Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 160: Chapter 158: Covert Attack, Desperate Resistance

The young dragon, whose intelligence was no better than a wild beast’s, let out a pained roar as its massive body writhed madly in agony.

Its tail, covered in thick icicles, swept across the ground like a Siege Hammer, sending snow and rubble flying. The attack forced Big Mimi to flap its wings and pull upward, momentarily dodging the onslaught.

Meanwhile, the small and agile Xia seized the opportunity. A sharp Light Spear materialized in her hand and pierced the young dragon’s relatively soft underbelly, causing it to struggle in pain once more.

”Nice work, Xia! Keep up this rhythm!”

Jon’s voice, steady and reassuring, came through his faceplate.

He moved forward and back methodically, constantly adjusting his stance based on the young dragon’s movements and seizing every opportunity to land several sharp attacks. The young dragon’s pained, instinctual counterattacks always missed their mark or were easily blocked by his shield, posing no real threat.

This was the composure of a veteran main tank!

Soon, with the two of them and the beast working together, the Frost Scale Young Dragon was being worn down, heading for a slow death.

It flapped its wings desperately, trying to use brute force to shake off Big Mimi, who had latched onto its wing. It tried to unleash its icy Dragon Breath, but thanks to Xia’s interference, it could never successfully gather the power. A Light Spear even pierced its throat, causing the frost power in its glands to leak out and making it rear its head in agony.

”An opening!”

A glint flashed in Jon’s eyes as he suddenly charged forward.

His feet stomped a deep crater into the snow, and the faint glow of his Crystal Scorpion Armor traced a cold arc under the dim sky.

[Dragon Claw Swing]!

Target: the young dragon’s neck!

However, just as his blade was about to touch the scales weakened by the Light Spear, an indescribable sense of terrifying danger—one that felt as if it could freeze his very soul—seized him!

The feeling came without warning, yet it nearly froze the blood in his veins, as if his heart had been viciously gripped by an invisible, frozen hand!

”!!!”

Countless battles had honed Jon’s reactions to be faster than thought.

[Reset Stance], interrupting his attack!

[Defense Stance], [Righteous Counter], [Antagonism Aura], and [Dragon Flame Dance: Fire Element Shield] to mitigate the damage!

[Crystal Scorpion Armor: Crystal Shelter]! Consume all Extra Defense Value to generate a Shield!

SSSHHHK—!

At almost the exact same moment Jon reacted, a beam, so fine it was almost imperceptible and seemingly condensed from the purest light, tore through the air from an unknown direction!

It pierced through the crystal shield from his Crystal Scorpion Armor set, tore through the Crystal Energy Shield that his Crystal Energy Protection Device had reflexively generated, and penetrated all of Jon’s other defenses before slamming, with undiminished force, into the Crystal Scorpion Shield he had raised with all his might!

The Crystal Scorpion Shield, inscribed with sturdy Runes and strong enough to withstand a direct blow from the Frost Scale Young Dragon’s claws, offered no resistance. Like a thin sheet of ice cast into a furnace, it melted away under the beam with a soft SSSHHHK!

This final physical barrier was breached with ease!

Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that moment.

Jon froze, locked in his full defensive stance. A hole the size of an egg, its edges charred black, silently appeared on the chestplate of his Crystal Scorpion Armor.

[-1023! (Penetration Block!) -460 (True Damage!)]

The wound pierced straight through his body from chest to back, instantly wiping out his health pool of 1672 points.

And in his ears, the long-unheard voice of the status assistant rang out.

[You’re out of health! Drink a potion! You’re out of health! Drink a potion—!]

”Urk... ghh...”

The attack had been so sudden, his reactions moving faster than his thoughts, that only now did Jon fully process that he had been ambushed.

But he was powerless to move. His tall frame swayed, and he violently spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, mixed with organ fragments and carrying a scorched smell.

No longer able to support his weight, he crashed down, his left knee slamming heavily onto the frozen snow with a dull thud.

With his last ounce of consciousness, he stubbornly propped himself up with his greatsword—its Dragon Flame now extinguished—barely managing to keep himself from collapsing completely.

This sudden, drastic turn of events plunged the entire battlefield into a deathly silence!

