Thunder and Fire

Thunder and Fire

The monster slowly writhed.

The barbarian trapped beneath its coiled body had bloodshot limbs, bulging veins, and a face twisted in extreme agony, but he had already lost all signs of life.

"What a bore."

The hoarse voice rang out again.

It coiled its body, opened its massive jaws, and prepared to swallow this "delicacy" whole.

Seeing a living person swallowed alive, the crowd erupted once more. Yet by now, they had nowhere left to retreat to, and their minds had nearly gone numb.

"Scarface, rest in peace."

"Though such a painful death suits the things you've done."

Hart watched the subordinate who had followed him for over a decade die a humiliating death. But there was nothing he could do. He could only grit his teeth in silence and pray that he could escape this place.

Drops of water trickled down from above, and he instinctively wiped them away. Strangely, they did not seem to be cold sweat, much less tears, but sweat brought on by the heat.

"But... why is the cave so hot?"

A trace of doubt arose in his heart. He had been too busy fleeing for his life to notice it before.

But now that he came to his senses, the cave felt like a giant steamer, waves of heat pouring down from overhead.

Hart subconsciously looked up—

Then his mouth fell open on its own.

A massive creature more than eight meters long suddenly appeared atop the rock wall.

It was a dragon!

What shocked him even more was the terrifying blazing yellow-white fire gathering in the dragon's mouth. Like a miniature sun, it lit the entire mine as brightly as day.

Both the humans and the monster looked up in astonishment—

Then they were left dumbfounded.

"Got you."

An unfamiliar voice sounded from above the mine.

Keosius unleashed the Fire Breath he had been gathering for so long in an instant. In that same moment, more than half the energy in his body was drained away.

"Maximized Flame Breath!"

A pillar of blazing fire descended from above. Its inner flame was a dazzling white, while its outer flame was a vivid orange-red.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous explosion, the coiled monster let out a pained shriek.

The searing flames warped the air, and it twisted its body amid the roaring fire, trying to evade them.

The hard scales it had been so proud of were incinerated by the scorching flames in an instant, turning charred black.

"Despicable dragon!"

"You shameless ambusher!"

It struggled in the flames, roaring hoarsely.

The dreadful breath continued for several breaths before gradually ceasing only after the monster slithered away into the darkness.

"To take a hit like that head-on... truly terrifying." Keosius stared into the darkness of the mine and could not help sighing.

"Twin Dancing Lights!"

Several rays of light shot from the red dragon's claws in different directions, illuminating the dark corners of the mine.

In an instant, the entire mine lit up, leaving the monster nowhere to hide.

Its full body was revealed for the first time.

Its enormous body was actually seventeen or eighteen meters long, resembling a cross between a centipede and a crocodile.

Twelve pairs of densely packed feet grew along both sides of its body, an unsettling sight to behold.

But at this moment, the monster was in a miserable state. Large patches of its scales had been burned away, and chunks of flesh had been roasted black.

The red dragon stared fixedly at the monster, a fervent excitement at encountering a formidable foe appearing on his face.

[Based on your own strength, you can observe the following information]

Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent - Mana

Type: Huge Beast, Neutral Evil

AC: 18 (Natural Armor) Speed: 50 ft., Climb 40 ft.

Strength—23 Dexterity—16 Constitution—18 Intelligence—7 Wisdom—14 Charisma—12
Skill Proficiencies: Perception +6, Stealth +7, Hunting +4
Senses: Darkvision 90 ft., Passive Perception 16 ft.

Damage Immunity: Lightning

Languages: Common Tongue, Draconic
Actions: Lightning Breath, Multiattack, Constrict, Bite, Swallow

Traits: Cave Predator, Dragon's Foe

Challenge Rating: 11 (7,200 XP)

Evaluation: "Blue-Footed Dragon Serpents crawl and slither across the ground and walls as they hunt their prey. Their Lightning Breath can incinerate most creatures, while even stronger creatures will be constricted and crushed by Blue-Footed Dragon Serpents before being swallowed whole."

"A terrifying opponent."

That was Keosius's assessment of it.

Seeing that its position had been completely exposed, the monster—or rather, the Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent—simply stopped hiding.

"A young Dragon Sorcerer?"

"How... strange."

Those snake-like eyes stared straight at the red dragon. Within that gaze was not only anger at being ambushed, but also hatred from deep in its bloodline. In the long-forgotten ancient past, giants and dragons had waged an almost endless war.

Legend had it that the Storm Giants created the first Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent as a weapon to Contend Against dragons.

Thus, Blue-Footed Dragon Serpents retained an innate hatred for dragonkind to this day, and their inheritance also preserved methods for dealing with dragons.

Seeing that his enemy was seriously wounded, the red dragon decided to press the attack.

"Scorching Ray!"

Streams of fiery rays shot from the red dragon's mouth.

Though wounded, the Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent's twelve legs climbed swiftly, making its huge body remarkably agile upon the rock wall.

It actually relied on its speed to dart left and right, narrowly avoiding two consecutive fiery rays.

But the third ray still struck it. The scorching Fire Ray tore open its flesh, making it cry out in pain.

The Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent flew into a rage. It raised its head, and dazzling lightning began gathering in its mouth.

"Lightning Breath!"

In an instant, the Blue-Footed Dragon Serpent exhaled streak after streak of lightning.

Each bolt was as thick as a bowl, capable of incinerating most creatures in an instant. It was far more powerful than the red dragon's first-circle Wizardry Arrow.

Faced with the Lightning Breath that struck in an instant, Keosius knew he could not evade it completely. He could only leap to the side while using his metamagic talent to cast a spell instantly.

"Instant Shield!"

An invisible magical shield appeared before the red dragon, blocking part of the lightning.

But the invisible arcane shield was soon unable to suppress the violent lightning and shattered apart. Several bolts struck the red dragon directly.

Keosius felt a powerful current conduct through his scales, pierce the surface of his skin, and course through his body.

Pain immediately wracked his body. His muscles spasmed, and several scales were scorched black by the electricity.

Fortunately, the red dragon's natural physique was powerful, and he endured it head-on. An ordinary human might have suffered internal injuries throughout their body—or even been burned to charcoal.

"What terrifying breath. If I took all of that head-on, I'd probably be seriously injured."

Feeling the slight spasms in his muscles and the lingering pain, Keosius could not help licking his lips.

There was a faint note of excitement in Keosius's voice.

"It's been a long time since I've tasted injury."

Since arriving in this world, aside from his frantic flight at the beginning, he had rarely encountered an evenly matched enemy. After all, a red dragon's starting point already surpassed the endpoint of most creatures.

This was the first opponent who had truly made him feel excited. That was rare.