Chapter 63: The Stubbornness of Dragons and a Timely Arrival

Demons and giant knights clashed wildly in the sky.

Each fierce impact sent fragments of demons, flesh, and dragon scales plummeting.

“‘Hmph, this is truly endless,'” Theodore muttered.

He watched Promen. Once Promen realized he couldn’t be killed by Theodore and Theresia, he abandoned all defense, choosing instead to meet their attacks with his own.

Though he hadn’t counted precisely, the demonic bodies he and Theresia had shattered would have been enough to form three Promens.

Theodore, with his awakened bloodline, could vaguely perceive Promen’s core.

Yet, he was utterly unable to shatter or destroy it.

Neither Theodore’s concentrated battle aura, honed to its peak, nor Theresia’s Black Dragon Roar Wave, brimming with high-intensity magic, could inflict any damage upon that rhomboid core.

Drawing upon the lingering essence of his bloodline, Theodore temporarily unleashed some of its inherent combat techniques.

There were no flashy moves, only simple swings and sweeps that parried every one of Promen’s assaults.

However, the afterimage of his bloodline was already fading, destined to vanish completely before long.

Theresia was in the same predicament.

The Dragon God’s pact had indeed become more effective than before, allowing Theodore to momentarily force Promen into a vulnerable state through mere words.

The problem was his inability to interrupt Promen’s spellcasting; divine arts were cast instantaneously.

As a veteran who had survived divine wars, Promen knew precisely how to conceal his intentions.

Neither Theodore nor Theresia could predict when Promen would unleash a divine art next.

At this rate, both of them would be dragged down and perish here.

‘If I were to leap down and grapple Promen now, perhaps I could buy Theresia enough time to escape.’

“Theresia…”

“‘Hmph!'”

Theresia, already aware of what Theodore was about to say, lifted her head proudly. “‘No need to speak. The Black Dragon King will never flee from any battle, even if it means fighting to the death!'”

With a wry smile, Theodore responded, “‘But you just said you inherited all the wisdom of the past Black Dragons, and that you wouldn’t fight a battle that was clearly unwinnable.'”

Theresia replied flatly, “‘The past is the past, and now is now. How dare you use my past words to lecture my current self? You mere Furnace Spring.'”

“‘What’s a Furnace Spring?'” Theodore asked, perplexed.

“‘It’s a way to nourish me by draining you dry! Impressive, isn’t it?'”

Knowing that their next second was uncertain, Theresia had become remarkably audacious.

“‘You should have said so earlier, then none of this would be happening… cough, cough. I’m not joking. There’s no need for both of us to die here.'” Theodore was utterly stunned.

“‘So, if you want to leave, then go,'” Theresia said indifferently. “‘You’ve grown so much in seven years; if you spend a few more years outside, you might just be able to smash this thing to dust.

‘Anyway, I can’t hold back today. If I truly die here, how about you avenge me? Otherwise, no one will remember this.'”

Theodore looked at Theresia, torn between laughter and tears. The dragon clearly knew he meant for *her* to leave.

‘The Old Patriarch and the others would remember.’

Theresia shook her head with a sigh. “‘He wouldn’t remember. After all, dying during trials outside is a sign of a dragon’s incompetence. The Old Patriarch is heartless. Besides, if I die, he won’t have to worry about an ill-omened old age. So, you’re the only one who can avenge me.'”

Helpless against her tsundere nature, Theodore sighed as well, then flashed a relieved smile. “‘There’s no vengeance, Theresia. Only living and dying together. Alright, I understand. No need to say more. Theresia, we are truly stubborn individuals, unable to persuade each other with words.'”

Theresia pouted. “‘Sometimes, I truly wish Theodore were a bit duller, a bit more irritable. You old stubborn fool, it’s precisely because of this trait that you’re so unlikable.'”

“‘That Theresia chose you is enough. I don’t need anyone else’s affection.'”

Theodore paused mid-sentence. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, a distant black speck, gradually becoming clearer, looked remarkably familiar.

This realization filled him with excitement, making his mind race even faster. “‘Theresia, look, we’re facing a near-certain death this time. If we manage to escape successfully, could you personally help me review how we spent those three days?'”

