NOVEL NEXT Chapter 279
She did not stay inside the tower. Instead, Jenis Harker boldly ascended to the top of the tower, gazing at the approaching line of dragons.
Seven dragons of various colors spotted the magic tower and slowed their speed as they flew closer. Each one was powerful enough to annihilate an entire nation, all of them fierce beasts ready to unleash fire at any moment.
Among these fierce beasts stood a golden dragon in the center, larger, more beautiful, and more terrifying than any other. However, instead of trembling in fear before it, Jenis laughed at her opponent and shouted:
“Come! Lizard brutes who know nothing of honor! Today’s battle will be remembered as a legend, no, a fairytale. And why it’ll be a fairytale instead of a legend, you all know best! Because from this day forth, the dragon race will be remembered not as a fearsome tribe but as cowardly little wimps, too weak and scared to stand their ground, flitting back and forth like chickens!”
At Jenis’s outcry, the dragons approaching the magic tower momentarily hesitated. The Dragon Lord at the front understood immediately why his subordinates had halted. She was the Great Sage, gripping her staff with both hands, looking down at them from the top of the tower.
She resembled a single individual that struck terror into the hearts of all dragons. She bore a striking resemblance to Violet Moriarty, her cousin, in both spirit and presence, enough to send shivers down one’s spine. The Dragon Lord forced his subordinates to advance further. Jenis raised her staff and began chanting.
“I am no mere wizard today.”
The dragons quickly approached the tower and began unleashing torrents of fire. In an instant, a downpour reminiscent of a massive bombardment cascaded onto the top of the tower. The island where the magic tower stood was completely scorched by just a single blaze.
The harbor used for material transport burned away, and the land’s shape across the entire island morphed into something unrecognizable in less than 30 minutes. However, no matter how fiercely the dragons unleashed fire and attacked, the magic tower remained intact, never wavering in its form. It was as if it existed in an entirely different realm than the foundation it was built upon. Something incredibly powerful seemed to be isolating this tower from external influences.
Such a mysterious power did indeed exist. The magic circle of Jenis perfectly defended against the flames of the dragons.
A cross worn around the Great Sage’s neck shimmered, emitting a white light, wrapping the entire tower in a gigantic cross-shaped shield.
“I am, today, the magic tower itself!”
The Great Sage’s staff burst forth with light. One, two, three streams of light. Red lasers with destructive force greater than any ‘Star’s Radiance’ shot skyward in unison.
The dragons sensed a threat to their lives and quickly retreated from the lasers, but one laser pierced through the heart of a dragon, penetrating its most vulnerable spot.
In an instant, the blue-scaled dragon that lost its heart died on the spot without leaving a single word of farewell. The sight of the dragon’s body splashing into the sea caused the Dragon Lord to gasp in shock.
“What the…”
“It’s not over yet!”
The Dragon Lord, who had no idea where such power stemmed from, opened his eyes wide and carefully observed the magic circle being conjured by Jenis Harker at the top. One particular detail caught his attention.
The enchantment wrapping around Jenis’s staff. The Dragon Lord, a master of magic, recognized the nature of that spell. It was ‘Vitality Conversion.’ An extreme inefficiency, converting immense lifespan into a tiny amount of mana to temporarily enhance one’s own strength.
Jenis Harker was expending a significant portion of the long lifespan she’d obtained as a half-vampire, as if death were of no concern. Perhaps the lifespan acquired through her vampire lineage was not particularly important to her, given her emphasis on her human identity. The second red lasers shot skyward, and this time one dragon completely lost a wing, plummeting into the sea.
The light green dragon that fell into the ocean did not die, but became nearly crippled, struggling in the water without managing to fully emerge above the surface. The sea surrounding the island was exceedingly deep.
“Is there no other way?”
The Dragon Lord growled as he unleashed fire toward the magic tower. The flames were stopped by the tower’s defenses, and a scale from the dragon struck by Jenis’s counterattack fell away. The Dragon Lord trembled at merely the sight of this half-vampire, terrified of the Demon King. However, if he did not eliminate this half-vampire, then his expedition would mean losing a precious kin for nothing.
