Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 233 - 232: Removing the Armor

Chapter 233: Chapter 232: Removing the Armor

As an Elf City, Danalan’s military strength was by no means weak.

Typically, among the enemies harboring ill intentions toward the elves, only an elderly Green Dragon, who had presided over the forest for years and commanded several monster armies, was qualified to covet it.

With the Vajra Body for defense, and Gathering Form and Scattering Energy for escape, most important of all was a calm mind. Leon was not worried; he knew the elves of Danalan were well-prepared.

If being prepared was still not enough, it would shatter their Elf Dao Heart, leaving them incapable of resisting in the future. If things came to the worst and he couldn’t win, no one could stop him from leaving either.

True to his word, exactly three days later, not one day early nor late, Leon woke from a sound sleep, feasted heartily, and arrived at Danalan’s outskirts. From afar, he could see the Elf army ready for battle. While still in flight, he equipped his gear, and upon landing, drew the Catastrophe Blade.

Leon swept his gaze across the scene, seeing not only fully armed elves, but also their allies and summoned creatures.

Forest Elves, Wood Woads... amidst the throng of allies and summons, Leon’s attention was drawn to only two towering Treants. Their wrinkled bark formed what resembled faces, and parts of their lower trunks became legs, while long drooping branches served as limb-like appendages.

"Sir Leon, we’ve been waiting for you a long time," Eran said, astride a snow-white steed.

"So many of you... there’s no need to ask, I already know your answer," Leon sighed and shook his head, thinking to himself that Cecilia was right—every elf was notoriously stubborn. "What a pity, such a beautiful city is about to become a sea of fire."

The elves were indeed obstinate, though not entirely inflexible. Eran remarked, "Ten thousand gold coins is truly too much; we cannot afford it. The Green Dragon attacked us first, and we injured her in retaliation. Then you came and caused havoc. Let’s call it even, shall we?"

"As for trade, we have many friends. It wouldn’t be possible to only conduct business through Watchtower Port, but as long as the prices are fair, I’m sure no one would mind visiting Watchtower Port," Eran paused. "What do you think, Sir Leon?"

"Not enough," Leon shook his head. "I won’t accept it."

"If Sir Leon insists on making things difficult for us..." Eran said, "Then we have no choice but to meet you on the battlefield."

Words ceased to be of use; the fight began.

The Elf Ranger units launched the first attack, nocking their bows and firing colorful arrows.

"Still shooting arrows? Don’t you know these attacks are useless against me?" Leon, having activated his Vajra Body, was unfazed by the arrows until he noticed that when they struck him, they burst into smoke, acid, or perhaps even contained other substances, like certain plant seeds.

Cheap tricks were utterly ineffective.

The elves initiated the assault, but Leon wasn’t foolish enough to stand idle. He raised his sword, targeting the shield-bearing Elf Warriors holding the frontline. Just as he prepared to swing and cut them down, his peripheral vision caught sight of countless vines erupting from the ground, binding him tightly.

Leon struggled briefly. He had to admit that the vines restraining him today were far more numerous than three days prior. Some were particularly thick, making it clear that the elves had sought reinforcements—perhaps a group of Druids, or even a powerful Great Druid among them.

However, a few vines weren’t enough to hold Leon. But following the vines came writhing, pitch-black tentacles—those disgusting things conjured by Elf Mages using Evard’s Black Tentacles.

Today, Leon was truly witnessing the hidden depths of an Elf City. The grasping vines and Evard’s Black Tentacles were just the beginning. Then came Bigby’s Hand—large, semi-transparent force field hands materialized out of nowhere as the Elf Mages cast their spells, grabbing at all his limbs.

Leon tried to break free from the restraints. For the first time, he felt powerless.

At the same moment, the Treants raised their arms, using Activated Trees to bring three trees to life. Two Treants and three Activated Tree Men approached Leon with slow, heavy steps. Instead of punching his head with their fists, they extended their arms and tightly embraced him.

Leon relied mainly on spells; his physical strength was quite average. The vines alone weren’t much of a challenge to him, but with the addition of Evard’s Black Tentacles and Bigby’s Hands, it was a different story. Not to mention the number of Treants surrounding him.

If it weren’t for his Vajra Body, Leon would have been finished in this situation. The issue was, with the Vajra Body, they could trap him but couldn’t inflict harm—rendering all their efforts futile.

His limbs immobilized, wings unable to spread, and his tail held firmly by one of the Treants, Leon could only move his neck and head, which were difficult to restrain. However, even his snout was clamped tightly shut by a force field hand created by Bigby’s spell.

A crocodile’s bite force is immense, capable of crushing cattle bones in one snap. However, the strength to open its jaws is comparatively weaker; a simple tape wrap can keep its mouth shut. But dragons are not crocodiles. While a dragon’s jaw-opening force is indeed weaker than its biting force, it is by no means feeble.

