"Uwaaaaahhh!!"
Arazham let out a howling cry of pain.
This energy—it was entirely unlike human magic. Its draconic magic resistance had little to no effect on it. That one strike had inflicted devastating damage.
If it had been at full strength, it could've shrugged it off. But in its current state, the attack was lethal.
For the first time, a single thought flashed through Arazham's mind—death.
It couldn't believe it… That it—a mighty dragon—had been pushed this far by a mere human.
"No! I can't die!!"
"I'm a noble dragon! How could I be killed by some human?!"
"Right! There's no need to fight him head-on!"
"This guy's transformed state only lasts a minute. If I can just avoid him for a few dozen seconds, I'll be fine."
"Once his power runs out, I'll crush him. No need to throw my life away now."
Driven by a powerful survival instinct, Arazham kicked off the ground with both legs, spread its wings, and shot into the sky.
"The dragon's… retreating?!"
Everyone stared in disbelief.
A dragon—a creature that strong—was running away from Kaien Blaze?
That was strength on another level.
"You little brat! I won't fight you! Just a few more seconds and you'll lose your power! Then you'll be nothing! I'll tear everyone apart in front of you, torture you until you beg for death, and then keep you alive just to suffer!!"
"No!!"
The crowd's expressions changed at once. If the dragon circled back after Kaien's transformation ended, they'd be doomed.
But Kaien remained calm.
"You think you can escape?" he said coldly.
Bringing his hands together, Kaien began to gather spirit particles. He then pulled his arms apart.
A glowing spear of condensed reishi, wreathed in bluish-green flames, formed in front of him.
"Spear of Lightning (Lanza del Relámpago)!"
He raised the long spear above his head and locked eyes on the fleeing Arazham.
But he didn't throw it immediately. He waited patiently.
"Hmm… this distance is about right. If it's any closer, the others might get caught in it."
Kaien took a throwing stance… and hurled the spear with all his might.
Arazham sensed something and turned its head—just in time to see the spear flying toward it.
As it prepared to dodge, a searing pain erupted from one of its wounds—the ones left by Kaien's earlier attacks using Yoriichi's power.
The injury suddenly flared up. The pain hit at the worst possible moment.
"No—!!"
In Arazham's panicked gaze and agonized roar—
Squelch!
The Spear of Thunder pierced through its body.
BOOOOOOM—!!
An explosion equal in power to a dragon's Roar erupted in the sky, its blue-green light shooting out in all directions like a shockwave.
The dragon's body was swallowed whole by the blast.
"KYAAAAAHHH!!"
"Uwaaaaahhhh!!"…
Everyone screamed in terror. The explosion was just as powerful as the dragon's Roar. They couldn't believe they were witnessing such a destructive spell again.
The shockwave obliterated everything around it, but fortunately it had detonated high in the sky—far enough from the city to spare it from serious damage.
Eventually, the explosion died down.
There was nothing left in the sky.
No dragon.
Everyone stared at the empty sky in stunned silence.
"Th-The dragon… is it… dead?"
The voice was hesitant, unsure.
"It's dead."
Many among the crowd were magic swordsmen. They could sense magic power clearly—and Arazham's overwhelming presence had completely vanished.
Which could only mean one thing—the dragon was truly dead.
"OHHHHHHH!! YES!!"
"The dragon's dead!"
"We survived!!"
"Long live Mr. Kaien!! Long live Mr. Kaien!!"
Once it was confirmed that the dragon had truly perished, the entire city erupted in cheers.
Just moments ago, they'd all been drowning in despair at the dragon's power. But when it mattered most, Kaien had once again stood tall and defeated a seemingly invincible foe.
He was a hero—undeniably.
[Ding! SS-Rank Quest: Eliminate the Demon Dragon – Completed!]
[Reward Received: 2x 10x Draws!]
Kaien let out a deep breath. The system prompt confirmed it—Arazham was gone for good.
He released his transformation—and in the next instant, a wave of unbearable exhaustion hit him.
He didn't even have time to react before collapsing to the ground unconscious.
Thud.
…
When Kaien opened his eyes again, he was lying in a large, soft bed.
Looked like someone had carried him back after he passed out.
He instinctively opened his system panel.
[Host: Kaien Blaze]
[Age: 18]
[Race: Human]
[Magic Power: ★★★★]
[Magic Type: Take Over Magic]
[Character Cards: Ulquiorra Cifer (Gold), Yoriichi Tsugikuni (Gold)]
[Current Draws: 20 times]
Looking at the panel, Kaien felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Four-star magic power—that was elite level in the Fairy Tail guild.
Thankfully, he hadn't recycled either of his character cards. Without both of them, he wouldn't have won that battle.
Now with twenty draws stored up… maybe he could pull another gold character.
Creak—
The door to the bedroom opened.
Erza walked in.
When she saw Kaien awake, her face lit up with joy. She hurried over.
"Kaien! You're awake!!"
"How do you feel? Anywhere uncomfortable?" she asked, concerned.
Kaien shook his head. "I'm fine. Just drained a lot of magic, that's all."
Erza let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness! You've been unconscious for three days—I was so worried."
"Three days?!"
Kaien was stunned. He thought he'd just taken a nap. Three full days had passed?
Looked like his body really couldn't handle the drain of gold-tier character cards. He'd definitely need to work on his physical endurance after this.
"Can't believe just sleeping off a fight took that long… What about His Majesty the King? He alright?"
"He's fine. Back to handling royal affairs now."
"Good, good."
He hadn't forgotten what he came here to do—there was an SS-Rank quest reward waiting for him, not to mention the Champion's Prize from the Swordmaster Tournament.
Kaien jumped off the bed, eyes gleaming.
"Let's go. It's time to visit His Majesty. The mission's done—time to get paid."