Sunlight slipped through gaps in the clouds, spilling over the Fungal Carpet that was gradually recovering after the mist retreated.
A shadow flashed across the ground.
In the sky, Little Black slammed at full speed into a green gem suspended in midair. The instant the two collided, the gem vanished with a "pop," like a bubble.
At the same time, a new gem Phantom appeared farther away.
Little Black beat her wings and chased after the next Phantom.
These Phantoms were guiding Little Black toward Second Mycelium.
And this was all the result of Linden's training. The samples for these gem images had all come from Little Black's collection; afterward, he just had to hand those gems to Little Black one more time.
Under Linden's guidance, Little Black took even less time to fly over than expected.
However, the Great Black Dragon was even faster than expected.
After she happily crashed through another emerald, a surge of Dragon Might suddenly pressed down on Little Black.
[Dragon Slayer (Immune to Dragon Might)]
Little Black's attributes did not drop under the Dragon Might, but that familiar aura made her wings suddenly go rigid. Her body, like a cannonball finally about to hit the ground, slammed straight into the rubble below.
Little Black burrowed out of the pit of broken stone and looked up—
A massive black shadow stood before her, its sky-blotting wings slowly folding in.
The Great Dragon looked down at this last Dragon Strife opponent beneath its feet and slowly said, "We finally meet again, little one."
Little Black lowered her body and let out a catlike response. "Great—Dragon—"
Facing the Great Dragon, Little Black trembled and curled herself into a ball, even hiding her head beneath her wings.
"Little Black, what are you doing? Fly, hurry!"
In the Mycelium