Chapter 624
I’m Going to Run Away. (1)
KUUUUUUNG!
The ground trembled from the impact of Arterion’s landing. In an instant, his massive tail lashed toward Parniel and Piote.
Parniel clenched her teeth and raised a prayer. A shield radiating brilliant light spread out before them. Piote poured all his strength into supporting Parniel.
Before they could even catch their breath, Arterion’s tail swept across the earth once more, closing in.
KWAANG!
Parniel’s body was sent flying. However, thanks to the shield formed by their combined divine power, they barely managed to avoid serious injury.
In that fleeting moment, every Transcendent leaped onto Arterion’s massive body and unleashed a simultaneous barrage of attacks.
PAAAAAK!
Hundreds of Belinda’s daggers rained down like a meteor shower. Now that Arterion had landed, she could finally join the attack.
The countless daggers grazed his scales, leaving wounds in their wake.
Yet, Arterion ignored the other attacks entirely, focusing solely on pressuring Parniel and Piote.
The two of them continued to be pushed back. They had no energy left to protect their comrades.
Fortunately, Parniel had the highest defensive ability among them. With Piote’s strength added to hers, they could withstand Arterion’s relentless assault.
KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!
Parniel and Piote kept retreating, holding their ground as best they could. Meanwhile, the wounds on Arterion’s massive body increased from the ceaseless attacks.
Ghislain, who had been relentlessly slashing at the enormous target, furrowed his brows.
‘Is he trying to disrupt their healing first?’
If Parniel and Piote fell, the battle’s outcome would become uncertain. Unlike Arterion, they could be rendered combat-incapable with just a single solid hit.
If this strategy succeeded, it would indeed be effective. But as long as Parniel and Piote focused solely on defense, Arterion would continue to accumulate more wounds.
‘Something’s off.’
Fush… Fushuk…
Meanwhile, magic continued to manifest and dissipate around Arterion.
‘What is he trying to do?’
By now, he should have realized that magic was ineffective. If he wanted to use magic, he would be better off targeting the stronghold where the mages were hiding.
By systematically attacking the strongholds and eliminating the mages, he would eventually be able to use magic effectively.
Of course, they wouldn’t just stand by and let that happen. The mages would focus on defense as well. By the time Arterion could freely use magic, it would already be a corpse.
KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!
Arterion’s body was soon covered in wounds. He was ignoring the attacks from everyone else.
Then, suddenly, Arterion twisted his long neck and shot toward Belinda.
KAAAAAH!
His enormous maw opened wide, attempting to swallow her whole in an instant.
If she was devoured, divine power wouldn’t matter anymore it would be over. Perhaps, this was the best possible method.
PAK!
Belinda momentarily dissolved into darkness and scattered.
However, Arterion’s senses were exceptional. In an instant, he pinpointed Belinda’s concealed location and swiftly turned his head to pursue her.
Pak! Pak! Pak!
Belinda had to transform into darkness multiple times to evade him. Arterion was relentless, chasing after her with unwavering persistence.
Had the others not continued their assault, she might have truly been devoured.
Swish!
But when Julien’s sword slashed across the area where the Dragon Heart was located, Arterion had no choice but to withdraw.
Instead, Arterion retaliated by swinging his claws at Julien, who had approached too closely.
Kwaaaang!
Julien was sent flying. However, his body was already enveloped in divine power.
Arterion attempted to pursue him, but Julien had already recovered and was swinging his sword once more. The others seized the opening and launched attacks against Arterion.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The battle between the Transcendents and Arterion resumed. There was no difference from when they fought in the air.
No, in fact, the situation was now even worse for Arterion. Even Belinda was actively participating in the attack.
Arterion once again set his sights on Parniel and Piote. Around him, magic continued to manifest and vanish in an endless cycle.
Whoosh!
At best, he managed to conjure a small fireball. But given the strength of those present, even the slightest graze from their blades was enough to dispel it instantly.
Ghislain’s suspicion deepened at Arterion’s erratic behavior.
‘What exactly is it trying to do?’
Parniel, Piote, Belinda, and the mages these four were the pillars holding their current formation together. It was expected that Arterion would target one of them.
Yet, his actions were strange. He was fighting haphazardly.
Dismissing it as mere madness wasn’t an option. This was the very dragon that had emerged victorious in the Great War a thousand years ago. He was likely far more experienced in battle than they were.
