Translator: AnubisTL
Samantha's roar echoed through the Hemlock Hills, shaking the rocky cliffs and sending dust cascading down.
Dozens of poison-tipped alchemical bolts were embedded in her body, including the one that had pierced her right wing joint at the start of the battle. The azure poison spread through her veins, amplifying the necromantic curses that sapped her strength, numbed her limbs, and dulled her senses.
The alchemy workshop had been reduced to ruins.
Boiling black oil had spilled across the ground, melting the sand and stone into glassy, charred crusts. Claw marks crisscrossed the iron fir trunks, their bark scorched by lingering flames from dragon breath.
Samantha's tail swept across the rocky platform, sending shards of stone flying like shrapnel that clattered against the warriors' armor.
The necromancer's skeleton ghostfire surged forward again, this time targeting Samantha's eyes.
Samantha jerked her head aside to dodge, but the blonde warrior seized the opportunity to charge forward. His greatsword, as wide as a door, crashed down on the old wound in her foreleg. Dragon blood splattered, gleaming crimson under the moonlight.
"You wretched insects!" Samantha roared.
The searing pain ignited the primal ferocity in her red dragon blood. Samantha suddenly reared up on her hind legs, her massive body surging several meters into the air as she lunged at the blonde warrior with all her weight.
Unfortunately, Samantha's movements lacked precision and speed, her power barely reaching a tenth of Garos's.
The blonde warrior easily evaded Samantha's charge with a simple roll.
This misstep proved costly for Samantha.
The spellcaster seized the opportunity to cast a binding spell, which slammed into Samantha's back.
It felt as if a mountain had suddenly landed on her back. Her claws dug deep into the rocky terrain, struggling to support her weight.
A grappling hook shot through the air, its tip lodging between the gaps in Samantha's dragon scales. The rogue secured the other end around the thick trunk of an iron fir tree.
Divine Retribution!
The white-robed priestess raised her hand high before slamming it down. A bolt of holy energy, like a thunderclap, struck Samantha, tearing through her scales and flesh, leaving a scorched stench and wisps of acrid smoke.
Such holy attacks dealt double damage against evil dragons.
Samantha bared her teeth in agony, her entire body trembling violently.
The adventurers' assault rained down like a relentless storm, wave after wave, overwhelming the red young dragon.
Simultaneously, the blonde warrior raised his greatsword high. Runes on the blade glowed blindingly as he swung it at Samantha's hind leg.
The fierce strike wasn't aimed at Samantha's neck or any other vital point. The adventurers' earlier attacks had also rarely targeted lethal areas. The reason was simple: they wanted to capture the red young dragon alive.
A living young dragon was worth several times more than a dead one.
As they imagined the immense wealth that awaited them, smiles couldn't help but spread across the adventurers' faces.
However.
Just as the sword was about to fall, darkness suddenly descended from above.
It wasn't a cloud obscuring the moon, but some creature blocking the starlight, casting a shadow that enveloped both the dragon and the humans locked in battle.
Samantha's tense dragon face instantly relaxed, and she began to laugh.
"You pathetic insects, now you will all die," she declared.
The tense expressions shifted to the adventurers' faces, their smiles freezing and vanishing simultaneously.
Everyone heard the sound.
It was like a thunderclap rolling across the ground, or steel being torn apart by brute force.
It was the sonic boom of dragon wings tearing through the air, created by Garos's rapid descent as the wind shredded through the feather-like scales on his wing membranes—a death knell of overwhelming force.
"Another dragon! Everyone, be careful! Havin, cast the anti-flight spell now!"
The blonde warrior roared, tilting his head back to meet the red iron young dragon's eyes, which were darker than the night itself. A fierce wind slammed into him, whipping his hair wildly.
The spellcaster skillfully wove the anti-flight spell.
This spell locked directly onto its target, guaranteeing a hit. The young dragon's magical resistance couldn't nullify it. Once the magical energy in its wings was disrupted, its flight would be severely impaired, throwing it off balance—just like they had done to Samantha before.
Intricate runes materialized on Garos's wings.
Yet, to the adventurers' astonishment, the young dragon, whose physique was incomparably robust, seemed completely unaffected. With each powerful flap of its disproportionately massive wings, it maintained its astonishing agility, hurtling forward at breakneck speed.
As the black-and-red dragon shadow swept past the treetops, dense branches snapped at their roots, and countless leaves swirled wildly in the air.
There was no time to ponder why this was happening.
Faced with the dragon plummeting toward him like a meteor, the blonde warrior, just as before, hastily rolled aside to evade the aerial assault.
Simultaneously, the black-and-red dragon shadow tilted its right wing, displaying unparalleled agility.
Instead of pursuing the blonde warrior, it abruptly veered upward, positioning itself directly above the spellcaster.
Shadows enveloped the spellcaster's body.
His heart clenched, the overwhelming pressure nearly suffocating him.
At the critical moment, the necklace around his neck flared to life, activating a protective spell.
Shield Spell!
A translucent yellow shield enveloped the spellcaster, shielding him within its protective barrier.
Crack! With a thunderous roar, the shield shattered like an eggshell under Garos's claw. Despair filled the spellcaster's eyes as the dragon's claw completely filled his vision.
The ground trembled violently. Dust and debris erupted in a shockwave, sending shards of rock flying in all directions.
As the dust settled, dispersed by the dragon's wings, a deep, crater-like depression was revealed.
Garos shook his body, dislodging rubble and dust, and leaped out of the crater.
Embedded in the fissures at the bottom of the crater was a body, so decayed that its gender and race were indistinguishable, fused with the earth itself.
Only then, as they gazed at the red iron young dragon whose scales gleamed like molten steel, did the survivors fully grasp the situation, their minds snapping into sharp focus.
The young dragon's attack had been too swift and explosive, far exceeding their expectations. In an instant, it had eliminated the spellcaster from their party.
Now that I think about it, the dragon's initial attacks on the blonde warrior were just feints. Its true target was clear: the spellcaster at the heart of the group. It seized the opportunity to strike while the spellcaster was off guard, killing him in a single blow.
While the spellcaster couldn't match the blonde warrior in direct combat, he was far more crucial to the team's strategy. Their frustration stemmed primarily from his loss.
Meanwhile, the blonde warrior, having recovered from his ineffective roll, rose to his feet, his expression grim.
He tilted his head slightly, took a deep breath, and activated the magic energy stone embedded in his chestplate. Runes around the stone lit up, empowering him with enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, and defense.
The cost? A precious magic energy stone.
"Evil dragon, prepare to die!"
The blonde warrior roared, hefting his door-sized greatsword and charging toward Garos.
Garos tensed his limbs, grinned at the warrior, then shattered the ground beneath him to dodge an alchemical bolt. He lunged toward the white-robed priestess.
Team fight strategy, he thought. Kill the mage first, then the healer. This brave warrior can live a little longer—he'll be the last one standing.
(End of the Chapter)