Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  The Dragonblood Warrior, Linley, was constantly shifting about.

  Relying on his understanding of the Elemental Laws of the Wind, he was actually able to dodge the Thunder Lizard’s attack. The dragon passed by Linley, clearly not having hit him at all…but the lightning flashing in the Thunder Lizard’s eyes became even more cold and sinister.

  “Rumble…” A clap of thunder could be heard.

  The thunderclap seemed to appear in Linley’s area, as the Thunder Lizard’s powerful draconic tail struck wildly and nonstop at Linley. The speed of the tail was far faster than the speed of the Thunder Lizard itself, and Linley didn’t have time to dodge at all.

  Because of the back-and-forth motion of the attacking tail, the nearby space began to be distorted, creating multiple terrifying thunderous booms.

  The draconic tail attack was the real power of the ‘Lightning Flashing, Thunder Booming’ attack.

  Linley’s Pulseguard Defense retracted to the thickness of just twenty centimeters, but the power of the Pulseguard Defense didn’t lessen at all. It was like an elastic membrane; each time the draconic tail slashed towards him, the Pulseguard Defense was able to neutralize over half of the force.

  One or two hits, Linley didn’t mind.

  But in the blink of an eye, that draconic tail had whipped him a thousand times.

  “This speed really is terrifying.” Linley was truly speechless. He had never seen such frightening speed. A dragon’s tail was also shockingly fast, and naturally, the tail of the speed-focused Thunder Lizard had reached an apex of speed.

  “Is Father alright?” The distant Sasha was worried.

  “Uncle Bebe, is Uncle Linley…?” Cena was a bit worried as well. They simply couldn’t tell clearly what was going on in the battle in the distance. All they heard was constant, awe-inspiring thunderclaps and countless lightning bolts appearing in the area.

  Bebe grinned widely, revealing his white fangs.

  “Beat it!” Linley let out an angry growl.

  And then, with a clapping sound, the Thunder Lizard suddenly retreated at high speed, while at the same time, its draconic tail could no longer attack at high speed…because just then, Linley had landed a full force punch against the Thunder Lizard’s tail.

  The Thunder Lizard possessed powerful defense. An ordinary power punch wouldn’t do anything to it, but Linley’s punch included the ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’. The cartilage and soft, flexible bones inside the draconic tail had been broken by the vibrations. The Thunder Lizard roared angrily, “Quick!”

  The three Saint-level dragons moved in concert in a practiced manner.

  “Grooooowl!” An angry howl erupted from the Gold Dragon’s mouth.

  The Gold Dragon had been collecting energy for a powerful attack this entire time. And now, a pure, thick white spear of light shot down towards Linley from up high. This pure white spear carried with it a terrifying amount of force, and even Linley’s face changed slightly.

  “Light-style, forbidden magic: ‘Holylight Lance’?”

  The power of a single-target forbidden-level spell was shockingly strong.

  Linley didn’t have the chance to dodge at all. All he could do was watch as the light flashed, and as it did, the huge white spear of light slammed against his body, like a sharp spear slamming against a tough shield. But this spear was the light-style forbidden level spell, ‘Holylight Lance’.

  And the shield was a peak Dragonblood Warrior who had the Pulseguard Defense!

  “Boom!”

  Linley’s body was sent flying into the ground. The collision between him and the Holylight Lance had caused invisible cracks in space in every direction, and wherever those cracks in space passed by, the nearby trees and boulders turned into powder.

  The cracks were like ripples in water.

  Even the earth itself rippled once.

  “Careful.”

  Bebe immediately used a powerful amount of darkness-style energy to easily stop this omnidirectional ripple attack. Even at such a distance, the ripple still possessed tremendous force, and within a radius of several kilometers, everything had been turned into dust. Not even a single leaf could be seen.

  Because the leaves had been turned to dust as well.

  “Is he injured?” The Tyrant Wyrm said quietly.

  “That was a forbidden-level spell. Even powerful Saints shouldn’t be able to take it head on. However, Plaket, since he was able to grab onto your draconic tail, most likely his defense is very powerful.” The Gold Dragon was somewhat uncertain and hesitating as he spoke. “But even if it couldn’t kill him, it should have badly injured him.”