Moreover, even as he seemingly fought at random, whenever someone got even slightly too close, Arterion would unleash a devastating counterattack.
Had Arterion been just a bit stronger, or had they not been protected by divine power, this battle would have long since ended in its favor.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaaang!
Both sides unleashed ferocious attacks, disregarding their own injuries. Everyone had been struck by Arterion multiple times, sent tumbling across the battlefield.
They focused solely on avoiding instant death. Even if a part of their body was shattered, they paid it no mind.
Parniel and Piote were relentlessly pouring divine power into their allies, as if possessed.
This fight would not end until the two of them completely exhausted their divine energy.
Krrrrrrrr……
Arterion continuously let out a deep, unpleasant growl.
His wounds continued to accumulate. Unable to use magic, he couldn’t even properly heal himself.
Anyone could see that Arterion was the stronger and more menacing force, but as time passed, the battle was steadily tilting in Ghislain’s favor.
At this rate, Arterion would eventually exhaust itself and collapse.
However, Ghislain’s side wasn’t in an easy position either. No matter how powerful Parniel and Piote’s divine power was, it wouldn’t last forever.
Ghislain grit his teeth.
‘We have to bring him down before their divine power runs out.’
Meanwhile, Arterion continued expending mana on futile spells that repeatedly failed.
That was actually a good thing. The more he struggled, the faster his strength would drain.
Ghislain shouted loudly.
“Push harder!”
While Parniel and Piote still had divine power remaining, they needed to be more aggressive, focusing only on avoiding fatal blows. They had to deal greater wounds and incapacitate Arterion quickly.
Only then could they secure a complete victory.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Sure enough, as the wounds piled up, Arterion finally began to retreat, as if feeling the weight of his injuries.
Realizing there was no way to win on the ground, he began flapping his wings, slowly rising into the air once more.
In his current state, unable to use magic properly, just keeping his massive body airborne would be a huge drain on his stamina.
But if he stayed on the ground, he would only suffer more wounds while his enemies moved freely.
So Arterion had no choice but to take to the skies.
Swish!
Belinda flung her daggers into the air, creating silver platforms in an instant. The Transcendents leaped onto them, chasing after Arterion.
KRAAAAAAH!
At that moment, Arterion unleashed an enormous surge of mana, pouring nearly half of its remaining energy into manifesting a spell.
Jerome’s eyes widened in shock at the overwhelming force.
“This is insane!”
Since he couldn’t properly cast spells, Arterion was trying to forcefully break through the mana field with raw power.
Jerome responded in kind, drawing in his own mana to counter it.
In fact, this was a good opportunity. If Arterion exhausted that much mana, he would weaken even faster. All they had to do was hold out until the spell collapsed.
KUUUUUNG!
An immense clash of mana, the likes of which no one had ever seen before, erupted across the battlefield.
The colossal fireball, as bright as the sun, failed to fully manifest and gradually began to dissipate. But Arterion stubbornly continued pouring more mana into the spell, desperate to complete it.
“Tch!”
Jerome clenched his teeth, refusing to back down, and gathered more mana to resist it.
With this single reckless move, Arterion had burned through more than half of his remaining mana. And now, as Jerome continued to counter, his energy was draining at an alarming rate.
Already at a disadvantage, this was an even greater loss for Arterion.
Everyone could see it now the dragon had been relying purely on its overwhelming power, refusing to adapt.
Their confidence and hope for victory grew stronger. If Jerome could hold out just a little longer, Arterion’s magic would completely collapse.
As Ghislain continued attacking, seizing the opportunity that Jerome had created, he suddenly felt something was off.
Arterion’s blood-red eyes still burned with murderous intent.
And yet…
‘Is he… smiling?’
Smiling in a situation like this? Despite being covered in wounds, despite the battle turning against it?
At that moment, Arterion spoke in a low voice.
“I found it.”
“What?”
Arterion abruptly turned its head.
KWOAAAAAH!
As he opened his jaw, the surrounding air was sucked in, creating an immense pressure.
Ghislain, who had instinctively turned in the same direction, shouted urgently.
“Block it!”
At his cry, everyone threw themselves at Arterion without hesitation, disregarding their own safety.
Stronger than ever, their attacks tore into Arterion. Deep wounds split open across his body, blood gushing out. His wings were shredded, his chest was slashed, and his body was punctured.
