Chapter 412: Dragon Tongue Curse

Chapter 412: The Dragon-Tongue Curse

"Blue Polar Repulsion Fire Ring."

A cerulean ring of repellent flame radiated outward, centering upon Levi.

It thrust Erica, suspended mid-air, away into the distance.

The loss of his head did not impede Levi from weaving magic while in the Flame Lord form.

In the strictest sense, he no longer possessed a head.

The Flame Lord was a singular entity, devoid of distinction between crown and foot.

The alabaster robe draped over Erica was incinerated, exposing a body tightly swathed in pale bandages beneath.

The white linen clung bound and taut to Erica’s proud, magnificent silhouette.

Upon the fabric, intricate, microscopic magical runes shimmered and pulsed.

Levi's inferno proved powerless to rupture the bindings that encased her.

Beholding her thus shrouded in bandages, a flicker of astonishment crossed his countenance.

Yet Erica merely flashed a mischievous smile, "My deepest apologies for forcing you to gaze upon me in such a state."

"I shall bring this battle to a swift conclusion."

No sooner had she spoken than she stamped fiercely against the empty air.

A terrifying, explosive force caused the very atmosphere beneath her feet to solidify, yielding a violent recoil.

It enabled her to maneuver freely through the void.

Perceiving the trajectory of her motion, Levi pivoted to brace for the impending assault.

In the very next heartbeat, Erica vanished entirely.

She had evaporated from the boundaries of his perception.

He swept his gaze across the surroundings, yet no trace of her could be found.

A sudden epiphany struck Levi, and he snapped his gaze upward.

Above.

Erica plummeted from the heavens, resembling a meteor crashing down upon the mortal realm.

For a fleeting instant, Levi fancied he beheld a colossal dragon diving from the high stratosphere toward its quarry.

Boom!

The Flame Lord was utterly shattered by the impact.

It dissolved into a sky filled with scattered, drifting embers.

Levi’s consciousness lapsed into a brief, disorienting void.

Regaining awareness, he heard Erica’s lips uttering profound, obscure, and incomprehensible draconic syllables.

"A Dragon-Tongue Curse!"

Levi’s heart grew cold as he realized exactly what she was executing.

The final draconic syllable escaped Erica’s lips.

"Elemental Restitution!"

An invisible, formless force swept over Levi.

Involuntarily, he was cast out of the Flame Lord state, reverting to his human guise.

Even should he wish to transform again, it was beyond his power.

The energy within his body was entirely suppressed.

Gazing at Erica, Levi harbored profound doubts regarding her true identity.

Was she truly a mere bio-alchemist?

To possess the might of a dragon and wield the Dragon-Tongue Curse as well.

This was scarcely an ability obtainable through the mere consumption of a Dragon Blood Elixir.

Such an elixir could only grant a human a portion of a dragon's physical constitution.

It could never allow a mortal to master draconic sorcery, let alone the Dragon-Tongue Curse inherited solely through ancient bloodlines.

Dragon magic stood on par with the spells of grand mages.

The Dragon-Tongue Curse, however, was aligned with the very forces of cosmic law.

These were two entirely different echelons of existence.

Erica looked toward Levi, retrieving a fresh white robe to drape over herself.

"You have lost."

Levi stared at her for a long moment before murmuring, "Indeed, you win."

Levi stepped beyond the boundaries of the stone bridge arena.

Erica's prowess was formidable.

It would have been no easy feat for Levi to defeat her.

Had it been a matter of utilizing any unscrupulous means to slay her, it would paradoxically have been much simpler.

Assuming, of course, that she was truly human.

Levi harbored grave suspicions regarding her actual nature.

"A dragon transmuted into human form? Or perhaps the progeny of a human and a dragon?"

Levi cast a contemplative glance back at Erica, lost in thought.

He felt a touch curious; did the denizens of the Alchemist Tower actually know her true identity?

If they remained ignorant, things would become rather interesting.

