NOVEL NEXT Chapter 128
All fell silent before Kalarya’s overwhelming aura. Even the mindless demonic beast hordes froze in trepidation, as if the world itself had stilled.
Yet this stagnant hush proved fleeting, soon shattered as Diamid unleashed his offensive magic.
Baaaaaang!
Baaaaaaaaaaang!
While Mikael’s meteors had proved formidable, Diamid’s spellcasting prowess surpassed comprehension.
Hundreds of celestial projectiles rained down upon the demonic beasts and dragon ranks.
Craters pockmarked the earth where the beasts had stood, while the manifested dragon entities plummeted from the skies, stricken by the meteors.
“To talk so much in the face of the enemy – do you have such leisure?”
Though Kalarya attempted evasive maneuvers through the celestial bombardment, the relentless meteor barrage left no quarter, several impacting his wings.
Baaaaaang!
-Insolent human male!
Yet his moniker as ‘dragon leader’ proved well-earned. After briefly faltering, Kalarya unfurled his wings once more before charging Diamid with a thunderous roar.
Undaunted, Diamid retaliated by conjuring another spell.
Wheeeeeeeeeng!
Remarkably, the wind blades he manifested proved sharper than dragon scales’ reputed invulnerability, deeply lacerating Kalarya’s body.
Not content with mere lacerations, Diamid infused additional mana, triggering detonations within the wounds.
Baaaaaang!
A critical blow – Kalarya’s colossal form convulsed violently, blood gushing incessantly from his chest.
Yet the dragon leader refused to retreat, unleashing another earth-shaking bellow before viciously swiping his forelimbs.
Kururururung!
The section of ramparts beneath Diamid’s feet began crumbling away.
Though masterfully adept at wind manipulation, sustaining melee combat against such a behemoth proved hard, even for Diamid.
Kururururung!
Kururung!
With each evasive maneuver, more of the Magic Tower’s fortifications collapsed. Diamid’s brow furrowed ever so slightly – fleeing endlessly would only worsen the devastation.
Swiftly erecting a barrier as he evaded Kalarya’s attacks, Diamid sought to fortify their defensive line.
Baaaaaaaaang!
However, the thunderous impact instantly shattered the barrier, despite deflecting a single blow – Diamid’s depleted mana reserves rendered it feeble.
‘This cannot continue.’
Gazing down at his trembling, drained body straining against its limits, Diamid grit his teeth in frustration.
‘Is this the extent of my power, I who had once transcended humanity?’
Diamid Bellafanian.
While unmatched among present humans, he had once possessed abilities far beyond mortal constraints – a fleeting taste of the realms beyond igniting an insatiable thirst within him.
‘Yet had I not relinquished immortality, Jaina couldn’t have been saved.’
Even if offered that choice again, he would make the same decision without hesitation.
Because Jaina had become his sole remaining hope, his redemption in this existence.
‘Therefore… I must protect her, no matter the cost.’
Scarcely clinging to the precipice of his limits, Diamid invoked another incantation.
Wheeeeeek!
But his opponent struck first.
Moments before Diamid could unleash his spell, Kalarya swiftly lunged forward, slamming the ground where Diamid stood.
Kururururung!
Hastily invoking levitation magic to evade, Diamid soon realized his mistake.
“You’re not the only one capable of wielding magic.”
Shoooosh!
Shoooosh!
Dozens of radiant arrow projections manifested, homing in on Diamid’s airborne form.
Suspended in midair by his levitation spell, Diamid found himself unable to initiate any defensive measures.
Simultaneously weaving multiple spells was no arduous feat for him, but Kalarya’s onslaught had been swifter, coupled with Diamid’s own waning stamina.
As the arrows converged, Diamid attempted deflecting them with wind currents, but the projectiles unexpectedly altered their trajectories to track his movements.
Ascending higher, Diamid alternated between erecting temporary barriers and maneuvering the arrows towards the demonic beast ranks, mitigating collateral damage.
