Chapter 204: THE AFTERMATH OF A SHIELD

Chapter 205 — THE AFTERMATH OF A SHIELD

For a few seconds after the emerald beam vanished, nobody moved.

The sky above the city was still glowing faintly green where the dragon’s attack had split apart and scattered into the atmosphere. Dust floated through the air in slow drifting clouds, lit by emergency lights and distant fires burning across several damaged districts.

Sirens were everywhere.

Ambulances. Fire engines. Police units.

All of them screaming through the streets below.

Yet the battlefield in the sky had fallen strangely quiet.

Dean Xu Canglong hovered in the air, holding the body of Grandmaster Tenzin Dorje in his arms.

The old monk’s robes were torn in several places where the pressure of the dragon’s beam had torn through fabric and skin alike. Blood had soaked into the cloth around his wrists and shoulders. His breathing was faint, almost impossible to hear over the distant noise of the city.

For a moment, Canglong did not say anything.

He simply looked down at the old man in his arms.

The calm mountain who had stood alone against a dragon.

General Han Dae-Woo landed on the rooftop beside them with a heavy thud that cracked the concrete beneath his boots.

He staggered once before catching his balance.

Even from a distance it was clear that the fight had taken its toll on him. His left shoulder was dislocated, his knuckles were still bleeding from earlier impacts, and one side of his armor plating had been crushed inward by the dragon’s tail strike.

Still, he walked forward.

He knelt beside Dorje.

“Hey… monk.”

Han placed two fingers against Dorje’s neck.

For a moment he didn’t say anything.

Then he let out a long breath.

“He’s alive.”

The words were simple.

But they carried enormous relief.

Above them, Headmaster Suryavansh Rao slowly descended from the sky, solar light fading around his body as he landed gently beside the others.

His robes were torn along the sleeves where the dragon’s energy blasts had grazed him. His normally composed expression looked far more tired than usual.

He knelt down beside Dorje and placed a glowing hand over the old monk’s chest.

Golden light flowed from his palm.

It spread slowly across Dorje’s body like warm sunlight falling across a frozen field.

Rao’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“His internal structure is damaged,” he said quietly.

“How bad?” Han asked.

Rao didn’t answer immediately.

The solar light pulsed again.

Then he exhaled slowly.

“He forced gravity fields far beyond the capacity of the human body.”

Canglong looked down at Dorje again.

“Will he survive?”

Rao hesitated.

“He should.”

The pause before the answer did not go unnoticed.

Across the rooftop, a dark ripple appeared in the air.

Astra Nyx stepped out of the distortion.

She looked toward the monk for a second before speaking.

“That beam would have erased half the city.”

Her voice was calm as always.

But there was something quieter underneath it.

Respect.

Commander Rafael Ibarra climbed up through the edge of the rooftop moments later, pulling himself over the broken railing with one arm.

His uniform was soaked with seawater and dust. A deep cut ran across his forehead where falling debris had struck him earlier.

He looked around the rooftop.

Then his gaze landed on Dorje.

“Tell me the old man didn’t just block that.”

Han gave a small shrug.

“Pretty much.”

Ibarra let out a low whistle.

“Well…”

He scratched the back of his head.

“That’s one hell of a way to make a point.”

For a moment none of them spoke.

The weight of what had just happened was still settling in.

Above them—

The Jade Dragon still hovered in the sky.

The massive creature had moved farther away during the exchange, circling slowly through the clouds like a predator reconsidering its prey.

Its emerald eyes watched the city.

Watched the Nine.

Watched the monk who had stood against its beam.

From the dragon’s perspective, the scene must have looked very small.

Tiny humans gathering on rooftops.

Fragile buildings clinging to life beneath them.

Yet the dragon had not attacked again.

Not yet.

Dean Xu Canglong slowly stood, still holding Dorje.

He walked toward the center of the rooftop and gently lowered the monk onto a relatively flat section of concrete.

Rao continued feeding solar energy into the monk’s body.

“His heart is stable,” the headmaster said.

“But he will not be able to fight.”

Han cracked his neck again.

“Good thing there’s still eight of us.”

Ibarra gave him a sideways look.

“You planning to punch the dragon to death?”

Han shrugged.

“Worked once.”

“Did it?” Nyx asked.

Han thought about that.

“…Fair point.”

Behind them, Dr. Elena Kovács arrived last.

A small swarm of surviving drones buzzed around her as she stepped onto the rooftop, tapping rapidly at the holographic display floating above her wrist.

Her glasses were cracked on one side.

She barely seemed to notice.

“Damage report,” she muttered.

Data scrolled rapidly across her screen.

“Multiple structural collapses across districts three and four. Emergency response is underway.”

She paused for a moment.

Then added quietly—

“But the city is still standing.”

Her eyes flicked toward Dorje.

Everyone knew why.

For a brief moment, none of the Nine spoke.

Even Han remained quiet.

Below them, the city slowly began to move again.

Firefighters dragged hoses through broken streets.

Police directed terrified civilians toward evacuation corridors.

Paramedics rushed injured people onto stretchers.

Life continuing.

Barely.

Canglong looked down at the city.

Then back up at the sky.

The Jade Dragon was still there.

Circling.

Watching.

“Why hasn’t it attacked again?” Ibarra asked.

Kovács glanced at the dragon through her drone cameras.

“It’s thinking.”

Han frowned.

“That thing thinks?”

Nyx answered before Kovács could.

“All apex predators do.”

The dragon’s wings beat slowly once more.

The movement stirred the clouds.

A shadow passed across the entire district.

Canglong’s hand tightened around the grip of his sword.

“It learned from the formation earlier,” he said quietly.

“And from Dorje.”

Rao nodded slightly.

“It understands we will sacrifice ourselves to protect the city.”

Han scratched his jaw.

“So now what?”

Nyx looked up at the dragon.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Now it stops attacking us.”

The others looked toward her.

Nyx pointed upward.

“It attacks the city.”

As if answering her words—

The Jade Dragon turned.

Its massive body shifted direction.

Instead of facing the Nine—

It angled toward the deeper districts of the city.

Industrial zones.

Power plants.

Transportation hubs.

Critical infrastructure.

Kovács’ eyes widened.

“Oh no.”

Her drones zoomed in.

“It’s targeting structural systems.”

Ibarra cursed.

“If it drops the power grid, evacuation stops.”

Han rolled his shoulders again.

“Then we go stop it.”

Canglong looked around at the exhausted group.

Eight fighters left.

One unconscious monk.

A city beneath them.

And a dragon in the sky.

The dean slowly lifted his sword.

“We buy the city more time.”

The others nodded.

Not because they thought they could win.

But because the alternative was worse.

Above them—

The Jade Dragon opened its wings.

The next attack was coming.

And the battle was far from over.

[Chapter ENDS]

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