Crossed Battlefields (4)
Crunch. Creak.
The corpse rose.
The dragon, who had died in human form spilling blood, snapped her eyes wide open. It was a scene straight out of a zombie flick. The woman, who should have been a cold, stiff body, dangled her blood-soaked hair as her limbs twitched. Her neck twisted grotesquely before her head swiveled back with a sickening grind, fixing its glare on Yushin and Allen.
“You vermin! Vermin! How dare you vermin!!”
The dragon, having absorbed the lich's hellfire, had been revived. Not a Bone Dragon. Salamanka's evil dragon had come back as something closer to a zombie—a ragged, tattered corpse dragon hauling its ruined flesh upright. With every heave of her body, fresh blood gushed from the wounds Allen had inflicted. The elves stared in stunned horror at the demonic sight.
Alonne and Leticia, returning after dealing with the dragonkin soldiers, froze at the sight of the evil dragon, speechless.
“It... worked, it seems...”
The skull—now just a head after losing its body—clacked its jawbone as it spoke. Yushin had shattered its life vessel, but fragments remained embedded in the lich's body. It had clung to life using the lingering mana in those shards.
-GRRAAAAAHHH!!
The evil dragon shed her human polymorphed form in an instant, reverting to her true draconic shape. At the same time, she unleashed a barrage of spells.
“Her magic output's way up. And that mana pool... it's from the dragon heart's reserves.”
Yushin swung Karus in a wide arc, blocking the spells that had been about to engulf the elves. A second volley followed. Salamanka's evil dragon, dragging her bloodied corpse of a body, chained black lightning strikes one after another. This was no desperate spellcasting on the brink of mana exhaustion. It was a far cry from when the Dragon Lord's curse had locked away the vast mana accumulated in her heart.
Yushin realized the evil dragon had broken free of the curse's chains upon reviving as an undead.
“Fall back!”
Yushin shouted. Freed from the Dragon Lord's bindings, the corpse dragon before them was a monster armed with an undead's freakish physique and draconic magic. Protecting all the elves while fighting it head-on was impossible. He had to go all-out. His instincts rang alarm bells of urgency, and he ordered Kalen to hurry the elves out of there.
“Leave it to me!”
“Like hell! That ain't the same pushover you were beating on!”
Yushin blocked Allen as she lunged forward sword-first. That thing was dangerous. They needed to regroup first, then figure out how to kill it. But the evil dragon was relentless. Predators never let prey slip away. To Salamanka's evil dragon, the elves were mana-rich snacks. Even revived as undead without mana worries, she prioritized devouring them.
“Finally regenerated!”
Cordova, who had been left with just a head, barely pieced his body back together and lurched to his feet. But it was just flesh regrown—no life vessel meant no combat readiness. Squeezing the last mana from his shattered vessel's fragments, he cast a float spell. Perched atop the massive corpse dragon, the lich watched the elves scream and flee, then spat red light from his eye sockets at Yushin and Allen facing them down.
“Kill them all! Every last one!”
The lich bellowed. But the dragon, lost to madness, heard nothing. Her eyes were fixed on Yushin and Allen—the humans who had humiliated her with terror and fear. She wanted them exterminated, torn to shreds and swallowed whole. Devour these powerhouses and forge new strength from them.
-I'll kill you all!!
Elves caught in the corpse dragon's spells began to fall, one by one. Yushin charged to force close quarters, denying her casting room. Allen followed, bastard sword at the ready.
“Allen!”
“Got it!”
Yushin led, shattering the corpse dragon's spells. Then Allen's Dragon Pursuer carved a massive gash across the dragon's chest. The two-meter bastard sword's heavy downward slash tore deep into the colossal body. Cold, congealed blood sprayed as dead flesh pulped with a nauseating squelch. The wounded dragon roared, abandoning her elf-targeting attacks to focus on Yushin and Allen first.
-Vermin humans. Even if my body crumbles to nothing, I won't let you live.
Salamanka's evil dragon now spewed crimson hellfire from her maw—the lich's own flames. Revived by them, she wielded his power in his stead.
Thunderbolt Eight Forms
Thunder Bow
The hellfire pierced by lightning arrows. Sword-qi bolts impaled one of the dragon's eyes. Blinded suddenly, the evil dragon thrashed and screamed. Allen swung her greatsword, slashing the dragon's body to ribbons.
“Allen, above!”
