Chapter 67: Faulty Intel
"Erika! Watch out!"
Just as Erika was proudly showing off her little fangs, Isana cried out in alarm.
Erika turned her head and saw five sharp claws already inches from her eye.
They were Jesse’s claws!
At some point, he had suddenly appeared in front of Erika. His five fingers had transformed into razor-sharp talons, and his speed was so fast and silent that Erika hadn’t noticed a thing.
Thud!
At that moment, Isana’s small hand shot out. Just before the claws could stab Erika, she grabbed Jesse’s wrist.
“You bastards from Cage hurt my family, and now you want to hurt my Erika too!”
She shouted angrily, then her eyes narrowed as she began chanting a magic incantation.
Whoosh—!
A moment later, a cold storm burst from Isana’s palm.
It was the unique ice magic of her Elfreid bloodline.
Though not as powerful as Gladys’, the extreme cold clearly began to freeze Jesse’s wrist.
“What a meddlesome little brat!”
He cursed—he hadn’t expected a girl like Isana to cast such magic.
If his wrist froze completely, the cells in his blood would die, rendering his entire hand useless.
Jesse knew this well. With a sudden forceful pull, he broke free from Isana’s grip.
At the same time, his razor-sharp claws swung toward Isana’s face without hesitation.
“Isana!”
Seeing the danger, Erika grabbed Isana’s shoulder, yanking her away from the edge of death.
But she couldn’t prevent the claws from slashing Isana’s arm.
Her once pale and delicate arm was now torn with five bloody gashes.
The flesh split open, blood running down her arm—it looked excruciating.
“S-Sorry… I was careless.”
Looking at the wound, Erika’s eyes filled with guilt.
What am I doing?
This isn’t some game back at the academy. The enemy came with real killing intent—this is a battle for our lives. What was I being so smug about?
Blaming herself repeatedly, Erika composed her emotions, frowning as her gaze grew serious.
“I’m fine, Erika…”
Isana said she was okay, but Erika could see her biting her lip, enduring the pain.
A flame of anger rose in Erika’s heart.
Her red eyes glared at Jesse as she released her magic again, this time gently shielding Isana.
“Leave the rest to me, Isana. This guy’s from the group that hurt your mom, right? Honestly… I really hate them too.”
“Erika…”
Isana murmured, hiding behind Erika in pain.
She knew Erika had strong magic, but against the non-human species of Cage, she couldn’t be sure Erika could win.
“Miss Erika, your strength is quite surprising…” Feeling her magic, Jesse’s expression turned grim.
“You know me?” Erika narrowed her eyes.
“Of course,” Jesse replied casually. “I came here for you. You shouldn’t be in this city.”
“Where I go is none of your business. Where’s Jocelyn? Tell her to give back the Dragon Core Crystal!”
“So you came here for that.”
“That’s my item!”
“Heh, I know. But speaking of that woman Jocelyn, her intel was off. You don’t seem weak at all.”
“Tch…”
Too lazy to argue, Erika glanced around. The place was overrun by rats. The entrance and windows were completely blocked, and the snack bar was now a ruin littered with half-eaten corpses. The entire space had been cut off from the outside world, a stench lingering in the air.
Since no one could see inside, Erika decided there was no need to hide.
A small tail quietly extended from her back. Grayish-white hair sprouted horns on each side, and a pair of wings emerged from her back.
“Half-dragon transformation, huh…”
Jesse muttered, feeling the pressure from the searing air.
As a non-human himself, he understood well the power of dragons.
“Isana, stay here and don’t move. I’ll deal with this guy.”
After transforming, Erika turned and smiled at Isana. Her two little fangs now looked like sharp dragon teeth.
With the tail, horns, and wings, Erika’s appearance utterly captivated Isana.
What was this?
This was the perfect model she had dreamed of!
So beautiful, and so cool!
Then Erika locked her gaze onto Jesse.
Boom!
With a stomp, scorching flames burst around her.
Bathed in red fire, the little dragon girl looked fierce and heroic.
Her fiery red eyes locked on Jesse. In her half-dragon form, she no longer feared him.
She flapped her wings, stirring a whirlwind in the narrow snack bar.
Thanks to the Dragon Core Crystal, all of Erika’s dragon traits were amplified. She couldn’t fly before, but now the gusts from her wings were enough to lift her.
Whoosh!
With the flap of her wings, a sharp sound cut through the air.
Flames ignited midair, sweeping in a wave of fire.
In an instant, Erika’s petite form shot toward Jesse like a cannonball.
The flames tore through the air—so fast Jesse was completely caught off guard.
“Jocelyn! Damn you! You said she didn’t have the Dragon Core Crystal—how can she be this powerful!?”
Terrified, Jesse raised both hands, releasing green mist from his palms—casting without chanting.
It was a corrosive spell to block Erika’s attack.
But Erika was nimble. Just as the green mist appeared, she twisted her body and dodged around it.
“Die!”
Jesse reacted quickly. His sharp claws swung at Erika with deadly intent, aiming to kill with every strike—completely unlike any opponent Erika had faced at the academy.
Boom!
Just as the claws neared her head, flames erupted around Erika.
It was like armor made of pure impact. The non-chanting fire magic protected her.
Though this consumed a lot of magic, Erika didn’t care.
She swung her dragon wings. Her leg, wreathed in violent flame, lashed out at Jesse’s face.
Jesse crossed his arms, shielding his head.
Thud!
It was like kicking a steel wall. The blow didn’t do major damage, but it knocked him back several meters, leaving deep tracks on the ground.
As he lowered his arms and looked up to speak, a small hand appeared in his view.
“Heh, I’m not done yet.”
Erika’s fingers opened—her palm, filled with scorching fire, slammed onto Jesse’s face.
Her tiny hand covered only a third of his face.
Then, a blinding red light burst in his eyes.
Jesse’s pupils shrank in terror.
He underestimated her!
This little dragon girl was still a dragon—beings as powerful as calamities!
And he’d been fooled by Jocelyn. If this girl didn’t have the Dragon Core Crystal, where did this power come from!?
Too late for regret.
BOOM!
Her small hand unleashed a torrent of fire—an eruption of her remaining magic.
Erika didn’t know any formal spells. She simply poured out all her power.
Point-blank. The most lethal attack.
Jesse’s body flew backward.
Crash!
Flames engulfed him as he slammed into the snack bar’s counter.
The impact blew everything apart. Even the intact wine glass overhead shattered.
…
…
“Heh… hehehe…”
A moment later, a cold laugh echoed from the wreckage.
Jesse wasn’t dead. In fact, his voice had become sharp, like a different person.
He stepped out of the flames.
His tailcoat was in tatters. His shoulder bore a blood-red wing tattoo.
But his face was no longer human.
It was the hideous face of a rat.
His rat mouth let out a sneer. His eyes glowed red.
“Miss Erika, due to faulty intel, it seems I can’t subdue you for now.
That’s enough for today. There are other troublesome people in this city—I won’t play with you anymore.”
“Trying to run?”
Sensing his intent to flee, Erika wasn’t about to let him go.
She flapped her wings again, preparing to strike—But thick green smoke poured in from all directions.
It was denser than before—and dangerously corrosive.
Like it could even eat away the air itself.
“You can’t stop me, Miss Erika. I admit you’re strong. But if I transformed too, you might not beat me.
So, that’s it for today.
I only came to observe you out of curiosity.”
As the smoke blocked Erika’s path, Jesse’s figure shot through the ceiling and vanished into the sky.
The swarm of rats vanished with him.