The Battle Ends, the Dragon Falls

Chapter 30: The Battle Ends, the Dragon Falls

It didn't matter if the Earth Vein Hand was shattered. What mattered was that the moment the dragon was bound by it, Yuan Chen and the others had already prepared to make things worse—to salt its wounds and take advantage of its predicament.

Now, as the Earth Vein Hand shattered in an instant, the dragon's right arm swung up—

This Flame Drake had a winged, bipedal form, with its arms connected to its wings. The moment it raised its arm, the world before them darkened, as if even the sun had been blotted out.

"Roar!!!"

The enormous winged forelimb crashed to the ground. After the fierce assault it had just endured, the dragon's body was covered in wounds. But in that moment, those wounds became weapons.

The ground shattered beneath the blow. As the violent tremors spread outward, its lava-like blood sprayed in every direction like a rainstorm.

Dance of Distance Breaking!

The heavy Flawless Heavy Blade spun rapidly around Yuan Chen, leaving indistinct afterimages that formed an impenetrable iron curtain. The approaching firestorm was sliced into fine dust almost instantly, while the Demon's Blessing dispersed the soaring heat by manipulating the moisture in the air.

But this time, even Yuan Chen couldn't escape—

The Elemental Drake swept its enormous forelimb forward.

The massive wing on the ground felt like a wall of red-hot iron, its surface patterned with Hard Scale. Everywhere it passed, the earth turned black. The residual flames not only sent every Meat-toothed Beast in range flying, but also destroyed the Gravity Spell beneath the ground!

Caught in its path, Yuan Chen was hurled away despite immediately unleashing Dance of Distance Breaking!

The instant he hit the ground, Yuan Chen threw himself to one side to dodge the flying flames. He scrambled back to his feet, covered in soot, but before he could reconnect with the scattered Flawless Heavy Blade, he saw a desperate sight—

Compared with the other hunters, no one was more desperate than Mordas—

As the leader of the Meat-toothed Beasts, Mordas had always charged at the forefront of the battle. That tendency to lead the charge had drawn the Elemental Drake's attention.

Its furious gaze fixed on him. Its savage dragon claw traced a blazing arc across the ground and rose into the air, then slammed toward Mordas with a piercing shriek!

Mordas's pupils contracted. Fear showed in his eyes, but it soon vanished, replaced by grim resolve. Roaring, he raised his hunting knife and tried to stab the dragon.

But just then, a figure mottled gray-white and charred black leaped out from the side.

As Mordas stared in confusion and disbelief, Naduo, most of whose fur had already been scorched away by the flames, sprang into his arms, then shoved him aside without hesitation!

"You're the best among us... Save Hana!"

With that final growl, Naduo was smashed into the dirt by the Flame Drake.

For an instant, Mordas felt as if time had stopped. He looked down at the spot where Naduo had shoved him—

It hurt a little. A Beast Tooth strung on a cord had dug into his leather armor when Naduo pushed him aside.

Mordas stared at the Beast Tooth, bewilderment in his eyes. Clenching it in his fist, he couldn't help letting out a roar:

"Ah!!!!"

Yuan Chen saw Naduo die, but in a battle like this, he didn't have the energy to mourn a friend.

His smooth forehead was covered in bulging veins. Yuan Chen could feel the searing pain all over his body.

The moisture in the surrounding air had evaporated in the dragon's fury. Even with Oshirresh's Blessing, Yuan Chen couldn't quickly establish new connections in an environment where the elements had been thrown into disarray.

His throat felt as though it were on fire, and his lungs were like the chimney of an old house. The scorching air burned his esophagus and windpipe, but despite the pain, he had to force himself to draw in what little oxygen remained!

The dragon was still being suppressed by the powerful Heavenly Power, but a dragon was still a dragon. The flying flames had set the surrounding woods ablaze. The ballistae, which Mordas and the others had spent so much effort smuggling in, had been abandoned when the craftsmen fled the flames. Now the merciless fire was slowly igniting and devouring them.

Gritting her teeth, Lupe's eyes, alight with Elemental Light, streamed with blood.

She braced both hands. The four Skarner's Wheels whose connection to the Earth Vein Hand had been violently severed by the dragon turned into streaks of light and merged with the only two Earth Vein Hands still mostly intact, desperately forcing them to struggle against the dragon.

