Chapter 567 - 539: Flame Lord Phoenix
Chapter 567: Chapter 539: Flame Lord Phoenix
The sky-high surge of Evil Energy spread far and wide. While the common folk in Giant Dragon City felt nothing unusual, the stronger a person was, the more distinct the fluctuation felt.
On the siege battlefield, which was already nearing its end, Elron and Sophia could clearly sense an oppressively heavy wave of Energy coming from the direction of the Royal Palace.
They shared a look. One immediately cast the Wind Shadow Skill, and the other, Angel Descent. They flew toward the Royal Palace at top speed.
In addition to the strange Energy, Carlos also sensed the draconic aura of his own kind. He let out a low roar, and with a powerful beat of his wings, he sped toward Ronin’s position.
When Macken saw this, he wanted to follow as well.
But he hesitated and stayed behind, considering his own speed and the fact that the main front couldn’t be left without a commander.
「Meanwhile, at the Royal Palace in Giant Dragon City」 The Dark Giant Dragon had already launched its attack on Ronin.
Although its body was much smaller than Carlos’s, its might far surpassed his.
As it swiped with its claw, Ronin felt himself being locked in place, as if he were trapped in a quagmire just like Flame Wings had been moments before.
’It really is a Sage Level being!’
Ronin acted decisively, slashing out with his sword. A suffocating Sword Aura materialized before him, imbued with a tremendous tearing force, and collided head-on with the Giant Dragon’s claws.
BANG! The strike tore a gash in the Giant Dragon’s claw, sending a spray of Dark Energy shooting out.
The immense recoil sent a dull ache through Ronin’s internal organs. However, he seized the opportunity to break free from his opponent’s lock-on and retreat to a safe distance.
"Flaming Void Slash!"
Having dealt with the cannon fodder, Ridder knew how powerful this behemoth was. He immediately unleashed his strongest Combat Skill, preparing to join forces with Ronin against the Dark Giant Dragon.
His entire body transformed into a mass of pure red energy, which then coalesced into a Flaming Longsword. It shot across several hundred meters at incredible speed and slammed violently into the Dark Giant Dragon’s belly.
SCREECH—
The impact sounded like metal scraping on pavement, horrible enough to give anyone goosebumps.
The strongest attack of a Legendary Level master knocked the scales on the Giant Dragon’s belly loose, causing a significant amount of Dark Energy to leak out. It even sent the beast flying sideways for dozens of meters. However, the damage was clearly not as effective as Ronin’s previous strike.
Ridder, on the other hand, reappeared in his physical form immediately after the collision. The tremendous recoil sent him flying like an arrow, and he smashed heavily into the ground. The force of the impact radiated outward, creating massive cracks that spread for nearly a hundred meters.
"Ridder, fall back."
Ronin shouted, "Leave this thing to me!"
Ridder coughed up a mouthful of blood. "My Lord, please be careful."
’If someone had been here to execute the Flame Battle Array with me,’ Ridder thought, ’that last strike would have been far more devastating. But alas, there was no one to coordinate with.’
After saying this, he and Harmon retreated from the center of the battlefield.
After taking two hits, the Dark Giant Dragon was surprisingly no longer as savage as before. Instead, it seemed to regain a sliver of rationality and began to study the human before it.
"The Energy on this continent has been in chaos for nearly a thousand years. I never thought a new Sage would emerge."
It spoke, its voice booming. "Human, we don’t have to fight. Pledge your loyalty to the great King of Nightmares, and you, like me, can wield even greater Power!"
"You don’t seem all that strong yourself right now," Ronin sneered.
’If I’m not mistaken,’ Ronin thought, ’this Dark Giant Dragon is just an Energy Body, condensed from some special kind of energy. It’s not a physical being.’
’If I just keep attacking and dispersing the Energy that makes up its body, its attacks will grow progressively weaker.’
"Foolish!"
The Dark Giant Dragon’s voice boomed like rolling thunder. "This is merely a clone. Its strength is less than one percent of my true form’s."
Ronin couldn’t tell if it was bluffing, but at least he was starting to get a clearer picture of his opponent’s identity.
And he would soon receive confirmation from Sophia, who was the next to arrive.
The Wind Shadow Skill was incredibly fast. In the short time Ronin and Ridder had been fighting the Dark Giant Dragon, Sophia was the first of the reinforcements to arrive.
She stared in shock at the scene before her. The sight of the Dark Giant Dragon filled her with a deep sense of unease.
"Ronin, be careful! That’s a clone of Phoenix, the Flame Lord!"
She added urgently, "I never imagined it would appear here!"
Just then, Carlos and Elron arrived as well.
With their arrival, essentially all of Ronin’s top fighters were now present.
"Everyone, let’s join forces and help Ronin deal with this clone!" Sophia suggested.
But Ridder shook his head. "Leave it to the Duke."
"Just Ronin by himself?" Sophia hesitated, thinking that was too risky.
Ridder explained, "The Duke has already reached the Sage Level."
"What?"
Sophia’s eyes went wide, her beautiful face a mask of pure shock.
"Yes, Your Highness. Duke Ronin is indeed a Sage."
Harmon, who had been carried into the air by Ridder, added, "I think perhaps we can all go home a bit early."
"This..."
Sophia didn’t doubt Ronin’s strength, but this was just too incredible.
On the other side, when the reinforcements arrived, the Dark Giant Dragon thought, ’This is bad. This descent of mine is probably going to end in disaster.’
