Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  It seemed like the Goblin Shredder still had some pretty significant flaws. It was best to find some time to improve it after this.

  Oliven and Billis, who came right after, could both reach the platform through their own strength. However, when it came to Dragonborn Zacha, Greem had no choice but to act again and move him over.

  Once Zacha had landed, and Greem turned around, the Voodoo Doll and Stitch Ghost Golem were already hovering gleefully in front of him. As for the two Firethroat Dragonborn? One of them had been poisoned to death, his face green and in agony. The other dragonborn's eyes had opened so wide that they almost split apart, his face filled with terror and fear.

  At this point, all members of the team were present except for Old Fox Vanlier, who was too weak and had been ordered to find a place outside to hide.

  What came next was the meat of the journey: finding the Second Grade fire dragon.

  Starting from the platform, the first thing that the party had to do was pass through that winding and booby-trapped labyrinth. They would not even be qualified to face that fire dragon if they couldn't even make it through the labyrinth.

  "Billis, it's on you!" Greem said.

  The reason he had brought the First Grade Billis along on dragonslaying operation was for this moment.

  Billis, still completely cloaked in his black robe, nodded slightly. He took one step forward, faced the multiple entrances to the labyrinth, and his body scattered.

  The black robe silently drifted to the ground as countless black beetles swarmed out from beneath the cloth. They weren't large, but their movements were fast and ferocious. The massive swarm instantly split into five or six armies of the same size and climbed toward the various tunnels in front of them.

  These swarms might have split into different groups, but Billis' mind still remotely controlled them. Every time one of the bug armies ran into a fork in the path, they naturally split into even smaller armies. Like a ceaselessly splitting flood, the black swarm quickly engulfed every passage in the fire dragon's labyrinth.

  That said, if it were so easy to explore the fire dragon's labyrinth, it wouldn't have become the base that the fire dragon lord relied upon.

  A short moment later, they heard rumbling explosions from multiple spots in the labyrinth.

  Billis' swarm had finally triggered the magical and mechanical traps that were set up everywhere. Every explosion signaled the death of dozens and even hundreds of insects. Though each individual loss wouldn't hurt Billis at all, the accumulation of damage from the continuous advance of the swarm was still not something that Billis could ignore.

  The black robe that had drifted onto the ground evaporated wordlessly, turning into a cloud of black smoke. The black smoke formed into many winding lines in front of the party's eyes. These lines seemed to still continue to extend and stretch into the air.

  It was the map of the labyrinth; the route that Billis had pieced together with the lives of tens of thousands of insects.

  Greem looked at the map emotionlessly, but the Chip in his mind was already scanning and analyzing the map at high speed, finding the nearest and quickest path in the exceedingly tangled nest of lines.

  Finally, one hour later, one of the hundreds and thousands of insect armies successfully emerged from the labyrinth and was immediately greeted by an overwhelming blast of fire and fury.

  It was the fire dragon lord!

  "Found him!" Greem's face relaxed as he shouted, "Let's go."

  Having said that, he took the initiative and charged into the labyrinth.

  Dragonborn Zacha raised his Frozen Mallet and smashed a corner of the teleportation array on the stone platform before following Greem into the labyrinth. The other Crimson adepts looked at each other and followed after their leader without hesitation.

  In the blink of an eye, this place had been emptied! Not a single silhouette could be seen here!

  With the swarm scouting the way forward, there were no more mysteries to this complicated and winding labyrinth. Greem and the others walked down an underground tunnel still burning with fires and traveled past plenty of roasted insect corpses.

  As this was the shortest path, it also undoubtedly had the most magical traps. Billis' swarm had paid a massive price to make it through here.

  However, Greem would compensate the bug adept for all these losses in the form of clan rewards once the operation had concluded. After all, amongst the Crimson Clan's new generation, Billis could be considered the most likely to attempt advancement to Second Grade adept in the foreseeable future!

  Greem and his party easily made it through the fire dragon's labyrinth and immediately ran into the Second Grade fire dragon, who was already waiting for them.

