King! Please give me a chance!”

“A mere rank 5 is not worth your trouble. I, Firebite, will personally step up, restoring the glory of our dragon kin and making those insignificant humans bow their heads before you!”

The gaze behind the frost snow narrowed slightly, showing a hint of pity—but that pity was aimed at nothingness, not the fire dragon before it.

“I remember you, subordinate of Balaghas.”

“I’ve heard it was the current head of Ironblood’s descendants who disrupted Balaghas’s revival and caused its miserable end. Why not let you take revenge for it, so the blood of Ironblood pays for the debt of its progenitor?”

“If you can’t accomplish this, there’s no need for you to return.”

Firebite’s gaze turned fierce: “Understood!”

Without an ounce of fear, he returned the Frost King’s words with the furious roars of countless fire dragons.

The fall of the lead dragon was imprinted deep within their very souls through their shared bloodline, and the chance to avenge Balaghas had already become the most profound wish of the fire dragon clan.

With the roar of the fire dragons as a signal, over a thousand flying dragons trembled their wings, sailing toward the aura they loathed the most.