novelraw Chapter 146: Frenzied, Blood Exploding, Three-Stage Garoth, Reverses the Entire Situation! (Double Chapter)
Chapter 146: Frenzied, Blood Exploding, Three-Stage Garoth, Reverses the Entire Situation! (Double Chapter)
Garoth’s gaze locked onto the curse mage.
In the next moment, he charged through a hail of arrows, flapping his dragon wings like a cannonball, barreling toward the curse mage.
At the same time, the paladin Leo bent his knees slightly, smashing the ground beneath him before leaping high, shouting an oath of enmity.
“By the honor and glory of the paladin, I swear to annihilate the evil dragon before me!”
This was no empty boast but a skill unique to the vengeful paladin.
By swearing an oath of enmity against a visible living target, for the next minute, whether in offense or defense, Leo would gain certain advantages in resistance and damage assessment.
Dark Arts!
Facing the robust and powerful red iron dragon, the experienced curse mage showed no fear, methodically preparing a second spell. A drop of pitch used as a medium evaporated from his palm.
Garoth’s vision suddenly darkened.
It was as if a black veil covered his eyes, obscuring his natural sight.He had to rely on sound and air currents to judge the paladin’s position and slashing angle.
A sweep of dragon claws passed through without impact because he couldn’t precisely pinpoint the paladin’s location, missing the strike.
The paladin leapt over Garoth’s clawed arm.
A dazzling light burst from the Dragon-Slaying Greatsword, condensing entirely at the blade’s edge as it sliced toward Garoth’s neck.
Holy Smite!
Sensing danger, Garoth swung his wings and sidestepped, meeting the strike with the densest cluster of spines on his left shoulder and his Explosive Scales.
Boom!
The Explosive Scales burst with a powerful shockwave and blazing fire.
Caught off guard, the paladin was blasted backward, while Garoth’s shoulder bore a bleeding sword scar.
The Explosive Scales offered limited defense against sharp blades, failing to fully block the attack.
Almost simultaneously, a petite shadowy female assassin clad in tight black appeared somehow atop the young dragon. Her dagger flipped on her fingertips, its black blade exhaling shadow energy silently as it stabbed toward the back of the young dragon’s neck.
Garoth narrowed his eyes, focusing his mind.
The dagger abruptly halted three inches from the back of his neck.
The red iron dragon’s spines rose sharply like blades, piercing the protective light cast by the war priest.
As more spines surged forward, the assassin vanished into the shadows, unwilling to use her fragile body to withstand the priest’s protection.
At the same time, Garoth’s vision brightened.
The Dark Arts, which should last three minutes, only persisted a few seconds due to Garoth’s weakened resistance.
He circled briefly, eyes clear and focused, then charged again toward the curse mage.
The dragon hunters naturally wouldn’t let him succeed.
The paladin stepped forward, raising the Dragon-Slaying Greatsword high as its blade emitted blinding light.
“Die!”
He shouted sharply, sweeping the sword like a crescent moon, aiming straight for Garoth’s throat.
Garoth sidestepped, meeting the blade with his dragon arm. The clash of metal and the explosive roar of the scales echoed through the arena.
This time, the paladin was prepared, withstanding the blast’s force but unable to match the power from Garoth’s dragon arm. He was slammed onto the surrounding steps, which shattered and cracked beneath him.
The curse mage’s chanting sounded.
Six ghostly purple hands burst from the void, firmly grasping Garoth’s wings and pulling him toward the ground.
They couldn’t fully restrain Garoth; as soon as they gripped his wings, the hands stretched taut and cracks spread, threatening to collapse.
But the Dragon Hunting Team was more than one person.
The beast hunter’s arrow tore through the air.
This time, it wasn’t an energy arrow but a solid adamantine magic arrow, flying like lightning.
A steel cable trailed behind the arrow, precisely embedding into Garoth’s wing membrane.
The other end was held by a berserker, his muscular arms flexing as dense blood veins bulged on his skin, pulling the chain to force Garoth’s flight height to plummet suddenly.
The alchemist seized the opportunity, throwing a vial of potion.
The bottle shattered on Garoth’s body, spilling a sticky liquid that rapidly solidified into a strange gel, further restricting his movement.
Facing the hungry dragon hunters on the ground, Garoth’s eyes flickered as he shifted his battle strategy.
The arena was cramped; flying upward limited the buildup of powerful attacks and kept him within the hunters’ coordinated range, where their teamwork could restrain and wear him down.
