"...It's over."
"Oh, Mother."
The moment the Bone Dragon appeared, every elf in Aileen lost their will to fight. Its very existence was a catastrophe. The Bone Dragon was a flying harbinger of death, and the embodiment of despair itself.
Roarrrrr!
The Bone Dragon's roar shook both the land and the sky. The cursed creature, its very death defiled, bellowed with all the curses and resentment it bore.
"Erekis, the Demonic Dragon... It's the Demon King of Sloth's pet." Guillotine murmured the dragon's name in a low voice.
"Owner, you have to run. There's no way to win this," it said firmly.
"I've fought against the Fragment of Slaughter," Caron said.
"This is nothing like that! This is a Bone Dragon! One that crossed over from a Gate of Chaos!" Guillotine shouted.
"You really think that pile of bones is stronger than a fragment of a Demon King?" Caron said with a smile.
"Owner!" Guillotine's voice was urgent.
Caron knew that Guillotine wasn't just exaggerating. This time, it was genuinely worried. And he himself was already aware of the reality that with his current strength, defeating a Bone Dragon was nearly impossible.
The moment he was caught in the frigid breath of the dragon, his body would freeze over like a frostbitten corpse. Even from a distance, the sheer pressure of the dragon's fear was enough to paralyze his muscles.
"Caron," Leo called.
"Move now! Take Adina with you as you go. You can't be captured," Caron ordered.
"You can't fight that thing alone—" Leo began, but was interrupted.
"Do I look like I'm joking right now? Shut up and run!" Caron's voice came out rough, leaving no room for argument.
Leo bit his lip as he looked at Caron. For a moment, he hesitated. Then, making up his mind, he turned toward the distant figure of Adina and shouted, "Adina!"
His voice, infused with mana, snapped Adina out of her trance. She immediately rushed over to where Caron and Leo stood.
"Please take Mos and get to the teleportation circle right now," Leo said.
"Leo, are you insane? I told you to go with her!" Caron snapped.
"Shut up, you bastard. I'm the older one," Leo shot back.
"...What?" Caron reacted.
"What kind of older cousin abandons his younger cousin to the grave? I'm staying here. If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me right here," Leo declared. There was an unwavering determination in his expression.
Caron wanted to curse him out, but the moment he met Leo's gaze, the words died in his throat.
Leo's eyes were glowing. His arms and legs trembled under the weight of the dragon's fear, but his willpower shone brilliantly. This wasn't a face that could be persuaded. Unless Caron knocked him unconscious, there was no breaking that resolve.
"Hah," Caron let out a long sigh. Then, he grinned so widely his teeth showed. He remarked, "If we make it back to Azureocean Castle, your parents are going to beat me half to death."
"So what? If we die here, we won't have to worry about that," Leo replied.
"I'm not going to die," Caron said.
"You sure don't look like it," Leo teased.
"Leo, just get the hell out of here while I'm being nice! Why are you always so damn stubborn?" Caron shouted.
"Am I worse than you?" Leo asked.
"...I guess not," Caron admitted.
There was no time for persuasion. Caron gripped Guillotine lightly before snapping at Leo, "If you die here, don't you dare blame me."
"I thought we weren't going to die," Leo said.
"I'm not going to die! You're a different story!" Caron yelled.
Leo clenched his beloved sword, Sylphid, tightly as he gazed at the Bone Dragon soaring toward them from the distance. Then, he continued, "Remember when you collapsed back at the imperial palace? Do you have any idea how I felt back then? I was so powerless, so furious at my own weakness that I wanted to bite my own tongue and die."
That idiot cousin of Caron's calmly recounted his own story.
"Caron Leston, I'm part of the Ducal Family of Leston too. I won't back down when monsters drenched in dark mana stand before me. This is my life, you bastard," Leo declared.
"You're as stubborn as ever. You never change, do you?" Caron muttered.
"There's a saying that people act unlike their usual self when they're about to die. I'm not planning on dying just yet," Leo explained.
