Chapter 227: The Outcome is Decided, Leaving

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: The Outcome is Decided, Leaving

CLANG!

The spear and sword locked together once more.

The instant they made contact.

The Thunder Energy Lance had been storing up surged forth like a flood finding its release, roaring up the blade of the Holy Sword as Elvira brought it down!

BZZZZT~

A blinding bolt of azure electricity erupted from the hilt!

The current surged up the young woman’s arm, slamming mercilessly into her body!

Even with the extraordinarily high Constitution Attribute and resistances granted by her Red Dragon Bloodline, Elvira wasn’t paralyzed by the shock.

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

’This is bad!’

Elvira’s pupils contracted as she cried out in her heart.

In a battle of this caliber, even a tenth of a second of paralysis was fatal.

This was the opening Lance had been desperately waiting for!

With a flick of his wrist, Lance’s spear struck out like a lunging dragon!

[Specialty: Armor-Piercing Helix]: Your spear thrusts gain 5% bonus Physical Penetration. When your spear tip hits an armored target, there is a 20% chance to trigger the "Armor Shattering" effect, causing the Defense Power of the struck area to plummet for a short time and inflicting concussive damage to internal organs.

Thirty percent Magic Shield negation from the Source Material, five percent Physical Penetration from his Specialty, and the sheer Penetration Power from a terrifying 25.65 Strength Attribute.

The destructive force of this single thrust had reached an unimaginable level.

The Ash Dragon Breath entwined around the spear tip erupted completely.

Under the drilling force of this thrust, the layer of Crimson Crowned Armor that had just materialized on Elvira’s body was like a fragile block of wax held over a blazing fire.

It let out a sickening melting sound as it cracked and splintered.

Then, with a sharp CRACK, the armor shattered into a thousand pieces.

The black Heavy Spear in Lance’s hand drove onward, its sharp tip mercilessly piercing the young woman’s left shoulder, even punching clean through the sturdy Silver Arm Armor there.

In an instant, blood stained the young woman’s Battle Skirt crimson.

The terrifying heat of the Ash Dragon Breath poured through the rent in her armor, searing mercilessly into Elvira’s tender flesh.

The excruciating pain made Elvira let out another muffled groan, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

Sensing its host was in mortal danger, the Heart of the Red Dragon hidden within her body began to beat frantically.

A surge of Life Force rushed like a tide to the wound on her left shoulder, attempting to heal it with its potent regenerative power.

But the "Healing Ban" effect from Lance’s Ash Dragon Breath immediately kicked in.

The two diametrically opposed energies clashed violently at the wound.

Acrid white smoke with the stench of burning flesh began to rise ceaselessly from Elvira’s shoulder. Not only was the wound not healing, it was showing signs of getting worse.

An Ordinary Adventurer, after suffering such a penetrating wound and the continuous, searing pain, would have long since been rolling on the ground, all combat capability lost.

But the seemingly fragile young woman before him had been personally chosen by the King’s Choice Sword, the very symbol of Royal Authority.

Elvira gritted her teeth against the pain, which was intense enough to make one pass out.

Instead of using the force of the blow to retreat...

...she did something that startled even Lance.

She lunged forward, deliberately throwing herself onto the spear!

She shot out her armored right hand and gripped the black spear shaft, allowing the tip to dig even deeper into the flesh and blood of her shoulder.

With this act of near self-mutilation, she trapped Lance’s weapon, preventing him from pulling the spear out for a second strike.

At the same time.

She raised her head, her emerald-green eyes transforming completely into majestic, golden, slitted pupils!

HUMMM~

A pair of crystalline, ruby-red Energy Dragon Horns burst from the sides of her smooth forehead, sweeping back aggressively behind her head.

[Dragon Form: Crimson Crown Dragon] activated!

The young woman’s once-brilliant golden hair instantly shifted to platinum.

At the corners of her eyes, two crimson markings appeared, possessing an alluring, almost demonic beauty.

A terrifying Dragon’s Might erupted from her petite frame as a tangible shockwave, slamming into the nearby Lance.

Seeing his opponent had finally been forced to play her trump card...

...Lance didn’t panic. Instead, an excited grin spread across his face.

HAAAH~

A scalding white plume of air erupted violently from Lance’s mouth and nose.

His black eyes instantly transformed into Dark Gold Vertical Pupils.

Then, like embers flaring to life, dark red Energy Dragon Scales emerged from beneath the skin of his upper body.

