CHAPTER 105: DRAGON

In a street in the central district, the ground was cracking and heaving—a clear sign that there was an infernal worm tunneling below. Panic-stricken people ran for their lives, avoiding the advancing fissures that chased them from behind.

But the street led to a dead end. A wall blocked their way, and though the brick structure underground slowed the worm's progress, allowing the fleeing crowd to outrun it for a moment, the wall left them with no escape. Death seemed inevitable.

With a deafening crash, bricks and stones exploded as the massive body of the worm burst from the ground. It leaped high into the air, ready to descend and devour the fleeing residents who had eluded it for so long.

"Hyah!" A shout came from the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. A jagged greatsword, crackling with purple lightning, was hurled downwards and collided with the leaping worm.

Though the sword's serrated blade wasn't particularly sharp, it smashed through the worm's tough carapace as if it were cracking a walnut. The force was immense.

The sword pierced and crushed the infernal worm's body mid-leap, slamming it downwards. The impact created a crater in the ground and caused a nearby wall to collapse.

"Run! Move it!" a powerful female voice rang out. The residents, still processing what had happened, saw a red-haired girl leap down from a rooftop and smash the obstructing wall into rubble with a single punch.

"Thank you!"

"Save it! Just go!"

The crowd fled amidst scattered words of gratitude.

"Phew..." Wendy turned back to the infernal worm. Without her supplied power, the gravity-enchanted greatsword had returned to its normal size and weight. It was still lodged in the worm's body, but no longer capable of suppressing it.

Wendy's sword was insignificant in size compared to the massive infernal worm. It was like shooting a grizzly bear with an arrow: painful but not fatal.

The worm writhed briefly after the blow, crashing into nearby walls and sending debris flying, before regaining its momentum. It turned its saw-like maw towards the fleeing crowd. Its food was escaping. It gave chase.

The infernal worm slithered forward, its massive body surging across the cobblestone street faster than a carriage, its bulk like a runaway freight truck. The sheer sight of it alone was terrifying.

Gulping nervously, Wendy set herself into a combat stance, positioning herself in the worm's path. Without her sword, could she really stop this thing? Still, she had to try.

Wendy aimed her attacks at the creature's "eyes"—small, carapace-covered protrusions near its gaping maw. She gathered her fighting spirit and unleashed a full-force punch.

Her gauntlet-clad fist slammed into the worm's hardened shell, denting it inward. Strange liquid sprayed from the cracks, evidence of a successful blow.

However, the worm's massive weight and momentum weren't something Wendy could handle. The impact reverberated through her body, sending her flying. Her arm throbbed with sharp pain—it was likely out of commission for a while.

"Damn it..." As she tumbled through the air, Wendy watched helplessly as the worm, undeterred, continued its rampage toward the fleeing residents. Anger and frustration filled her. Was she really this weak? Compared to her mentor, she was nothing.

She adjusted her posture in mid-air to minimize the impact of landing. Wendy grimly envisioned the grisly fate awaiting the crowd. They would all be crushed or devoured—none would survive. And yet, there was nothing she could do about it.

As she began to descend, however, she noticed something funny. "Huh? Why am I falling so slowly? Featherfall? But who..."

Her descent was unnaturally gentle, a hallmark of the Featherfall spell.

Looking down, Wendy saw the ground split open ahead of the infernal worm. A massive hand of earth and stone emerged from the fissure, grasping the worm's body with crushing force.

The infernal worm thrashed violently, dislodging chunks of stone and earth from the hand. The spell wouldn't keep it in place for long.

At that moment, a brilliant red-and-gold fireball flew in from the opposite end of the street. Moving at a relatively slow pace, it lodged itself within the infernal worm's mouth as the stone hand forced its maw shut.

Two successive explosions echoed as the fireball detonated inside the worm. Its massive body convulsed violently before splitting open with cracks, spraying boiling liquid everywhere.

The infernal worm had been utterly annihilated.

"Wha...?" Wendy landed lightly, scratching her red hair in confusion. How had the infernal worm been taken down so quickly?

"Are you alright?" a voice came from behind her.

"Huh? Oh, Avia! Were you the one who helped me?"

"Yes. Ah, your arm's hurt. Let me help."

Wendy turned to see Avia, clad in magician's robes, walking toward her. Avia grasped Wendy's arm and cast a healing spell. A warm glow enveloped the injury. Moments later, Wendy's arm was good as new.

"Wow, amazing! Thanks, Avia!" Wendy swung her arm experimentally, marveling at the rapid healing.

"Where's Professor Lanchester? Why didn't he escort you into the academy?" Avia asked curiously as Wendy retrieved her greatsword from the worm's corpse. Wendy was the granddaughter of Weber Lanchester, a professor at the academy. There was no reason for her to be fighting demons here.

