Chapter 472: 472

A subtle mental fluctuation rippled from the dragon beast, a faint pulse of energy that seemed to resonate with the frozen wolves. A moment later, one of the icy tombs, containing a particularly large ice wolf, began to levitate, hovering slowly towards the exhausted beast. With a crunch that echoed across the silent landscape, the dragon beast took a massive bite, its powerful jaws shattering the frozen carcass.

The taste was a strange, almost paradoxical blend of icy cold and rich, meaty warmth. The frozen flesh, infused with the wolf’s concentrated mana, proved to be an unexpected delicacy. The dragon beast’s powerful digestive system worked with astonishing speed, breaking down the frozen meat and absorbing the vital nutrients and mana. A palpable surge of energy coursed through its veins, revitalizing its weary body.

As the dragon beast consumed the frozen wolf, a visible transformation began to occur. Its famished, thin frame, previously showing the strain of the battle, began to fill out, the muscles rippling beneath its white scales. The sunken hollows around its eyes vanished, replaced by a renewed sharpness and vitality. Its wounds, previously gaping and bleeding, began to close, the damaged scales replaced by new, even harder ones. The older scales, too, seemed to thicken and harden, their surface shimmering with a newfound resilience.

The dragon beast’s height increased, its massive frame expanding until it was comparable to the size of a large truck. Its previously lean and muscular form became even more imposing, its powerful limbs and thick neck radiating raw power. The icy blue of its eyes intensified, glowing with a renewed ferocity. The previously exhausted beast now radiated a renewed power, the mana it absorbed fueling a rapid and visible evolution.

The consumption of the magical wolf meat became a catalyst, accelerating the dragon beast’s natural regenerative abilities and pushing it to a new level of power. The dragon beast, now fully replenished, rose to its feet, its massive form casting a long shadow across the icy expanse.

The dragon beast, now fully restored and significantly larger, unleashed a thunderous roar that reverberated across the frozen plains. The sound, a primal declaration of its renewed strength, echoed through the icy peaks, a clear message to any rivals or allies within earshot: it had awakened, and it was powerful.

The roar faded, leaving a chilling silence in its wake. Suddenly, a voice, laced with arrogance, cut through the stillness. “Quite a big one, we have here.”

The dragon beast turned its massive head, its icy blue eyes scanning the landscape. Its gaze settled on a frozen mound some distance away. A figure stood atop it, a young man, a prince, his sword glinting in the pale light. A smirk played on his lips, a mixture of amusement and predatory intent. The dragon beast huffed, a plume of icy air escaping its nostrils, a silent acknowledgment of the prince’s presence.

As a fourth-stage beast, the dragon beast possessed the ability to speak, its voice a deep, resonant growl. “Who are you?” it demanded, its voice carrying the weight of its newfound power.

The prince’s smirk widened. “I am the one who will claim your heart, beast. A worthy trophy for one of my lineage.” He drew his sword, the polished steel reflecting the icy landscape. “You are a rare and powerful creature, a testament to the might of dragon blood. Such a prize is worthy of a royal hunt.”

The dragon beast narrowed its eyes, the icy blue intensifying. “A hunt?” it rumbled, its voice laced with disdain. “You believe you can hunt me?”

“Indeed,” the prince replied, his voice brimming with confidence. “Your power is impressive, but it is nothing compared to the power of a true hunter. I have faced beasts far greater than you, and I have always emerged victorious. Your dragon blood will be a valuable addition to my collection.”

The dragon beast shifted its weight, its powerful limbs digging into the snow. “Arrogance,” it growled. “A dangerous trait for a mortal.”

This wiped the smirk off the rpince face as he looked at the dragon beast with disdain “You are indeed a stain to the mightyness of the dragons, if your nose still tells you that I am a mortal”

The prince’s confident smirk vanished, replaced by a mask of cold disdain. “You are indeed a stain to the mightiness of the dragons,” he hissed, his voice laced with venom. “If your nose still tells you that I am a mortal.”

