The Dreamer's POV

I was burning, my body flooded with incredible heat. I struggled to breathe, to do anything except flailing my body in pain. I rummaged through my mind, and due to my strong mental fortitude and tolerance for pain, I was able to think of what I could do to stop the flames from their incessant torment.

I activated <Viscosity> and a slick slimy substance poured from my skin, however, it soon evaporated by the heat from the true flames. The ability was nothing in the face of the flames of a dragon lord.

I thrashed around, crying as my body crumbled away, getting undone by the heat. I could feel the eyes of others on me, and I could be certain that they had pity in them.

A few seconds of wailing and thrashing and clinging to life, my body gave out, and I fell, losing consciousness and dying. I felt nothing afterwards. Death in itself could be a peaceful reward. No pain, no suffering, simply nothing, the great equalizer for all.
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[You Are Dead]

<Dream Sequence Has Ended>

{Based On Exclusive Skill: <Dream>, your recent experiences have been dissolved into a dream}

<You Will Now Be Returned To The Preset Save Point>

[You Will Now Wake Up]

"Huh?" I uttered as I saw myself reverted and back to the village just reaching for the knob of the door. My eyes widened over the shock and fear from my previous death, I truly went away in the worst way possible and I didn't want a repeat of that.

No matter how many times I had used <Dream> to save my ass, I still hadn't gotten used to it. The dilation and reverse of time, the undoing of an absolute: death. My ability was utterly broken if I do say so myself, and scary.

I smirked and it peeked Park's interest as I noticed him tilting his head towards my face. I took a deep breath and opened the door, going into the dark expanse.

Everything played the same: Caleb and Lucy Fer fighting the Dragon God and struggling, and the arrival of the dragon lords, except I wasn't going to die this time around.

The dragon lord came at me as he had done previously and I engaged. I didn't pull out my Wyvern Blade this time around, instead I encompassed my entire being in energy turning into a bright yellowish lamp of some sort.

As he came at me, I let out a large blast of energy his way and I was sure it struck him. However, he persevered, flying through the energy attack seemingly unscathed. He struck a blow from overhead me. My image blurred, and I wasn't in that position anymore, avoiding the strike.

I appeared behind him, and sent down a punch. The dragon lords might be a mighty large bunch but that didn't get in the way of their agility. This dragon lord swiftly spun, facing me and catching my fist. It grinned revealing its large fangs, and next, its mouth went agape, pouring out flames.

I was able to avoid the flame by turning my head to the side a little, I might have escaped the flame itself, but I was assaulted by the heat nevertheless as I was still awfully close to attack. The constant energy shield around me when I'm in this form however did its part in abating the damage.

I grinned back, clearly enjoying the battle. I didn't have time however, Lucy Fer and Caleb were in trouble and I needed to join them as soon as I could.

I pulled up the dragon lord, and flung him overhead, turning him. I drove my two legs up its gut, throwing him upwards. I followed and sought to continue striking. I delivered a strong punch to its neck, and brought my hand to its face to strike him up close. I let out the energy blast and it seemed to hit until I realized that he wasn't getting pushed back by the attack, and that my energy attack was shrinking.

I took a step back from this as I was unsure of what he was doing. As soon as I stepped back, stopping my energy attack, I met its mouth opened. It had swallowed the attack, and it did so quite seamlessly.

His thick scaly chest heaved up and I knew what was next. It sent back my energy blast.

I remained in my position and had the attack strike me. It didn't hurt me however, it merely got siphoned back into my body.

My field of vision cleared when I spotted the dragon lord up close with a fist coming right at my face. It came fast and I hadn't anticipated it. It struck and I was sent falling and crashing into the black hill I stood on previously.

I struggled slightly to get up, but that seemed to be enough time for it to charge up its special attack. He remained up unlike previously. I couldn't hear him but I could tell from the movement of his mouth.

"True Flame."

A surge of fierce flames fell down at me. I was frozen at first, afraid and impotent, and in that moment the images of the pain I went through previously played in my mind.

I was able to snap out of it before the flames struck me however, and I moved away, evading the attack.

The dragon lord didn't stop sending down his true flames however, he trailed me with the flames as I flew to escape them. I thought to stop running and to instead confront the blast with an equal blast of mine.

I threw my arms, my fists clenched as I held out punches, and next burst powerful blasts of energy.

The blasts flared out and hit the impending flames, holding it at bay. I continued letting out my energy blasts, and the dragon lord persisted. Our blasts were at a standstill, none gaining over the other.

This would be a battle of attrition.