”Master!!!”

”Mr. Jon!!!”

Two shrill screams, so piercing they were distorted, tore through the air at almost the same time.

All color instantly drained from Rosalind’s cool, beautiful face, leaving only endless panic.

She recklessly activated her still-unfamiliar Power and, ignoring all surrounding dangers, charged like a madwoman toward the spot where Jon had fallen!

On the other side, the doors of the Golden Maple Leaf Trading House were thrown open, and Reya’s flame-like figure burst out. Her emerald eyes welled with horrified tears as she stumbled forward, trying to rush to him, but Joyina reacted quickly and held her back.

”Mr. Jon!!”

Farther away, Julian and Xina, equally shocked and enraged, tried to rush over to help. However, their path was blocked by the remaining Eternal Frost Cultists and the Frost Scale Young Dragon, which had flown into a renewed rage after Jon was grievously wounded.

Big Mimi let out a roar of grief and despair. Abandoning the battered young dragon, its massive body kicked up a gale as it lunged toward its master, trying to shield Jon’s body with its own.

Xia’s face turned deathly pale. Her Light Wings beat frantically as she desperately showered Jon with beams of the purest healing Divine Technique, casting them as if they cost nothing. Yet, when the light hit the horrific, penetrating wound, it vanished like a stone cast into the sea. It was only enough to barely keep the faint flame of his Life, like a candle in the wind, from being extinguished.

In the center of the chaos sparked by Jon’s mortal wound, less than five paces from where he knelt vomiting blood and leaning on his sword, the empty air began to ripple. Transparent, silent circles spread out, like a stone had been dropped into a still pond.

A figure in a wide, gray cloak materialized without warning.

The cloak’s hood was pulled low, completely obscuring the newcomer’s face. Beneath it was not darkness, but what looked like a shimmering, inhuman light.

The person’s form was indistinct beneath the cloak, their gender indiscernible. No biological aura or Energy fluctuations could be sensed from them, making them seem like an incorporeal, ghostly projection. And yet, they possessed a terrifying, suffocating presence.

The mysterious person’s appearance caused no fluctuations in Energy, yet the entire battlefield was instantly enveloped in an invisible, bone-chilling, absolute pressure.

The din of battle, the cries of sorrow, and the roars of the dragon were all silenced, as if crushed by a giant, invisible hand, leaving behind a heart-stopping stillness.

Everyone froze, including the Frost Scale Young Dragon that had been on a rampage just moments ago. Now, as if bound by invisible chains, it groveled on the ground, whimpering in fear, its icy blue, vertical pupils filled with a terror that stemmed from the very depths of its bloodline.

The mysterious cloaked figure ignored everyone, their gaze fixed squarely on Jon.

Then, a neutral, cold, and utterly emotionless voice echoed directly in everyone’s minds.

”You actually survived?”

The voice held the same cold curiosity a human might have for an ant that was still twitching after being stepped on.

’He was very confident in his attack.’

’This blow should have completely annihilated the life force of this Warrior, who had repeatedly foiled the organization’s plans.’

’What on earth allowed him to survive?’

’Worth looking into...’

A hand, clad in some unknown gray material, slowly extended from under the cloak and reached for the top of the kneeling Jon’s head.

His movements seemed slow, but they possessed a certain power that made even Big Mimi’s desperate lunge from just feet away seem like it was in slow motion.

Though Jon’s consciousness was on the verge of dissipating, his residual instincts sensed the threat, and he unconsciously lashed out.

He struggled to raise his greatsword, as if to block the approaching hand.

Unfortunately, he raised the blade so slowly that the gray-cloaked figure didn’t even deign to pause for an instant.

The hand continued its reach, unconcerned, as if to say: ’A futile effort—’

However, a Warrior is the epitome of one who finds life in the face of death. Even gravely injured, they cannot be taken lightly!

Just as the gray-cloaked figure’s hand passed the blade and was about to touch Jon’s head, something unexpected happened!

A surge of Power erupted from Jon’s supposedly depleted body, manifesting as a piercing red glow that ignited his greatsword. Then, the upward swing of his blade suddenly accelerated!

It was the very skill that had saved his life in his first battle after arriving in this world—

[Desperation Strike]!