  “Prepare the final attack.” The Thunder Lizard said quietly.

  The Gold Dragon and the Tyrant Wyrm immediately began to prepare. Their ultimate attack was a single combination attack using the power of all three of these Saint-level dragons. This combination attack was so strong that as far as they were concerned…there shouldn’t be any expert beneath the Deity level who was capable of blocking it.

  The Gold Dragon’s massive mouth was mumbling, as though chanting the words to some sort of malediction.

  Draconic-language spell!

  “Bam!” Linley shot out from the ground like an arrow with grace and speed. Not a single wound could be seen on him. The defense granted to him after transforming by his Pulseguard Defense and his draconic scales was terrifying indeed.

  Just then, the forbidden-level spell had broken through his Pulseguard Defense, but the remainder of the power of the spell wasn’t able to damage his scales at all.

  Suddenly, the world began to shake. An invisible ripple began to emanate from the Gold Dragon’s body, then charged directly towards Linley. Linley instantly understood…in the past, Desri had used this exact technique to badly wound Lehman, the Commander of the Zealot Division, and knock him into the lake.

  The ultimate attack of the Saint-level Gold Dragon – Soul Shout!

  The Pulseguard Defense around Linley’s body just barely weakened the power of this invisible ripple, which charged directly against Linley’s consciousness.

  Now…

  In the mysterious depths of his consciousness, a half-translucent, seven-colored crystal floated, surrounded by an endless, ocean-like amount of spiritual energy. This endless amount of spiritual energy slowly flowed about it like water, but with a strange rhythm that seemed to carry the mysteries of the Profound Truths of the Earth within it.

  If one was able to carefully inspect it, one would find that the spiritual energy surrounding that seven-colored crystal had an extremely faint layer of azure light protecting it as well.

  Currently, that external burst of ripple-like spiritual energy was charging in wildly, with the target being Linley’s soul.

  “Bang!”

  The Gold Dragon’s most powerful attack collided with Linley’s soul.

  When the Gold Dragon used this technique, the Tyrant Wyrm once more began to emit hellfire from its body, while at the same time, with a thundering sound, its muscles and bones began to crackle and pop as it gathered a tremendous amount of force.

  The Thunder Lizard was very confident. It was certain…that right now, Linley had already had his soul badly damaged. Even if he didn’t die, he would be dizzy for a while.

  In this sort of situation, Linley wouldn’t be able to control his defense at all.

  But just as the Tyrant Wyrm was preparing its most powerful attack…

  “Swish!” Linley, who logically shouldn’t have been been able to move at all, suddenly transformed into a blur and struck against the exhausted Gold Dragon. With just one mighty fist, he smashed the Saint-level Gold Dragon out of the air and into the ground.

  The Tyrant Wyrm and Thunder Lizard stared at Linley in shock.

  Linley’s dark gold eyes swept them with its icy gaze. His voice was calm. “Stop resisting. Plaket, I can tell that the power of the attack you are about to use is definitely ridiculously powerful. However, given your
speed, there’s no way you will be able to harm me at all.”

  How could the Tyrant Wyrm not understand this logic?

  If he couldn’t touch the opponent, what use was even the most powerful of attacks? They had thought that combining this attack with the ‘Soul Shout’ would be perfect, but Linley wasn’t affected by the Soul Shout at all. The three Saint-level dragons couldn’t believe what they had just seen.

  Linley was secretly laughing.

  “Spiritual attacks? My ancestors in the Dragonblood Warrior clan were able to reach the Saint-level in just a few decades. They didn’t have a high level of understanding, and their spiritual energy wasn’t very strong either. There are many people in the world capable of ‘spiritual attacks’. So why, then, was our Dragonblood Warrior clan so famous? Why would they be proclaimed as the strongest of Saints?”

  The Dragonblood Warriors were the Supreme Warriors who had been blessed by the heavens.

  Even Linley’s ancestors, who had ordinary souls, no longer feared spiritual attacks upon reaching the Saint-level. This was because once they Dragonformed at the Saint-level, their souls would be protected by a unique, strange energy possessed only by the Dragonblood Warrior lineage.