’Although the death of this clone won’t kill my main body, having this wisp of consciousness erased will leave my true self weakened for some time.’
Then, its gaze fell upon Carlos, and it froze for a moment.
"I sense a familiar fluctuation coming from you."
The Dark Giant Dragon said to Carlos, "Perhaps we are connected by blood!"
Carlos roared in anger, clearly rejecting its claim. To be frank, the mere presence of this Evil Energy filled him with unease and repulsion. There was no way he would play along and stage some tearful family reunion.
Ronin, however, had his own suspicions. ’It’s possible that before Phoenix submitted to the King of Nightmares, he really was from the same clan as Carlos.’
"So, human, what is your decision?"
The Dark Giant Dragon’s gaze returned to Ronin. "Power is right there for the taking. All you have to do is open your arms and accept it!"
Ronin chuckled. "I agree with you on one point. By killing you, I too can obtain Power!"
As he spoke, he allocated all the Attribute Points he’d gained from slaying Flame Wings to his Knight Level, bringing its progress to (32187/80000). The Power of the Sage within him surged dramatically.
"Die!"
Ronin transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the Giant Dragon.
Though his human form was tiny, the power he wielded forced the Dark Giant Dragon to take him seriously.
"Foolish insect!"
Phoenix angrily spewed a ball of Flame. Ronin neither dodged nor retreated. He activated Anti-Nihilism, instantly dissipating most of the attack, then endured the remaining force as he viciously plunged the Flowing Flame Sword into the beast’s body.
The Dark Giant Dragon cried out in pain as its tail whipped around like a steel lash. Ronin met it with a raised fist.
The immense force slammed him deep into the ground.
But the Dark Giant Dragon didn’t fare much better. The impact sent its body tumbling through the air, and the loss of Nightmare Power caused its clone’s combat strength to plummet.
Left with no choice, it could only shrink its body, instantly transforming into a "small" dragon thirty meters long.
WHOOSH!
Its smaller form seemed to grant it a significant boost in speed. It appeared above Ronin, its claws tearing through the air, looking as if they might shatter space itself.
Standing in the ruins, without even time to shake off the dust, Ronin had already unleashed the Vacuum Strangulation Skill.
A deafening BOOM erupted.
Two energies of unprecedented power collided, instantly kicking up a terrifying storm of Energy that resembled the mushroom cloud of a nuclear bomb.
"Fall back!"
Ridder and the others hastily retreated, pulling back to a distance of over a thousand meters.
Before their eyes, the magnificent Royal Palace was utterly obliterated by the terrifying storm of Energy. Countless tons of dust, boulders, and trees were churned into the air, turning into deadly projectiles that scattered in all directions!
In the center of the mushroom cloud, Ronin’s figure was faintly visible. The Flowing Flame Sword in his hand blazed with a scorching light, as if it intended to burn the entire world to cinders.
The endless storm battered against him, but it was held back by a barrier he had formed with the Power of the Sage, the friction creating a shower of violent sparks.
High in the sky, the Dark Giant Dragon was not faring as well as Ronin. Being an Energy Body, its power was constantly being scoured away by the storm, its usable Energy steadily decreasing.
By now, it probably only had a third of the combat power it possessed when it first appeared.
"Flaming Void Slash!"
As the storm began to subside, Ronin roared. Just as Ridder had done before, his entire body transformed into a being of pure Flame and charged toward the Dark Giant Dragon.
Empowered by the Sea of Elements and the Power of the World, the might of his Flaming Void Slash was pushed to its absolute limit.
Sensing the terrifying might of this attack, the Dark Giant Dragon didn’t dare to be complacent. It hastily condensed its Nightmare Power into a massive black barrier.
At the same time, it opened its gaping maw and unleashed its unique energy breath attack.
Ronin’s attack was unstoppable. The barrier was instantly shattered to pieces.
BOOM!
As his flame incarnation collided with the Dragon Breath, Ronin felt a paralyzing sensation touch his soul.
’This Dragon Breath affects the soul!’
’Carlos’s breath is pure Elemental Power, but this Dragon Breath from Phoenix contains a soul-shaking attack.’
"Die!"
Thinking its attack had succeeded, the Dark Giant Dragon immediately swooped down, opening its massive mouth to envelop Ronin and digest him with its Nightmare Power.
What it didn’t expect, however, was that while the Dragon Breath had certainly affected Ronin, it was nowhere near enough to incapacitate him.
"If your real body had used that attack, I might have been in trouble. But you, unfortunately, are just a clone."
A sharp light flashed in Ronin’s eyes. He took the initiative, charging straight into the beast’s gaping maw. Then, he brandished the Flowing Flame Sword once more, unleashing the Vacuum Strangulation Skill to tear the Dark Giant Dragon’s body apart from the inside and disperse its form.
"No, this is impossible!"
Phoenix’s indignant voice echoed endlessly. "How is your Soul Power so strong?"
Ronin had endured two Celestial Baptisms; the resulting enhancement to his body and soul naturally couldn’t be compared to that of an ordinary Sage.
Moreover, he had started as a Mage, so his Spiritual Power was exceptionally strong, and Spiritual Power was a reflection of the Power of the Soul.
Phoenix’s Sage Level clone was simply not strong enough.
BOOM—
The giant black shadow exploded, churning the very clouds above the ruined Royal Palace. This unexpectedly powerful visitor had finally followed Flame Wings to its doom.
Ronin was pleasantly surprised to discover that slaying the Dark Giant Dragon had actually completed an achievement for him.