Chapter 540: The Body of Karrikex (Part 4)
The metallic dragons, celestial beings, and vassals of the Ember Empire clashed with the surging tide of demons.
Blinding radiance, dazzling spells, and blotched clouds intertwined as winged demons fell like rain—but so too did some white-winged celestials drop from the sky.
"Roar—"
Beasts clad in metallic scales flapped their wings aloft. Golden dragons breathed waves of searing flame, reducing countless demons to ash.
Silver dragons exhaled frost that froze everything, immobilizing hordes of demons.
Around the metallic dragons, creatures usually hostile to them—wyverns, flame drakes, and other draconic beasts—fought side by side, even massive white dragons diving into the horde.
"All this for faction points and gold! Let's go, brothers!"
"For the Ember Empire!"
"Ohohoho!"
Tens of thousands of elite players flew in on wyverns, used flight spells, or launched themselves with catapults, engaging demons in deadly aerial battle.
Thousands of demons fell in moments, but even more were born from the chaos, diving toward Cassius under Jezal Slak's command.
"Kill them!"
"Wipe out every wretch standing in the Abyss's way!"
"For the Abyss!"
The demons' shrill cries pierced the skies.
"Roar—"
But a mighty dragon roar split the heavens.
Cassius beat his wings, stirring blazing winds. A storm of fire a hundred meters wide engulfed tens of thousands of nearby demons.
"Boom—"
Twelve blazing fire pillars blasted forth, crossing paths to sweep away the demon mass before him.
Melted limbs and charred torsos rained from the sky, the air thick with sulfur.
Amid lava-soaked ruins, Singo, Mantou, and others crept forward in stealth through the devastated valley.
"Damn, Singo, you're really going for that thing? Is that dragon even meant for us? If I hit it for 30 minutes straight, think I can chip a scale?"
Mantou whispered, tugging Singo's sleeve as he pointed to the mountain-like abyssal dragon.
"Tsk. If the boss is there, it's ours to fight. It has to have a weakness! Guess how much XP this thing will give us?"
Singo licked his lips, brimming with confidence.
Losing the tournament taught him—to compete with resource-backed guild monsters, he had to fight dirty.
Born Battle Maniac rubbed his polished bald head, baring yellow fangs in excitement: "This is the joy of gaming! Charging monstrous enemies, even dying instantly is worth it!"
Beside them, Summer Night Autumn Rain nodded slightly, golden eyes glowing. "Good chance to test my dragon pact spells."
Thinking of his newest video, Mantou gritted his teeth: "Fine, let's go! But we need a plan. A dragon that big could sneeze us into a wipe."
"Hah, you think I didn't prepare for supersized bosses?"
Singo pulled a metal sphere from his dimensional pouch. It bore chaotic carvings and a red exclamation mark.
"For oversized bosses, this is the answer."
Clack!
Singo tapped the sphere, which began glowing red—a danger signal.
Mantou stared at it. Lines of dense text flashed across its interface.
[Forbidden Magic Bomb]
Rarity: Rare
Description: Magical effects can combine unpredictably. Many magical taboos arose this way—like nesting dimensional pouches.
But bold Starfallers ignored such risks, blending dozens of destructive spells into a single bomb. Even its creator didn't know what horrors it might unleash.
"Art is explosion! —Bomb Monk Carter, Cult of the Machine God."
Cold sweat drenched Mantou. He quickly stopped Singo from tapping it again.
"Whoa, chill, Singo! Don't blow us up before we even see the boss."
Singo waved him off. "Relax, I got this. The plan's simple: you, Battle Bro, and Rain draw aggro. I..."
He grinned, eyes gleaming: "...ride my wyvern in from behind and launch a suicide strike!"
Mantou facepalmed. Classic Singo—simple, brutal, and unhinged.
He sighed: "Alright. Singo, I may be insane, but you're straight-up a dog. If you waste our shot, I'm roasting you in the next video."
"Deal."
Singo marched on, full of confidence.
Few demons remained. Most clustered in the sky, while the team avoided the battlefield's most chaotic zones.
Born Battle Maniac raised a hand, whispering: "Beyond here is the dragon's zone. No idea how far its senses reach—stay sharp."
Summer Night Autumn Rain nodded, raised her staff, and cast a light.
Multi-hued auras surrounded them—Silence, Greater Invisibility, Obfuscation.
Singo waved.
"Move in quiet. No loud guns."
The four crept toward the abyssal dragon.
"Huff."
The 200-meter dark red dragon lay coiled in the ruins, its sinewy body rippling like mountains, scales stretched thin over its gaunt flesh.
