Translator: AnubisTL
Garos locked his gaze on the spellcaster.
In the next instant, he charged through the rain of arrows, his dragon wings beating like thunder, propelling him toward the spellcaster like a cannonball.
Simultaneously, Paladin Leo bent his knees slightly, shattering the ground beneath him as he leaped high into the air, uttering his enemy's oath.
"By the glory and light of the paladin! I swear to annihilate this evil dragon before me!"
This was no mere empty vow, but a skill unique to vengeance holy knights.
By declaring an enemy's oath and vowing to destroy a visible creature, he would gain a significant advantage in attack and defense checks for the next minute, enhancing both his resistance and offensive power.
Dark Art!
Facing the formidable red-iron dragon, the battle-hardened spellcaster showed no fear. He calmly completed his second spell, a drop of pitch evaporating from his palm as a medium.
Darkness enveloped Garos's vision.
As if a black curtain had fallen over his eyes, his sight was completely obscured.
He could only rely on sound, airflow, and other sensory cues to discern the paladin's position and the angle of his strikes.
The dragon claw swept through the air, but there was no impact. Unable to pinpoint the paladin's exact location, the strike missed its mark.
The paladin leaped off the juvenile dragon's clawed arm, soaring through the air.
Blinding light erupted from the dragon-slaying greatsword, converging on its keen blade as it slashed toward Garos's neck.
Evil-Slaying Slash!
Sensing the danger, Garos whipped his dragon wings sideways, dodging the attack. He braced for the impact with the thickest cluster of thorn spikes on his left shoulder, meeting the explosive scale head-on.
Crack!
The explosive scale detonated in a crimson blast, unleashing a powerful shockwave and searing flames.
Caught off guard, the paladin was hurled backward, while a bloody sword gash marked Garos's shoulder.
The explosive scale's defense against sharp weapons proved insufficient, failing to completely block the strike.
Almost simultaneously, a petite shadow assassin, clad in skintight black attire, materialized on the juvenile dragon's back through some unknown means. A dagger twirled between her fingers, its obsidian blade pulsing with shadow energy as she silently aimed for the dragon's nape.
Garos narrowed his eyes, focusing his spirit.
The dagger froze three inches from his neck.
The red-iron dragon's thorn spikes suddenly snapped upright like razor-sharp blades, piercing the protective light cast by the war priest.
As more thorn spikes erupted, the assassin darted away, unwilling to risk her frail body against the priest's divine protection, and vanished into the shadows.
Simultaneously, Garos's vision snapped back into focus.
The dark art, which should have lasted three minutes, was reduced to mere seconds due to Garos's hightened resistance.
After a brief pause to reorient himself, Garos charged toward the spellcaster with renewed determination.
The dragon hunter naturally wouldn't allow him to succeed.
The paladin stepped forward, raising his dragon-slaying greatsword high. The blade erupted in a blinding light.
"Die!" he roared, his sword arcing like a crescent moon, aiming straight for Garos's throat.
Garos dodged sideways, his dragon arm meeting the blade head-on. The arena reverberated with the ear-splitting clang of metal against metal and the thunderous explosions of detonating scales.
This time, the paladin was prepared for the blast and withstood the shockwave. However, he couldn't withstand the force of Garos's dragon arm. He was hurled against the surrounding steps, landing amidst shattered stone and jagged cracks.
At that moment, the spellcaster's low incantation echoed through the arena.
Six spectral purple hands erupted from the void, seizing Garos's wings and dragging him toward the ground.
They couldn't fully restrain Garos. The moment they seized his wings, the limbs stretched taut, cracks spreading across their surface as if on the verge of shattering.
But the dragon hunting group wasn't just one person.
The beast hunter's arrow pierced the air.
This time, it wasn't an energy arrow, but a solid mithril magic arrow, moving with lightning speed.
Trailing a steel cable, the arrow struck Garos's wing membrane with pinpoint accuracy.
The berserker gripped the other end of the cable, his corded arms straining as dense crimson veins surfaced on his skin. He yanked the chain, forcing Garos to plummet from the sky.
Seizing the opportunity, the magic potion expert hurled a vial of potion.
The vial shattered against Garos's body, the viscous liquid splashing over the juvenile dragon and rapidly solidifying into a strange, gelatinous substance, further restricting his movements.
Gazing at the dragon hunters who were watching him hungrily from the ground, Garos's eyes flickered, and he shifted his battle strategy.
The arena's limited space made it difficult to build up powerful attacks in the air, and he remained within the hunters' range. Their coordinated teamwork was effectively restraining him, draining his energy.
"If you want me on the ground, your wish is granted."
The juvenile dragon landed with a thud, his tail whipping the berserker flying several meters away as he simultaneously clawed out the mithril magic arrow.
"It's grounded! Don't give it a moment to breathe!"
The spellcaster's eyes lit up.
As Garos touched down, the dragon hunting group launched their most ferocious assault.
The paladin closed in again, his greatsword cleaving down. Garos raised a claw to parry, sparks erupting as blade met scale.
Leo's sword strikes were heavy, each blow fueled by the fury of vengeance. The bloodrage berserker, equally formidable, gripped his metal battleaxe and attacked Garos with frenzied abandon. The war priest joined the fray, alternating between holy shield and war sword with practiced skill in close combat.
Garos retaliated with equal ferocity, his explosive scales absorbing much of the damage. His dragon claws tore, fangs bit, and wings slashed, forcing the paladin, berserker, and war priest to remain on high alert, daring not to let their guard down.
The shadow assassin flickered in and out of existence, launching venomous strikes at Garos's vulnerable points: his reproductive cavity, the back of his head, and his eyes.
In the distance, the beast hunter's arrows flew in relentless succession, each aimed at joints and old wounds. Meanwhile, the magic potion expert smashed vials against the ground, the mixing gases coalescing into an invisible poison specifically targeting dragonkind.
The spellcaster's incantations echoed ceaselessly.
He relentlessly cast control spells, creating immense trouble for Garos.
Viscount Ironthorn and the dragon hunters weren't allies, lacking coordinated teamwork. Restraining his urge to join the kill, the viscount primarily guarded the spellcaster.
The dragon hunters had promised him that once they critically wounded the juvenile dragon, he could deliver the final blow.
At that moment, the war priest raised his silver shield. The holy symbol on its surface suddenly blazed with light, and he slammed the shield into the juvenile dragon's side.
Boom!
Flames surged, and the explosive shockwave overturned the arena's rubble, filling the air with smoke and dust.
The paladin seized the opportunity to charge forward, swinging his greatsword in a horizontal slash. Garos dodged sideways, the blade grazing his shoulder. The explosive scale detonated, its shockwave sending Leo staggering backward.
But this strike also consumed the last explosive scale on Garos's shoulder—or, more precisely, the final explosive scale on his entire body.
(End of the Chapter)
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