NOVEL WEB Chapter 188
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Hong Yu-ri’s Great Magic. A black spear, seemingly twisted like a spiral made of those dark spots, sliced through the air. It shot forward like a javelin along her fingertips, mercilessly piercing through several tentacles and fragments.
Crick-crack, crick-crack–!
As the spiral spear finally collided with the Dragon’s Core, the Wolf couldn’t help but feel a hint of regret. If only the fire had been anchored properly, they could have dealt some real damage.
However, just moments later, a strange light flickered in their eyes.
The Great Magic that had undergone transformation—the spiral spear continued to spin relentlessly. By the time Disease realized what was happening, it was too late; the spiral spear had pierced even the Dragon’s Core.
“…!”
“――――――!”
Amidst the surprise of the two beasts, Disease writhed in agony as it pushed deeper, letting out a pained scream, thrashing about wildly.
Even as it tried to stick the fragments back together and swung its tentacles, the spiral spear stubbornly dug in. It struggled to break free, but it surely wasn’t easy. When a massive burst of magic power erupted from the creature, the spiral spear scattered and vanished, leaving the Wolf in shock.
That was an achievement even the Square Masters had failed to accomplish. With just a single spell, it had shattered the Dragon’s Core. By concentrating widespread magic and spinning it into a point, it maximized its power. It was as if the Great Magic had been transformed. While I admired it purely, I couldn’t shake off the strange unease—because the spiral spear seemed eerily similar to some kind of fire.
“…What do you think?”
With a nonchalant tone, the Wolf nodded obediently.
“I’m impressed. That was amazing.”
“…Hmph.”
Despite nodding as if such praise was obvious, a blush crept onto her face. Next, the bombardment from the waiting Mages began toward the tortured creature.
As Disease flailed and twisted its body, the black branches swung mercilessly, and Hong Yu-ri widened her eyes. As the Wolf pressed down on Hong Yu-ri’s head, the black branches narrowly missed passing above her. Swallowing hard in fright, Hong Yu-ri gripped the Wolf’s fur tightly as they began to race through the skies wrapped in the wind.
Within that chaos, Hong Yu-ri found solace. Could it be that the blood coursing through her veins belonged to him? Even amidst all this…
As if shaking off her thoughts, phenomena began to occur, magic started swirling. Storms brought rain and icy chill that froze everything, culminating in a massive fire that incinerated all.
During this, the black branches could not reach the Wolf. With relentless yet mindless attacks, avoiding them was inevitable. As they gracefully exited the Black Forest, an ancient dragon awaited as if it had been expecting them.
The Wolf nodded to this and guided Hong Yu-ri. As she climbed back onto the dragon’s back, a low voice reached her ears.
“That was enough.”
“……”
“So, don’t come down again.”
“……!”
Worrying words. It felt like a whisper in her ear, making Hong Yu-ri shiver, but her face was flushed with excitement.
―When the bombardment of the Great Magic was over and it appeared again, the ground had been deeply gouged.
It must have sensed the incoming magic and immediately fled deep underground. The surface was ruthlessly scorched, but in the end, it probably didn’t take significant damage.
What we could conclude from that was that only explosive magic would take it down, not teeth and claws that could gnaw bit by bit. As if the creature’s scales were scraping through the ground, the Wolf pierced through from below.
A huge tail, giving the illusion that a mountain was rising, came chasing after. Realizing it had narrowly missed, the head remained hidden below, while the tail slammed fiercely against the ground.
No, that wasn’t it. It wasn’t just hitting the ground; when the opposite side moved, it naturally followed. A giant jaw opened wide to devour. The shards propelled upward by the tail’s impact and the approaching massive jaw.
In that moment, the Wolf called forth Black Magic. The black forest and tentacles had been destroyed and vanished due to the Great Magic. They would grow back soon, but for now, the Wolf could cast Black Magic.
As the creature’s head vanished into the soft black mist, the Wolf turned and charged into the haze. The two beasts, racing toward each other. Though their forms were obscured in the fog, it was Disease that sprung out first.
With its jaw closed, the Wolf was already atop its head. The Wolf charged onward, as if this wasn’t the end.
A black flame ignited from its pads to its ankles, scorching Disease black with every step. Each scale stood on end, the wounds that had regenerated igniting once more. However, when the Wolf’s claws touched a scale-less area, the creature released an abominable shriek.
With exposed fangs, the Wolf ran all the way to and bit through its tail. While the tail twisted and wrapped around it all at once, it was merely an afterimage.
The exhausted creature had slowed down. Meanwhile, the Wolf with its absorption had not fatigued physically or magically. Thanks to that, the difference in speed had somewhat narrowed. The Mages in the skies must be preparing their second magic by now.
In its agony, Disease slid away underground as if to hide, but just before it did so, the Wolf leaped up. Emitting the Void, the Wolf devoured all the incoming shards and looked down. It would extinguish the fires deep underground and the disaster would resurface again.
The ground trembled, and sounds of breaking, scraping, and aligning echoed.
The Wolf sensed it. It wouldn’t be long now. And that this was truly just the beginning. Finally, the being that was poisoning the land re-emerged, clad in armor as if to receive its blessings.
***
“Hong Yu-ri, you…”
“Yu-ri!”
All eyes of the Mages focused intensely, but Hong Yu-ri merely responded with a pouty “What?”
She couldn’t be oblivious to the reason for that attention. Even before the transformation was complete, she had already started growing horns. Now, not only did she have horns, she was also aware of a tail and insufficiently small wings for flying. Wings, scales, horns, and tails—the symbols of dragons. Evidence she had strayed from humanity.
