Chapter 624
Chapter 624: I’m Going to Run Away. (1)
Kuuwuung!
The ground trembled from Arterion’s landing impact. A giant tail shot toward Parniel and Piote in an instant.
Gritting his teeth, Parniel raised a prayer. A shield radiating brilliant light unfolded before them. Piote poured all his strength into Parniel.
Without a moment to breathe, Arterion’s tail swept across the ground again, coming closer.
Kwaaaang!
Parniel’s body was flung away. However, thanks to the shield created by their combined divine power, he narrowly avoided serious injury.
In that fleeting moment, all the superhumans clung to Arterion’s colossal body, launching a synchronized attack.
Paaak!
Hundreds of Belinda’s daggers poured down like a meteor shower. With Arterion landing, she was able to join the assault.
Several daggers grazed Arterion’s scales, leaving behind wounds.
But Arterion, undeterred by the attacks from others, focused solely on pressuring Parniel and Piote.
The two were continuously pushed back, unable to protect the other companions.
Fortunately, Parniel’s defense was among the best in their group. With the addition of Piote’s strength, they could endure Arterion’s relentless assaults.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Parniel and Piote continued to retreat but somehow managed to hold their ground. The more they endured, the more wounds appeared on Arterion’s body from the assaults.
Ghislaine, who was mercilessly slashing at the giant target, furrowed his brows.
‘Is he trying to interfere with our recovery first?’
If Parniel and Piote fell behind, it would be uncertain who would have the advantage in a prolonged battle. A single solid hit here could render them combat-ineffective.
While it might be a good strategy if successful, if Parniel and Piote remained focused solely on defense like now, Arterion would only accrue more wounds.
‘Something feels off.’
Pussh… Pusssh…
Even amidst the chaos, magic continued to manifest and dissipate around Arterion.
‘What is he aiming for?’
He must have realized that magic was useless. The wisest course would be to take down the fortress where the wizards were hiding.
If he took down fortresses one by one, he could eventually reduce the number of wizards, thus regaining the ability to cast spells.
Of course, they would never let Arterion get away with that. The wizards would be preoccupied with defense, and by the time he could freely use magic, Arterion would already be a corpse.
Kwaang! Kwaang!
In a flash, Arterion’s body was stuffed with wounds. He was ignoring the other attacks.
At that moment, Arterion suddenly twisted his long neck and lunged at Belinda.
Kaaah!
With his massive jaws gaping, he attempted to swallow Belinda whole.
If swallowed, divine power or anything else would be worthless. Perhaps it was the best option after all.
Pak!
Belinda instantly turned to darkness and scattered.
But Arterion’s senses were exceptional. In an instant, he pinpointed where Belinda had hidden and swiftly turned his head to pursue her.
Pak! Pak! Pak!
Belinda had to transform into darkness multiple times to move. Arterion doggedly chased only her.
If their group hadn’t continued to attack, she might have truly been devoured.
Skak!
But when Yulien slashed to the point where the Dragon Heart was located, Arterion had no choice but to withdraw his body.
However, Arterion did not let Yulien escape, swinging his claws at him.
Kwaaaang!
Yulien was flung away. But his body was already enveloped in divine energy.
Arterion attempted to pursue Yulien, but he had already recovered and swung his sword. The companions also seized the opportunity to attack Arterion.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Once again, the battle between the superhumans and Arterion continued. It was no different than when they fought in mid-air.
No, it could be said that it was more unfavorable for Arterion now, as even Belinda was participating in the attack.
Arterion shifted his focus back to Parniel and Piote. Still, magical effects manifested and disappeared around him repeatedly.
Whirl!
Even if he managed to conjure up something, it would only be a small fireball. Any of those present could vanish with just a light scratch.
Ghislaine’s suspicions deepened at Arterion’s unpredictable behavior.
‘What in the world is he aiming for?’
Parniel, Piote, Belinda, the wizards. These three were the pillars maintaining their current state. So, it was expected that Arterion would target one of them.
But his actions were strange. He fought randomly.
