Ground beneath the Velocidragon’s saw-like teeth, Luke’s entire body was turned into mincemeat. Half of one bloody leg escaped the Velocidragon’s mouth and fell down to the ground. Gleaming white bone could be seen protruding from the bloody half-leg.
“Don’t look.” Hillman covered Linley’s eyes. That sudden display was simply too bloody. Even a fully-grown adult, when faced with such a terrifying scene for the first time, would be terrified and panic. Linley was just an eight-year-old child.
But it was too late. Linley had already seen everything. Huff. Huff. Linley felt as though his heart was being compressed by a giant boulder. His breathing was growing labored, and he started to pant. But in his mind’s eye, he replayed the sight of the young man named Luke being eaten, over and over again.
His belly was ripped open, and his intestines had been shattered. His skull had been crushed, and half his leg had dropped to the ground! All of these things made it hard for Linley to breathe, and he felt dizzy.
This was the first time Linley had seen a fight become so vicious and cruel. It was also the first time Linley had seen someone being eaten alive by a huge Velocidragon. The half-eaten leg, in particular, deeply buried itself in Linley’s mind.
Hillman, Roger, and Lorry exchanged troubled glances as they watched Linley. What sort of harm to the psyche would this bloody affair cause an eight-year-old child? Would it serve as a constant psychological trauma? Once a youth became traumatized by battle, his future accomplishments would be dramatically impacted.
“Killing someone. No big deal. No big deal.” Linley forced himself to think these words repeatedly. “When I grow up and join the army, I’ll have to kill people as well. Gotta hold on. Gotta hold on.”
Linley really was intelligent. He had read many books, and knew what path he had embarked on for the future. On the Yulan continent, when a man grew up, it would be very likely that he would experience life-and-death struggles. But since Linley was just a child who had not done so yet, he had to repeatedly tell himself to calm down. Slowly, the terror and horror in his heart really did begin to lessen.
In fact, much the opposite; in just a short period of time, Linley felt as though his blood was beginning to surge. “That battle really is incredible. It really is exciting.” For some reason, that bloody battle just then made Linley’s blood boil with excitement, filling his heart with desire – a desire to battle and kill!
“Is it because of the dragonblood in my veins?” Linley didn’t know, but he suddenly discovered that he was actually very eager to participate in these bloody struggles. Linley immediately stepped to the side, bypassing Hillman’s protective arm, and continued to watch the battle which was still going on a hundred meters away.
“Linley, don’t watch.” Hillman saw that Linley was intending to continue watching and was shocked.
“Uncle Hillman, I’m not afraid.” Linley turned his head to glance at Hillman.
Hillman suddenly noticed a red gleam of excitement in Linley’s pupils. Surprised, he no longer tried to prevent Linley from watching. As Linley continued to watch the battle from afar, he saw that it was reaching an even bloodier climax.
“GWAAAR!” With a howl, the Velocidragon turned its head and bit down towards a warrior, while its huge claws swept towards another one. Its lightning-fast, whip-like tail also struck out, aiming at the third warrior. The warriors were pressed to the point of abandoning their assaults and instead retreating.
The mysterious magus on the back of the Velocidragon still hadn’t moved. He let the Velocidragon deal with the threats as his lips continued to mumble… and then all of a sudden, his voice rang out.
“Dance of the Fire Serpents!”
In the blink of an eye, seven enormous fire serpents, each spanning tens of meters long, appeared. Howling, they erupted away from the magus in all directions. Each fire snake appeared to be a real, living creature, with distinct scales and enormous bodies that inspired fear in all who saw it.
Everyone who was watching was stunned. This was a Fire Element spell of the eighth rank – Dance of the Fire Serpent!
It now became clear that this entire time, the mysterious magus had been mumbling the words to a magical incantation. He was preparing this terrifying Fire Element spell – Dance of the Fire Serpent! This spell could unleash seven enormous fire serpents, each of which had a simply astonishing attack power. Even the terrifying defensive ability of the Velocidragon would not be proof against it; if struck, even if it survived it would still be badly injured.
