Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 360: I got careless

The shadow dragon hovered lower now, its massive wings stirring violent currents through the abyss, yet its attention did not drift toward the fleeing cultivators even for a heartbeat, because its remaining eye had fixed itself entirely upon the ice belle, burning with a hatred so intense that the surrounding darkness seemed to recoil from it.

The dragon’s ruined left eye, still scarred from their previous encounter, throbbed with phantom pain as memories surged back, and the beast released a guttural growl that vibrated through the ice reinforced passage, a sound filled not just with rage but with wounded pride.

Henrietta noticed the shift immediately, her instincts screaming as she realized the creature had no interest in the soldiers escaping behind her, while stepping slightly forward, positioning herself defensively without obstructing the ice belle’s movements.

"So it remembers you," Henrietta said quietly, her voice steady despite the crushing pressure rolling off the dragon, and she asked whether the creature was capable of launching a focused attack within such confined space.

The ice belle floated lazily in place, her tiny arms crossed as frost danced around her fingers, and she replied with a smug little hum that the dragon remembered her very well, adding that blinding its left eye had been one of the more satisfying moments of her long and boring existence.

The dragon roared again, this time directly at her, its jaws opening wide as shadowy flames gathered deep within its throat, yet it did not release them, as though it were savoring the moment, savoring the chance to crush the one being that had dared to wound it and mock it afterward.

Henrietta glanced back briefly and saw that the group was already moving swiftly toward the next portal, their formation holding as they disappeared one by one into the spatial rift, and relief washed through her chest even as the danger before her multiplied.

"You have its full attention," Henrietta said calmly, adjusting her stance as celestial energy began to circulate around her body, and she warned the ice belle not to underestimate a creature that had survived the abyss for countless years.

The ice belle turned her head slightly, her large eyes glittering with mischief and confidence as she smiled even wider. "He’s angry because I had defeated him despite my small body," she said with a laugh.

The dragon’s claws scraped against the ice tunnel walls as it leaned closer, shadows bleeding from its scales and pressing against the passage like living smoke, its fury intensifying the more it sensed the ice belle’s complete lack of fear and her openly smug expression.

Henrietta felt the pressure spike sharply, her breath growing heavier as the dragon’s killing intent focused entirely on the ice belle, and she knew with chilling certainty that the beast would not retreat or hesitate now, because pride and vengeance were driving it forward far more powerfully than hunger or instinct ever could.

The ice belle hovered a little higher, frost thickening around her like a crown of shimmering crystals, her smile unwavering as she met the dragon’s gaze head on, fully aware that it had chosen her as its sole target and clearly enjoying every second of its helpless rage.

The ice belle drifted forward without hesitation, leaving the safety of the formation as though the suffocating abyss and the towering shadow dragon before her were nothing more than a mild inconvenience, and her laughter echoed lightly through the ice reinforced passage as she pointed a tiny finger at the beast and called it a one eyed lizard that still had not learned its lesson.

Henrietta inhaled sharply when she saw the ice belle move alone, but she did not interfere, because she could feel the immense confidence radiating from the small spirit and she trusted Lucas’s bond with her, even as the oppressive aura of the dragon intensified.

The ice belle did not transform into her full radiant form as she had done months ago, and instead she kept her small and delicate body, her wings of frost fluttering lazily as if she were merely stretching rather than engaging an ancient abyssal predator, and she mocked the dragon openly by asking whether it had grown uglier since losing its eye.

The shadow dragon answered with a thunderous roar that shook the frozen tunnel violently, shadows rippling across its massive scales as it lunged forward with terrifying speed, yet the ice belle met it head on, her palms glowing as she unleashed a condensed spear of pure ice essence directly at its chest.

"Try not to cry this time," she shouted boldly, her voice sharp with teasing confidence as the attack slammed into the dragon’s scales with a deafening crack that echoed endlessly through the abyss.

For a brief moment, she expected the familiar resistance followed by the satisfying sensation of ice biting deep into flesh, but instead her eyes widened slightly when the attack dispersed harmlessly, sliding off the dragon’s scales like melting frost against hot stone.

The dragon lowered its massive head, its remaining eye burning with cruel amusement as if it were mocking her arrogance in return, and it released a low rumbling growl that carried the weight of centuries of slaughter and survival.

The ice belle clicked her tongue in annoyance, crossing her arms mid air as she scoffed loudly and accused the dragon of cheating by growing tougher when she had been away, telling it that this was rude behavior toward a lady who had already taken one of its eyes.

Before she could unleash another attack, the dragon’s thick tail moved with shocking speed, cutting through the air like a living mountain of shadow, and it struck her squarely before she could fully react.

The impact was catastrophic.

The ice belle was smashed into the abyss floor with explosive force, ice and shadow erupting outward as her small body skidded violently across the blackened ground, bouncing and sliding uncontrollably as she was sent thousands of meters away through the frozen passage.

Even as she tumbled across the abyss floor, her voice echoed furiously through the darkness, cursing loudly and calling the dragon an overgrown coward that only knew how to swing blindly, swearing that she would freeze its other eye shut for daring to hit her when she was not looking.

The shadow dragon roared triumphantly, its massive body hovering as shadows surged around it, while far in the distance the ice belle finally came to a halt, half embedded in the frozen ground, her aura flickering not with fear but with burning irritation at the realization that the dragon before her was no longer the same opponent she had once humiliated.

The ice belle pushed her palms against the frozen abyss floor and tried to rise with the same careless confidence she always carried, but the moment she shifted her weight, a sharp and unfamiliar pain surged through her small body, forcing a strained gasp from her lips as her wings trembled violently and shards of cracked ice essence scattered around her.

She froze in place, stunned not by fear but by disbelief, and then her expression twisted into raw frustration as she finally acknowledged the truth that she had been refusing to face since the impact. She had been hurt badly, far worse than she wanted to admit, and the realization burned hotter than any wound as she clenched her fists and cursed herself under her breath for treating the shadow dragon like a toy instead of the ancient monster it had become.

"I got careless," she muttered bitterly, her voice shaking with anger rather than pain as she glared at the distant silhouette of the dragon through the darkened passage. "That stupid lizard grew stronger, and I thought I could swat it like before."

She tried once more to stand, forcing her knees to straighten, but her legs buckled immediately and she dropped back down, frost spreading uncontrollably from her body as her unstable essence leaked into the ground. Her breathing became uneven, and although her eyes still burned with defiance, her body had reached its limit for now.

From the formation ahead, Henrietta felt it instantly.

The moment the ice belle’s aura faltered, Henrietta’s expression hardened, her instincts screaming at her that the balance of the fight had shifted dangerously. She turned sharply, her gaze locking onto the injured spirit far behind them, and the sight of the ice belle struggling on the ground sent a chill through her chest that had nothing to do with cold.

"So that’s how strong it is now," Henrietta said quietly, her voice steady but edged with urgency as she raised a hand to halt the soldiers who were still pushing toward the next portal. "She can’t continue like this."

One of the cultivators near her hesitated and spoke in a tense whisper, asking whether they should turn back to assist, but Henrietta shook her head firmly, her eyes never leaving the looming shadow dragon that was already advancing again, its massive wings stirring waves of darkness through the passage.

"No," Henrietta replied with calm authority. "The formation must move on, or more lives will be lost here if the dragon decides to attack us."