Chapter 914: Act 89 – Shadow of Death III
Two massive dragons are battling in the sky above Gravel Town, the shockwaves of their clash obliterating much of the city in an instant. Several blocks scream and moan in flames, as the fire spreads with the wind, leaving behind more collapsed buildings. The streets have buckled like shattered waves, filled with alarming cracks, resembling the aftermath of a terrible earthquake. Xainne exerted great effort to drag the Sprite from the center of the battle. A spear-like object flew towards her with a gust of wind, prompting her to scream as she dropped the Sprite, allowing it to soar past them. The Sprite landed hard on the ground, yelping in pain, finally waking up in a daze.
Marlaxias breathed fire from mid-air, a fireball striking Mistral’s wing and detonating into sparks across the sky. The silver dragon screeched, tumbling nearly a hundred meters before regaining its balance. Another fireball grazed its tail, hitting a wooden house near the center of the battle, the scorching winds and shockwave from the explosion blowing the Sprite, who had just gotten up, several rolls away. Over the ruins of houses, it was finally halted by a silver spear embedded in the ground. The Sprite, teary-eyed and holding its burning red forehead, climbed up and realized that the object blocking its path was indeed a straight silver spear.
This spear was not a decorative item from a noble’s household. After such a violent explosion, it bore not a single scratch. It shone brightly, engraved along its shaft with scenes from heaven to hell, featuring clouds and light, beautiful angels in their nakedness and hideous demons embodying original sin, alongside the hellfire. The spear’s base boasted a pair of outspread angel wings, crafted from mithril, glistening magnificently. The spear was thrust into the stone slab, its blade flat and wide as a sword, smooth like it had just emerged from the forge.
Treasure!
The Sprite’s eyes instantly glimmered with brilliance, forgetting about the danger above. She quickly reached out to pull the spear from the stone slab. Unfortunately, her petite stature was less than two-thirds of the spear’s height. Despite her best effort, she could not budge it, but at that moment, a crystalline ice spear shot down from above and struck her oversized cloak hood, the impact yanking her off the ground with a scream, spear and all, shooting her directly into a nearby wooden post.
“Damn thief!” the young man beside the Chancellor’s Daughter emerged battered from the second floor of a nearby building, shouting at the Sprite with a fierce demeanor.
“You’re the thief!” the Sprite retorted angrily, “Sprites are nightingales!”
Then, she desperately tried to pull at the ice column lodged above her head, pinning her cloak to a crooked post, suspending her in mid-air. She squirmed for a while, but her short arms couldn’t reach the ice column, her face turning red with frustration.
Eynid couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight: “Serves you right for being so stubborn!” He raised his right hand, a snowball hovering in his palm, and shouted at the Sprite, “Drop what you’ve got in your hands, and I’ll spare your life depending on my mood!”
The Sprite felt a bit scared, but anger prevailed. She pinched her lower eyelid with her finger and stuck her tongue out at him, pulling a silly face: “No way!”
“You’re gonna regret this!” Eynid yelled in fury, reaching to unleash his magic.
“Xainne, don’t wait any longer! Grab him!” the Sprite shouted hurriedly.
Startled, Eynid turned to look, but behind him was a dark room—with no sign of Xainne. He quickly realized he had fallen for a trick. Turning back, he found only an empty cloak hanging on the post. The Sprite had already slipped out and fled a great distance. The young man felt his IQ had taken a serious hit. Furious, he jumped from the second floor, crashing to the ground with a scream before limping after the fleeing Sprite.
At that moment, Sorens emerged from the debris on the other side, spotting his comrade in distress and couldn’t help but ask, “Eynid, what happened? Have you seen the young lady?”
“I don’t know where the young lady is!” Eynid snapped, gritting his teeth. “Quick, catch that damned brat! She stole our demon-slaying spear!”
Sorens was taken aback; the demon-slaying spear was a family heirloom of the Fleuruit family, and Count Fleuruit lent it to them because his daughter was the fiancée of Viscount Erluin. If it got stolen, the Chancellor’s family might face public disgrace. He quickly drew his dual swords and chased after the Sprite. The Sprite, seeing more pursuers, including the terrifying guy who had previously captured Xainne—at least that was how she viewed him—couldn’t help but panic, furious at Xainne for not coming to her rescue, and she ran for her life, out of breath.
As she gasped for air, her face pale, she heard the sound of wind rushing in the dark, like wings beating against the air. Her spirits lifted, and she shouted joyfully, “Xainne, you’ve come to save me!”
