As soon as Raphael flew into the Valley, he saw Arnold who had just landed in the upper courtyard.

"Sorry, I'm late to help with the aftermath," the golden dragon explained as he approached Raphael's wing.

"Old Flame is stationed at the top of Pillar Mountain as planned, ready to rally reinforcements at the call of the communication orb. The black dragon of the Heretic Wing have gone to the southern front. As for Nicole…your human governing official and commander has ordered her to transport the freshly produced uranium and ammunition from the alchemy plant to the front lines."

Arnold recounted the details, but noticed Raphael's face was extremely gloomy, ignoring his words. The dragon's eyes flashed with dangerous light as they roved around, as if searching for something.

"Are you looking for Milmos? I brought it along." The golden dragon pointed to the hunched creature sitting in the flower bushes.

Raphael still ignored him. Suddenly he grabbed a kobold with his claws, glaring at it with blood-shot and ferocious golden eyes, asking word by word: "Where is your grand leader?"

"Interior Minister Enokeitie? It seems to have gone to the underground city…Master, I'm just an ordinary….one helping you manufacture dragon-breath weapons, maintain the magic laboratory, and build fortresses. Not worthy of your wrath." The kobold answered fearfully.

"Get back to your position!" The red dragon suppressed his rage and threw the pitiful kin to the ground.

Then he let out a long roar: "All grand leaders, come to me!"

In less than a minute, three blood wyvern and two hammer drake grand leaders hurried over.

"What is the current number of all creatures in our domain?" Raphael asked in a deep voice.

"It's not…very clear," the five grand leaders shook their heads in dismay. "It's too chaotic, we can hardly calculate."

"Then your own kin?" The red dragon's nostrils spouted two small flames.

"There are a little over twelve hundred blood wyverns left."

"The hammer drakes have about the same number. We're not sure about the kobolds, and Enokeitie alone knows the exact numbers of the other servant races."

Raphael had no time to deal with these backward and rigid fellows. After taking flight to survey the terrain, he instructed:

"The hammer drakes, form groups of ten and find cover, deploying around the central axis of the Valley. The military blood wyverns, form squadrons of four and conduct continuous reconnaissance on the human movements. The kobold military units will accompany the hammer drakes to help them deal with aerial and ground harassment."

"Those responsible for logistics should move part of our reserves to Pillar Mountain - the uphill passages and elevators there have been repaired. The rest are responsible for transporting supplies to our frontline kin… That's all."

Arnold stepped forward doubtfully, "Move to Pillar Mountain? Raphael, do you think we can't win?"

"I don't know." After discovering the limitations of the golden flame breath, Raphael couldn't predict the course of the battle either.

"But this place has no natural defenses."

Since occupying this area, all the rainforest streams had been replaced by steel smelters. Before the fortress was fully established, it was practically flat land - an ideal battlefield for advancing.

"So I have no confidence in relying on this bunch before completely wiping out the dwarf dragons!" He glared at the dejected grand leaders.

"Losing on land will jeopardize our aerial operations, so to prevent being cut off from resources, I have to make preparations to move in advance. Those dwarves, dark elves, and humans all need to be relocated." Raphael decided firmly, assigning specific tasks.

"Milmos!" He suddenly called out.

"You're in charge of all affairs. Do as I say - I hope you won't be as cowardly and incompetent as that fat Enokeitie!"

"Yes," Milmos bowed deeply. "As you wish."

But Arnold worried, "Do we need to go harass the humans? Otherwise, they may advance and breach our lines before defenses are established."

Raphael shook his head, baring his fangs. "No need. I have already successfully deterred them for now - they won't dare act rashly for the next few hours."

"But just in case, please fly out and keep watch."

"Where are you going?" Arnold sensed the red dragon had other business.

"To settle accounts with a fool, of course!"

He roared and took flight, heading straight for the underground city.

...

Enokeitie was directing the kin to evacuate the underground city to join the battle.

This place was constructed as a foundation for the future expansion of the kin population and a three-dimensional fortress, but lacked independent defensive capabilities.

"Hurry! Take up arms! Go out!"

The big kobold stood atop the beehive city, shouting through an amplification spell, while blood wyvern and kobold guards stood by.