Levi glanced one last time at Erica, who was currently inspecting the attributes of the hidden item, and then turned to depart.

He was intrigued by her true identity, yet far too indolent to go probing into it.

Midway through his departure, Levi crossed paths with Eris and Alpha, who were hastening over together.

Upon spotting Levi, Alpha cried out in astonishment, "Someone has already seized the hidden arena?"

Levi nodded faintly, "It could not be helped, the opponent was simply too powerful."

Alpha frowned, pondering for a brief moment before declaring, "Let us go and take a look first."

Seeing this, Levi could only fall into step with the group.

Levi and Eris walked in the rear, conversing in hushed tones.

"Did you encounter any danger?" Levi inquired of Eris.

Eris shook her head and replied, "I didn't run into any peril myself, but I heard that a terrifying monster has been prowling near the arena we previously occupied. The mages who crossed paths with that creature have essentially all been eliminated."

"It is a mercy that you left when you did, otherwise it would have been perilous indeed," Eris remarked contextually with relief.

A faint laugh echoed in Li Wei's heart.

"Ah yes, yes, truly fortunate."

What he didn't know was that Li Wei had already encountered a monster, and had even taken it as his subordinate.

It wasn't until he passed by Eris's enormous figure that Li Wei remembered his Shadow Servant.

"Where did the Shadow Servant go?"

Li Wei reached out with his mind to contact the Shadow Servant.

No response.

His brow furrowed. That shouldn't be!

The Shadow Servant shared a soul pact with him—it was impossible for them not to connect.

Unless... the Shadow Servant wasn't in this space.

A chill ran through Li Wei’s chest. *Could it have been captured by some spatial mage?*

In the forest, a disheveled Roger watched the monster trapped inside the spatial maze, darting about frantically.

He let out a long breath.

"What the hell is this thing? Nearly scared me to death."

Roger had been startled by the sudden attack from the Shadow Servant.

The Shadow Servant moved without sound or shadow—victims only sensed its presence at the very moment of being struck.

Fortunately, his spatial shield held strong enough to withstand the assault.

After much effort, Roger managed to lure the Shadow Servant into a pre-set trap,

Trapping it within the spatial labyrinth.

Roger studied it carefully for a while before his expression turned surprised. "Netero?"

"Why is there another Netero here?"

Joy surged in Roger’s heart. *This is an incredible opportunity!*

A smile spread across his face. What he thought was a calamity turned out to be fortune falling from the sky.

And quite a big piece of fortune at that—one most people couldn’t catch.

Luckily, he did.

After a brief moment of thought, Roger decided to capture this Netero and bring it back to the Spatial Tower.

Killing a Netero would earn three thousand points.

But a live one was worth far more.

Just as Roger prepared to cast a spatial spell to bind the Shadow Servant and take it away,

The ground trembled.

Heavy footsteps echoed from not far off.

Thump. Thump. Thump!

Roger felt a shadow fall over him and looked up.

A giant Netero appeared behind him.

Whoosh!

An enormous foot descended from above, aiming straight for Roger.

Boom!

A deep footprint remained where he once stood—Roger vanished.

The colossal Netero paid no attention to the missing Roger.

Instead, it lowered its head toward its trapped companion within the spatial maze.

Five purple energy bands on its body glowed brightly. Its beak split open, firing a beam of violet light directly at the maze.

Crack!

The spatial maze shattered, freeing the Shadow Servant.

As it raised its head, it met eyes with the massive Netero.

Both locked gazes for what seemed like an eternity.

Li Wei and Elfa arrived beside the stone bridge.

Seeing Erica atop the arena platform, Elfa gasped in surprise. “Why is it you!”

Li Wei looked slightly taken aback. “You know Erica?”

Hearing this, Elfa replied, “So her name is Erica. Do you remember this morning? I bumped into her.”

“She doesn’t look like a mage at all—how did she end up here?”

Just seeing Erica gave Elfa a terrible headache.

(End of Chapter)