[Dragon Form: Crimson Dragon] activated!

In the center of the mist-shrouded, enclosed canyon.

Two terrifying, almost tangible auras of Dragon’s Might—one crimson, one gold—collided violently in midair!

The very air in the canyon crackled under the oppressive force.

Elvira had been prepared for a desperate, last-ditch struggle, but when she saw clearly what was happening before her...

...the sheer determination on her face froze solid.

It was replaced by a look of utter, stupefied disbelief, as if she were witnessing something that shattered her entire worldview.

"Wh... Why?"

The young woman’s voice trembled with profound shock.

Lance heard Elvira’s question, but he merely tilted his head slightly.

He had no idea what she was so shocked about at a time like this.

However, while he didn’t understand her question, he saw her next move with perfect clarity.

The hand Elvira had used to grip the spear suddenly went slack, as if she’d lost all her strength.

Then, she gathered all the remaining Power in her body and channeled it into her Holy Sword.

Her hands, wreathed in compressed wind and the raging Power of the Red Dragon, swung the blade in a golden arc, unleashing a fan-shaped shockwave toward Lance’s face—a blast powerful enough to cleave gold and shatter jade.

It was as if she were venting an anger born of fear.

Seeing that she had released her grip on his weapon, Lance took the opportunity to wrench his spear from her shoulder.

A long, gruesome spray of blood followed it.

The muscles in his arms bulged, veins popping, as the Ether Energy Melting Furnace within him began to burn at full capacity.

The ambient temperature skyrocketed from the searing Energy.

The moment the white mist between them touched this intense heat, it instantly vaporized into scalding steam that billowed wildly out to the sides of the canyon.

BOOOOOOM!!!!

The destructive shockwave slammed into the sweeping Heavy Spear.

Dark red scales and golden Dragon Horns flashed and clashed within the roiling steam, the sound of their weapons ringing out ceaselessly.

This no-holds-barred, close-quarters brawl did not last long.

Not even a minute.

The deafening sounds of battle in the center of the canyon came to an abrupt halt.

The scalding steam slowly dissipated in the canyon’s light breeze.

Across the brutal battlefield, the only sound that remained was the roar of the great waterfall crashing into the pool in the distance.

Both had reverted from their Dragon Forms.

Elvira was a wretched sight.

Her once-resplendent and sturdy silver-blue armored dress was covered in tears from immense force and scorch marks from intense heat.

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

In that reckless, all-out exchange, the last vestiges of stamina supporting her body had been completely exhausted.

Her battered body could no longer hold itself upright.

She leaned forward.

Her forehead, slick with sweat and grime, came to rest limply against Lance’s left shoulder.

"Wh... why?"

The weak question escaped her lips once more.

Lance stood his ground.

He didn’t press the attack. Instead, he reached out to support her teetering body, keeping the young woman from collapsing into the shallows.

His mind was filled with confusion.

’What does she mean? Why does she keep asking that?’

Then, a flicker of confusion crossed Lance’s face.

He could feel it.

The young woman leaning on his shoulder was using the last of her feeble strength to brace against his body, trying to slowly push herself away and create a sliver of distance between them.

Just to create that tiny bit of space... Lance could clearly see her slender arm shaking violently, uncontrollably, from the strain.

She was completely exhausted, without even the strength left to push someone away.

Through the small gap she’d managed to create, Lance looked down and froze.

He saw, on the young woman’s dirt-streaked face, two clear tracks where tears were cutting paths down her cheeks.

’She’s crying?’

And the emotion in her eyes wasn’t the humiliation of defeat, but a kind of heart-breaking bewilderment.

Lance’s own eyes filled with utter incomprehension.

’What in the world is going on?’

’Didn’t we agree to have a good, clean fight to decide a winner?’

’Why is she crying just because she lost?’

"Wh... y... you..."

The young woman’s chapped lips moved with great effort, as if she still wanted to accuse him of something.

But Lance couldn’t hear the rest of her words.

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

Because at that very moment, the system prompt sounded again.

The trial was over. A victor had been decided.

A pulling force descended upon Lance, forcibly extracting him from the canyon.

In the instant Lance was teleported away, his body dissolving into motes of light... ...Elvira, her last support gone, collapsed heavily into the shallows.

Her unfocused green eyes reflected the starlight that had been Lance.

In the final second before she succumbed completely to unconsciousness, she used all her remaining strength to speak the words that had been stuck in her throat into the empty air.

"...You’re... also... a Red Dragon."