The Cunning Red Dragon

Roxy's mouth twitched involuntarily as she watched the many adventurers cheering for her and Cain. She did not feel like she had contributed much at all. She had entirely been basking in Cain's glory...

At that moment, another shadow blanketed the ground from above!

"Red Dragon! Prepare for battle!"

Zoldat's pupils contracted as he saw another enormous Red Dragon, covered in crimson scales, rapidly diving from the sky. He shouted, drew the twin blades at his waist, gripped them tightly, and assumed a stance.

The surrounding adventurers were all elite B-rank to A-rank fighters. Upon hearing Zoldat's shout, they swiftly spread out into defensive formations, while mages were protected by Brook and the other tanks who should have been serving as the vanguard.

Cain narrowed his eyes at the diving Red Dragon, placing a hand on the hilt of Demon Sword Instant Void. He slowly drew it a crack, revealing a thread of cold gleam along the blade.

The Red Dragon's vertical pupils seemed to notice something. Seeing its companion's corpse lying in the snow with its head severed, blood still gushing from its neck, it beat its enormous wings, halted its dive, and hovered in midair.

Its vertical pupils swept over the tiny black specks below, as insignificant as ants.

There was actually someone among these weak humans capable of instantly killing its companion. If it charged down like this, it might end up foolishly throwing its life away just like its companion had.

Red Dragons were intelligent magical beasts. It decided not to fly down and instead chose another way to eliminate these ants.

The Red Dragon flapped its massive wings and hovered a hundred meters in the air. A glow of fire gradually appeared within its savage maw full of jagged fangs.

"It's Fire Magic!"

Roxy looked at the Red Dragon in the sky and shouted a warning. Gritting her teeth, she raised her staff with both hands and began rapidly chanting water magic, light continuously shining from the staff in her hands.

The mages in the rear raised their staffs in unison, their expressions grim as they began chanting.

Cain narrowed his eyes, clicked his tongue, and slowly sheathed Demon Blade: Instant Void.

This magical beast actually has intelligence? That makes things a little troublesome.

"Cain, can you cut it down?"

"No problem, if you can get me within fifty meters of it."

Zoldat narrowed his eyes, looking at the Red Dragon hovering overhead as it charged fire magic in its mouth. He waved a large hand.

"Everyone, retreat behind the mages!"

Everyone quickly ran behind the mages, who had raised their staffs and were chanting various spells. Against this sort of long-range attack, melee swordsmen would only become easy targets for the Red Dragon.

"Explosive Water Bullet."

With the chant, everyone's gazes returned to the Sword God, Cain. Above his outstretched palm, an enormous steaming water sphere nearly ten meters across condensed before shooting fiercely toward the Red Dragon.

"Hey, hey, is that for real? That scale is way too huge! Advanced-class? No! Saint Rank water magic?!"

This time, it was not only the adventurers who were shocked. Even the mages from Magic University who had come to provide support were stunned.

"He... he didn't chant just now, did he?!"

The stunned crowd was shocked once again. Only Roxy, who was still chanting water magic, slightly raised her little chin with a hint of pride. After all, she had taught Cain that magic.

Boom! The massive water sphere rapidly closed in. The Red Dragon's pupils shrank, and it frantically beat its wings to evade the giant water ball.

A major reason Red Dragons were rated as S-rank magical beasts while airborne was that all their abilities were enhanced in the air, especially their agility.

It missed? Cain looked slightly disappointed as the Red Dragon howled in pain midair, drenched by the scalding water from the exploding sphere. His aim really was somewhat poor, but the Red Dragon's speed had mainly exceeded his expectations.

In any case, he had failed to knock it unconscious and bring it down within his range.

The Red Dragon angrily spat two puffs of black smoke in the air. Having been doused in boiling water, it was thoroughly enraged. The fire magic in its mouth was interrupted as well. It glared fiercely at the ants below and began circling above the adventurers, seemingly waiting for something...

"It still won't come down..." Cain narrowed his eyes and placed his hand back on his sword hilt.

"Frost Strike!"

Several ice spikes several meters long shot out from above Roxy's staff. The dozen or so mages behind her raised their staffs and unleashed attack magic one after another.

For a time, ice spikes, Fireballs, and wind blades rained down on the circling Red Dragon as though they cost nothing. Yet aside from Roxy's ice spikes striking the Red Dragon's hard crimson scales and bouncing away, the other spells could not even threaten it. Nearly all of them missed.

"Tch, the Red Dragon is too fast!"

Zoldat tightly gripped his twin swords, his brows deeply furrowed. This Red Dragon was deliberately exhausting the mages' mana. If this continued and the mages ran out of mana, they would not even have the strength to fight back.

Once the Red Dragon used Fire Magic from high in the sky, they could only take the blows passively. In the end, the subjugation would surely fail.

"As expected of an S-rank magical beast. It's truly cunning. Cain, do you have any ideas? If this continues, we can only withdraw for now."

Cain turned his head and stopped casting attack magic, looking at Roxy as she seriously cast attack spells among the mages.

Even his own aim could not hit the rapidly circling Red Dragon. Of the mages present, only Teacher Roxy could hit the Red Dragon while it flew in high-speed circles. The other mages' attacks could not even touch its tail.

Although Roxy could hit it, she could at most make its body sway slightly and could not inflict effective damage. The Red Dragon's scales apparently reduced the damage from magical attacks.

The frequency of magical attacks was dropping. The mages' mana would not last much longer.

Cain stared at the Red Dragon circling overhead and curled his lip.

"Zoldat, I have an idea, but I'll need your cooperation and Teacher Roxy's."

"What idea?"

"Like this, then this..."

Zoldat's mouth twitched hard as he stared at Cain in disbelief.

"Will that work?!"

"That Red Dragon is flying so high because it wants to exhaust our mana. Our mages are already nearly out of mana. Once it uses Fire Magic from high in the sky, we'll be at a severe disadvantage. Let's give it a try."

Cain spoke seriously. He admitted that he had underestimated magical beasts like Red Dragons. As expected of cunning S-rank magical beasts, they really were somewhat intelligent.

But Cain believed that even the craftiest fox could not escape a good hunter.

Zoldat clenched his silver teeth and nodded helplessly. He quickly brought over Roxy, who had been seriously casting magic.

"Cain, what is it?!"

Roxy looked at Cain, whose expression was somewhat stern, in confusion.

"Teacher, how confident are you that you can hit it?" Cain pointed at the Red Dragon in the sky, his hand resting on the hilt of Demon Sword Instant Void.

"About seventy percent. Even if I miss, I can still disrupt its flight." Roxy's expression was extremely serious as she tightened her grip on her staff.

"Is that so? You're truly reliable."

Cain nodded slightly in satisfaction and drew Demon Blade: Instant Void. Sunlight fell on the blade, reflecting a dazzling gleam. Seeing Roxy's serious expression, Cain looked slightly puzzled, then smiled faintly.

"Then please send me to that thing's side, Teacher. Let's end this boring battle."