“If you want me grounded, so be it.”
The young dragon landed, swinging his tail to slam the berserker several meters away, while pulling out the adamantine magic arrow with his claws.
“It’s on the ground! Don’t give it a chance to breathe!”
The curse mage’s eyes lit up.
As Garoth touched the ground, the Dragon Hunting Team instantly launched their fiercest assault.
The paladin closed in again, swinging his greatsword. Garoth raised his claw to block, sparks flying from blade and scales colliding.
Leo’s sword strikes were heavy, each filled with vengeful fury. The bloodrage berserker was equally fierce, clutching a metal battle axe, relentlessly attacking Garoth. The war priest joined the siege, alternating between shield and sword, skilled in close combat.
Garoth’s counterattacks were just as fierce, using his Explosive Scales to absorb most damage.
His dragon claws tore, fangs bit, and wings sliced... forcing the paladin, berserker, and war priest to stay tense and cautious.
The shadow assassin flashed in and out, launching vicious surprise attacks on Garoth’s groin, back of the head, and eyes.
In the distance, the beast hunter’s arrows flew ceaselessly, each targeting joints and old wounds, while the alchemist smashed vials on the ground, releasing various gases that mixed into an invisible poison aimed specifically at dragons.
The curse mage’s incantations never ceased.
He continuously cast various control spells, causing Garoth great trouble.
Viscount Iron Thorn and the dragon hunters weren’t allies and lacked coordination. They restrained their urge to join the melee, mainly guarding the curse mage.
The dragon hunters promised him that once Garoth was severely wounded, he could deliver the final blow.
At this moment, the war priest raised a silver shield, the holy emblem on it suddenly shining bright, slamming into Garoth’s side.
Boom!
Flames surged, and the blast wave sent arena debris flying, smoke filling the air.
The paladin seized the chance to rush forward, swinging his greatsword horizontally. Garoth dodged, the blade grazing his shoulder, causing his Explosive Scales to explode. The shockwave knocked Leo back.
But that strike also consumed the last of Garoth’s Explosive Scales on his shoulder.
More precisely, it was the last of his Explosive Scales overall.
In this heated battle, Garoth was surrounded and battered by the dragon hunters, and his Explosive Scales rapidly depleted, exposing black-red scales that already bore knife, axe, and arrow scars.
The hunters were surprised by Garoth’s toughness and strength.
An ordinary young dragon would be dead by now.
This half-blood dragon was truly extraordinary, with a body surprisingly sturdy, even more powerful than the adult black dragons they had hunted before, though still lacking many quasi-spell skills due to youth.
Moreover, the strange scale layer on his body was gone, and he was nearing the end.
“The dragon’s poison should be taking effect! Strike hard while you can!”
The alchemist shouted.
Garoth felt a tingling inside, dryness in his mouth and nose, and blurry vision.
But beyond that, the effects were limited.
“It’s the extra resistance I evolved from the Cliff Serpent Dragon’s poison that’s weakening the toxin.”
Garoth remained rational despite being pummeled.
He was exceptionally calm now, quickly figuring out the reason.
His eyes flickered, and his steps began to stagger; his attacks and counters slowed significantly.
Three melee dragon hunters seized the chance, launching a furious storm of blows, leaving scars all over the young dragon.
The bloodrage berserker was the most reckless.
Seeing Garoth slow and less threatening, he leapt onto Garoth’s back, swinging his battle axe violently at his spine.
At that instant—
“Gotcha!”
A dangerous curve lifted Garoth’s lips.
He allowed the berserker to pierce his scales; the moment the axe touched flesh, he contracted muscles, gripping the weapon tightly.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
A surge of golden lightning erupted from Garoth’s body, wrapping him like flying mane, making him look fierce and mighty, wiping away all signs of defeat.
Stimulated by the lightning, his muscles swelled and tightened like steel wire. Garoth’s body expanded briefly, the crackling arcs striking the berserker, causing numbness, burning pain, and convulsions.
The berserker first tried to pull out the weapon, then tried to flee, but it was too late.
The red iron dragon bared his ferocious visage, roaring proudly. His dragon wings swung like a guillotine, forcing back the paladin and war priest. Then he flipped over, pinning the berserker to the ground, his claws crushing the man’s upper body.
“Reptile! Die!”
Garoth growled low.
Flame Claws!
