Brought about a despair far deeper and more complete than the snowstorm and the frenzied pursuers!
"Form up! Dragon breath cover!" The leading Paladin, undeterred by the danger, shouted loudly.
The five Paladins instantly converged, drew the iron shields from their backs, and formed a defensive formation.
The five Proto-Dragons also did not hesitate, first raising their heads and letting out earth-shattering roars.
Then, five thick streams of dragon breath, imbued with the power of frost, spewed forth towards the surging army!
Boom—!
The dragon breath violently collided with the vanguard of the Frost Howl elites, unleashing an earth-shattering roar!
The frost dragon breath tactic was as effective as ever; dozens of front-line soldiers immediately turned into ice sculptures, their iron armor completely useless!
The first clash barely managed to curb the overwhelming charge of this massive army.
"For the Emberglow Dragon! For Ital'ruk!" The Paladins roared, taking advantage of the chaos created by the dragon breath to launch a counter-charge!
Weapons imbued with holy power hacked against the solid iron armor of the guard soldiers, sending out dazzling sparks.
For a time, blades and swords intertwined, and the Paladins engaged in brutal close-quarters combat with the Frost Howl elites.
Gollon took the opportunity to lead the last of the rearguard soldiers and the wounded towards the third defensive line.
However, the Matos Guards were clearly much stronger than the previous detached force.
"Shield formation advance! Dragon-hunting crossbows ready! Target Proto-Dragons!" The guard commander's voice was cold and commanding.
Thick shield walls, layer upon layer, steadily advanced like moving fortresses, enduring the ice breath and the Paladins' slashes.
The Paladins' attacks were blocked and absorbed by the sturdy shields and iron armor, making it difficult to inflict decisive damage.
Their stamina was rapidly draining, and their divine grace was also being quickly consumed.
More critically, large crossbow carriages were slowly advancing behind the guard, their refined iron bolts already loaded, exuding a murderous aura.
"Fire!"
Buzz—!
Several special crossbow bolts, as thick as an arm and forged from refined iron, tore through the air, emitting ear-piercing shrieks, and accurately shot towards the Proto-Dragons circling at low altitude, who were spewing ice breath!
Pfft! Pfft!
Two Proto-Dragons were unable to evade and were mercilessly pierced through their wings by the giant crossbows!
Ice-blue blood sprayed out, and they let out shrill cries of agony, their massive bodies losing balance, plummeting to the ground in a spin, their frost breath abruptly ceasing!
The other three narrowly dodged, but were forced to increase their flight altitude, greatly reducing the power and accuracy of their breath attacks.
The Paladins' pressure sharply increased! Facing the seemingly endless advancing shield wall, their slashes seemed futile.
One Paladin tried to forcibly break through the shields with a Holy Strike, but was pierced in the thigh by several long spears through the gaps in the shields, screaming as he fell, fortunately dragged back by a companion who used Holy Healing to temporarily stop the bleeding.
The mobile team's formation was compressed, showing clear signs of defeat!
"Retreat! Everyone immediately retreat to the third defensive line! Proto-Dragon comrades, assist them in taking off with all your might!"
Siye, who had already retreated into the third defensive line, could no longer bear it, and she loudly commanded the retreat.
Gollon, standing beside her, secretly shook his head, muttering to himself, "Too late!"
The Paladins barely managed to force back their immediate enemies, covering each other as they fought and retreated backward.
The three Proto-Dragons that could still fly lowered their altitude, attempting to rendezvous with the Paladins for evacuation.
"Trying to run? Crossbowmen! Cover fire! Don't let any flying lizards get near them!" The guard commander's cold voice was like a death knell.
Instantly, the next volley of adamantine arrows rained down, covering the area where the Proto-Dragons were preparing to land!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The arrow rain poured down!
One Proto-Dragon, just about to flap its wings, was struck by several arrows in its wing membrane and leg, the intense pain preventing it from exerting force to take off, leaving it to painfully flap and struggle at low altitude.
The other two were specifically targeted, several dragon-hunting crossbow bolts whistling towards them, forcing them to dodge frantically, completely unable to get close to assist the Paladins.
The Paladins were tightly entangled by the arrow rain and the pursuing guard soldiers, unable to get close to the dragons' backs, falling into a quagmire of ground combat!
Their stamina was almost exhausted, their divine grace depleted, and they were completely trapped in a desperate situation!
Unable to retreat, and unable to take to the air!
Just at this critical moment, as the mobile team was about to be completely swallowed—
"Roar—!!!"
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