The Wind God Winged Dragon, plummeting to the ground like a meteorite, caused the entire mountain range to shake. The Super Danger Beast that had been entrenched in this mountain range died, and the ceaseless strong winds in the mountains also subsided.
Everyone stared dumbfounded as the Wind God Winged Dragon, falling from the sky, crashed onto the opposite mountaintop and hung there. Rin, walking unhurriedly out of the gaping wound in the Wind God Winged Dragon's belly, jumped onto its back, picked up the Avalon, and stabbed it into the giant dragon's muscle, as if searching for something inside.
"Roar!..."
At this moment, the Wind God Winged Dragon, to everyone's surprise, was not yet dead! Its tenacious dragon life allowed it to let out one last dying roar, but it was merely the final wail of a lamb to be slaughtered.
"General!"
Even so, Zhi Feng couldn't help but stand on the opposite side, reminding Rin, who was almost entirely buried in the Wind God Winged Dragon's muscles. Rin raised his hand outside, signaling that he was fine. Rin, having emerged from its body, naturally knew whether the Wind God Winged Dragon was dead or not. Or rather, Rin had deliberately left the Wind God Winged Dragon alive, after all—
The precious gems dug out while a Danger Beast is still alive are the best!
"You did all that just for this!!!"
Zhi Feng looked at Rin, who emerged from the Wind God Winged Dragon's body holding a basin-sized greenish-blue gem in both hands, and shouted at him, speechless for a moment. As long as it was alive, the Wind God Winged Dragon posed a huge danger. Taking such a risk to ensure the quality of a Danger Beast's gem seemed utterly worthless to Zhi Feng!
Of course, Rin wouldn't be so reckless. Although he had shattered all the ice shards that had pierced the Wind God Winged Dragon, Rin had already used the Essence of the Demon to freeze all of the Wind God Winged Dragon's bodily functions and tissues from the inside. Moreover, there was an even more important reason for leaving the Wind God Winged Dragon alive.
Rin threw the excavated gem across the mountain to Zhi Feng, asking her to keep it for him.
"Zhi Feng, take good care of it. The value of that gem could buy five cities. And then..."
Rin removed his armor, drew the gleaming yatsufusa from his waist, and quickly leaped onto the Wind God Winged Dragon's massive head. Rin stood on the skull, which was over a hundred square meters in area, holding the demon sword aloft in an inverted grip, a sinister smile quietly blooming.
"Become my puppet!"
"Clang!"
yatsufusa lived up to its sharpness as a Imperial Arm. The blade smoothly pierced through the Wind God Winged Dragon's scales, skin, and skull, implanting itself into its brain. The vast, ocean-like magic power stored within Rin's body poured out through the yatsufusa as an output, and the magic power injected into the demon sword was transformed into black-purple death waves. The Wind God Winged Dragon's last remaining vitality was swiftly extinguished!
Seeing Rin's actions at this moment, everyone present, even if they had long known Rin's purpose, still felt it was incredible. One must know that the consumption of yatsufusa to control a corpse puppet was directly proportional to the target being controlled. To control a Super Danger Beast... The Wind God Winged Dragon's riddled wounds healed rapidly at a visible speed, and its dim, gradually lifeless dragon eyes regained clarity, but the lifelessness still hadn't faded. The energy of death had completely permeated every corner of the Wind God Winged Dragon's body. It was now Rin's!
Rin pulled out yatsufusa and returned it to its sheath. The Wind God Winged Dragon, reanimated by the power of death, once again flapped its dragon wings. Its re-raised dragon head, carrying Rin's figure, moved again.
"Everyone, mount up! Continue forward!"
"Yes!!!"
...Three days later...
"I heard the new Legion Commander of the Seventh Legion is arriving soon. They say it's a woman."
"You don't need to tell me; this news has been buzzing throughout the entire Empire. Legend has it that she broke the General Family's highest record at the Imperial Military Academy, being directly appointed as a General and Legion Commander right after graduating from the academy."
"Is this because those useless guys in the Seventh Legion lost a battle on the front lines, and the Empire plans to disband them, sending a woman to be their Legion Commander?"
"Who knows, maybe..."
On the city walls of Wuxi City, a city in the northeastern direction of the Empire, near the Forest of Dangerous Species, a group of city guards gathered in twos and threes, chatting while on duty.