The iron-like dragon claws ignited with fire, mixed with golden lightning to become Flame Thunder, instantly piercing through the berserker’s layers of protection, crushing his body into shredded flesh.
The sudden shift stunned the dragon hunters.
They never expected this young dragon to be so cunning and powerful, targeting not the curse mage, beast hunter, or alchemist, but the hard-to-kill berserker.
Now surrounded by golden lightning, Garoth’s attributes surged. Even facing multiple attackers simultaneously, he did not lose ground.
The curse mage’s control spells were reduced to minimal duration.
The shadow assassin didn’t dare approach.
The beast hunter’s arm nearly tore from pulling the chain, but their arrow rain couldn’t penetrate Garoth’s tough scales. They could only harass by striking weak points.
“Kenneth, did you miscalculate the poison’s activation time?!”
During a brief break in battle with the frenzied young dragon, the paladin shouted angrily.
“I—I don’t know. It shouldn’t have...”
The alchemist’s voice trembled but was cut off by a booming sound.
Before the roar began, Garoth had already pushed past the paladin and war priest, charging straight at the beast hunter.
“Your turn!”
In front of the red iron dragon, the ranger branch hunter’s pupils narrowed. He released an arrow, but not toward Garoth; the angle was skewed.
Immediately, as his body was smashed by a claw, he vanished into afterimage, teleporting above the arrow stuck in the steps.
“Close call!”
The nearly dead beast hunter gasped heavily, tense.
But before he could feel relief, a flash of golden light caught his eye.
Boom!
A globe of Flame Thunder tore through the air, striking the beast hunter and instantly engulfing him in lightning and fire, reducing him to ashes.
The shadow assassin tried to sneak an attack but was caught by the now much faster Garoth, who slammed her down with a wing.
Garoth exhaled, his wings surging with fierce momentum, racing at full speed without restraint.
He pushed off with his hind legs, wings flapping without pause as he rushed toward the curse mage.
Since Garoth entered the frenzied state, the curse mage had been chanting to build the same shadow spell repeatedly, saturating the surrounding space with dense dark black, signaling danger to Garoth.
Boom!
The red iron dragon arrived in an instant, claws smashing through the curse mage and Viscount Iron Thorn.
However, there was no blood or bone-crushing feeling.
They were vivid illusions.
The real curse mage and viscount stood atop the highest platform, the mage’s chant rising in pitch and intensity like a storm over a lake, reaching its final phase.
“Damn it, my senses didn’t detect their real forms.”
Garoth’s gaze tightened.
He had to find another way to compensate for his sensory shortcomings; relying on faerie scale powder wasn’t fast enough!
“Great war king of Wanqi!”
“Invincible, undefeated Tempus!”
“Please, great war god, descend and unleash the power to smite all evil!”
The war priest raised his war sword and holy shield, loudly shouting the prayer.
His complexion suddenly turned pale and bloodless, his body trembling as blood flowed from all seven orifices, yet his expression was unprecedentedly resolute and devout.
Judgment Blade!
Pure white light materialized inch by inch in the sky, higher than the arena’s blood-red barrier, as if from another world, radiating indescribable pressure.
The giant blade gradually solidified.
A massive blurred silhouette gripped the Judgment Greatblade, thrusting it toward Garoth.
In the previous battles, the paladin was the fiercest, but the lethal strike was hidden within the war priest’s divine magic.
Garoth’s expression grew solemn, sensing grave danger. He took a deep breath, trying to dodge by speed.
But the curse mage uttered the final syllable.
—Shadow Prison!
Without warning, dense shadow light completely enveloped the young dragon, leaving no corner or crack unguarded.
At the same time, Garoth’s world split drastically.
On one hand, he saw the arena scene, the Judgment Blade falling, and the paladin’s Dragon-Slaying Greatsword burning with unprecedented radiance approaching him.
On the other hand, he felt as if trapped in another world.
There was only black and white, no other colors, dim and void like the cosmos, neither light nor dark, only omnipresent shadows.
The Judgment Greatblade fell with deadly intent, aiming at Garoth’s heart.
He roared fiercely, his body trembling as dense golden lightning erupted, causing ripples across the shadow light on his body, gradually fading.
Finally, Garoth twisted his body painfully, dodging the vital point.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
The Judgment Blade fell inch by inch, tearing steel sounds echoing as it pierced Garoth’s scales, flesh, and bone, penetrating through him from back to front, bursting out his belly.
