Chapter 126: Clash of Flame and Steel
The dragon’s roar shook the cavern walls again, **louder than before**, carrying its unbridled rage across the entire chamber. Lava veins on the ground pulsed brighter as though the beast’s fury spread into the very earth. Arios steadied himself, his wooden sword raised, though the weapon already showed signs of stress from earlier strikes, his last true defense against this overwhelming power.
The dragon lunged. Its claws ripped through the floor, stone and fire erupting upward. Arios jumped aside, rolling across the ground before springing back to his feet. He could feel the **sharp wind pressure** of the claws grazing his side. Even dodging by a fraction could have meant death.
The beast snapped its massive jaws toward him. Arios rushed forward instead of backward, slipping beneath the dragon’s throat. He slashed upward with his sword, aiming at the **joint in its neck**. The strike connected, leaving another faint mark across the scales. The dragon roared in pain, twisting violently, and Arios was thrown back by the sheer force of the movement.
He hit the ground, rolled, and got up in a single motion, breathing hard but keeping calm, his focus razor-sharp.
*\[Minor Progress Registered. Enemy Health Reduced.]*
The notification gave him only slight reassurance; the dragon’s health bar felt infinite.
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## Escalation and Damage
The dragon beat its wings once, sending a **hurricane-like gust** across the cavern. Arios was forced to brace himself, sliding backward despite digging his feet into the stone. The gust carried molten debris, small flaming rocks pelting against his arms and legs, burning through his already damaged uniform.
"Tch." Arios shielded his face with one arm, scanning the beast again with **Nether Eyes**. The mana flow around the **left wing joint** still pulsed weaker than the rest. But there were other unstable flows—beneath its **right hind leg** and just under its **jawline**.
"Three weak spots," Arios muttered, confirming his target strategy. "I only need to push harder, focusing on the flaws in its illusionary structure."
The dragon inhaled, chest swelling again, fire building in its throat. Arios sprinted forward, not giving the beast time to release it. He jumped onto a jagged rock that jutted from the ground and launched himself upward, landing against the dragon’s side.
The flames burst from its mouth, but Arios was **too close** to be hit directly. He drove his sword downward at the wing joint again, striking with all his strength. This time, the crack in the scales widened, **fragments of black shell flying off**. The dragon roared in pain, twisting to throw him off. Arios held onto the ridges of its scales for a moment, then kicked off, landing back on the ground with his sword ready.
The beast staggered slightly, one wing trembling. It glared at him, molten eyes blazing with fury.
The tail whipped around, faster than Arios expected. He tried to duck, but the edge clipped him, sending him sprawling across the floor. **Pain shot through his side** as he slammed into a boulder, coughing. His vision blurred for a moment before he forced himself up, clutching his ribs.
"Damn... too close. It’s adapting its speed."
The dragon charged again, massive claws slamming into the ground. Arios leapt sideways, running toward the hind leg weak spot he had identified. The beast turned to follow, but Arios slid under its belly, stabbing upward with his wooden sword. The strike landed against the joint of the leg, leaving another shallow crack.
The dragon roared, lifting its foot instinctively. Arios rolled out before it could stomp him flat.
He came back to his feet, sweat dripping into his eyes. His grip on the sword tightened, knuckles pale.
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## Breaking Point
The dragon spread its wings fully, despite the damage to the left one. The chamber filled with a storm of wind and heat as the beast flapped once, lifting slightly off the ground. Stones ripped free of the cavern floor, hurled across the space like cannon fire. Arios ducked, rolled, and sprinted through the storm, avoiding the raining debris.
"Flying now? That’s just great. More dynamic attacks."
The dragon hovered briefly before slamming back down, the ground splitting wide beneath its weight. The shockwave knocked Arios off his feet, sending him sliding across the stone. He pushed himself up quickly, eyes narrowing. The beast was getting more aggressive, more desperate.
It swung its claw downward again, and Arios met it with his sword. The impact **nearly shattered the weapon**, but he redirected the strike just enough to slide past the claw and sprint forward again. He aimed for the **neck joint** this time, leaping onto a ledge to gain height.
