Chapter 252 Rain and Blood

[Banishment], 4th Circle School of Abjuration.

Its effect was to temporarily banish a creature within the caster's line of sight to another plane (Charisma save).

Once the duration ended, the target would be teleported back to its original location.

Without a doubt, it was an incredibly practical spell.

It was especially useful in group battles featuring large numbers of enemies and elite individuals.

Imagine the scenario: a well-equipped four-person Adventurer Squad exploring a dungeon unexpectedly encountered a troublesome monster capable of summoning a massive horde of "grunt" minions.

Under normal circumstances, the squad would have to fend off the swarming grunts while guarding against sneak attacks from the elite monster, making for a very troublesome situation.

But if the party had a Spellcaster who knew [Banishment], they could directly cast the spell and banish the elite monster from the battlefield.

The rest of the squad would then seize the opportunity to clear the battlefield.

By the time the spell's effect ended and the monster returned to the field, the monsters' numerical advantage would be gone. The situation would be reversed, and the elite monster would have to face the adventurers' combined assault alone.

Furthermore, some quick-witted groups with a knack for combat ingenuity had developed a way to cast [Banishment] on themselves or their teammates to evade incoming massive damage.

For example, the final Dragon Breath unleashed by a dragon using every last ounce of its strength before death, or a one-time [Sunburst] spell scroll used by some wealthy mage.

The special mechanic of planar travel meant that, after countless years of use, Spellcasters all over the world had figured out countless creative ways to exploit this spell.

But at the end of the day, it was only a Fourth Circle Spell. This meant that a Level 7 mage, at the very minimum, could memorize its spell model and place it on their prepared spell list.

[Banishment] naturally had its limitations.

Conditions like casting time, material components, somatic gestures, and concentration went without saying; high-level mages could overcome these with just a Feat.

The spell's duration and target count could also be enhanced by upcasting it to a higher circle.

Crucially, [Banishment] did not possess the ability to permanently teleport a creature to another plane. Whether it lasted one minute or twenty-four hours, the banished target would sooner or later return to its original spot.

Moreover, the spell didn't take effect unconditionally. Before being banished, the target would undergo a Charisma saving throw; if they successfully saved, the banishment failed.

Therefore, many individuals whose primary attribute was Charisma, such as sorcerers, or those who naturally possessed outstanding Charisma, were rarely affected by [Banishment].

With this as a premise, an adult red dragon, even excluding the innate magic resistance already provided by its scales...

...had an average racial Charisma attribute of 21.

Among the six core attributes, this was second only to the Strength and Constitution that dragons were stereotypically assumed to excel in.

Generally speaking, below the Legendary rank, almost no mage could use normal means to make [Banishment] work on an adult red dragon.

And even with the best of luck, if they actually caused some unfortunate red dragon to fail its Charisma save...

There was still a second layer of protection.

After reaching adulthood, dragons possessed an innate ability against all kinds of spell saves—

"Legendary Rank Resistance."

On a daily basis, they could forcibly resist a certain number of failed spell saves.

One had to admit that dragons as a species were truly favored by the Creator.

They didn't need to fight filthy, foul-smelling goblins in caves, nor did they need to toil in the fields under the scorching sun just to fill their stomachs.

They only had to lie in their lairs and sleep for decades or centuries. When they emerged, they would already be creatures standing at the very top of the Aifala Continent's pyramid.

Verol was a Reincarnator, true, but her current Class Level had not surpassed Level 5.

She didn't even meet the casting requirements for the most basic, entry-level [Banishment].

Let alone completely banishing an adult red dragon to another plane.

In fact, even before her rebirth—

As an Academy Faction Transcendent Tier divination mage who had spent most of her life dealing with various equipment in a laboratory, and whose Class Level had just reached Level 15...

...she hadn't possessed this ability either.

But right now, the adult red dragon named Kraugbari had already entered a state of full-body paralysis, entirely immobilized and stiffened just prior to banishment.

As for the reason... it was naturally one of the trump cards Verol had salvaged during her journey across the river of time.

A banishment spell named after her, yet one she was completely unfamiliar with, capable of ignoring resistances and even teleporting targets permanently.

After all, she considered herself burdened with the mission of "saving the world." Besides the memories of her past life, she naturally had a few limited-use backup plans.

"Vrrr-boom!"

Accompanied by a gale saturated with magic particles, a dazzling, blinding magical light erupted before their eyes under the shroud of the torrential rain.

