novelraw Chapter 71
Chapter 71
There was no movement for a long time. The minutes ticked by. Blue, white, and red—three dragon heads of different colors lay side-by-side, their necks draped over the edge of the lair, their gazes fixed on the sands below. Two hours had passed since the last sand worm had fled. The air grew colder. A thin layer of white frost now coated everything, except for a twenty-yard radius around Aiden.
Rustle, rustle…
The red and blue heads lifted in unison. The sand below was finally stirring.
Rustle…
The grit rose and fell.
SQUELCH!
A thick, massive shape burst from the ground. Aiden's red pupils narrowed. Finally, a big one has arrived.
The creature's immense form was as large as the cab of a truck, its thick, round body covered in a heavy, black carapace. Its head was a puckered, sphincter-like orifice, studded with a cluster of bulging black spheres that were presumably its eyes. It had only revealed five yards of its body; the rest remained buried in the sand.
A torrent of knowledge from the Dragon's Heritage flooded Aiden's mind.
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Name: Geocrag Worm
Type: Evolved Magical Beast (Sand Worm Variant)
Description: A voracious swallower featuring a full-body carapace that provides immense physical defense.
Rank: Varies (Judged by shell color: Translucent -> Black)
Growth Potential: ★★★★★
Abilities:
· Venom Injection: Utilizes an internal mouth-tentacle to inject potent venom into prey.
· Spine Eruption: Can erupt with a layer of sharp, black spines across its body when enraged.
Traits:
· High Fire Resistance: Possesses an extremely high resistance to fire-based attacks.
Weakness: Lightning
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Rustle…
The orifice-like head swiveled around. The calm flames in Aiden's fiery pupils began to burn brighter. The shell was a dull, matte color. It was a three-star.
A grin split Aiden's maw. This one is mine.
His decision made, Aiden turned his head to the right. His eyes met Azure's. Seeing the flames of battle igniting in his red pupils, Azure already knew the answer. Her own calm began to fray. A dragon could indeed fight above its rank. In his Sovereign State, Aiden could match a two-star beast, but this was a three-star Geocrag Worm. And one with extremely high resistance to fire, at that.
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“You're going to hunt it?” she asked, her voice low.
“Yes.”
“But that's a three-star magical beast.”
Aiden's grin widened. “So what?” he replied. “We don't have much time. Do you want to grow stronger, or do you want to become fertilizer for this sub-plane?”
A fierce annoyance surged within him. This damned sub-plane. Flames erupted from his head, coalescing, constructing!
Azure was silent. Seeing his body rapidly expanding as he entered his Sovereign State, she knew that nothing she could say would matter now. He had made up his mind.
A familiar sensation flooded Aiden's being—the feeling of being filled to the brim with power. His grin stretched even wider. This feels good. He pushed himself up and glanced to his left. The white dragon was still sprawled on the ground, limbs splayed, her head and tail stretched out.
Huuu…
A faint snore. She really does look like a wind-dried lizard.
Aiden's long, sinuous tail snaked over to Bianca's head. The tip of his tail was now glowing cherry-red, the intense heat warping the air around it. He stared at the soundly sleeping fool. Poke. He jabbed her lightly in the neck.
The slumbering Bianca jolted. Before her eyes were even open, her claws had pushed her body up, and she had leaped away. Her white head whipped around, her eyes full of fury. But the moment she saw the fiery crown blazing atop the red dragon's head, her ferocity melted into wide-eyed innocence. Bianca just stared, not making a sound, not even a whimper. She couldn't win.
This foolish dragon's reactions are truly interesting, Aiden thought, his maw splitting into a grin. It was time for business.
“A big one has arrived,” he rumbled. “Come with me and we'll kill it. Once it's dead, I'll give you a share of its magic crystal. Are you in?”
“In!” she answered without a second's hesitation. “Who are we killing?”
“It's down below. Come and see for yourself,” Aiden said, lowering his head.
On the sands below, thirty yards of the Geocrag Worm's body was now exposed. Its maw was wide open. A black tentacle extended from within, wrapping around a sand worm corpse and dragging it inside to be devoured. Given its size, its eating speed was astonishing. In just half a minute, two worms had vanished down its gullet.
Aiden glanced to his left. Bianca's eyes were shining, devoid of any fear. Her gaze narrowed, locking onto the feeding worm below.
“Let's go,” Aiden commanded. With a powerful push from his hind legs, his body leaped from the cliff.
Azure's blue head turned back, watching the two figures dive. With a beat of her wings and a push from her own legs, she leaped, rocketing after them.
On the sand, the Geocrag Worm was swallowing a green sand worm when its undulations suddenly stopped. The sphincter-like maw tightened. SQUELCH! Green slime gushed out as the half-eaten worm was severed. The worm lifted its head, and the cluster of black orbs on its face rapidly turned red. It could have dived back into the sand, but it didn't. It remained there, head raised, maw slowly opening.
When the magical beasts in the sky were fifty yards away, the black tentacle shot out like a shadowy lance.
Staring at the incoming threat, Aiden was already prepared. His long, sinuous tail became a red blur, lashing out to meet it. The red shadow drew a thin line in the air. The black tentacle was severed in two.
SQUIRT!
A torrent of foul-smelling black slime erupted from the stump. Aiden banked his wings. He had dodged as fast as he could, but some of the black slime inevitably splattered onto his wing.
Tssssss!
His wing began to smoke. A putrid stench rose from it. Damn it, it's corrosive! He opened his maw and breathed a targeted stream of red fire onto the affected area. The hissing stopped, and the smell dissipated, but several ugly black spots now marred the surface of his once-beautiful red wing.
Aiden stared at the blemishes. Damned vile breed!
The rage within him could no longer be suppressed. The flames in his red eyes surged!
“SKREEE!” The Geocrag Worm on the sand below let out its own roar, one filled with absolute fury. The anus it used to eat had just been chopped off. How could it not be enraged?
Aiden locked his red pupils on the worm below. He beat his wings hard, his body plummeting toward the ground. He would absolutely kill this worm today.
RUMBLE!
The massive body below pushed forward, its great maw gaping as it surged up to meet the figure in the sky.
In that moment, the dragon and the worm had the exact same thought.
Kill it!