But as her strength ran out, Lupe had reached the limit of what her body could endure. She had already been using her life force to strengthen her spellcasting. She had only just managed to restrain the dragon's arms when the pressure made her spit out a mouthful of clotted blood!

The two Earth Vein Hands began to crack and break apart. Six streaks of light from the Skarner's Wheels, embedded in their arms, dimmed one by one.

Feeling death close at hand, Yuan Chen didn't bother with his usual restraint. He turned and roared, "Nedeli!!!!"

Hearing him, Nedeli gritted her teeth. She could feel the Heavenly Power entering her body, its searing pain everywhere in her flesh. Clenching her jaw, she opened her eyes.

"I know!!!"

Heavenly Power surged wildly around her. Her long hair billowed in the sky like pale-blue flames flecked with starlight.

She raised the Earth Vein Spear in her hand. The instant her muscles tensed, the rampaging Heavenly Power tore countless tiny wounds across her skin, setting them ablaze!

That intense pain further roused the ferocity within Nedeli.

Her eyes, blue as flames, blazed with savagery. Power erupted from her feet and surged up her long legs, then rose from her waist. As she leaned forward, her spine seemed to wrench her right arm into a full-force swing!

Legendary Trait: Dawn Bringer!

Effect ①: Death's Dawn:

Can be used once per dawn. Gain power from the Immortal Heaven. After locking onto a target, greatly empower the next attack!

Additionally grants guaranteed hit, magic penetration, burning, magic suppression, fear, critical hit, execution, and soul-crushing pressure! These additional effects are forced. Non-mythical beings and mythical professions cannot resist them! Ignores resistance! Unlimited range!

Immortal Heaven's power surged through the ancient Earth Vein Blade, which glowed with pale-blue light. The instant it left Nedeli's hand, a river of stars appeared in the sky!

Locked onto by Nedeli, the Flame Drake felt an instinctive fear of death and let out a terrified roar. It tried to beat its wings and dodge, only to find the space around it forcibly sealed by an unseen force!

Even the magic resistance it had always prided itself on seemed utterly useless in that instant. No matter how hard it struggled, all it could do was shift its heart a few inches to the side—

Ssshh!!!

The star-lit spear pierced through its chest. The explosion of Heavenly Power blasted a gaping hole through its flesh. It plunged all the way through and burst out the other side. The moment it was struck, its consciousness was completely overwhelmed by Heavenly Power and intense fear!

As numbness filled its scarlet eyes, Mordas let out a low growl. His fur had already caught fire in the scorching air, and he swung his hunting knife at the dragon's exposed heart, where the bones had been blasted apart and the flesh torn open!

But even without its consciousness or strength, the enraged dragon's heart remained one of the finest magical materials in Runeterra!

In the blistering heat, Mordas's fur caught fire, making him look like a man engulfed in flames. His hunting knife barely touched the heart before the magic surging around it knocked the blade away, leaving it riddled with cracks!

The dragon's heart was the source of its magic. In its enraged state, the magic pulsing around it alone could easily kill a mortal! And after enduring countless blows, the hunting knife was already worn down and battered beyond recognition!

When he saw the knife break, fury flared in Mordas's eyes. Roaring, he raised his iron fists and desperately pounded the exposed dragon heart!

"Move!!!"

Just as Mordas felt his fists begin to burn, a rough voice came from the side. Yuan Chen, his gaze wild and restless, had picked up the Earth Vein Spear and was sprinting toward the dragon's front.

Madness filled Yuan Chen's face. Countless wounds covered his body, and thin streams of blood seeped from them. Under the influence of Demon's Blessing, they coiled around the spear tip like little snakes. The evaporating blood formed a dark-red, spiraling point.

Realizing what Yuan Chen intended to do, Mordas didn't hesitate. With hands nearly charred black, he struggled to pry open the dragon's ruined, scorching flesh and expose its heart completely to Yuan Chen.

"Die!!!"

As magic poured into it, the once-light Earth Vein Spear grew tremendously heavier in an instant. Yuan Chen thrust with all his might. The blood surging around its tip exploded on impact, then shone with the brilliance of the stars. The ancient spear sank in up to its shaft!

Rumble!!!

