Volume 7 Chapter 24: The Black Dragon Reappears
A dragon's roar echoed across the heavens.
The silver dragon flapped its wide, feathered wings, generating gusts of wind pressure. Its razor-sharp claws tore through the air, sending out three powerful white blades slicing toward Aurevia, who was darting back and forth in front of the colossal dragon.
Dozens of meters away, a flash of white light erupted as dust and debris exploded from a collapsing building, scattering in all directions.
Amid a flurry of petals, Grace appeared, clutching Aurevia, in the air above the dragon at an angle.
"That was close!" Aurevia exclaimed, stabilizing her posture with the thrusters on her armor.
"…Be careful," Grace said curtly, hovering behind Aurevia on a magical platform beneath her feet.
# I deeply apologize for interrupting your conversation, but I can't hold on much longer. # Melon's voice resonated telepathically. The two looked toward the dragon, which was thrashing its massive body, flinging up dust with its wings while swiping its claws wildly at something.
Frost spread, flames exploded, and the [Tyrant's Arm] unleashed bursts of gunpowder. Melon maneuvered along the dragon's body, narrowly evading its powerful claw strikes time and time again.
By exploiting thermal expansion and contraction to weaken its defenses and using explosive attacks to pierce through its armor, Melon's relentless assault had managed to damage the once-glimmering white scales of the dragon, now stained with blood and dust.
Yet despite the numerous injuries, the dragon showed no signs of faltering, continuing its attacks with unrelenting ferocity, as though its wounds were mere decoration.
'Its massive body and thick scales make effective strikes nearly impossible. If this dragon has some kind of blessing enabling rapid recovery from injuries, it would be even harder to deal with than it already is. No wonder the Seven Matrons were defeated… This is troublesome. The battlefield is right above the town. The longer this drags on, the greater the destruction. I'm also worried about Walson's situation. We must finish this quickly. If external attacks can't take it down fast enough…'
Aurevia's thoughts raced as she drew her weapon, Apollo. Two arrows exploded on the dragon's wings, causing it to pause briefly. In that instant, petals danced once more, and Grace swiftly pulled Melon out of the range of the dragon's claws, teleporting to a position directly above it.
'Then we'll have to destroy it from the inside!'
The trio exchanged glances midair and moved into action simultaneously!
Melon led the charge, propelling herself with an explosive blast beneath her feet. Twisting her body at high speed, she hurtled toward the dragon like a hammer, landing a devastating strike on the back of its head with a fiery explosion.
"ROOOAAARRRR!!! Stop… Stop… hindering… the mission…!!!" The dragon's enraged and guttural roar sounded almost like a lament, its claws swiping to grab Melon. It spun its body in midair, flinging her far away.
But the opening it created was enough.
"…Dragon Soul Possession: Instant…" Grace muttered, positioned beneath the dragon's belly. A surge of purple energy enveloped her body, transforming her into a black dragon's head, faintly visible yet menacing.
Sensing the presence of its kin below, the silver dragon shuddered and looked down, only to see a vast expanse of purple mist filling its vision—!
"Ender Dragon's Breath!"
The spectral dragon head exhaled a cloud of purple mist that coiled around the silver dragon's body. The mist clung to its scales like flames, crackling and corroding as the sickening sound of dissolution spread across its entire form, enough to make anyone's hair stand on end.
The deafening roar of the silver dragon filled the air as it opened its massive maw. Light and magic gathered in its throat, aimed directly at Grace. It sought to counter breath with breath.
"Storm's Retribution!"
At that very moment, from within the purple corrosive mist, a radiant arrow shot forth, piercing directly into the dragon's open mouth. The still-forming dragon breath exploded violently inside, tearing through its form from within!
White flames interwoven with purple smoke blazed fiercely as the dragon veered sharply off course, crashing uncontrollably into the ruined town below.
The sounds of shattering tiles and collapsing buildings echoed along the path carved by the dragon's massive body until it finally came to a halt, slamming into a clock tower at the end of the street.
"Miss Grace, what was that attack just now? I could feel… the aura of a dragon…" Melon landed rhythmically on the ground, her footing unsteady but urgent as she posed her question.
