"Ah! No! Please, no—" Grandmaster Draco clutched his chest in agony, his heart dripping blood with grief. Frantic and desperate, he rushed forward to help the Tri-Tailed Venomfiend, which was rolling and howling in the sea of fire, slapping desperately at the flames burning on its body. But these flames were none other than the mighty Triple Spirit Flame, brimming with heaven and earth’s righteous power—no matter how hard Draco tried, he could never put them out.
The Tri-Tailed Venomfiend struggled and wailed in the inferno for a while, its cries growing weaker, its body reeking of scorched flesh. It wasn’t dead yet—just drained of its ferocity, lying weakly on the ground, whimpering and twitching now and then, letting out a series of unpleasant, beastly howls.
Seeing his attack work wonders and Grandmaster Draco losing his composure, Shawn Young instantly realized this was the perfect chance to secure his victory and finish off his powerful foe. Without hesitation, he strode straight toward Draco, who was still frantically trying to put out the flames on his precious Tri-Tailed Venomfiend, completely oblivious to Shawn’s approach.
When Shawn got close to Draco, the latter finally snapped out of it. He looked up to see Shawn standing before him with a cold smirk. Draco froze, realizing he was facing a deadly enemy. Instinctively, he staggered back a few steps, fumbling to pull out a magical artifact to fight Shawn. But Shawn wasn’t about to let him summon some even scarier monster—he lunged forward, shoved Draco square in the chest, and unleashed his strength. Draco’s frail body flew backward, crashing with a bang right into his own Tri-Tailed Venomfiend.
The collision left Grandmaster Draco dizzy and disoriented. His forehead smacked right into the Venomfiend’s giant front fang, its hard tusk rattling his brain into mush. Instantly, his consciousness blurred, his spiritual connection with the Tri-Tailed Venomfiend snapped in a flash!
"Roar—Awoo—" Even though the Tri-Tailed Venomfiend was gravely wounded, its vitality was stubbornly fierce. Losing control, it was jolted by Draco’s body slamming into it and let out a wild, instinctive howl. With the last of its strength, it lashed out desperately, jaws wide, and bit straight into Draco’s neck—
"Ah—" Draco screamed in agony as the Venomfiend tore open his neck. A fountain of crimson blood gushed from his throat, spraying right into the dying beast’s mouth. And then—something totally unexpected happened. After gulping down a mouthful of Draco’s blood, the Venomfiend’s triangular eyes flashed gold. It rolled over, staggered to its feet, shook its head with a surge of power, and flung Draco’s limp body across the room. Draco crashed into a wall over ten meters away, crumpling to the floor, twitching mindlessly as blood poured from his torn neck. He was clearly done for.
With Draco’s life hanging by a thread and the Tri-Tailed Venomfiend mortally wounded, the eerie, grayish demonic mist surrounding them quickly dissipated. The magical barrier Draco had set up vanished too, along with much of the foul stench. The scenery around them returned to its original state.
"Awooo—" The Tri-Tailed Venomfiend let out another monstrous howl, its body still ablaze with the Triple Spirit Flame. With a twist of its massive frame, it smashed open the heavy redwood door at the back courtyard of the Golden Mountain Casino, stumbling and lurching but somehow managing to dash outside at breakneck speed—
"Uh—" Shawn Young hadn’t expected things to go down like this, but he didn’t chase after the beast. He knew the Tri-Tailed Venomfiend would eventually be burned alive by the Triple Spirit Flame he’d unleashed. After all, whether human or monster, once touched by the Triple Spirit Flame, only the most powerful spells could ever put it out!
Still worried Draco might not be fully dead, Shawn walked over to the corner where Draco lay. He found the sorcerer with his throat torn open, arteries exposed to the air, his face pale as gold paper and barely clinging to life. Draco’s frail, hunched body twitched in the bloody puddle. At a glance, Shawn could tell Draco wasn’t going to make it.
"Gurgle—" Suddenly, Draco’s hooked nose twitched, and a weird, whistling sound like a broken bellows came from his throat. A strange flush spread across his ancient, wrinkled cheeks. He slowly opened his eyes—wider and wider, as if it took all his strength. Only now did Shawn notice just how round those old eyes could get!
Draco’s eyes bulged, veins streaking across his pupils, which flickered with a ghostly green light. Weakly, he tilted his head up, looked at Shawn, and gave a bitter smile: “Never… thought… that after more than thirty years in the game… today… I’d… fall… to you!”
"Heh—Old man, you spent your days brewing monsters and venomous bugs to hurt people. Heaven’s justice was bound to catch up with you! You know what they say—wicked deeds always come back to bite you!" Shawn shot back, totally unreserved.
"Hmph—My fate… is mine… not Heaven’s! Kid… you’ll find out… soon enough!" Draco sneered, his face full of disdain, clearly unimpressed by Shawn’s words.
"Oh, maybe! But in your current state, you’re not escaping death either, are you?" Shawn retorted.