NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70: Hollow Dragon
The dragon spun in the air, circling him like a hawk. Then, with a shriek, it dove again.
Wade moved sideways using Chain Step, reappearing behind it mid-swing.
His broken sword bit into one of its tail joints, carving through the connective bone.
The dragon roared, thrashing, its tail lashing across the platform and nearly clipping him.
He ducked and fired another Fireburst, this time aimed at the wings.
The spell detonated, searing through the thin membrane connecting the skeletal structure.
The dragon jerked, one wing smoking, but it wasn't enough to cripple it.
"Fine," he gritted, wiping sweat from his brow. "Let's do this the hard way."
He began to move in a predictable pattern, firing Fireburst after Fireburst, not to hurt but to distract.
Each cast created blinding flashes of light and smoke, forcing the dragon to swerve and adjust its flight path.
The air was quickly filled with heat and ash.
Each time it swooped low, he dodged, slashing at its legs or tail.
And each time it rose, he followed with another volley of fire, chipping away at its focus.
Minutes passed like that, the two locked in a deadly dance of speed and prediction.
The creature was faster, but Wade was patient. He could feel the pattern forming, little by little.
When it screeched and pulled up after another dive, he grinned. "Got you."
He turned his back to it, deliberately exposing himself.
The dragon, sensing weakness, roared and dove straight towards him at full speed.
Wade waited until he could feel the gust of wind from its wings.
Then he activated Chain Step.
He vanished in a burst of light, reappearing directly above the diving drake.
His boots slammed onto its spine, his hands gripping one of the jagged bone ridges jutting from its neck.
The dragon roared in fury, bucking wildly, twisting in midair to throw him off.
Wade held on with everything he had, his sword in one hand, his other arm wrapped tight around a ridge of bone.
"Not this time," he hissed, his eyes locked on the glowing blue veins running through its skeletal plates.
He had the high ground now, literally.
However, the dragon kept bucking violently beneath him, sending wind howling past his ears.
Every beat of the dragon's skeletal wings sent tremors through his arms and legs, threatening to shake him loose.
Still, he clung on, gritting his teeth as his boots slid against the bone.
"Come on, you bastard," he muttered, tightening his grip.
He raised his sword and drove it down, striking at the plates of bone covering the dragon's back.
The blade clanged off with a deafening crack, sending shocks up his arms.
He tried again, forcing all his strength into a downward stab.
This time, a hairline fracture appeared, but it was far from enough.
The drake screamed, twisting in midair. Wade almost lost his grip.
He swung his leg over and jammed the sword in again, using it as leverage to hold on.
The dragon spun, the world blurring around them, until suddenly it plunged downward in a dizzying dive.
The ground rushed up to meet them.
"Shit!"
He yanked the sword free and teleported away, reappearing on the blue topped column just as the dragon smashed into it.
The impact made the entire platform tremble.
Shards of bone scattered, smoke rising from the dragon's body as it spread its wings again.
"Persistent thing, aren't you?" Wade muttered, raising his broken sword.
His arms ached, and his breathing grew heavy.
The drake hissed, its glowing eyes narrowing. Then, it inhaled, and exhaled a stream of blue fire.
"Not this time!" Wade threw up Basic Ward, a translucent shield of light forming before him.
He slapped Aegis of Reflection on it, unwilling to allow it crack at the first attack.
The blue flames crashed against it like a wave, forcing him back a few steps.
The air shimmered from the heat, his shield flickering.
The moment the fire stopped, he charged forward, his boots pounding across the cracked stone.
The dragon swung its tail, but he ducked beneath it, slashing the exposed joint.
Bone splintered. The creature screamed again, snapping its head around, its jaw wide.
He fired Fireburst straight into its mouth.
The explosion was contained for a split second before erupting outward in a blast of white-hot flame, blowing chunks of bone off its face.
Wade didn't stop. He sprinted forward, dodging a wild swing of its claws, and leapt onto its forelimb.
Using the cracks left by Fireburst, he drove his sword into the dragon's chest, right between the fused plates.
The blade wedged halfway in before jamming.
"Come on!" Wade roared, pushing with everything he had. His muscles screamed.
The dragon flailed, wings flapping violently, nearly throwing him off again.
He braced his feet, twisted his body, and kicked the sword hilt with his heel.
The plates gave way with a crunching snap, opening slightly, and that was all the gap he needed.
Through the crack, he saw it, blue light glowing within. That was the drake's core.
Wade wrenched his sword free, reversed the grip, and plunged it straight into the glowing light.
The dragon shrieked. Its body convulsed, the light in its eyes flickering wildly.
Then, all at once, it stopped moving.
The creature's wings went limp, and the energy in its veins dimmed until there was nothing left but dull, gray bone.
Its head crashed against the floor, the force echoing through the darkness.
Wade stumbled back, his legs shaking.
The sword slipped from his fingers, clattering beside him.
He collapsed onto the cold stone, gasping for breath.
His chest heaved, sweat soaking through his shirt beneath the Dragon Plate.
For a moment, all he could hear was the ringing in his ears and the echo of his own ragged breathing.
"Holy hell…" he whispered, staring up at the ceiling. "That… was way too close."
He lay there for a few more seconds, feeling every muscle in his body throb.
Finally, he pushed himself upright, groaning. He glanced at the corpse beside him.
"Yeah," he muttered with a tired grin. "Who's the bonehead now?"
As he spoke, the dragon's body began to shimmer, breaking apart into light particles that drifted away into the air, leaving behind several glowing objects where it had fallen.
Wade exhaled and sat there, breathing hard, too tired to move but grinning all the same.
Another dragon down. And he was still standing.