novelraw Chapter 93: Victory?
Chapter 93: Victory?
Elyndor crashed down with a thunderous impact; the ground beneath his skeletal body of searing flames shattered into pieces.
The group landed in front of him, exhausted and on edge. They weren’t sure if they had defeated the dragon; there were no clear signs of it, but the silence that followed his fall was deathly.
Behind the others, Monar let out a long sigh. He looked down at the ground with lifeless eyes, and the next moment, he regained his usual gentle expression and gaze. Then, he rested his magic staff against the ground as he approached the others.
Breathing heavily, nervous and slightly afraid, Mitsuki aimed his shotgun as he slowly approached the supposed corpse of the beast. He didn’t trust that bastard to actually be dead.
Good thing he didn’t lower his guard, because the dying flames suddenly flared up like a lantern in the dark, and Elyndor rose abruptly, screaming so loudly that everyone had to cover their ears.
He spread his bony wings and slammed his tail against the ground. The sky lit up with imminent lightning, and the earth trembled with flames ready to erupt. Powerful gusts of wind surged forth to hinder the group, but—
"Kill him!" Marco shouted, throwing himself at the beast with his sword raised.
Azel followed, while Monar aimed his staff at the dragon.
Mitsuki had no choice but to join them, firing at point-blank range while using Ash Propulsion to evade the beast’s deadly claws.
"I will not be defeated! My domain will never be defiled!" Elyndor roared. "Humans will never kill me again! I am superior!"
’He’s still furious...’
That’s how specters work, after all. If there’s an emotion that dominates their ethereal hearts, then that emotion makes them volatile when it comes to self-control.
After that, the group synchronized perfectly.
Marco launched a horizontal slash, then leapt to reposition himself and draw Elyndor’s attention. Then Azel struck the same area with his bow before moving to the opposite side of Marco.
Mitsuki didn’t fall behind. By using ash propulsion upward, he could leap great distances in any direction. That gave him a huge advantage in creating distance to shoot, because every time the dragon focused on him to attack, he would turn into ash and launch himself upward. That allowed him to reappear above his enemy and fire at point-blank range.
That was exactly what he did.
Monar frowned. Seeing his companions align in the perfect position, he whispered a word in the elven tongue. A magic circle twice his height appeared behind him, wrapped in blue sparks.
"How about fighting another dragon?" he said mockingly.
The beast, though entirely made of bones, was exhausted; its flames no longer held the same energy as before. While at the beginning it had been like witnessing a raging sea of fire, now it was nothing more than the small flame of a candle—calm, lonely, even depressing.
Monar decided it was time to end this; otherwise, Elyndor might recover and kill them all.
At once, the magic circle shone intensely, and from it emerged a powerful torrent of water that took the shape of an eastern dragon, shooting straight toward the flame between Elyndor’s ribs.
Mitsuki and the others moved aside when they sensed the magical presence, but the dragon wasn’t so lucky. The torrent struck directly into his chest. He let out a choked scream that evaporated instantly along with the water.
The next second, Elyndor looked to the sky as his flames finally began to extinguish completely.
Click...
He looked at Mitsuki, who was aiming his weapon at him. Even if he couldn’t show it, he smiled at the sight.
"You... human..."
Mitsuki fired the final shot—a last nail in the coffin.
The flames went out, and Elyndor finally perished; his bones lay among the ruins of the great domain. Broken pillars, vanished houses. Since the battle against the Lover of Flowers Among Blood, the destruction had been overwhelming.
Looking at the corpse, Mitsuki sighed.
’I thought I was going to die, but in the end, my improvised plan worked. I guess I’m pretty lucky.’
Exhausted, he sat down in front of the corpse, drawing the others’ attention. Without saying a word, both Azel and Marco followed his lead, sitting behind him as they silently observed their victory.
"Sometimes we shout to celebrate," Monar said.
Marco lowered his gaze. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking.
"Other times, we just laugh."
"Or go to a bar for a drink..."
Mitsuki glanced at them from the corner of his eye. He found the three of them staring at him, as if telling him to say something about their victory. He looked up at the dark sky, which had regained its beautiful auroras.
He thought for a moment, and then...
"But I think silence suits this. In a place where death is the only thing that exists, it’s better to stay quiet and reflect. At least, where I come from, we’re taught to respect the dead."
Monar smiled and walked over to Marco, standing beside him without taking his eyes off the corpse.
"That’s a good way to see it. Well said."
"Yeah, sure..."
’It’s the first time I’ve said something like that, but I’m not lying. I guess this dark elf likes that kind of speech...’
In the midst of that strange state of reflection and clarity, Mitsuki looked at the system screen before his eyes. His tattoo was likely changing beneath his clothes as well.
[ You have defeated the A+ Rank Specter "Elyndor, the Guardian" and seized its existence. ]
’A+ Rank, huh... Sounds like an S-Rank with extra steps. The things that guy did made no sense. There were way too many random attack patterns... Guess that’s why he was so hard to kill.’
Well, that didn’t matter anymore.
[ You have leveled up. ]
[ Rewards will be granted. ]
The silence lasted for a few seconds, but something strange unsettled Monar, who suddenly looked around. His expression turned lost and confused.
"That’s strange..."
The others paid attention to him, but it was too late.
"Shit! RUN!"
With Monar’s shout, the broken magic circle beneath their feet began to glow. The greenish mist surrounding them swirled violently, and the whispers of the souls rose toward the sky.
The group’s feet lifted off the ground, pulled upward by the force of the vortex.
Mitsuki felt his skin crawl.
’What the hell is happening now?!’