Chapter 105: Dragon!

In a street within the central district, the earth began to fracture and heave—a telltale sign of an Infernal Worm burrowing beneath. Terrified citizens fled in a panic, desperately outrunning the jagged fissures that chased them from behind.

But the alleyway ended in a dead wall. Because the central district’s foundations were built of solid masonry, the worm’s progress was somewhat hindered, allowing the crowd to maintain a slight lead. Yet, faced with a wall they could not scale, death seemed their only inevitable companion.

"Boom!" With a spray of stone and mortar, the massive, worm-like body erupted from the earth, leaping high into the air, poised to devour the fleeing residents upon its descent.

"Hah!" A sharp cry rang out from the rooftops. A heavy serrated greatsword, wreathed in flickering violet lightning, was hurled from above, colliding violently with the airborne beast.

The blade, though not particularly sharp, struck the worm’s thick, armored hide with such crushing force that it shattered the chitin like a nutcracker, slamming the giant creature back down into the ground with impossible momentum.

The worm, caught mid-leap, crashed into the earth, leaving a crater in its wake and causing the adjacent walls to buckle and crack under the impact.

"Run! Hah!" A spirited female voice echoed. Before the residents could process what had happened, a red-haired girl vaulted from the rooftop, smashing the wall that blocked their path with a single, powerful punch.

"Oh... thank you!"

"Don't talk, just run!"

A few scattered thanks were offered, but most simply turned and fled for their lives.

"Whew..." Wendy looked back at the worm. Without her to provide the kinetic force, the gravity-enchanted greatsword had lost its crushing weight. It remained embedded in the creature’s flesh, but could no longer impede its progress.

Compared to the Infernal Worm’s colossal frame, Wendy’s sword was merely a trifle—akin to a grizzly bear being struck by a single arrow; it was an annoyance, but hardly a fatal blow.

The worm rolled, its massive bulk collapsing more of the surrounding walls, before it regained its senses. It turned its serrated maw toward the fleeing crowd. The food... had run. It gave chase.

It began to slither, its gargantuan body moving over the masonry with a speed that surpassed a horse-drawn carriage. With its sheer size, it was like a runaway heavy truck—a sight that chilled the blood of any who beheld it.

"Gulp..." Wendy swallowed hard, bracing herself against the charging beast. Her greatsword was gone; could she stop this thing alone? She had to try.

As the rampaging worm surged forward, Wendy focused her aura and delivered a full-force punch toward the creature’s visual organs—the sensitive protrusions hidden beneath the armored plates near its gaping maw.

"Bang!" Her fist collided with the chitin. The aura-enhanced strike, aided by her gauntlets, caused the hard shell to cave inward, and strange, viscous fluids sprayed from the fissures.

But the worm’s immense mass was not something Wendy could halt. The irresistible force transferred from the creature to her arm, sending her flying backward. A sharp pain flared in her limb; she would likely be unable to strike again for some time.

"Damn it..." Wendy, sent tumbling through the air, watched as the worm continued toward the residents without a moment’s hesitation. A wave of frustration washed over her. Was she still too weak? Compared to her teacher, she was so small, so powerless.

Adjusting her posture to mitigate the impact of her landing, Wendy foresaw the tragic end of the residents being crushed into pulp. There was nothing more she could do.

But as she began to descend, Wendy noticed something strange. "Eh? Why am I falling so slowly? Feather Fall? Who?"

Her descent was unnaturally sluggish, rendering the landing harmless. It was the effect of a Feather Fall spell.

Then, Wendy saw it: the ground in front of the worm split open, and a giant hand made of earth and rock rose from the fissure, gripping the Infernal Worm’s body in a crushing hold.

The worm struggled violently, but the earthen hand began to crumble under the creature’s immense strength. Stones and soil peeled away; it was failing.

At that moment, a brilliant, golden-red fireball, glowing with scorching intensity, flew from the other end of the street. It moved with deliberate speed, plunging directly into the maw of the immobilized worm.

The earthen hand exerted one final, desperate burst of strength, collapsing as it forced the worm’s jaws shut.

"Boom! Bang!" Two nearly simultaneous explosions detonated deep within the creature’s body, causing its massive frame to convulse violently.

Flames erupted from the sealed maw. When the smoke cleared, the worm’s body was riddled with cracks, leaking boiling, alien fluids. The Infernal Worm was now nothing more than a lifeless carcass.

"Eh?" Wendy landed and scratched her red hair, bewildered. How had the worm been dispatched so quickly?

"Are you alright?" A voice came from behind her.

"Hm? Wow, Sister Aivia, was that you?"

"Yes. Your arm is injured; let me heal it."

Wendy turned to see Aivia, dressed in a mage’s short robe, walking toward her. Aivia took Wendy’s arm, and a healing spell surged forth. After a flash of light, the treatment was complete.

"Wow, amazing! Thank you, Sister Aivia." Wendy swung her arm, finding it completely restored.

