Everything was roughly ready, with only Adin and Inanna absent.
When the Red Dragon's tracks first appeared, they were still staying in the Ducal Mansion. At this moment, they were still rushing toward the Puchi Dungeon by starlight and night. Calculating by the Red Dragon's speed, they would be about half a day late.
The problem wasn't big. Even if he couldn't beat it, the Mushroom Fortress he spent so much fortune building shouldn't be unable to hold out for even half a day, right?
Through the mycelial network, Lin Jun shared the Red Dragon's image with all core members. Even the long-retired Old Dylan sat in the Puchi Home, watching the live broadcast feed.
"This is... No... cough, Little Black's distant relative."
"A bit blurry..."
On the screen, only a blurry dragon shadow flying in the sky could be seen.
Lin Jun had no good method for this either; the fungal mat scouted nearby based on the ground surface after all.
That dragon flew so high; Lin Jun had already tried his best to magnify the image.
But this was enough; Lin Jun just wanted everyone to adapt better in advance.
Subsequently, he found the eager Sword Saint Puchi.
He looked like he intended to use this dragon to test his current strength.
"Fourteen, didn't you slay a dragon before? Are you confident this time?"
The Sword Saint didn't boast about his record: "The one I killed with Alama back then was in bad condition to begin with. Moreover, in terms of size, it should be a size smaller than this one coming in the sky."
Lin Jun asking this was actually because he had no bottom line in his own heart.
Dragon.
This was a creature standing at the apex, a synonym for legend.
Although the panel only showed Level 76, judging from those overpowered attributes and the terrifying impression the last encounter with a dragon left on Lin Jun, this was highly likely to be a hard battle.
Lin Jun even thought of a backup plan.
In the worst-case scenario, if even Inanna carrying the power of both Fire and Ice Elemental Lords, coordinating with the entire defense force of the Mushroom Fortress for a righteous gang beating, still couldn't suppress this Red Dragon.
Then Lin Jun would go find Echo on the Elf side, using the favor of saving his life to demand repayment and help the Mushroom Fortress.
However, doing so had many hidden dangers, exposing information and ruining his persona. Unless there was really no other way, better not do this.
...
Inside the Mushroom Fortress, the air before the battle was taut.
It could be seen from the soldiers constantly changing postures while gripping weapons in their hands.
Some spoke of the legendary power of giant dragons, some tried to belittle giant dragons to cheer up themselves and companions, and some were full of confidence in the Mushroom Fortress's defense.
These fragmented exchanges never stopped in the mycelial network.
Then, it came.
A black dot appeared on the horizon visible to the naked eye, then enlarged rapidly.
Initially just a silhouette, soon, those dragon wings blotting out the sky became clear.
Accompanied by a dragon roar, the Red Dragon's massive body appeared before everyone's eyes. Simultaneously, a formless, substanceless, yet incomparably heavy pressure descended on everyone.
Dragon Fear!
This wasn't just a psychological effect, but a tangible weakening.
[Dragon Fear (Total attributes reduced by 35%)]
Lin Jun remembered when meeting Little Black back then, the Dragon Fear felt was a 50% attribute reduction. Was it because this dragon's Dragon Fear was only LV7?
The enemy was a bit weaker than expected, which made Lin Jun breathe a slight sigh of relief.
But for those Mushroom Fortress soldiers facing Dragon Fear for the first time, it was a completely different feeling.
Teeth began to chatter uncontrollably, knees went soft, as if what supported the body wasn't bone but melting ice.
Clearly wanting to grip weapons tightly, fingers were stiff and disobedient.
Some soldiers with slightly weaker will let out uncontrollable whimpers from their throats. In some places, the air even permeated with a smell of urine; unknown who wet their pants.
The Red Dragon got closer and closer, close enough to see the heavy dragon scales on its body clearly, close enough to see the hideous horns on its dragon head, close enough to see the tiny defenders reflected in those golden vertical pupils.
"No... can't do it... will die... definitely will die..." A Lizardman soldier standing in the front row guarding a ballista collapsed under the double pressure of body and mind.
