Chapter 741: The Death Dragon

But what if they refuse to pledge allegiance?

Henwell would not kill them merely to silence them, but neither would he grant them protection from the Chains of Civilization.

On their own, they have no hope of leaving this place alive anyway.

What if they only pretend to submit, placating Henwell for now while planning to betray him later?

Henwell does not need to do anything.

In that case, the Chains of Civilization will become shackles upon them instead of a beneficial safeguard.

Once the work here is done, Miller and the other three stay behind and wait for a chance to leave. Henwell's group of four descends to the second level.

An unexpected but fitting opponent awaits them there.

It is another chasm serpent. Its attacks are unremarkable, but its sheer size makes it remarkably hard to kill.

With their extraordinary abilities sealed, the fight drags on and on.

They fight it on and off for an entire day before finally managing to extract the idol-core fragments from its body.

Henwell and Alex stop short of killing the chasm serpent, or rather, of killing it completely.

The creature is not a single organism at all, but a composite creature. Even hacked into several pieces, every severed section keeps thrashing vigorously.

Given time, the monster will probably reassemble itself and come back to life.

Henwell has the means to kill it, whether through the Gene Lock's destruction of its biological essence or the Will Lock's annihilation of its mind.

Either method could destroy the monster completely, but Henwell has no desire to expend that much effort.

The thing drops nothing worthwhile besides the idol-core fragments, so finishing it off is not worth the trouble.

Henwell knows the assassin couple could kill it for good, yet they hold back as well.

They are probably afraid of exhausting themselves and giving Henwell an opening to stab them in the back later.

Once the chasm serpent is defeated, pieces of its body fall into the underground river. That gives Miller and the others the opening they need to escape.

As the dominant creature in the chasm, its defeat sends every other monster in the area into hiding. None dares to emerge.

Miller's group seizes this chance to leave the area.

According to the Lady of Calamity, the underground river forks farther ahead.

They can follow one branch beneath another peak in the Qiemi Mountains.

It will eventually lead them out through a cavern, from which escaping the mountains should be easy.

After Miller and the others depart, Henwell's party begins making its way toward the final level.

The first level of these ruins is actually underground. At the very least, it now lies below the waterline of the subterranean river.

As soon as Henwell arrives, he once again smells that same acrid odor.

The farther down they go, the stronger it becomes.

The level below is a field of ruins. A devastating battle appears to have taken place here, reducing everything to wreckage.

The guardian of this level is impossible to miss.

The creature is impossible to miss. Not only is it enormous, but its body also gives off a dim blue glow.

Even the seasoned assassin couple stare at the monster in shock.

Henwell strokes his chin. "That's a dragon, isn't it?"

The Lady of Calamity corrects him. "A dead dragon."

Nearly a kilometer ahead of Henwell stands a vast mound of bones, with a western dragon sprawled atop it.

Even curled up, the creature must measure a hundred meters from head to tail.

Its body is badly decayed. Only the frames of its wings remain, and half its skull has been stripped of flesh.

Its scales are dull, dry, and lifeless.

A kilometer beyond the dragon, a ruined church complex rises conspicuously amid the rubble.

Henwell looks at the longsword in his hand, then at the dragon's size. "Don't tell me I'm expected to fight that thing."

"Buy me enough time," the Lady of Calamity says.

Henwell raises the longsword. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"What use is this weapon against something that big? Am I supposed to trim its claws?"

Henwell turns to the assassin couple. "Any bright ideas? Dead or not, this is the first dragon I've ever seen."

Alex shakes her head. "Steve needs to assist the Lady of Calamity, and I have to guard them..."

Henwell raises a hand, cutting her off. "You mean I'm supposed to handle that thing alone? Are you joking?"

The Lady of Calamity remains calm. "Henwell, a promise from me carries a steep price."

"Surely you did not think escorting me this far would be enough to earn that promise."

"I know you have been hiding your true strength. Now is the time to show what you can really do."

"Otherwise, I can assure you that none of us will leave here alive today."

Henwell sighs. "If I'd known we would be facing that thing, I would have brought a polearm."

"If I had my war spear, it might become a dragon-slaying weapon after this. Maybe it would even gain a new property."

The Lady of Calamity ignores his complaint and points at the slowly rising death dragon. "Go. Show us what you can really do."

Henwell draws both swords. The Chains of Civilization coil around him and merge into an illusory suit of armor that shines with milky-white light.

Blood flames kindled by Blood Will engulf his body, distorting the air around him.

Seemingly sensing Henwell's presence, the death dragon opens its eyes. One burns with crimson flame, while the eye set in the bare half of its skull glows an eerie blue.

A moment later, the death dragon raises its head and unleashes a deafening roar.

The shock wave hurls away the surrounding wreckage. When the dragon spreads its skeletal wings, they mirror its eyes.

One wing burns with crimson flame, while the other blazes with ghostly blue fire.

Henwell steps forward, making the ground tremble, and answers the dragon with a roar of his own.

The blast of force likewise sweeps the nearby debris away.

The Lady of Calamity and the other two stare at Henwell in astonishment.

They know Henwell has been concealing his strength, but they never imagined he was hiding this much.

Henwell's surging aura has not reached the Glory Rank, but it already exceeds the peak of the Iron Rank.

And this entire place remains shrouded by the Anti-Magic Formation, suppressing everyone's power.

For Henwell to display such strength even here makes the Lady of Calamity wonder whether he has already entered the Glory Rank.

She immediately dismisses the possibility. Reaching the Glory Rank would have triggered an even stronger restriction.

Henwell pays no attention to what they are thinking. He drives both feet into the ground, blasting out a shallow crater as he launches himself at the death dragon.

He is not going to such lengths merely to help the Lady of Calamity.

Henwell has received a mission.

A mission from the boss: defeat Barbarossa, the death dragon!