'Am I… am I seriously going to die here…?!'
A Dragon's instinct was one of the most powerful things to ever exist in the world of H'Trae.
They could sense just how powerful a person or Skill was. Even the energy in the air was not immune to their notice thanks to this gift.
They were immensely perceptive being.
That was precisely why The Dragon Commander's face was warped in terror.
He knew deep down… that if the blade connected to his heart, or sliced off his head… he was as good as dead!
He didn't want that!
Even as a proud Dragon, a chunk of his tail had been blown off already, and he was still recoiling from the pain.
Dragons were considered very invincible.
They hardly had the opportunity to feel something like pain.
His mind was yet to completely process the sensation, and his body hadn't yet acclimated to its sting.
Adding that to the innate fear of death, caused by the approaching blade…
"Keuk!"
… The Dragon Commander was at his wits' end.
And so, he did the only reasonable thing he could.
~VWUUSH!~
He activated his [Absolute Spatial Magic], prepared to teleport a far distance from the Hero.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't be fast enough to escape.
He knew that already.
He could use his Spatial Magic to redirect the sword that neared him, but even that was rendered impossible thanks to the warped space around the blade.
As a result…
"Tch!"
… The Dragon Commander raised one of his hands and reached for the Divine Sword.
He knew blocking was useless, as the blade would simply slice through all obstacles like butter.
However, by letting his arm be sliced off first, it would give him enough time to escape.
Also, it was merely reflex action from a Dragon that didn't want to die.
~SQUELCH!~
His arm was easily severed off, and the blade now neared his head.
Fortunately for him…
~WHUSH!~
… He finally vanished away from harm's way.
Just barely with his life intact.
*******
'Damnit! I missed!' Adonis felt his sword crack apart that it fell on.
Everything around him shook, but he ignored all of it.
He had missed the mark on his enemy. Or rather, the Dragon was able to escape faster than he could completely kill it.
'I wanted to end it with that move… damnit!'
Adonis could already feel the strain on his body as he breathed heavily.
His body was tense.
His bones rattled.
He could already feel pain slowly visiting him.
'I can't keep this up for much longer.'
Inasmuch as his entire body had been strengthened by the [Limit Transcendence] ability, he was still using more power than he could keep up with.
"Y-youu…!!"
Adonis could hear a loud bark from the new direction that his adversary appeared to.
He slowly titled his head as he looked at the enraged beast who still donned human flesh.
Adonis was grateful that he hadn't changed back.
"You injured me? You… a human! You actually managed to wound ME?!"
Disbelief mixed with pure rage formed on his face as his bloodshot eyes focused on Adonis.
"How dare YOU!" He roared in sheer fury.
The entire room responded to his anger by trembling; with Mana Crystals even descending from the ceiling and breaking apart as a result of the cry.
"You'll regret that…"
As the Dragon Commander spoke, his severed hand began to heal up.
Even the tail that had been partially blown up by Adonis' Light Magic was already healing.
Within a few seconds, he would be good as new.
'I can't allow that!'
As Adonis thought this, he coated himself in light and rushed to the Dragon Commander.
"Y-you just don't know when to stop, do you?!" As he said this, he stretched his remaining hand towards Adonis, causing a heavy gust of wind to shoot in the air.
It felt like a powerful pressure that would send anyone flying back in an instant.
However, Adonis' [Absolute Defense] easily blocked off all the effects of his attack.
He closed the distance in a literal flash—no, maybe even a bit faster.
"Keuk!"
As Adonis prepared his blade once again, the Dragon Commander chose to flee.
Unfortunately for it, this time its horns paid the price.
~SWOOSH!~
Two of them were sliced off before he could teleport away, his screams echoing in the room as he vanished quickly.
However, Adonis was still not done!
He detected the distorted space as fast as he could, realizing it was high up in the air.
'[Light Streak]!'
With that single Spell echoing in his thoughts, his body ascended high up, a bit higher than the distortion.
Then—
"W-what?!" As soon as the Dragon appeared and noticed him, Adonis was already descending with a powerful slash.
"No…!"
A slight tilt forward caused the Dragon's life to be spared by a slight margin.
He was able to keep his head.
His wings, however… those two suffered for his carelessness.
"Guaarghh!" The Dragon screamed as he fell from his height, swiftly teleporting away.
Saliva poured out of his mouth as he groaned in desperation.
His eyes sauntered back and forth as he noticed Adonis approaching him yet again, the ferocity of his attacks seemingly unstoppable.
"Damnit! Damnit! Damn you!!"
A glow appeared within the Dragon's mouth, revealing the power that was about to surge forth.
'[Absolute Defense] will take care of that. Right now, I should focus on killing him!' Adonis thought as he increased his pace.
There was no way he would miss this opportunity to execute his prey.
With all these thoughts on his mind, however, Adonis failed to recognize one minute detail.
The Dragon Commander's gaze… was not on him.
It was on his friends!
~BOOOOOOOM!~
The Dragon's Breath was coated in deep purple, and it caused the very space around it to bend and twist.
In an instant after it was fired, the intense burst of energy reached the cluster of five students who had been still the entire time.
"NO!!!"
Even as Adonis screamed, his distraction causing him to halt his attack and lose the resolute glow he once had,
His legs changed direction as he moved towards his friends,
But he knew, deep within himself, that he would never be able to reach them in time.
Their fates were sealed.
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Thanks for reading!
Looks like I didn't end things as quickly as I said I would.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, though.