“Don’t think that trick will work again!” Eynid nearly exploded with rage when he heard the Sprite trying the same old tactic again. He was furious at the thought of being so underestimated. He was, after all, a bona fide mage, not some brutish barbarian from the border. A fireball was already forming in his hands, prepared to blow the Sprite away.
“Careful, there’s something ahead!” Sorens caught him before he could unleash his spell.
“Don’t listen to her nonsense!” Eynid was ready to explode, shoving Sorens aside. “She—”
But the rest of his words were drowned out by a piercing shriek.
His eyes widened as he suddenly caught sight of a massive set of fleshly wings unfurling in the darkness ahead, followed by a horrifying visage, with elongated emerald-green eyes gleaming with malice under two colossal horns, and thick, dark scales adorned with haphazard bumps, strong limbs, sharp claws, and a gaping mouth hiding a golden flame. “Dragon…” the young man barely managed to utter half a word before a sea of fire engulfed him, leaving Sorens aghast as he witnessed his companion’s skin blistering away from the heat, revealing burning muscles, bones, and organs, while blood vaporized, turning to ash. He stood frozen in place, stunned.
The terrifying monster spewed fire, sweeping across the sky and turning the entire street into a fiery inferno.
In the dark of night, numerous such draconic beasts descended from above, spiraling into Gravel Town, shooting fireballs that ignited block after block, shrieking past the flames, creating a scene reminiscent of hell.
“Get away from me!” Brendel roared, the icy blue sword in his hand flashing with a thin beam of light. One draconic beast charging toward him was sliced cleanly in two. He advanced effortlessly as the dismembered beast collapsed to the sides, crashing into nearby buildings like artillery shells, causing structures made of wood and stone to crumble in a series of crackles. Cooper watched in astonishment; at last, he realized the true might of the Earl. That was a Hill Dragon, a seventh-tier creature from Jotungrund that wouldn’t survive a single blow from Brendel.
Brendel advanced along the blood-soaked streets, the Frost Whisperer Xina dripping the same hue behind him. A sea of flames ignited behind him, reflecting the blood river in a dazzling shimmer.
Walton followed behind him, his mood inscrutable, accompanied by Earl Orkans and other members of the Cruz nobility who had been rescued from the crypt below. Aside from the elderly Earl, whose expression remained calm, others were mostly trembling, occasionally glancing up at the two massive dragons battling above, with fiery harpies falling from the skies, trailing long flames as they swept past, or screeching dwellers escaping in disarray. But no one cared; everyone felt they were losing their sanity, yet no one dared to lag behind even a step.
“How much further?”
“Just around the corner.”
Suddenly, someone among the nobles let out a scream, and Brendel raised his head to see the silver dragon plummeting from the air.
…
Medisa pushed through the collapsed wall with a crash, coughing loudly as smoke filled the air, calling out, “Miss Romaine, Prince Younger, are you alright?”
After a moment, a weak voice replied, “I’m fine, Sister Medisa.” Two figures emerged from the dust—a tall and a short one; the taller was Medusalaisimeka, bearing a bloody wound on her arm, while the Prince was unscathed.
“Where’s Romaine?”
“I haven’t seen her.”
“What about Miss QiYala?”
“Princess Margadale.”
“I’m okay…” The nun princess responded softly.
In the darkness, whimpers and sobs were heard; someone had died, others were wounded, and everyone was gradually standing up, finding the nearest person. Medisa quickly found Aike, Officer Marjory, Duchess’s daughter Oni, Dierphir and her knight Nia, Eynid, as well as Young Girl Judith, and finally Nasha; others trickled in, and aside from Marjory, who only sustained slight injuries, the interior knight was the worst off, with a sharp shard piercing her lung, and by the time they found her, she had fallen into a coma, running a fever, mumbling incoherently.
The Cruz nobility suffered heavy losses, with seven or eight dead and several lacking arms or legs. Without timely treatment, they wouldn’t survive more than a few days; the others were also mostly injured, and the key issue was their despondency, many slipping into despair.
After counting the heads, Medisa realized she couldn’t find Romaine and QiYala; the latter was less concerning, but the former was the Lord’s fiancée, also one of her few human friends. Anxiety took hold, and she ordered everyone to spread out to search for the Merchant Miss and the Lord’s daughter, but ultimately, she received a clue from the sobbing young lady of the Golan-Elsen family.
“Before the explosion, Sister Romaine and Sister QiYala were right in front of me,” the little girl sniffled.
Soon, others recalled the scene, and the Vice-Captain of the Summer Solstice Knight Order, Bulfield, found the last known location of Romaine and QiYala based on everyone’s descriptions. They collectively began digging through the debris at that spot and uncovered a dark void beneath.
“This is a secret passage!” Bulfield gasped in realization.
