The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 72

He stared into the abyssal maw as it surged toward him, a wave of unbearable stench washing over him. A head-on collision was out of the question.

Three red rings of power instantly materialized before Aiden's snout.

“Flame Pillar!”

At his command, the volatile fire elements in the air instantly condensed and erupted. A searing, crimson radiance banished the night as a six-yard-thick pillar of red fire shot forward, pouring directly into the gaping mouth.

“SKREEE!”

A tremendous howl of pain and fury tore through the night sky. The great maw snapped shut.

CRASH!

The massive body crashed down, slamming into the sand and writhing in agony.

This was his chance.

His fiery, cold pupils locked onto the Geocrag Worm's head. He beat his wings, diving downward. A white and a blue shadow dove in his wake. His claws sank into the thick, black carapace.

SQUELCH!

His long, sinuous red tail stabbed into the shell as well, anchoring him firmly. The massive black body thrashed wildly across the sand, but it could not shake the figure locked onto its head.

Aiden glared at the cluster of beady eyes. Prepare to die, you filth.

He raised his right claw and slashed down.SQUIRT! Black fluid flew, the stench overpowering.

Bianca's white claws gripped the black shell tightly. She opened her maw, bit down, and her sharp teeth sank easily into the carapace. With a wrench of her head, she tore a large chunk of the shell clean off. Black fluid gushed out. Bianca shook her head, flinging the piece of shell away. The exposed area revealed pulsating black flesh. She raised her white left claw and plunged it in.

Azure's dive reached its maximum velocity, her body a blue streak in the night sky. She extended her right claw. The blue shadow flashed across the black form.

SCRAPE! SQUIRT!

Four streams of black fluid erupted. A sharp pain shot through her right claw. She spun in the air, recoiling from the impact before landing back on the creature. She sank her left claws into the black shell to steady herself and glanced at her right claw. Two of her four talons were bent back at unnatural angles. Broken.

But her blue pupils remained as calm as ever. Her gaze settled on the four gashes she had created. It's enough. Two purple rings of power formed before her, violet arcs of lightning dancing across them like sprites. A five-yard-long white spear gradually took shape, crackling with purple energy. The spell was complete.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Spear of Judgment!” she commanded, her voice youthful with a hint of sweetness.

CRACKLE! The sharp spear of lightning shot forward, plunging into the largest of the gashes and vanishing into the creature's body.

“SKREEEEEE!”

This time, the roar was even more furious, so powerful that the nearby sand began to tremble. The black scales all over its body began to undulate. Seeing this, a memory from the Heritage flashed in Azure's mind. She released her claws and, with a beat of her wings, shot away from the worm.

The next second, the undulating scales suddenly bristled, and countless sharp, black spines erupted outwards.

“AOW!”

A dragon's cry echoed through the night. It was Bianca's voice. Azure looked over. The erupted spines had pierced her white scales, embedding themselves deep in her flesh. That fool, she didn't let go? The stabbing pain enraged Bianca, but her instincts took over, and she spread her wings.

Seeing the white figure take flight, Azure nodded to herself. At least Bianca isn't completely stupid. She turned her gaze to the other side. The red figure was still firmly anchored to the Geocrag Worm's head.

Aiden glanced down at his body. The black spines had shattered against his scales. His maw split into a grin. He looked down at the massive head beneath him. It seems your spikes aren't sharp enough, you overgrown bug.

I didn't want to do this. It's far too undignified for a great mage. But now, it seems I have no choice. One last charge, then. I'll resume my life as an elegant mage-dragon tomorrow. His pupils constricted into a thin line. He raised both claws and plunged them down.

SQUELCH!

Black slime gushed out. He couldn't be bothered to dodge; he was about to get much messier. He let the fluid spray onto his face and neck. The foul stench was like raw sewage. The Black Dragons would probably like this. The thought flashed through his mind and was gone.

Aiden ripped his claws apart. A massive gash tore open. A volcano of black slime erupted. He ignored it, lowered his head, and dove straight in.

Sensing the strange activity on its head, the Geocrag Worm seemed to realize what was happening. Its black body instantly flipped, driving its head violently toward the sand. Just as the sphincter-like maw was about to hit the ground, all that remained of the figure on its head was a section of a red tail. The next second, the red tail vanished inside as well.

THUD!

The Geocrag Worm's head buried itself in the sand. Its black body undulated, but halfway through a motion, it froze. It formed a great arch, held silently in place like a grotesque monument. The scales at the apex of the arch began to rise and fall a few times.

BOOM!

A pillar of red flame burst through the creature's body, roaring toward the heavens. The pillar raged for five or six seconds before dissipating.

SQUELCH!

A dragon's head, black and dripping with slime, poked out of the hole. Aiden grabbed the edges of the opening with his claws and pulled himself forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With two gusts of wind, the white and blue dragons hovered before him.

“Aiden, are you okay?” Azure's eyes held their natural indifference, but her tone was urgent. Is she worried about me?

But then… Aiden's pupils constricted. Bianca's white body was riddled with red holes. Aiden might be fine, but Bianca definitely was not.

He pushed with his claws and crawled the rest of the way out of the Geocrag Worm's body. Coated in slime, he was now completely black. He looked at the two of them.

“I'm fine,” he answered. He spread his wings and sank his claws into the black carapace. He looked at them. “Give me a hand. We're pulling this whole thing out.”

Azure's blue pupils flickered. He wants to keep hunting? She beat her wings and flew forward, grabbing the black shell.

Seeing the other two preparing to move the corpse, Bianca's white pupils widened, and she tilted her head. It was a three-star magical beast, yes, but it was a sand worm. She had already tasted it; the meat was awful.

“Why?” she asked.

Staring into her confused eyes, Aiden's patience wore thin. “Are you going to help or not?” The flames in his pupils flared.

The white dragon flinched. “Aow…”

Bianca flew forward and sank her claws into the black carapace.