Chapter 227: Victory Decided, Departure

CLANG!

Spear and sword locked together once more.

The instant they made contact,

the Thunder Dormancy Energy that Lance had accumulated beforehand surged forth like a flood finally finding an outlet, racing wildly up the Holy Sword that Elvira had brought down!

BZZZT—

A dazzling azure current exploded from the sword's hilt!

The electricity rushed through the girl's arm and mercilessly blasted into her body!

Even with the extraordinary Constitution and resistances granted by her Red Dragon bloodline, Elvira was not paralyzed by the current.

However, the violent shock still caused her body to stiffen uncontrollably for an instant.

Not good!

Elvira's pupils contracted sharply as alarm rang through her mind.

At this level of combat, even a tenth of a second of stiffness was fatal.

This was the opening Lance had been waiting for all along!

His wrist twisted.

The spear shot forth like a dragon!

【Specialty: Armor-Piercing Spiral】: Your spear thrusts gain an additional 5% physical armor penetration. When your spear tip strikes a target protected by armor, there is a 20% chance of triggering Armor Shatter, greatly reducing the defense of the struck area for a short period and causing concussive damage to internal organs.

Thirty percent spell-shield bypass from his Source Trait.

Five percent physical penetration from the specialty.

Combined with the terrifying penetrating force generated by his 25.65 Strength Attribute.

The destructive power of this thrust had reached an unbelievable level.

The Ember Dragon Breath wrapped around the spear tip erupted completely.

The layer of Crimson Crown Martial Armor that had just manifested around Elvira instantly resembled fragile wax exposed to blazing flames.

It melted with an unpleasant hiss while cracking apart piece by piece.

Then—

CRACK!

The armor shattered completely into fragments.

Lance's black heavy spear drove forward unhindered.

The sharp spearhead mercilessly pierced Elvira's left shoulder, punching straight through the sturdy silver pauldron protecting it.

Blood instantly stained her battle dress crimson.

The terrifying heat carried by the Ember Dragon Breath poured through the ruptured armor and ruthlessly scorched the girl's flesh.

The piercing pain forced another muffled groan from Elvira.

Her face immediately turned pale.

Sensing its host's life-threatening condition, the Heart of the Red Dragon hidden within her body began pounding furiously.

Vast life force surged toward the wound in her shoulder, attempting to heal it through sheer regenerative power.

But the healing-suppression effect carried by Lance's Ember Dragon Breath immediately activated.

The two opposing energies violently clashed within the wound.

Only thick white smoke carrying the smell of burning flesh continuously rose from her shoulder.

Not only did the wound fail to heal, it showed signs of worsening.

An ordinary Adventurer suffering a penetrating wound like this while enduring constant burning agony would already be rolling on the ground in pain, completely incapable of fighting.

But the seemingly delicate girl before him was someone personally acknowledged by the Sword of Kingship, the symbol of royal authority.

Enduring pain severe enough to make most people faint,

Elvira did not retreat using the force that had pushed her back.

Instead, she made a move so reckless that even Lance was startled.

She stepped forward violently and charged directly into the spear!

Her armored right hand shot out and seized the black spear shaft.

She allowed the spearhead to sink even deeper into her shoulder.

Through a method bordering on self-harm, she forcibly trapped Lance's weapon and prevented him from withdrawing it for a follow-up attack.

At the same time, she lifted her head.

Her emerald-green eyes had transformed completely into majestic golden slit pupils!

HUM—

A pair of translucent ruby-like dragon horns made entirely of energy burst forth from both sides of her forehead, sweeping backward toward the rear of her head.

【Dragon Form · Crimson Crown Dragon】 Activated!

The girl's radiant golden hair instantly became platinum-white.

Two streaks of crimson eye shadow appeared at the corners of her eyes, creating an eerily beautiful appearance.

Terrifying Dragon Might erupted from her small body as a tangible shockwave and crashed directly into Lance from point-blank range.

Seeing that he had finally forced out her hidden trump card,

Lance felt no panic whatsoever.

Instead, excitement spread across his face.

HOOO—

Scalding white breath blasted violently from his mouth and nose.

His black eyes instantly transformed into dark-gold slit pupils.

Then scales formed from burning dark-red energy rapidly emerged beneath the skin of his upper body.