Theresia was genuinely shocked. ‘At a time like this, he’s still thinking about such things?’

‘No, wait. Perhaps it’s precisely at such times that the urge becomes stronger.’

‘After all, creatures on the brink of death are often driven by the desire to leave behind their offspring.’

‘Ah, Theodore isn’t having an easy time either.’

Theresia, deeply moved, responded, “‘Don’t even think about it! I will never lay an egg in this lifetime! Give up on that idea!'”

“‘I told you, it’s just a dying thought,'” Theodore retorted, displeased. “‘You won’t even grant a dead man’s wish? You wicked black dragon!'”

“‘Do you think my eyes are worse than yours?!'” Theresia asked, devoid of emotion.

‘This beast!’

‘This man has gone mad with wanting to ride a dragon!’

She waited for Theodore to offer his usual hypocritical excuses, but what she heard instead was, “‘What’s wrong with a Dragon Knight wanting to ride a dragon? You tricked me so many times, I just wanted to soar for a day.'”

Theresia was speechless.

If she made it out alive, she would find a way to delete this bastard Theodore’s memories again, then throw him into a forgotten corner where even the Old Patriarch wouldn’t find him! Let him live as a savage!

Promen had to admit one thing: he had indeed underestimated these two little creatures.

Their death throes were certainly powerful, but could they just *die* already?

He knew giants and dragons possessed tenacious vitality, but these two had been struggling for half an hour straight.

Every time Promen thought they were about to perish, they would somehow manage to push through with sheer willpower.

‘Can’t they adhere to basic biology?!’

Promen was incredibly vexed; giants and dragons were simply too tough.

However, if he just pushed a little harder, he would surely…

‘Hm?’

‘What are those two little things looking at?’

Promen was about to turn his head to see, but then…

“‘Oh, oh, oh! My eye!'”

Promen had been ambushed. First, a long-range fire arrow struck his head, followed immediately by an enormous arm that violently slammed him away from Theresia and Theodore.

The fire arrow’s owner was Lola.

And the owner of that massive arm was Alicia.

Barbarians could temporarily enlarge parts of their limbs, unleashing strength comparable to, or even surpassing, that of a giant for a short period.

As Promen’s focus had been entirely on Theresia and Theodore, he hadn’t noticed Alicia silently approaching him or Lola firing a cold arrow from afar.

However, he had not targeted them simply because he hadn’t known of their presence. Now that he knew where his enemies were, he would deal with them properly.

Promen tried to stand, but his body felt like scattered parts, clattering to the ground.

At the joints of his limbs, exquisitely sharp cuts left one marveling.

‘What happened?’

With that thought, Promen saw Aesop floating before him, his figure ethereal, and the glint of his shining blade.

Promen’s head, too, had been sliced into several pieces.

Immediately after, a barrage of attacks rained down from the sky. Larkin, clad in magic armor and protected by thousands of defensive scrolls, unleashed a full-power assault, enduring the aftershocks of the explosions alone.

He dealt tons of damage, utterly pulverizing Promen’s body.

‘No, what is going on?’

‘Where did all these people come from?’

He distinctly remembered the previous explosion silencing all the expedition members he had sensed.

The reason was simple: Aesop and the others weren’t on that floor when the explosion occurred.

They had covered Lola as she went to the upper floor to call Samuel, and after regrouping with Samuel, they immediately descended.

That’s when they saw Theodore and Theresia at a severe disadvantage.

However, upon seeing Promen’s intact core, Aesop sighed.

Just as Theodore had said, they couldn’t kill Promen.

But perhaps by continuously destroying Promen’s body, they could prevent him from continuing to fight, even if he kept resurrecting.

Unfortunately, Promen was not so easily dealt with.

Instead of immediately reassembling under the pull of divine power, the fragments transformed into a swirling storm.

Massive, dense, and hard fragments moved at high speeds, imbued with terrifying divine power.

This forced Aesop and the others to retreat directly.

However, the time gained was significant.

“‘Well, well, it seems I wasn’t too late,'” Samuel’s pleasant voice reached everyone’s ears.

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