Chapter 79: A Desperate Plea, A Furious Retort

“My apologies, I’m late.”

Aldoran stood at a distance, spear in hand, while Fafnir seemed yet to recover from the sudden assault, remaining motionless for an extended moment.

Seizing this opportune window, Qing Yu scrambled to his feet, tumbling and crawling until he reached Aldoran’s side.

“Are you alright?”

Aldoran’s form flickered, completely shielding Qing Yu behind her as she asked, without turning her head.

Hearing Aldoran’s concern, Qing Yu, heedless of the perilous circumstances, immediately began to pour out his grievances.

“N-no, I’m fine, Aldoran, you finally came. You wouldn’t believe it, Aldoran, this monster almost killed me.”

“It’s a good thing you arrived in time, otherwise you wouldn’t be seeing me now.”

Aldoran nodded subtly.

“It’s good that you’re unharmed. We’ll discuss your reckless wandering once we’re safely back.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t I tell you to stay put?”

“B-but…”

“We’ll settle that score later; the immediate focus is on her.”

Aldoran offered no further replies to Qing Yu, instead keeping her gaze fixed on Fafnir while slowly retreating with Qing Yu.

Aldoran was not so foolish; she clearly understood the ramifications of clashing with Fafnir, knowing full well she could never hope to win.

At that moment, Fafnir, who had been standing frozen nearby, finally reacted. With a lift of her hand, a dark barrier instantly materialized behind Qing Yu, severing their escape route with Aldoran.

“Tell me, human, your power seems considerable. How about it? Interested in becoming my sustenance?”

Observing the two humans now trapped like caged birds, Fafnir lowered her hand, a faint smile playing on her blood-red eyes as she regarded Aldoran with an amused interest.

Indeed, treating these two humans as a form of amusement seemed a rather pleasant option.

However, Sleipnir, lurking nearby, harbored no such thoughts. She anxiously surveyed the unfolding situation, her mind racing to devise a plan to extricate Aldoran and her companion.

Though Sleipnir resented Aldoran, Fafnir posed a far greater threat, a true thorn in Sleipnir’s side. Should Fafnir absorb Aldoran and Qing Yu’s magical energy, Sleipnir would be forever doomed.

“I refuse, I’m afraid.”

While Sleipnir pondered her strategy, Aldoran delivered her response.

“Is that so?” Fafnir did not appear disappointed. She propped her chin on her hand, one foot gently tapping the ground, her fair, jade-like leg subtly revealed beneath the translucent black gauze skirt. “No matter, I assure you, you will soon change your mind.”

Aldoran offered no reply, merely tightening her grip on the spear, meticulously observing Fafnir’s every movement. A silvery-white radiance, like a coiling dragon, gradually crept up the spearhead, poised for an immediate strike.

Fafnir tilted her head slightly, disregarding the lingering battle intent in the air. She raised her hand once more, pointing at Qing Yu, and spoke with a taunting edge.

“You two are lovers, aren’t you?”

“What if we are?”

“In that case, if you are willing to become my sustenance, perhaps I might consider sparing the boy’s life.”

“You must realize there’s no escape for either of you. Given that, wouldn’t sacrificing yourself to grant the boy a path to survival be a rather excellent choice?”

Before Aldoran could even formulate a response, Qing Yu, behind her, cried out first.

“Don’t even dream of it! Aldoran will never lose to you!”

Fafnir let out a soft chuckle, then glared subtly at Qing Yu, who immediately lowered his head, shrinking back further behind Aldoran.

“Well, then, won’t you reconsider?”

Fafnir deliberately lowered her voice, making it sound almost seductive to Aldoran. Aldoran’s face, however, remained impassive. She subtly crouched, ready to launch an attack against Fafnir at any moment.

“I refuse.”

“Refuse?” Fafnir feigned surprise. “You truly are a heartless one, aren’t you? Just look, your poor little darling is trembling behind you now, praying with all his heart to escape this place alive and reunite with his family…”

As she spoke, Fafnir took a delicate step forward, letting out a sneer.

“And yet, you would willingly sever his path to survival, allowing him to become a tragic corpse alongside you. What a cold-hearted and ungrateful wretch you are.”

Aldoran advanced slightly as well, her gaze locking with Fafnir’s blood-red pupils. The纹 of an eagle materialized in her eyes, while the pattern of a dragon flickered incessantly within Fafnir’s.

“The one with no escape should be you.”

Fafnir remained unfazed by Aldoran’s words, a disdainful smile perpetually gracing her face, radiating an air of complete control and absolute certainty of victory.

In her eyes, Aldoran and Qing Yu were nothing more than lowly ants. As a noble dragon, she believed she could effortlessly crush these two insects with a single lift of her foot, whenever she pleased.

