Chapter 539: A Dragon
This time, the young woman unleashed both her magic and martial prowess to their fullest extent.
Witnessing this terrifying scene, Thorne Merlin broke out in a cold sweat from sheer fright.
She really isn't holding anything back...
When facing the young woman's physical strength, I already felt utterly powerless, unable to resist. And now, she's perfectly blending magic with martial arts—just how terrifying is that?
As expected...
That young mage named Matthew Merlin blinked forward several times in rapid succession, arriving right in front of the young woman. His staff was already raised high, and at the same time, a surge of astonishing arcane resonance erupted.
It's over...
It's really over...
Thorne Merlin couldn't help but picture the young mage being pierced by hundreds of frost spears, or hoisted aloft by the young woman, blood streaming everywhere.
He no longer had the courage to keep watching...
"Hm?"
But just as he was about to close his eyes, he saw the young mage, still in his Fire Elemental Avatar state, dodge hundreds of frost spears with five rapid fire blinks, moving at such a tricky angle that the dazzling scene was almost unbelievable.
Yet, what happened next was even more incredible...
The young mage's staff, its tip set with a massive gemstone, suddenly burst into brilliant light. Countless runes flickered along its length, the spectacle truly awe-inspiring.
Red and blue light flared as a disc, bright as the full moon, slowly rose behind the young mage. In an instant, its radiance intensified, unleashing a torrent of spells from within—a spell torrent so vast that it swallowed the charging young woman and her frost spears whole.
At that moment, Thorne Merlin happened to notice a flicker of panic on the young woman's usually serene, pale face.
Rumble...
The young mage's fire spells blazed dazzlingly, seeming endless. Only after an earth-shattering explosion did he finally stop casting, spin around, and blink through the flames toward the others.
In that moment, the whole world seemed to fall silent. Everyone stared at the sea of fire, feeling the terrifying heat, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
"It's actually over..." Thorne Merlin was the first to break the silence. He let out a slow breath, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, but the look he gave the young mage was deeply complicated.
He truly hadn't expected the battle to end this way...
"Not yet..."
A calm voice interrupted, freezing Thorne Merlin's expression. The words came from none other than the young mage: "You... What do you mean? Is she... is she not dead yet?"
The others were equally stunned, so shocked they could barely speak.
Could anyone really survive, trapped in that inferno?
They didn't dare approach, only watched from afar, hearts pounding with dread. Even Title Archmages or Sword Saints would struggle to survive in that fire.
After all, flesh and blood can only endure so much...
"She's not dead yet..." Leon managed a bitter smile, his face more solemn than ever. He too stared at the sea of fire, brows furrowed, sensing a terrifying power slowly awakening within.
"How is that possible!"
As soon as Leon finished speaking, Thorne Merlin, pale as a sheet, cried out in disbelief.
The next instant, a thunderous boom erupted. Flames shot skyward as a tremendous force shattered the sea of fire, and then—a deafening dragon's roar shook the air, along with a chilling, heart-stopping aura.
For a moment, it seemed as if the palace beneath their feet was trembling...
That really was a dragon's roar!
After a brief stunned silence, everyone realized the sound they'd heard was truly a dragon's roar.
At that moment, everyone's expressions turned grim and anxious...
The dragon's roar meant their enemy was a true dragon—possibly a Frost Dragon.
If the young woman truly is a dragon, then her mastery of both magic and martial power is no surprise.
After all, nearly every dragon's bloodline grants them terrifying spellcasting abilities and monstrous strength, letting them crush opponents of the same rank with ease...
As the dragon's roar faded, a massive figure appeared—like a mountain, covered in crystalline white scales that released a cold mist. Scattered flames around it were instantly snuffed out the moment they touched the freezing vapor.
That immense, powerful form—even a hundred meters away—looked for all the world like a living ice sculpture. Yet the pressure it radiated was almost tangible, crashing over everyone present.
My god, it's really a dragon...
The moment Thorne Merlin saw that shape, he couldn't help but gasp, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
Just thinking that he'd faced such a monstrous enemy made him shiver to the bone.
Thank the gods the dragon fought him in human form; if it had revealed its true self, it wouldn't have been just a thumb-sized hole in his chest and a simple knockback...
Among dragonkind, most can use transformation magic, but few ever take human shape. As the true rulers behind the Arthurian Dynasty in Northend, their pride from bloodline alone makes such forms beneath them—besides, their power is greatly limited in human guise.
This was the real reason Thorne Merlin was drenched in cold sweat...
Still, he never imagined this planar journey would be so perilous, ending with the appearance of an actual dragon...
Just from that feeling of dread, he could tell this was a true adult dragon!
In the long history of Northend World, even after the Nesser Dynasty faded and Emperor Charles shattered the Throne of All Things, the mighty dragon race all but vanished, their former glory lost to time. Yet among mages, the mere mention of dragons still inspires awe.
Dragons appear in nearly every epic legend—especially the Five-Colored Dragons, and the Hyber Dragon God who was slain by godlike mages in the golden age of magic.
Nowadays, dragons are pitifully rare in Northend, some descended from the Five-Colored Dragons, others belonging to different races.
To alchemists, every dragon is a walking treasure vault...
An adult dragon's blood, scales, fangs—every part is a precious alchemical ingredient, enough to drive any alchemist mad with desire.
Yet even in this age of fading Five-Colored Dragons, most mages who dare challenge a dragon pay dearly for their greed...
Unless you're someone like Star Sage Joey, who has touched transcendent power, or a Sky Rank expert, no mage would ever want to face an adult dragon.
"What do we do, what now..." Thorne Merlin was frantic, nearly losing his mind, but still managed to turn to Leon with a desperate, almost tearful smile. "Merlin Archmage, your thoughts...?"
Even as a seasoned commander, Thorne Merlin was filled with dread. He'd already experienced the dragon's power in human form, but now, seeing its true, mountain-like shape and feeling that suffocating aura, he could barely keep from bolting.
But he was Thorne Merlin—not Lann Merlin...
"There's no way out..." Leon shook his head, grave and decisive. "We've completely enraged her now. Escape is impossible—the only option left is to throw everything we have at defeating the Frost Dragon."
Yes, that's exactly the situation now...
If we tried to run, our team would be scattered. And to reach the planar gate from here—it would take at least a full day...
Even Thorne Merlin, a Sword Saint of the fifth rank, couldn't hope to outrun a hunting Frost Dragon. The rest of us would stand even less chance.
Leon, with the magical artifacts at his disposal, was confident he could leave this plane—but he'd come here to claim the last two Five-Colored Dragon Cores. There was no way he'd give up now.
Besides, unless he defeated the Frost Dragon, he'd never get his hands on those two cores...
So, the only path left was a direct battle with the Frost Dragon...
But this Frost Dragon wouldn't be easy to handle...
In fact, when the young woman first appeared, Leon's Mana Harness detected a trace of Frost Dragon aura. Any dragon who takes human form can't fully mask that unique aura—it's easy to recognize. But this time, things were different.
Here, the icebound plane is saturated with ice magic, almost completely masking the Frost Dragon's aura. Only Leon, equipped with his Mana Harness, noticed anything unusual—the others had no clue.