If they were dealing with a magus of the seventh rank, the small squad might be able to hold on for a while longer, but dealing with a magus of the eighth rank who was assisted by a Velocidragon as well? They simply did not have the power to resist.
Only now did they understand that this mysterious magus was a master of the eighth rank! “It’s the Dance of the Fire Serpents. Quick, run away!” The red-haired warrior’s facial expression changed dramatically, and he shouted in a loud voice. The six remaining members of the small squad were now all filled with terror.
“Too late. Prepare for the baptism of death!” The mysterious magus said in a cold, cruel voice, which pierced like a cold dagger at the hearts of the members of the small squad.
The seven fire serpents flew at a very high speed, and wherever they passed through, the stone houses nearby immediately began to blaze. The burning flames towered towards the high heavens, an absolutely catastrophic scene. Seeing their homes be disintegrated from afar, the denizens of the town of Wushan who had long since fled and hidden far away all felt pain and sorrow.
In front of the seven giant fire serpents, their stone houses seemed like naught but toys. They were easily demolished, and the flames in the wreckages rose towards the sky. “Run!” The female archer no longer cared about anything else. She immediately directed her griffin to fly to a higher altitude. There was a limit to the distance at which a fire-element magus would be able to control the seven fire serpents. If the archer and her mount could fly beyond that point, she would be safe.
Whooooosh. Two of the blazing fire serpents enveloped the two female magi and the Vampiric Iron Bull as well. Almost instantaneously, the sound of burning, crackling flesh could be heard, and Linley thought that he could smell hair burning.
“Big brother Kerry! Save us!” The desolate cry of a female magus sounded out, filled with pain, from within the middle of the fire serpent.
Snort. Snort. The eyes of the Vampiric Iron Bull were terrifyingly red, and every single muscle in its body was quivering nonstop. It continuously roared in anger, wanting to charge past through the encircling fire serpents, but unfortunately the restrictive power of each fire serpent was simply too great.
“Louisa!” The red-haired warrior howled angrily, his voice filled with anguish. Very shortly afterwards, both female magi and the Vampiric Iron Bull were reduced to naught but gray ash. As for the red-haired warrior, he no longer had even the opportunity to cry out. He and the other two warriors each had to face an enormous fire serpent of their own as well. In front of the titanic flaming bodies of the serpents, they seemed to be nothing more than children, incapable of the slightest resistance.
They had the power to split stone with a single punch, but so what? While constricted by a huge flaming serpent, what could they do? “Ahhhh!” Surrounded by flaming serpents, the three warriors couldn’t help but let out torturous cries.
As they shouted, their battle-qi vanished, having been demolished. The hissing sound of burning flesh once again could be heard. The muscles on the faces of the three warriors twitched, and their eyes bulged out. All the hair on their bodies was burnt clean in the twinkling of an eye, and following that, their skin, their flesh, and their bones. Nothing could withstand the terrifyingly high temperature of the fire serpents. In a very short period of time, the three formidable warriors had also been reduced to nothing more than dust.
“Huff… huff…” The female archer’s breath was ragged,
but she had finally escaped the boundaries of the Dance of the Fire Serpents. “Luke… Louisa… big brother Kerry… I will definitely avenge you all. Definitely!” the female archer cried bitterly, and as she did she directed her griffin to fly still higher.”
ZZZZT! An enormously thick bolt of lightning struck down from the clear, cloudless skies, smiting down directly upon the totally unprepared archer. Her entire body was turned directly to dust from that strike, while her griffin was scorched black as well. The two of them fell down from the sky, heavily crashing into the stone ground of the town after they smashed through a wooden roof and into the base of a dwelling.
“Want to run? Hmph.” The mysterious magus let out a deep snort.
Over a hundred meters away, Hillman swallowed hard, his own heart filled with a thread of inescapable fear. “Not only is he a magus of the eighth rank… he is a dual element magus!”
