"Eh?!"
Having returned to his full size and gained a higher vantage point, Jose immediately noticed the Petrification Lizards' nest. They had used nearby materials, turning animal hides and dirty cloth from the Kobolds' tents into a nest.
Of course, the lizard nest itself was not what surprised Jose. What astonished him were the pure white lizard eggs lying within it.
By then, the Kobolds had already begun their charge, and battle was about to erupt. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Capture the three Petrification Lizards?
No. Their side did not have enough strength to overwhelm all three Petrification Lizards. Capturing them alive meant taking unpredictable risks.
Better to raise the lizard eggs directly.
"Stay away from the lizard nest during the battle! The Petrification Lizards have just laid their eggs, so don't break them for me!" Jose shouted as he chanted a spell. An invisible magical force field enveloped him.
Protection from Evil Energy!
There was no helping it. Most fire magic came with explosive properties, and to prevent the cave from collapsing and burying everyone alive, he could not use high-powered fire spells. The attack magic he could use was not enough to kill sturdy adult Petrification Lizards in a short time. Thus, Jose's current options were limited to Dragon Breath, close combat, and support magic.
After casting Protection from Evil Energy on Sorda, who was fighting in close quarters, he charged forward. His enormous body pounded the ground with booming footsteps, and he quickly caught up with the servants who had set off before him.
After catching up with them, Jose advanced shoulder to shoulder with his servants, constantly closing the distance between them and the Petrification Lizards.
In a battle between evenly matched opponents, or opponents with only a small difference in strength, blindly charging ahead would only make one a live target drawing all the fire, likely to be focused down and die young. Charging alongside one's teammates was the proper way.
The three Petrification Lizards' eyes glimmered faintly. This was a sign that they were charging their Petrification Rays.
In truth, the Petrification Lizards' Petrification Rays would be more accurately called Stiffness Rays. The rays merely stiffened a prey's body, making it easier for them to hunt. True petrification was Medusa's innate magic—Medusa's Gaze. That was a powerful innate ability feared even by adult dragons.
With the Petrification Lizards' pupils as their points of origin, six Petrification Rays shot forth at tremendous speed, too fast for the dragon to dodge.
"Fuck! There are so many of you, so why are you all only attacking me?!"
Jose mentally cursed the Petrification Lizards' ancestors for eighteen generations as he was struck by six Petrification Rays in succession. Fortunately, Protection from Evil Energy took effect and negated four of the rays, while his own powerful magical resistance withstood the remaining two.
The struck areas went slightly numb. He calmly assessed the power of the Petrification Rays. If all six rays had hit, his body would have stiffened up and sent him sprawling flat on his face.
That would have been humiliating beyond measure. How would he establish his own territory, raise his banner, and recruit underlings afterward?!
He could not let them have a chance to charge up!
With that thought, he rapidly recited a spell.
Fog Cloud!
Dense white fog appeared out of nowhere, enveloping the charging Jose and the Kobolds, causing the Petrification Lizards, who had been gathering power to attack again, to lose their targets.
Using the cover of Fog Cloud, Jose refreshed Protection from Evil Energy on himself. He was just about to run out of the fog's range.
Phantasmal Image!
The Red Dragon's illusion emerged from the fog first and was instantly pierced by six Petrification Rays.
The instant the Petrification Rays passed through the illusion, Jose burst from the fog in a full-speed sprint, wind howling around him. Taking advantage of the Petrification Lizards charging their rays, he closed the distance and finally entered Dragon Breath range.
He opened his mouth, and blazing flames surged from his throat. The roaring fire engulfed the Petrification Lizards, its crimson glow illuminating the entire cavern.
The three burning Petrification Lizards hurriedly scattered to evade the Dragon Flame, hissing miserably as they ran.
Yet their cries were full of vigor. Clearly, the Dragon Flame had not caused them any substantial harm. Jose stopped breathing fire. The Petrification Lizards rolled across the ground, extinguishing the dragonfire on their bodies and revealing grayish-white skin streaked with marble-like patterns.