It couldn’t be dismissed as madness. The opponent was a dragon that had triumphed in the Great War a thousand years ago. If anything, he would be more accustomed to battle than they were.
Even amidst such wild fighting, he inflicted lethal attacks whenever someone got too close.
If Arterion had been even slightly stronger, or if they weren’t under the blessing of divine power, the battle would have already concluded.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Both sides launched powerful attacks, disregarding their own conditions. The companions were all knocked back multiple times by Arterion.
Everyone was focused solely on dodging instant death. It didn’t matter if they got smashed anywhere.
That was because Parniel and Piote were infusing divine power like crazy.
The fight wouldn’t end until the two of them ran out of divine power.
Rrroooarrr…
Arterion continued to emit unpleasant sounds.
His body was steadily accumulating injuries. Unable to use magic, he wasn’t healing properly.
It was evident that Arterion was stronger and more threatening, but as time went on, the battle increasingly favored Ghislaine’s side.
If things continued like this, Arterion would eventually tire and collapse.
However, Ghislaine’s group wasn’t in a comfortable position either. No matter how strong the two’s divine powers weren’t limitless.
Ghislaine gritted his teeth.
‘I need to take him down before all the divine power is used up.’
Meanwhile, Arterion continued to expend mana on failed spells.
That worked to Ghislaine’s advantage. The more magic he fizzled, the weaker he would become.
Ghislaine shouted loudly.
“Push harder!”
While Parniel and Piote still had divine power, they needed to attack more aggressively, avoiding instant death. They had to inflict greater wounds to incapacitate him quickly.
That way, they could achieve a complete victory.
Boom! Kuung! Boom!
Indeed, it seemed Arterion began to step back, burdened by the accumulated wounds.
Having thought there was no answer on the ground, he flapped his wings and gradually rose into the sky.
In a state where he couldn’t use magic, just lifting his massive body would consume a lot of stamina.
But if he stayed on the ground, he would take even more damage. His opponent’s movements would also be freer.
So, Arterion had no choice but to take to the sky.
Swiish!
Belinda scattered daggers into the air. In an instant, the superhumans leaped onto the silvery staircase created.
Graaar!
At that moment, Arterion emitted a tremendous amount of mana. He poured half of his power into conjuring a spell.
Jerome was taken aback.
“Insane!”
Since the magic wasn’t properly formed, the opponent tried to pierce through the mana field with brute force.
Jerome gathered his own mana to counter it.
It actually worked out well. Using that much mana would exhaust him more quickly; they just had to break it somehow.
Kuuwuung!
A colossal amount of mana collided with one another, something no one had ever seen before.
A fireball akin to the sun slowly began to dissipate, not fully formed. Yet Arterion continued to inject mana, attempting to complete the spell.
“Profit!”
Jerome, undeterred, gritted his teeth, pulling in mana to resist.
Arterion had already used up more than half of his remaining power with this one move. The moment Jerome continued to hold him off, his mana was quickly depleting.
Amidst an already crumbling situation, he was suffering significant losses.
People could see it. That dragon was stubbornly forcing himself, believing in his own power.
Confidence and hope of victory gradually grew. Jerome just needed to hold out a little longer against Arterion’s magic.
As Ghislaine attacked without missing the opportunity Jerome created, he suddenly sensed something odd.
Arterion’s eyes, turned crimson, were still blazing with ferocity.
But then…
‘Is he… smiling?’
In a situation like this, he was laughing. All battered and increasingly disadvantaged.
Just then, Arterion spoke softly.
“I found it.”
“What?”
Arterion abruptly turned his head.
Kwaaaah!
As he opened his mouth, the air around him was sucked in, generating immense pressure.
Ghislaine, who turned in the same direction, shouted urgently.
“Block it!”
At that shout, everyone simultaneously ignored their own safety and leaped at Arterion.
More powerful attacks struck Arterion than ever before. Huge wounds appeared on his body, and blood gushed out. His wings were torn, his chest was grazed, and his body was punctured.
