Chapter 92: [92] Wyvern

The ice completely shattered, sending icicles flying in all directions, and out of the mess rose a terrifying creature.

Its body was covered with thick blue scales as tough as steel, long curved horns jutted out of its head, and its maw was lined with razor sharp teeth.

Long scaled wings spread out, sending a gust of wind blowing past them, massive talons pierced the earth, and then the monster opened its jaw, unleashing a bone chilling, icy wail.

Before them, stood an Ice Wyvern.

Yennefer stared at the monster in front of her and felt her heart nearly cease.

The warriors behind her were no better, as the wyvern stared down at them, some were shaking, their knees jittering, while others were on the verge of running.

Then the monster suddenly raised its large claw, and brought it right upon them.

“…Shield!” Yennefer hurriedly finished her chant, and a large golden dome surrounded them.

The claw landed on the dome with a deafening bang. Sparks erupted from the shield, a loud screeching sound reaching their ears as it did.

“Crossbows, fire!” Ash commanded as he watched the wyvern with unwavering determination.

Uncertain, the crossbow men lifted their weapons, letting out a battle cry as they unleashed a flurry of shots.

The arrows exploded against the wyvery’s face, some managing to burrow through its thick scales, drawing blood, while most bounced away.

SKREEEEEE!

The Wyvern brought its massive head right in front of the shield, causing Yen to gulp as it unleashed a breathtaking screech.

“Fire now!”

With its mouth open, the crossbow men fed the wyvern a mouth full of bolts.

The wyvern stepped back and shook its head in annoyance as its maw began to bleed.

“If we can keep this up, we might be able to do a little damage at least.” Ash stated.

Meanwhile, Artie’s party was at a respectable distance from the beast.

Although they were itching to join the battle, without Yennefer’s protection, only Artie would survive.

The rest of them would be picked off like flies.

The crossbow men continued unloading blast after blast, but by now, the Wyvern had begun to adapt to their tactics.

As the bolts came, it raised its winds and blew them away, then it lifted its massive claw and drove it right into the dome.

Screeech!

Golden sparks erupted from the shield, and Yennefer gritted her teeth, feeling the rebound from the attacks.

Her fingers were sweaty as she held her staff firmly, watching the wyvern’s every move.

“Our attacks are no longer effective, we need to change our tactics!” Yen screamed out to Ash.

Bang!

The Wyvern slammed both its claws into the shields, riding it like a horse and delivering multiple scratches to the dome.

Ash’s eyes widened as the dome split apart like a melon.

If the wyvern could laugh, then it would be cackling right now. It jumped back, then charged head first towards the gaping hole.

“?!”

Just as the elves began to panic, Yen’s mana suddenly flared brightly, and the shield resealed itself.

Splat!

The Wyvern slammed into it like a bird running into a carriage, crumpling to the floor like a wet clump of tissues.

“Ha!” Yennefer mocked. “It’s going to take ten of you to get through my shield!”

Whoosh!

Following Ash’s commands the crossbowmen delivered a concentrated strike on the wyvern’s neck, before it could get up.

The wound was shallow, but it was the most damage they had dealt since the start of the fight.

But pissed could not describe the state the wyvern was in.

It stood up, shook its head then screamed a thousand curses at them in the Wyvern tongue.

Or at least… that was what Yen firmly believed.

Then it unfurled its massive wings and flew into the air, disappearing behind the clouds.

“It… it is gone??” One of the elves said, falling to his knees.

“We are saved!!” Another shouted, a bright smile on his face.

Yennefer let out a tired sigh. Although it would have been best if they could slay the monster, she was relieved that it was gone.

They never made any preparations to fight such a beast, so they were already having difficulties.

“B-but, are we sure it’s really gone? What if it comes back?”

Yennefer froze.

Then she slowly turned to face the elf who had spoken. “Y-you!” She was about to hurl curses at him, but it was against the angelic code.

“You might have just jinxed us, you… you peanut headed man!”

As though on cue, another elf fell to his knees, and pointed a shaky hand at the sky.