But Arterion ignored it all. A dragon was strong enough to endure such attacks.
Without hesitation, he unleashed his breath attack. There was no need to gather any more power.
This alone was enough to annihilate his foes.
KWOAAAAAAAH!
Jerome’s eyes widened in shock. At last, he understood Arterion’s true intent.
“So that’s what it was after…”
Arterion had been deliberately exhausting his mana to locate the source of the opposing magic.
Even though they had hidden and shielded it as much as possible, the dragon had managed to pinpoint the minuscule fluctuations where mana briefly concentrated.
As expected of a dragon.
And the timing of his attack was perfect. While everyone was pouring all their mana into dispelling Arterion’s magic, he unleashed a breath attack that had nothing to do with magic.
That cunning dragon had willingly sacrificed some of its mana just to find a way to win.
“Vanessa!”
Jerome shouted as he gathered every last bit of his mana and deployed a 9th-Circle Barrier.
ZIIIIING!
A massive barrier enveloped the fortress. The mages nearby collapsed as their mana was instantly drained.
That was how urgent the situation was. Even the mages stationed in nearby fortresses felt their mana being sucked away.
Sensing the imminent danger, Vanessa recklessly extracted her own mana and channeled it all into Jerome.
KWOAAAAAAAANG!
The breath attack and the barrier collided, generating an enormous shockwave that rippled outward.
DDDDDDDDUK!
The barrier continued to devour mana, holding firm against the breath attack. Even distant mages began collapsing one by one.
The dragon’s breath weakened slightly over time, but so did the barrier. Too much mana had already been consumed in the effort to dispel Arterion’s powerful magic.
And now, attempting to block two simultaneous forces at once, both Jerome and Vanessa were losing focus.
PAAAAAAK!
In the end, the barrier couldn’t withstand the impact and shattered. Jerome and Vanessa hurriedly gathered what little mana they had left and conjured new shields.
KWAANG!
The first thing to collapse was the fortress wall, where the defensive magic had been deployed. Despite being reinforced with powerful protective spells, it was no match for the dragon’s breath.
However, thanks to that, the breath attack’s power weakened slightly.
KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!
The breath attack relentlessly shattered the shields that Jerome and Vanessa had desperately erected. But in the end, it couldn’t break through all of them and eventually dissipated.
Arterion had already expended an enormous amount of energy and could no longer sustain the breath attack.
Glittering ice crystals fell from the air, and frost coated the ground surrounding the fortress.
It was the lingering aftermath of the now-vanished breath attack.
Thud.
Having drained even his own life force’s mana, Jerome was the first to collapse, losing consciousness.
“Kuh…!”
Vanessa also dropped to her knees, coughing up blood.
Throughout the fortress, mages who had their mana completely drained lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
Of course, Arterion had used an immense amount of mana as well. But even now, he still had enough left to overwhelm them all.
There were still a good number of mages left, but no one remained capable of controlling the massive pool of mana they had gathered to directly oppose Arterion.
Now, they had to individually counteract him by dismantling their own magic formations.
“This is where the real fight begins.”
Arterion spread his wings arrogantly and took a slight step back.
Against any other opponent, this situation might have been different. But Arterion was no ordinary dragon. Now that the controllers were gone, he was confident he could break through the mages’ defenses and cast his magic freely.
“Kh…ugh….”
Vanessa, gasping in pain, clutched her staff tightly. She had completely exhausted her mana.
A chilling sensation crept over her. Even though they had blocked the breath attack, she felt as though her entire body was freezing over.
With her mana completely depleted, there was no way she could control the magic of others. She needed to either recover her mana or have someone else take over the control.
“N-no… We have to… hold out… just a little longer….”
So far, the battle had been going in their favor. Even the dragon had expended an enormous amount of mana and was fatigued.
So just a little more if they could just suppress its magic for a little longer, they could still win.
The fortress where Jerome and Vanessa had stationed themselves was filled with highly skilled mages. It had been planned that way, just in case.
If she could entrust them with control for just a moment, or even request a mana transfer, they could still manage.
But as she turned her head—
“…Ah….”
Everyone had collapsed, their mana completely drained.
Trying to counter both the breath attack and cast a 9th-Circle spell at the same time had required an immense amount of mana.
But there was still one person left standing. Someone who should never have been able to withstand this.
“L-Lord Alfoi?”
Alfoi stood trembling in the distance.