novelraw Chapter 91: Ashen Kid [7]
Chapter 91: Ashen Kid [7]
Elyndor’s limbs thrashed violently against the stone, shattering everything in their path. His furious screams and roars produced sonic shockwaves as the chaos around him grew more and more intense.
The three of them ran at full speed together, heading toward the first of the pillars that decorated the battlefield, dodging the dragon’s frenzy with great speed and agility.
Whenever lightning was about to strike, they immediately sensed the danger, disappearing for split seconds before reappearing mid-run.
The shadow of ash separating from the group became more and more evident—Mitsuki was doing everything he could not to die.
’It’s not a great plan, but it’s all we’ve got to survive for now,’ he thought.
The dragon flew overhead and dropped down to crush them. Mitsuki reacted instantly with Ash Propulsion, while the others simply leapt to the sides.
"Humans! Damn humans!"
The beast’s rage became palpable—exactly what Mitsuki wanted. The less Elyndor thought, the easier he would be to kill. They needed him to act like something less than a wild animal.
Finally, when they reached the edge, they came to a sudden stop. The dragon stood before them. Its appearance was beginning to crumble into that of an undead being. Its scales were being consumed by the green mist, exposing its spectral bones.
"You won’t escape! Never again!"
He slammed both hands into the ground, destroying everything in his path and cornering the group.
Azel smiled nervously as he drew his bowstring.
"So what’s your brilliant plan, Ashen Kid?"
Mitsuki frowned.
"We need to attack at the same time, but in a different way."
"We need to synchronize our minds and movements, right?" Marco added. "That’s not a plan."
"I know. That’s just the first part. For what comes next, you’ll have to trust me."
Boom! Elyndor’s claws came crashing down. Marco lunged forward and stopped the beast, swinging his sword with all the strength he had left. The ground beneath his feet shattered as he clashed with the dragon, whose eyes burned with green flames.
"Then let’s not waste time—let’s begin!"
Mitsuki and Azel nodded, and together they ran toward the dragon. Despite his rage, Elyndor noticed the duo and tried to crush them like cockroaches, but Marco held him back, forcing him into a direct struggle.
At the same time, the duo ran beneath the dragon. Its reptilian legs slammed against the ground, and its tail—whipping violently like a lash—blocked their path, forcing them into evasive maneuvers.
Just before leaving the danger zone, Mitsuki dropped to the ground and slid across the stone on his knees, mere inches away from being crushed by the beast’s tail. Azel was clearly surprised, but followed suit using the same move—there was no time to lose.
Just like that, they passed beneath the dragon’s tail and positioned themselves behind it to fire at point-blank range. Rising to his feet, Mitsuki aimed—the shotgun barrels hummed. Then he pulled the trigger—the shot rang out, and the water bullet tore through the air, striking Elyndor in the back.
The beast growled and looked back, but Marco didn’t allow it to lose focus. He leapt toward the dragon’s face and slashed out one of its eyes.
The flames covering the dragon’s body intensified, suddenly turning blue. The light it emitted defied explanation—it was so blinding that Marco fell to the ground, covering his eyes with his hand.
The same happened to Azel and Mitsuki, who had to look away.
Meanwhile, in the distance, atop the cliff the group had passed before reaching the city, a mysterious figure stood watching the battle in silence. Dressed in a cowboy hat and garments of black and gray tones, he was accompanied by a small flame locked inside a cage—the cage chained to his hand.
His face was hidden behind a strange, torn veil.
Monar looked in that direction. The mysterious entity nodded.
"We are in the Ethereal World, after all. It’s not strange to encounter historical figures. Wouldn’t you agree, young elf?"
Monar answered himself.
"Yes. Even so, we shouldn’t be here. We need to defeat the dragon right now."
His expression suddenly seemed more animated. He responded to himself again.
"The little human is already working on it. He’s good, isn’t he?"
"Yes... He’s a good friend."
Monar sighed, speaking to himself in a more serious tone.
"Take care of the boy, young elf. Otherwise, the ash will consume him, and something worse than death will occur."
The other side of his face responded.
"Yes. I know. I always protect my friends, so don’t worry, Lord of Green."
The ground trembled.
Back in the battle, Azel and Mitsuki dashed around the dragon.
Burning through all the mana in his body, Mitsuki spammed Ash Propulsion as much as he could. His body became a constant blur in existence—vanishing for an instant before reappearing, only to disappear again.
Azel was visibly surprised by the skill the Ashen Kid was displaying. Just a few days ago, he hadn’t been like this, but somehow Mitsuki had adapted to the battle and now charged forward without hesitation.
Or at least, that’s how it seemed. In truth, Mitsuki hesitated with every single move.
Guiding himself purely by what he had seen in video games, he tried to implement everything he knew from hack-and-slash titles. There was a certain silver-haired character with a power-obsessed twin brother whose movements were perfect for this situation.
The dragon slammed its claw into the ground, sending massive chunks of debris flying. Mitsuki was blasted to the side by the force of the impact, but recovered midair—turning into ash once more—and reappeared standing on the beast’s back.
Though he hesitated for a brief instant, he fired at the flames between the creature’s ribs, now exposed as its scales fell away, revealing its true spectral body.
Like incomplete armor, the scales served to protect what remained of the flame in its "heart," making the group’s task significantly more difficult.
However, this was only the beginning of the end.
The dragon roared in pain. It tried once more to take the fight to Mitsuki, but Marco stopped it, striking its face with a side kick.