The Escaped Enemy

The Escaped Enemy

"Cat's Grace!"

"Grease Soles!"

As the Azure Foot Dragon Snake gathered energy for its next Lightning Breath, Keosius cast several Acceleration Spells on himself.

His body became extraordinarily agile. He leaped lightly through the mine several times, closing in on the Azure Foot Dragon Snake.

Though the red dragon was far weaker and much smaller than the Azure Foot Dragon Snake, those were not the only factors that decided a melee battle.

He was confident he could defeat his opponent in close combat.

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake spat out several bolts of lightning, but the red dragon had been prepared. He predicted their trajectories in advance, darting left and right to evade them with ease.

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake saw Keosius's intention to fight in close quarters and rasped with a laugh. "Foolish dragon, you dare oppose me in this cavern."

"Without the advantage of flight—"

"What are you worth?"

Its twelve pairs of feet wriggled across the rock wall as though it were flat ground. It moved at incredible speed, much faster than the spell-enhanced red dragon.

Like a streak of azure lightning, it charged straight at the red dragon.

"Bull's Strength!"

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake's charge was exactly what the red dragon wanted. He instantly enhanced his strength; veins bulged across his powerful body, scorching steam billowed from him, and his strength surged.

"True Strike!"

Purple magical radiance shone from the red dragon's golden slit pupils. He stared fixedly at the Azure Foot Dragon Snake, trying to discern its next move.

"Laughable dragon."

"You are as weak and helpless as those cowardly human Mages!"

Even seeing the red dragon covered in spells, the Azure Foot Dragon Snake remained unperturbed. It merely opened its bloody maw and bit down.

The red dragon saw through it beforehand and leaped aside, preparing to retaliate with claws and fangs.

But he had not expected the Azure Foot Dragon Snake's bite to be a feint.

As the red dragon dodged, it abruptly changed course and sprang forward, wrapping its enormous body around him like a lasso.

It was constriction! The Azure Foot Dragon Snake slowly tightened its muscles, compressing the red dragon's room to escape and crushing him in its coils.

Its body was more than twice as long as the red dragon's, and it was far stronger. Once it managed to constrict him, victory would be decided.

Seeing this, the red dragon relentlessly attacked the Azure Foot Dragon Snake's exposed, scorched hide with his sharp claws and teeth, sending flesh and blood flying.

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake let out a pained cry, yet it did not stop tightening its body.

It knew that if it loosened its grip, it would lose. But if it successfully constricted him, even a red dragon would be drained of strength.

But Keosius's attacks were nothing like those of that barbarian. His sharp claws sank several feet into flesh, tearing the Azure Foot Dragon Snake's body open.

"You are nothing but my prey!"

Enraged, the Azure Foot Dragon Snake let out a Long Cry.

Despite being covered in wounds, its body moved swiftly, winding tightly around the red dragon.

"You are struggling in vain!"

It had succeeded.

The red dragon was tightly bound by that enormous, elongated body, like a trapped beast with nowhere to flee.

Even his foreclaws could not move. He could only struggle feebly, retaliating with increasingly weak bites.

It was about to kill a red dragon.

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake's blood surged with excitement. It even forgot the agony wracking its body, relying solely on instinct as it tightened every muscle with all its strength.

This was the terrifying power of an ancient biological weapon—the hatred for dragons engraved into its bloodline.

Yet in the next instant, the situation took a sharp turn.

"Misty Step!"

The red dragon, tightly constricted in its coils, spoke the spell.

The Combat Casting feat allowed him to cast spells with ease even while restrained.

At once, the Azure Foot Dragon Snake felt emptiness within its coils. Where its prey had been, only a cloud of silvery-white smoke remained.

The red dragon had already teleported to the top of a cliff ten meters away.

"Not good!"

It cried out in alarm.

Having exerted itself too fiercely just now, the Azure Foot Dragon Snake's body was nearly twisted into a knot, leaving it in an extremely awkward position.

Keosius could actually have escaped the moment the Azure Foot Dragon Snake began constricting him.

But he had chosen to play along, letting it believe he was trapped so that it would expend more of its strength.

The red dragon let out a triumphant Long Cry, then leaped down and pounced upon the Azure Foot Dragon Snake.

"Now, tell me—"

"Who is the prey?"

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake was still twisted into a knot, completely unable to evade. It could only fight back in panic.

It barely raised its head and lunged with its fangs.

But Keosius was now far more agile than the Azure Foot Dragon Snake.

The red dragon simply hopped lightly to the left and easily avoided the attack.

Then, taking advantage of the opening left by the Azure Foot Dragon Snake's strike, he flashed behind it and viciously bit down on its exposed, mangled torso.

Flesh and blood flew! Warm blood sprayed into his mouth.

His teeth sank deep into flesh, slicing through muscle fibers and piercing farther within. The sensation filled the red dragon with savage exhilaration.

"Awoo—"

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake emitted ear-splitting shrieks and struggled madly, trying to break free.

But not only did the red dragon refuse to release his bite, the veins in his arms bulged as well. His claws had even plunged into its body, tearing wildly through its insides.

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake rolled frantically, while the red dragon refused to let go.

"Boom..."

The two colossal beasts fought with the most primitive methods, engaging in the most brutal clash of flesh.

The rocks within the cave rumbled.

It seemed as though the entire mine was shaking and trembling, while shattered stones continually rained down from the ceiling.

"Wuu..."

At last, the Azure Foot Dragon Snake seemed completely spent, letting out a weak whimper.

Yet the red dragon still refused to relax in the slightest. His own strength was nearly exhausted as well; if this formidable enemy still had another trick up its sleeve, he would have no way to respond.

Is it finally over? Keosius felt the Azure Foot Dragon Snake's body rising and falling ever more weakly, its struggles growing smaller and smaller.

A mist of azure-blue blood suddenly erupted.

"Bang!"

It escaped!

The Azure Foot Dragon Snake had actually torn off nearly half of its own body, sacrificing its tail to escape.

Its remaining seven pairs of feet scurried swiftly across the rock wall.

Though severely wounded, freed from the burden of half its body, the Azure Foot Dragon Snake moved even faster.

"It still got away."

The red dragon released his bite and laboriously pulled his claws from the remaining half of its body.

He watched as the Azure Foot Dragon Snake vanished into the darkness.

There was nothing he could do. He was nearly out of strength.

Besides, this mine was the Azure Foot Dragon Snake's home ground.

Within the cave, the red dragon could not use his advantage in flight. On four legs alone, it would be difficult to catch the Azure Foot Dragon Snake, which still had seven pairs of feet even with only half its body remaining.

The Dancing Lights had gone out, but the torches still gave off a faint glow.

Keosius merely watched in silence, staring into the deep tunnel through which the Azure Foot Dragon Snake had fled.

The special reflective layer behind a red dragon's retinas helped him see in the dim cave, making his eyes glow faintly in the darkness.

Only, his vision was now monochrome.

"That direction leads to the Ember Nest."

The red dragon's sense of direction was also exceptionally sharp. Even in the dark cave, he could sift through information from his surroundings and determine the general direction. "The Bottomless Cave?"

Keosius suddenly thought of something.