#109
Bone Dragon Hunt (1)
Swah—
Massive black magic overturned the surroundings, forming a barrier to prevent escape.
After going this far, there was no way they could just let him run away now.
As the black energy enveloped everything, only the four of them remained inside this barrier.
Pudduduk—!
“Khahaha! Alright, let’s see what happens!”
Halley, huffing like a beast, exhaled white steam from his entire body.
“Hmm, it seems controlling his blood directly will be difficult. Even if he’s mad, a Dragon is still a Dragon.”
Heinz II casually licked his lips as he sharpened his own blood.
[Ho? There are traces of absorbed life energy. Is that the source of the madness? Still, a Dragon’s mental firewall should be able to ignore that… Perhaps he was in a hibernating state.]
Hans calmly analyzed the specimen with a chilling aura.
Finally…
Grurrrrr— Bu, Undead King…! Undead King—!!
Right after Hans’ entrance, the Dragon Heratos, who had been frozen still, suddenly began to twitch spasmodically.
The red flames of madness flickering in his eyes slowly grew larger, swelling until they threatened to explode.
Whihooo—!
Then, the air around him was sucked into his center, creating a violent windstorm.
Startled by the sudden change in airflow, Halley quickly pinpointed the cause.
‘The air is just being swept along by the aftermath… What’s moving are the particles of madness scattered in the atmosphere.’
The minute particles of madness spread throughout the area were sucked into one place, being absorbed by the Dragon at the center.
Kyaaaah——!
Heratos roared once more, filled with madness.
As the three faced him, they did nothing.
Because there was no need.
‘Oh! Great, great. He’s concentrating on his own. That’s something Halley can’t do.’
Thanks to the Dragon’s trait of absorbing surrounding mana for growth, he was pulling in madness voluntarily unlike ordinary monsters.
He was raising the level of reward himself, so why would they need to interfere?
[Undead King! I’m going to kill you! I will kill you——!]
As the storm gradually calmed down, the Bone Dragon Heratos glared at Hans, unleashing his fury.
The red scales that covered his body deepened in color, and his constantly writhing flesh exhibited raw violence.
‘Madness consumes the host’s reason and forcibly diminishes lifespan and vitality, granting tremendous strength. If the subject is a Dragon that lives for thousands of years, the effect is undoubtedly significant.’
Moreover, the madness condensed within his Dragon Heart through the previous process was beyond imagination.
The aftermath had drastically decreased the concentrations of madness in the nearby atmosphere…
‘It seems it affected a broader range than I thought, considering it hasn’t recovered quickly.’
If the range were narrow, madness from elsewhere would have filled the void instantly.
It was truly a phenomenon that could only happen because he was a Mad Dragon.
Kyah—!
With eyes bulging, Heratos lunged at Hans like a missile.
The overwhelming magic power surrounding him complemented his movement, displaying a speed that belied his massive bulk.
Hmm, he’s very agitated. Does he have a grudge against the previous Undead King?
Of course, such simplistic behavior wouldn’t be enough to catch him.
Having already moved aside from the attack trajectory, Hans felt the air shake from the impact of the colossal mass behind him and organized his thoughts.
Capturing him itself wasn’t difficult.
After all, he was the descendant of the Undead King who hunted Dragons countless times.
However…
[Right, it’s better to be moderate.]
If Hans went all out, the creature’s body would inevitably become tainted, and in that case, all he would get would be a mere Undead Dragon.
That’s not bad, but there was already a more efficient method available.
‘For that, I need to bind his feet first.’
Fortunately, there was someone right here who could be of great assistance in this situation.
[Entrasio.]
A single word filled with black magic resonated softly.
At that moment, a huge shadowy swamp rapidly engulfed the ground.
And…
Puhwak—!
From the undulating darkness laid across the ground, a gigantic bone of a Dragon rose.
Krwoooor—!
The roar filled with death energy shook the space.
Kyaaaah——!
Heratos’ madness-infused scream followed.
In one spot, Entrasio and Heratos, two fallen Dragons, locked eyes.
Once kin, now confronted as foes.
What followed was, needless to say, a clash.
Krwoooor——!
Kyaaaah——!
Quadrang—!
Soon, the two gigantic beasts violently collided.
Perhaps he had been somewhat aged in life, but the very skeleton of Entrasio was about thirty percent larger than Heratos.
However, it was true that facing the madly empowered Heratos in close combat with a body that merely consisted of bones was overly ambitious.
Moreover, since the greatest weapon—death energy—was sealed, Entrasio could only manage to contain his movements.
Of course, that’s exactly why he had been summoned.
‘If I overuse my strength, the meat and blood will all deteriorate.’
It’s food for my children. While I may not be able to give them organic, I must minimize the pesticides.
As Hans observed the tussling Dragons, he gathered his magic.
Numerous magic circles adorned the surrounding space, weaving various mysteries in an instant.
‘For now, let’s leave out the curses.’
Gravitational chains, spatial fixation, shock absorption, etc.
Each was an assortment of magic designed to minimize corruption.
The undead summoned creature stubbornly clinging with its bulk, a black magician interrupting every move, and an assassin striking when least expected added into the mix of a brawling barbarian.
Thus commenced the one-sided and unreasonable Bone Dragon raid of a multiracial party.
*
Quadrick!
The colossal maw of the Bone Dragon gnashed at the neck of Entrasio.
