Black Badger

Chapter 202: Thunder and Lightning (2)

Climbing the mountain hadn’t been done without a plan.

We had prepared a strategy in case Thunder attacked.

And the seniors, being the skilled veterans they were, were already moving toward the designated spot without needing any instructions. I followed behind them and let out a breath of relief.

The battlefield mattered.

Thank goodness each house has a lightning rod.

Before climbing the mountain, I had examined the terrain in case we ended up fighting the dragon.

We should take position in this alley. Once the lightning strikes begin, get inside a house. And do not run with long strides.

You don’t need to explain lightning safety to us.

At Sophia’s grumbling, I stopped myself before going into smaller details—like keeping only one foot on the ground when stepping, or not staying near trees.

Skipping the basic instructions, I moved on to explaining Thunder.

And we needed to assign roles.

Its hide is extremely tough, but there are three effective target points. The eye mucosa. The reverse scale under the jaw. And between the eyes.

It can’t produce electricity infinitely.

Correct. Once it expels a certain amount, it will get exhausted.

I nodded at Yun’s question.

That’s when we strike.

Swaaah—

Rain poured down.

The scent of the mountain thickened. The rainfall was harsh enough to blur vision. As the slope grew wet, the silhouettes of the seniors ahead came into view.

Flap.

A dragon rose into the air and momentarily stopped the rain around it.

A pair of wing-shaped shadows fell across the mountain.

I quickened my pace and shouted.

“Ami! Don’t fly when the cumulonimbus is coming!”

Lightning sometimes struck above the storm clouds too.

“I’ll fly after we kill the Butterfly!”

“Got it!”

“Even though its kin are here, it still summons a climate-altering Creature....”

Ricardo muttered under his breath as he ran.

Baek Byungyeong, hanging from his shoulder and moaning in agony, flinched. I gave a wry smile.

“I would do the same. He knows perfectly well that I’m the only one who can handle Thunder.”

Kyle wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this.

Especially since enemies as powerful as Thunder were rare.

The ground gradually smoothed out.

We finished descending the mountain.

Crackle, crackle—

BOOOOM!

Lightning struck a huge tree at the foot of the slope.

It ignited instantly. The darkness from the downpour brightened as flames rose.

The tree crackled like firewood and toppled to one side.

We ran, dodging the falling trunk.

“No matter how I look at it, your sword is the problem.”

Thud!

A heavy crash behind us.

As the sound grew distant, I saw Yun push back his wet hair stuck to his forehead.

“You’re basically a human lightning rod.”

“It’s always been like that.”

Which made fighting this dragon particularly troublesome.

The moment I raised my sword, electrical attacks rained down. The unlucky ones died instantly from heart failure when struck. Kyle and I had learned how to channel electricity out of our bodies, but that didn’t erase the damage to the nervous system.

That’s why the key was to attack when Thunder was fatigued.

“Will the lure work properly~?”

Ricardo said as we headed toward the pre-agreed position.

I looked up at the dragon.

It was gliding gently downward toward the village. Most of its body was made of electricity-producing muscle. When it flapped its wings—wings large enough to cover the sky—the droplets gathered on the tips scattered.

Good. Come down.

I fixed my eyes on the wings rising and falling as it prepared to land.

Come down and look at me.

[Arrived.]

A hoarse voice came from the radio at my waist.

[Visual secured.]

BOOOOOM!

Before the transmission even ended, the dragon landed on the road.

The asphalt cracked under its talons, and fragments splashed through the rainwater.

It had landed in the wide road between two residential buildings. Naturally, this place was the easiest for Thunder to spread its wings and hunt.

Satisfied that we no longer needed to lure it, I grabbed my radio.

“One charge left.”

The reception wasn’t great due to the rain.

“After the next attack, begin the counterstrike.”

“Okaaaay~.”

Ricardo stretched out his answer as he ran past me.

Yun entered a house opposite the one Ricardo had gone into and pointed at Baek Byungyeong.

“Don’t make trouble. Knock him out.”

He smirked.

I entered the house I was assigned to and set Baek Byungyeong down in a corner.

“My apologies.”

I knelt to meet his eyes and apologized.

“You’ll feel sore when you wake up.”

“Will I even wake up?”

He glared at me through the darkness.

I gave a faint smile.

“If I don’t die.”

Bright green eyes.

My kin no longer bothered hiding their emotions from me.

Presence could be controlled, but emotions could be suppressed only if one tried. Kyle and those who followed him never hid the negative feelings they had toward me. Whenever I scanned their presence, their emotions always came along with it.

That, too, was a form of attack.

Feeling Baek Byungyeong’s resentment and hatred, I raised my hand.

Thunk.

My skill hadn’t rusted.

He would be knocked out but unharmed. I laid him down carefully.

Then I rose, grabbing my sword hilt.

[Looks like it’s firing the third one.]

Ami’s voice came through the radio.

Hearing curiosity rather than fear made me smile faintly.

[If it fires that, it won’t produce electricity for a while?]

“Yes. Perfect timing. I’ll go out now.”

I stepped out into the rain.

The trembling air told me the next attack was coming soon. Thunder’s third strike.

The ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) third could be diverted and sent back.

I walked into the rain.

Rumble, rumble—

BOOOOOM!

That thunder...

Standing in the middle of the road, the dragon filled my vision.

A massive body blocking the entire street.

Its wings whipped up a violent gust. The wind struck me head-on, whipping my hair wildly and making my ears ring.

Rain slanted down, carried by the wind.

Above the dragon sat the cumulonimbus cloud, blue electricity sparking and fading around it.

“It’s been a while since I hunted a dragon.”

I finished preparing my draw.

“I’ll counter.”

[Be careful~.]

