Chapter 58: Fourteenth Floor, Drina River Defense Operation (3)

The Black Dragon Sarkeiz soared through the sky, seemingly flying from the moon. It grew from a black speck on the horizon, gradually eclipsing the brilliant, radiant moon. Eventually, half of the moon’s face was obscured.

With Sarkeiz’s appearance, the atmosphere on the battlefield shifted dramatically once more.

“Rooooar!"

The dragon’s roar thundered across the river again, crashing down upon the battlefield like a storm.

Several climbers dropped their weapons in fear, overwhelmed by the apex predator’s presence. As the roar faded, a cacophony of screeches erupted from the thousands of wyverns.

“Screeeech!"

“Skreeee!"

It was as if they were answering the dragon’s call.

Moments later, a palpable wave of magic rippled from the dragon flying high in the air. Simultaneously, the wyverns went into a frenzy. Their speed increased as though they had been injected with a stimulant.

The Night Witches were caught off guard by the sudden escalation. They frantically adjusted their brooms, weaving through the air in desperate attempts to evade the now faster and more aggressive wyverns.

But this time, they couldn’t dodge with the same ease as before.

“Screech!"

“Aaaargh!"

Several witches were unable to avoid the onslaught and were ripped apart by the wyverns. They dangled from the jaws of the beasts, their bodies limp, before plummeting to the ground.

I moved, intent on saving them, but before I could meaningfully react, the mangled neck of a witch greeted my eyes. It was already too late.

Boom! Boom!

The delayed explosions followed.

"Ahhh!"

"Aaaagh!"

The ground shook violently, almost as if an earthquake had struck. The broom the witch had been riding crashed into our forces, triggering a massive explosion.

The blast was so devastating that it obliterated over two thousand Imperial soldiers, leaving no trace behind.

Damn it.

The wyverns had become unnaturally fast and reacted with incredible speed.

The cause was obviously Sarkeiz, the black dragon. The dragon’s roar and the wave of magic that followed had changed everything.

Dragon-spawned bastards...

That was what the Night Witches called the wyverns earlier. There was no denying the wyverns bore a striking resemblance to dragons. Perhaps the dragon’s blood running through their veins allowed them to receive some kind of powerful buff when under Sarkeiz’s control?

It was hard to say for certain.

Unleashing its own roar, albeit smaller, one of the wyverns released a burst of fire.

"Roar!"

They can even breathe flames now...

While the burst was nothing compared to what the dragon could produce, it was unmistakably a breath attack.

This is bad...

The battlefield had been completely upended by the dragon’s arrival. The number of Night Witches falling to the now-frenzied wyverns was increasing steadily.

As they struggled to control the skies, the pressure on our forces defending the river intensified.

I have to save the Night Witches.

Even though the dragon had returned, the river had not yet resumed its flow, and the enormous U-shaped canyon remained dry. It seemed that Sarkeiz had spent the past hour completely sealing off the river.

I had managed to hold this area for about an hour on my own, but it had come at the cost of nearly all my mana. I couldn’t continue at this rate any longer.

For our forces to keep holding the high ground without the river’s natural defense, we needed the Night Witches.

Fuck, I can’t engage in an aerial battle...

Kashatum’s Sky Shoes only allowed me to leap twice in midair, nothing more. I couldn’t fly freely through the skies like the witches. And launching lightning into the air would drain what little mana I had left. It would be more effective to continue fighting on the ground, as I had been.

Damn... what now?

I couldn’t count on Ha Hee-Jeong either.

During the hour I had held the bank, she had unleashed three massive waves of fire, likely using up a great deal of her mana as well. Besides, she was preoccupied with commanding the battlefield.

Thinking about it for another second, I didn’t need to join the airborne fighting.

The core of the problem is the dragon.

Sarkeiz was responsible for the majority of the chaos, whether it was the frenzied wyverns or the dried-up river. Using the chaos to its advantage, Sarkeiz wreaked havoc both in the sky and on the ground.

Dozens of magical projectiles shot from the dragon, homing in on the Night Witches like guided missiles.

They were magic missiles. Unlike the climbers’ version, these were far larger and moved impossibly fast.

The witches twisted and turned through the air, performing evasive maneuvers. However, dodging the missiles proved to be futile.

“Barrier!"

The witches desperately cast defensive shields, but they were no match.

