Chapter 73: A Desperate Defense

Thump.

Thump, thump~

The heart was still beating. Though its rhythm was incredibly slow, it hadn’t stopped entirely.

“It’s wonderful, truly wonderful…”

Tears streamed down Wang’s face, yet a smile graced her lips. The moment her relief settled, a sharp claw descended from behind, stirring the air into a turbulent eddy.

Sensing the air churn behind her, Wang twisted her neck to look back. It was then that the Bone Dragon’s claw, laden with boundless fury, rapidly closed in with an inescapable momentum.

If she had been alone, Wang could have easily evaded the descending claw before it struck.

But she couldn’t do that now.

Little Eagle lay in a deep coma, requiring someone to shield her. Convinced that ‘this responsibility fell to no one but her,’ Wang swiftly crossed her arms, further shielding Little Eagle and interposing her own body between the girl and the claw.

This was no impenetrable barrier, merely the most ordinary flesh and blood. Yet, such protection offered a crucial advantage: unless the protector perished, the protected party would never suffer even the slightest harm!

Amidst the raging claw winds, the massive, hardened claw slammed into Wang, sending her, unyielding, flying along with the very earth beneath her.

“This is good. I always hoped to do something for you, just as you once cared for me…”

Wang bore the full force of the Bone Dragon’s attack. As her body was about to fall back to the ground from mid-air, she hugged Little Eagle close, rotating her body once.

Her back-first descent finally ended with a heavy impact on the ground. Blood mingled with the soil, deepening the crimson hue until it appeared almost a dull black.

It was truly bizarre. Since Little Eagle had fallen into a coma, losing her ability to protect herself, she hadn’t sustained a single injury. All the pain had been completely absorbed by the young woman shielding her.

Wang’s heart swelled with increasing joy, for she had finally found an opportunity to repay Little Eagle’s companionship. Though she couldn’t reciprocate the other’s affections, she was willing to give everything she had, save for her heart.

Ten years ago, Little Eagle had saved her life.

Ten years later, Wang saved her in return, sacrificing half of her own life.

Proof of this lay in the alarming amount of blood now gushing from Wang’s side. The internal injuries she sustained this time were far more dire than all the wounds she had accumulated throughout the war.

This was not for any other reason than that, during her self-sacrificing defense moments ago, she had been struck in a vital spot by a sharp dragon claw. The area of her abdomen, much like that of any ordinary person, had been gouged open into a gaping, bloody hole by the dragon’s sharp talons.

Had the laceration been just slightly higher, it might have been her very heart that was torn asunder.

With its successful strike, the Bone Dragon’s malevolence deepened instantly, and it eagerly slammed its remaining claw down with crushing force.

Just as Wang, due to her severe injuries, was unable to react or resist, a shadow rushed forward.

The descending claw was like a hurricane, yet the person represented by the shadow moved faster than the wind in the very next instant!

Clang!

When the sharp claw struck, it should have hit the blood-stained head just millimeters away. Yet, the Bone Dragon, with its limited intelligence, felt no sensation of tearing through flesh and blood. It felt disappointed once more, hearing a clear shout ripple through the air, like water cresting over autumn leaves.

A greatsword plunged beneath the Bone Dragon’s claw, somehow managing to parry the powerful attack.

Wang looked up to see Cai standing before her, her sword held like a shield. “Foolish woman, stand down. You only have experience with a sword, not the strength to fight a powerful enemy…”

“No!”

Cai refused Wang’s demand before she could even finish speaking. The reason was simple:

“I left earlier to lead everyone to the mountain and ensure their safety. Now that my task is complete, what reason do I have to be protected behind you and Big Sister!?”

It was true that Cai was weak. Yet, even the weak could, at times, display a tenacity that rivaled the strong. Despite gripping her sword with both hands, her body was severely bent under the crushing weight of the descending dragon claw, as if she might collapse at any moment, pulverized by the immense pressure.

However, the resolute expression on her face was no less determined than Little Eagle’s desperate struggle moments ago.

The Bone Dragon was now at the end of its tether. It couldn’t instantly pulverize the interfering target in a flash of lightning. The injuries from the exploding feathers, the scorching flames, and the sharp sword slashes had all contributed to the dragon’s increasing weakness over time. With its strength diminished by these wounds, the Bone Dragon could no longer gain much advantage, even against Cai.

As the Bone Dragon’s claw-lifting momentum weakened, Cai seized the opportunity when its claw tip was slightly raised. With a twist of her wrist, she swung her greatsword upwards in a counter-attack. The offensive and defensive roles instantly reversed. Cai was no longer merely passive.

Utilizing the sword’s sharpness, and her own meager strength, she launched a counter-attack against the dragon’s claw, which was slowly being cleaved apart. The Bone Dragon dared not underestimate the keen edge of the sword and had no choice but to temporarily lift its claw to dodge the attack.

It hadn’t anticipated that this brief moment of hesitation would allow Cai, whose mind had been imbued with extensive swordsmanship experience, to instantly seize a chance for a decisive reversal. Cai let out a low cry, pushing off the ground with her feet and leaping upwards.

Her swinging wrist propelled the greatsword, transforming into a flash of cold light. Streaks of white light crisscrossed upwards, striking the unprepared Bone Dragon.

Whoosh, thud!

The sound accompanying the sword’s flash was that of something being sliced off. The Bone Dragon was stunned for mere seconds, yet a piece of its bone was already shorn away. Taking advantage of its pained howl, Cai leaped onto its limb, moving swiftly and dodging amidst its movements.

Cai reached the area beneath the Bone Dragon’s neck. In that second, her figure soared into the air, both hands gripping the sword hilt, raised high. Suspended momentarily in mid-air, her body formed a taut bow, and her trembling right wrist propelled the sword forward.

Bang!

The Bone Dragon was heavily pierced. This strike indeed caused damage, but due to Cai’s lack of raw power, this attack, which should have been decisive, only managed to shallowly carve open the dragon bone at that location. To deliver a fatal blow with a single sword strike, Cai was still incapable.

Roar!

In its furious roar, the Bone Dragon’s charging head suddenly tore through the air, creating visible swirling waves of air. The dragon’s head, like a black shadow, hung before Cai, then smashed forward as fast as a flying stone, directly hitting the hunter’s slender body. The powerful, overbearing impact slammed solidly into Cai’s body.

The surging force vibrated deeply within her, draining the color from Cai’s face as a clear cough echoed: “Cough!”

Cai arched her neck, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood that scattered amidst the swirling debris around her. Subsequently, she plummeted like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground and leaving a long drag mark. Simultaneously, the greatsword, released from her grasp, had been firmly thrown by Cai’s hands in the previous moment!