"Interior Minister," a resident dwarf could not help but step forward. "In the responsibilities we pledged to Lord Raphael, there was no condition about joining the battlefield!"

"That's right, we were only asked to work, not trained to become soldiers. We're simply incapable of fulfilling combat duties."

Emboldened by the lead dissenter, the other servants started noisily objecting.

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Enokeitie snatched a breath cannon from a nearby guard, trembling as he aimed it at the crowd and fired a shot, scaring the servants into meekly picking up iron pickaxes, chainsaws, and other tools to queue up and exit.

"How else can I cover up my responsibility? Just obediently go get yourselves killed!"

The big kobold's heart burned with anger and panic.

Previously at Pillar Mountain, Raphael had tasked him with fortifying the defenses.

But the extremely unbalanced Enokeitie subconsciously didn't believe the humans would dare invade the Dragon Domain, so he spent this golden period slacking off and neglecting his duties.

The Ryton men kept amassing troops and resources; Cornet rushed to deploy forces; Alvis raced night and day to the Karuk Forest to prepare an ambush; even Hil and Milmos were feverishly constructing fortifications.

Only the old lair that Raphael considered no problem did nothing at all, even reducing patrol efforts.

It wasn't until the battle dragons and gryphon knights of Ryton crossed the river at dawn to heavily bombard the eastern domain that Enokeitie was awakened by the cold reality, realizing he had committed a grave mistake.

Even Alvis handled the civilians of Erl with great caution, fearing any upheaval that could harm Raphael's interests.

Enokeitie had directly led to the breach of Raphael's lair, which the red dragon had fought tooth and nail, nearly dying to seize.

"What do I do? What do I do? I must go to any lengths to demonstrate my sincerity!"

Enokeitie was actually terrified. His blustering towards the servants earlier was just a front - sweat mixed with grease constantly dripped from his thick neck onto his bulging belly, soaking the gilded chainmail.

With a pallid face, he watched the dragon kin form a line to evacuate, his heart pounding rapidly as his plump paws trembled uncontrollably.

The big kobold consoled himself, "It'll be fine. The humans have been plotting for a long time. I overheard one of their laborers saying that Ryton is best at war - my forces were simply inadequate. Besides, I notified the master immediately and even came here to rally more troops as reinforcements. I'm not derelict…not derelict…"

But then his face fell. "But the young master's temperament is so dreadful. Even as a youth he dared defy the old master's authority to kill my ancestors. And as a young adult, he would indiscriminately massacre at the slightest frustration."

"The old master said this was the effect of the pent-up rage in the red dragon bloodline - every adult red dragon goes through a ferocious phase before reverting to their original personality in old age. But I think it's aimed specifically at dragon kin leaders like us."

But the howling winds interrupted Enokeitie's reverie.

When his beady, muddy eyes refocused, Raphael's towering draconic form stood before him!

"Master, your servant…"

"No, Enokeitie." Raphael narrowed one vertical pupil. "You are no longer my servant. You are free now."

These soft, powerless words contained no threatening elements.

Yet the big kobold was so frightened he collapsed to the ground, a pungent brownish-green liquid pooling out from his crotch and soaking the floor.

Raphael turned and roared at the servants who had stopped to gawk, "Drop your belongings! All of you go to the Valley and prepare to take shelter! The dragon kin there will be in charge of you!"

The dwarves, dark elves, and other demi-humans smiled excitedly, "I told you the lord wouldn't make cannon fodder of the likes of us."

"Yeah! Going up there would only cause trouble."

After dealing with the rabble, Raphael looked to Enokeitie's bodyguards, "Do you wish for freedom as well?"

The kobolds and blood wyverns looked at each other and left of their own accord.

Now only Enokeitie and Raphael remained in the underground city.

"You greedy, gluttonous thing - did you think I didn't know your little schemes?"

Raphael hovered, warping his neck like a python around the big kobold, the dark golden light in his eyes deepening with magic.

"As soon as you arrived, you incited the other kin to resent the rat dragons and Milmos. Why? Besides your delusions of legitimacy and laughable loyalty to my parents, it was to resist my oversight!"

The red dragon's saliva sprayed over Enokeitie, drenching him, but the disgusted kobold didn't dare wipe it off.