  If the fire dragon lord couldn't sense such a considerable commotion in his labyrinth, he would truly have become a blind and deaf dragon.

  It was a large and handsome adolescent male fire dragon!

  When it sat in the tall and spacious lava hall and raised its head high to gaze coldly at the adepts, everyone could feel the terror running through the depths of their hearts.

  Greem was the one walking at the very front and, as such, was the first one to endure the chilling dragon's aura of might.

  [Beep. Detecting foreign mental energy intrusion. Should mental barrier be activated to cut off said energy?

  [Warning. Warning. If said mental energy is not cut off, host will experience -5 Spirit and -3 Agility in 7 seconds. Counting down from now: 7…6…]

  "Activate mental barrier!"

  [Order received. Mental barrier has been activated! It is estimated that all mental energy will be expelled after three seconds.]

  From the others' perspective, Greem was only fazed for a few seconds before quickly breaking free of the effect of the dragon's aura of might.

  Meanwhile, behind him, Mary, Tigule, Zacha, and the others all radiated the faint light of a mental barrier. The source of the light seemed to be an odd magical talisman hanging from their necks or waists.

  These were Soul Protection Talismans that Greem had specially bought from the Silver Union. Each of them was worth eight thousand magical crystals!

  The Second Grade fire dragon flew into a rage when he saw the strange magical flux radiating from the bodies of his enemies.

  Given how prepared the enemies were, it seemed today's battle was unavoidable.

  Fire Dragon Bamler raised his head and stared at Greem before roaring in a thundering voice, "Who…who are you people? Why have you invaded Lord Bamler's quarters? State your intentions, or else."

  The fire dragon opened his mouth and flashed his chillingly sharp fangs. The adepts could see the blazing ball of fire quickly forming in his throat.

  "Let's just fight if that's what we are going to do. What's with all the words!"

  Mary had always been one whose movements were quicker than her thoughts. She cast away the obtrusive cloak on her body, flared her wings, and charged headfirst at the terrifying fire dragon.

  She was fast, but the fire dragon was even faster.

  A breath of incredibly hot dragon's breath rolled toward here like an unmoving wall.

  Mary might be impulsive, but she wasn't stupid.

  Taking on the dragon's breath of a Second Grade fire dragon with her defense and magical resistance was impossible; she would only be burned into cinders.

  She beat her bat wings, and her slender body made four or five crimson shadows in the air before finally avoiding that fan-shaped breath.

  Greem strode forward without hesitation and raised both of his arms. An equally turbulent stream of fire blasted toward the dragon's breath as the two clashed with each other.

  Dragon's Breath versus Flame Stream!

  Red dragons were high-grade, fire-attribute magical creatures, while Greem was a famous fire adept.

  Both parties were practically immune to low-grade fire damage. When the two blasts of fire clashed with each other, terrifying temperatures and heat waves spilled
everywhere across the room.

  For a moment, the center of the lava hall split into two areas, each ravaged by a different flame trying to gain the upper hand on the other. It quickly turned the surrounding area into a burning sea of fire.

  The conflicting parties were of the same grade and had roughly the same level of control over fire. Consequently, it turned into an equally matched showdown.

  However, Greem's Physique and Spirit clearly couldn't compare with such a higher magical creature. Greem was knocked back several steps from the immense impact. His boots even started smoking from the friction against the floor, leaving two eye-catching skid marks on the ground.

  Dammit. This fire dragon has so much strength!

  Greem grumbled resentfully.

  Chapter 733 Dragonslaying Battle

  First round: Fire Dragon's Breath vs Flame Stream.

  It was the fire dragon's complete victory!

  Greem's body even stumbled back uncontrollably from the clash of the two blazing fires.

  His companions immediately came to back him up after seeing this.

  The next second, Zacha's Chain Lightning and the Goblin Shredder's Goblin Rocket Ver. 2.0 shot at the fire dragon. However, their attacks were neutralized or detonated by the dragon's breath before they could even reach the dragon.

