Chapter 21: Intimidation

A faint blue glow appeared in her eyes as Shatima’s entire body trembled violently. A thin layer of pale blue mist surrounded her, forming a small ice shield. She suddenly crouched low before shooting upward like an arrow. Fierce flames enveloped her body, but beneath the ice shield, no matter how the fire dragon circled and burned, it could not penetrate her.

When Shatima leaped upward, Komer knew this unyielding dragon girl intended to engage in close combat using her formidable strength. The dragon race truly had incredible resilience—within just one or two months, Shatima’s internal injuries had recovered significantly. Though not fully healed, given her dragon physiology, Komer dared not confront her head-on.

As her figure shifted, her fair fists unleashed a fierce storm toward Komer. With instantaneous rapid movement, Komer’s body transformed into three figures—sitting, lying, or standing. Shatima kept throwing punches and kicking, generating gusts of wind and energy, but all missed, driving her to scream in fury.

“Illusion magic?! Deception?! Such trivial tricks, and you still dare to show off!” Enraged, Shatima was provoked by Komer’s deliberate taunting. Her dragon-like keen intuition allowed her to instantly pinpoint Komer’s true location. She suddenly leaped up, clasped her hands together, then separated them abruptly, unleashing a powerful breath magic. The surging dragon magic greedily absorbed the surrounding air elements, casting a cold, eerie atmosphere over the entire area. Even space itself began to warp strangely.

“Damn you!” Fuming, Komer didn’t expect this girl to unleash breath magic regardless of whether her own body could withstand its backlash. Ignoring the risk of being injured by the incoming magic, she continuously cast dark bindings. At the same time, a black crystal staff appeared in her hand, drawing a strange oval glow. The silver disc’s glow shone brightly like the sun, bursting into golden light in an instant. The fragments scattered like a galaxy, spreading across the sky.

“Light, stand still!”

The immense magical energy consumption left Komer dizzy, but if they didn’t stop this madman now, once the breath of fire spell was unleashed, not only would he himself be unable to escape at such close range, but even Shatima, with her still-unrecovered body forcing her to use dragon magic, would suffer severe damage and might never return to her former strength. This spell was said to originate from the Light Church’s top-secret time-stop technique, which could temporarily halt all actions of the target. Komer had to rely on the black crystal staff to cast this advanced Light spell he was not familiar with. If the opponent released the breath of fire spell, whether he could avoid it remained uncertain, but Shatima’s body would surely be severely injured. He had worked so hard to keep her alive precisely so that she could play a role in the upcoming exploration of Damorlensk Fortress—wouldn’t that be a complete failure?!

The air froze at that moment, as if entire space and time had come to a halt. Shatima was shocked to find that everything in her sight seemed motionless, even her own body had completely stopped. This was definitely not some trivial petrification magic. Her breath of fire spell was already ready to be unleashed—no petrification magic could stop it. Yet everything before her had become so bizarre; her entire body and everything around her seemed trapped in some isolated otherworldly space, with everything except her thoughts frozen.

But why could that guy still move? Seeing Komer, pale and with twisted muscles, approaching her, Shatima felt an inexplicable sense of guilt and fear. Another spell of magical restriction appeared above her head from the black crystal staff. She had always thought that guy’s ability to restrict her magic was a despicable act done while she was unconscious. She never expected him to be able to restrict her again in a direct confrontation, especially now that her body had recovered significantly. An instinctive fear of the stronger forced Shatima to look at Komer with both respect and dread—she didn’t know what he would do to her next.

What was he doing? Seeing Komer grit his teeth and stab golden needles that suddenly appeared in his hands into his own head and chest, Shatima’s thoughts almost stopped. Had this guy gone mad and been hurting himself? Or did he have a tendency toward self-harm? At this thought, her panic grew even more—would he abuse her in his anger?

Waves of darkness and dizziness surrounded Komer’s vision—signs of magical backlash. Acting swiftly, he pulled out a golden needle and stabbed it into his own body. The intense pain instantly sharpened his senses. He forced his magical energy to flow within, trying to stabilize the crumbling defenses. His teeth were almost pressed against his lips, and with each step he took, fine beads of sweat covered his entire body. By the time he reached this damned Shatima, he felt even more exhausted than when he had walked from Bahomon to Ugru.

The effect of the time-stop spell lasted only briefly. Shatima immediately felt able to move again. It was then that she realized her magical energy had vanished completely, leaving her shocked to the point of nearly jumping up. At this moment, Komer appeared eerily sinister.

“Shatima, you’re too willful. Do you know what consequences your dragon breath magic will bring?! If you really want to turn into a reptile, no one will stop you, but don’t drag me down with you.” Gradually calming down, Komer finally overcame the backlash. But Shatima had also regained her strength. Though filled with hatred, he wasn’t confident he could subdue her based solely on physical strength. As for casting magic, he wasn’t bold enough yet—his surging energy hadn’t fully settled. Using magic again could prove fatal.

Seeing Komer’s cold gaze sweep over her, Shatima realized her impulsive actions had been excessive. She completely forgot that she was still a proud ice dragon. Once, these humble humans seemed no more than ants in her eyes, but now she discovered that he could freely seal her magical energy—something utterly unbelievable. Faced with a stronger opponent, the innate pride of dragons vanished, especially in an immature dragon like her. As she took on a human form, she gradually grew accustomed to thinking like a human.

Looking pitifully at Komer, who stood before her with his hands behind his back, Shatima didn’t know what to do. She tried to avoid his gaze out of anxiety, but Komer reached out and lifted her chin with his finger.

Komer smirked inwardly with satisfaction. Although Shatima was still essentially a dragon, she had gradually become assimilated psychologically and mentally by humans. Every change in her expression and emotions was clearly visible to Komer. He boldly stroked her cheek; her fair, delicate face glowed, presenting a pitiful yet alluring appearance that stirred pity in others. “What do you think I should do to punish you? Hmm? I could completely seal your magical power, preventing you from ever using dragon magic again, so you can’t act recklessly. How about that?”
“No, no, please don’t. I’m sorry, I was wrong. Please don’t seal my magical power. I’m willing to accept any punishment you give me.” In her panic, Shatima had fully immersed herself in the human role she was playing and couldn’t help but scream. Without dragon magic, she would truly become an ordinary person with no strength at all. Not to mention dragons, even ordinary people skilled in martial arts could bully her at will—a thought beyond Shatima’s imagination.
“You’re willing to accept any punishment from me?” Komer pulled out two golden needles from his body. “Then how about I insert these needles into your body to test it?”
With her azure eyes rolling nervously, Shatima thought anxiously. Running away was out of the question; just one of his spells could defeat her. It was better to submit first and figure out a way out later.
“You want to insert this into my body? Where? I’m very afraid of pain.” At this moment, Shatima was purely like a little girl.
“What do you say?” Komer suppressed his urge to laugh wildly and asked coldly.
“Then, what if I let you insert it here?” Shatima had no idea what Komer was thinking. His icy gaze moving between her chest and face filled her with fear. Was this self-mutilating guy planning to pierce those bulges on her chest? It was too sensitive—pain would be unbearable. It was better to take the initiative herself. She pointed at her plump buttocks.
“Here?” Komer was stunned. He didn’t expect his method of using golden needles to stimulate potential to leave such a “deep” impression on her. In her eyes, he had become a masochist. Seeing her offer to let him pierce her buttocks made it impossible for Komer to control the muscles in his face. His strange smiling expression made Shatima even more uneasy.

Shatima simply turned around and pushed the knight’s pants wrapped around her buttocks down to her knees, revealing her snow-white, delicate buttocks before Komer. This sight almost drove Komer crazy again; he bit his cherry-red lips and said tremblingly, “Hurry up and pierce them. Once done, we’ll be even!”
“Aren’t you afraid of pain? How did you become so brave now?” At this moment, Komer wasn’t in a hurry anymore. Seeing her snow-white, plump buttocks exposed to the sunlight, he felt an urge to tease her a bit.