The massive crimson dragon, as large as a miniature volcano, still had its membranous, scaled wings tucked at its sides, but its four thick, powerful limbs had left the ground against the backdrop of the radiant light. Its entire body hovered in mid-air.

For the first time, Xia Nan saw a trace of human-like panic and dread within its vertical pupils, which were filled with magma-like fury.

And just a short distance in front of it, contrasting with the colossal shadow that almost covered the entire area...

...was a violently flapping off-white robe, and the slender, frail, blurred silhouette hidden beneath the fabric.

Her eyes were tightly shut, and her rain-soaked dark chestnut ponytail danced wildly in the wind.

Xia Nan kept Verol's warnings firmly in mind.

Shing—

A grayish-white sword light flashed as the Decapitating Longsword was drawn from its sheath.

"Stay on guard!"

Xia Nan barked in a low, cold voice, simultaneously turning his back to the dragon and sweeping his pitch-black eyes across the surroundings.

With the red dragon controlled by the spell, the others who had been affected by the Dragon Might gradually recovered.

A series of metallic sliding sounds rang out in the air.

Daggers, a rapier, and a longbow were already gripped firmly in the hands of the group.

Dragon Might was an aura of intimidation unique to dragons. It might cause a temporary loss of the ability to think and move, but it didn't leave one completely oblivious to everything happening in the outside world.

Hai'an, Wood, and the others had, of course, clearly heard Verol's instructions just now.

Although they didn't know how she was doing it, in this moment of crisis, they simply had no time to overthink or ask questions.

The moment they regained their mobility, they each drew their weapons and took up highly professional guard positions around her.

Keeping watch against anything in the surroundings that might disrupt the spellcasting.

It was impossible for the group not to be nervous. After all, everyone present knew exactly what would happen if the spellcasting was interrupted...

When that time came, the enraged red dragon would absolutely burn them to ashes with its Dragon Breath.

The broken black hair on his forehead was soaked with rainwater. Out of the corner of his eye was the red dragon's hovering crimson body, while his eyes stared fixedly at the open wasteland ahead.

For some reason, Xia Nan suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.

Just two days ago, he had been huddled in a tavern drinking the local specialty, Red-Scale Mushroom Soup, wondering if adding two more slices of cheese would make it taste better.

Now, however, he had to use this body that had just stepped onto the path of a Class Holder to stand guard for a Spellcaster of unknown strength and an adult red dragon.

Recalling his previous few commissions, which had initially seemed unremarkable but ended up inexplicably spawning all sorts of bizarre things...

Xia Nan suddenly felt a wave of self-doubt.

A gathering commission had seen him step right into a Secret Realm. An Advancement Quest that was supposed to be a mere formality had him crashing head-on into a suspected evil god. And when he had finally met a few seemingly professional teammates, they all ended up having their heads chopped off by him.

'Even though I'm an Adventurer... isn't my career just a bit too "exciting"?'

Even when other people were bragging in the tavern, they didn't have experiences like his.

'Fuck!'

Xia Nan cursed inwardly, already making up his mind to find a reasonable god to pray to once he returned to the city.

Boom—

The world beneath the torrential rain lit up for a fleeting second, followed by a belated, rumbling clap of thunder.

Situated in the sparsely vegetated Molten Scale Mountains, even though the sky was currently overcast with thick clouds and the rain was falling like a curtain, making the entire environment quite gloomy...

...they still retained a decent field of vision.

To the edge of their sight, all the way to the top of the rolling hills in the distance, every living thing was plainly visible.

And because of the Dragon Might released when the red dragon had landed earlier, the surroundings had become exceptionally empty. Xia Nan didn't even see a single wild hare or four-legged lizard, the most common creatures in the mountains.

Clearly, no creature would dare approach this place seeking death.

The factor most likely to affect Verol's spellcasting actually didn't come from the outside, but rather...

Xia Nan shifted his eyes slightly, sweeping his gaze over his several teammates nearby.

Although he hadn't stated it explicitly, the fact that he was standing noticeably further back than the others, closer to the young mage, already revealed his thoughts.

If there truly was an irrational member of the party who decided to launch an attack on Verol or the red dragon...

With his speed and explosive power, he should be able to intercept the attack before the mage and the dragon were affected.

