"Run!!"
"The mountain is collapsing!!"
The terrifying scene nearly scared the Dwarves and mercenaries of the dragon-hunting party to death.
Shouts of panic echoed across the valley as the crowd scrambled backward, tripping over loose stones and each other, terrified of being buried alive beneath the collapsing mountainside. Rocks tumbled down in a deafening cascade, sending up clouds of choking dust that rolled outward like a tidal wave.
Geralt clenched his fists tightly, his cat-like pupils narrowing as they fixed on the dust-shrouded impact point. His jaw was tense.
He murmured in a low voice, the strain in his tone betraying him despite himself.
"Karl… you'd better be alright…"
Beside him, Yennefer held her breath. A complex expression flickered in her violet eyes.
There was shock—pure, undeniable shock—at the Golden Dragon's overwhelming strength. There was also concern for Karl's fate. And beneath it all, subtle but unmistakable, was longing.
Longing for that kind of power.
The valley wind gradually swept the dust aside.
What emerged first was a shocking sight—a human-shaped indentation embedded deep into the cliff face. The surrounding rock was fractured with spiderweb-like cracks radiating outward from the center. Jagged fissures ran across the surface as though the mountain itself had suffered a violent impact.
Then, under countless gazes—some terrified, some hopeful, some incredulous—
Karl's figure slowly "floated" out of the crater.
He hovered in midair in front of the pit, calmly rolling his shoulders and tilting his neck. A few soft clicking sounds echoed faintly as he adjusted himself.
Aside from dust staining his clothes and leaving him slightly disheveled, he appeared completely unharmed. Not a scratch marked his skin.
He casually patted the dust off his sleeves before lifting his gaze toward Borchi, who circled in the sky above, equally focused on observing him.
There was no fear in Karl's eyes.
Only blazing battle intent.
"It seems your strength has not disappointed me," Karl's voice rang out clearly, echoing across the valley with steady confidence.
Without hesitation, his body surged upward again. He cut through the air in a straight, precise trajectory, accelerating rapidly until he faced Borchi at midair distance.
After taking that solid strike earlier, Karl now had a clearer understanding of Borchi's strength.
Strong.
Very strong.
Borchi possessed enough power to threaten him—enough to cause genuine pain.
But not enough to truly injure him.
A faint smile tugged at Karl's lips.
"It seems my fighting style can lean more toward direct confrontation," he concluded instantly.
In the sky, Borchi had just begun to relax upon seeing Karl unharmed. Secretly, he was astonished. The physical resilience of an Arnulfati far exceeded his expectations.
But in that fleeting second of distraction—
Karl had already closed the distance again.
The attack was simple. Direct.
A lightning-fast punch aimed straight at the dragon's majestic face.
Too fast!
Alarm flared in Borchi's mind. There was no time for a proper evasive maneuver.
Almost instinctively, he lashed out with his front claw while the mana within his body surged explosively.
A translucent shield of pale golden light materialized instantly around him. It shimmered with profound, intricate magical runes that pulsed with ancient power. The barrier was especially concentrated around his head and face—the exact point Karl's fist targeted.
Boom!!
Karl's punch struck the Magic Shield head-on.
A thunderous impact reverberated through the sky.
Cracks spread instantly across the pale golden surface, branching outward from the point of contact like fractured glass.
The shield emitted a strained, metallic creak. Its brilliance flickered violently, alternating between dazzling brightness and dim instability.
A flicker of shock passed through Borchi's draconic eyes.
The defensive strength of this shield was exceptional. It could withstand sustained bombardment from large siege crossbows.
Yet a single punch from this human had nearly shattered it.
Immediately, Borchi poured more mana into the barrier, attempting to stabilize and reinforce it.
But Karl gave him no opportunity.
His assault came like a torrential storm.
Before the force of the previous strike had even fully dissipated, Karl's other fist—carrying even greater power—hammered into the exact same point.
Crack!
Shatter!!
The Magic Shield could no longer endure the overlapping force. It exploded apart like shattered crystal, dissolving into countless pale golden particles that scattered across the air.
Borchi's massive head was knocked backward violently.
Shock filled his eyes.
"Your strength… you were holding back?!"
He had assumed the punch that knocked out one of his teeth earlier had been Karl's full power.
He was wrong.
In a direct confrontation, Karl's strength had increased even further.
Karl grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. His smile radiated pure battle intent.
He did not answer verbally.
Instead, his fists answered for him.