With each breath, smoke seeped from its scale gaps, nostrils, and jaws. Even the ground pulsed with its respiration.
Its eyes locked on the red dragon above, glowing with hatred for order and fanatical desire for end-times chaos.
"Cassius... come. Keep killing...
You'll embrace the Abyss. Become my fuel. A key piece in the world's end."
Jezal Slak grinned twistedly.
"Time to end this dull game. Oh, and these... bold little ants."
"Boom—"
Stones flew. Cracks webbed across the earth.
The abyssal dragon rose slowly, its wings spanning hundreds of meters, then flapped.
"Whoosh—"
Wind howled through its tattered wings. Chaos surged from its armpits like a tidal wave.
Tens of thousands more demons spawned, their wings flapping madly through the storm, swirling around the dragon.
"What the hell?"
Chaos blew away their stealth—Mantou, Singo, and crew reappeared as their buffs failed.
Even the backlash of Jezal Slak's wind burned their skin and racked their bodies.
They were now just hundreds of meters from the abyssal dragon.
Singo leapt, activating his mount pact: "The boss spotted us! Last chance!"
"Roar—"
A wyvern tore through space, soaring low and lifting its rider into the air, weaving through the horde.
"Got it!"
Mantou summoned his mount and charged the dragon.
"Roar—"
On the ground, Born Battle Maniac became a seven-meter giant, eyes red, charging the beast.
Summer Night Autumn Rain flared with firelight, unfurling dragon wings and flying forth.
Dozens more top players appeared around the dragon—stealth teams with the same goal: slay the beast.
Across the player army, many shared Singo's plan.
Six-armed monks dashed on rooftops. Dragon-Oath Paladins marched with shields. Druids in bear form thundered forward. Omega-Armors blasted fire and charged.
"Attack!"
"Demon dragon, taste my giant bird!"
"Behold—warm wine, dragon-slaying sword!"
"For the Ember Empire! Kill it and win eternal riches!"
Transcendent players unleashed their strongest skills, surrounding the abyssal dragon.
Jezal Slak sneered, voice booming across the wasteland.
"Pitiful worms—"
The dragon roared, shaking the world.
Wyverns crashed. Armors sparked. Barbarians screamed in agony.
"You dirt-specks have no idea—"
Jezal Slak stood on his hind legs. His vast wings blotted the field in shadow.
"...what greatness you're defying."
"Buzz—"
The abyssal titan dropped. One claw crushed the earth.
"Boom!"
The land screamed. Dust filled the air.
Shockwaves rippled for kilometers, throwing even giants off balance. All Anstica trembled.
Creak, creak.
Spiderweb cracks covered the land. Chaos fire surged from the fissures.
Lava and flame pillars shot skyward.
"Boom!"
"Aw shit, not again..."
Before Mantou finished cursing, chaos fire devoured him.
He and his wyvern turned to charcoal and fell.
Chaos fog engulfed Born Battle Maniac. His skin rotted, legs failed, and he collapsed, bones exposed.
"Lao Mantou got one-shot again!"
"Look—even Battle Bro's down! He's our tank!"
"What the hell kind of damage is this boss?!"
Chaos fire rampaged, devouring players. Fog rolled through valleys, reaping lives like a merciless god.
In seconds, over half the top players were wiped out.
"Roar—"
A wyvern veered at the last second, fire pillar grazing it.
Singo clutched the forbidden bomb, riding through the chaos.
With +17 riding skill, he dodged blasts while closing in.
"Almost there."
Breathing hard, eyes locked on the dragon's chest.
He'd studied it: no scales covered the chest scar—still unhealed.
Which meant—if he planted the bomb there, he might kill it!
The Crimson Scaled Conqueror weaved through demon-filled skies, searching for a clear path.
"Wyvern, now!"
"Dragon Roar Charge!"
Singo howled.
He pressed the timer. The bomb blinked red and beeped, charging unstable magic.
His wyvern roared, wings flaring as it dove.
Charge!
Charge! Charge!
Singo's heart pounded. Killing this boss would make him a legend.
He outdid Don Quixote—his charge aimed at a mountain.
Time froze. The Crimson Scaled Conqueror dove for the dragon's chest.
"Such a fool..."
But Jezal Slak had seen him. The dragon smiled darkly at the wyvern rider—an ant.
"Foolish."
Abyssal light flared in his murky eyes.
Singo and his wyvern froze in place, faces locked in shock—then turned to ash.
[Decree: Death]
The forbidden bomb detonated in midair, ripping space—but the dragon was unharmed.
A dozen top players charging from all sides were instantly erased by that rule-tier power.