Chapter 104: The Dragon Accepts the Challenge
Silas and Cher ran relentlessly, drawing closer to the mana crystal mine.
Less than half an hour from their destination, two messages from Darius finally arrived.
[It’s done.]
[I’ve sent you a map of the Dark Hunters’ location.]
Silas had been willing to take the long detour for those two messages alone.
"We know where the Dark Hunters are."
He forwarded the map to Cher, who studied it in silence for several minutes before giving a small nod.
"I’ll make sure everything is ready when the time comes."
Then she lifted her gaze.
"We’re here."
The two continued moving for a while longer, making certain they had bypassed every possible blockade. Even if no one dared stand in their way, Silas had no intention of stumbling into a trap neither of them could escape.
When Cher finally pointed ahead, every other thought vanished from his mind.
A massive mountain rose before them, its surface glittering with countless mana crystals. This was the mine that had drawn every faction together, the destination behind all their struggles over the past few days.
Fortunately, they had approached from the side opposite the Dark Hunters. Otherwise, they would have been forced to waste precious time circling around them.
Silas stopped at the foot of the mountain and looked at Cher.
"It’s time to find out whether all our planning was worth it."
"You should go now."
His expression grew solemn. He knew the plan was solid, but he also knew the next step of it was quite tricky and was very dangerous.
Saying he might lose his life if one small mistake happened wasn’t an exaggeration. And for a moment there, he felt like this might be the last time for the two to be together.
It was quite painful to think like that, for no reason he could fathom.
"Don’t forget to warn Lara. Every minute of delay could cost me my life."
Cher neither questioned him nor offered empty reassurance. The same thoughts and disturbed emotions he had, she also suffered from. And like him, she also didn’t show anything on her face at all.
She simply nodded, fully aware of the burden resting on his shoulders, not wanting to make it any heavier by showing any of the emotional storms raging within her right now.
Silas retrieved the flower and placed it in her hands.
"Good luck," she murmured before turning away and disappearing into the distance. She didn’t want to linger any longer, or else her will might break, and she might even break into tears.
Silas watched her leave for only a moment before climbing the mountain.
When he finally reached the summit, he paused and looked across the vast mine he had heard so much about but had never seen with his own eyes. The breathtaking sight before him filled him with quiet admiration, yet he allowed himself only a brief glance before turning toward the distant horizon.
The dragon was coming.
Its thunderous roars echoed across the land without pause. Though many Enhancers continued throwing themselves into its path, their resistance did little more than slow its advance before being crushed beneath overwhelming power.
From the mountain’s peak, Silas could see the devastation unfolding in the distance. Fire consumed everything in its path, death followed every step the dragon took, and the earth itself trembled beneath its fury.
Yet none of it stirred fear within him. If any, he felt only confidence and determination.
His gaze drifted toward the vast abyss below before returning to the approaching dragon.
"We’ve been chasing each other long enough."
He slowly clenched his fists.
"So let’s end this madness once and for all. Either you’ll kill me... or I’ll take your blood."
As though it had heard his challenge, a deafening roar erupted from afar, shaking the mountain itself.
The dragon had accepted the challenge.
***
From the moment the A-Enhancer joined the battle, the situation steadily turned against the dragon. Although it continued charging forward with unstoppable momentum, every step came at the cost of another wound.
The turning point came when the Ashborne ant, whom it had pursued for days, suddenly shouted, threatening to let another ant consume the flower.
That possibility shattered every remaining trace of calm.
The flower mattered far more than revenge, far more than its own life. Once it reclaimed the flower and devoured it, it would recover its former strength, shatter the safe haven, and summon the dragon army waiting beyond the dome. Nothing else compared to that objective.
The dragon surged forward at full speed, leaving the annoying A- and B-Enhancers behind. Even so, its battered body could not move as swiftly as it wished.
Then the flower abruptly separated from Ashborne, flying toward another direction while he remained where he was, making no attempt to flee.
Unlike before, the dragon did not even spare the flower a glance.
’That Ashborne bastard... He has been deceiving me from the very beginning, using me to slaughter the other ants standing in his way before reclaiming the flower every single time.’
’I won’t fall for the same pathetic trick again.’
’I’ll kill him first. Then I’ll retrieve the flower from whoever carries it.’
The dragon was exhausted from this endless game. Although it had recovered a fraction of its suppressed strength through an ancient draconic magic, its power had only just returned to the early stages of A-Grade. Even so, that was enough to overwhelm every B-Enhancer in its path and even contend head-on with the A-Enhancer.
At the heart of everything stood the Ashborne.
The Ashborne kept manipulating its every move, luring it from one battlefield to another. Even when the dragon withdrew, Silas disappeared into a place not favourable to the dragon, only to emerge elsewhere and force it to continue the chase.
Now, the insolent ant stood calmly atop the crystal mine, as though openly inviting the dragon to face him.
To the dragon, it was nothing less than a blatant insult.
It no longer believed it could reclaim the flower without killing that ant first. Once the Ashborne was dead, the flower’s bearer would either come to retrieve his corpse or flee, and the dragon would hunt her down and seize the flower by force.
It could already see the end of this maddening pursuit. The Ashborne’s death would erase the source of every setback it had suffered, while finally satisfying the fury that had been building since the moment that insignificant ant first crossed its path.
ROAR!
The dragon answered the challenge with a deafening roar before charging straight toward the mine without sparing anyone else a single glance. The last group of Enhancers crumbled beneath its advance, and moments later, the beast reached the foot of the crystal mine.
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