Babababang!
Babang!
Yet Kalarya seemed utterly undeterred, incessantly bombarding Diamid with the radiant shafts, disregarding any casualties among his subordinates or allies.
Though their protracted exchange must have depleted Kalarya’s reserves as well, he persisted relentlessly, matching Diamid’s obstinacy.
Thus ensued a seemingly interminable stalemate of attrition.
Attack, evade. Attack, evade.
From an outside perspective, the repetitive pattern might have appeared mundane. Yet a single misstep risked fatal consequences in this precarious deadlock.
‘Another solid blow, and I’ll be in grave peril.’
It was at that moment Diamid realized Kalarya’s arrows had veered towards Jaina’s location.
Swiftly interposing himself, Diamid shielded Jaina from the incoming projectiles.
He couldn’t allow Kalarya’s attacks to endanger her under any circumstances.
If unable to dispel the radiant arrows, someone would inevitably be struck.
Ultimately, Diamid could only brace himself, making no attempt at evasion as the projectiles converged upon him.
The defensive wards enveloping his body swiftly disintegrated under the impact.
‘At this rate, Father will be in mortal danger…!’
Both Diamid and Kalarya had reached their absolute limits, indiscriminately expending their dwindling mana reserves.
The spells unleashed simultaneously from all sides possessed overwhelming velocity and potency – raging storms intermingled with searing infernos battered the Magic Tower, while forked lightning bolts effortlessly felled scores of demonic beasts.
Acrid, choking smoke billowed forth as massive masonry debris rained down from the collapsing fortifications.
The sky above roiled with lightning discharges, meteor showers, and gargantuan fireballs erupting across the airspace.
Bababang!
Bababang!
Witnessing the exchange between Diamid and Kalarya, Jaina fidgeted restlessly.
Though Diamid’s spells had lacerated Kalarya’s body, the dragon possessed formidable regenerative abilities, especially as their sovereign leader.
Her lips grew increasingly parched with trepidation.
‘Father is powerful, but…’
As she had observed during her time among Black Night clan, Diamid’s magical prowess was truly fearsome when unleashed.
Moreover, as the final boss of
Yet that was in the past. He no longer possessed the power of immortality.
Like any other human, he could now succumb to ‘death.’
This realization filled Jaina with profound unease.
‘If only he hadn’t sacrificed his abilities to save me…’
In that instant, Jaina witnessed a radiant force swirling within Kalarya’s maw.
‘The Dragon’s Breath?! I must somehow intervene…!’
Previously, he might have been capable of nullifying such an attack with magic, but he no longer possessed that level of power.
Even if he evaded, the radiant arrows would undoubtedly inflict fatal wounds.
‘…Must I simply watch Father perish before my eyes?’
For a moment, the world seemed to slow.
Memories of the past flashed through Jaina’s mind, one by one.
The Diamid she had initially encountered possessed long hair cascading past his waist, a stark contrast to his current cropped appearance.
His shortened tresses were a consequence of his sacrifices for her sake, as a grand magician’s hair served as an exceptional conduit for magic.
Diamid had forsaken his mana and immortality to preserve her life.
Yet she had offered him nothing in return, instead doubting his sincerity – a lingering regret that had always weighed upon her conscience.
‘Is there no way to aid him…?’
As Jaina contemplated feverishly, Kalarya’s dragon breath erupted, streaking towards Diamid.
There was no time to hesitate.
‘No, not like this…!’
She could no longer bear witnessing her loved ones suffer, even at the cost of her own life.
Swiftly assuming her dragon form, Jaina interposed herself between Diamid and the oncoming blast.
Baaaaaaaaaang!
Though merely a young dragon, her scales proved sufficiently resilient to partially deflect Kalarya’s attack.
“Ughh…”
Yet she didn’t emerge unscathed.
