HBWnovel Chapter 88: Qyriwirth (6)
Chapter 88: Qyriwirth (6)
Chapter 88: Qyriwirth (6)
"AMON!!!"
The first one to react to the Blood Demon's dome trapping Amon wasn't his fiancée or the Pillar Knight sent to protect him. But, his young squire.
Swinging Ascalon with all his might, Leon charged the Holy Sword with righteous fire and struck violently onto the thick barrier. A glorious wildfire burst all over the bloody sphere, continuing to burn the barrier. However, after a while, it subsided until it eventually fizzled away, and the dome stood tall as if nothing had ever happened.
"No way! Even Ascalon's might can't damage it?"
Leon was stunned but not deterred. Twisting his wrists, he gathered his mana and prepared for another strike. But, a thundering voice beckoned to him before Leon could channel a swing.
"Stand down, Leon Bright!"
Horus had descended from his golden throne. Completely ignoring their plan, he replicated his earlier strike and sent a cataclysmic strike flying onto the sinister sphere. But shockingly enough, the result was the same as Leon's. The flames from his golden aura dissipated after the initial move, leaving behind a pristine, semi-fluid dome that seemed impregnable.
"T-This..."
The Knight of the Morning Star couldn't believe his eyes. There hadn't been many things he couldn't cut or destroy. And even if he couldn't eradicate it, Horus expected some damage. But for the dome to remain completely intact...
"Save your strength, Sir Horus. The barrier is protected by ancient draconic magic. It can't be dispelled that easily."
Fortunately, someone nearby could explain the nature of the events to them. Yue Elune silently sauntered forward while narrowing her eyes. She stared blankly at the Blood Dome for a few seconds before sighing.
"There's no helping it; we can't break through."
"No! We have to save Amon! H-He..."
"Don't worry about him, he'll be fine."
Yue's straightforward reply curtly declined Leon's concern. Contrary to what he'd expected, Amon's fiancée was unconcerned and seemed disinterested. He wanted to speak up, but Yue beat him to the punch.
"There's no point in wasting our efforts. The Blood Demon must have used its Draconic life essence to create an unbreakable barrier and isolate Amon from us. If we attempt to break the barrier, it would deplete our strength and mana. And we should save it for more pressing matters..."
As she said those words, numerous bloodless corpses began rising from the scorched earth. Many of them were burning in bloodfire and shrieking outcries of the damned. Not only that, there were a handful more elites, some that looked many times more robust than the elites they'd taken down previously.
"Amon can take care of himself. Our job is out here."
Turning around, Yue floated in the air while her internal mana spiked. Initially, Leon thought the young lady was cold and indifferent to Amon's plight.
However, as he felt the intensity of Yue's mana, Leon realised that he had completely misunderstood.
Mana reigned supreme in the air. A colossal whirlwind formed around the trio as shards of broken rock became piercing shrapnel. The sky darkened, and the winds howled like a brewing storm. Earth, mud and wind combined into a vengeful spell that sucked all life into its madness and spat them out with disdain.
The tornado continued to grow in size, slicing and dicing anything that came into its path. Those that sought the sanctuary of the underground weren't spared either. Earthquakes and fissures churned in unison with the unbearable storm, decimating any creature unfortunate to stand in its path.
In just a few brief moments, the world turned silent. Half of the bloodless corpses had been wiped clean, while the remainder were battered and bruised. Only Leon and Horus, safely tucked in the eye of the storm, were spared injury.
But that didn't mean they didn't suffer any mental damage.
Leon in particular. He realised that his original assessment of Yue was incorrect.
The one feeling the most wrath... was none other than Yue herself.
But not for the reason that he'd expected.
'Shit! That stupid Blood Demon just had to use the Blood Dome on Amon! Why didn't it put me in, too?! I can't believe I will miss SSS-rare footage of Amon slaying it!!!'
In the end, Yue is just a fangirl who throws a tantrum.
A tantrum that wiped clean half the battlefield.
His movements were faster, his swordplay sharper, and his aura management was beyond belief. Particularly, his swordplay. Amon beautifully neutralised the six arms without even moving a step, slicing them clean from the Blood Demon's body without allowing it to regrow them.
