Chapter 116 - Leader of the Team (2)

Virdus Vict Sangius.

With those words echoed inside my mind, my own blood mixed with magic formed a crystalized blood armor around my entire body, increasing my physical strength and speed. It was my Dragon Living Blood Armor, which Navra had told me had the strongest defense compared to the other armors of dragons my age.

Simultaneously, I opened up two new magic channels, combining the two into one, and summoned a wave of molten fire using a mix of fire magic and earth magic. The two new magic channels were not connected to Deep Animus, the part of my soul and blood which would transform normal magic into Ancient dragon magic, so the wave of molten fire was just normal magic, much weaker than Ancient dragon magic.

The wave of molten fire grew around Xalanth in a circle and surrounded him like a circular cage, with him in the middle. Then the circle grew larger and larger before crashing into his entire body like tidal waves.

A hiss resounded in the air from the crackling heat of the fire which could even eat through rocks. Then the waves of molten fire was sent flying around, splashing heavily onto the ground of the grass-covered valley. Patches of grass were burnt and small fires started.

I looked up as Xalanth jumped high into the air, freed from the waves of molten fire I had surrounded him with. His brown leathery wings were outstretched and spanned more than twelve feet.

Virdus Terram—Dragon Earth Armor.

Xalanth was equipped in his Dragon Earth Armor. He was a dragon who had a great affinity with earth magic, I observed.

All of this had occurred in the breadth of less than two seconds. The two of us were already equipped in our Ancient Dragon Armors and our wings were out. Xalanth had easily overcome my molten fire magic. No doubt, he had manipulated my molten fire with his earth and fire magic.

I jumped upward at Xalanth with Sangius in my hand, and instantly closed the fifteen feet distance between us, reaching him in the air. But halfway through, a wall of earth was formed before me.

I sliced through the thick wall of earth with my elongated blood longsword, and the wall cleanly split apart into two pieces. Smashing aside the two blocks of split earth, I saw Xalanth with a small grin formed on his face.

I only vaguely realized what had happened before a giant arm made of earth slammed into me from above. It was only through the sensing of magic and my quick reflex that I stopped some of the force hitting my armored head.

I fell, crashing down onto the ground with a loud thud and an explosion of dust and grass. A small crater had formed from the impact.

Ashes. I had not expected Xalanth to be able to form his magic even quicker than me.

I quickly got up, and summoned a shield of crystallized blood overhead, using normal magic that did not consume any of my blood. I felt the earthen spikes slam into the blood shield that I had formed above my head, and near the ground around me.

Multiple continuous thuds were made as the earthen spikes hit the blood shield. They were like the sounds of punches after punches against a wall.

While this was happening, I launched into an Ancient blood magic spell.

Vescretur Sangius—Hunting Blood.

Six fist-sized spheres of blood mixed with magic came flying out from under my shield. All of these spheres combined consumed about 1/10 of my safe blood reserves. This was the most useful spell I had. The six spheres of blood could sense enemy blood within a range of 45 feet, and each of them could shoot out flexible blood spikes that followed their targets at will with a twenty-two feet extension.

Interestingly enough, the blood spikes acted like self-aware tentacles grabbing for the enemy. Well, not exactly grabbing, but rather piercing through the enemy.

And if the Hunting Blood spheres were to get close enough to their target, it would become extremely harder and harder to dodge the always moving and always following blood spikes. The spheres were like braying bloodhounds which had gotten the scent of their prey. Their only weakness was that they were easily destroyed and that they did not have the sense to dodge unless I diverted my will and concentration in controlling the six spheres.

“What the hell are these?” I heard a shout from above. It was most likely Xalanth.

With the Hunting Blood spheres keeping Xalanth busy enough to stop his rain of earth spikes, I unformed my blood shield and destroyed the earth spikes all around me with my weapon. Then I joined the fray along with my Hunting Blood spheres which were furiously attacking Xalanth with a total combined number of 18 blood spikes.

Naturally, the attacks of the six Hunting Blood spheres avoided and circled around me since I was not an enemy blood. With my spheres attacking from one side, I attacked Xalanth from the other side.

“This is definitely the most annoying magic I have ever seen!” Xalanth yelled out with a hint of grudging respect and admiration in his voice. His words came out in irregular intervals since Xalanth was busy blocking the blood spikes with shields of earth and tongues of fire which burnt through the blood.

With the momentum gained from my jump, and my subsequent flight toward Xalanth, I executed Trailing Embers, a two-sword combo and initiator strike in the Wandering Flame sword style. Two deep and long gashes on his chest and stomach were formed at the end of the move. The strength of the two strikes forced Xalanth back about half a feet, before he grabbed my weapon with his earth-armored hand.

Xalanth ignored the six Hunting Blood spheres as their eighteen blood spikes pierced through his armor in eighteen various spots. The defense of his armor was too strong and too thick for the blood spikes and my sword to slash through.

The Hunting Blood spheres had stopped moving since their eighteen blood spikes had found their target. Xalanth then destroyed all six of the spheres with earthen blasts that exploded out of nowhere at the unmoving blood spheres which floated around us in a twenty feet range.

“That hurts. I think you actually managed to slash at my stomach, breaking through both my armor and skin.” His grip on the mid-blade of my blood longsword was powerful and was comparable to the strength I had in my Dragon Living Blood Armor. But I did not bother to contest strength with Xalanth.

Along with our wings, the two of us were using Aeris to hold ourselves in the air.

“You should let go of my blade,” I softly said.

“Why? I have you within my range, and the blade cannot harm me.”

I didn't bother to explain to Xalanth. Instead, I simply showed him.

Sangius Novara.

The Ancient dragon words flashed into my mind, and 2/10 of my safe blood reserves were consumed. Blood soon surrounded the two of us, forming a blood field that blocked all vision of the outside world between the two of us. It was too late for Xalanth to run—the field of blood had already formed into a sphere, surrounding the two of us. And Xalanth himself did not choose to flee from the blood field like Elder Kronos, who had instantly recognized the danger of the magic spell.

“Two can play at that game.”

A massive amount of magic exploded outward from Xalanth. The magic had an overbearing presence to it and felt as if there was a heavy weight on my shoulders. In a few seconds, both of our magic reached a high point, climbing to an apex.

Blood and earth magic exploded inside the blood field I had created. Colors of red and shattered pieces of earth entered my vision. Perhaps only a few seconds or perhaps a full minute passed by as the two of us attacked at each other with our magic; his fist and my weapon also colliding.

The two of us were thrown outward from the colliding forces of both our magic and I could only catch a short glimpse of Xalanth as I hit the ground of the valley with both of my wings torn off.

I shook myself free from the dirt and grass, while spitting out some dirt that had gotten into my mouth. There was a pulsing pain near both of my shoulders, where my wings had been torn off. Blood also hindered my vision, and I could taste both dirt and blood in my mouth. There were most likely dozens of small cuts on my face and on my Dragon Living Blood Armor which had sustained more damage than it could repair.