He swung with all his strength. The wooden blade struck the thinner scale beneath the jawline. For the first time, **blood sprayed out**—dark red and steaming against the cavern floor.
The dragon let out a **deafening scream of rage**, twisting violently, wings thrashing. The cavern shook, rocks falling from the ceiling as the beast’s fury tore the place apart.
Arios landed hard, panting, his arms shaking from the force of the strike. He looked at the sword—it was cracked near the tip, its durability nearly gone.
*\[Warning: Weapon durability critical.]*
The dragon’s chest swelled again, brighter and hotter than before. Flames gathered in its throat, far larger than any previous attack. Arios’s eyes widened.
"This one... is serious. It’s putting everything into the mana flow."
The blast erupted, a torrent of fire **flooding the chamber**. Arios sprinted desperately, diving behind the largest boulder he could see. The flames struck, engulfing everything in fire. The rock shielded him partially, but heat still scorched his skin. The stone itself began to crack under the intensity, glowing red from the heat.
He gritted his teeth, waiting until the flames stopped. When the torrent ended, the cavern floor was molten in places, lava bubbling from new cracks. Arios forced himself out, coughing, his clothes singed and body covered in burns.
The dragon glared at him, blood still dripping from its jawline wound, but its fury had only grown.
Arios’s breathing slowed. He straightened, tightening his grip on the damaged sword. His eyes locked onto the beast with renewed focus.
"I can’t give up here. If I fall, I’ll never break free of this illusion. I’ll never see them again." The memory of his goal burned brighter than the cavern fire.
---
## Final Stand
The dragon lunged, jaws wide open, intending to swallow him whole. Arios dashed forward instead of away, sliding under its throat and driving his sword upward at the wound he had created earlier. The blade **pierced deeper this time**, blood spraying across him.
The dragon screeched, pulling its head back violently. The motion threw Arios off balance, sending him flying across the ground. He slammed down hard, coughing blood, but pushed himself up again. His sword was nearly shattered, cracks running along the blade’s length.
The beast thrashed, wings smashing against the cavern walls, tail sweeping through the ground and destroying anything in its path. Arios dodged desperately, sprinting between strikes, using every bit of speed he had left.
Another claw came down. Arios sidestepped, the claw smashing into the stone beside him, debris flying. He rushed toward the leg joint again, swinging with all his remaining strength. The blade connected, shattering the scales and digging into flesh. Blood poured out, the dragon stumbling slightly.
But the sword **broke**. The wooden blade **snapped in half** from the impact, leaving Arios holding only the hilt and a few jagged fragments of the weapon.
He stood there, chest heaving, sweat and blood dripping from his body. The dragon loomed above him, severely wounded but far from defeated. Its molten eyes glared down, fury radiating from every movement.
Arios tossed the broken weapon aside. His hands curled into **fists**.
"Fine. Then I’ll fight with my own strength. You’ll find I don’t need an illusion to win."
The dragon roared, shaking the chamber, spreading its wings wide again. The battle was reaching its breaking point.
The dragon charged, no longer interested in complex attacks, only annihilation. Its massive head snapped downward, its jaws wide, a final, lethal bite aimed at the man who had dared to draw its blood. Arios didn’t back away. He planted his feet, gathered the remaining strength in his core, and launched himself upward toward the dragon’s chin. His right fist slammed into the deep, exposed wound beneath the jawline.
He drove his elbow forward, then his full weight, channeling every ounce of his discipline into the single, focused impact. The dragon shrieked, a sound of agony mixed with pure illusionary mana, and the force of the blow ripped its head back. As Arios fell, he used his left hand to rake his knuckles across the raw, exposed joint of the hind leg, tearing at the illusion’s structure.
The dragon let out a final, tearing shriek before its massive, wounded form dissolved entirely into a cloud of steaming, dark red mist, leaving behind only the cracked, lava-scarred cavern floor.
Arios lowered his stance, eyes fixed on the beast, ready for the next clash. The second half of the battle had begun.