"You say you don't want to die, yet you're choosing to stay and fight a Bone Dragon... Ugh, whatever. Do what you want," Caron replied. Despite his grumbling, however, he couldn't help but feel a hint of pride.
Leo had already decided what path he would walk. It was chivalry. That was what people called it.
He's really grown up, Caron thought.
This was Leo's choice. That meant he alone would have to bear the consequences.
Caron gave a small nod, then turned his attention to Adina and Mos. He said, "At least the two of you should leave."
But Mos stepped forward and said firmly, "I have to stay."
"...Mos, if you fall into the hands of the Demon King of Sloth—" Caron began, but was cut off.
"That won't happen," Mos interrupted. A mysterious glow flickered in his eyes.
Caron held his gaze in silence for a long moment before sighing. "Why am I always surrounded by comrades like you? Adina, don't tell me you're staying too?"
"How many from the tiger clan would've gotten the chance to fight a Bone Dragon? If I make it back alive, I'll never have to buy my own drinks again. No way I'm passing up on that opportunity," Adina said.
"Fine, do whatever the hell you all want. I'm too tired to argue. But remember one thing—if you want to live, do not step beyond this wall," Caron said.
Roarrrrr!
The Bone Dragon, still closing in from the distance, gathered an enormous concentration of dark mana at its jaws. Its breath attack was coming.
The elves, realizing what was about to happen, shouted in unison.
"Activate the grand mana barrier!"
"Use every last mana stone we have!"
Whoosh!
A massive magic barrier flared to life around Aileen's city walls.
Caron unleashed his mana core and turned to Leo, then said, "Get moving already."
"You didn't have to tell me—I was already preparing," Leo said.
Caron's sea surged outward, spreading around them. And over it, Leo's sea layered itself on top.
"...It's going to fire!" Guillotine warned.
Kwhoooosh!
A torrent of condensed dark mana erupted from Erekis' jaw. The cone of frost, powerful enough to freeze everything in its path, shot toward Aileen and collided with the barrier in the blink of an eye.
Kwhoooosh—!
Crack!
Even Aileen's proud magical barrier couldn't withstand Erekis' attack completely. The force of the breath distorted the shield, and through the fractures, an unbearable chill seeped in.
Boom!
A portion of the attack struck Aileen's towering buildings directly. Dark mana spread across the sky like a suffocating shroud, plunging the city into an unnatural night.
"Urgh," Caron groaned.
He leaned against the city wall, feeling the impact reverberate through his body. The sheer force of the breath attack sent shockwaves through his mana pathways, causing them to twist painfully as his mana backlashed.
"Guillotine," he muttered.
"I got it," Guillotine said.
With Guillotine's assistance, Caron swiftly regained control over his mana. Then, lifting his gaze skyward, he smirked.
The Bone Dragon was circling above Aileen, seemingly buying time to charge another breath attack.
But Caron had no intention of letting it do so. He called out, "High Elder!"
Immediately, Baltho's voice resonated in his ears.
"I'm listening. Speak."
"Are you alright?" Caron asked.
"...I can hold on for now. But if another breath attack lands, Aileen will be doomed. You should take Mos and escape while you still can," Baltho suggested.
"I have one request. Could you launch me toward that Bone Dragon's body?" Caron asked.
Baltho let out a weary sigh before replying in a low voice, "Do you see the magic turret to the northwest?" Sёarch* The NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Yes, I do," Caron answered.
"I'll activate it now. Get inside it immediately. We only have enough mana for one shot, so make it count," Baltho said.
"One shot is all I need," Caron replied.
"What exactly are you planning?" Baltho asked.
"I'm going to make sure it can't use its breath attack," Caron explained.
A Bone Dragon's breath attack relied on dark mana. Which meant that if all the dark mana meant for the attack was absorbed, the dragon wouldn't be able to fire.
Caron clicked his tongue as he stared at Erekis.
Crisis bred opportunity. And in a moment like this, that was even more so.
Caron wondered how many times in his life he would come across a creature brimming with this much dark mana.
