Chapter 167: Impossible Odds (VII)

At the moment of contact, the golden light intensified to blinding levels. Then without warning… the blood serpent began to boil.

The liquid superheated so rapidly it transitioned to vapor before it could pull away. Soon its body began disintegrating from the head backward.

Everything within twenty meters of the dragon simply ceased to exist. Even stone sublimated to vapor. The air itself ignited from sudden temperature spike as if a missile had burst in the area.

Ishiki, Yuki, and Kaori threw themselves behind the nearest intact building as the blast wave passed overhead. Heat washed over them—intense enough to singe hair, to make skin prickle with pre-burn warning.

“What the hell!” Kaori gritted her teeth and pulled away from the wall that had suddenly turned hot.

The demon’s eyes widened in shock. It poured more power into maintaining the construct, but it wasn’t enough and the toll was clearly visible on Arthur’s body.

That broken body was trembling with strain as both hands tried to reshape the remaining blood. Blood vessels burst across Arthur’s forearms and above his eyes.

His face was turned into a grotesque mask of red as his eyes seeped blood constantly and lost their light.

The dragon pushed forward, walking through the serpent’s mass, golden light vaporizing everything it touched. Blood boiled and evaporated, leaving nothing but steam in the dragon’s wake as it advanced toward the demon with inexorable purpose.

“Impossible,” the demon breathed, Arthur’s stolen voice cracking with strain and disbelief.

The dragon emerged from the dissipating blood cloud, now standing mere meters from where the demon waited. Golden eyes fixed on Arthur’s body with cold finality.

His body had already healed… under the golden light and he now looked even more perfect than it already had.

“You’ve entertained me long enough,” the dragon said. “Time to—”

Suddenly he stopped… his eyes widened and he spat a mouthful of golden blood and an indescribable pain rose through his whole body.

Under the influence of using too much power from the Orb he had to face the backlash. But it was happening at a very wrong time… he was surrounded by enemies.

Well it was all because of that kid who had brought him to this point.

Arthur or the demon in his body saw the chance and cut open his own wrist. He used the blood that flowed to form a needle thin straight beam to shot straight at the dragon’s heart.

The dragon twisted at the last instant.

But not fast enough to dodge fully… the beam pierced through his chest but not any vital organs.

The dragon’s hand lashed out, catching the demon by the throat before it could retreat. “How cowardly,” it hissed through gritted teeth, pain and anger mixing.

It drove a fist into the demon’s stomach.

The impact folded Arthur’s body like paper… blood exploded from the demon’s mouth.

The dragon released the throat and caught Arthur’s falling form by the face, fingers wrapping around the skull with crushing pressure. Then it slammed the demon into the ground with devastating force.

Marble cracked. Arthur’s body bounced once, twice, then lay still.

But the demon wasn’t finished.

Blood wings erupted from Arthur’s back. They were not the elegant shapes from before, but desperate, ragged things. They beat frantically, lifting the broken form off the ground.

The dragon watched this with cold eyes. “Trying to run away now?”

It spread its own four wings, preparing to pursue—

Stone erupted from the ground beneath its feet.

Every piece of broken marble within ten meters responding to a single desperate will, flowing together into restraints that wrapped around the dragon’s torso.

Filch.

The burgundy-haired young man was lying on the ground with his hands which might have been broken pressed on the ground. Blood poured from his mouth in a steady stream. A pool of blood was forming under him from a ghastly wound in his abdomen… even his innards looked like they were about to spill out, but somehow—impossibly. He was still conscious and fighting.

“You…” the dragon’s voice dropped. “You should be dead.”

It tore free from the stone restraints with a single violent motion, then began walking toward Filch with deliberate, measured steps.

“I thought I gave you a quick death,” the dragon continued, golden eyes fixed on Filch’s defiant face. “But you refuse to accept it.”

Filch tried to speak, but only blood came out. His hands remained pressed to the ground, but no more constructs formed… he was out of everything and his body was far past his mortal limits.

He might as well already be dead, maybe this is his corpse walking.

Behind the building… Yuki had been working and had healed kaori and Ishiki fully. She let out a tired heave and the air from her mouth came out in form of mist.

She was feeling cold… really cold.

Ishiki pushed himself upright. The wounds across his arm and abdomen were closed now. The wound that had refused to heal on its own for the past 8 days was now completely healed.

He glanced at Yuki and his expression became somewhat gloomy… she looked tired and her face had become paler than usual.

Then he heard the dragon’s angry voice calling to someone… he and Kaori exchanged quick glances and then went to look at what was happening.

They ran out from their cover and hid behind a half broken wall. Peeking from behind the wall Ishiki saw the scene and his eyes widened.

He looked at Filch lying on the ground there. His abdomen had an ugly wound from which blood constantly spilled out… it was miracle that he was still smiling.

Ishiki’s breath became ragged and his chest felt hot. His body trembled with rage.

He didn’t summon anything or wait to think. He simply ran towards the dragon approaching the fallen human.

Kaori grabbed his arm. “Ishiki, wait—you can’t—”

He pulled free without a word and ran.

The dragon reached Filch, taloned hand extending toward the young man’s throat. “Any last words?”

The dragon looked at his side once and continued on his pursuit… he didn’t care about the weakling that could be taken care of easily.

As Ishiki closed the distance… the dragon’s tail snapped sideways, moving to catch the attack—

But Ishiki wasn’t there anymore.

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