paranoianovel Chapter 962 The Man on the Dragon's Head
Chapter 962 The Man on the Dragon's Head
Chapter 962 The Man on the Dragon's Head
The second person to notice the demonic dragon was the shaman Wusun. The shaman, who was communicating with the spirits of heaven and earth, suddenly opened his eyes and saw that the animal bones he used for divination and spellcasting on the table were all trembling in unison.
These magical artifacts, which contain the spirits of wild beasts, seem to have been targeted by some ferocious beast at the top of the food chain, and even their remaining instincts are howling in despair.
"What kind of monster is that?"
Wearing a nine-feathered hat and a sheepskin drum around his neck, the Wusun shaman hurriedly walked out of the tent, leaning on an eagle-headed scepter.
The terrifying aura emanating from the sky was like a falling sun, about to unleash world-destroying heat upon the Tatar army.
Even from such a distance, Wusun Shaman could sense that scorching and powerful soul, and even the spirits of heaven and earth had to avoid its sharp edge for a time.
"It's a dragon, the Fulin people's dragon!"
In the Tatar language, there is a specific word for the dragon, which is not confused with the symbol of imperial power in the Eastern Celestial Empire. This kind of flying, scaled monster that can breathe fire, poison, and frost is often a great enemy of nomadic tribes on the grasslands.
When Wusun Shaman was young, he followed his teacher and killed a red-scaled demon dragon that attacked herders and stole their sheep every day.
The severed neck of the dead dragon flowed with a semi-solid liquid resembling lava. Wherever it flowed, nothing grew to this day, and the air was filled with acrid gunpowder smoke. Even in winter, it would not be covered with snow, and it had always been regarded by the Tatars as a forbidden place to be approached.
Because of this understanding, the Wusun shaman knew the terrifying destructive power this monster could unleash in battle; whether it was flames, poisonous water, or frost, they were all equally deadly when they descended from above.
"Send a message to Jochi Nayan, reminding him to be careful of the threat above him, and to ask Koko to take action if necessary."
Inside the tent, the animal bones on the table flew up, and powerful spiritual auras revived within them.
The shamans of the Eternal Heaven are skilled at communicating with the spirits of heaven and earth, and also adept at controlling the spirits of animals. They do not follow the path of absorbing the power of heaven and earth into themselves, but rather use themselves as a medium to communicate with all the spirits of heaven and earth.
The animal spirits they most often ride are the "eagle," "wolf," "deer," and "horse," which are most revered by the grassland people.
The dark spot in the sky grew larger and larger, and a giant eagle skull took flight. A tremendous spiritual light descended from the sky and poured into it, instantly transforming into a large eagle with gleaming iron feathers in mid-air.
The shaman Wusun lightly tapped his staff, and soared into the air, landing behind the giant eagle. The raptor let out a clear, sharp cry, flapped its massive wings, whipped up a gale, and sped away towards the demonic dragon in the sky.
As they got closer, the dragon's terrifying outline became increasingly clear.
It was a strange, demonic dragon with three heads, each wearing a crown made of some unknown metal, and its body covered with huge black scales that resembled shields. Although its body, wrapped in scales, was somewhat slender, it was still full of terrifying power.
Judging from its aura and size, it was more than ten times stronger than the red-scaled demonic dragon that his teacher had hunted.
The moment the giant bird appeared, it attracted the attention of the three-headed dragon.
The three gazes—one fierce, one mocking, and one indifferent—made Wusun Shaman feel as if he could hardly breathe.
As the great shaman most skilled at invoking the spirits of heaven and earth, he could clearly sense that the rules of this world had become distorted in front of this three-headed alien dragon, which once again demonstrated the extraordinary strength of the opponent.
It's likely that even the giant monster from the North Sea that Kokochu personally subdued, which caused a white disaster and turned the entire Tatar grassland into a frozen wasteland, was only at this level.
In their shamanistic religion, this monster has a specific name—the "Calamity Beast," which can cause changes in celestial phenomena and unleash natural disasters on the grasslands that can endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
"Is our honored guest Fulin Khan?"
As flames ignited in the mouths of the three-headed dragon, the shaman Wusun keenly noticed that a figure was standing on the top of the dragon's head. The dragon was flying at such a fast speed, but the person was simply holding onto one of the dragon's horns and stood steadily on the dragon's head as if walking on flat ground.