"It's time to feast, Guillotine," he said.
"You're seriously planning to risk your life to devour that thing?" Guillotine asked.
"Sounds like a worthwhile gamble to me," Caron answered.
"You're insane," Guillotine said.
That dragon was a flying reservoir of dark mana. If Caron could drain even a fraction of what resided within it, he could cut his path to 8-Star down significantly.
"At worst, I die. Not much of a loss, is it?" Caron said with a grin. "Leo, stay here and hold out with Mos and Adina. This will be over soon."
If he failed to disable the Bone Dragon, they would all die anyway.
Before anyone could respond, Caron had already bolted forward. The moment that would decide the result of this battle had arrived.
***
The power of the magic turret was undeniable.
"Focus," Guillotine said.
"I know, you damned demonic sword!" Caron snapped.
Like a cannonball, he had been successfully launched straight toward the Bone Dragon.
Whoosh!
As he released mana through his feet, he surged forth in an instant. It was so fast that his vision blurred.
But Caron embraced the breakneck pace, forcing himself to focus entirely. If he lost control for even a moment, he would never reach the dragon's body.
Tiny, precise adjustments followed, and his efforts were rewarded with perfect results.
Crackle.
Caron landed cleanly, driving Guillotine deep into the Bone Dragon's chest.
Whish!
The violent wind generated by the dragon's immense flight speed made it nearly impossible to stand.
"Refreshing," Caron muttered.
Infusing his legs with Azure Mana, he steadied his balance with ease, then took a deliberate step forward.
Creak.
There was no flesh left—only bone.
From Erekis' entire frame, an overwhelming amount of dark mana radiated like an ominous tide. Each step Caron took sent ripples through the bones, the dark mana writhing like spectral tendrils.
"Guillotine, if possible, try to track this thing's Dragon Heart—"
Just as Caron was about to give the order, a voice echoed in his ears.
"...Rael? Is that you, Rael?"
The voice continued, "...My old friend, you have finally come... to grant me rest."
It wasn't the voice of Sloth. Caron had no difficulty realizing who it belonged to.
It was Erekis.
"...It has been an unbearable eternity. I've long since lost track of time. Have you finally come to fulfill our promise?" Erekis asked.
Fragments of an incomprehensible story whispered through Caron's mind. He wasn't entirely sure, but one thing was certain—Erekis, this Bone Dragon, was under some kind of grave misunderstanding.
Guillotine, what the hell is it talking about? Caron asked.
"It's a long story. But I think Erekis... shared karma with Rael," Guillotine explained.
Creak, creak.
One by one, undead began rising from the colossal bones. They looked like ordinary skeletons at first glance, but the dark mana seeping from them was suffocatingly thick. They might as well have been Death Knights.
Caron had a good idea of what these creatures were. He had read about them in an ancient tome stored in his family's archives.
They were soldiers born from a dragon's teeth—Dragon Fang Soldiers. They were also in a league far beyond lesser undead.
A total of twelve Dragon Fang Soldiers had emerged, all turning their weapons toward Caron in unison. The sheer malice radiating from them pressed down on his entire being.
Through that seething hatred, Erekis' voice echoed once more. The dragon begged, "My Dragon Heart... It is hidden beneath my nasal bone. Rael, I beg of you... I have become nothing more than a toy of Sloth. Please... grant me rest."
Caron's lips curled into a grin. He gave a small nod and replied, "Well, I'm not exactly Rael... but don't worry. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's destroying things."
There was nothing left to overthink.
Caron adjusted his grip on Guillotine and flashed a radiant smile. "You know, I don't like thinking too much. If I'm physically strong enough, my brain doesn't have to work as hard. Don't you agree?"
"Owner, you're a fool. That's nothing to be proud of," Guillotine replied.
"Let's get started," Caron said.
Kwhoooosh!
Dozens of waves erupted from Caron, cascading outward like a raging tide.
It was a battle with no chance of victory, but the Mad Dog welcomed it all the same.