Crack!

The missiles tore through the barriers like paper. Explosions rocked the air as witches were either blown apart or sent plummeting to the ground.

Meanwhile, the dragon unleashed its Venomous Breath upon the ground. A toxic green flame glowed ominously and spread across the battlefield like wildfire.

"Aaaah!"

“Help...!"

“Arrrrgh!"

The soldiers and climbers had been clustered too closely together and were consumed by the toxic breath, unable to escape the deadly flames. All that remained were charred, melted corpses, with thick green smoke rising from their remains.

The poisonous gas that filled the air was far more lethal than the poison Black Dragon Herkest had released on the eleventh floor.

The toxic smoke spread quickly on the wind, causing soldiers and climbers to collapse, succumbing to the fumes. Those who hadn’t been burned or melted by the flames now fell to the poisonous gas, falling lifelessly from where they stood.

A few survivors coughed violently and staggered out of the smoke.

So this is what Ha Hee-Jeong meant when she said the bug queen elixirs were preparation for the fourteenth floor.

The poison was everywhere. Without high-level Poison Resistance, survival was impossible. I didn’t know what level was needed to make it out of the gas alive, but I doubted the climbers’ Poison Resistance exceeded level 6. My Poison Resistance was level 13 including the earring’s buff, so I wasn’t worried about the venom affecting me.

But that didn’t mean I had a solution to the problem.

Sigh...

it was time to play my last resort.

The Black Dragon Herkest.

On the twelfth floor, I obtained earrings that enhanced Poison Resistance. They also had an option that increased the likelihood of befriending a dragon.

With increased Poison Resistance and the fact that they’re both black dragons...

Given the tower’s nature, the earring was likely to be connected with the challenge at hand, but I couldn’t be sure.

From what Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned, individual challenge floors and group trials rarely overlapped. Of course, my individual challenge floors were different from other climbers’, but assuming anything was an enormous risk.

Ha Hee-Jeong had called Sarkeiz a "calamity." She had said even with my current power, I stood no chance against it.

If I approach the dragon immediately and things go wrong, I could throw off our entire plan. Or worse, I could end up dead.

That was why I had kept Herkest’s earring as a last resort. Even if the dragon’s attitude toward me changed, there was no guarantee it would become an ally.

I couldn’t sit idle any longer. The plan was already falling apart. If things continued like this, the fourteenth-floor trial would end in a partial failure, just like Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life.

I couldn’t let hundreds of thousands of climbers die just to save myself.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Even if things go wrong, I still have Flash Strike.

At the very least, I wouldn’t die. I had no choice but to place my hopes in this earring.

Imbuing my voice with all the mana I could muster, I yelled, “Sarkeiz!”

The dragon didn’t even glance my way.

Could my voice have been drowned out?

It was entirely possible, given how chaotic the battlefield was. The relentless clashing of steel, the piercing cries of wyverns, and the agonized screams of soldiers all intertwined with the deafening explosions of the bombing squadron’s attacks.

I need to get close to the dragon, no matter what.

Currently, Sarkeiz soared too high in the sky, well beyond the reach of Kashatum’s Sky Shoes. The double-jump ability wouldn't be enough to get me close.

It would be far too dangerous if I tried to approach the dragon when it descended to unleash its breath, and waiting for an opening between its attacks would be futile. The wyverns always flanked the dragon, guarding its every move.

Since I couldn’t maneuver freely in the air, I would be a sitting duck up there. Then I saw her—one of the Night Witches weaving through the sky, skillfully dodging a wyvern hot on her trail.

[588th Bombing Squadron, Night Witch Erendil Supern]

That was my chance. The realization I could reach the dragon by riding a broom struck me like a lightning strike.

I leaped into the air without hesitation but didn’t reach quite far enough. Thankfully, I still had a second jump and launched myself higher using the shoes’ ability.

“Erendil!"

The Night Witch's gaze snapped toward me as I shot through the air, briefly exchanging eye contact.

Erendil was sharp and grasped the situation instantly. Without hesitation, she adjusted the direction of her broom and steered it straight toward me. I angled myself mid-flight, attempting to match her movements. Seeing a wyvern hot on her tail, I hurled a bolt of lightning at it.

“Screeeech!"

The wyvern crashed to the ground, and in the split second that followed I landed on Erendil’s broom. The sudden shift sent the broom swaying violently, causing me to cling tightly to her waist while I braced against the unstable broom.

