The Earth dragon galloped across the plains, and Subaru awkwardly clutched the reins. Although she had learned some riding skills from Carlisle during her leisure time at the Mansion, her movements at this moment were still as clumsy as a child riding a horse for the first time. Fortunately, Otto's Earth dragon was well-trained, maintaining reassuring stability even with an unskilled rider.
A series of roars came from behind. Subaru looked back, and the Flame Sword, like a red meteor, darted back and forth across the White Whale's massive body. Each strike left a scorched mark on its grayish-white skin. The White Whale rolled angrily, and hundreds of vents simultaneously spewed out thick mist.
Those dense, tiny holes made Subaru's stomach churn. Each orifice rhythmically contracted and expanded, like countless greedy little mouths. If someone with trypophobia saw this scene, they would likely faint on the spot.
She forced herself to calmly analyze the situation: even with the Flame Sword, the White Whale had unhesitatingly chosen to pursue her after they split up.
Let's review the clues. Last time, the White Whale didn't appear in the forest, but this time, it was clearly attracted by her.
What on her body was attracting the White Whale?
As she pondered, the surroundings suddenly fell into an eerie silence. The White Whale's roar and the whoosh of the blade all disappeared. The mist was so thick it couldn't dissipate, and even the Earth dragon's outline began to blur. Subaru could only see her own hands and the beads of water seeping from the Earth dragon's neck.
"Carlisle... which way?" She pricked up her ears, trying to catch the sound of a magic explosion.
A bone-chilling cold suddenly shot up her spine. The Earth dragon also seemed to sense the danger, and its speed abruptly increased. The Flame Sword suddenly burst forth with dazzling light; the holy fire dispelled the ordinary mist, but a strange gray mist stubbornly clung on like a living thing.
"Oh no!" Subaru yanked hard on the reins, and the Earth dragon made a sharp turn. The gray mist grazed past them. However, the Flame Sword vibrated violently the moment it touched the gray mist, and finally, with a "hiss," it extinguished, shrinking back into Subaru's heart as a streak of light.
"What?!" Subaru's eyes widened. She incredulously patted her chest, "What's going on? Come out! Come out now! Carlisle needs you!"
But the Flame Sword was unresponsive.
What exactly was that mist?
The White Whale's mist was supposed to only obscure vision, but what was that gray mist just now?
"Woo"
A low whale cry came from within the mist. Subaru's Fingers trembled slightly.
She seemed to have messed things up.
—
Carlisle knelt on one knee, his sword deeply embedded in the earth, barely supporting his tottering body.
Before him, the carcasses of two White Whales lay like mountains, their blood soaking the ground, dyeing the entire grassland dark red.
But the battle was not over yet.
He gritted his teeth, suppressing his exhaustion. Black spots appeared at the edge of his vision, a constant ringing in his ears, and his body warned of severe magic depletion.
"The mist... hasn't dispersed yet?"
The thick mist, which should have dissipated with the White Whale's disappearance, now surged incessantly like a living thing, even thicker than before.
Are they indeed clones?
This meant that the two White Whales he had just slain were merely "parts" of the main body.
"Cough...!"
He suppressed the sensation of blood rising in his throat.
Subaru was still in the mist.
This thought burned his nerves like a raging fire. Carlisle pulled out his sword and staggered into the depths of the thick mist.
—
The Earth dragon galloped frantically, its legs almost a blur, with the White Whale's massive body in close pursuit. Without the drag of the dragon carriage, Subaru barely maintained her distance, but that eerie gray mist constantly shadowed her.
"What on me is attracting you?!" she cursed through gritted teeth, her voice breaking in the howling wind.
Just then
"Found you!"
A furious roar tore through the thick mist, and Carlisle's figure descended like a meteor. He gripped his sword with both hands, using the force of his fall to plunge the blade fiercely into the White Whale's skull!
"Roar!!!"
The White Whale let out a deafening wail, its enormous body pinned to the ground by the sword. The earth cracked under the impact, and dust flew everywhere.
"Subaru, run!" Carlisle roared. His sword suddenly burst forth with dazzling white light; he intended to kill it with one strike!
However, Subaru did not run.
She yanked hard on the reins, and the Earth dragon whinnied as it turned, charging towards Carlisle!
"Quick! Go back to your master!" She desperately called out to the Flame Sword, but the flame in her heart gave a chilling response.
The Flame Sword seemed to be suppressing something.
Subaru's heart pounded violently. She could clearly feel the sword's will; it was desperately resisting something. Within the sword's body lay an existence that even holy fire found difficult to purify.
The White Whale's death throes triggered a bizarre change.
Mist erupted from its body like a tsunami, instantly engulfing the surroundings. The Earth dragon instinctively bolted, but a strange cloud of mist, as if locked onto its prey, rushed straight towards Subaru!
"Oh no!"
Carlisle's pupils suddenly constricted. It was that mist!
In the battle just now, it had devoured his magic, neutralizing attacks into nothingness. And now, it was surging towards Subaru, like the gaping maw of an abyss.
What would happen if a person touched it? He didn't know, and he didn't dare to gamble.
But one thing was certain: absolutely, she could not touch it!
There was no time.
His full-power strike just now had almost completely depleted his magic, but at this moment, he unhesitatingly squeezed out the last of his energy. His muscles tore under the overload, blood boiled in his veins, and he poured all his remaining magic into his legs!
Bang!
The air exploded. His figure instantly broke the sound barrier, and just before the gray mist swallowed Subaru, he yanked her from the Earth dragon's back!
"Yin Sealing Technique!"
A translucent barrier unfolded at the last possible second, but the mist was already upon them.
Carlisle didn't hesitate for a moment, using his arms to forcefully throw Subaru towards the safe zone
The next second, the mist swallowed him.
...
Read advance chapters on p@treon
[email protected]/guilt_free_daoist
Join disc0rd link in synopsis.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.