The empowered jaw muscles and sharp teeth, fueled by the power from the Dragon Heart, were sufficient to pierce the defensive barrier engraved onto the Bone Dragon.
Kuwooo——!
The neck bone of Entrasio, which was slowly cracking, was constantly reinforced by the steady flow of black magic, which was rapidly healing any damage done to it. But if left unchecked, the neck risked snapping entirely.
‘Well, I can fix it if it breaks, so it’s no big deal.’
That undying trait was indeed the greatest advantage of the undead.
Even under all sorts of restrictions, Entrasio was no weak being.
‘But this is proving to be more troublesome than I thought.’
Even amongst Dragons, known for their robust magical resistance, this Bone Dragon had become so empowered that it was difficult to hold onto with Hans’ black magic.
‘Hunting isn’t the issue. But since I can’t use that method… it’s a dilemma.’
The previous Undead King easily hunted Dragons due to the death energy they wielded.
That deadly venom for living beings would be undeniably effective against the Bone Dragon, but while enforcing restrictions on Entrasio, he couldn’t use it himself.
Hmm, I suppose I’ll just have to observe the situation a bit longer.
While casually watching the fight, Hans slowly raised a hand.
Wooong—
Countless magic circles conjured by immense power unleashed magic once more.
Dozens of dark flashes pierced through the Bone Dragon’s body, and lightning struck down from the sky, electrifying it.
A massive explosion shook its head, freezing its joints with solid millennium ice.
In that moment when even the monstrous magical resistance of the Dragon was momentarily caught off guard…
Chwaak—!
Heinz, appearing like a ghost, slashed through the Dragon’s jaw muscles with his drawn Blood Blade.
“Uwahaha!”
In an instant, Halley surged up the creature’s body, embedding himself into its jaw like a missile.
Krack—?
Taking advantage of that moment, Entrasio freed his neck from the grip of the Dragon and sank his fangs into it first.
The already cracked neck bone had completely restored itself.
But that was also the case for Heratos, whose jaw muscles were similarly slashed, meaning biting him wasn’t a fatal blow either.
‘It seems he can’t use magic due to deteriorating cognitive ability.’
However, Dragons are inherently beings that can manipulate magic at will.
While it may be less efficient than casting spells, considering his enhanced capabilities, it was still a significant factor not to be overlooked.
Puhh—!
High-concentrated magic erupted from where Entrasio clung to the neck.
Heratos twisted and churned, blasting shockwaves as his body careened wildly around him.
Zzeejjik, Chwaak—!
Flesh caught in the sharp teeth was mercilessly torn apart, sending blood splattering in all directions.
Thanks to that, Heratos managed to escape from the grip of the severed neck, but an ordinary living creature would have immediately succumbed to the critical injury.
…Though observing the real-time recovery didn’t seem to hold much significance at all.
‘Instead, it appears that his primal magic use is more developed.’
With his already enhanced physical abilities through madness, pouring in magic caused a surge in strength, agility, and regeneration.
Magic barriers enveloped his body like armor, enhancing attack power through fangs and claws, and gathering at one point to unleash shockwaves like bombs.
Furthermore…
Hruuu—
With explosive speed, the Bone Dragon created distance, inhaling the surrounding air in an instant.
At the same time, monumental magic concentrated in its throat.
‘Breath…! It’s fast!’
The destructive flow of magic accumulating exceeded anticipated speeds by a significant margin.
Moreover, the power was beyond measure.
In haste, Entrasio prepared his own breath to counter.
As magic rapidly converged on either side, the surrounding air shook violently.
And finally.
Kwaaaaaang!
The colossal explosion generated from the clash of red and black swept through the surroundings.
Thanks to the mutual erosion of the Dragon’s breath, the terrain only shifted slightly.
‘…That could’ve been a disaster.’
Hans let out a sigh of relief as he watched the two dragons became entwined and resumed their struggle against the howling storm.
The speed and output of his breath surpassed expectations.
Ultimately, Hans had to forcefully interfere with Entrasio to achieve a complete counter.
[That thing is unbelievably lively. To the point of excess.]
While casually weaving black chains around the Bone Dragon, Hans pondered over his next course of action.
Just as he contemplated that if no solutions surfaced, he’d have to kill it outright, unexpectedly, he found a resolution from another party member.
*
On the wildly thrashing body of the Bone Dragon, a figure moved without a sound.
Chwaak—!
The sharp bloodied claws he wielded tore off solid Dragon scales, spraying blood everywhere.
But for a brief moment, the wounds swiftly healed, growing scales anew.
“Phew! Indeed, the Dragon’s blood is good, but the madness within is hindering me.”
Heinz spat out the Dragon’s blood he had taken into his mouth, wrinkling his face.
The owner’s lingering spirit had been completely suppressed by the madness, preventing a proper bloodsucking ceremony from taking place.
Due to the thick scales, he had to exert himself to inflict damage, but even then, it was fruitless, rendering the investment unfavorable.
In other words, it was the worst matchup for a vampire.
However, on the contrary, there was one who found enjoyment in this very situation…
Zzeejjik! Quadrik!
“Khahaha! No matter how much I eat, it’s never-ending! Meat that regenerates infinitely!”
Halley climbed onto the Bone Dragon’s chest, digging into its scales and biting down on its flesh.
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