The dragon beast’s icy eyes narrowed, its massive frame shifting slightly, a subtle display of its growing anger. “What are you then?” it rumbled, its voice echoing across the frozen expanse. “If not mortal, then what?”

The prince smirked as his Odachi sword pointed at the beast, a crimson aura began seeping out from his body and surrounding him, his eyes took a red hue and his voice with anticipation said “Why don’t you find out yourself”

A guttural roar echoes through the area, and a wave of frigid air slams into the prince, forming a wall of ice spikes. The prince, his eyes narrowed, sidesteps the initial barrage, the crimson aura around him flickering as it interacts with the biting cold.

“So eager to die,” the prince hisses, his voice a low, venomous rasp. He dropped from the ice mound he was on, onec his feet touched the ground, he lunges, his sword flashing, aiming for the dragon beast underbelly.

The dragon beast, anticipating the attack, whips its tail, a massive, ice-encrusted appendage that raised the snow around them. The prince, his enhanced senses warning him, deflects the blow, but the force of the impact sends him skidding across the ice.

The prince was at the peak of the third stage of his people power system called “Demonic affinity” where one develops and find out their affinity, in the prince’s case, his demonic affinity manifests as a heightened, almost precognitive sense of his opponent’s movements, allowing him to anticipate attacks with unnerving accuracy.

The beast not letting go unleashes a torrent of ice shards, each one a deadly projectile. The prince, moving with unnerving speed, weaves through the barrage, his blade deflecting the closest shards. The crimson aura around him intensifies, the scent of blood filling the air, a heady, intoxicating aroma that begins to affect the dragon beast, stirring a primal, aggressive response.

But the draconic blood and the power of Ice flowing through it’s dody managed to keep it calm. It needs to keep the prince away from coming close to him.

Just the intial burst of speed from the prince showed how much of a problem it would be in once the prince closes in, especailly since it’s body is the size of a truck, fast but not fast enough and unlike true dragons, it can’t shrink it’s body.

It has to push it’s ice manipulation to the max and wear the prince out.

“It seems your calm is a facade,” the prince taunts, his voice echoing across the frozen expanse, though his breath plumed white in the frigid air. “Beneath that icy veneer, I smell fear.” He rose from his skidding halt, his boots crunching on the newly formed ice. The crimson aura around him pulsed.

The dragon beast, its reptilian eyes glowing with a cold, blue light, roared, a sound that shook the very ice beneath their feet. A cascade of ice spikes erupted from the ground, jagged and razor-sharp, forming a deadly barrier between the prince and the beast. The creature then unleashed a blizzard, an almost impenetrable wall of swirling snow and ice, designed to obscure its movements and disorient its agile opponent.

The prince, however, was not deterred. His demonic affinity, now heightened to an almost supernatural level, allowed him to perceive the slightest shifts in the air currents, the subtle vibrations in the ice, and the minute changes in the beast’s energy signature. He moved like a phantom, his blade slicing through the swirling snow, deflecting the ice spikes with effortless precision.

“You hide behind your ice,” the prince hissed, his voice cutting through the blizzard. “But I see you.” He channeled his inner power, the crimson aura around him flaring, and a wave of heat radiated outwards, melting the surrounding snow and creating a momentary clearing. He saw the beast, a massive, hulking silhouette within the blizzard, its eyes glowing like twin, malevolent stars.

The dragon beast, realizing its cover was compromised, shifted its strategy. It began to manipulate the very ice beneath the prince’s feet, creating fissures and unstable patches, attempting to trap him or throw him off balance. The ice twisted and writhed, forming grasping tendrils that sought to ensnare his legs.

The prince, anticipating the move, leapt and danced across the treacherous surface, his movements fluid and graceful, like a dancer. He used the ice itself as a weapon, channeling his demonic energy to shatter the grasping tendrils with precise strikes of his sword.

“You want to wear me out?” he chuckled, the sound chillingly devoid of warmth. “You underestimate my resolve. My power grows with every drop of blood spilled, every near-miss, every desperate attempt you make.” He landed on a relatively stable patch of ice, his eyes locked on the beast. “And the scent of your fear, it fuels me.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep