My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 971: Chapter 972: Anti-Dragon Magic

There was a fire in his heart.

A raging inferno that threatened to tear him apart from the inside.

All because of one wretched human.

Damon.

And yet…

The one consumed by this overwhelming rage was not the colossal dragon that blotted out the sky, its shadow swallowing the world whole.

No.

It was the tiny speck before it.

The elf it sought to crush.

Kadelas.

Kadelas gritted his teeth as space around him shattered like fragile glass. Cracks tore through reality itself, spewing fire and molten lava into the void before the world struggled to mend itself, stitching existence back together under the strain of the dragon’s claws.

His mind burned with a single thought.

Damon.

He could already imagine it.

That bastard had gone out of his way to find a dragon… just to send it after him.

Kadelas had been among those who voted to send Damon on that secret expedition to the Demon Continent. The chance of death had been high.

His wife had warned him.

Even with her oracle powers, she had foreseen danger.

But not this.

Not a dragon.

Never this.

A torrent of lava rained down from above, blanketing the sky like a burning storm. The sheer scale of destruction rippled across the horizon, visible for miles.

Good.

Let them see it.

Let them feel it.

The rulers of the nearby glades would sense this.

Reinforcements would come.

The closest…

The Silver Glades.

“I do not have a son!” Kadelas roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. “Calm yourself! We are both being used!”

Moonlight gathered in his clenched fist.

Pure, radiant white.

It spilled outward, fracturing into countless figures of light that surged toward the dragon from every direction like a celestial army.

Rexagon’s rage only deepened.

His massive form trembled with fury, his scales glowing with heat.

“Die, mouse…”

His voice rumbled like the end of the world.

A vortex of destruction formed within his jaws.

Fog and flames twisted together, compressing into a singular point before erupting outward in a devastating blast.

For a split second…

Kadelas understood.

There was no dodging this.

No escape.

He raised his sword.

Pointed it forward.

Magic surged, condensing at the tip into a blinding point of light.

Then—

He moved.

A streak of white shot forward, cutting straight into the inferno.

The heat was unbearable.

Reality warped around him, bending under the pressure of the flames.

Only his speed kept him alive.

Only barely.

In the next instant, Kadelas burst through the torrent of fire.

His armor was scorched, glowing faintly red. Burns covered his body, his breath ragged.

But he did not stop.

With everything he had left—

He swung.

The blade struck.

A deafening impact rang out like the collision of worlds. Sparks exploded in every direction as steel met scale.

Rexagon’s massive head jerked sideways.

Clouds and fog scattered violently, torn apart by the force. Space itself buckled, fragments of reality breaking and falling like shattered glass.

And then—

Silence.

On the dragon’s immense chin…

A scratch.

Small.

Almost insignificant.

Or so it seemed.

In truth, the wound stretched for nearly a kilometer, just as deep.

But against the sheer size of the dragon…

It was nothing.

Barely noticeable.

A single drop of draconic blood fell.

It descended into the sea of blue lava below and vanished instantly, consumed by the raging heat.

Kadelas narrowed his eyes.

The wound was already closing.

Healing.

Of course it was.

Without hesitation, he released his footing and let gravity take him.

He dropped just as a massive claw tore through the space where he had been flying moments before.

This was a dire situation.

Even if Rexagon was injured, he was still not an enemy Kadelas could kill.

’Fine… then I have to use more extreme methods. I have no choice but to use a domain and end this quickly.’

A domain.

It was his best option.

Within it, he could suppress the damage to the surrounding lands and possibly repel Rexagon.

But there was a risk.

If Rexagon shattered his domain, the backlash would injure him severely.

Shattering a domain was difficult…

But not impossible.

Dragons had done it before.

There was more than enough precedent.

At the same time, Kadelas did not want this to turn into a domain battle.

If Rexagon unleashed his own domain…

It would be an even match at best.

Worse at worst.

’Let me try reasoning with him one more time.’

Kadelas drew in a breath and roared into the sky.

“Rexagon, calm yourself! We are both being deceived!”

The response came like thunder tearing through the heavens.

“Deceived?” Rexagon’s voice boomed. “The only deceiver I see is you… and your spawn.”

“I have no deceitful spawn!” Kadelas snapped back, fury rising in his chest. “That wretch is not my son. I only have a daughter!”

“All you mice are the same to me…”

Rexagon’s voice rumbled with contempt.

“I do not have the energy to waste on you, annoying flying mouse. I will destroy what you protect… and rest upon its carrion.”

He turned.

His massive head shifted toward the Moonglades capital.

Then—

His wings spread.

With a single thunderous flap, the sky exploded with sound as he shot forward, crossing tens of kilometers in an instant.

Kadelas’s expression tightened.

He moved immediately, chasing after him.

He could already see it in his mind.

The city.

Burning.

Reduced to ash.

—

On the battlements of the capital, magic formations flared to life.

Ancient runes lit up the walls, humming with power as a massive shadow filled the horizon.

The Elf Queen stood at the forefront, her face pale, her jaw clenched.

’How…’

’How did I not see this coming?’

As an oracle, it was a disgrace.

Something of this scale…

And she had been blind.

She raised her hand sharply and pointed forward.

“Fire!”

A thunderous roar answered her command.

Massive beams of light tore through the sky, streaking toward the dragon in the distance.

Siege magic.

Artillery spells designed for war