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Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: The Grand Plan of Bloodsource Peak

"The one riding that young dragon looks pretty big," Aegon shouted toward Daenys.

Daenys called back loudly, "It's some kind of monster with dragon horns. No idea how it managed to tame a young dragon. The two Dragon Knights chasing them are wearing Blood Peak uniforms—they might be trying to retrieve an escaped experiment."

Blood Peak?

Aegon had a rough idea from his implanted memories: Blood Peak was a Valyrian Freehold facility for researching blood sorcery. But beyond that, he knew little. Bloodmages almost never showed up in Freehold wars, and the ones at Blood Peak seemed more like researchers than warriors.

High in the clear blue sky, the three-dragon clash grew increasingly intense.

The two adult dragons had moved into action, splitting apart in perfect sync to encircle the black young dragon from both sides.

In an instant, the young dragon's situation turned dire. It was caught in a trap with nowhere to run.

Just then, the horned monster riding atop the young black dragon did something that left Aegon stunned. The figure stood up slowly on the dragon's back, then calmly drew two longswords from his waist—one held upright in front, the other reversed in his left hand at his side.

As one of the adult dragons closed in, just a few meters from the young dragon...

The monster suddenly bent his knees and, channeling explosive power through his legs, launched himself into the air like a soaring eagle. In a single bound, he leapt toward the back of the adult dragon closing in.

"He just jumped midair... straight into a boarding fight?! That's insane!" Daenys gasped, eyes wide in shock as she cried out.

Aegon, beside her, frowned. Thanks to his chip implant, his vision was far sharper than Daenys'.

He narrowed his eyes. How is he using Gaemon's techniques? And those swords... they're Gaemon's. Didn't Daenys burn both swords with Gaemon's body? Could it be...

"That monster—it might be Gaemon. Look! He's using Gaemon's sword style, and those are definitely Gaemon's blades," Aegon quickly shouted.

The words hit Daenys like a bolt of lightning. She gasped, covering her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with disbelief. She stared blankly at Aegon, then suddenly turned her head sharply to look back at the battlefield, where the three dragons were locked in fierce combat in the sky.

Up above, the situation was shifting rapidly.

The monster—no, Gaemon—had successfully landed on the enemy dragon's back. Without hesitation, he gripped both Valyrian steel swords and slashed down with all his might at the dragon's wing.

A flash of steel gleamed—the blades were about to slice deep into the creature's wing.

But the opposing Dragon Knight had already acted.

The moment Gaemon leapt, the rider had calmly raised a heavy crossbow, already loaded and aimed. With a sharp "click!", the black bolt shot out like lightning, striking Gaemon squarely in the abdomen.

The sheer impact sent Gaemon spinning off balance. He lost control and plummeted from the dragon's back.

The adult dragon, enraged that anyone had dared land on it so easily, reacted with fury. Its massive body twisted, and its thick tail—like a giant whip—snapped through the air toward the falling figure.

In that critical moment, the black young dragon streaked down like a black arrow and threw itself into the path of the tail, taking the full blow for Gaemon.

Crack— The black dragon and Gaemon crashed together from dozens of meters in the sky, plummeting toward the ground.

Aegon and Daenys had no time to intervene. They could only watch helplessly as the dramatic scene unfolded.

They exchanged a quick look—then, ignoring the circling adult dragons above, dove toward where Gaemon had fallen.

With a light jolt, they landed one after the other.

The moment their dragons touched down, Aegon and Daenys split up and began searching through the dense brush. After several tense minutes, Aegon finally spotted Gaemon's twisted form behind a thick tangle of undergrowth.

He lay motionless, eyes shut, completely unconscious. His grotesquely transformed body was badly cracked and torn from the fall, the broken armor-like scabs revealing raw, bloody flesh beneath.

Aegon rushed forward, parting the dense foliage.

Daenys caught up quickly, and when she saw Gaemon's mangled, terrifying state, her eyes welled up red.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps broke through the stillness.

Moments later, two armored figures emerged—one tall and broad, the other thin and wiry. These were the same Blood Peak Dragon Knights who had appeared in the sky earlier.

The tall one had sharp, narrow eyes, while the thinner one looked somewhat worn, but his gaze was keen and calculating.

Without hesitation, they made their way straight toward Gaemon.

Aegon and Daenys immediately stood up and blocked their path.

Seeing the obstruction, the tall knight was the first to speak, his voice loud and commanding.

"Hey! You two—hand over that dragon freak lying on the ground!"

He jabbed a finger in Gaemon's direction.

The thin knight chimed in sharply, voice high and cutting. "That's right. That thing's a target of Blood Peak. Don't cause yourselves trouble. Be smart and hand it over."