However, Arterion ignored everything. A dragon was strong enough to withstand that level of assault.
He unleashed his breath forthwith. There was no need for him to gather more power.
With just this much, it would be enough to take down the enemy.
Kwaaaaaaaaaah!
Jerome’s eyes widened in shock. He finally understood Arterion’s intentions.
“Indeed…”
Arterion had been continuously expending mana to locate the source of the mana resisting him.
Even after trying hard to hide it here, he had detected the subtle flow of mana converging in an instant. Truly a dragon.
Moreover, that one attack was astounding. Arterion, while releasing a magic burst, sprayed breath unrelated to magic at those who were pouring their entire mana into countering his spell.
That cunning dragon had found a way to win, even if it meant sacrificing some of his mana.
“Vanessa!”
Jerome shouted loudly, gathering all his own mana to deploy a 9th circle barrier.
Zing!
A massive barrier enveloped the fortress. Nearby wizards were instantly drained of all their mana and collapsed.
It was that urgent. Wizards from the fort close to Jerome also felt the tremendous mana being siphoned.
Feeling a sense of crisis, Vanessa exhausted herself to funnel her mana into Jerome.
Kwaaaaang!
The breath and the barrier collided. A tremendous shockwave radiated outward.
Dudududud!
The barrier ceaselessly consumed mana and held against the breath. Wizards far away began to faint one by one.
Though the dragon’s breath weakened compared to before, so too did the barrier. They had used an enormous amount of mana to dispel the dragon’s powerful spell.
Moreover, simultaneously blocking two effects strained the concentration of both Jerome and Vanessa.
Paaak!
Ultimately, the barrier couldn’t withstand the shock and shattered. Jerome and Vanessa hastily pulled their mana together to form a shield again.
Kwaaaaang!
The first defensive magic-framed fort’s wall crumbled. Despite powerful defensive magic, it couldn’t withstand the dragon’s breath.
But thanks to that, the power of the breath weakened a bit more.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The breath continued to shatter the shields that Jerome and Vanessa had deployed at full strength. However, it didn’t completely break through and ultimately dissipated.
That was because Arterion had already exhausted an enormous amount of energy, so he couldn’t keep unleashing his breath.
Falling down from the sky were sparkling ice crystals. The ground around the fortress was covered in frost.
Now, it was the aftermath of the vanished breath.
Thud.
Jerome, having drained even his innate mana, collapsed first, losing consciousness.
“Cough!”
Vanessa also knelt, coughing up blood.
Wizards throughout the fortress lay fainted and sprawled.
Of course, Arterion had also expended tremendous amounts of mana. However, he still had enough remaining power to overshadow them.
While there were still a number of wizards left, no one stood a chance to confront Arterion directly managing that immense mana.
They had to initiate their spells individually now to counter him.
“Now, the real battle begins.”
Arterion arrogantly spread his wings and slightly pulled back.
If it were any other being, it might be different, but Arterion was no ordinary dragon. With the controller gone, he was confident in threading through the wizards and manifesting spells.
“Ugh…”
Vanessa, gritting her teeth in pain, clutched her staff. She was also in a drained state regarding her mana.
A chill closed in. Even though she had blocked the breath, it felt as if her entire body was freezing.
In this state of having exhausted her own mana, she couldn’t possibly control another’s mana. She needed to recover her mana or have someone take control for her.
“Aah, no… I have to… hold on more…”
Until now, the battle had progressed favorably for them. Even the dragon had exhausted tremendous mana and was fatigued.
So just a bit more, they just needed to contain the magic a slight bit longer.
The fortress where Jerome and Vanessa were had only high-level wizards together. It was for contingencies.
They could temporarily entrust the control to them or request mana transfer.
However, when she turned her head…
“Aah…”
Everyone was collapsed, having drained their mana.
To deal with both the breath and the 9th circle magic simultaneously required an extraordinary amount of mana.
But one person was still standing on two feet. A person who absolutely shouldn’t be able to endure.
“Aah, Alfoy?”
Alfoy was trembling and standing in the back.
