“It’s only been such a short time since we parted. What could possibly have injured an adult Blue Dragon this badly?”
Starlight wondered as he reached out, his fingertips lightly brushing the chain closest to him.
A cold sensation sent a sharp sting through his fingers. The death power within the chain actually acted like a living thing, attempting to crawl up his arm from the point of contact.
Thanks to his experience removing the chains from Yserazor in the Crimson City-State, Starlight was already quite familiar with this binding magic formula.
Although the basic elements inside these chains had been replaced with more corrosive death power, the core rune structure and underlying logic remained identical.
If this had been earlier, Starlight would have had to rely on the clumsy method of brute force to break them.
But things were different now. He had successfully merged the power of the Shadow of Annihilation. Using Ultimate Power to crack secondary elements was highly efficient, especially since he was using dark elements, which were renowned for their corrosive power.
“Snap!”
Within seconds, the first chain turned into fly ash under a flash of black light. At this rate, the remaining chains wouldn't last much longer.
The only thing Starlight needed to consider was how to control the Shadow of Annihilation so it wouldn't cause secondary injuries to the Blue Dragon.
“Lian, the moment I cut the chains, can you stop the bleeding immediately?” Starlight stared at the chain driven deep into the Blue Dragon's chest, his voice grave.
“I can try... but my spells aren't nearly as proficient as Sister Moen's,” Lian said with some uncertainty.
She did have an affinity for natural elements and could use some simple magic, but in terms of both strength and efficiency, she was far behind Moen.
“Alright, just do your best. If we don't save him now, he’s going to be tortured to death by these damn chains anyway,” Starlight nodded helplessly. There really was no other way.
Without further hesitation, he immediately channeled the power of the Shadow of Annihilation into the last and thickest chain.
Unlike the others, this main chain was filled with fine red threads that pulsed like blood vessels; it had clearly become deeply entangled with the Blue Dragon's life force.
Even though this chain was stronger than the others, it could not withstand the destruction of Ultimate Power.
As the internal structure of the chain gradually collapsed, a look of agony appeared on the Blue Dragon's face. Even for a member of the Dragon Race equivalent to a Saint Rank expert, the collision of these two powers was agonizing.
“Lian, get ready! Three, two, one!”
At Starlight's countdown, the chain shattered. In that same instant, Lian used her power to seal the wound on the Blue Dragon's chest.
However, Lian's healing magic progressed extremely slowly. Although Starlight could see the flesh deep within the wound slowly knitting together, it still failed to stop the flow of blood.
The death power remaining in the wound continued to negate Lian's spell. Ordinary energy was rapidly corroded away the moment it touched it.
Seeing the Blue Dragon's aura growing weaker and weaker, Lian broke into a cold sweat of anxiety. “It’s not working... my power isn't enough! We’re going to be too late!”
At this critical moment, Little Gold suddenly shouted from the side, “Let go! Let me handle the rest!”
He took a deep breath, and the light on his body intensified. A brilliant burst of golden flames erupted from his mouth, landing precisely on the Blue Dragon's gruesome wound.
“ROAR—!”
The moment the golden flames touched him, the Blue Dragon let out a heart-wrenching wail. His massive body convulsed violently, as if he were enduring unimaginable pain.
Ice-blue scales crackled in the golden flames, and the flesh at the wound charred and carbonized at a visible rate.
While this method was extreme, it was effective. As the last trace of the grey threads was incinerated, the fatal bleeding finally stopped.
After being completely freed from the restraints, the Blue Dragon's massive body crashed heavily to the ground, making the nearby stone mountain tremble.
Starlight stepped forward quickly, using a mana scan to check the dragon's body.
Even so, he wasn't entirely relieved and had Noah check again with his soul power.
Only when he received a definitive answer from Noah did the weight on Starlight's heart finally lift.
“Did he faint?” Lian asked as she cautiously approached, looking at the Blue Dragon's tightly closed eyes.
“Yeah.” Starlight rubbed his temples, his tone helpless. “And he picked a terrible time to pass out. We don't have time to linger here, but we can't exactly leave a dragon behind either...”
While Starlight was hesitating, Little Gold squeezed forward again and took out the Dragon Ancestor's Legacy Scale from his chest.
With a sudden leap, he landed on the Blue Dragon's head and pressed the golden scale against the center of its brow.
As an ancient power began to flow slowly, a stunning scene unfolded.
The Blue Dragon's massive body began to shrink, the scales gradually receding into the skin, and the dragon wings folded and transformed into patterns of light. Finally, the dragon took on the appearance of a human woman in her early twenties.
“Huh? Little Gold, how did you do that?” Starlight asked in surprise as he looked at the transformed Blue Dragon.
He remembered reading in a book that ordinary dragons couldn't transform into human form; only Dragon Kings with pure bloodlines or certain ancient dragons could achieve this.
“This should be one of the uses of this thing.” Little Gold shook the Dragon Ancestor's Legacy Scale in his hand. “My connection with it has deepened a bit, and I’ve learned some information. It seems my ability to take human form was also because of it.”
“Um... Brother Starlight, Little Gold, can you stop chatting for a second?” Lian suddenly tugged on Starlight's sleeve and spoke in a low voice.
“I think you should probably... find some clothes for that dragon... dragon-human?” Lian’s face flushed slightly as she pointed toward the figure lying on the ground.
“Huh?” Confused, Starlight turned his head and followed Lian’s trembling finger—
“What clo... clothes?!”
His voice pitched up several octaves as he practically jumped back as if he'd been electrocuted. The Blue Dragon, now in human form, was lying unconscious on the ground. Her ice-blue hair spilled out like a waterfall, and aside from that... she was completely naked!
What was even more overwhelming was that her physique was entirely different from everyone else Starlight knew. She was incredibly curvaceous, with proportions that could only be described as exaggerated.
For Starlight, who was used to the physiques of elves and humans, the shock was no less than if a bomb had gone off right in front of him.
“Turn around! Turn around right now!” Starlight covered Little Gold's eyes and forced the curious boy to face the other way. He hurriedly rummaged through his storage space, finally pulling out a spare cloak and thrusting it into Lian's hands.
“Lian... go help her put this on! Little Gold! No peeking!”
“Wait, I really don't understand what's so special about human forms. Why can't I look???”
“I said no! You’re way too young for this!”
...
While Starlight was explaining to Little Gold, the rustle of fabric came from behind them. It wasn't until Lian told him it was finished that Starlight dared to turn around.
The large cloak wrapped the woman tightly, leaving only her pale face exposed. Her breathing was still weak, and her aqua-blue eyelashes cast a faint shadow on her face.
Lian stood to the side, her cheeks bright red, unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes as she whispered to herself, “Is this what the Dragon Race is like... why is she so big!? This is totally unfair!”
Her gaze flickered toward the curves rising under the cloak from time to time, only to dart away again as if she'd been burned.
Starlight took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his racing emotions. He knelt down and carefully checked the woman's pulse. Fortunately, she was out of danger.
Seeing that the dragon woman showed no signs of waking up, he suggested, “We can't delay any longer. Since she's human-sized now, let's take her with us and get moving.”
As he spoke, he leaned down to lift the woman up, but Lian suddenly lunged forward and blocked him, her hands on her hips and her small face set in a firm expression.
Rate on N.U.
