Chapter 468: Chapter 3: Wings of Death
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—
The sound of the Rune Cannon, accelerated to its limit by a Technique, only reached the other Giant Dragons after it had already struck its target. Following a dull thud of flesh being pierced, a massive, deep hole instantly appeared in the head of the foremost Giant Dragon. From behind shattered Dragon Scales, blue blood mixed with gray brain matter gushed out of the dark cavity.
This Giant Dragon had attempted to resist. It had raised its massive claws in an attempt to block, and the signs that the Magic Shield around its body had been pierced were clearly visible. But before a Light Arrow designed to slay colossal beasts and empowered by Westheid, all defenses were meaningless.
"Tasi!"
The dying roar shook the surrounding levels. The powerful Life Force of the Dragon Race prevented the Giant Dragon named Tasi from dying instantly. Even with its head pierced, it was merely a mortal injury. With his last ounce of strength, he unleashed a Dragon Language Magic spell.
Instantly, the entire region began to tremble. Endless icy energy converged into a beam of frigid light. Like a blue-white arrow, it shot straight toward the fleet, carrying an aura powerful enough to freeze anything in its path.
The other Giant Dragons had also finished preparing their Magic. Accompanied by a chorus of mournful, enraged roars, a torrent of violent, multicolored energies erupted, sweeping across the entire snowfield in an instant and blotting out their sight.
Powerful spells of ice, curses, restraints, fire, poison, lightning, wind, impact, and corrosion, all fueled by the Giant Dragons’ abundant Magic Power, surged forth like an unstoppable tide. Before such power, even the Barriers, reinforced countless times by Techniques, were pierced again and again, leaving deep, massive tunnels in their wake.
Thanks to Barriers like the Ascension Ceremony, the battleships of the Celestial Vault Kingdom did not suffer much damage. However, the two battleships of the Expeditionary Army were teetering on the verge of collapse under the assault of Dragon Language Magic.
’We fired first and still didn’t gain an advantage?’
Westheid was slightly displeased by this, but he remained silent, maintaining his air of detached mastery.
More battleships joined the volley, firing one shot after another until the Legendary Giant Dragons stationed in the center could no longer hold back and charged forward.
"Insolence!"
The roar was like thunder, shaking the very air. In the distance, churning rain clouds were instantly blasted apart by the violent sound waves, revealing a hole hundreds of meters in diameter. In the very center of this opening, a Giant Dragon, its body clearly several times larger than the other Flying Dragons nearby, flapped its wings and flew rapidly toward the flagship.
The Ancient Dragon had already arrived directly in front of the battleship.
It was an incredibly robust Black Dragon, its scales pristine and glossy with a subtle violet sheen. A distinct black shimmer flowed across its wings, and a row of sharp, prominent spines ran down its back.
Compared to it, the ordinary Flying Dragons nearby looked like human children next to an adult. Even the Floating Battleship was nothing more than a rather large aerial toy in its eyes.
Its body was wreathed in a black smog. The Black Dragon looked down upon the fleet with some apprehension, an inscrutable light flowing within its amethyst-like eyes.
Westheid met its gaze, certain the dragon was looking at him... or perhaps at the people beside him. After all, the Expeditionary Army’s lineup was almost absurdly stacked; the sheer number of Legendary Powerhouses was enough to frighten anyone to death.
"You... are not the fleet of the Celestial Vault Kingdom."
The pitch-black Giant Dragon spoke slowly, sizing up the fleet before it.
"Turn back. If you turn around now, we will not give chase, seeing as we have already had our fill from the hunt."
’Turn back? What’s with the act?’
Faced with the Ancient Dragon’s modicum of "goodwill," Westheid gave a contemptuous laugh and said to those beside him,
"Continue. Wipe them all out."
Instantly, all the Rune Arrays on the Floating Battleships began to operate. Two Magic Energy Furnace Cores started refining energy at full capacity, and more Arrays of Macro Cannons were activated.