An excruciating agony flooded Jaina’s being, her lungs seemingly deprived of air.
“Jaina?”
Diamid’s alarmed voice calling her name barely registered. Gritting her teeth, Jaina endured the searing pain.
“I’m alright, Father. Allow me to fight alongside you.”
“That adversary is Kalarya, the dragon sovereign. In your unawakened state, you stand little chance…”
“No, I can combat him. I cannot rely on your protection forever. This time, I will protect my father.”
Turning to face Kalarya, Jaina craned her neck upwards at the towering entity surpassing her own considerable dragon stature.
A foolhardy challenge, perhaps – she might very well perish. Yet Jaina felt no trepidation, for she had a family to protect.
Instinctively drawing upon the ambient mana saturating her surroundings, Jaina gathered as much as her capacity could harness.
An unprecedented endeavor, yet she inexplicably sensed no alternative remained.
Upon amassing mana verging on her limits, Jaina expelled it through her maw.
Ordinarily, a mere young dragon could never manifest the Dragon’s Breath. As a half-breed, Jaina faced even greater constraints.
Yet her fervent determination seemed to transcend such limitations, as a breath akin to Kalarya’s own erupted from her jaws – identical in form, yet ebony in hue.
-Insolent tainted mongrel whelp, daring to unleash the Dragon’s Breath…! I don’t know how you did this, but it is laughable for an unawakened hatchling.
Sneering derisively, Kalarya prepared to counter Jaina’s breath with his own superior inferno.
Baaaaaaaaang!
However, upon collision, Kalarya instantly sensed something had gone awry.
His own breath was being overwhelmed, repelled by the sheer force behind Jaina’s blast.
-How can an unawakened hatchling manifest such a potent breath…?!
Jaina’s breath rivaled those of ancient celestial dragons, its intensity surpassing even Kalarya’s depleted state after his protracted battle against Diamid.
Unable to withstand its onslaught, he could only bellow in outrage as Jaina’s breath enveloped him.
-Insolent filthy half-breed whelp, daring to defy me…!
Kalarya’s infuriated roar seemed to reverberate across the entire realm.
Yet it proved his final defiance.
As Jaina’s breath overwhelmed him, Kalarya’s manifested form plummeted earthward, his physical body vanquished.
‘Is this… the end…?’
Having expended the entirety of her mana reserves, Jaina’s own condition proved no better.
Her vision gradually dimmed as a creeping darkness encroached.
Swiftly reverting to human form, Jaina felt Diamid’s arms envelop her, catching her plummeting body.
“Jaina, what were you thinking?!”
“I…”
“That was incredibly reckless, you could have died! But even so…!”
A bitter, metallic sensation rose within her throat. Jaina hastily averted her face, recalling dragon blood’s toxicity to humans.
“Jaina, Jaina!”
That reflexive motion was her last. She lacked even the strength to wipe the blood trickling from the corners of her mouth.
Straining her waning energy, Jaina forced open her heavy eyelids.
“Jaina!”
Through her blurring vision, she beheld Diamid cradling her fallen form, anguished sobs wracking his body as transparent rivulets streamed down his pallid cheeks.
‘Father is… crying?’
A sight she had never witnessed, rendering her utterly speechless.
‘I should reassure him…’
So much remained unspoken – inquiring about the wounds from Kalarya’s assault, chastising his recklessness, questioning why he had risked so much for her sake…
“…”
Yet as she parted her lips, not a sound emerged.
‘…Did I overexert myself?’
It had been an impossible feat – for a mere young dragon, a half-breed no less, to unleash the Dragon’s Breath rivaling celestial dragons.
And those who dared defy the natural order inevitably faced retribution.
As Jaina’s consciousness ebbed, fading into obscurity, a fleeting thought crossed her mind.
‘Father, I…’
“Jaina, Jaina!”
At the very moment Jaina’s mouth formed unvoiced words, an inexorable darkness she couldn’t resist claimed her.