"You must have stashed quite a hoard under your dwelling - scraps from my wealth's pie that you greedily pilfered in pursuit of that imbalanced mind of yours!"

As Raphael spoke, his snout was already inches from the large kobold's face. Then he suddenly reared back:

"Yes! Originally in the Volcanic Domain, you were flourishing under your old masters' lax oversight. That old couple spent every day lounging and chatting in the volcano mouth, leaving all outside matters to you without question. You were the true lord!"

Raphael speculated with utmost malice, "The taste of power naturally bred material indulgences. You couldn't bear to part with your prestigious position and lavish attire, could you?"

He glared fixatedly at the gilded decorations on Enokeitie's robes.

"You…you jest…" The large kobold knew the end was nigh and wanted to kneel for mercy, but his rotund belly prevented his knees from touching the ground, causing him to comically flop onto his side.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this ridiculous sight only deepened Raphael's disgust. "So you secretly plotted, trying every means to break from my rule and return to the Volcanic Domain to resume your shadow lordship! And now you've deliberately allowed this debacle!"

Milmos' persistent insinuations had finally taken effect - the red dragon's suspicions toward Enokeitie fully erupted in this moment.

"No! I would never do such a thing!" the big kobold hurriedly defended himself. "The humans' movements and firepower were truly formidable! I didn't mean to jeopardize your wealth!"

But the deeply biased Raphael could not be reasoned with. He opened his jaws and bit down on the plump creature, carrying it aloft.

The red dragon then took wing, departing the underground city to return to the central Valley.

SMACK!

Enokeitie was hurled violently from the air! His thick layer of fat protected him from being killed on impact, but the reactive force was agonizingly painful.

The busy dragon kin around were startled into stillness, eyes wide as they watched.

Raphael landed on the high peak, planting his forelimbs firmly into the ground while his two broad main wings jutted upright like doors stabbed into the rock.

"The kobold grand leader Enokeitie! Long plotting rebellion! Dereliction causing innocent dragon kin deaths! I hereby judge his numerous crimes!"

Raphael's booming proclamation echoed across the smoke-hazed skies with a draconic roar.

The crowds of dragon kin fearfully watched the red dragon towering godlike above, his formidable presence making the twitching, incontinent Enokeitie grotesquely repulsive - embodying some primal sin.

Yet none dared intervene, lest they follow the big kobold's imminent fate. When enraged, their master was capable of anything.

Still, one voice spoke up.

Arnold had just returned from a patrol circuit to witness the impending execution. He quickly cautioned, "Raphael, wait! Executing a kn interior minister before battle will demoralize the other dragon kin. Best to deal with it after the war."

Hearing his master's close friend's counsel gave Enokeitie a glimmer of hope to live as he raised his head.

But as soon as he lifted his gaze, a brilliant radiance engulfed his entire world.

Raphael paid no heed, simply exhaling his lase breath to incinerate the big kobold to ashes.

"Killing it is for the kin's own morale!" The red dragon shook his long neck. "Any other dragon kin who slacks, cowers or lags like this wretch will follow its path! Not just this battle, but all future endeavors!"

The dragon kin immediately averted their eyes and redoubled their frantic efforts. Having witnessed Enokeitie's demise, the older kin dispelled any lingering illusions, desperately straining to extents for fear of earning Raphael's fatal ire.

The golden dragon sighed heavily as he gazed upon the charred, greasy remains.

...

Fers Town.

The Ryton cluster command hub was in utter disarray.

The red dragon's sudden unleashing of golden flame breath caught everyone by surprise.

"The force of that golden fire rivaled top-tier spells! We cannot recklessly deploy the battle dragons!"

The strategists fiercely debated the next moves.

"Of course we must strike swiftly! Every second wasted lets those vile dragon's claws reinforce their lines - a true nightmare by the time we finally attack!"

"The battle dragons are our strategic deterrent, ensuring that dragon doesn't dare recklessly attack our ground forces. If we get the bulk surrounded and routed, this war is immediately lost! Not to mention its capacity for retaliation - do you want Ryton bombed from the air?"

"Then should we just sit here? Don't forget this is dragon territory - if they detect our presence and rally to encircle us, do you think our meager numbers can withstand them?"