"I've never seen you use that kind of attack before. What was it?" Aurevia asked as she descended gracefully on her winged armor.
Before them, a figure materialized from the swirling petals on the debris pile. Grace emerged, casually seated atop a large rock, idly twirling her staff, Eye of the End.
"…My Ender Dragon's Breath usually requires a long preparation time," Grace began, absently rubbing the back of her head, her tone slightly bashful despite her expressionless face. "So I tried to develop more efficient ways to use it… I ended up discovering a new skill during some spare moments."
"Wait, 'spare moments'? Don't tell me you mean back at Dying Steel Citadel?" Aurevia asked, suspicion rising.
"No wonder you were always missing back then," Melon said, nodding in realization before pausing. "But wait, weren't we strictly prohibited from wandering around there? Where exactly—"
"…I found a secluded, empty space," Grace interrupted, her flat tone carrying a faint trace of mischief. "But it's a secret. If anyone finds out, I'll get lectured."
At this, both Aurevia and Melon couldn't help but feel pity for that mysterious location. Judging by the destructive power of Grace's purple mist, the area was likely in ruins now.
Just then, a rumbling sound came from behind them. From the mountain of rubble, the dragon, battered and broken, emerged once more. It opened its massive maw, releasing a torrent of magical glyphs that struck Grace squarely. The creature then collapsed again, motionless.
The glyphs vanished upon contact with Grace, but as Aurevia and Melon processed what had happened, they saw Grace clutching her head in visible pain, sinking to the ground.
"Miss Grace!?"
"Grace! Are you alright?"
Both rushed to help her, but she pushed their hands away and opened her eyes once more.
"…I'm fine," Grace said, her expression complicated as she glanced at the dragon's lifeless body before turning to her companions. "…We need to get to the Heavenly Ladder. We've been played."
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A deluge of light blades rained down from the skies as a storm coiled upward around the tip of a spear.
The aftermath of the magical clash rippled across the battlefield, only to settle into silence.
Dark clouds still blanketed the sky, and rain fell steadily over the devastated land.
"Cough…" Derisha spat blood, leaning heavily on her spear, Anti-Melon Spear Prototype 1.0, to keep herself from collapsing.
She could no longer wield the weapon with both hands. Blood dripped from the empty sleeve where her left arm had been, the pain threatening to drive her consciousness into darkness.
An exchange of wounds, striking the enemy with one thousand while enduring eight hundred.
With a loud clang, an obsidian shield fell to the ground, shattering into fragments.
"...Even though it is not of my creation, how can it possess such power?" Alwin's pale eyes widened as he looked down at the bloody hole in his chest.
It was a mortal wound—proof of his defeat.
The sight astonished him. This world, with its scarce resources, had managed to produce something powerful enough to challenge him—a feat that both baffled and intrigued him.
"Isn't this… fascinating?"
As his awareness began to fade, Alwin broke into a grotesque grin. The pale light in his eyes dimmed, and his knees buckled as he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
On the other side, Derisha finally succumbed as well, collapsing onto the muddy earth.
Rain dotted the grass, and the damp wind swept across the battlefield.
On the ground, the once-still [Holy Silver Weapon - Greatsword] began to radiate a rainbow glow from its [Command Block], the light pulsating and flowing as if alive.
The right hand clutching the hilt—cold and seemingly lifeless—trembled slightly.
The bloody hole in the body began to heal, sinew knitting together with alarming speed. Under the guidance of a strange force, the damaged armor also began to regenerate.
After a long moment, a figure slowly stood. Eyes burning with pale light, Alwin's expression twisted into a grotesque smile. His armor warped and transformed, forming crystalline blue structures.
"Games always offer me another chance to play," Alwin said, his grin widening. "And I've enjoyed this one thoroughly."
"You… and those angels… will… absolutely… be stopped…" Derisha, sensing her enemy's movements, gritted her teeth but was unable to rise.
"Still conscious? You're quite remarkable," Alwin said, glancing at her and laughing. "Perhaps. Facing you all, even with the [Command Block]'s [Healing] and [Strength], the odds of my victory were slim."
"But to win any game, you must always have a backup plan." Alwin's holy Greatsword glowed as he turned toward the imperial capital. "And I'd say it's just about time."
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