The instant it was pierced, the sensation of imminent death shook the dragon free of Death's Dawn's stupor. Its consciousness had barely returned before it realized that its death was certain.

In its terror and fury, the magic pulsing through the dragon's heart exploded. The living magic transformed into surging flames, erupting like a chain reaction and releasing all the energy that had been suppressed inside it!

As Yuan Chen and the others were about to be swallowed by the flames, Lupe, already at the end of her strength, raised her trembling hands. She controlled the faint, flickering light of the Skarner's Wheels, and the ruined Earth Vein Hands curled around the surviving group.

But only for an instant. The hands were shattered by the blast, and Yuan Chen and the others were hurled away by the energy that followed!

As the smoke slowly cleared, Yuan Chen lay in the pit left by the shattered Earth Vein Hand. He remained on the ground for a long time. Only when he heard the faint, uneven sound of footsteps did he manage to open his eyes and try to rise.

Unfortunately, that was no longer possible.

A moment before the shock wave from Dragon Heart Detonation struck him head-on, Yuan Chen had reconnected with the Flawless Heavy Blade.

He had summoned it in front of himself to block and weaken the shock wave. Together with the protection of the Earth Vein Hand and his body, which had been strengthened by Demon's Blessing, that was just enough to keep his consciousness from fading completely into unconsciousness.

Even so, getting back up was impossible.

His arms, legs, and ribs were broken. The shock had badly bruised his internal organs, and his soft brain had been compressed inside his skull, leaving him with a moderate concussion. Not only couldn't Yuan Chen get up, but his mind was so numb that he could barely feel pain.

When he opened his eyes, the world before him was hazy and full of double images. He was also anemic from using his blood to strengthen his attacks. Aside from knowing he was still alive, Yuan Chen couldn't do anything.

From the corner of his eye, Yuan Chen could just make out Nedeli, struggling to endure the Heavenly Power tearing apart her body—

She hadn't completed her transformation into a higher life-form. Instead, she had accepted only part of the power before immediately attacking. That forced strike had severely disrupted the process of her ascension.

At least until she completed her transformation, her consciousness should remain frozen.

Mordas... Mordas should still be alive, but judging by the rise and fall of his chest, he was barely breathing. If they left him there, he'd probably be dead in no time.

As Yuan Chen continued thinking in fits and starts, hurried footsteps sounded in the distance. Some of the Meat-toothed Beasts who had sensed the danger early and fled had returned. They shouted toward the people on the distant mountain:

"Doctor! Come quickly! Doctor!!!"

The village's Elemental Healers hurried over, but there was only so much they could do to treat the wounded.

Just then, a child's sob reached Yuan Chen's ears—

A short, thin figure staggered toward them from afar. His once-bright eyes were filled with fear and panic. He stumbled and fell, but the boy didn't even spare a thought for the scrapes on his body. He immediately got back up and kept running.

"Teacher! Grandma! And the big cats with knives! Don't die! Please don't die!!"

Milio collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

He looked at the friends who had laughed and talked with him, at the Meatfang Hunters who had told him about the Outside World, at his once-kind grandmother, who now lay dying, and at Naduo, who had been smashed into the dirt, his body mangled...

"You promised you'd take me out to see the world! You promised we'd go to the city together! Don't die!"

As Milio wept softly, his intense emotions began to spread outward. A moment later, the Elemental Healers, who had been struggling to connect with the elements through magic, quickly sensed a change in their surroundings—

The elements, thrown into chaos and shattered by Dragon Heart Detonation, were becoming animated at an astonishing speed. In fact, some of them were becoming a little too animated.

This was nothing like the "orderly and precise" nature described by the Yuan Chu Axiom. The elements, once as cold and lifeless as inanimate objects, began to take on warmth—not physical warmth, but the awareness of a soul.

Then these elements took the form of flames. But unlike the explosive flames people imagined, these flames gathered around Milio and gave off a gentle glow.

In an instant that Milio never noticed, his soul connected through the flames to the wounded around him.

No—not only the wounded, but also this scorched wilderness, the water scattered across the ground, even every leaf in the woods... An unprecedented warmth enveloped everyone present.

In Yuan Chen's field of vision, the "Gentle Flame (Unawakened)" entry in Milio's personal attributes finally changed to "Gentle Flame (Awakened)"!