CH179 Dragon Duel

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[Earth Drake]

[Drakes are territorial overlords of the Inner regions of the Dankrot Forest. Amongst them, the Earth Drakes are the most populous and least territorial of their kind.]

[The Earth Drake is a 7–8 metre draconic-crocodilian beast with faint draconic lineage and potential for draconic atavism. They are clad in thick earthen hide—impervious to most projectiles and resistant to all other forms of physical attack.]

[To a limited degree, Earth Drakes inherit favour from Earth-elemental mana and possess innate abilities that allow them to shift terrain, generate tremors, and camouflage themselves within their environment.]

[Earth Drakes are highly sensitive and irritable to vibrations and large mana signatures.]

[Avoid if and when an encounter is suspected.]

—

Alex arrived at a forested hilltop and looked down into the quarry-like clearing below. The terrain had been warped and reshaped—clearly the work of an Earth Drake that had altered the land to suit its own tastes.

Normally, Alex wouldn't even consider picking a fight with an Earth Drake.

Adult Earth Drakes reached Class 4—comparable to a Great Mage or Veteran-ranked warrior. From there, they sought opportunities to undergo atavism, evolving into Elemental Dragons. With that evolution, their potential soared to Class 5 or even Class 6—comparable to a Grand Mage/Saints or Legendary figure (respectively).

Fortunately, this forest guardian was only a juvenile or adolescent. Its aura pulsed at the early-to-mid Elite rank.

That gave Alex a fighting chance.

Earth Drakes were built for physical warfare. While their physical defences were among the best of all drakes, their magical defences were also among the poorest.

And that was the gap Alex could exploit.

'I'll have to fight the same way Udara and Fen handled the Nightmare Eagle… throw everything I have at it. Kill it before it has a chance to act,' Alex thought grimly. 'No way am I surviving a prolonged fight against an Earth Drake.'

He mentally simulated dozens of battle scenarios, accounting for his own abilities, the Earth Drake's natural traits, and everything he had read in both lives—plus the Wendigo chieftain's insights.

For five full hours, he reviewed and refined strategies.

When he finally found a viable path to victory, his entire body was soaked with sweat and his temples throbbed. His mental strength had taken a serious hit.

Not the best state to enter battle.

So, he meditated.

By the time he opened his eyes, the sun was dipping beneath the horizon—half-set and half-risen, casting twilight across the land. The brief balance between day and night.

He exhaled in relief. "I made it in time."

The sight before him seemed trivial—but it wasn't. This ephemeral balance of light and night was crucial to his plan.

"This balance won't last more than a minutes," Alex muttered. "Victory or defeat will be decided in that window."

His Truth-Seeker Eyes flared with a golden gleam.

Spirit Sight activated, scouring the local mana spectrum. It didn't take long to locate the largest mana source in the area, buried beneath the quarry clearing.

[Fireball]!

Without wasting a second, Alex cast the largest fireball he could muster and launched it toward the source.

BOOM!

The impact rocked the terrain—exploding into a fiery shockwave.

'Large energy release and intense vibration…' Alex narrowed his eyes. 'Get your ass out here, Earth Drake!'

ROOAARR!!!

Drake Fear!

The Earth Drake did not disappoint. It burst forth from beneath the ground like a living landslide, earth and stone cascading off its body.

Once fully emerged, it reared up and unleashed a thunderous war cry, its overwhelming pseudo-draconic pressure flooding the quarry. The shockwave sent birds fleeing, smaller beasts skittering into the underbrush, and even nearby beasts shrieking in terror as they bolted from the scene.

"ROAARR!"

The moss-covered beast, its body caked in stone and roots, turned its gaze toward Alex and issued another roar. This one was laden with draconic intent—a declaration of dominance.

In response, Alex's lips curled into a grin touched by madness. His eyes flared—a crimson tint overlaid with a golden hue—until they morphed into draconic slits. Behind him, a translucent figure shimmered into view: an ethereal, humanoid silhouette, warped and inhuman.

Calm Madness! Bloodline Manifestation!!

His bloodline surged. Power erupted from within, cloaking his form in a draconic aura of its own. The faint yet refined presence pushed back against the Drake's oppressive force.

Drake Fear vs Dragon Presence.

The Earth Drake possessed greater quantity, its brute aura battering the surroundings. But Alex's energy was of far superior quality—sharp, refined, regal. The clash reached an unexpected outcome:

Stalemate.

But that was exactly what Alex wanted.

With their auras evenly matched, the battle shifted from posturing to action. Who would push forward first?

Alex did.

Wind stirred around him, rustling his coat. That disturbing grin still curled his lips as he stepped forward, his golden-crimson eyes locked on the beast before him.

His message was clear: He would not yield.

