Chapter 163: Impossible Odds (III)

Ishiki was on his knees… trying to cover his ears with his hands. The grating roar of the creature had subsided but it left a deep ringing sound in his ears.

He was currently fairly far from the main battlefield but still he was in range. He had not managed to get too far from the dragon thanks to his battered body.

The dragon had gone after filch and marked him as more valuable than Ishiki.

He gritted his teeth as the ringing in his ears gradually dulled. ’Damn it… Even kaori and Yuki have joined the battle. And it seems the demon is hell bent on killing that thing.’

Ishiki again leaned from behind the house he was hiding and looked at the mess… the dragon had been pierced by several projectiles and yet he was already healing.

’But the healing is slower than before… so his healing has a limit!’ Ishiki deduced from having seen the dragon for a while now.

Even if he was going to join the battle, he would not do so without preparations and observing has always been one of his better suits.

Suddenly the dragon’s figure blurred… Ishiki blinked and rubbed his eyes thinking that the exhaustion was catching up to him. But his eyes widened as the dragon disappeared from reality all together.

’What the… where did it go?’

One instant standing among the blood spears, the next he was in front of the demon. His taloned hand closed around the demon’s throat and lifting Arthur’s body off the ground like it weighed nothing.

The demon’s eyes widened fractionally. Its blood wings exploded outward, the liquid crystallizing into razor-sharp edges that slashed at the dragon’s arm. The blades carved deep furrows through scaled flesh, golden ichor sprayed, but the dragon didn’t release its grip.

“You’ve annoyed me twice now,” the dragon said conversationally. “Here’s what’s going to happen… I’m going to throw you again. But this time, I’m going to throw you harder. And then I’m going to get back to my conversation with the pretty ladies, because unlike you, they’re at least entertaining.”

Then the dragon twisted his body and threw the demon.

Arthur’s body became a projectile that flew backward with such velocity that it made the wind whistle. The demon tried to slow itself by spreading the wings but the wings broke and splattered around… it crashed through one building, then a second, then a third.

Each impact sent explosive cascades of pulverized stone and splintered timber into the air. Dust clouds billowed outward like volcanic eruptions.

The dragon watched the trajectory with critical assessment, then shook its head. “Only three buildings. I must be getting soft.” It turned back to Yuki and Kaori with that same pleasant smile. “Now then, where were we? Ah yes—I was explaining why you two should feel honored to catch my attention.”

Kaori moved first.

She darted sideways, using rubble for cover, circling to flank while the dragon’s attention remained ostensibly fixed on Yuki.

“Oh, I can see you moving, you know,” the dragon called out without looking in her direction. “My peripheral vision is quite excellent. One of the benefits of being a superior lifeform.”

Yuki didn’t waste breath on words… instead she planted her feet and thrust both hands forward.

Ice erupted from the ground in jagged pillars that shot upward like crystalline spears, each one thick as a tree trunk and sharp as needle. They burst from marble with explosive force, forming a forest of frozen pillars that converged on the dragon from below.

The dragon’s wings spread and beat once—a single powerful downstroke that generated hurricane-force wind. The gale shattered the ice pillars mid-formation, reducing them to glittering fragments that sprayed outward like snowflakes.

“Impressive technique, But you are thinking too linearly” the dragon commented, brushing ice shards from its shoulders and smiled. “You need to be more creative if you want to keep me interested.”

During the wing beat, Kaori had closed distance using the cover of flying ice shards. She emerged from the crystalline cloud already within striking range, fist drawn back, entire body weight shifting into the punch.

Blue light blazed around her knuckles as pure kinetic force compressed to a single point. The essence of momentum itself, stolen from air and ground and concentrated into her strike.

She aimed for the dragon’s ribs.

“Now that’s better!” the dragon said with genuine approval.

The punch connected.

The impact was thunderous… a shockwave expanded outward. The dragon’s body actually lifted slightly from the ground, ribs visibly compressing inward from the concentrated force.

The dragon exhaled sharply. “Oh my. That actually hurt. Just a little, but still.” It looked at Kaori with newfound respect. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you? I’m starting to see why I should keep you alive.”

Kaori’s pupils shrank to pinpricks… she instantly shifted her weight to jump back but the dragon’s tail lashed forwards faster than her.

The serpentine appendage caught Kaori across the stomach before she could retreat.

The impact was like being hit by a steel beam moving at highway speed. She flew backward, crashed through a wall and disappeared into the interior of a collapsed shop.

“Though you do need to work on your defensive positioning,” the dragon added helpfully. “Always watch the tail, darling. Amateur mistake.”

“Kaori!” Yuki screamed.

The dragon turned toward her. “Ah, concern for your companion. How touching. How… human.” The smile returned. “Don’t worry, I didn’t kill her. Where would be the fun in that? I much prefer my conquests conscious and aware.”

Yuki’s pink eyes blazed colder. Frost began spreading from where she stood. The temperature dropped so rapidly that vapor condensed from the air, mist rolling across the street in ghostly waves.

“Ooh, now you’re angry,” the dragon observed with delight. “The pretty pink hair, the gorgeous eyes, and an ice theme? You’re like every fantasy I had during imprisonment rolled into one perfect package.”

She thrust one hand forward and ice responded.

Thousands upon thousands of ice shards, each one no larger than a fingernail, forming a swirling vortex that orbited Yuki like planetary rings. They spun faster and faster, building velocity, until the air itself screamed from their passage.

“Now that’s more like it,” the dragon said approvingly. “Creativity! A display of genuine power!” It spread its arms wide in welcoming gesture. “Show me what you’ve got, frost maiden. Make me feel something.”

Yuki released the ice storm.

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