  This was what a Dragonblood Warrior was! The invincible Dragonblood Warriors!

  Book 10, Baruch – Chapter 29, Glory

  Seeing this godlike, invincible Dragonblood Warrior, the Saint-level Thunder Lizard, Gold Dragon, and Tyrant Wyrm all began to feel a hint of dread in their hearts.

  Right. Dread!

  Dread of Linley killing them. These three Saint-level dragons already understood that the Gold Dragon who possessed the most powerful magic amongst them was unable to harm Linley, while the physically most powerful Tyrant Wyrm wasn’t able to match him in speed.

  As for the Thunder Lizard, someone like Linley with such ridiculous defense was his greatest bane.

  “Will we die?”

  The three Saint-level dragons didn’t know what to do. They didn’t think that Linley would spare them, because at the beginning, Linley had been lenient with them, but then the three of them had used their ultimate attacks on him, trying to kill him.

  Just then, they truly had wanted to kill Linley. Would Linley spare them?

  The three Saint-level dragons didn’t think so!

  But just then, a calm voice rang out, which to the three of them sounded like music from the heavens. “Choose death, or choose to serve as my mounts for a hundred years.” Linley’s dark golden eyes stared at the three Saint-level dragons. Perhaps because of his twelve years of quiet meditation, Linley was now rarely moved to engage in slaughter.

  The three Saint-level dragons were unable to deal with Linley. But they would be effective against people of Osenno’s level.

  The Saint-level Thunder Lizard, Gold Dragon, and Tyrant Wyrm all secretly sighed in relief. Just a hundred years. To these creatures with an unending lifespan, that was a fairly short time frame. In addition, as magical beasts, they respected the powerful. Linley had defeated the three of them by himself.

  Submitting to him wouldn’t be considered a stain on their honor.

  “Master!”

  The three Saint-level dragons lowered their proud heads towards Linley. From far away, the watching Delia, Taylor, Cena, and Sasha all came over, riding on Bebe’s back. The kids were cheering happily. Even the mighty Saint-level dragons, in the end, had lowered their heads to Linley, the one who the kids worshipped.

  “Father, you are so powerful! Wow! Three Saint-level dragons!” Taylor screamed in excitement.

  Sasha and Cena were normally calm, but upon seeing the three massive Saint-level dragons, their eyes shone and they were extremely enthusiastic as well. Bebe sneered, “You three stupid worms, why’d you have to fight against my Boss? You should’ve just admitted defeat from the start.”

  “Hrmph!” The three Saint-level dragons stared furiously at Bebe.

  Only now did Linley speak out. “This is my dear brother, ‘Bebe’. He is also a Saint-level magical beast. However, his power is far higher than you three’s. Bebe’s speed is almost on par with yours, Thunder Lizard. He isn’t that far off. But his defense and attack are both greater than that of the Tyrant Wyrm’s.”

  These words utterly stunned the three Saint-level dragons.

  Was there such a monster of a magical beast in the world?

  Speed almost on par with a Thunder Lizard, and power and defense even more terrifying than a Tyrant Wyrm. How could this sort of magical beast exist?

  “You are a rat-type magical beast?” The Saint-level Thunder Lizard said in a low voice, shocked as he stared at Bebe. They didn’t doubt Linley’s words in the slightest. An expert on Linley’s level wouldn’t lie to them.

  Bebe nodded.

  “But…but…your fur is black. Not violet.” The Thunder Lizard didn’t dare believe it. “In the Yulan continent, there’s only one type of rat-type magical beast at the Saint-level…the legendary Emperor Rat of the Forest of Darkness. But the Emperor Rat’s fur is a violet gold color.”

  The place where the most Stoneater Rats and Shadowmice lived was the Forest of Darkness.

  “Violet gold?” Bebe suddenly understood. “Oh. You are talking about my friend. He is indeed an Emperor Rat.”

  “A black Saint-level rat-type magical beast, this…” The three Saint-level dragons simply couldn’t understand it.

  Bebe looked at Linley. “Boss, isn’t it time to be getting back?” Since they had the three Saint-level dragons as steeds now, they could go back and have Cena, Taylor, and Sasha rouse the Dragonblood in their veins.