The Drake roared again, enraged by the challenge and the human's refusal to retreat. It too stepped forward.

There was no room for hesitation.

A Dragon's Duel.

Yes—the same sacred name as the revered duel in the DragonHold Enclave. That was no coincidence.

After all, the Enclave's founder and ruler was a true Dragon.

A Dragon Duel was a sacred one-on-one clash between Dragonkind and Dragonkin. Once invoked, it would not end until one party emerged victorious—through death or surrender.

No Dragon would dispute the result of such a duel. Not when it was born from ancient custom and recognised bloodlines.

[FeatherFlight]. [Featherfall]. [Dragon's Kumite]. [Body Strengthening Magic]. [Velkarasolmir: Dominion & Domination]. [Beast Intimidation]. [Abyssal Conqueror's Step]. [Beta Bracer]. [OmniRune]!

With the duel now active, Alex wasted no time. He activated every burst technique and enhancement he had in his arsenal. His body surged with condensed, multifaceted power.

The Earth Drake, sensing the sudden spike in energy, roared and lunged forward with terrifying speed.

[Shockwave]!

The hill beneath Alex trembled, then crumbled. The Earth Drake had struck the terrain, having no intention of give the man sway.

The ground gave way beneath Alex's feet, sending him plummeting towards the quarry floor.

But he wasn't panicked. His expression was focused, even exhilarated. Pre-cast spells lit up around him, allowing him to glide through the air. He bounced lightly off the debris and floating rocks, manipulating momentum until he landed gracefully on the fractured ground below.

He had barely straightened when the Earth Drake's shadow fell over him—followed by its descending claw.

[Mana Coating]!

Alex's body erupted with mana. One side of his form shimmered with crackling black energy laced with lightning—Netherspark Mana. The other glowed with radiant golden fire—Solar Mana.

Darkness and light.

Night and day.

The twin mana streams painted his body like the two halves of a setting horizon. And beneath the split tones, a storm of power brewed—ready to meet the wrath of the Earth Drake head-on.

Unlike warriors who used Aura Coating to amplify their physical prowess, Alex was wielding Mana Coating to harmonise with the world itself—enhancing his magical potential to its peak.

The world slowed around him.

He and OmniRune moved in perfect sync, calibrating every output and feedback loop to support the conditional spell Alex had in mind.

This was it—a make-or-break moment.

The Earth Drake's claws were just metres away, its venomous breath flooding Alex's senses. Yet even as death loomed, he remained calm.

Then he uttered:

"[Sunglow Dusk Veil]!"

Darkness fell.

A dome of shadow swallowed both Alex and the Drake. Yet within that void, Alex stood encased in a stubborn, unyielding glow—the dying light of a sun refusing to set.

In that moment, he felt it—a faint yet overwhelming connection to the world. An absurd, surging flood of raw mana responded to him like a tide to the moon.

It was too much.

His mana vessels wouldn't survive the overload. He had only two seconds before the spell's feedback shattered his Mana Heart.

Only one choice.

Cast.

Cast the largest spell he could—before the surge consumed him.

[Grade 6 Solar Spell: Blessing of the Unyielding Sun]!

Golden armour layered itself over his body and soul, woven from solar radiance. It would block one decisive blow against him.

[Grade 6 Netherspark Spell: Nightshock Grasp]!

From beneath the Earth Drake, spectral hands—half-shadow, half-lightning—shot up and latched onto the beast. Black lightning surged into its frame, ignoring flesh and scales to paralyse muscle and torch organs. The damage would worsen every second it remained in contact.

The Drake convulsed.

Alex pressed on.

He linked with OmniRune, accelerating spell formation through sheer will and precision.

[Special Warfare Spell: Void LightningFire]!

A small orb formed in his palm—unstable, shimmering, slipping in and out of visibility. The orb devoured light, sound, mana, even space and time themselves. It seemed to move slowly—but only from Alex's warped perspective.

In truth, it travelled instantly.

The orb phased straight through the Earth Drake's chest—no impact, no explosion—just silence.

Then...

Silent detonation.

The Drake's heart vanished without a trace. Lightning webbed through its nerves, frying everything inside. Simultaneously, the Fire aspect ignited the creature's own mana—burning its mana from within, till nothing remained.

Just before the 2nd second ended, Alex cancelled the [Dusk Veil].

Time resumed.

Boom!

The Earth Drake's body crashed to the ground in a limp heap.

Alex stumbled, dropping to one knee, chest heaving, limbs shaking.

The Blessing of the Unyielding Sun washed through him, flooding his cells with stabilising light, delaying the collapse that should have come.

He dropped into meditation, trying to cycle the lingering energy before it dispersed.

But...

He couldn't.

The realisation struck cold.

He had lost his ability to move mana through his body.

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