“What is that? A dragon?!”
“Run! Get out of here!”
“Oof! Mommy, I fell down...”
“Hurry! Just run!”
Countless screams tore through the air, echoing wildly above the streets and instantly throwing the once-orderly town into absolute chaos.
Panic spread like an invisible plague, fanning out rapidly from the harbor. Those at the edge of the storm didn't even have the courage to look back; driven by pure survival instinct, they fled blindly inland like headless chickens.
At that moment, only Ain and Emil remained, standing frozen at the harbor.
It wasn't that they didn't want to run, but the dragon's gaze was locked dead onto them, its invisible pressure keeping them from moving even half a step.
Ain felt his leveling speed had been fast enough.
As far as the current main storyline was concerned, he even believed he could clear the game in a single life with his current stats.
But...
Ain couldn't help but swallow hard.
The auction for Act Three, Episode One hadn't even started yet, so why had the White Dragon from Episode Two showed up early?!
What did I even do this time?
Did I trigger another butterfly effect?
In the original storyline of Act Three, the White Dragon Subjugation Battle required the Church to join forces with several other factions to successfully kill it.
And the role this White Dragon played in Act Three was that of a guardian protecting the holy spear from being taken by others.
As for why this creature had appeared here ahead of schedule, Ain could only think of two reasons.
First, the aura of the compass had triggered its senses.
Second, it was here for the holy spear.
Either way, there was no way it was here for him, right?
Wait, the holy spear?!
Ain suddenly remembered something.
Didn't he happen to have a fragment of the holy spear on him?!
Oh, come on! Goddess, you're setting me up!
【The God of Light casts a disdainful gaze at you. He believes that since you have not taken out the fragment, its aura cannot be sensed by any living creature!】
Ain paused.
That actually made sense.
Then that left only one other reason...
This guy couldn't really be here for him, could it?
The White Dragon's heavy breaths turned into scorching white mist, venting from between its jagged teeth. As it suddenly flapped its wings, the trees planted along the shore were completely blown over, and the windows of the harbor buildings shattered simultaneously with every beat.
Countless shards of debris hovered in the air, attracted and captured by the mana field leaking from the dragon, looking like a swarm of inescapable fireflies pinned in midair.
What terrified Ain even more was that the mana pressure radiating from the dragon felt like an immovable boulder, constantly pressing down on him.
This was a natural, fundamental gap between a high-level entity and a low-level lifeform.
The dragon took to the sky once more, the hurricane-force winds whipped up by its wings making it impossible for the two below to breathe.
Seeing that the beast was preparing to dive straight at them, Ain cast aside all hesitation. He extended his right hand, and complex magic circuits slowly began to surface on his palm.
Though he struggled to fight even a Tier 5...
At the very least, he absolutely could not die here!
Even if it was Tier 6, so be it!
【Character Status】
【HP: Healthy】
【MP: 3546/3546】
【Current Usable Magic Tier: Tier 4】
【Mana Source: Lillian Knight (Switchable)】
【Currently Available Mana: 9731/11331 (Steadily increasing)】
Since Lillian was not in her witchification state at the moment, Ain's mana pool still hadn't reached the four-thousand mark he had when fighting Wesley.
A glint of divine radiance flashed in Ain's eyes. Just as he was about to activate his blessing, a sudden flash of golden light from the sky interrupted him.
“What is... that?”
Before the shocked gazes of Ain and Emil, a blinding golden light pierced through the sea of clouds, carving a brilliant golden line across the dark sky.
The holy light was faster than the eye could follow. Carrying terrifying kinetic energy, it slammed down toward the dragon like a golden meteor.
The dragon seemed to have anticipated it. Utilizing the momentum of its dive, it whipped its tail, drawing an arc in the air and forcefully deflecting the incoming magic.
As Ain looked closer, he saw that the holy light was actually a massive golden sword composed of countless golden magic particles.
The giant sword crashed into the sea. With a violent explosion, a wall of water erupted like a volcanic geyser, drenching the dragon's back.
At this point, Ain was completely bewildered by the scene.
What was going on? Was someone attacking the dragon?
Such a prominent holy light spell... could it be the Church?
So, this dragon wasn't after me in the first place?
Ain let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed him. Before Ain could even blink, Emil scooped him up like a little chick and slung him securely over his shoulder.
The pressure that had been restricting them had vanished.
“Senior, you can't run like this! Put me dow—”
“Stop talking! You running on your own is slower than me carrying you!”
With that, a cold gleam flashed in Emil's eyes. He pulled a wand out of nowhere with his left hand and muttered a few incantations.
As a magic circle swept through Emil's body, his running speed multiplied.
“Besides, you're just a Tier 1. You can't even use basic enhancement magic. If I don't carry you, you'll probably die here with your speed!”
Hearing Emil's words, Ain felt a sudden wave of warmth.
But wasn't it a bit too weird to be carried like this by a practically naked guy in his underwear?
They hadn't run far when a new trouble arose.
The abandoned cargo ships, countless pieces of scrap iron, anchor chains, and stone bricks from the dock that had been swept into the air were all captured by the mana field, hovering over the sea. But the moment the dragon turned, its attention shifted, causing the mana field to collapse.
Under the force of gravity, all the floating debris began to freefall. Scrap metal poured down like a rainstorm, and the keels of the cargo ships crashed straight toward the dock area.
Although most of the crowd had fled, a few unfortunate souls remained, standing directly beneath the falling path of the suspended ruins.
Sharp objects and stones rained down. With nowhere to hide, the few people threw themselves to the ground in despair, shielding their heads with their hands and praying for fate to spare them.
“No, please, no...”
“It's too late!”
“Get down!”
A new wave of screams and panic erupted like a tide.
Just as Ain was about to gather his magic to blast the heavy debris away, he instinctively glanced at the dragon, his pupils dilating.
The dragon let out a low-frequency roar. Countless magic particles gathered once more, and the heavy objects that should have crushed the crowd hovered in midair again, caught by the dragon's newly reconstructed mana field.
The people who should have been hit were spared. Many of them stared blankly at the blunt objects in the sky that should have taken their lives, before scrambling to their feet and fleeing inland once more.
Was that dragon... saving people?
No, how could that be...
Ain couldn't believe it. Why would a Tier 6 mythical beast, which only existed on the Cards of Canal, care about insignificant humans?
In the original game, it had slaughtered countless people in Act Three, Episode Two!
It was a calamity born solely for destruction!
In an instant, another beam of holy light, compressed from an immense amount of mana, appeared in the sky and struck toward the dragon once more.
Perhaps because it was too focused on maintaining the mana field, by the time the dragon noticed the attack, it was already too late to react.
By the time it tried to evade, it was a step too late.
The blade of holy light slashed a deep gash directly across its underbelly, causing torrents of blood to spray out.
The giant sword's momentum didn't slow. Its blade tilted slightly, piercing straight through the dragon's left wing.
Amidst flying flesh and blood, a massive portion of its left wing was sheared off, leaving behind a horrifying, shocking wound.
The dragon roared in agony, unable to hold back its painful expression. Its massive body lost balance, crashing heavily into the depths of the sea.
The mana field collapsed instantly. Deprived of support, the countless sharp objects became a lethal downpour, plummeting toward the ground.
And their target was precisely Ain.
Rate on N.U.