Perhaps he was just overthinking it. At least for now, even the dragonborn Sava—who harbored a racial hatred toward dragons and was the most likely to do something irrational—was honestly gripping her rapier and keeping watch for the group.

With their attention highly concentrated, time seemed to slow down considerably.

It was only five minutes, but for everyone present, it felt as though five hours had passed.

As the magical radiance flashing in the air grew increasingly bright and blinding, the turbulent magic particles became so dense that they seemed capable of melting into the rainwater.

Finally, with a soft sound completely unlike the massive commotion from before—like an under-inflated balloon popping...

"Pop."

The colossal crimson figure, along with the slender, frail girl in front of it, vanished on the spot in an instant without the slightest warning.

Only the smell of sulfur gradually dissipating under the washing rain, and the scorch marks of the Dragon Breath stretching all the way behind the distant hills, proved everything they had just experienced.

Thud.

Still clutching his longbow, the Half-Elf Hai'an suddenly slumped into the muddy ground, drained of all strength.

Sweat and raindrops mixed together on his pale face, impossible to tell apart. He only panted heavily, the exhaustion on his face visible to the naked eye.

As an ordinary person who had yet to obtain a Class Level, managing to withstand the Dragon Might and force his body to stand guard for his teammates for so long meant he had already reached his absolute limit.

Beside him, Wood also let out a heavy sigh of relief. His expression looked particularly dazed, and the right hand supporting his young master was trembling violently.

Sava was in an even worse state. Her tall body, resembling an upright lizard, was now directly on all fours, sprawled across the ground.

Her lizard-like head, which looked seventy percent similar to the fire dragon from just now, hung low, and thick saliva dripped uncontrollably from her mouth.

Of the entire group, Xia Nan actually fared the best.

Perhaps his mental fortitude was naturally solid, or maybe his physical attributes and Feats, which far exceeded those of a Class Holder of the same level, gave him resistance to the intimidation effect.

Though he felt the same lingering fear in his heart, there were no obvious changes to his outward appearance.

He even took the initiative to step forward and help Sava up from the ground.

"How are you? You alright?"

"I-I'm okay," Sava replied, panting heavily and waving her hand.

Her vertical pupils, however, couldn't help but look toward the spot where Luca had been burned to ash by the Dragon Breath in front of everyone.

"So right now... are we doing what Verol said and waiting for her here?"

Although it was phrased as a question, the fact that she asked it, combined with the dragonborn's tone, made it easy to guess her thoughts.

Clearly, the red dragon just now had given her too much of a fright.

Right now, all Sava wanted was to leave this godforsaken place as quickly as possible.

Xia Nan even suspected that if she weren't concerned about them being the only ones around in this desolate wilderness, she might have proposed leaving the party and heading back alone on the spot.

"Let's wait thirty minutes first. If she hasn't returned after half an hour..." Wood picked up the conversation, his expression serious.

It seemed he also didn't plan to stay put for two hours, as Verol had previously requested.

As Hai'an's personal guard, the young master's safety was the most important thing Wood needed to protect right now.

It was true that Verol had taken the danger away for them, but staying in place to wait for half an hour was already the utmost limit of his benevolence and duty; it was impossible for him to take any more risks.

Xia Nan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but before he could speak...

Suddenly, under the shroud of the rain, a bright silver-white luster flashed across his line of sight.

Looking closely, he saw an oval-shaped Metal Block embedded in the mud on the ground.

'The Dream Weaving Corridor?'

'It didn't get banished to the alternate space along with the red dragon?'

Surprised, Xia Nan stepped forward, intending to pick it up from the mud.

Beside him, a yellowish-brown figure lunged forward like a vicious dog pouncing on food.

She hadn't thought much of the Metal Block Luca had picked up in town before, but after what had just happened, tying together the Morton Family knights in town, Duke Morton's lost heirloom, and the red dragon's abnormal behavior of deliberately flying down from the sky just for this item...

Sava already had a guess about the item's origins.

Seeing that it was still here on the field, she naturally threw herself right at it.

However, her speed was ultimately a half-beat too slow.

Just as she stood beside the Metal Block, leaned down, and reached both hands toward the ground...

A rapier, much like a bee's stinger, quietly thrust out from the seemingly empty air behind her.

Shk.

Smooth and precise, it pierced straight through her cervical vertebrae.

Blood, mixed with rainwater, dripped onto the silver-white surface of the Dream Weaving Corridor.