While martial arts wasn't the Blood Demon's strong suit, it was confident that it could land a blow on any Knight in the world. However, Amon's movements and swordsmanship were something that Qyriwirth couldn't even comprehend.
It wasn't landing anything on Amon, and yet, it was sustaining all the damage. There were no openings for the horrendous creature to exploit, even with its added arms. Ultimately, it gave up and flew high in the air, keeping itself afloat with its dragon wings.
Qyriwirth thought: 'If close combat doesn't work, then long-distance strikes would.'
In theory, that would be the case. A Knight's main weakness was its short range, after all. But unfortunately, the Blood Demon forgot to factor in one thing...
Amon chased the dragonlord into the skies. His feet kicked the air as if invisible boards assisted his movement.
Solaris Mystic Art: Stellar Waltz.
A movement skill created by the Solaris House and perfected by Amon. Even without wings, Amon could manoeuvre in the air and, in many aspects, move quicker and more agile than in regular flight. Able to use his usual movesets, Amon charged at the flying draconic humanoid and charged a fully-powered swing.
With the force of Six Suns, Amon ignited the Blood Dome again. Golden flames erupted from the tip of his blade and detonated like a supernova when they reached Qyriwirth in the skies. With nowhere to run, all the Blood Demon could do was take the hits full-on.
[B-BASTARD...]
Falling from the air, the Qyriwirth growled in agony. Its entire body was in tatters. Half of it melted away as the golden embers from Amon's strike remained. The rest desperately attempted to heal, but Amon's Aura Fire prevented recovery.
It was a fatal strike, and any regular Demon would have been exorcised immediately. However, Amon wasn't going to leave anything to chance. Raising Nyx above his head, he channelled his mana for the final strike. But before he could do so...
[I didn't expect... to be pushed this far...]
An ominous feeling crept up the young Knight's expression. Feeling an added sense of urgency, Amon rushed forward and prepared his final blow. And just before it could execute the monster...
BOOOMM!!!
An unfathomable explosion pushed the young Knight away. Tumbling on the ground, Amon collected dirt and cuts until he crashed onto a loose fallen tree. Squinting his eyes, he rose and saw the draconic humanoid turn into a blazing mess of Bloodfire. Mana spiked through the roof, and standing nearby would crush the average Knight.
With its body semi-ephemeral, the Blood Demon seemed like a Spirit Deity that descended upon the earth.
'This is...'
Amon hadn't seen this side of the Blood Demon before. Even in [Bright], when pushed to the end, the Blood Demon didn't show this form.
[To think that I... The mighty Qyriwirth. Fire Dragon Sovereign would be tarnished by fire... How humiliating!]
Bloodfire reigned over the massive dome, and it infected the land. Before Qyriwirth became the Blood Dragon, it was the former Fire Dragon Sovereign. For it to be killed by fire... it was a humiliation that it wouldn't accept.
[Consider this an honour, mortal! This is my strongest state! Your petty Suns will no longer harm me!]
In its anger and madness, the Blood Demon revealed its power like a villain in a comic book. Intoxicated with a desire to rip Amon to shreds, it ignored that its life essence was being drained at an astonishing rate.
Even if Amon did nothing, the Blood Demon would burn itself out in five minutes, maybe even less.
However, in exchange for burning its life essence, the Blood Demon had gained an invulnerability to fire. It would not harm the monster if Amon struck the beast with all his Solaris Mystic Arts and Solar mana. It may even strengthen the Blood Demon.
Seeing that there was no other choice, Amon exhaled deeply and released the Six Suns orbiting him.
When the Blood Demon saw that, it believed Amon had given up and accepted its fate. But, before it could breathe a taunt, Amon's demeanour changed. The golden Aura that coated him disappeared and was gradually replaced by a radiant silver one.
If the gold coat that protected Amon was akin to a warm summer, this silver armour was channelling the freezing winter. Sharp and profound, Amon's Aura was dazzling to the eye, and when the Six Moons emerged...
Amon opened his eyes.
The pupils, which should have been glowing gold, were now replaced with a chilling silver.
"If the Sun doesn't kill you, then the Moon will."