Some Dragon Slayers boasted about being able to hold a dragon’s mouth shut, preventing its bites and Breath attacks. Little did they realize that such feats required superhuman strength. Even if successful, a dragon could still jerk its head to shake off its foe, or shred the attacker with its claws—or both.

Leon merely flung his head forcefully, coupled with opening his mouth, easily breaking free of the force field hand. Without hesitation, he inhaled deeply and unleashed a torrent of Samadhi True Fire onto the Treant holding him.

The fire-vulnerable Treant, clearly prepared, had been preemptively enchanted with Flame Resistance by an Elf Mage. Yet in the face of Leon’s Samadhi True Fire, it proved utterly useless; within moments, the Treant ignited, and the flames rapidly spread.

The Treant held on for a while, but the Activated Tree Men, also weak to fire, were almost instantly consumed, turning to ashes. Witnessing this, Vilanser’s eyes widened in fury as she shouted, "Now’s the time—move quickly!"

As Vilanser’s voice fell, a group of Elf Rangers leaped onto Leon, aiming for the clasps, belts, and straps securing his Dragon Armor.

One Treant fell, and two Activated Tree Men were obliterated in an instant. Only one Treant and one Activated Tree Man remained. But compared to the Treants, Leon was far more concerned about the Elf Rangers swarming onto him. Deciding to deal with them first, he bit down on one, tearing into it with ferocity, leaving his maw drenched in blood.

This was an entirely unfamiliar type of battle for Leon, and even he was somewhat wary of whatever tricks the elves might have in store. Preparing to unleash another blast of Samadhi True Fire to incinerate the Rangers, he opened his mouth—only for another wave of force field hands, vines, and tentacles to fly toward him, attempting to prevent his Flame Breath.

Enough was enough.

Leon was genuinely frustrated. Just then, he noticed the Elf Rangers had already jumped off his body.

"Now!" Vilanser shouted, "Rip off his Dragon Armor!"

As Vilanser’s words rang out, the last remaining Treant and Activated Tree Man let go of Leon’s body. With all their might, they yanked at the Dragon Armor, tearing his breastplate away.

Leon looked down in confusion. You went through all that trouble, just to strip my Dragon Armor?

Leon was genuinely puzzled.

As the Red Dragon’s chest armor was removed, a triumphant glint filled Vilanser’s eyes, and she nodded toward Eran.

Eran immediately drew his bow from his back and carefully selected an arrow.

This was no ordinary arrow; it was a Dragon Slaughter Arrow, an exceedingly rare magical item. Any dragon hit by this arrow would be forced to make a Constitution saving throw. Failure meant suffering severe additional piercing damage, while success only reduced the damage slightly.

Eran fitted the Dragon Slaughter Arrow to his bow, pulled the string taut, and heard a soft voice in Elvish whisper, "Swift kill the enemy." It was his weapon, the Oath Vengeance Bow, urging him. Raising the bow and taking aim at the Red Dragon’s chest, he uttered the command, "Those who wrong me shall perish," marking the Red Dragon as his sworn enemy.

It wasn’t until Eran fired the Dragon Slaughter Arrow that Leon noticed the Elf General’s actions. He could only watch helplessly as a streak of light hurtled toward his chest, his heart pounding in that instant.

The Vajra Body was nearly impervious to all attacks—nearly, but not absolutely. Surely, there had to be something in the world that could bypass its defenses.

As the streak of light closed in, Leon truly felt fear, until it struck his tough scales with a crisp clinking sound, then fell to the ground with a sputtering noise. Only then did the weight on his chest lift.

"What on earth are you doing? You scared me half to death," Leon said, his voice tinged with the relief of narrowly escaping danger. The Elf General’s attack had indeed been formidable, but fortunately, his Vajra Body held strong, leaving him with a strange sense of having cheated death.

"How is it that the Oath Vengeance Bow paired with the Dragon Slaughter Arrow still couldn’t harm you?" Vilanser demanded, her eyes bulging in disbelief.

"You all know how strong my body is and how hard my scales are," Leon replied, his heart still racing. "Didn’t you realize that three days ago?"

"But isn’t your chest your weakness?" Vilanser questioned.

"Who told you my chest was my weakness?" Leon asked, genuinely puzzled. "I have no weaknesses."

"If you have no weaknesses, then why wear a full set of Dragon Armor?" Vilanser sneered. "You can’t fool us."

"To look stylish, of course," Leon said matter-of-factly. "You elves are always wearing flashy, impractical equipment just for aesthetic appeal. Why can’t we dragons do the same?"

Vilanser stared into Leon’s eyes, certain that the Red Dragon wasn’t lying. Eyes used for deceit simply didn’t look like that.

To look stylish.

To look good.

The Red Dragon’s words echoed in Vilanser’s mind, leaving her speechless. Was that all there was to it after everything they’d done?

Turning to glance at Eran, Vilanser suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and tears streamed down her face.

Why was she crying?

Losing was one thing, but a battle-hardened warrior shouldn’t be so fragile, Leon thought, bewildered.