The young golden dragon lay in the clearing, blood still seeping from the wound on its foreleg. Golden droplets fell onto the dead leaves with faint hisses.
"It probably escaped from Mist Canyon," An said quietly. "With so many high-level magical beasts in the canyon, an immature Golden Dragon wouldn't stand much of a chance."
Linley nodded. "It's wounded and weakened. This is our best chance."
An shook his head. "Don't rush. A Golden Dragon is a Peak Level Eight magical beast with incredibly strong defenses. We won't gain anything by fighting it head-on. We need to work together."
He carefully analyzed their tactics. An was an eighth-level Wind Element mage, best suited to ranged attacks and keeping the enemy occupied; Linley was a seventh-level dual-element mage of wind and earth, and could use Earth Element magic to restrict the Golden Dragon's movements; Bebe's speed and defenses were his strengths, making him their main force for surprise attacks.
"Brother, use Earth Split first to change the terrain and trap the Golden Dragon in a confined area. Its advantages are speed and flight. Once it gets airborne, we'll have a hard time dealing with it."
Linley nodded and began silently reciting an incantation.
An continued, "I'll use Wind Blade and wind binding to restrict its movements and force it to fight on the ground. Bebe, find an opening to attack its wound and make it worse."
Bebe nodded earnestly.
With their roles clearly assigned, all three waited for An's command.
The Golden Dragon seemed to sense something. It raised its head, its golden slit pupils scanning its surroundings. It failed to spot the two humans and the rat hiding in the dense woods, but its innate draconic instincts warned it of danger.
It rose, stumbling slightly as its wounded foreleg gave way. With a low growl, the Golden Dragon spread its wings and prepared to take flight.
"Now!" An commanded.
Linley pressed both hands against the ground, pouring Earth Element magical power into it in a furious torrent. The ground beneath the Golden Dragon suddenly split open, and a bottomless fissure trapped its hind legs. The Golden Dragon stumbled, its newly spread wings thrown off balance as its body lurched to one side.
"Roar!" The Golden Dragon bellowed in fury and beat its wings hard, trying to wrench itself free of the fissure.
But An's spell had already arrived.
Eighth-level Wind Element magic-Wind Binding Spell: Multiple Binding!
Three bands of blue-green light flew from An's hands, winding around the Golden Dragon's wings and neck like nimble snakes. Its wings were pulled tight, preventing it from spreading them for the moment.
A flicker of panic crossed the Golden Dragon's golden slit pupils. It lowered its head and opened its mouth, golden light gathering in its throat-Light Magic: Holy Light Blast!
An's expression changed. "Brother, watch out!"
A golden beam burst from the Golden Dragon's mouth and shot straight toward Linley. With no time to dodge, Linley could only push his Earth Guardian Sacred Armor to its limit while throwing himself sideways.
Boom!
The golden beam struck the spot where Linley had been standing, blasting a crater two meters wide into the ground and scattering broken stone. The shock wave hurled Linley into a large tree, and spiderweb cracks spread across the surface of his Earth Guardian Sacred Armor.
Linley gritted his teeth and stood, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth.
Still maintaining his Wind Binding Spell, An shouted to Bebe, "Bebe, now!"
Bebe became a black blur as he shot out of the dense woods. His speed was astonishing. Before the Golden Dragon could even react, Bebe had already pounced onto its foreleg.
Crunch!
Bebe sank his teeth into the wound on the Golden Dragon's foreleg and tore hard, ripping it wider. Golden dragon blood gushed out, splashing over his fur.
"Roar!" The Golden Dragon threw back its head and howled in agony.
It jerked its foreleg violently, flinging Bebe away. Bebe tumbled several times through the air and landed on a large tree. His little claws gouged deep furrows into the trunk before he managed to steady himself.
An gritted his teeth as he maintained the Wind Binding Spell. The Golden Dragon struggled more and more violently, making the blue-green bands of light shudder as though they might snap at any moment. An eighth-level Wind Binding Spell could not hold a Peak Level Eight Golden Dragon for long. They had to end this quickly.
"Brother, Gravity Spell!" An shouted.
Linley drew a deep breath and cast fifth-level Earth Element magic-Gravity Spell.
The Gravity Spell covered a thirty-meter radius around the Golden Dragon, abruptly increasing gravity to five times its normal strength. The Golden Dragon's body sagged. With its wings restrained by the Wind Binding Spell and its body pinned by gravity, it could not move.
Fear finally appeared in the Golden Dragon's slit pupils.
Although it was only eighth level, as a member of the Golden Dragon Race, it possessed innate intelligence and pride far beyond those of ordinary dragons. It refused to die here, at the hands of two humans and a little rat.
"Roar!"
Dazzling golden light erupted from within the Golden Dragon. Light Magic-Holy Light Protection. A golden barrier enveloped its entire body, weakening the effects of the Gravity Spell. The bands of the Wind Binding Spell began to melt away as well.
"It's fighting for its life!" An shouted. "Brother, Bebe, give it everything!"
An released the Wind Binding Spell and crossed his hands before him, gathering all his Wind Element magical power in that instant. Eighth-level Wind Element magic-Wind Roar: Ultimate!
This was a version An had developed himself after reaching eighth level. He compressed all the wind essence to its utmost limit, then released it in a single burst, producing power far beyond an ordinary Wind Roar.
A blue-green column of wind more than three meters in diameter erupted from An's hands. Like a roaring dragon, it blasted toward the Golden Dragon with enough force to lay waste to everything in its path.
Wherever the wind column passed, it plowed a deep furrow into the ground. Broken stones and dead leaves were swept into the air and instantly shredded by wind blades.
The Golden Dragon sensed the mortal threat. It stopped struggling and devoted all its strength to maintaining Holy Light Protection. The golden barrier grew almost solid as it stood against the wind column.
Boom!
The wind column struck Holy Light Protection with a deafening crash. The golden barrier shook violently, fine cracks appearing across its surface. The Golden Dragon's four legs plowed four deep furrows into the ground as the wind column pushed it backward more than ten meters.
The Golden Dragon had withstood the blow.
Golden blood trickled from the corner of its mouth. The tremendous impact had injured its internal organs, but it remained standing, its golden slit pupils burning with unyielding rage.
"Boss, its defenses are too strong!" Bebe cried anxiously.
An was panting as well. Wind Roar: Ultimate had consumed nearly a third of his magical power, yet the result had fallen short of his hopes. The defenses of a Peak Level Eight Golden Dragon were even more terrifying than he had expected.
Linley's face was somewhat pale as well. "I can't maintain the Gravity Spell any longer."
An gritted his teeth. "That's enough. Bebe, attack from above and draw its attention. Brother, aim Earth Spike Array at its belly-there are no scales there. I'll use one last Wind Roar to keep it occupied from the front."
The Golden Dragon seemed to sense something as well and stopped merely defending itself. It spread its wings and, ignoring the searing pain of its wound, beat them fiercely-
The bands of the Wind Binding Spell snapped completely!
The Golden Dragon soared into the sky, its golden barrier gleaming in the sunlight. It lowered its head and opened its mouth, golden light gathering in its throat once more-this time, it intended to wipe out An and Linley together with Holy Light Blast.
"Now!" An shouted.
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