novelraw Chapter 88: Ashen Kid [4]
Chapter 88: Ashen Kid [4]
Lightning struck down, scorching the earth and seeking to kill the three cockroaches beneath the dragon’s feet, as it roared in fury after being wounded so easily by a pathetic, frail human. This was unheard of!
Mitsuki tightened his grip on the sword, fear creeping in. The ground shone too brightly, and every time magic manifested around the creature, the ground lit up in that same color.
Seeing that, he had a brief idea. And it was worth remembering—the dragon had a strange condition whenever it breathed fire. The flames incinerated everything, yes, but there was always a moment when it stopped... when the dragon’s throat clicked.
’We can hurt it. At least, I can. The power Monar is giving us is insane. What rank am I right now? I might be showing the power of an S-rank adventurer.’
Even so, he couldn’t feel proud. This wasn’t his own strength. As always, he needed others to survive—but he couldn’t afford to be selfish in a situation like this.
’No. I need to think of how to solve this. First, I need to make it breathe fire. After that... I’ll figure out the rest.’
Without hesitation, he ran across the battlefield alongside Marco. They dodged the relentless lightning raining from the sky, moving unpredictably—side to side, jumping and rolling when necessary. Soon, they regrouped with Azel, who kept firing arrows at the fireballs forming behind the dragon, as those flames were clearly meant to be launched as projectiles.
With each arrow that struck, a fireball exploded, reducing the danger around them. But it wasn’t enough. The dragon roared, pushing them back. Its massive wings created powerful gusts that did the same.
There was no escape—and now, no way to attack.
For a moment, they had forgotten Monar was still there. He was the pillar of this fight, after all. And so, like a calm, solitary lake, he extended his hand toward the dragon. He whispered a few words in his native tongue, and suddenly, the sky split open, revealing the blinding light of the sun.
The lightning stopped instantly.
The dragon ceased its roar and turned its furious gaze toward Monar. It inhaled deeply as ash fell from its scales; its throat turned crimson, and a deep growl echoed as if from another world.
Though the noise had stopped, the wind still hindered the group. Even so, they could move a bit now. And Azel, aiming at the membranes of the dragon’s wings, fired.
A single arrow became dozens, slicing through the sky in serpentine paths and piercing the creature’s wings. Unable to keep flapping, the dragon fell. It landed on its feet, bending its monstrous legs to absorb the impact.
Then it looked at the group—especially Azel, who met its gaze with seriousness.
With its throat glowing crimson like metal in a forge, the dragon opened its jaws.
"Shit! Run!" Marco shouted, not hesitating as he dashed to the side.
Azel followed—but Mitsuki wasn’t as lucky.
The dragon unleashed a far more powerful stream of flames than before. The ground melted into molten rock under the extreme heat of its breath, dragging across the battlefield as it chased them. Mitsuki ran with all his strength, but it looked like he wouldn’t make it.
The fire was right on his heels.
’Wait... just wait...’
But he already had a plan. His heart pounded wildly, his body trembled with fear—but he used all of it as fuel, forcing himself to stay close to the flames. Azel and Marco, who were ahead, noticed Mitsuki getting closer to the dragon as the flames began to die down.
Then, when that painful click echoed after the fire breath ended, Mitsuki lunged straight toward the dragon’s mouth in an instant. He spammed Ash Propulsion repeatedly until he reached it!
The dragon, its jaws still open after exhaling fire, froze when it noticed Mitsuki’s weapon humming with a powerful water bullet. It didn’t even have time to react—thanks to Monar’s mysterious magic, the weapon was far faster.
That included Mitsuki’s other abilities, like Quick Cast and Acceleration, which not only boosted his speed alongside Desperate Sprint but also greatly extended the duration he could use his magic.
Mitsuki pulled the trigger. The water sphere tore through the ash-filled air and struck the dragon’s throat. The faint spark inside—the one that ignited its flames—was extinguished upon contact with the liquid.
Desperate, the dragon raised its claws and slammed the ground with overwhelming force. Mitsuki was nearly crushed, but he reacted instantly, turning into ash.
Marco appeared beside him, taking advantage of the opening.
"Shoot it!" he shouted.
Azel didn’t waste a second, drawing his bow.
The dragon coughed violently, as if choking. Its long reptilian tail lashed out, smashing into the surroundings and toppling several rubble pillars nearby—nearly crushing Marco—but he was already prepared.
He moved across the battlefield like he was dancing. Mitsuki followed, his shotgun barrels loaded with water magic.
Marco swung his sword upward near the dragon. The blade cut through its scales, and Mitsuki appeared behind it to fire at the exact moment.
Once again, the creature slammed its hands into the ground, shattering it into massive chunks that rose, turning the terrain into an uneven field of jagged mounds.
Relentless, Marco and Mitsuki repeated the same maneuver. They leapt back, arrows pierced the dragon, and then they rushed back into the fight.
Mitsuki flickered in and out of existence without rest, burning through all his mana just to evade the dragon’s fast, heavy, massive, and devastating strikes. Its tail whipped like a lash, aiming to crush Marco.
That wasn’t going to work.
"Humans! Damned humans!" the beast roared. "You will not kill me! Not again!"
Desperate, it tried to use its fire breath—but the spark no longer ignited the gas that fueled it. With no other option, it released a powerful, broken roar—but not to push things back.
This was a summoning.
Time seemed to slow as Mitsuki fired into the wounds Marco had opened on the dragon—but suddenly, the gray ash transformed into a pale green mist that filled the entire battlefield.
Monar frowned and whispered:
"The World of the Ethereals...?"