Travis’s eyes widened as he stumbled back.
"What—?!"
Lydia landed between them, her twin daggers gleaming under the battlefield’s eerie glow.
She smirked.
"Wow. You actually talk too much for a man."
Before Travis could react, the air shifted once more.
A massive shadow loomed over them.
And then—the battlefield trembled.
The Dracolich landed with a thunderous impact, its skeletal wings spreading wide, casting an ominous shadow over the fight.
Its hollow blue eyes burned with unearthly fire, locking onto Travis.
For the first time, the warrior hesitated.
Lydia spun her daggers.
"Hope you don’t mind if I cut in."
Silphie let out a shaky breath, relief washing over her. "Lydia . . ."
The moment the Dracolich landed, the battlefield shifted.
Its massive, skeletal wings unfurled, sending a wave of necrotic energy through the air. The ground cracked beneath its weight, and the temperature seemed to drop as the sheer presence of the undead dragon cast an overwhelming aura over the battlefield.
Travis, for the first time, hesitated.
He had been confident—unstoppable, even—until now.
His summoned guardian, which had been overwhelming the Giant Hawk, suddenly lurched backward, its glowing eyes flickering.
A deep growl rumbled from the Dracolich’s hollow chest, and with a single snap of its jaw, a wave of black fire surged forward, engulfing the guardian.
The elite-tier summon roared in agony as the dark flames consumed it, the necrotic energy rapidly corrupting its core.
Its massive frame shuddered, then crumbled into dust.
Travis’s eyes widened.
His trump card—destroyed in seconds.
"That damned dragon!"
What kind of monster was that Dracolich?
A summoned guardian from a high-tier artifact should have been nearly indestructible—even the Giant Hawk had struggled against it.
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And yet, with a single breath, the Dracolich had incinerated it into nothing but dust.
Such raw, overwhelming power.
The Giant Hawk screeched triumphantly, its metallic feathers crackling with renewed electricity as it circled above. With the guardian gone, it was free once again.
And now, the odds were completely against Travis.
He was alone.
And in front of him stood:
Lydia, her daggers glinting, her stance light but deadly.
Silphie, battered but still standing, her staff glowing faintly with divine power.
The Dracolich, an undead behemoth that had effortlessly wiped out his strongest summon.
For the first time in this battle, Travis was at a disadvantage.
He gritted his teeth, scanning his surroundings.
Retreating would mean humiliation.
But staying meant certain defeat.
"Tch." Travis spat blood onto the ground.
"You think this changes anything?" he growled, glaring at them.
Lydia spun her daggers. "It already has."
Travis narrowed his eyes, then made his decision.
With a sharp pivot, he dashed backward, his heavy armor not slowing him down in the slightest.
Lydia immediately gave chase, but just as she moved—
A burst of smoke erupted from Travis’s position.
A flash skill.
By the time the smoke cleared—he was gone.
Lydia clicked her tongue in frustration.
"Coward."
Silphie exhaled deeply, finally lowering her staff.
The battle wasn’t over yet—but they had survived.
Lydia watched the spot where Travis had disappeared, her daggers still gripped tightly in her hands.
For a brief moment, she considered chasing after him, tracking him down before he could regroup with the rest.
But she knew better.
"We shouldn’t give chase," Lydia said, exhaling as she straightened.
Silphie glanced at her, still catching her breath. "Why not? He’s running. That means we have the upper hand."
Lydia shook her head.
"This battlefield was designed by the Elven Elders." Her golden eyes flickered as she studied the terrain. "Who knows what traps or obstacles they’ve hidden if we go too far?"
She clicked her tongue in frustration. "They already split us up once. We can’t risk getting separated again."
Silphie sighed but nodded. "Then what now?"
Lydia turned toward the Giant Hawk, its metallic wings crackling with residual energy.
"Can you fly us to where Horizon and the others are?" she asked.
The Giant Hawk let out a piercing screech, then descended, landing gracefully on the cracked stone ground.
It bowed its head, lowering its body to allow Lydia and Silphie to climb onto its back.
Lydia smirked, patting the Hawk’s side. "Good bird."
Silphie hesitated for a moment before mounting, gripping the feathers tightly.
Just as they prepared for takeoff, Lydia turned toward the Dracolich. Stay tuned with freewebnovel
But instead of following them—
The undead dragon let out a low, rumbling growl, then flapped its massive wings and soared into the distance. It’s too prideful to let anyone ride him.
It didn’t need orders.
It had its own agenda.
Lydia frowned, watching it disappear into the sky.
"Too proud to give us a ride, huh?" she muttered.
The Dracolich didn’t even look back.
With a final screech, the Giant Hawk launched itself into the sky, carrying Lydia and Silphie toward their next battle.
It was time to find Horizon and the others while they had a chance.
=== ===
The lava field pulsed with waves of heat, the molten rivers bubbling and spitting as Frigid stood his ground.
This was the worst possible battlefield for him. His ice-based abilities were barely holding against the scorching environment, his natural element fighting a losing battle against the overwhelming heat.
Across from him stood Gorak, the Stone Warden—a towering, immovable fortress of a man, his armor carved from enchanted stone, his massive warhammer resting heavily on his shoulder.
His gravelly voice rumbled through the battlefield.
"You’re in the wrong place, ice tank."
Frigid didn’t respond.
He already knew that.
His usually formidable frost defense was barely functioning in this terrain, his abilities weakened by the unbearable heat.
But it didn’t matter.
He wasn’t planning to run.
Gorak made the first move.
With thunderous force, he slammed his warhammer into the ground.
A deep rumbling echoed through the battlefield as jagged stone pillars erupted from beneath Frigid’s feet.
The lava split, chunks of molten rock hurling toward him.
Frigid reacted instantly, raising his shield. A thin layer of frost coated its surface, and the moment the molten chunks struck, they hissed violently, cooling just enough for him to push through.