Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 317

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 317 – The Young Dragon Whose Body Was Defiled

The most devastating monster attack on Ishtalika recently was the rampage of two sea dragons. One was killed by the extermination squad, and the other by Ain. Neither were present this time.

Instead, a new magical weapon forged with cutting-edge technology was being transported.

Outside the ruins, the unit on alert noticed the disturbance.

Seeing their comrades return from the ruins, they immediately assumed an intercept formation.

“Leonard! Get on!”

“Yes!”

“Everyone, run! Run! Run! I’d rather not fight here, damn it!”

Everyone sprinted off at once. The sound of pounding hooves echoes around them, mingled with the frantic voices of knights communicating.

Batz and Leonard led the charge, running straight through the center of the advancing troops’ single-file column. The horses carrying the magical weapons pierced their formation.

Looking up, they saw an endless, pitch-black sky. However, the edge of the sky began to reveal a gradually emerging lapis-blue dawn. Batz confirmed this and turned the corners of his mouth up slightly.

“…Night will soon be over.”

After he spoke, the sound of stones crumbling from the towering ruins behind them reached them, along with the red dragon’s roar.

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAA—”

The sheer force of the roar, as if it could tear the very space apart, made the trained horses whinny. They quickly settled down and obeyed their riders. However, the knights themselves were tense; sweat beaded on their brows and trickled down the cheeks of several of them.

Batz turned to look, but the darkness prevented him from seeing the dragon’s full form.

But, as if deliberately showing off, the red dragon breathed fire.

“Gaaah… Gwoooooooh!”

Seated atop the half-collapsed ruins with wings spread wide and head swaying, flames erupted from its mouth.

Like an actor illuminated on stage, the red dragon was bathed in crimson flames.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… That’s huge! Whoa!”

According to Warren’s report, the red dragon was roughly the size of a typical house.

Yet the dragon filling his vision was vastly larger, revealing a colossal form that seemed at least twice as big.

Its entire body was covered in thick, crimson scales, and its claws, reflecting the flames’ light, were sharp and long.

Had the red dragon grown? Batz thought so, but it didn’t make sense.

“Monsters these days are something else. It’s more than twice as big as we heard.”

“Nah, that dragon’s clearly the only special one here. Look at it. Its muscles bulge abnormally.”

“Whoa… That’s insane. It looks like it would burst if you stuck a needle in it.”

The red dragon’s unnatural swelling emphasized its arms, legs, and chest. Its thick veins bulged painfully, and its bloodshot eyes were visible even from a distance. Its wings, spread wide, were disproportionately large for its frame.

“It looks like they forced some weird growth on the whole species.”

“Well, it’s almost pitiful, but either way, I’d rather not get roasted.”

Compared to when they left the ruins, they both seemed calmer, perhaps due to excessively secreted endorphins. Leonard even managed a wry smile and appeared more relaxed than Batz.

Meanwhile, the group they led raced through the wetlands.

Finally, as the red dragon soared into the sky, Batz’s voice rang out:

“Now! Throw the flash grenades!”

Dozens of knights riding behind them pulled palm-sized spheres from their robes. They hurled them backward, being careful not to blind their horses or fellow riders.

Several rolled before unleashing a blinding light that made the entire area look like broad daylight.

“Huh…?”

“Squad Leader! The red dragon has crashed!”

“Scanning the area… It’s spewing flames like a raging beast!”

“Yeah, I figured. I’d be angry too if someone did that to me!”

The first priority was to create distance, but suddenly, flames streaked past Batz and the others like a beam over their heads.

“What the— Seriously? It can reach this far!?”

The red dragon should have been at least 100 meters away.

If it could launch attacks like that, they would have to rethink everything. Just as that thought crossed his mind,

“Gwaaah—Haah… Haah…”

The instant the red dragon tried to roar, it let out a pained, choking sound like someone struggling to breathe.

“Batz! That means its flame-breath isn’t infinite! It needs time to prepare such powerful flames!”

“Looks like it! You’re barely even born yet, so just shut up!”

Would a normally developed red dragon have been more threatening? A question mark formed, but there was no one to answer it.

It was obvious at a glance, though, that its abnormally developed muscles were straining.

“A retreat before dawn isn’t so bad!”

“Sorry, but I can’t agree with that!”

“But hey, Leonard’s probably the first bureaucrat to fight during a retreat against a dragon, right?”

“What do you mean, ‘but hey’? I’ll concede that point, but it doesn’t exactly make me happy!”

“No doubt. Now, run faster! We’re pushing through the swamp in one go!”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The plan was simple and straightforward. All they had to do was shoot down the red dragon with the new magical weapon. Alternatively, we could use flash grenades to stun it and launch a full assault.

However, the latter option carried the risk of instant annihilation if the dragon spewed flames in a desperate last stand, so it was not desirable.

Less than ten minutes had passed since the red dragon was first knocked down by a flash grenade.

The group had passed through the deep swamp and emerged onto a path wide enough for horses to run freely.

The sky was now an even deeper shade of sapphire blue, and the figure of the red dragon could be seen flying behind them.

“Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…”

A cry like the desperate wail of someone in agony echoed.

Though it carried a note of sorrow, the dragon’s intimidating presence toward the knights and horses remained undiminished.

Shortly after the sound was heard, Batz, having assessed the distance, gave the order.

“Fire! Fire! Fire! Open fire all at once!”

Almost immediately, streaks of crimson-black light were unleashed with a deafening roar. Shards of glowing magic stone glowed at their tips, demonstrating the power of the small magic stone cannons.

“―!?”

The red dragon dodged several beams, but one struck its wing.

“Hit!”

“Reload! We can take down this red dragon!”

The knights’ voices rang with triumph.

Cheers erupted at the single hole in the dragon’s wing.

Batz grinned smugly as well.

“Hah! What the hell? That thing’s pretty weak, isn’t it?”

“It’s a newborn dragon! Even dragons can be vulnerable when they’re that young!”

“Unlike sea dragons, it’s easier to deal with them in the air. We might just manage this.”

After all, this red dragon was less than a year old.

Comparing it to the fully grown sea dragon that appeared in Magna was almost presumptuous.

—But…

“I thought so, but it looks like it won’t be as easy to take down as I thought.”

Batz’s defiant smile vanished, and his eyes sharpened. The hole in the red dragon’s wing had closed, tearing the flesh as it did so.

The black stone embedded in its chest glowed dully, mocking Batz and his companions.

But there was one glimmer of hope.

“Guh!”

“Still, the red dragon looks hurt! If we chip away at its stamina, victory is ours!”

“Yeah, we just gotta keep firing!”

The red dragon arched its neck like a bow.

Almost simultaneously with the crimson flames leaking from its mouth, the next shot from the magic weapon was fired.

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