The Black Dragon flew into a rage. Its gesture of goodwill—as it saw it—had been utterly trampled upon. With the famously fiery temper of the Dragon Race, this was an insult he could not bear!
"You’ve gone too far!"
Floating before the battleship, a darkness so profound that not a single ray of light could penetrate it surged around the Black Dragon. It was Negative Energy, concentrated to its absolute limit. Even in the deepest stellar abyss, one would rarely find such a dense mass of Negative Energy.
With each surge of this darkness, the surrounding black mist grew thicker. The overwhelming power even incited the lightning in the atmosphere. The moment the dark clouds reached a certain threshold, thunder and lightning split the sky. Above the Black Dragon, streaks of purple lightning snaked across the firmament, unleashing terrifying power.
"I am of the Divine Ancestor’s Direct Lineage, the Wings of Death! Since you refuse my mercy, then heed the silence of your own extinction!"
Dragon Thunder howled down, engulfing the Floating Battleship in a blast of extreme light and heat.
Then, the dragons under his command turned and began to surge toward the fleet. A massive battle erupted.
"It’s the Dragon God’s True Blood..."
Seeing the pitch-black Giant Dragon rampaging about as if unstoppable, Reiya’s brow furrowed slightly. She turned to Westheid and said,
"Let me..."
Westheid interrupted, "No. Since he is of the Dragon God’s True Blood, his Dragon Thunder will have the same suppressive effect on you. This is different from the time with Scorching Wings. So... I’ll handle him."
He had originally planned to let the fleet handle things, but seeing how arrogant Wings of Death was, he realized he needed to establish his authority before the Expeditionary Army. It was also the perfect opportunity to test his strength in his first battle since becoming a Demigod.
Duke Qinghui’s hands were itching for a fight.
CLANG!
Just as the pitch-black Ancient Dragon was wreaking havoc throughout the fleet, the sound of clashing steel rang out from within the smoke. The black smog covering the ship was instantly overwhelmed by a thicker, more violent surge of power. The Shadow-Born, blazing with crimson lightning, tore through the darkness, emitting that same metallic clang.
Along with an incredibly intense surge of Magic Power, the black fog and lightning that had shrouded the sky were utterly scoured away.
However, Westheid’s charged strike failed to connect. The evasive speed of Wings of Death was far greater than he had imagined.
’So he’s been on guard against me the whole time?’
Without another word, Westheid let out a disdainful sneer, and his figure vanished in an instant.
Immense power erupted from beneath his feet. The air itself became like solid ground, allowing him to launch himself forward, completely unhindered by gravity. With a low shout, he tightened his grip on the Shadow-Born in his right hand and swept it toward the abdomen of Wings of Death.
To the Giant Dragon, Duke Qinghui was no bigger than its palm, yet his strength was in no way inferior to the behemoth’s.
Wherever the Shadow-Born passed, the inky mist of Negative Energy was torn asunder. Even before the blade itself arrived, a powerful shockwave slammed into the Black Dragon like a Wind Giant Hammer. The surging fog of Negative Energy around the Black Dragon was cleanly split in two, and its body began to sway violently.
But it was only the mist that had been hit. As it dispersed, the massive form of Wings of Death was nowhere to be seen. Then, to the gasps of the observers inside the battleship, the Black Dragon appeared silently behind Duke Qinghui.
An energy sphere, seemingly coalesced from pure shadow, formed before the Black Dragon. Within it, pure Negative Energy lightning crackled. Tiny bolts of electricity flickered rapidly around the sphere, resembling an Array formed from thunder.
Clearly, it had just seamlessly cast several powerful spells to conceal its movements, then instantly teleported behind Westheid to deliver a fatal blow.
If not for its size, this Black Dragon could have been a fearsome assassin whose very name inspired terror.
"You are the commander of this fleet? To think that a powerhouse like you could emerge from a race of ants."
The Wings of Death stared at Westheid’s figure, his eyes both cautious and greedy.
Comments