  The Tyrant Wyrm rumbled, “Master, aren’t you going to cast the soul-binding technique?” Only by using the soul-binding technique would one be able to effectively control a magical beast. Since these three dragons had admitted defeat, they were willing to accept the restrictions of the soul-binding technique.

  “No need.” Linley said calmly.

  Soul-binding technique?

  Based on what Linley knew, a person was only capable of having three magical beasts. If he wanted to take over another one, he would then have to release one of his other master-servant relationships with another magical beast. Linley already had two magical beasts. He would at most be able to take another one.

  “No need?” The three Saint-level dragons were shocked. Three Saint-level magical beasts were presenting themselves to him, but he didn’t want them?

  “I trust you.” Linley said calmly.

  The sensation of being trusted was quite a good one.

  “We three brothers have agreed to serve as mounts for a hundred years. We definitely will honor our word.” The three Saint-level dragons felt a hint of admiration for Linley in their hearts. Seeing the three Saint-level dragons being so obedient before him, Linley felt a hint of nostalgia.

  He still remembered when he was young, his father had led him to read the legends of his clan in the ancestral hall.

  “Baruch, the very first Dragonblood Warrior of the Yulan continent. In the year 4560 of the Yulan calendar, outside the walls of the city of Linnan, Baruch did battle against a Black Dragon and a Titanic Frost Wyrm. In the end, he slew both the Titanic Frost Wyrm and the Black Dragon, causing his fame to be spread across the world. In the year 4579 of the Yulan calendar, along the coastline of the northern sea of the continent, Baruch did battle against a Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor. On that day, the waves crashed unceasingly and nearby cities crumbled, but after a vicious fight lasting a full day and night, Baruch finally executed the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor…in the end, Baruch founded the Baruch clan, and became the first leader of the Baruch clan!”

  “Ryan Baruch, the second Dragonblood Warrior of the Yulan continent. In the year 4690 of the Yulan calendar, in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, he defeated and subdued a Saint-level Golden Dragon, and became known as the Golden Dragonrider Saint! In the year 4697…”

  “Hazard Baruch, the third Dragonblood Warrior of the Yula
n continent. Born in the year 5360 of the Yulan calendar, in his very first battle, he fought fiercely with a Saint-level Bloody-eyed Maned Lion in the Mountain Range of the Setting Sun. He defeated the lion, forcing it to scurry away and flee, causing Hazard to become famous throughout the world…”

  Linley still remembered how his father had looked.

  That look of arrogance and pride.

  Pride in his ancestors. Pride in being a descendant of the Dragonblood Warrior clan.

  However, his entire life, his father had one regret. He had always dreamed of reclaiming his clan’s ancestral heirloom. Dreamed…that one day, he would witness the rebirth of his clan’s glory.

  “Father…can you see this?” Linley murmured in his heart. “I, Linley Baruch, Yulan calendar year 10022, went by myself to the Mountain Range of the Setting Sun and fought against three Saint-level dragons and then tamed them.” This record alone surpassed the achievements of his ancestors.

  Linley could name himself the most powerful Dragonblood Warrior in his clan’s history without any shame.

  “If only Father could see this…”

  His father had desired his entire life to restore the clan’s glory. When Linley had become an Ernst Institute student, his father had entrusted him with the important tasks of recovering the clan’s ancestral heirloom as well as restoring the clan’s glory. And today…

  Linley had done it all!

  But his father was gone forever.

  “Let’s go. Time to return. The three of you need to shrink a bit.” Linley sighed, then issued the orders.

  Instantly, the three Saint-level dragons shrank in size to roughly ten meters or so, the same size as Bebe. With the three dragons in tow, Linley’s group began to fly at high speed north, towards the Anarchic Lands.

  The Anarchic Lands. Outside Baruch City. Atop Mt. Blackraven.

  “Big brother, your actions really were amazing.” Wharton’s face was covered in shock and joy. “You brought three Saint-level dragons here directly to have them serve as mounts for a hundred years. In the future, our descendants won’t need to go find Saint-level dragons at all.”