Kerdihak's Fury (4)
Kerdihak's antler-like crown horns blazed with violent lightning that gathered at their center, swelling in power. Though it was already midday and the sun shone brightly, the surrounding area grew even more luminous as the white glow of electricity bathed everything like a colossal lantern. Within the raging storm, an immense thunderbolt appeared—one born solely for destruction. The thunderous lightning strike poured down upon the Demon Lord's army.
BOOOOOOM!!!!
CRRRRRAAAAASH!!!
A blinding flash erupted, followed by dozens of lightning bolts firing simultaneously. No living creature could witness the lightning's path; they could only catch the fleeting glare. The chance of perceiving its movement and evading its devastating touch was virtually nonexistent. Yet the Demon Lord Castle shattered that common sense.
Dozens of bolts meant to bombard the castle grounds were intercepted mid-flight. A massive barrier had risen. Purple magic circles rotated like clockwork gears, their formulas spinning in intricate patterns. Dozens of these circles, large and small, formed a single colossal mana wall that shielded everything within the Demon Lord Castle.
Cadistella's crimson eyes gleamed with battle lust as she praised Lusteria.
"Well done, Lusteria!"
"Hnnngh…! The mana drain is too much…!!"
The barrier, dyed in the unique pitch-black hue of Luina, was the defensive spell Lusteria had hastily activated. The six-pointed star magic circle etched into her violet eyes shone brilliantly. Countless lights flowed and flickered within her pupils like a galaxy, while the vivid six-pointed star pulsed with overflowing mana, casting a sharp purple glow.
The moment Kerdihak's horns gathered electricity, Lusteria's authority had activated. Her inscribed magic circle granted her senses sharp enough to perceive the instant lightning raced through the air. She could detect its movement and deploy dozens of magic circles before it struck, erecting a vast mana barrier. With the six-pointed star active, Lusteria possessed transcendent reflexes capable of dodging every raindrop in a downpour. Its sole drawback was the extreme mana consumption.
"How much longer can you hold?!"
"…Ah, I… I don't even know how many more times I can block…!!"
Dragons were absolute beings born directly by the Creator. Fitting their origin, each possessed a unique authority—a power even the Twelve Gods could not dismiss lightly. Kerdihak's authority was the endless release of lightning. He wished to be called by the epithet "Wisdom," a lifelong ambition, yet others only ever called him "Knowledge." Disgusted by that reality, Kerdihak had spent countless years mastering magic and studying arcane theory. Yet whenever he grew impatient or serious, lightning always came before spells. That was how peerless his innate lightning authority was—his ultimate martial might.
Lusteria had taken that power head-on with her mana barrier. Kerdihak had been confident his lightning could shatter even the thousand-year volcano's cliffs or the ten-thousand-year glacial ice. Its destructive force was so overwhelming that evasion was the wisest course—yet doing so would have left the Demon Lord Castle in ruins. Thus Lusteria had poured every ounce of her strength into stopping it.
"Don't use those eyes! Focus only on maintaining the barrier with whatever mana you have left!"
"Hnn…! Understood!"
Cadistella had assigned Lusteria the role of pure defense. Lusteria's mana reserves were vast to begin with, further amplified by her innate talent and the subordinate contract she shared with Neromeltia—the strongest Demon Lord in history. That was why, even after blocking dozens of Kerdihak's lightning bolts with a single barrier, she had not yet consumed even a tenth of her mana. The six-pointed star magic circle, however, was different. Merely sustaining it for ten seconds had already halved her reserves. Knowing this, Cadistella ordered her to maintain the existing barrier and conserve as much mana as possible.
"Kuhahaha!! To think you'd actually block it! Not bad for a succubus who only knows pleasure…"
BOOOOOOM!!!!
After unleashing another massive surge of lightning, Kerdihak regarded the visibly strained Lusteria with an arrogant laugh. Despite having his greatest power obstructed, he remained brimming with confidence. He was genuinely impressed that a succubus had reacted in time to stop lightning that lesser beings could not even perceive before being incinerated. He had dismissed her as nothing more than a pet trailing after the Demon Lord, yet her unexpected strength piqued his interest. Still, his admiration was little more than the mild surprise one might feel toward a rat that refused to die from poison—his gaze remained condescending as he looked down upon her.
Cadistella found that gaze intolerable.
"Khhak…!! You damned corpse of a woman!!!"
"A mere lizard shouldn't look down on people so casually."
"You bitch!!!"
Before Kerdihak could finish his arrogant remark, Cadistella's attack struck. Crimson mana coalesced into five enormous claws that raked across his unguarded face. Kerdihak twisted desperately to evade the sudden ambush, but his massive body prevented a perfect dodge. Three parallel gashes now marred his visage, from which thick blue blood oozed.
Enraged that an insect had dared wound him, Kerdihak spat curses at Cadistella. She merely floated at the same height as him, replying with cool composure. This, too, infuriated Kerdihak. Someone of Cadistella's caliber could naturally fly—it would have been stranger if she could not. Yet the sight of a lowly vermin hovering at his eye level was unacceptable. Only a dragon should look down upon all creation; the notion of lesser beings sharing the same sky was deeply offensive.
Normally, Cadistella's flight alone would not have provoked such fury. But having tasted pain from her attack—an experience he had not known since Neromeltia's strike a thousand years ago—Kerdihak's composure shattered. The unfamiliar sensation of agony only fueled his rage further.
CRACKLECRACKLECRACKLE!!!
"You will become ash!!!"
Once more, immense lightning gathered at Kerdihak's horns. Blinding white light, crackling with countless sparks, painted the world in brilliance. Even blinded by fury, Kerdihak remained a cunning dragon. He knew a direct assault on Cadistella would achieve nothing; a one-on-one duel was precisely what she desired, for it would divert his attention and leave the Demon Lord Castle safer. Instead, he positioned his attack so that both Cadistella and the castle lay along the same line of fire. The barrier protecting the castle would grow more precarious, and depending on Lusteria's remaining mana, it might finally break. Cadistella would be the one forced into desperation.
Yet Kerdihak had overlooked one other existence—the one he had dismissed because she could not use magic. Crawford, who had kicked off the ground and was now soaring toward the heavens.
"I'll take your head, dragon!!"