Chapter 267: Poisonous Swamp

While Maria and Cherry were preoccupied, the situation outside was deteriorating.

Fafnir, having been pushed through two portals, ended up contracting Nina and Ria’s curse formation. As a result, his overall status dropped by 50%.

This drop was significant, especially considering his previously high stat value.

Axel recognized that their best opportunity to attack was now, while Fafnir was experiencing the curse’s weakening for the first time. It would take the dragon some time to adjust to his reduced strength, so they needed to act quickly to ensure their safety before he adapted.

“Take this!”

“HAAAP!”

At the forefront of the battle were Axel and Arianne.

Both wielding the Replica of Gram, their strikes were inflicting real pain on the dragon with each blow. However, even this relentless assault had its limits.

With every swing of their swords, a new red line marred the evil dragon’s scaly body. Their speed made it difficult for Fafnir to focus on either one of them; they moved like blurs, delivering countless minor wounds.

It was almost as if they were torturing him to death by a thousand cuts!

[Damned mortals…!]

Of course, he wouldn’t allow the situation to continue as it was.

He quickly adjusted his posture, curling inward to minimize his exposed surface area. This maneuver didn’t deter Axel and Arianne, who pressed on with their relentless slashes, but…

“…!”

They soon realized that the evil dragon was merely stalling for time.

Something flickered from within his arms, obscured by his massive wings. A purple flash, reminiscent of flames condemned by the depths of hell.

It looked dangerous.

Extremely so.

“Don’t let him finish!” Bellachrona shouted in a panic as she rushed forward.

Simultaneously, she began her brief incantation, hoping it would have an effect. “Oh world, halt…!”

For a brief moment, time halted for everyone except her. This ability relied heavily on her mastery of the time element, her skill, her mana reserves, and, ultimately, the resistance of her target.

Given that her enemy was a dragon of a higher level—even with his stats reduced—the mana consumption was substantial. To maintain the time stop, she could only hold it for about half a second before exhausting her mana.

Time was not on her side. Therefore, she determined the most efficient approach to swiftly “finish” the enemy.

Bella dashed toward Arianne, swiftly grabbing her sword and gripping it in her left hand.

In her right hand, she still held the “club” crafted from God’s Mineral, an indestructible weapon given to her by Axel. Crude yet functional.

Then, she descended back toward Fafnir, who lay curled up like a ball, cradling what appeared to be a sphere of eerie purple energy—something she recognized all too well.

’We can’t let him complete it!’ She thought as she began her swing.

The club transformed into a flaming bat as it struck Fafnir’s back. It moved through space with such velocity that it ignited the air around it.

In contrast, the sword swung with immense strength and speed, cutting through space itself and revealing darkness in the gaps it created. When it struck Fafnir’s wing, it drew a clear line, slicing through with ease.

She severed one of his wings cleanly!

She followed up with another attack, bringing the club down on the back of his head while attempting to decapitate him with the blade. However…

“Shit…!”

Her mana ran out.

The abrupt end of the time-stop caught her off guard, and the sudden return to the natural flow of time caused a painful rebound, making her vomit blood. The agony was beyond imagination, forcing her to grit her teeth!

Yet, she continued to swing both weapons.

The club and sword descended, maintaining their momentum from the halted time. They raced toward their targets, making contact with Fafnir’s scales, but then—

CLANG!

“…!”

Both weapons bounced back. While the club, being a blunt instrument, inflicted some damage, the sword, Gram, barely registered against Fafnir’s scales.

Despite having lost a wing and sustaining a dented backbone, Fafnir completed his casting, glared at Bella, and smiled.

[I win…!]

He spread his wing, creating a powerful gust that blew away everyone nearby. Axel and Arianne braced themselves, staying in place despite the force.

At that moment, the object in his hand was finally revealed: a blot of flame burning in an eerie purple, just like before. It took the shape of a burning ball, but surprisingly, it didn’t seem to harm him at all.

“Shit…! Everyone, hurry and get away from him…!” Bella warned, moving quickly as she popped a mana potion she was required to carry for recovery.

[It’s futile…!]

But Fafnir just laughed loudly, raising the flaming ball before slamming it against the ground.

As soon as he did, it appeared as if purple lightning sparked from the point of impact, spreading radially outward.

The ground cracked open, revealing purple flames beneath. Then, it began to shift, as if it were no longer solid but instead floating in the middle of the sea.

“What the?!”

“Woah…!”

Nina and Ria were the first to be affected.

They weren’t prepared for the ground to suddenly shift like water, causing them to fall to their knees. As they placed their hands on the surface, they realized it had transformed. It was no longer solid but resembled liquid rubber—much like a Newtonian fluid!

Arianne reacted quickly, jumping away from the epicenter.

However, when she landed, her leg became embedded in the soft ground, trapping her. She couldn’t pull her leg free!

Axel was fine since he could float in midair, along with Fenrir and Bella. But the others were stuck, captured in Fafnir’s “attack.” Observing from above, he quickly deduced what had happened.

“The earth has turned into a bottomless, poisonous swamp!”

He deemed it “poisonous” based on the purple surface, with bubbles and smoke rising shortly after its formation. Fafnir, who was in the center of it all, definitely felt stronger and continued to grow in power with each passing second.

Axel felt puzzled but, more importantly, wary of approaching.

“This is bad…” Bella whispered, frowning. “While we’re in his domain—the poisonous swamp—Fafnir’s abilities will increase by 1% every second!”

“What the hell?!”

Hearing Bella’s words changed Axel’s perspective.

They couldn’t waste any more time! They needed to finish the fight as quickly as possible, or their situation would become dire.

Just as he began to panic—

BANG!

The sound of a gunshot echoed.

It was loud and straightforward. But most importantly, it was inconspicuous.

Eve, positioned a few kilometers away, was safe from the swamp as her holy bullet arrived, striking the ground between Fafnir’s feet, right in the chaos.

No, it wasn’t just one shot.

More shots followed, scattered around as if they had been randomly selected.

“…!”

Then, the purple field began to dissipate, washed away by a blinding flash of glittery white light.

The “trump card” that Fafnir had prepared… was conquered in an instant!

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