“Yes.”

Replying, I forced down the smile rising on my face.

Adrenaline.

The moment I tightened my grip, a blue sphere formed in the dragon’s mouth.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The electric cannon fired.

A thunderbolt flew toward me.

The blue mass of energy grew.

Feeling my hair and clothes stand on end, I drew my sword.

Thuuum!

The instant the energy ran along my body, I slammed the blade into the ground.

The diverted lightning discharged through the sword and into the earth.

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-BOOM!

A blue slash ripped through the asphalt and struck the dragon’s talons.

Thuuum!

[It hit!]

Ami shouted.

Thunder shrieked and beat its wings.

If I lost focus even a little, the wind would knock me over.

But I couldn’t miss this moment. I yanked my sword from the ground and charged.

[Status?]

Kai’s voice came through the radio.

Thud! Thoom! I dodged talons the size of SUVs stabbing into the pavement and answered.

“I’m fine. Let’s begin.”

The seniors burst outside.

More precisely, Yun and Ricardo.

Kai provided support, Ami would soon go after the Butterfly.

Sophia also had Butterfly duty.

I couldn’t micromanage the Butterfly operation, but they would handle it.

Thud! Thud! Thud! I sprinted across the torn asphalt, rolling to avoid the talons scraping toward my flank. A streak of silver entered the edge of my vision.

Ricardo’s shape-shifting weapon. It had liquefied into silver fluid and was flowing across the ground.

The moment it reached the talons, the liquid solidified into a thick chain and trapped them.

[Got it.]

Yun said.

[Climb.]

Ricardo and Yun pulled on the chains.

Clang!

They wouldn’t hold long. Even two enhanced-body men couldn’t restrain a dragon for more than a moment.

But a moment was enough.

As Thunder staggered from their combined force, I jumped onto its leg.

Gripping its trembling hide, I climbed upward.

Ah.

I had managed to channel the lightning, but the nerve shock hadn’t disappeared; I couldn’t get the speed I wanted.

The rain made it worse. My hands slipped twice as I climbed.

But eventually, I reached its neck.

“I’m stabbing.”

The rain intensified.

Crackle, crackle—

[Another one’s coming.]

Ricardo said darkly.

I planted my legs and grabbed my sword with both hands.

Raising the blade, I shouted:

“Release the chain!”

I drove it down.

KRRRAAAAAAA!

The blade went in.

A clean hit between the brows.

Not as deep as I wanted, but the first meaningful strike. The dragon screamed in frustration and shot upward.

At that moment, the seniors opened fire.

Tatatatatatatatatang!

Ricardo and Yun aimed at the reverse scale.

The dragon twisted its body, screaming. Their shots hit the weak point cleanly.

I clung desperately to the shaking dragon.

How moving.

I used to hunt dragons like this, but in a storm like this, almost no one could aim at the reverse scale so precisely.

In the old days, mages had handled the binding spells; Yun and Ricardo were doing two roles at once.

Personnel Director Ju... thank you....

As I was feeling emotional, the dragon lowered its head and glared at the seniors.

“Kai!”

Bang!

A sniper round struck the dragon’s eye.

A heavy shot cut through wind and rain and hit its mark. Its scream tore through the storm as its wings lashed violently.

I tightened my grip to avoid being thrown.

And again, emotion washed over me.

Perfect teamwork....

I was admiring it when the hair on the back of my neck rose.

Crackle, crackle—

Crackle—

BOOOOOM!

Bang, bang, BOOOOM! Lightning struck repeatedly. From the stormcloud, from Thunder’s body. It wasn’t an electric cannon, but a much wider attack.

My vision drowned in blue light. A flash that stole sight for a moment.

I took a hit too.

“Ugh!”

Dizzy.

Because I was crouched on all fours atop the dragon’s head, I avoided cardiac arrest.

Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

Would the seniors be okay?

As soon as my senses returned, I looked down. Dozens of lightning strikes had scorched the village, making steam and smoke rise. Because of the rain and steam, I couldn’t see the others or even the houses clearly.

“Are you alright?!”

I shouted, trying to steady my trembling limbs.

“Get inside now!”

The air tightened.

My skin prickled sharply. The wind struck my face and arms painfully. My exposed skin felt like it would split open.

Thunder was preparing another electric cannon.

Damn it. The radio’s dead.

Feeling the enormous energy building at point-blank range, I screamed until my voice tore:

“DUCK!”

KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAANG!

The roofs vanished.

Entire second floors of the pretty little houses disappeared. Swept away by Thunder’s electric cannon.

Erased without a trace like a seed vault stripped clean. With the ceiling of the first floor gone, I could see the seniors inside the houses clearly.

They looked up from the first floors assigned to them.

Baek Byungyeong—miraculously still unconscious even through this chaos.

Seeing them move, I exhaled in relief.

At that moment, the dragon ascended into the sky.

“If it goes too high, breathing gets difficult.”

I muttered as my view shifted rapidly.

“I’ll have to stab between your brows again before that.”

“Hilde!”

Huh?

What?

Why is Ami’s voice coming from above my head?

Startled, I looked up—and the moment I locked eyes with Ami, who was flying upside down above me, my mouth fell open.

She was flying through a strangely clear patch of sky with no clouds.

Right under the Butterfly.

“This is the eye of a tornado right now!”

Ah. So she lured the Butterfly here.

“Should I grab you and take you up like we planned?”

My squad members are truly exceptional.

Letting out yet another breath of admiration—I’d lost count—I stood up.

Then I reached out to Ami and smiled.

“Yes.”

Ami grabbed my hand tightly.

“Please let me fly.”

Before the sentence even finished, she launched upward with me in tow—

To strike the dragon by falling on it like a bolt of lightning.