The acrid stench of gunpowder filled my nostrils, sharp and suffocating.

“Keuk!"

Erendil fought to regain control, her hands gripping the broom tightly as she stabilized it.

Brrrrrr—

The broom’s tail’s flickering blue flames flared brighter, propelling us forward at breakneck speed. The wind screamed in my ears, and I smelled the thick, metallic odor of burnt gunpowder, smoke, and blood mixing together.

Erendil dodged the wyverns, weaving through the air with nimble, expert maneuvers. After a few sharp turns, she shot a bewildered glance back at me.

“Who... who the hell are you? How did you even get up here? What was that thing you did in mid-air? And how the hell do you know my name?"

“We need to get to the dragon!"

“W-what? The dragon?"

Beneath my arms, her entire body stiffened as she processed what I had said. I could feel her muscles tense, rippling with shock. Her reaction was only natural since my command sounded like complete lunacy.

But there was no other choice. If we were going to turn the tide of this battle, we had to act now.

“If we want to win, we have to deal with that dragon! And I know how!"

“You do?"

“Yes, I’m certain!"

Though uncertainty lingered in my mind, I couldn’t let it show. If I wavered even slightly, there was no way she would agree to help me. Any hesitation now would be disastrous.

“Take me to the dragon! Now! I can stop it!"

“Are you out of your mind?! What the hell are you talking about?!"

Her sharp voice was laced with frustration, but before I could ease her tension, three wyverns closed in from the left. I hurled lightning at them, sending their charred bodies crashing to the ground. Then, I turned back to Erendil.

“If we don’t get to that dragon, this battle is lost! You have to trust me. We need to do this!"

“...”

Erendil let out a long, resigned sigh.

“... You're right. Now that the dragon’s here, the battle’s already slipped away from us. The Drina River defense line is going to collapse."

Her voice was drained of energy, hollowed by the weight of the situation. Regardless, she dropped a bomb over the lizardmen below as she spoke.

Boom! Boom!

The explosions’ shockwaves were so powerful that I could even feel them riding the broomstick. Erendil dodged another wyvern with a swift, precise maneuver. I quickly followed the dodge with a lightning strike.

“Damn it! Fine! I knew this battle was a long shot, but if there’s even the slimmest chance, we’ve got to take it!"

“... Thank you."

Not speaking another word, she swung the broom around, directing it straight toward the black dragon. Hundreds of wyverns circled Sarkeiz like a living fortress, intent on protecting their master.

But we didn’t need to get too close, only within speaking range.

I could feel Erendil swallow hard. She steeled herself, her tension palpable. Determinedly, we shot toward the dragon, cutting through the air like an arrow aimed at its heart.

“Screeeech!"

The wyverns let out a cacophony of shrieks as we barreled toward Sarkeiz. They knew what we were trying to do. Dozens of them broke formation and started racing toward us, desperate to block our path. A solid wall of wyverns stood between us and the dragon.

“Hold on tight!"

Erendil abruptly nosedived, sending the broom plunging toward the ground at a terrifying speed.

The wyverns screeched in fury as they pursued us. I hurled more lightning at them, managing to bring a few down, but their sheer numbers almost overwhelmed us.

“Hold on! Tighter!"

Just as we were about to crash into the ground, Erendil yanked the broom upward. We skimmed the earth, narrowly avoiding disaster.

The broom’s blue flames scorched the heads of the lizardmen below as we rocketed back into the sky.

“Screeeech!"

“Kiieeek!"

“What the hell!"

"Gah!"

The wyverns that had been chasing us couldn’t pull up in time. They crashed one after another into the lizardmen, sending bodies flying in every direction.

Erendil’s maneuver was nothing short of brilliance.

“Erendil! Do you even realize what you just pulled off? That was insane!"

“I-I know!"

Her voice trembled, still shaky from the intense pressure. That aerial stunt had clearly taken a toll on her as well.

With most of the wyverns left in our dust, only a few remained near the dragon. I dispatched them quickly with a final burst of lightning.

At last, we were close enough to Sarkeiz. Close enough for it to hear me.

I gathered every ounce of my remaining mana and infused it into my voice.

“Sarkeiz! Look at me!"

Instantly, the dragon’s massive, glowing eyes locked onto mine.