“Are Sister Romaine and them down there?” the Prince asked anxiously.
“The passage is sealed off.” Medusalaisimeka’s angular pupils glimmered in the darkness; she glanced at the passage and replied casually.
Medisa did not speak; as the undead, darkness posed no obstacle to her. What Medusalaisimeka could see, she could also penetrate.
“Find a way to dig it open,” she replied.
A hand pressed down on hers in the dark. Medisa paused, turning to see the Duchess’s daughter’s bright eyes staring at her. “Miss Medisa, we can’t do that; the Cruz nobility is in a fragile emotional state and may cause trouble at any moment, and the injured need help too. This is the center of the battlefield, with two dragons; we cannot linger here. I don’t know what the Captain has told you, but we must relocate.”
Medisa’s eyes showed hesitation as she gently bit her lip.
The fighting outside had not ceased for a moment; the fire spread fiercely while golden light occasionally shone through the gaps in the rubble, bright and dim. Dry wood snapped in the flames, and the temperature was rising by the minute. Dragons flew low across the streets, making the already precarious buildings creak as if they would crumble any second. In such an environment, everyone’s nerves were stretched tightly, and injuries and despair could lead one to collapse and act irrationally. Brendel had previously issued orders for her to retreat to the teleportation portal, but what about Miss Romaine?
Oni spoke again: “Let Mr. Aike and the Princess take the others to safety; I’ll stay behind and help you find Miss Romaine.”
Medisa looked at her in surprise. “Miss Oni, you…”
“Miss Medisa, you are that person’s subordinate, while I am a member of the embassy. By staying behind, I represent Erluin’s delegation; it is my duty.” The Duchess’s daughter replied calmly. “Rest assured, I will absolutely not accept a reputation of leaving behind members in peril.”
“I’ll stay too,” Officer Marjory suddenly chimed in.
The Duchess’s daughter turned to him, casting an irritated glare.
“Miss Medisa, one is enough.”
Looking at the two, particularly at Marjory’s wound, Medisa couldn’t help but smile knowingly. “In that case, I fear Mr. Marjory might not agree with me, so we’ll do as Miss Oni says. Mr. Aike and Captain Bulfield will handle the situation outside, and we’ll find Miss Romaine and Miss QiYala.”
In the darkness, faced with the teasing gaze of the Silver Elf Princess, both Oni and Marjory’s faces turned faintly red.
…
The Sprite gaped with her mouth open at the group of draconic beasts flying overhead. After the flood of flames turned Eynid to ash, the dragons circled above her for a moment before slowly landing in front of her. They flapped their wings twice, thudding heavily on the ground, their glaring eyes fixated on the little one. The Sprite covered her face from the dust being kicked up, coughing as she peered through her fingers at the massive creature. After watching for a while, she exclaimed in surprise:
“Xainne, you’ve grown big!”
The dragon beast swayed its enormous head, slowly approaching her. Noticing she wasn’t afraid at all, it felt its dignity challenged and spread its wings, releasing a deafening roar aimed at the little being.
The Sprite screamed, covering her ears, shaking like a leaf in a storm. With her eyes shut, she shouted angrily, “Xainne, how dare you yell at me! I won’t talk to you anymore; you’re so naughty!”
Now, the dragon was the one puzzled. This species of dragons was a lower-tier breeding lineage but possessed some intelligence compared to lesser dragons. Its enormous head couldn’t fathom why this little one would dare to shout at it. If possible, it would be scratching its head, bewildered as to what this little creature could possibly threaten it and why it dared stand before it, unafraid.
However, beasts, after all, were not genuinely intelligent beings and could not thoroughly comprehend the cause-effect relationship at play. In a fit of petulance, it chose to obey its primal instincts, blowing a wisp of flame directed at the Sprite. In its simpler logic—enemies that could be burned to death were worthy of provocation, while those that couldn’t must make way.
A wisp of flame from the Hill Dragon, relative to the Sprite, was like a fireball the size of a small house, but she was utterly stunned as she watched the golden flame rush towards her.
Xainne was going to kill her!
“Sprite! You complete idiot! That ugly, stupid, clumsy piece of work—how am I anything like it?!” With a screech, a dark shadow shot in from somewhere, crashing into the Sprite. The two rolled together, just barely escaping the range of the fireball.
There was a deafening explosion as the fireball hit the ground, shockwaves sweeping past the street, sending the two tumbling several meters away, stopping amidst the startled cries.
Tears streaming down her face, the Sprite clung to the being that had struck her. “Xainne! I knew you wouldn’t kill me! You’re the best!”
“Get lost, you little brat!” Xainne growled, swatting the Sprite across the face with her tail.
…
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