These city guards, belonging to various cities, were composed of local residents recruited by each city within the Empire's permitted scope. These soldiers had never been to battle, never seen war, and their military pay was supported by each city's respective tax revenue.
The common topic that could bring men together was invariably women, and at this time, the most famous and talked-about woman in the entire Empire was undoubtedly Rin.
"You think, that female Legion Commander, could she have... slept with a Great General to get to her position?"
"Shut up! How can you criticize someone like the Great General of the General Family? If he were that kind of person, the entire Imperial border would be finished, and this place near the border would definitely be finished too. Moreover, the enfeoffment of Generals and Legion Commanders requires the personal approval of His Majesty the Emperor. How could it be something your dirty thoughts could speculate about?"
"Then you tell me, what kind of woman would be able to become a General?"
"Hmm—maybe a woman with a physique similar to the Great General's."
"Hmm, if that's the case, it's still possible..."
Just as the idle city guards were chatting and drinking small wine, a huge shadow rapidly approached Wuxi City from the southwestern sky. Such an obvious target could be spotted even by the most idle guards, who looked curiously towards the southwest. When the enormous shadowy object was fully seen, the city guards were instantly scared out of their wits.
"Dragon! A Super Danger Beast is attacking the city!!!"
A ferocious dragon head, a streamlined body, azure-green scales shimmering with a cold metallic luster, and dragon wings spread out like a floating island, even larger than its body—
"It's a Wind God Winged Dragon! Go report to the City Lord quickly!"
The alarm bells instantly rang throughout the city, and Wuxi City immediately entered the highest state of alert. The city guards quickly gathered on the city wall, and all their long-range heavy weapons specifically designed to combat Danger Beasts were prepared and ready for battle.
The City Lord of Wuxi City was a former Imperial General who had to retire due to an incurable injury caused by poisonous insects during a battle on the southern border against the Native. In return for his contributions to the Empire, he was appointed City Lord of Wuxi City.
Having been on the battlefield, the armored City Lord of Wuxi City immediately noticed something amiss.
"Why is the Wind God Winged Dragon flying so slowly?"
Indeed, at the speed of a Wind God Winged Dragon, if it truly intended to attack the city, it would take no more than a blink of an eye from the moment it was spotted until it lunged onto the city walls. How could it be that they had all their weapons and equipment set up and ready, yet it still hadn't flown over?
"City Lord, there's someone on that dragon's head!"
Someone?
The City Lord of Wuxi City heard this and picked up his binoculars. He saw a young girl, no older than 17, dressed in an Imperial military uniform, standing resolutely on the huge dragon's head. The pure gold military rank glittering on her chest and shoulders, as well as the cape on her shoulders, were all too familiar to him; they represented the most glorious years of his life—
"A young girl, a General... Could it be!"
The City Lord's gaze then shifted, and he saw nearly two hundred small Imperial military flying dragons surrounding the lead giant dragon, each with an officer in an Imperial military uniform standing on its back.
Just as everyone stood frozen, unsure of what to do, the Wind God Winged Dragon landed outside the hundred-meter-high city wall. Its lowered dragon head descended to be level with the top of the city wall. Tohsaka Rin's gaze swept across the people on the city wall; it was clear at a glance who the City Lord was.
"I am Tohsaka Rin, the new Legion Commander of the Seventh Legion. This must be Wuxi City, where my legion's soldiers who have retreated from the battlefield are housed."
She held out the unfurled Imperial appointment letter with one hand. The Imperial Military Department seal and the Emperor's emblem on it could not be faked in the slightest.
Fortunately, the City Lord was also a man who had seen grand occasions. Even though the sight of a young girl General standing on a dragon's head was somewhat too surreal, he quickly reacted.
"That is correct."
"Very good."
Tohsaka Rin, wearing black leather gloves, gave a slight flick of her right hand, and the appointment letter immediately rolled up and returned to her hand. Her expression was calm and serious. She lightly leaped from the dragon's head, and the city guards instinctively cleared a space for her to land. Tohsaka Rin drew yatsufusa and swung the blade towards the Wind God Winged Dragon behind her. The mountain-like giant dragon vanished in a flash, leaving no trace.
She sheathed her sword and spoke to the City Lord, who had once again fallen into a daze:
"Please lead the way, City Lord. I need to see my soldiers."
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