“INCOMING!!”

They all turned to see a shadow descend from the sky like a meteor.

The wyvern was moving so fast that it became like an indomitable shadow.

“The shield can’t block that! Run!” Yen screamed at the top of her voice, raising her staff to intensify the shield.

“What about you Lady Yennefer?!” Ash hurriedly asked.

“We can’t all go or it will target us!” Yennefer yelled back.

Ash’s eyes widened when he realised the implications of what she said.

She was going to act as the bait and take the brunt of the damage, while the rest of them escaped.

“Go, all of you get out!” Ash screamed at the elves.

Although they looked reluctant, they could not disobey a direct order from their commander, and the fear gripping their hearts was more than a motivator.

Ash on the other hand entered a fighting stance.

“I will stay, I can’t let you take it alone! Even if I di—?!”

To Ash’s surprise, Yen grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and flung him right out of the shield.

Although she never did much training, she was able to use her vast mana to augment her strength.

Ash’s eyes widened as he watched the wyvern descend.

“N-NO!!”

BOOOM!

The Wyvern came down with the sound of thunder. The shield did not stand a chance, the moment the claws met it, it was split apart like a coconut.

The air seemed to fracture, the earth caved, and dust scattered around.

Ash shielded his face as the shockwave slammed into him, sending a jolt through his body.

Yennefer was blown away like a rag doll, her body rolling on the ground several times, as it was flung towards Artie and Ash, before bouncing terribly and coming to a stop.

When Ash saw the state she was in, he felt his heart ache.

Yennefer was bruised all over, her skull was most likely fractured as she was bleeding from her head.

Her skin was burned in several locations, there was a deep cut in her abdomen, and her arm had nearly been torn off, now it was only hanging on her shoulder by a little piece of torn flesh.

Worst of all, she had lost so much blood that it formed a pool around her.

She coughed out blood, her eyes glazed as she stared up at them.

Yennefer was murmuring some words, but Ash could not tell what it was.

“Y-yen?” Artie was mortified by what she was seeing. Her eyes were widened, and strangely she felt an ache in her heart.

“Yen??”

She called out again, but there was no answer.

“Yennefer! Stay with me!” Ash screamed, tears forming in his eyes.

Was he going to lose another person due to his own incompetence?

All Yen did was murmur those strange words, just before the last one died on her lips, and her head lulled to the side.

But before Ash could fall into despair, Artie knelt next to her. “She is still alive!” She said as she checked her pulse.

“Form a defensive circle around her now!” She barked at the elves who quickly followed her orders.

She ripped out a part of her clothing and tied up her bleeding arm.

There was nothing they could do about some of the wounds, so they just left it, hoping she would somehow survive.

But they both knew the chances were slim…

“Ash, we have to protect her. There might just be a slim chance…”

Artie could not believe the words that were coming out of her mouth, but she said it anyway.

The ideal thing to have done was run, yet she was about to charge into a fight that might just doom her.

“Aii— I hear you loud and clear.” Ash said as he stood up, his face dark.

A golden hum of mana suddenly began to flow around Artie, followed by sparks of lighting as she glared at the monster.

As for Ash—

Whoosh!

His mana flared like wild fire, covering him completely and blasting up into the sky.

“ARRGGHHHHHH!” He screamed at the top of his voice, his mana flaring even more.

B-Rank Skill, Rage.

When the mana calmed down, it was flowing around his body like a second skin, his ashen hair was floating in the air as though blown by the wind, and his eyes were glowing brightly.

The wyvern rose from the rubble and shook its head, sending stones and dirt flying.

The monster was still standing, but Yennefer had left them with a gift.

Just at the last moment, she had adjusted the shape of the shield, creating a large spike that the beast flew into…

Because of this, its right wing was bent in an awkward angle, yet, the monster was every bit as fierce as it earlier was.

SKKRRREEEEEEEEEEE!!!

It let out a large wail, sending a sound wave blasting past them.

Ash frowned and raised his sword. “You will pay for this!”

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