【Dragon Form · Red Dragon】 Activated!

In the center of the mist-shrouded canyon, the terrifying Dragon Might radiating from one golden dragon and one Red Dragon collided head-on in midair without the slightest buffer.

The very air throughout the canyon exploded under the pressure.

Elvira, who had been prepared for a final desperate struggle, froze the moment she clearly saw what stood before her.

The determination on her face solidified instantly.

It was replaced by utter disbelief.

The kind of disbelief brought about by witnessing something that completely shattered her understanding of the world.

“W-Why...?”

The girl's voice trembled with overwhelming shock.

Lance heard her question.

He merely tilted his head slightly.

He genuinely could not understand what she was so shocked about at a time like this.

However, while he could not understand her confusion, he could clearly see her next attack.

The hand that had been gripping the spear suddenly lost its strength and released it.

Then, she gathered every remaining ounce of power within her body into the Holy Sword.

Compressed high-pressure winds and the violent power of the Red Dragon wrapped around her hands.

A golden arc swept through the air.

A fan-shaped shockwave capable of cleaving metal and jade alike slashed directly toward Lance's face.

It was as if she were venting some fear-born anger.

Seeing her abandon the weapon lock,

Lance immediately ripped the spear from her shoulder.

A spray of brilliant blood followed.

Then the muscles of his arms bulged.

The Aether Furnace within him roared at maximum output.

The surrounding temperature skyrocketed.

The white mist around them transformed into scorching steam the instant it touched the blazing heat and exploded outward throughout the canyon.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

The devastating shockwave collided violently with the sweeping spear.

Dark-red scales and golden dragon horns repeatedly crossed paths within the boiling steam.

The sounds of clashing weapons echoed endlessly.

Yet this all-out close-quarters battle did not last very long.

In less than a minute, the deafening sounds of combat at the center of the canyon abruptly ceased.

The scorching steam slowly dispersed in the canyon breeze.

Across the devastated battlefield, only the distant roar of the waterfall crashing into the pool remained.

Both of them had exited their Dragon Forms.

Elvira's condition was miserable beyond words.

Her once magnificent silver-and-blue battle armor was covered in tears caused by overwhelming force and scorched by intense heat.

Crimson blood mixed with sweat dripped continuously from her golden hair.

After that reckless clash, the final trace of stamina supporting her body had been completely exhausted.

Her battered body could no longer remain standing.

She staggered forward.

Her dirt- and sweat-covered forehead weakly came to rest against Lance's left shoulder.

“W-Why...?”

The feeble question drifted from her lips once again.

Lance remained where he stood.

He did not continue attacking.

Instead, he extended one hand to support her trembling body, preventing her from collapsing directly into the shallow water.

His heart was filled with confusion.

What did she mean?

Why did she keep asking that question?

Then a trace of bewilderment flashed through his eyes.

Because he felt that the girl leaning against his shoulder was using the last scraps of her strength to push against him.

She was desperately trying to create even the slightest distance between them.

To open that tiny gap, her slender arm trembled violently from overexertion.

She was completely exhausted.

She no longer even possessed the strength to push someone away.

Through that narrow opening she managed to create,

Lance looked down.

And froze.

On the girl's dirt-streaked face, two clear trails of tears were continuously running down from the corners of her eyes.

She was crying?

And the emotions in her gaze were not humiliation from defeat.

Instead, they were filled with a heartbreaking sense of shock.

Lance's own eyes widened in confusion.

What was going on?

Hadn't they agreed to have an honest fight and determine the winner?

Why was she crying after losing?

“W-Wh... y... y-you...”

The girl's cracked lips struggled to form words.

It seemed she still had something she wanted to accuse him of.

But Lance never heard the rest.

He could only barely make out a few syllables from the movement of her lips.

Because at that moment, the system notification sounded once again.

The trial was over.

Victory had been decided.

A powerful force descended upon Lance and forcibly pulled him away from the canyon.

At the moment his body transformed into particles of light and vanished,

Elvira, having lost the final support holding her up, collapsed heavily into the shallows.

Within her unfocused green eyes, the starlight formed from Lance's departing body was reflected.

In the final second before losing consciousness, she gathered every last bit of strength she possessed and spoke the words that had been stuck in her throat the entire time.

To the empty air before her.

“...You... are... a... Red Dragon too.”