novelraw Chapter 85: Ashen Kid [1]
Chapter 85: Ashen Kid [1]
’Fear is telling me to run,’ Mitsuki thought as he rushed toward the dragon. ’But there’s something else pushing me forward—and I know exactly what it is.’
It wasn’t just survival, as anyone might expect; it was Mitsuki’s shattered ego screaming from deep within his soul. Ellegaard had crushed it and told him the truth straight to his face. That truth was what kept him moving.
In a second, he found himself beside Marco, who was struggling to hold back the beast’s weight. Mitsuki didn’t hesitate and fired at point-blank range.
The shotgun hummed, releasing a spherical bullet of water that tore through the air and struck the dragon in the face.
The beast shut its eyes, irritated, as if it had been splashed with poison. Marco didn’t waste that brief opening, pushing the creature back with his sword.
The dragon’s massive legs scraped against the ground, but it quickly steadied itself, slamming its front claws down. Then it roared with tremendous force, generating shockwaves.
The sky flickered with brief flashes—tiny lights that turned into arrows of death, falling like rain.
The dragon ceased its roar as the arrows pierced it. Some bounced off its tough scales, while others tore through the membrane of its wings, making flight impossible.
But that wasn’t all. Behind Marco and Mitsuki, Monar raised his magical staff with both hands, charging a powerful and mysterious spell.
His eyes glowed faintly, mana flowing through his body, forming a subtle spectral aura around him. Then, a massive magic circle manifested beneath his feet, spreading across the entire battlefield.
The dragon, intelligent as ever, turned its attention to Monar and opened its jaws to unleash a massive blaze. Its throat clicked with sparks—but a water bullet struck its eye, disrupting its focus.
The creature turned its gaze toward Mitsuki, who stood at the side of the street aiming his shotgun.
Mitsuki frowned.
"Don’t you think you need a bath? Look how filthy the ash has made you."
Even though his legs trembled, his voice was firm and arrogant. He had spoken like this to a screen countless times before, so pretending to be that kind of cocky guy wasn’t difficult.
What he didn’t expect was the dragon’s reaction.
A guttural laugh...
"Pathetic human," the creature said with a sinister smile, freezing Mitsuki in place.
’It talks... The dragon is talking...’
Even though he already knew that, it was still too shocking. Taking a defensive stance, he sharpened his focus through the shotgun’s sights.
Meanwhile, Marco—who had been about to stab the dragon’s back—came to a sudden halt upon hearing it speak. Even Monar and Azel grew tense.
"All of you are pathetic," it declared in a raspy voice, rising onto its hind legs and revealing its nearly eight-meter-tall frame. "Do you really think your mediocre magic can harm me? Let me show you what true magic is."
The dragon raised its clawed hand, clenching it into a fist. Immediately, the clouds that had darkened the sky crackled with twisted, ominous lightning above.
"There will be nothing left of you."
"Not if I can help it!" Monar shouted.
The ground began to tremble violently. The earth cracked and rose, and beneath the dragon’s feet, dozens of green roots burst forth, instantly binding it, coiling around its entire body.
The beast chuckled as the roots tightened around its snout. It didn’t seem particularly worried.
At that moment, Azel felt a bad premonition—just like Monar. The sky flashed, and both of them, sensing imminent danger, leapt toward the nearby houses, rolling across rooftops to safety as two powerful black lightning bolts struck their previous positions.
The houses were obliterated, reduced to rubble. The dragon laughed, turning its gaze toward Mitsuki.
’No way...’
This monster was more than just a winged reptile.
Monar quickly got back on his feet, but his eyes widened when the roots around the dragon’s body loosened, as if nature itself had decided it wasn’t worth restraining such a creature.
"Your pitiful attempts are quite entertaining. It’s been decades since I last killed a pair of insolent humans."
"Don’t get so full of yourself, bastard!" Marco shouted, launching a surprise attack from behind.
The dragon flicked its tail in the blink of an eye, striking Marco and sending him flying into the ruins of the village.
"Damn it..."
Azel clenched his teeth tightly. Kneeling on the crumbling rooftop, he bit into his wrist, slicing open the cephalic vein. Blood poured out like a cascade, but he tightened his grip.
He drew the bowstring, and as if alive, the blood took the shape of an arrow. Its crimson color turned black, crackling with small purple sparks swirling around it.
He didn’t hesitate to release the string—firing his most powerful arrow—which, ironically, made no sound, emitted no light, and showed no overwhelming force.
While Monar struggled to maintain the roots around the dragon, the arrow finally struck, piercing straight through the creature’s chest—right where its heart should be.
Looking down at its chest, the dragon didn’t understand what had happened. It slowly turned its head toward Azel, who smiled back sinisterly, bleeding out.
’What the hell...? When...? How...?’ Mitsuki wondered, on the verge of giving in to his impending death.
The creature looked up at the sky with a smile.
"Yeah... So this is what it feels like to be alive, huh?" It turned its gaze back to Azel. "How unfortunate, human. To sacrifice years of your life trying to kill the Specter of a Dragon."
"What...?" Azel muttered weakly.
The rubble shifted, and Marco emerged from it. He looked down with a dark expression, utterly defeated by this monster.
’A Dragon’s Specter... It can’t be killed by conventional means...’
The creature turned its attention to Mitsuki. It lowered its head to observe him up close. Mitsuki could only remain frozen, unable to speak or even move to try to escape.
"You are quite interesting, little man with a human woman’s face. I can see a deep darkness in your eyes—one as deep as the ocean of souls I escaped from. That unpleasant human must have been talking about you."
They’re doomed...