Yushin yelled. Demons were there. The ones who came to the unexplored zone with Cordova joined now that the dragon and lich were cornered. Having lost two comrades to the lich, they'd hung back watching. But seeing them truly pinned, they stepped in reluctantly—returning empty-handed without the lich meant facing the Demon King's wrath.
“Cover the lich.”
“We need to pull out first. These humans are no joke.”
The demons raised spears of dark demonic energy, aiming at Yushin and Allen—and the fleeing elves and holdouts alike.
What a mess, Yushin grimaced, countering the lich's flames with lightning. He kicked off the ground, sweeping away the demons' spears targeting the elves. His blade blurred invisibly fast, deflecting dozens in a single slash. The demons gasped in shock.
“How is a human...?”
“He's the one who cornered the dragon and lich. Don't underestimate him just 'cause he's human.”
The demons kept distance, wary of getting caught in attacks. Unless he was a mage, no human could hit aerial foes. And he was a swordsman. Safe in the sky. But that thought lasted a moment—a lightning-wreathed sword bullet shredded one demon. It happened in a blink; even nearby demons missed it.
Thunderbolt Eight Forms
Thunder Spear
Yushin hurled the crude sword an elf had wielded, targeting the sky demons. It hit barely, but the junk blade limited the spear's power. Against the dragon, it'd barely scratch scales.
“Allen!”
Yushin bellowed her name. Seizing the moment his focus shifted skyward, Salamanka's evil dragon spread her wings to flee. Allen swung wide, severing both flapping wings in a flash. Flightless now, and as a corpse, no regeneration. No flying without flight magic ever again.
“I'll take the demons!”
“Got it, oppa. Then I'll finish the dragon!”
Yushin turned to face the aerial demons. Allen pressed back-to-back with him, staring down the lich and dragon to block attacks on him. Perfect sync. Even with demons crashing the party, their assault never faltered. Years together meant they knew each other's moves in a pinch.
“I'll buy time. Target the human woman from behind.”
Wingless, Salamanka's evil dragon was briefly exposed. The lich stepped up. Crimson hellfire wreathing his hands, ragged robes flapping, Cordova faced Allen. Slim odds of winning. He knew this wilder-than-boar, fiercer-than-beast human woman was beyond him. But surrender wasn't an option. He bore a critical mission from Demon King Sabnack.
For Lady Sabnack's flawless victory, I can't stop here...! The plan to turn the Elf Kingdom into hell must proceed. Their screams will echo here too—I'll make it happen!
First, escape. He needed the dragon. She held authority over the four central axes spanning the unexplored zone. She had to survive. That's why he'd strained to revive her as a corpse dragon.
Three minutes till teleport. Hold out three minutes, open a gate, and we're gone.
Cordova had a plan. Residual mana in the life vessel shards. Use it to bail. Hellfire had burned through plenty, hence the three-minute cast. An intact vessel wouldn't need this hassle, but regrets wouldn't fix it.
“Whatcha scheming? I look like a pushover to you?”
Allen's sword pulverized both the lich's arms in a heartbeat. She sensed a ploy. No other reason he'd step up like that. Not logic—gut instinct screaming scheme. She blasted his hands off with the hellfire.
-I won't... die... like this...!!
Take you all to hell with me. Even if I perish, you die too. The mangled dragon spewed blood from her maw, rearing her head. Creak!! Forcing her maxed-out body strained her muscles and bones to screaming. But Salamanka's evil dragon pressed on. She'd resolved to mutual destruction—drag these two humans and the elves to oblivion, even if it killed her.
“O-oppa...?”
“What? Can't you see I'm bu—”
Allen elbowed Yushin's ribs. He turned from demon-hunting to see the armless lich and the bloodied dragon rising.
-GRRRRHHHH....
After a breath, Salamanka's evil dragon squeezed every drop of mana from her body, unleashing dragon fear.
-GRRROOOOAAARRH!! KAGAAAAAHHH---!!!!
Rage, madness, hatred. Emotions boiling like a volcano rippled her roar across the unexplored zone. Then chaos erupted.
Northern peak. Southern swamp. Eastern valley. Western waterfall. The four central axes activated at her command, spewing mana.
But the anomaly didn't end there. The eastern valley axis began moving on its own. Planted like a flag, now shifting. East axis headed further northeast—toward the village holding Yushin, Allen, and the elves.