"Ah—!" He let out a distorted scream, abruptly dropping the weapon in his hand, pushing away other soldiers beside him, turning and sprinting toward the city wall stair entrance, tears and snot flowing. "Move! Let me down! I'm not fighting! I want to go into the hole too!"
Panic was like a virus, looking like it was about to spread with this first person who broke down.
However,
Just less than five steps after he turned to run, not even reaching the city wall stairs, his body suddenly convulsed violently, countless lumps bulging under his skin!
"Urgh... Ahhhhh—!"
A scream ten times more miserable than the previous crying for life erupted. His eyes, shoulders, back, palms... all abruptly burst out with a large number of mushrooms!
Mycelium proliferated at a speed visible to the naked eye, taking over his nerves.
The screaming didn't last too long before stopping abruptly.
In just two or three breaths, the cowardly Lizardman disappeared.
Replacing him was a brave and fearless warrior unafraid of death.
Its movements appeared slightly stiff, but it bent down without hesitation, picked up the discarded weapon on the ground, walked back to his original post, and stood firm.
No one attempted to run anymore, only the soldiers around him seemed to tremble even more violently.
And at the same time this deserter returned to position, Piggy's (Louisa's) will also slammed fiercely into every soldier's consciousness:
"Listen well!"
"The Mushroom Fortress gives you four times the contribution points, gives you priority housing allocation, letting you live ten times more comfortably than those guys hiding in holes! It's not for you to wet your pants and be deserters under the enemy's shadow!"
"Look around you, look under your feet. This is the Mushroom Fortress, a sturdy fortress! Not your mommy's arms!"
"Just a flying big lizard. Grip your tools tightly! Tonight, the whole army gets extra meal: Dragon Meat Stewed with Mushrooms!"
If one distinguished carefully, the will transmitted by Piggy seemed to also hide a trace of forcibly suppressed trembling, only covered by that high fighting spirit. Except for the mycelial network's master Lin Jun, no one detected it.
Different from direct verbal communication, the transmission of emotions was more obvious in the mycelial network.
"For... for Dragon Meat Stewed with Mushrooms! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Infected by Piggy's impassioned fighting spirit, although the negative status of reduced attributes still existed objectively, the soldiers found back the courage to wave weapons.
...
Red Dragon Talgara didn't care at all whether those ants under its feet fought or fled.
Its golden vertical pupils locked dead onto the tallest tower in the center of the Mushroom Fortress city. The induction of the Way of the Dragon conflict told it that the competitor was hiding inside!
"Cowardly fellow!" Draconic filled with contempt and rage rolled from the depths of its throat. "Actually hiding in the nest of these bugs! Then turn to ash together with these pitiful fellows!"
No one in the Mushroom Fortress understood Draconic.
But in the next moment, terrifying flames enough to melt gold and stone spewed out from the Red Dragon's open maw, blasting straight toward the center of the Mushroom Fortress!
The city's defensive magic array had long been activated; everyone's heartbeat couldn't stop accelerating.
Facing the Flame Dragon Breath, within the area of several hundred meters above the Mushroom Fortress, utilizing the magic array patterns spread throughout the fortress as a base and the several magic towers in the city as nodes, layers upon layers of defensive shields manifested.
It wasn't a single array, but defensive barriers of multiple different attributes and functions unfolding simultaneously.
The outermost layer was a pale blue mana deflection shield, fluctuating violently the instant it touched the Dragon Breath, scattering part of the energy toward the surrounding sky; the second layer was a translucent force field buffer zone, further delaying and decomposing the impact; the third layer...
The high tower remained intact. Although the light of the layered defensive arrays dimmed a lot, the structure remained complete without any sign of impending collapse, rapidly recharging under the power supply of the Mushroom Fortress's underground mana network.
Soldiers on the city wall forgot to breathe, mouths wide open, staring blankly at that standing high tower and the magic halo still flowing above the tower tip.
Even Red Dragon Talgara was obviously stunned for a moment.
But immediately, it launched an even more ferocious attack!
(End of Chapter)
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