Chapter 742: Dueling the Dragon

The instant Henwell leaps in front of the death dragon, one of its claws slams down on him from above.

With Henwell's legs buried halfway into the ground, the death dragon beats its wings and sends a storm of dual-colored blades of light slicing toward him.

It rises slowly into the air, throws back its head, and unleashes a torrent of dual-colored dragon breath at Henwell.

All the while, its right foreclaw keeps him pinned firmly in place.

Henwell braces both swords above his head as several Chains of Civilization twist together into a shield before him.

The Civilization Shield holds back the raging dragon breath and the dense barrage of wing blades, while the ground around Henwell slowly melts and splinters.

The instant the dragon breath ends, the Civilization Shield bursts apart and reverts to dozens of chains that swiftly coil around the death dragon.

With a heavy crash, the death dragon is dragged back to the ground.

No matter how violently it struggles or how thoroughly it tears up the ground, it cannot break free of the Chains of Civilization.

As the death dragon roars, the ground beneath Henwell erupts into a deep crater.

Henwell launches himself upward. His twin swords carve out a huge cross-shaped blade of light that slams into the underside of the death dragon's jaw.

The impact snaps its car-sized head high into the air.

It also sends the dragon breath it was about to unleash blasting straight into the ceiling.

Henwell then brings his swords together and chops downward with all his strength.

A gigantic phantom blade follows the motion of his strike and crashes into the dragon's head.

The crushing blow smashes the death dragon, head and body alike, into the ground.

Henwell's relentless follow-up leaves the death dragon able only to guard itself and take the blows.

Henwell is holding nothing back. He is using the Will Lock at full strength to restrain the death dragon.

Long experimentation has taught Henwell several subtler uses for the Will Lock.

Within Peace Haven, the Will Lock can suppress nearly forty percent of an enemy's combat power.

Outside Peace Haven, the Chains of Civilization can suppress only about twenty percent.

There are exceptions. Its suppression becomes considerably stronger against nonhuman enemies.

It grows stronger still against creatures from outside the main plane.

The death dragon before him is a perfect example. Not only is it inhuman, but its body also reeks of another plane.

Under the full force of Henwell's Will Lock, its strength is suppressed by thirty percent.

The Anti-Magic Formation is also affecting the Will Lock. Without that interference, the death dragon would be suppressed even further.

As for Henwell's advantage against human bloodline professionals, that does not primarily come from the Will Lock. It comes from the Gene Lock's ability to sever a bloodline at its source.

Under the current conditions, the Anti-Magic Formation affects Henwell less than it does the Lady of Calamity and her two companions.

At first, Henwell assumes the power of both locks is weakening the formation's influence.

He soon realizes that another ability, one he has not used in a long time, is responsible.

It is the reward he received during his assignment in another world: Secondary Law Defense Skin. The ability is reducing the Anti-Magic Formation's effect on him.

Benefits from the boss truly are in a league of their own.

A god helped lay down this Anti-Magic Formation, reinforcing it with a powerful law.

Even so, Secondary Law Defense Skin continues to function, reducing the law's hold on him.

It also grants Henwell substantial protection against the death dragon's mixed dragon breath.

The death dragon itself is likewise affected to some extent by the Anti-Magic Formation.

Its current, unnatural state has also deprived it of several abilities.

At the very least, not one of its usual draconic spells has appeared.

After all these layers of suppression, Barbarossa can muster only the power of the early Glory Rank.

Without those restrictions, it should be capable of displaying the combat power of the upper Glory Rank here.

If it is this powerful in death, it must have been terrifyingly strong while alive.

Henwell suspects that it was at least a Sanctuary Rank dragon in life, and possibly even stronger.

Now, however, Henwell can keep it on the defensive, at least for the moment.

Henwell's furious offensive does not last.

The death dragon folds its wings, shielding most of its body.

Henwell's enormous phantom blade crashes against the dragon's dual-colored barrier, producing nothing but spreading ripples.

As Henwell gathers his strength for another major attack, the dragon seizes the opening, spreads its wings, and roars at him.

Two phantom dragons appear. One radiates bloodred light and still possesses flesh, looking much as the death dragon must have while alive.

The other glows an eerie blue. It is a skeletal dragon.

The two phantoms overlap, flickering back and forth before hurtling toward Henwell in an instant.

Caught without time to block, Henwell is blasted away like a cannonball.

Barbarossa does not pursue him. Instead, the death dragon turns and tears free of several Chains of Civilization.

Roaring, it charges toward the Lady of Calamity and her companions in the ruined church complex.

Yet just as it spreads its wings and lifts off the ground, it abruptly freezes in midair.

The death dragon looks back and discovers that Henwell has somehow returned. His arms are wrapped tightly around its ruined tail.

They strain against each other, and Henwell's lower body sinks into the solid ground.

The dragon is simply too enormous, and even Henwell is visibly struggling.

Alex watches tensely, convinced that Henwell is about to be dragged away.

Then Henwell roars again, and a faint Blood Giant emerges behind him.

The gigantic figure stands more than sixty meters tall, nearly brushing the ceiling.

Fortunately, this level is taller than the others. Otherwise, there would be no room for it to move.

The Blood Giant projection roars with Henwell. No sound emerges, but the violent blast of air proves it can affect the physical world.

The Blood Giant then grabs the death dragon by the tail.

The ground beneath Henwell erupts into a crater. His bones crack, and blood vessels burst beneath his skin until he is drenched in red.

Using his feet as a pivot, Henwell slowly begins to turn, then accelerates.

The Blood Giant spins with him, but another change comes over the projection.

Its face is usually an indistinct blur, yet recognizable features surface from time to time.

The face resembles Henwell's, but is filled with savagery and cruelty.

As they spin faster and faster, the Blood Giant begins to cackle wildly.

After building momentum through several revolutions, Henwell and the projection hurl the dragon away.

The death dragon crashes down with a tremendous impact and roars in fury. The Blood Giant projection only laughs more wildly in response.