“That spell was called Dance of the Fire Serpents?” Linley was still standing there, totally awestruck. The sight of those enormous fire serpents and the inferno they had cast had totally shocked Linley, like he had never been shocked before. Each of the fire serpents was as terrifying as the Velocidragon. Seven of them together? They represented an utter apocalypse. Even the stone houses were disintegrated by their flames.
In the blink of an eye, those four mighty warriors, those two magi, and that archer, as well as their two magical beast companions were utterly destroyed, with the possible exception of that griffin.
The seven fire serpents had disappeared by now, but Linley could still feel the terrifying, seismic presence and power emanating from the area. The entire battlefield had been annihilated, leaving nothing left but the finest of debris. The debris all radiated tremendous heat, as though testifying to the power of the battle they had just endured.
“Ama… amazing.” Linley’s breathing slowly began to stabilize. Swimming in his mind were images of those seven fire serpents, and how they had descended on the battlefield like a catastrophe of power. Compared to that vision, even the Velocidragon was not as impressive as before.
Linley’s gaze suddenly turned towards the mysterious magus on the back of the Velocidragon. By appearances, the magus was much smaller and much weaker. “Just then… just then, was he the one who cast the ‘Dance of the Fire Serpents’?” Linley really found it a little hard to believe. A person who seemed a full size smaller than Uncle Hillman was actually able to cast such an apocalyptic spell.
Linley’s heart was suddenly filled with dread, as he stared at that far-off, distant figure. “This… this is what a magus is?” For the first time, the concept of a magus clearly imprinted itself in Linley’s mind. At the same time… Linley suddenly had a powerful urge to become a powerful magus as well.
“If one day, I too was capable of such a powerful attack…” Fantasizing about it, Linley felt the blood in his veins boil to the limit. He was in a state of tremendous excitement. Right at that very moment, Linley knew the path that he would take in the future. He was going to pursue the peak, the pinnacle of power.
“Father!” Linley suddenly saw his own father, Hogg. Seeing how the town of Wushan had just suffered an unmitigated catastrophe, as the lord of the town of Wushan, Hogg’s heart was filled with helplessness.
Don’t make a sound. Hogg glanced at Linley, conveying that message with his eyes. Hogg turned towards the magus, his heart filled with ruefulness. He’s actually a magus of the eighth rank. And a dual-element magus! Perhaps the entire Kingdom of Fenlai has only a handful of people more powerful than him. Someone like him actually came to our little town… Hogg’s only hope, at this point, was that the mysterious magus would leave as soon as possible and let the town of Wushan return to its normal tranquility.
The mysterious magus suddenly leapt down directly from the back of the Velocidragon. He was at least two stories up, but he descended easily with a single jump. Striding up to the ashes of the red-haired warrior, the mysterious magus waved his hands, and the gray ash parted. A violet, almost translucent-looking diamond suddenly appeared. With a flick of the wrist, the mysterious magus plucked out the d’Bero shadow diamond.
“Haha, the d’Bero shadow diamond. I searched for you for ten years. Who would have thought that just because today, I decided to pass by this town, I would actually manage to find you? Haha… Heymans, now that I have this shadow diamond, once I socket it into my staff, I want to see how you will possibly stand against me next time. Haha…” the mysterious magus began to laugh wildly.
Hogg and the other residents of the town of Wushan simply watched quietly from afar, not daring to make a sound, for fear of angering this powerful, mysterious magus.
“The town of Wushan, eh… who leads the town of Wushan?” The mysterious magus suddenly said.
Father… Linley was shocked.
At this point, Hogg had no choice but to stiffen his spine and step forward. He respectfully said, “Mighty Lord Magus, I am the leader of the town of Wushan.”
“Oh.” The mysterious magus’ face was still covered by his violet robes, preventing anyone from seeing his face. He said casually, “Your town suffered some serious damages today. I annihilated this small adventuring party. On their bodies, there is sure to be a good amount of gold coins. The gold coins, no doubt, have been melted and reforged by my ‘Dance of the Fire Serpents’, but they are still worth some money. Just consider them yours, as my recompense for what the town of Wushan just went through.”
