“If you do not stop, I will show no mercy!”
A fierce low growl rumbled from the giant lizard's throat. Pushing off violently with its hind legs, its massive body burst forward with a speed that defied its immense size, lunging straight at Lola.
Lola hastily dodged to the side. The giant lizard's charge brushed past the base of her left wing, the whipping wind pressure sweeping loose stones and grass clippings high into the air.
Using the momentum of her dodge, Lola swung her long tail, covered in crimson scales, in a sweeping strike that slammed heavily against the lizard's ribs.
A dull impact resounded, like a heavy hammer smashing against solid rock. The giant lizard's body shuddered slightly, leaving a faint white mark where it had been hit, with the edges of a few rocky scales warping slightly, but that was all.
Its speed didn't decrease in the slightest as it continued its steady advance.
The giant lizard swung its thick foreclaw horizontally, bits of crushed tree roots from earlier still embedded in its palm. This heavy blow slammed squarely into Lola's shoulder blade, its colossal force penetrating her scales and striking her bones directly.
Sent sliding sideways several steps by the immense force, Lola's sharp claws plowed four deep furrows into the ground before she managed to steady herself.
A sharp, dull ache radiated from her shoulder blade, and her entire left forelimb went numb instantly, losing most of its sensation.
Before she could catch her breath, the giant lizard's long tail—thicker than an adult tree trunk—came whistling through the air.
Its tail was thicker and carried even more weight, smashing violently against Lola's hind leg. Sparks showered from the colliding scales. The fierce impact sent Lola staggering backward, the withered grass beneath her feet completely pulverized.
Agonizing pain surged through her body, but Lola clenched her teeth, forcing down the cry of pain that welled up in her throat.
The teachings of the Ancient Dragons were deeply etched in her mind: a true dragon, no matter what danger they faced, would never show even a shred of weakness before an enemy. Shaking her dizzy head, she took a deep breath to force herself to calm down.
“Your brute strength is passable.”
Her voice was still feigned to be steady, but she couldn't hide the slight breathlessness at the end. Her breathing was already ragged, and she was merely forcing herself to maintain her proud posture.
“But if you think you can stand against me with just this much strength, you are far too conceited.”
The giant lizard didn't give her any chance to speak further. It opened its mouth and spat a glob of dark green corrosive venom straight at her face.
Lola immediately raised her left wing to shield her body. The corrosive venom splashed onto her wing membrane with a sizzling sound, and a pungent, sulfurous stench washed over her. She clenched her teeth tightly, suppressing all her groans and pain.
Drawing back her left wing, she gathered dense magic energy in her right claw and slammed it with all her might against the side of the giant lizard's face.
Her sharp dragon claws scraped across the hard rock armor, kicking up a shower of sparks and tearing off a palm-sized scale. The giant lizard roared in pain, its thick neck slamming violently into Lola's chest, sending her flying.
Lola crashed heavily onto the grassy wasteland. Before she could stand, the giant lizard's long tail swept toward her once more. She could only quickly fold her wings to shield her torso, enduring the heavy blow head-on.
The immense force sent her rolling sideways, crashing hard into a withered tree as thick as a bowl at the edge of the wasteland. The snapped trunk collapsed with a loud crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Lying beside the broken tree, her chest churned painfully as a hot, metallic sweetness rushed up her throat. Clenching her mouth shut, she forced the mouthful of blood back down.
Lola pushed off the ground with her foreclaws, scrambling to her feet. Standing up too hastily, she nearly tripped over her own tail and had to quickly support herself with her wings to steady her body.
Her head was covered in bits of grass and dead leaves, and her wing membranes had several small holes corroded by the venom, still emitting faint wisps of smoke. However, she had no time to worry about these injuries.
“That was just a warm-up,” she squeezed the words out through gritted teeth, shaking the weeds off her head. Her voice was already shaky. “Now, I will use my true strength.”
Before her words could fade, the giant lizard spat another glob of corrosive venom. Lola barely dodged by twisting her body. The venom brushed past her and flew straight over the edge of the wasteland, heading toward the village behind her.
Lola's pupils shrank. She watched as the glob of dark green venom struck the eaves of a stone house. The wooden beams instantly began to smoke as they corroded, tiles slid off, and half of the roof collapsed with a loud crash, sending broken tiles and wooden debris raining into the courtyard.
“Oh no!” Carson, standing behind the wooden fence, cried out in panic. “Quick! Get everyone out of the house! Hurry!”
The villagers instantly fell into chaos, rushing toward the damaged stone house in a panic. A young woman screamed as she scooped up her child from the courtyard, stumbling as she ran backward, nearly tripping over.
Looking at the collapsed roof and the fleeing villagers, she snapped her wings open and charged straight at the giant lizard.
The giant lizard's sharp claw slashed toward her. Lola endured the heavy blow head-on, her bones letting out an ominous creak under the immense pressure. At the same time, using the momentum of the impact, she bit down hard on the giant lizard's forelimb joint.
Her sharp dragon fangs pierced through the gaps in the rock armor. Bitter, dark green fluid surged into her mouth, but she endured the foul taste and refused to let go.
The giant lizard roared in agony, its other foreclaw repeatedly battering Lola's ribs. Each strike made her dizzy and blurred her vision, yet she held on, refusing to break her hold.
With a violent shake of its body, the giant lizard finally flung Lola off. Lola rolled twice on the ground, knocking over a clump of withered shrubs. Though covered in dry twigs and leaves, she didn't back down at all, springing back up to pounce again.
Lola took a deep breath. A dark red glow lit up in the gaps between the scales on her ribs, and boiling energy surged beneath her armor. She opened her massive jaws, and a blazing stream of Dragon Breath blasted straight at the giant lizard's face.
The crimson fire struck its target with precision, exploding over the giant lizard's head. The withered grass within dozens of meters was instantly scorched and carbonized by the intense heat.
Wrapped in flames, the giant lizard let out a raspy cry of pain, its footsteps faltering briefly. But once the fire dissipated, its head was merely blackened, and its rock armor glowed a faint red.
It shook its head to fling the sparks from its snout, yet it continued to close in on Lola.
It was useless! Lola's heart sank. This giant lizard's rock armor was far too tough; a normal Dragon Breath couldn't breach its defense at all, and hitting it was like throwing water on a stone.
Refusing to give up, she spat another blast of Dragon Breath, locking onto the weak spot where the scale had been torn off earlier. The continuous flames scorched the exposed tender flesh. The giant lizard finally let out a grunt of pain, its footsteps halting.
But that was all. The scorched and curled flesh didn't deal a fatal blow. It immediately twisted its head, using its hard rock armor to block the subsequent attacks as it continued to press forward.
She couldn't gain an advantage in close combat, and her Dragon Breath couldn't break through its defenses. If this battle of attrition continued, she would definitely be the first to run out of strength and fall.
Lola steeled her resolve, forcing the giant lizard back with a claw swipe, and took the opportunity to leap backward, opening up some distance.
From deep within her throat, a series of low, obscure syllables rumbled.
This was not the common tongue of humans, nor was it a tone that any mortal could pronounce. It was the ancient Dragon Language.
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