He surged forward relentlessly, raining blow after blow upon Borchi's head and neck. Each strike was precise, brutal, and merciless.
A fierce glint flashed in Borchi's eyes.
He could not continue absorbing attacks passively.
His pupils suddenly glowed with strange radiance.
Just as Karl prepared to unleash another punch, he felt it—
His body grew heavy.
As though he had stepped into an invisible sea of viscous glue.
The surrounding air thickened unnaturally. Resistance surged from every direction, dragging at his limbs and slowing his movements drastically.
"Telekinesis? Or perhaps a high-tier Atmospheric Binding Spell?" Karl analyzed swiftly.
This was not simple physical force.
But his response was even simpler.
His invisible Bio-Force Field was an extension of his own body.
Hum—
With a single thought, he adjusted its intensity and released it outward explosively.
An invisible shockwave rippled outward from Karl's position.
The sticky energy field attempting to bind him was instantly neutralized and dispersed under the overwhelming counterforce. The air returned to normal.
His movements flowed freely once more.
At that exact moment, his delayed fist finally connected.
Thud!
Roar!!
Another heavy impact.
Another roar of pain from the dragon.
Several more blood-stained teeth were forcibly ejected from Borchi's mouth, spinning through the air in crimson arcs.
After suffering repeated strikes to the face and losing more than a dozen teeth—
Even Borchi's normally composed temperament snapped.
Where was the dignity of the Dragon Clan?!
If this continued, his face would be flattened—his teeth completely gone!
He jerked his head aside, narrowly dodging Karl's next punch. His golden eyes blazed with fury, shining brighter than ever before.
He locked his gaze onto Karl.
Then he unleashed something entirely different.
A formless, intangible power that struck directly at the mental plane.
Mind Power.
It surged forward like a raging undercurrent, invisible yet violent, crashing straight into Karl's consciousness.
Karl's forward momentum halted abruptly.
His eyes glazed over.
His extended fist froze midair.
"It worked!" Borchi's heart leaped.
Seizing the fleeting opportunity, he swung his massive claw without hesitation.
Fury ignited his strike.
At the tips of his claws, pale golden lightning crackled and danced, arcs of destructive energy snapping through the air. The power condensed along his talons, gathering into a devastating blow aimed straight at Karl's unmoving form.
This strike contained his rage.
His full power.
And lightning.
He believed that even if it did not end the battle, it would at least heavily wound his opponent.
The claw descended like divine punishment.
But at the very instant the lightning-wreathed talons were about to strike—
Karl's eyes cleared.
Instantly.
As though they had never been clouded at all.
There was no confusion.
No lingering daze.
Only calm.
And something else.
A faint, cold smile.
Borchi's pupils shrank.
Impossible—
The mental strike had clearly connected!
Yet Karl's consciousness had recovered in less than a heartbeat.
In truth, while the Mind Power had indeed reached him, it had collided against something far more terrifying.
Karl's will.
His consciousness had long been tempered by forces beyond ordinary understanding. The Bio-Force Field was not merely physical—it resonated with his life essence, reinforcing both body and mind.
The mental assault had struck him like a wave crashing against an unyielding cliff.
For a fraction of a second, there had been disturbance.
And then—
Stability.
The dragon's claw descended fully—
But Karl moved first.
His body twisted slightly in midair. The lightning-charged talons scraped past him, grazing only empty space as sparks exploded where the energy met air.
At the same time, Karl's hand shot upward.
He caught Borchi's wrist.
The sheer physical force of the grip stunned the dragon.
Before Borchi could react, Karl's other fist drove upward in a brutal uppercut.
Boom!
The impact snapped Borchi's head skyward violently.
Blood scattered.
The massive dragon body wavered in the air.
But Karl did not release him.
Instead, he tightened his grip, Bio-Force Field reinforcing his hold, and with terrifying strength—
He hurled the Golden Dragon downward.
The enormous body plummeted like a falling meteor.
The ground shook violently as Borchi crashed into the valley floor.
Dust and debris erupted outward in a massive shockwave.
The dwarves and mercenaries screamed again, stumbling further back as the earth trembled beneath their boots.
Geralt exhaled slowly, tension still etched into his face.
Yennefer's eyes shone brighter than ever.
Above the settling dust, Karl descended calmly from the sky.
Unhurried.
Unscathed.
Golden dragons could use spells.
But today—
So could he.
And in this clash of raw power and ancient magic—
The sky itself had become their battlefield.
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