"Where is your teacher? Why didn't he take you into the Stevenson School of Magic?" Aivia asked curiously. Wendy was the granddaughter of Weber Lanchi—Aivia’s teacher and a professor at the school—so there was no reason for her to be out here fighting demons.

"Grandpa? He seems to have had some kind of breakthrough. He discovered some sort of 'small meat' that grows infinitely on its own, so he’s locked himself in his lab. He hasn't come out in ages. I’m worried about him, and the other professors are acting strange, too."

"'Small meat'?"

"Yes, yes."

Wendy’s description was vague, but Aivia understood. Weber was a knowledgeable and capable scholar, but when it came to the study of resurrection, he was irrational—even fanatical. He had a history of leaving students to study on their own while he remained sequestered in his lab.

"Self-growing meat? Special cells? The teacher is taking this too far. I must find a chance to talk to him." Aivia frowned. Weber Lanchi showed signs of losing his way; she needed to warn him.

"I came out to train, and then the demon invasion broke out. The Stevenson School sealed itself off with a magic barrier, and I couldn't get back in."

"And because the teacher hasn't left his lab, you couldn't reach him, so you couldn't get in?"

"Mm-hmm. I saw this big worm trying to eat people, so I came to help. Thanks to you, Sister Aivia, otherwise it would have killed so many."

"Stay safe. I have to go elsewhere."

"Where? Can I help?"

"No need. I’m just... uneasy."

"Eh?"

Aivia hadn't expected to run into Wendy here. In truth, there weren't many demons in the city center, and the level of the professionals here was generally high; most demons were dealt with quickly. Wendy shouldn't face any more threats.

Still, learning about her teacher’s condition was an unexpected discovery. Weber Lanchi’s state felt wrong, though Aivia couldn't quite put her finger on why.

As they spoke, a loud shout came from the street.

"Aivia, I'm here!" Wang Yu’s booming voice announced his arrival as he sprinted toward them.

"Ah! Brother Wang Yu!" Wendy was even more surprised. What a coincidence to run into two acquaintances in one day.

"Let's go. Get on, I'll carry you." Wang Yu nodded at Wendy, then crouched down, offering his back to Aivia.

"Mm." Aivia quickly climbed onto his back. Her petite frame was no burden to him; carrying her was the fastest way for them to move together.

Wendy stood there with her greatsword, stunned, watching Wang Yu prepare to depart with Aivia on his back. She didn't know what to say; it seemed she was no longer part of the equation.

Remembering something, Wang Yu looked back at Wendy. "Be careful. You’d best find a place to hide. If things look wrong, don't get close. The final assault on the Hell Gate is about to begin, and I fear something major is about to happen."

"Oh, okay." Wendy nodded.

Wang Yu said no more. Aivia’s magic circuits lit up, and a current of air began to swirl around Wang Yu’s feet. These currents circled him, lifting him slightly and providing momentum—a Blessing of the Wind.

With Aivia on his back, Wang Yu began to sprint, following the glowing point in his mental space—the one representing the statue of the Lady of Night that Charles was carrying.

Aided by the wind, Wang Yu leaped from the ground, vaulting onto buildings far taller than the city walls. He used the rooftops as a shortcut, racing toward his destination without obstruction.

After two minutes of high-speed running, Wang Yu stopped at the edge of an artificial lake—a reservoir and commercial site built by the royal city.

He stared at the lake, which appeared calm and still. He had never paid much attention to it before, but now, the lake—which had always seemed a bit out of place—felt different. The light point representing Charles was moving rapidly back and forth beneath the water.

"Hm?!" Wang Yu gasped, pulling back with Aivia on his back. In his mental vision, the light point representing Charles suddenly paused, then began to ascend at high speed, rushing toward the surface.

"Boom, boom, boom..." The earth groaned and trembled. The lake water began to ripple, bubbles rising to the surface, followed by intermittent, violent eruptions.

"Something is coming up, Wang Yu. There’s a pressure..." Aivia’s voice was strained. A primal fear, born from the depths of her body, was emerging. An invisible but tangible presence was spreading from beneath the earth. It was different from the fragments of the God of Fear; this was a terror rooted in the very blood of her lineage.

"I don't feel any pressure, but something is definitely coming up." Wang Yu felt nothing of what Aivia described, but he was clearly aware of the intensifying tremors beneath them.

The shaking grew violent. The center of the lake began to sink, indicating a massive fissure had opened below. Then, with a thunderous roar and a spray of shattered rock, the water surged wildly. The surface was torn apart by a colossal entity, and a giant beast soared into the sky.

Tattered, deformed wings; dense, metallic-red scales; bulging, solid muscle; razor-sharp claws; a thick, spiked tail; and iconic spiral horns. It held its head high, its teeth—each capable of terrible destruction—clamped firmly onto a mass of black chains.

"ROAR!" The majestic, angry cry echoed throughout the entire royal city.

"A Red Dragon!" Aivia’s voice, filled with shock, came from behind Wang Yu. Indeed, the creature that had burst into the sky was a dragon, in the flesh.