"Grandpa? He's locked himself in his lab after discovering some kind of self-replicating... meat scraps? He hasn't come out in ages. I'm worried about him, and so are the other professors."

"Self-replicating meat?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Though Wendy's description was vague, Avia understood what was going on. Weber was a brilliant scholar, but his obsession with research on resurrection bordered on madness. It wasn't the first time he'd neglected his teaching duties because he was in a frenzy about his experiments.

"Self-replicating meat, specialized cells... He's really pushing his boundaries. I'll need to talk to him." Avia frowned. Weber's fixation was spiraling out of control. Someone would have to intervene.

"I came out to train, but then the demon invasion happened. The academy was sealed with a magical barrier, so I couldn't get back in."

"And you haven't been able to contact Professor Lanchester to let you in since he's been in his lab, I suppose..."

"Exactly. When I saw this big worm attacking people, I had to help. If it weren't for you, Avia, things would've gotten ugly."

"Take care of yourself. I have to head somewhere."

"Where are you going? Can I help?"

"No need. I'm just... checking on something."

"Eh?"

Avia hadn't expected to encounter Wendy here. The central district wasn't heavily infested with demons, and the local professionals were skilled enough to handle most threats. Wendy probably wouldn't face further danger.

Still, the encounter had been fruitful. Learning about her professor's current condition was an unexpected surprise. Something seemed off, but Avia couldn't pinpoint precisely what was wrong.

The two were still talking when a loud shout came from down the street.

"Avia, here I come!" Wang Yu's booming voice announced his arrival as he sprinted over to join Avia and Wendy.

"Wang Yu!" Wendy was even more surprised. What were the chances of running into two familiar faces in one day?

"Let's go. Get on my back, and I'll carry you," Wang Yu said, nodding at Wendy before crouching down to offer his back to Avia.

"Alright." Avia swiftly climbed onto Wang Yu's back. Her petite frame wasn't a burden at all. Carrying her like this was the fastest way for the two of them to move together.

Wendy stood there awkwardly, gripping her large sword. She wasn't quite sure what to say as she watched Wang Yu set off with Avia on his back. It seemed she was no longer involved in whatever was happening.

Before leaving, Wang Yu turned back to remind Wendy, "Be careful. It's best to find somewhere to hide for now. If something seems off, stay away. The assault on the Hellgate is about to begin... and something big is likely about to happen."

"Got it." Wendy nodded quickly.

Wang Yu didn't say anything more. Magic circuits glowed in Avia's hands as a current of air began swirling around Wang Yu's feet. The wind spiraled around him, lifting him slightly and providing a boost—Wind's Blessing.

With Avia on his back, Wang Yu focused on the light representing Charles in his mindscape, illuminated by the statue of the Lady of the Night. He rushed off in that direction.

Thanks to Wind's Blessing, Wang Yu was able to leap effortlessly off the ground, bounding onto buildings taller than even the city walls. Using the rooftops as a shortcut, he sped toward his destination with unimpeded agility.

After roughly two minutes of high-speed travel, Wang Yu came to a stop at the edge of an artificial lake. This lake served as a reservoir and a site for commercial development.

Staring at the calm surface of the lake, Wang Yu realized he'd never paid much attention to it before. It now seemed slightly out of place. There was something unusual about it. The light representing Charles was moving rapidly beneath the lake's surface as it darted around a specific area.

Wang Yu narrowed his brows before quickly retreating with Avia on his back. In his mindscape, the light representing Charles abruptly paused before beginning to ascend rapidly, heading toward the surface.

The ground rumbled with a low, resonant roar, and the lakewater began rippling violently. Bubbles rose to the surface, followed by sporadic, abrupt eruptions.

"Something's coming up, Wang Yu. There's a presence..." Avia's words were labored. A primal fear gripped her body—some visceral terror. An invisible yet tangible force was emanating from beneath the ground and spreading outward. This wasn't like facing a fragment of the god of terror; it was something fundamentally different.

"I don't feel any kind of presence, but something is definitely emerging," Wang Yu replied. He felt none of the pressure Avia described, but the escalating disturbance beneath them was unmistakable.

The tremors and roaring intensified. The surface of the lake began to cave inward, signaling the formation of a massive fissure below. Then, water surged violently and rocks shattered with explosive force as a colossal creature burst forth from the lake.

Its wings were tattered and misshapen, its scales gleaming with a metallic red sheen. Its muscular body was taut and robust, with razor-sharp claws, a spiked and powerful tail, and iconic spiral horns adorning its head. Its maw, filled with teeth capable of immense destruction, clamped tightly onto a mass of black chains.

A majestic and furious roar reverberated through the entire capital.

"A red dragon!" Avia's shocked voice came from Wang Yu's back. Indeed, the creature that had abruptly ascended into the sky was a bona fide dragon.