At least, the only fortunate thing was that the scales that grew were just the one behind her neck. That was headache-inducing enough, but remaining somewhat human had its advantages. It must be due to the influence of Great Magic.
“……”
“……”
The lingering gazes and eerie silence were shattered by the Winter’s Master.
“…Right. Let’s prepare some magic.”
With those words, the Mages resumed their spell chanting, but Hong Yu-ri was unaware. The reason they were staring wasn’t because of the tail and wings but rather that her tail was wagging. Just like a puppy’s.
***
The armored ground—the newly revealed creature wore the land instead of broken scales. No, it would be more accurate to say that it had vanished. The very floor that had been hiding lifted, crumbling at least several meters.
The divine spirit unleashed its power to the fullest, cloaked in the land’s armor. Originally, it had worn scales that looked like clumps of rock, so its outward appearance hadn’t changed much, but its size had more than doubled.
Fortunately, since the armor was made from the divine spirit’s power and not its own body, it wouldn’t receive skill or status adjustments. It’s true that it was pressing forward. It had no way to retreat. However, that’s precisely why it had to be cautious. A wounded beast is that much more dangerous. And should it choose to, it could flee at any moment. An opportunity would surely come, but there would be just one.
The Wolf whispered to itself and focused deeper. Dragon blood boiled, and the blood felt hot.
Glaring at the trembling earth and the seething air stood the two beasts.
As the height of Namak Lake and Kabeer National Park sank lower, no complete land was left. This means it wielded that much land. The shards swirling now were dozens of times larger than before, making “shard” a laughable term. No matter how empty the Void, instantly devouring such an absurd mass of earth was impossible.
Getting hit directly by a shard would definitely mean death.
Since the Dragon’s Core had already shattered, it was wise to concentrate on dodging. Yet, at the same time, it needed to draw its gaze away so it wouldn’t be able to escape. This means… no widening the distance too much… easy enough said. The Wolf quietly gulped.
As drops of saliva fell, Disease also hesitated to charge. Just like the Wolf was being cautious, so too was the wounded beast, Disease had no choice but to be careful.
Then, the first to act was the Wolf. It couldn’t afford to give it a chance to recover inside the armor. The Wolf sprinted, forcing its tentacles to stretch out and sway away.
As the Black Forest loomed before, the mist that had once lingered suddenly dispersed, and shadows vanished in an instant.
―Yet, it had to be penetrated.
Understanding that it needed time for itself, Disease wouldn’t allow the Wolf to approach.
Marang moving forward and Disaster retreating. The reversed situation indicated a change in the flow of the deadly struggle. As the Mages continued to chant, the Wolf’s red eyes emitted glowing light.
Shards of the earth—amidst countless shards, the Wolf sliced and tore with its tentacles and shadows. Small fragments were devoured by the Void or scattered by storms. When there was no time for any of that, it willingly took the hits. Advancing several meters while also getting knocked back, the Wolf didn’t stop.
Black branches—predicted and yet avoidable, it gladly accepted. Its forelegs broke, skin tore, and it turned into a complete mess. With nowhere intact on its body, it created new forms with each injury.
Blood spewed into the air, soaking the deeply gouged earth. The boiling dragon blood and the magic it contained evaporated like steam, rising up. Yet, the Wolf didn’t back down.
There had to be a path just beyond that.
Exiting the forest wasn’t simple. No, it was impossible. As long as Disease was faster than it, the Wolf had no way to catch up just by constantly retreating.
―That meant, it would have been alone.
“Zid de vânt-”
Another gust erupted behind the Wolf, pushing him onward. A second spell cast was mimicking the Wolf, bursting the wind.
“Arunca în aer!”
The Wolf did not hear that utterance. He was moving way faster than the sound could travel. He had already crossed the sound barrier. The Wolf tore through the air like an arrow shot, rushing ahead. Tentacles pierced after him, but they were mere afterimages.
In that moment of distance narrowing, Disease had to struggle with its choices but wouldn’t retreat. It opened its mouth wide and roared.
“――――――!”
The monster’s roar shook heaven and earth. The massive shards of earth followed the Wolf, and countless tentacles accompanied them. Disease’s tail, clad in armor, and the jaw opened to its maximum in the front.
There was nowhere to evade or take shelter. And thus, the Wolf continued onward.
So at last, Disease engulfed the Wolf ravenously.
When its larynx swallowed, the Mages’ expressions turned grim. Even if they had prepared Great Magic, if Marang were to die, Disease wouldn’t take the hit.
They had to fire it off, right now—— As those thoughts arose, Hong Yu-ri stopped them.
“Wait.”
Words laced with conviction. Even at that point, Hong Yu-ri believed the Wolf wouldn’t die. Surely, it wasn’t that foolish; there must have been some way out.
To prove that, Disease twisted its body. The jaw opened wide once more, revealing an unfathomable darkness, no, flames beyond that.
But the Wolf was already gone. Within the blazing inferno, the agonized monster’s nape, the spiral spear had pierced through that very spot.
The Void, consuming everything. It had finally devoured its insides and lingered on its way out.
Though its condition was dire. The entity poisoning the land, Disease’s bodily fluids were grotesquely acidic.
Even as its mutated body melted and shredded into tatters, the Wolf didn’t give up. The Black Forest was drawing nearer, as it prepared to catch its breath and be ready for the elixir at any moment.
As it regenerated the Dragon’s Core, Disease looked up. Its rough breaths and the armor covering the earth were already significantly damaged. It revealed its waning stamina and mana, glaring toward the soaring mages that were out of reach, and then back at the Wolf with its red eyes.
At the moment their gazes met, the two beasts instinctively understood.
The magic was complete, and when each other’s openings were revealed, the battle would come to an end. Eventually, that end was approaching.
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