Chapter 5: Dragon Breath Magic
“Oh, then why are ice dragons so afraid of those archers’ arrows?” Komer was puzzled; his knowledge in this area was far inferior to Lebrí’s.
“Hmm, I suspect those archers may have soaked their arrows in ambergris that can render dragons unconscious. Can you smell it? There seems to be a faint fragrance in the air—that’s the scent of ambergris. Besides, the Great Swamp is likely the habitat of the turtle dragons. It’s not too difficult for the Jellyfish People to obtain the ambergris-producing plants using the turtle dragons’ saliva. This ambergris is deadly to dragons; just contact with their blood will cause them to fall unconscious for a while. No dragon can resist it. I think this is the main reason why ice dragons fear arrows.” The magician’s sense of smell was much sharper than ordinary people’s. Although Komer also detected this strange fragrance, he didn’t realize it was ambergris. However, Lebrí seemed quite knowledgeable about this. Komer even wondered if Lebrí had tried to use it against dragons before.
“Oh, so dragons do have many weaknesses after all,” Komer sighed thoughtfully.
“Hehe, if Lord Komer thinks so, he’s greatly mistaken. This ice dragon is still young, so some of its parts are vulnerable to arrows. For truly adult dragons, such arrows are useless—their thick scales and hides can’t be pierced by ordinary weapons, unless there’s a special sharp weapon. Moreover, once a dragon is exposed to ambergris, it becomes even more aggressive in the short term. Whether the enemy can withstand it is something they must consider carefully. Otherwise, the dragon can simply slaughter them and hide in a secret safe place to sleep through the unconsciousness period, while the enemy suffers a heavy loss.” Lebrí spoke with deep insight, seemingly well-versed in dragon-slaying techniques. “If dragons were so easy to subdue, then where else in this world would there be intelligent creatures as wise as us humans? If not for their extremely low reproductive rate, both humans and magical beasts would likely be ruled by them.”
Komer glanced at the magician, who seemed lost in some memories. It seemed the magician had some profound experience in this area, but it was his privacy, and Komer wouldn’t casually ask about things he might not want to mention.
“Mr. Lebrí, there are also super experts among the Jellyfish People. Those two sword auras aren’t something ordinary people can achieve. The ice dragon still suffered a heavy loss. Maybe they have even more powerful tactics up their sleeve.” Komer smiled slightly.
“Hmph, a backup plan? If there really was one, then all these Jellyfish Warriors wouldn’t be floating dead on the lake surface. Though these Jellyfish Warriors seem extremely fragile in the face of an Ice Dragon, in actual battles, they’re likely all skilled archers. Why hide things at a time like this? Any killing tactics should have been used long ago; otherwise, they’re really just waiting to die,” Rebrí said disdainfully. “However, Lord, this seems like an opportunity for you. If we take action, there might still be some variables. Otherwise, hehe, the outcome is already determined.”
By the time Rebrí spoke these words, the situation had become even more critical. The soaring Ice Dragon was no longer satisfied with this back-and-forth fighting; its innate breath magic had also been activated. Dragons are natural reservoirs of magic, and their powerful strength can easily be transformed into a special kind of dragon magic. Depending on their attributes, this dragon magic can unleash powerful spells related to their inherent traits. The Ice Dragon is the king of ice magic. Although it wasn’t yet fully grown and found it somewhat difficult to use this dragon magic, its anger made it indifferent to many things. A faint ice mist surrounded its entire body, gradually forming a solid, light-blue ice shell. This made it even harder for the Jellyfish Warriors on the water to shoot arrows—arrows hitting the ice shell couldn’t penetrate it. Occasionally, one or two particularly powerful arrows might manage to break through, but it didn’t matter much. As long as the dragon’s thick skin avoided its vulnerable areas, those arrows were like mere tickles.
With each attack launched by the Ice Dragon using “Frost Storm,” a collective spell that required multiple magicians to cast together, the Jellyfish Warriors in the reeds were either frozen to death or forced to dive underwater to avoid it. Its massive wings flapped violently, intensifying the power of “Frost Storm.” The entire reed marsh turned white, and the once warm swamp area seemed to instantly become a northern frontier.