The paladin’s devoted final strike arrived simultaneously.
Another Holy Smite.
The Dragon-Slaying Greatsword struck the thick neck of the red iron dragon, cutting through scales and flesh to create a massive wound but failing to sever the spine. The light burned the flesh, inflicting excruciating pain.
The Shadow Prison’s duration ended.
This level 14 curse mage had expended half his magical and mental energy to build the spell, controlling Garoth long enough for him to suffer unprecedented injuries.
Boom!
The red iron dragon shook his head fiercely, slamming the paladin away.
The Judgment Blade vanished, leaving a terrifying transparent wound on Garoth, with residual special energy preventing him from stopping the bleeding, blood gushing out.
The neck wound was equally gruesome.
“It’s over.”
“Young dragon, killing three of our comrades, your strength exceeds expectations.”
“If you grow any further, you will become a terrifying dragon sweeping the world, but we won’t give you the chance.”
The paladin coughed up blood, his face pale like the war priest’s.
After the fierce fight, their stamina was nearly spent, bodies at their limits.
But the young dragon’s wounds looked even graver, and he collapsed on the spot, blood pooling beneath him.
“Leave it to me.”
Viscount Iron Thorn’s eyes flashed with hatred.
He leapt down from the high platform, long sword in hand, stepping toward the young dragon.
“I will scrape off every single dragon scale from your body, making you die in excruciating pain.”
Viscount Iron Thorn cruelly said, “Starting with the scales on your face.”
He was a level 9 warrior, at his prime, unafraid of the nearly dying young dragon’s counterattack. Raising his sword, he prepared to gouge out the scales on Garoth’s face.
Thud!
A muffled thunder sound caused the viscount to pause.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The muffled thunder continued, emanating from the red iron dragon’s chest.
Red blood light rose from him, starting at his heart and extending through his limbs and bones, forming blood-red patterns across his body.
The viscount’s heart sank.
He abandoned torturing the dragon and swung his sword faster, stabbing at Garoth’s head.
However, he couldn’t get within three inches.
A bloodstained dragon claw grasped the viscount’s sword, squeezing hard.
Crack!
The sword shattered.
The viscount’s face changed drastically. Turning to flee, he was caught by Garoth’s claw.
“I’ll send you back to your father.”
Garoth’s expression was blank as his claw tightened inch by inch. The viscount struggled painfully, unable to breathe, his body and armor twisting into unrecognizable mangled flesh.
Garoth stood, scanning the remaining dragon hunters.
“Your turn.”
The arena echoed with a thunderous heartbeat.
Opposite, the remaining Dragon Hunting Team members gathered, breathing heavily as they retreated.
The curse mage’s robe was soaked with cold sweat; the paladin propped his body with the greatsword; the alchemist’s potion bottles were empty; the war priest’s holy emblem dimmed.
They were like cornered beasts, while Garoth’s vertical pupils burned with cold killing intent.
Now, the roles of hunter and prey had reversed.
Garoth’s dragon wings stirred a bloody wind; before the afterimage faded, his claw pierced the curse mage’s chest.
The caster who had restrained Garoth with shadow spells didn’t even scream, thrown into the air.
The red iron dragon reared back, spewing a breath of fire, burning the falling figure to ash.
Paladin Leo staggered, raising his greatsword, but the blade shattered as he swung. Garoth’s tail swept like a battering ram, smashing him into a stone wall.
Viscera spilled from dented armor; the dragon-slaying warrior tried to rise but was stomped back into the ground.
Garoth rose, crushing the paladin’s body with the ground’s tremors.
With nearly exhausted stamina and no remaining tactics, the dragon hunters were powerless against Garoth’s fury.
They never expected this young dragon to explode repeatedly, as if he would never reach the end of his life.
The alchemist tremblingly pulled out his last potion, pale green liquid boiling inside. He threw it at Garoth but was blown back by the wing-generated wind pressure, shattering at his feet, the green mist enveloping him.
He wailed in agony as his skin rotted and bones melted.
Within three seconds, he was reduced to a puddle of pus.
The last war priest knelt, praying to the gods, but received no response.
Garoth grabbed his head with his claw, voice low, “Looks like your faith wasn’t sincere.”
A dull crack sounded as the claw closed; the priest’s headless body collapsed, marking the battle’s end.
With only Garoth left alive, the arena’s blood-red barrier began to dissolve, gradually revealing the sky of the Ser Wilderness.