Hearing the words of the mysterious magus, Hogg felt a sense of relief. This mysterious magus probably wouldn’t go crazy and kill them. “I, Hogg, would like to thank you for your kindness on behalf of the entire town of Wushan, Lord Magus.” Hogg respectfully bowed down.
The mysterious magus lightly nodded, then turned and walked towards the Velocidragon. The Velocidragon immediately knelt down, stretching out its foreleg. The magus stepped onto the Velocidragon’s leg, walked two steps, then easily jumped onto the Velocidragon’s back.
“Hmph.” The Velocidragon let out a lazy snort, as two plumes of white smoke once more emanated from its nostrils.
And then, the Velocidragon once more began walking, its heavy footsteps shaking the earth. Watching the enormous creature and the mysterious magus on its back walk far away and disappear off into the distance, all the citizens of the town of Wushan finally felt their hearts begin to calm down.
7
The Will of the Mighty
Only after seeing that magical beast of the seventh rank, the Velocidragon, and its mysterious magus master depart, did Hogg calm down.
“Uncle Hiri.” Hogg immediately turned to look at his housetaker, Hiri. “Immediately order some people to recover all of the melted gold from within those piles of ashes. This adventuring party was quite extraordinary as well. No doubt they had a great deal of wealth on them. I hope they had enough to recompense the losses we have suffered today” Hogg stared in all directions, seeing how so many houses had been reduced to rubble.
“Yes, milord.” Hiri nodded.
“Hillman.” Hogg turned to look at Hillman. Smiling, he said, “What do you think?”
Hillman nodded back. “I was absolutely terrified. When I saw that magical beast of the seventh rank, the Velocidragon and that mysterious magus, I knew that the town of Wushan didn’t have the slightest chance of fighting back in any way. If such an exalted personage as a magus of the eighth rank decided to destroy our town on a whim, I doubt anyone would dare to criticize him, much less sanction or punish him.”
Magi had extremely high social standing. Even an ordinary magus had the same social standing as a noble. A magus of the eighth rank? Even if he was in the presence of a king, he would not need to kneel or show obeisance. He could just chat while staying on his feet. From this, one could tell how exalted a level an eighth-rank magus held.
“Right. So, we should all celebrate the fact that not a single person from the town of Wushan perished today.” Hogg laughed.
“It
definitely is worth celebrating,” Hillman nodded and laughed as well.
“Hillman, take some men to assist Uncle Hiri. After finishing up, please address the issue of the commoners who lost their houses,” Hogg instructed.
“Yes, Lord Hogg.” Hillman assented.
Hogg looked behind him carefully, then asked Hillman suspiciously, “Hm? Where did Linley go? He was just here a moment ago.”
“No idea. I didn’t notice.” Hillman shook his head as well.
“My lord, young master Linley has already gone home,” Hiri said from the side. “Although, when he left, he seemed to be in a daze. No clue what he was thinking about.”
Hogg nodded thoughtfully.
If there was one thing that the Baruch clan manor did not lack, it was rooms. In the days of the Baruch clan’s glory, hundreds of people had lived here. The population now was much lower than before. Even an eight-year-old child like Linley had his own quarters.
Within Linley’s bedroom. Linley was kneeling on the bed, his brow furrowed in thought. Again and again, the terrifying power of the ‘Dance of the Fire Serpents’ swam about in his mind’s eye. Those seven huge fire serpents and the tempest of flame they generated repeated themselves in his mind over and over again, as well as how they instantly turned everything around them to ash, including the powerful warriors and magi of the small adventuring group.
“Magi are so powerful.” Linley felt a thread of desire in his heart. “Although I am a member of the Dragonblood Warriors clan, the density of dragonblood in my veins is too low. The fact that anyone with dragonblood is totally unable to utilize any other battle-qi cultivating methods is something which will hold back my ability to develop my warrior abilities to the maximum. I wonder if it would be possible for me to be a magus, instead.” Linley suddenly had the desire to become a magus.
Coiling Dragon_Book 1 of the Coiling Dragon Saga Page 7
