“Our only chance to win is for me to strike its head, but I can't free my hands right now. Unless someone can restrain it for a moment or distract it!” Midir shouted against the howling wind.
Aila carefully observed the movements of the dragon beneath them, a look of resolve flashing in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and spoke.
“I'll find a way to get you an opening to attack. It probably hasn't realized I'm awake yet. If we're lucky, I should be able to do it.”
Midir was momentarily stunned and immediately rejected her idea. “Are you insane? We're still thousands of meters in the air, and we're trying to attack a pureblood dragon at the peak Saint Rank! If you fail, you'll die!”
But Aila simply smiled and shook her head firmly, resolutely countering him.
“Who do you think I am? I am the daughter of Po Kong-Mars, the strongest Sword Saint of humanity! It's just a peak Saint Rank; I've seen more of those than anything else!”
“Po Kong...” Midir looked at the girl before him. Her pale blue eyes were shining with a resolute light, a gaze that seemed to overlap with a figure from his distant memories, causing him to daze for a moment.
By now, the dragon had grown increasingly restless since it couldn't shake off the two people on its back. It suddenly charged straight toward the massive barrier enveloping the Valley of Ice, intending to scrape them off by slamming its back against it.
Seeing the dragon's movement, the two immediately understood its intention. No longer hesitating, Midir could only nod to Aila and say.
“If you don't succeed, I will definitely catch you. I won't let anything happen to you!”
“Don't worry, I definitely won't fail!” With that, Aila confidently pulled her usual small hand crossbow from the Armament Forger. She gave Midir a slight nod, her eyes flickering with an unquestionable determination, showing she was fully prepared.
Midir quickly condensed a blazing fireball, precisely controlling it to fly straight toward the dragon's right eye.
The dragon, currently flying toward the Valley of Ice, clearly hadn't expected Midir to launch such a trivial attack at this moment. It subconsciously tilted its head to glance at the incoming fireball, a trace of disdain appearing at the corners of its mouth, as if mocking the idea that such a thing could even break through its scales.
However, the fireball did not strike it directly as expected. Instead, it exploded violently less than a meter away, erupting with brilliant light and searing flames. The sea of fire instantly obscured the dragon's vision on its right side, creating a blind spot.
“That human actually missed? Of course, he must be out of strength! He can't even control a basic spell like this anymore,” the dragon thought, feeling somewhat smug.
In that instant while its vision was obscured by the fireball, Aila leaped out from Midir's embrace and stood steadily on his extended left arm.
Immediately following, she bent her legs and gathered all her strength. Utilizing the speed of Midir's left arm as he swung it with all his might, she launched herself like an arrow from a bow.
This movement was completed entirely through the coordination of their bodies without any magic assistance. Furthermore, since she was in the dragon's blind spot, it had no reaction to it whatsoever.
By the time the dragon readjusted its posture and continued its flight path, a lithe figure had already quietly descended to the left side of its head, only inches away from those massive dragon eyes.
“No matter how strong your body is, your eyeballs won't be able to take this, right? Don't expect me to miss from this close!” Aila stared at the golden eyeball that was nearly as large as herself, a satisfied smile curling her lips as she spoke softly.
The dragon's narrow pupils constricted suddenly as it attempted to close its eyes in an emergency, but it was already too late. A dazzling golden light erupted from the front of Aila's hand crossbow, striking its eyeball directly.
This was no simple bolt; it contained a terrifying strike of War God Battle Qi. The arrowhead pierced the dragon's cornea with precision and instantly exploded inside the eyeball.
With a crisp bursting sound, a spray of scalding, crimson dragon blood erupted like an out-of-control water gun, drenching Aila from head to toe.
This sudden turn of events caused the dragon to let out an ear-splitting scream. That roar, mixed with endless dragon pressure, shook everything around like thunder, leaving even Midir and Aila dizzy for a moment.
But it was this fleeting opening that became the opportunity Midir had been waiting for. He knew that this moment was the key to deciding the battle!
Before the dragon could recover its senses from the blinding pain, Midir had already vanished from its massive back like a ghost and caught the blood-soaked Aila.
The Power of Creation gathered in his other hand had transformed into a razor-sharp, rose-colored spear, which he thrust into the dragon's head with irresistible force.
The rose-colored Spear of Creation sank straight into its head. The dragon's hard scales and skull offered no defense at all, as if they were merely decorations.
If anyone could have seen clearly, they would have noticed unusual fluctuations surging within the dragon's remaining healthy right eye. A wisp of dark mist was slowly dissipating, as if being purified by some mysterious power.
Midir had thought the dragon would return to normal immediately after being hit, but the process was clearly slower than he had imagined. Furthermore, that Spear of Creation had used up the last of his mana, leaving him unable to take Aila and leave immediately.
The dragon now seemed plunged into unprecedented chaos, its massive wings flapping wildly as it continued to charge blindly forward. The massive barrier covering the Valley of Ice was right before them, and a devastating collision seemed unavoidable.
Faced with this imminent crisis, Midir and Aila could only quickly adjust. They leaped down and landed steadily on the dragon's broad chest, gripping the scales on the inner side of its front limbs with both hands to use as an anchor, preparing for the impending violent impact.
BOOM—!
Accompanied by an ear-splitting roar, the dragon's body—out of control due to the intense pain—slammed into the ancient and mysterious translucent barrier like a rogue meteorite.
This barrier, passed down from the Age of Gods, certainly lived up to its reputation. The moment the dragon's hard scales, which could withstand swords and spears, made contact, they were instantly worn down, leaving behind countless tiny and shocking wounds, as if time and space were being ruthlessly torn apart at that moment.
According to Midir's original expectation, he thought the barrier would act like a mountain wall, causing the dragon and them to bounce back directly.
However, the reality far exceeded his expectations. The barrier did not show the rigid repulsion he had imagined; instead, at the moment of contact, it transformed into a soft bubble, allowing the dragon's massive body to pass through.
With a soft 'pop' sound, they pierced through the barrier without any obstruction, like a nail through paper, and began falling toward the depths of the Valley of Ice.
Rate on N.U.