The two streams of sword energy could no longer withstand the Ice Dragon’s onslaught. Its thick tail would occasionally swing viciously, turning areas of water several meters around into massive explosion zones. Its round, glowing eyes watched intently for the whereabouts of the two sword users. Yet, the reeds were so dense and extensive that, despite its sharp vision, the Ice Dragon found it difficult to spot its target among the swaying reeds.
A fierce clash that consumed its breath finally gave the ice dragon the chance to locate its enemy. The ice dragon’s wisdom was no less than that of ordinary humans; it understood the value of sacrificing something to gain more—just as it had sacrificed its breath to discover where its opponent was hiding. Its body soared into the air before diving swiftly downward, clearly having spotted the one controlling the sword energy. This fierce attack reflected the ice dragon’s anger and its determination to stop at nothing until its goal was achieved.
Komer and Rebril almost simultaneously realized the impending crisis. The master of the blue sword energy had already been discovered, and now the master of the white sword energy could no longer hide. The powerful sword energy carried a frosty wind, rushing headlong toward the ice dragon like a frozen river.
The simultaneous appearance of the two sword energy masters aligned perfectly with the ice dragon’s plans—eliminating both main enemies at once would be much easier than searching for them one by one. It no longer believed the others had any tricks up their sleeves. With its own strength, no matter what tactics they used, it would be ineffective.
The two streams of sword energy finally merged, blue and white intertwining, and along with the column of light and shadow, they grew significantly larger. They bravely met the roaring dragon’s body. The dragon’s two anchor-sized feet slammed into the blue and white sword energy column, producing a deafening explosion. The now-unified sword energy was torn apart once again—the blue energy became extremely dim, while the white energy turned grayish-white, losing its once bright glow, clearly suffering severe damage.
The ice dragon also suffered greatly from this devastating strike. Its massive body was sent flying several meters into the air by the powerful force of the sword energy. Although its strong protective magic could counteract the fierce energy piercing through its body, this combined attack from two powerful foes exceeded its expectations. The impact almost instantly tore open the wounds that its dragon blood magic had just managed to seal, causing the wounds beneath its ribs to burst open again, spewing torrents of blood. The pain made it cry and grit its teeth. Its giant tail suddenly stood upright and swung downward with great force, creating a wave wall over ten meters high when it hit the water. The two slender figures swayed in the waves, trying to avoid the force that struck like a storm.
“My lord, if we don’t act now, it might indeed be too late. If this ice dragon unleashes its ultimate spell, even the Jellyfish People in this reed marsh will likely not survive, let alone those two experts. Have you thought this through?” Rebrí smiled as he gripped his magic staff tightly; a dark magical glow had already circulated several times up and down the staff, clearly having pushed its magic to its limit. The moment Komer gave the order, he could cast the spell immediately.
Sorrenberg also looked full of anticipation. Although the dragon’s roar had inflicted damage on him, he had managed to counter most of its power with his combat energy. Such minor injuries meant nothing to a battle-hardened knight like him. Participating in such a glorious battle against a dragon was undoubtedly the most honorable experience he had ever had. Bending his body like a cheetah, with his raised knight’s spear slightly tilted upward, a flickering glow emanated from its blade for over a foot, pulsing erratically. The entire spear seemed to be humming, showing that this dark knight had brought all his strength to its peak.
“There’s no rush, Mr. Rebrí. Though I don’t know exactly how powerful this ice dragon is, my intuition tells me the Jellyfish People still have some tactics left unused. Now isn’t the best time for us to intervene. Their strength has exceeded our expectations—they actually have two top-tier warriors hidden among them. This isn’t good news for us in the Caucasus. If we can inflict more damage on those two warriors, I’d be very happy to see that, of course without affecting the ultimate outcome,” Komer said after carefully observing the situation.
“Oh? My lord thinks the Jellyfish People still have the ability to fight back?” Rebrí asked in surprise. He hadn’t expected Komer to reach such a conclusion. In his eyes, the Jellyfish People were already exhausted, and the ice dragon could end the battle at any moment. He couldn’t see any other tricks they might have.
“Hehe, as you said just now, if the Jellyfish People can obtain dragon’s blood from the mouth of a dragon, they must have a very thorough understanding of dragons’ habits and powers. They’ve come prepared this time. I don’t think their preparations would be so careless. Let’s get ready and see if the Jellyfish People have any tricks up their sleeve. If there’s danger, we can always act then,” Komer said, turning his gaze back to the battlefield.