The Dragon Lord commanded:
“Everyone fall back. The breath of our kind cannot rival that hero!”
“But my lord.”
“She is the true match of Moriarty, a great hero of his equal. What do you think you can do against such an enemy? Stop your foolishness and fall back, and look out for ships that might be coming to save this place from the main continent!”
After issuing this command, the Dragon Lord lunged directly toward the top of the tower instead of breathing fire from afar. The moment the dragon’s maw collided with the tower’s outer wall, a massive crack appeared in Jenis’s defense, creating an opening.
That gap was too small for a dragon to pass through. However, a single human could easily fit.
In the blink of an eye, the dragon lord, disguised as an old man, dove toward the top of the tower.
“Come, come at me.”
Jenis unsheathed the great sword of Eramenia from her waist. The Great Sage, with a staff in one hand and a sword in the other, glared at the Dragon Lord with fiery eyes.
“Today, the date of whose death feast it is has not yet been decided!”
“Huah!”
A dragon taking on a human form does not necessarily make it any weaker. The moment the dragon’s powerful authority rushed toward Jenis, she barely managed to withstand that tremendous impact, using every weapon in her hands. The sharp blade touched the enemy’s skin, but the gold dragon’s strong scales did not allow the blade to penetrate.
With a frown, Jenis muttered.
“This was the sword Her Highness Margaret herself wielded…”
“The blade has not dulled. It simply does not match.”
“Hmm.”
Quickly retreating, Jenis put the sword back at her waist. If the iron sword of Eramenia could not pierce through the enemy’s flesh, then there was only one method left. As Jenis clapped her hands, long, menacing claws sprouted from her hands.
The sharp claws of the half-vampire Dracula, which her relative Violet found quite useful.
“I don’t like using this weapon, but I can’t afford to be picky.”
“Ugh…”
The dragon lord recalled the incident from a century ago when a similar weapon was used against the Demon King, and a sound of fear slipped from his mouth. Still gripping her staff in one hand, Jenis approached the Dragon Lord fiercely, with her claws bared.
The dragon lord launched a counterattack, but her cross necklace created a shield that deflected the dragon’s assault. Jenis managed to get close enough to inflict a wound on the dragon lord. Her claws left a large gash on the dragon’s face, causing blood to spurt out.
“Blood.”
Jenis instinctively murmured. The Dragon Lord laughed. In that moment, Jenis felt that something was about to go terribly wrong.
She must not move. She had to stop. Control herself. Block it.
But her body was moving.
For vampires of the Dracula lineage, dragon’s blood was an irresistibly appealing and delicious delicacy. For this race, which could absorb the power of mana contained within, potent blood was even more fragrant and tantalizing.
Jenis’s face was moving. Her body was leaning forward. The opponent was not severely injured. She must not dig too deep. That would expose her weaknesses, potentially risking her own life. It did not take long for Jenis to realize she was already far too late.
“Ah.”
Her vital spot was fully exposed in front of the enemy’s fist. With a thud, the Dragon Lord’s claws deeply pierced Jenis’s chest.
In that moment, she felt no pain. But as she stumbled back, propping herself up with her staff, Jenis’s entire sense of feeling pointed toward just one fact.
“Ah…”
Jenis let out a shallow groan, unable to articulate her sensations properly. The Dragon Lord carefully wiped the blood flowing from her face as he assessed Jenis’s complexion. The dragon’s venom was coursing through the Great Sage’s body, tearing through her. Jenis was exerting all her willpower to remain standing with her staff, but it seemed it would not take long for her to collapse.
Jenis realized.
From this wound, no matter what happened, she could not survive.
As Jenis Harker staggered and fell, the Dragon Lord stepped back, confident of his victory. Just then, at the very moment when the Great Sage was trembling in fear of death, the Grand Mage and the Elf Lord, drenched in the blood of two slain dragons, leaped into the tower’s summit—it was the very moment when all fighting had already come to an end.