  The towering fire dragon slowly shook his wicked head and put his full strength into maintaining the shockingly powerful flame breath, sweeping across in a massive fan shape.

  The fire dragon's massive size gave him surprising lung capacity.

  If the dragon were blasting fire from above, the duration of this dragon's breath would be sufficient to form a massive wall of flame thirty meters wide and eight hundred meters in length. No creature covered by the flames would survive. Even mighty earthen fortresses would explode into a horrifying sea of fire inside a dragon breath of such intensity.

  The fire dragon's breath wasn't composed of pure elementium fire. A strange, viscous substance that could only be found in the bodies of dragons had mixed into the breath in decent quantities. It caused the fire dragon's breath's to possess an extraordinary adhesiveness that elementium flames did not own. Once these fires spread to an object, they would stick to its surface and use surging flames to burn everything that could ignite!

  That was why Zacha and the Goblin Shredder could not extinguish the fire from the dragon's breath that had grazed them, no matter how hard they tried.

  Just as Fire Dragon Bamler was wreaking havoc among the adept's with a single dragon's breath, he suddenly let out a cry of agony. He immediately shut his mouth and stopped his attack. Mary's slender body silently appeared near his head; one claw ferociously stabbed near his snout.

  An Agility-type adept assassin like Mary could not possibly break through the fire dragon's tough scales and his hard skull without the help of powerful magical equipment.

  The fire dragon grunted in pain and was forced to stop his breath. The right hand with which Mary had used all her force to attack was also bloody and injured now.

  However, the blood was only Mary's. Her attack had not even managed to pierce the fire dragon's scales.

  The fire dragon roared in anger before opening his fangs and letting out an earthshaking roar to intimidate the enemy. It was only then that he reached out with his head and bit wickedly at Mary's slender body.

  "Back. Don't fight it head on…move around."

  Seeing the dire situation that had come about, Greem immediately tossed an instant-cast magma fireball at the fire dragon's mouth and tilted his head a little off course. The flame waves from the explosions also knocked Mary away as she was stunned from the close-distance dragon's roar.

  Though Mary had to suffer a bit of fire damage for this, she had managed to avoid the fatal bite of the fire dragon!

  Mary was a Second Grade adept after all. Her Spirit had reached seventeen points, putting her resistance against the dragon's aura of might at a decent level. She had only been hit by the aura at too close of a distance earlier, throwing her mind into chaos for a moment. Once she left the area, her mind immediately returned to normal. She turned into a crimson shadow, flashing away from the spot.

  Ka, ka, ka!

  Mary evaded the several furious bites of the fire dragon with her agile movements.

  Mary's maneuvers had also bought time for her few companions who were in charge of holding down the fort against the dragon. Zacha and the Shredder didn't bother with dealing with the fires still burning on them. They immediately roared and charged at the fire dragon from the left and right.

  The Goblin Shredder's drill and chainsaw clashed with the right claw that the fire dragon had swung at it. As blood flew everywhere from the impact, the Shredder's massive body was also blown away by the fire dragon.

  Dragonborn Zacha took the opportunity to lunge forward and smash the Frozen Mallet in his hand on the thick, left hind leg that the fire dragon was using to support his weight.

  Fire Dragon Bamler let out a pained hiss and that leg of his immediately bent.

  The fire dragon turned his head with agility and speed not matched by his massive size. His golden, blazing eyes fixated upon Dragonborn Zacha.

  To think it was a Second Grade dragonborn warrior!

  Bamler's mind turned rapidly. For the first time, he started to seriously consider if a dragon lord had joined the ranks of those conspiring against him. It was important to note that, on Lance, all dragonborn servants would only believe in and serve one dragon lord during their entire lives.

  No dragon lord would be willing to part with their dragonborn servants, for they were one of the most valuable pieces of their hoard! Moreover, the cultivation of a Second Grade dragonborn servant was so difficult that it could even bring a dragon to tears. That was why Bamler couldn't help but start having doubts when he saw a Second Grade dragonborn warrior in the ranks of the outsiders.

