Ur moved with extreme speed, like a nimble leopard. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Ivan, drawing his sword to strike. He had long given up on worrying about appearances.
Mages, whatever… he didn't care anymore.
Shla!
The Dark Dragon Fang swung, releasing a terrifyingly powerful slash wave. Ivan was cut cleanly in two, and many of the dark wizards behind him were also caught in the blast, suffering severe injuries.
Whoosh!
A breeze passed, and Ivan's body gradually dissipated into mist.
"Illusion magic? Pathetic trickery." Ur's lips curled into a cold smile.
According to Ur's knowledge of the original story, Ivan could use two types of magic: one was Shikigami Magic, which manipulates paper figures, and the other was the illusion magic he had just used. Neither was top-tier magic. It wasn't that Ivan didn't want to learn stronger spells—it was simply that his talent limited him to at most upper-level magic.
Swish!
A rush of wind came from behind.
Ur tilted his neck slightly and easily avoided the attack—a feeble, slow strike. Then, with a backhand swing, he cut the attacker in two.
Rip!
The sound of paper tearing echoed. Ur looked back in time to see a tiny paper figure, about the size of a palm, slowly drifting downward. A gaping wound ran across most of its body, glaringly visible.
"Shikigami magic?" Ur glanced at the paper figure, then turned his attention back to the space ahead. He called out, "Hey, Ivan! Didn't you say I'd pay the price? Why are you hiding like a coward now? These sneaky little tricks won't work on me."
Silence hung in the air.
Clearly, Ivan didn't care about Ur's taunting.
Ur felt a little troubled. Strength-wise, he had nothing to fear from Ivan, but if Ivan continued to rely solely on illusion magic to hide, Ur had few options.
First, Ur lacked specific methods to counter illusions. Second, most of his mental energy was focused on controlling his own magic power. If Ivan acted openly, Ur could react instantly using the hidden capabilities of Way of the Wanderer. But Ivan's illusion magic was not aggressive. Occasional clashes didn't even pique the interest of the passive.
In short, Ivan's weakness was, paradoxically, giving Ur nothing to work with.
Boom!
A magic shockwave attacked from the side. Ur instantly summoned five layers of rock walls. The dark purple magic wave pierced through three of them, but ultimately stopped at the fourth.
"Damn it!" Ivan seethed in the shadows.
If Ur hadn't killed Obra, he wouldn't be in such a predicament.
"Still not coming out? Looks like I'll have to play with your guild members first." Ur tried to provoke Ivan again, but no matter how much he taunted, Ivan didn't respond. Ur sighed in regret and turned his attention to the Raven Tail's minor members.
Pffft!
One strike. A minor member is gone.
Pffft!
Another strike, another member was eliminated.
The Raven Tail Guild had four main members besides Ivan. Currently, only two had been summoned.
The rest were cannon fodder. Ur eliminated them one by one, rapidly "controlling the population." Ur's speed was so overwhelming that the entire dark wizard force started panicking.
To them, Ur was like a demon king. Whether defending or counterattacking, one strike meant certain death. Soon, the dark mage army was wailing in chaos and broken ranks. Ivan, hidden in the shadows, ground his teeth, his face twisted with rage. Yet he still didn't show himself.
Ivan was a true "fierce hero" in the ruthless sense. Guild members were mere tools; as long as his goals could be achieved, sacrificing them all was no issue.
"Kill him! Let's see how much magic power he has. The moment it runs out will be the moment he dies!" Ivan's eyes glinted with murderous intent.
Roar!
A ferocious roar echoed across the skies. Ur's battle reached a white-hot intensity. On the other side, seven mages assaulted the giant dragon, their fight equally fierce.
Excluding Natsu, Leo, and Ichiya, four of the members assaulting Hitsuya were as follows. One was the over-three-meter-tall muscle giant from the large mercenary guild Mammoth Elephant, nicknamed the "Elephant King."
The other three came from different mage guilds. A green-haired man with a flashy, alternative fashion style, named Pachi, from the guild Mantis Blade. A woman with shoulder-length hair and plain attire, named Seni, from the guild Shell Love. Finally, a polite-looking man with golden-rimmed glasses, named Elia, from the ancient guild, Ancient Book Spirit.
All four possessed strength at least equivalent to peak A-Class mages.
By comparison, Natsu's magic power was the lowest among them. However, that didn't matter—he used Dragon Slayer magic.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu cupped his hands around his mouth, chest expanding, focusing scorching heat. Suddenly, a massive fire wave erupted, striking Hitsuya.
Roaaaar!
Hitsuya screamed. Dragon Slayer magic bypassed dragon-specific resistances, making Natsu's attack far more threatening than that of ordinary mages.
The dragon stumbled backward several steps. The others' eyes gleamed with renewed determination.
Next!
The Elephant King and Ichiya, who used Power Perfume, charged forward simultaneously. Both unleashed devastating punches at Hitsuya.
"Power~~man!"
"Rampaging Elephant Impact!"
Boom!
The two immense forces struck the dragon simultaneously, sending a shockwave that whipped up a storm. Under the tremendous pressure, Hitsuya was blasted backward, his hind legs carving long gouges into the ground before collapsing.
At that moment, the air itself seemed to freeze. Then, a massive, overwhelming pressure spread across the forest. The ambient mana seemed to boil under its force, and a deep sense of fear settled in everyone's hearts.
A shadow suddenly enveloped everyone. Instinctively, they looked up and saw a giant dragon spreading its wings, slowly ascending, blocking the moonlight.
In an instant, everyone's faces changed drastically.
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Next Chapter: The True Roar
Next Next Chapter: Have a Fireball to Cool Off!
Next Next Next Chapter: Luring