The strong wind billowed his cloak embroidered with a dragon's head, and the crown adorned with eight lily branches revealed his identity—Fulin Khan.
"I am the emperor of all the Franks of the East, the new ruler of Mesopotamia, and the Fulin Khan you speak of. Are you the extraordinary one of the Tatars?"
As if receiving a command, the dragon's flames gradually died down, and a gentle male voice slowly entered the mind of the shaman Wusun. It was not a verbal exchange, but a mental exchange.
In that instant, Wusun sensed the unfathomable spiritual power of the other party, which was like a vast ocean.
"Fulin Khan, we have already signed a covenant of non-aggression and joint attack on the Sassanids. Why have you come here so suddenly?"
The other party gave a soft hum, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his sea of consciousness.
"I have made an agreement with your Khan that the Zagros Mountains will be the boundary between us. Furthermore, my army has already conquered Ctesiphon and Baghdad, and the Sasanian king has submitted to me. From now on, Mesopotamia is all my land. You Tatars have trespassed on my territory and yet you ask me why I have come?"
Wusun's tone softened: "We were unaware that the Sassanids of Mesopotamia had submitted to you. This is a misunderstanding. Our two nations should be friendly neighbors fighting together against the Zoroastrians. Why are we so hostile? Why don't we sit down and have a proper talk?"
“You have started border conflicts and broken alliances. I don’t think there’s anything to talk about with you untrustworthy barbarians.”
Losa wasn't going to waste any more words. These wolves of the grasslands could only earn his respect with his fists. If they wanted to go on an expedition to Eastern Europe like he had in his previous life, he wouldn't bother even if they fought all the way to the Danube.
If the Tatars knew when to stop and ceased their advance in Mesopotamia, instead establishing the Ilkhanate on the Persian Plateau, he would be equally too lazy to interfere. To him, there was no difference between being neighbors with the Sassanids and being neighbors with the Tatars.
However, if he were to annex Mesopotamia, the final piece of the Fertile Crescent would have crossed his bottom line.
Roar--
As Lothar gave the order, the three enormous dragon heads simultaneously burst into flames, and the temperature in the air suddenly soared to an extreme.
Wusun Shaman could clearly sense that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that he could summon had been compressed to an extremely small number at this moment, and the spirit of the great eagle beneath him also let out a series of uneasy cries.
The defenders of Hovezan suddenly felt a significant reduction in pressure.
A desolate sound of bull horns echoed from behind the Tatars.
The Kheshig army, which was about to scale the city walls, stopped in their tracks and retreated to their own camp without looking back. The elite troops of the Ivan tribe on the city walls also began to fight and retreat. After leaving more than ten men to cover their retreat, most of them returned to their camp.
"The Tatars have retreated?"
"Do you want to chase?"
Governor Rumi shook his head: "The Tatars are cunning; be careful of a trap."
He couldn't understand why the Tatars would decisively abandon the siege when they had the upper hand, but it was ultimately a good thing. Hearing the cheers around him, he felt a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.
They suffered heavy losses in this bloody battle.
This was the first time he had experienced the terror of these Tatars. No wonder so many fortified cities and strongholds had been easily breached by them, and no wonder so many long-established Sasanian nobles had bowed down to these barbarians.
These Tatars were simply too formidable in combat.
"Your Excellency, could it be..."
Almost simultaneously, Governor Rumi and his personal guards had the same thought. They all looked up and saw a clearly outlined dragon circling in the sky, confronting an exceptionally majestic and enormous bird of prey.
They flew so high that the noisy battlefield environment made people completely unaware of these two enormous creatures.
"By the sacred flame above, it is indeed the new emperor who has arrived riding his demonic dragon!"
"Brothers, reinforcements have arrived! Howezan is safe! We won't die!"
To the Franks, the dragon was a terrifying nightmare that could burn them to ashes at any moment, but to their own side—how could the Tatars' giant eagle possibly be a match for a beast born of sacred fire like the dragon?
Just as in Christianity, demons are also creations of God, although dragons are called "demons," no Zoroastrian would deny that these dragons, which can breathe endless flames, are also creations favored by the sacred fire.