Torrents of magic power in three different colors intertwined, converging to trigger a violent explosion that slammed into the red dragon.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!
Aria, in particular, felt her Divine Smite strike the dragon with an incredibly intense reaction, like a red-hot knife slicing through butter.
The violent explosion kicked up a massive cloud of dust and smoke, instantly engulfing the figures of the dragon and the three humans. But in less than a second, an icy wind materialized out of thin air. Centered on Aria, it swept away all the surrounding dust, then surged toward the dragon.
The frigid blast froze the heavily wounded red dragon solid, forcefully interrupting its counterattack.
"Now! Press the advantage!" Daphne shouted.
There were no fancy maneuvers—just pure stats, pure damage. The light of Divine Smite flared once more on the two Paladins' blades, while the Glasses Man Druid unleashed another Stardust Smite. They replicated the exact same attack.
This time, however, the three aimed for the red dragon's heart. Under the triple-layered assault, the dragon's entire chest was pierced straight through. The hole was so large that one could stand on the ground and see the sky through it. With a heavy thud, its massive body crashed to the ground.
"So fast..." From within the defensive formation, Douglas stared at the scene, momentarily stunned. I haven't even finished applying my buffs, and the fight's already over?
Cipher, observing from a distance, wasn't surprised. She knew that five hundred years ago, the Seven Heroes had defeated the Demigod-level White Dragon King. And those same Seven Heroes were later single-handedly slaughtered by Olivia and Half.
Now, Aria's strength had already surpassed Olivia's at her peak, and Half, having recovered most of his power, had once again formed a contract with her. For an Aria of this caliber to face a red dragon artificially elevated to Demigod level by an Outer God's power—wasn't that a simple matter?
Not to mention, Aria had a whole team of allies. It would have been strange if they hadn't defeated it.
Still, Cipher was certain things wouldn't be this simple. If this red dragon was the source of all the anomalies in the Great Forest—the final boss—it would be far too underwhelming.
When a druid's transformed animal form dies, they are forced to revert to their original form, and the wounds are fully transferred to their true body. Thus, the red dragon on the ground visibly began to shrink, quickly reverting to the form of the man it had originally been.
He lay on his back, covered in blood, with a gaping hole pierced through his chest. An irregular mass of flesh grew from his neck—likely the second head he had sprouted as a red dragon.
The man stared at Aria, Daphne, and the Glasses Man Druid as they slowly approached. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but the light in his pupils faded with terrifying speed, and his life came to an end.
The Glasses Man Druid was the first to reach the corpse. "The lump of flesh that man was clutching at the end," he explained, "was actually the Druid Divine Artifact. Its effect is to vastly enhance a druid's shapeshifting abilities."
Normally, a druid can only transform into animals they have observed for years and are intimately familiar with. But with this Divine Artifact, they can unconditionally transform into any creature they have ever seen.
Just like the druid from the Hero Party five hundred years ago, who transformed into the Demigod-level White Dragon King.
The Glasses Man Druid continued, "But unlike other Divine Artifacts, the Druid Divine Artifact's true nature is more like an aptitude, a qualification. It has no physical form; instead, it randomly selects a druid and grants them this unrestricted shapeshifting ability."
"However, at some point, the artifact became corrupted. When the previous Druid Divine Artifact User died, the aptitude didn't transfer to a new druid. Instead, it solidified within the deceased druid's corpse, taking the form of that lump of flesh."
As he spoke, the Glasses Man Druid crouched down. He first cast a spell, enveloping his hand in a thin layer of blue light—apparently for insulation—before reaching into the gaping hole the three of them had blasted through the corpse's chest. After a moment of fumbling, he pulled out a constantly writhing mass of flesh.
Aria nodded in understanding. "I see. Then we must handle this thing with extreme care!"
Aria had seen her share of corrupted Divine Artifacts, such as the Priest and Monk Divine Artifacts. Though Cipher wasn't on the battlefield, her cat ears twitched slightly, easily picking up the distant conversation.
To his knowledge, wasn't the previous Druid Divine Artifact User Eve, one of the Seven Heroes from five hundred years ago? The very same Eve who was the White Dragon King beneath Chaos City? She had only died in recent years and was even resurrected by Castorice.
If the Druid Divine Artifact was still pure when Eve possessed it, that meant the aptitude must have transferred the moment she died. In just a few years, it had become corrupted, been unearthed, and now lay before them.
Daphne, puzzled, finally asked, "By the way, which druid society are you from? I've never seen these blue techniques before."
She hadn't wanted to ask during the battle, but now that it was over, she inquired casually. The Glasses Man Druid turned to Daphne with a gentle expression and said, "We are the Stardust Society, followers of the stars beyond this world."
As he spoke these words, the blue magic membrane on his hand vanished. His right hand made direct contact with the writhing mass of flesh—the corrupted Druid Divine Artifact.
Just like the man who had turned into a red dragon earlier, the Glasses Man Druid made the exact same motion. He clenched his right hand, and the mass of flesh instantly fused with his palm, becoming one with his flesh and blood.
The Glasses Man Druid still wore the same expression. Calmly, yet with a hint of excitement, he said, "I've finally obtained this thing! I really can't thank you enough. Otherwise, dealing with that dragon would have taken quite some effort."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Aria stared, completely bewildered, unable to comprehend what was happening.
In the next instant, her vision blurred. When Aria came to her senses, she found herself cradled in Cipher's arms, a hundred meters away from their original position. Daphne was there too; the young girl was so small she barely took up any space.
As for the Glasses Man Druid, he had exploded into a thick cloud of blood mist, which now swirled, condensed, and transformed on the spot.