The Petrification Lizards' other innate magic—Petrification Skin.
Magical history recorded that mages had drawn inspiration from them for Stone Skin. Yet on the original creatures, Petrification Skin was even more formidable, and even directly enduring Dragon Breath caused only minor burns.
"Damn it! A Juvenile Dragon's Dragon Flame isn't powerful enough. It can't break through Petrification Skin's defenses quickly."
Before the Petrification Lizards could rise, Jose rushed before them. His dragon tail swept fiercely, kicking up great clouds of black ash from the burned tents as it smashed toward one female lizard. He turned his dragon head and used Dragon Breath against the other female lizard, while his dragon claw struck at the male lizard's head.
The peerless dragon took on three alone. It looked imposing, but only he knew the danger involved.
The Petrification Lizards were six meters long, with strong, powerful muscles. The male was even larger than the females, and in terms of close combat alone, it was not much weaker than a Juvenile Dragon. Meanwhile, the fire magic Jose was best at was restricted by the terrain, leaving him effectively with one arm tied behind his back.
So long as his assault slowed even slightly, the Petrification Lizards would find an opportunity to counterattack. Their fangs, coated in foul-smelling mucus, carried large amounts of bacteria, and the wounds they inflicted were difficult to heal. He had no desire to be bitten.
As the two sides fought fiercely, a bright yellow stream of magical energy shot toward Jose from behind. The magical energy entered his body, injecting vitality into his tensed muscles. He felt his strength increase considerably.
Enlarge Person!
"Ergou! Well done!"
Riding the surge of increased strength, Jose erupted with full force. One sweep of his tail sent the approaching female lizard tumbling across the ground, rolling thirty or forty meters away and crushing a large stretch of tents.
The other female lizard was busy putting out the Dragon Flame on her body. The only intact male lizard opened its jaws wide and bit at him, its rancid breath washing over him and making him nauseous. At that moment, Jose had already exhausted the force of his tail swing, while fresh force had yet to arise.
He quickly braced himself on his hind legs and stood upright, pressing the male lizard's head down with his foreclaws. Using his weight advantage, he pinned it to the ground, its upper and lower jaws clacking together.
"Asshole! Don't you have any fucking idea how bad your breath is?!"
Aiming at his opponent's spine, his dragon wing slammed down in fury. It struck the Petrification Lizard with booming thuds like a drumbeat. Dragon Combat Style—Dragon Wing Strike!
"Hiss!"
The force generated by flapping dragon wings was enough to lift a dragon's massive body into the air. One could imagine its power. The seemingly thin dragon wings actually weighed as much as a thousand pounds, crashing down repeatedly like massive hammers.
Petrification Skin's defenses still did not break, but its fragile internal organs could not withstand such punishment. The Petrification Lizard hissed in agony, its body twisting violently in struggle as its thrashing tail swept up sand and stones.
Hearing their mate's pained hisses, the two female lizards rushed over to help, only to be stopped by the arriving Kobolds.
Using the advantage of their short stature, the Kobolds attacked the relatively vulnerable bellies of the two female lizards with their spears, forcing them back.
One-on-one, Jose could finally fight without restraint. Using his weight advantage, he pinned the Petrification Lizard's head firmly to the ground and continued his Dragon Wing Strike. At the same time, he spewed Dragon Breath, and scorching Dragon Flame enveloped both dragon and lizard.
Under the double assault, Petrification Skin lasted only a few seconds before its defenses were breached. The gray magical keratin layer peeled away, revealing the Petrification Lizard's original skin, which was instantly burned open and torn apart by the Dragon Flame. The air filled with the smell of cooked meat.
Very quickly, the flesh on its back burned away, and Jose saw his opponent's spine and shinbones.
He pressed his advantage. Throwing his head back, he took a deep breath, then leaned forward and opened his mouth, spewing roaring flames. Dragon Breath burned through the final thin membrane protecting the chest cavity, and scorching Dragon Flame swept through the Petrification Lizard's internal organs, reducing them to ash.
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