  However, doubts and suspicions were only that- doubts and suspicions. There was no room for thoughts or hesitation during battle.

  Bamler lit up Zacha with a brief dragon's breath and without any hesitation, engulfing the dragonborn in a layer of fierce and violent magical fire.

  The two blood knights yelled and stormed forward. Before they could even slash the fire dragon more than three times, they were slammed into the walls of the hall by a wicked dragon's tail. The terrifying snapping of bones was clear for all to hear. The two blood knights had almost been turned into blood paste. Even the runic longswords they had used to soften the blow were bent at a scary angle.

  Though they were both Second Grade creatures, a rampaging fire dragon had an overwhelmingly immense advantage against the vampires.

  "Don't confront it directly; keep moving around while attacking it."

  As the commander of this battle, Greem's feelings were the most solemn of them all. He yelled out orders as he tossed out the Flame FIend of Terror while transforming into a blazing Flame Fiend himself.

  Two giant Flame Fiends, who were as large as himself, simultaneously and suddenly appeared in the lava hall. The Second Grade fire dragon wreaking havoc throughout the battlefield stopped his attack and assessed the two new enemies from a distance.

  The atmosphere in the battlefield abruptly froze!

  The Goblin Shredder that had been blown away by the fire dragon once again approached with heavy footsteps and stood at the side of the two Flame Fiends. On the other end, Dragonborn Zacha had barely been able to extinguish the hot flames on his body with the powers of electricity. He stood up, charred and burnt.

  The four dragonslayers stood side by side, forming an impenetrable wall of iron and steel, standing right in front of Fire Dragon Bamler. Meanwhile, Mary beat her crimson bat wings and descended behind the fire dragon, at a distance, sealing of his only exit. The two blood knights, on the other hand, coughed up blood as they desperately stuffed some kind of potion that resembled a blood sac into their mouths. As their flesh snapped and crackled, their broken bones an
d smashed organs recovered at a miraculous speed.

  Fire Dragon Bamler's gaze finally turned serious for the first time.

  He had absolute confidence in smashing any one of these enemies here to pieces and roasting them into cinders if he engaged them in a one on one duel. However, when they banded together and wound themselves like a tight rope, the price he would have to pay for victory became immense.

  However, the wealth and treasures he had spent several hundred years to accumulate were hidden right in the bedroom behind him. If he were to escape or be defeated, these treasures would no longer be his. The moment that thought appeared in his mind, Fire Dragon Bamler went berserk. Blood shot up his eyes, and his entire body radiated an intense and fearsome killing intent.

  Without further provocation, Fire Dragon Bamler opened his mouth and let out a drawn-out dragon's roar that intimidated everyone on the battlefield. He then lunged straight at Greem with a fierce expression.

  He could clearly tell that these adepts hailed this evil male adept as their leader. As long as he dealt with this adept, the enemy's threat would immediately be cut in half.

  The group of humans was once again entangled with the dragon as a terrifying battle that shook the entire underground space broke out.

  The second round of conflict lasted only seven minutes.

  The first ones to be expelled from the battlefield were still the two blood knights.

  They had been uncontested and unchallenged in their battles against the forest elves in Faen Plane. However, in this brutal dragonslaying battle, they were the first to be thrown out due to their bodies being 'too weak.'

  Pa, pa!

  The two blood knights were once again smashed into the hard stone walls, forming two human-shaped marks in the walls. The fronts of their bodies that had been hit by the dragon's wings were so smashed up that they were a pulp of blood and flesh that no one could recognize. They were stuck on the wall like paintings. They struggled with all their strength and still couldn't get themselves off of the wall.

  The second person to be thrown out was Dragonborn Zacha.

  He might have been wearing a mental defense magical equipment on him, but the fear of dragons ingrained into his soul origin caused him to be unavoidably terrified of that aura of might. Another dragon's aura of might intimidated his soul, and a heavy, sharp dragon claw smacked him away.