Behind them, two large adult dragons followed—one brown, one blue, each over thirty meters long.

At their words, Daenys' brow furrowed. There was no way she could just let them take Gaemon away.

Seeing her expression, Aegon leaned close and whispered, "What's Blood Peak's status? Can we kill them?"

Daenys gave a small, silent nod.

The two Dragon Knights, seeing the pair whispering instead of answering, began to grow visibly impatient.

The tall knight barked impatiently, "Enough with the nonsense! Hand him over, now—don't waste our time!"

"So Blood Peak thinks it can just rob whoever it wants?" Aegon replied coolly, flashing a subtle hand signal to Daenys, instructing her to have Dreamshade ascend and lie in wait for an aerial ambush.

At that moment, the dragon knights' eyes drifted to Tiamat behind Aegon. The distinct features of the red dragon were impossible to miss. Upon seeing this unmistakable Royal-class dragon, both knights' expressions shifted—flickers of unease flashed in their eyes.

The tall one quickly toned down his arrogance and turned to Aegon, saying, "Hmph. For the sake of House Aurélion, I'll give you a bit of courtesy and offer a word of advice.

Right now, the 'grand plan' is at its most critical stage. Your House should know what's at stake. If anything jeopardizes it—especially because of you—then even the core bloodline of House Aurélion won't be spared!"

Aegon's heart tightened at those words, and he exchanged a glance with Daenys. In that moment, both of them understood clearly—because of Tiamat's prominent red dragon traits, these two had mistaken them for members of House Aurélion.

Aegon chuckled and shook his head. "And here I was, thinking I'd know what the grand plan was. But House Aurélion doesn't need to explain itself to anyone."

"You—!" The tall knight's face flushed with rage, his chest heaving as he barely held himself back.

If he weren't certain that their dragons were no match for Aegon's red dragon, he would've already drawn his sword and struck without hesitation.

The thin knight stepped forward to ease the tension. "Friend! If you were able to tame a Royal-class dragon during the Taming Tournament, you must hold significant status within House Aurélion."

He continued in a persuasive tone, "Even a single misstep in Blood Peak's grand plan could endanger the entire Valyrian Peninsula.

You should go ask your family's patriarch. You'll understand just how serious this is. You see the blood sorcery runes on our armor? We're Dragonblood Guards of Blood Peak—we don't lie."

Daenys stiffened instantly, as if struck by lightning.

She had once received a prophetic dream—a Green Dream—of Valyria's complete destruction. That vision had brought her endless criticism and doubt. But now, hearing Blood Peak's own men claim that their grand plan was tied to the fate of the entire peninsula, she instinctively linked their words to her dream.

She tugged at Aegon's sleeve and whispered, "Get them talking. Find out what this grand plan really is."

Aegon pressed her palm lightly, signaling that he understood. He had been subtly coaxing them toward a confession, but the two knights had kept tight-lipped, offering only vague hints.

"I found this one first," Aegon said unhurriedly, "and I'm not opposed to handing him over.

But first, you need to explain why you were chasing him. What does Blood Peak want him for? Tell me the truth, and I'll give him to you.

House Aurélion's word is gold. We don't deceive—we deal honestly."

The tall knight's patience snapped. Seeing Aegon still stalling, he scowled, face darkening with fury as he roared, "No comment! Hmph! Are you handing him over or not? Don't waste my time with this back-and-forth!"

Tiamat saw the tall knight baring his teeth at Aegon and instantly grew enraged. A violent gleam flashed through her crimson eyes.

Her massive body trembled, and a deep, menacing growl rolled from her throat.

With a thunderous step forward, the ground trembled faintly. Her towering form loomed above Aegon like a moving mountain, blotting out the sun.

Her enormous head stretched over Aegon's right shoulder, jaws yawning open like an abyss. In her throat, a blazing energy began to gather—slowly but steadily—ready to unleash a breath that could reduce everything in its path to ash.

The tall dragon knight, who had moments ago been overflowing with disdain, now paled with terror.

A chill surged from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and he instinctively took two steps back, trying to put distance between himself and the terrifying Royal dragon.

The two adult dragons behind him also sensed Tiamat's oppressive might. They, too, stepped back almost in unison, letting out low, uneasy growls.

Aegon's lips curled into a faint smile. He rested his hands on the hilt of his sword, calm and unhurried, as if he had everything under control and their threats didn't bother him in the slightest.

But only he knew—he was bluffing.

The heat radiating from Tiamat as she gathered her dragonfire was scorching. It was like standing beside a furnace. His hair had already begun to curl and crisp from the intensity.

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