Thus, Fafnir’s provocations towards Aldoran grew even more arrogant.

“Do you comprehend the consequences of defying me?”

Aldoran remained silent, secretly gathering her strength. Seeing Aldoran offer no reply, Fafnir continued to walk towards her, speaking to herself.

“Rest assured, I am a benevolent being; I won’t let you die so quickly. After I defeat you, I will first make you kneel before me, weeping and begging for mercy. Then, I will sever your limbs, hoist you high with iron hooks, carve open your belly, and light an oil lamp within it.”

“Of course, I will use magic to sustain your life, keeping you alive. I am eager to hear your daily pleas and confessions of misery.”

“And then, what do you suppose I’ll do?” Fafnir glanced at Qing Yu, baring her sharp teeth in what seemed to be a deliberate act of intimidation.

“Do you know? When an oil lamp is lit inside a person’s belly, the light appears quite ambiguous, quite romantic, wouldn’t you agree? I, you see, have a particular癖好; in a romantic atmosphere, I desire to engage with men. So I will strip your little lover naked, give him several harsh slaps, then restrain him. I will [redacted] him in front of you, put a collar on him, make him crawl at my feet, begging me to [redacted] him, transforming him completely into my s*ave. And once I grow tired of him—”

By now, Fafnir had reached Aldoran’s side, leaning in close to her ear.

“—I will bestow him upon my subordinates. I imagine they—”

“—could play this little [redacted] to death in a single day, couldn’t they?”

“You bastard!”

At this point, Aldoran could no longer restrain her fury. Her spear slipped from her grasp, and she launched a punch at Fafnir.

“Gungnir, target, Fafnir—”

Fafnir, unable to evade, could only shield her chest with her arms, taking the full force of Aldoran’s strike. She was sent flying backward, crashing violently into the wall.

At that moment, Aldoran’s spear, as if imbued with life, soared autonomously towards Fafnir.

“Boom!”

A cloud of thick smoke billowed. Once the smoke cleared, Fafnir was seen pinned to the wall by the spear. Green blood dripped, landing on the ground, immediately emitting white smoke and rapidly corroding the earth.

“Cough, cough.”

Fafnir coughed twice, spitting out a mouthful of bloody foam. She gently raised a hand, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and let out two short laughs.

“Mongrel.”

Then, Fafnir gripped Gungnir, pulled fiercely, wrenching the spear free, and hurled it with force towards Aldoran.

Aldoran raised a hand, and the silver-white bracer on her wrist immediately glowed. Under the summons of this light, Gungnir instantly lost its unstoppable momentum, dutifully flying back into Aldoran’s hand.

“Mongrel, a mere human wretch dares to wound me, nothing but livestock…”

Fafnir gritted her teeth, enunciating each word. The wound on her body rapidly healed, disappearing within seconds, and Fafnir was restored to full health.

Sleipnir, witnessing this, immediately understood that Fafnir was enraged. If Fafnir were to engage Aldoran and her companion in conflict now, their demise would be inevitable.

However, this seemed like an excellent opportunity to escape.

If she could rescue Aldoran now and earn her trust, perhaps she could even use her again in the future.

But the time was not yet right. Sleipnir kept her eyes fixed on Fafnir, quietly awaiting her moment.

“Mongrel, mongrel…”

Fafnir repeated the word over and over, the killing intent in her eyes growing ever thicker. She raised her hand, sweeping it forcefully, and a black wind blade sliced through the air, rushing towards Aldoran with a sharp shriek. In the confined cave, with Qing Yu behind her, Aldoran had nowhere to hide. She could only raise her hand, swiftly deploying a light shield to forcibly block the attack.

“You mongrel!”

Fafnir lunged forward, her hands transforming into dragon claws, stabbing forcefully at Aldoran. Aldoran immediately brought her spear across, blocking Fafnir’s attack with a resounding ‘clang’. Fafnir flipped in mid-air, and the moment she turned, she unleashed another air blade.

Aldoran raised her hand, extending her light shield, and once again deflected the blow.

She was unable to make any extensive movements; the space here was simply too narrow. If Fafnir were to unleash magic, Qing Yu would have no chance to hide.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

Fafnir charged again. In her enraged state, Fafnir’s attacks were entirely chaotic, merely a pure, wild flailing of her claws. Aldoran continuously parried Fafnir’s attacks with her spear, never even shifting her feet throughout the exchange.

Fafnir’s strength was immense. To maintain her stance and shield Qing Yu behind her, Aldoran had to channel magical energy to hold her position.

Wave after wave of energy spread out, quickly leaving the entire cave riddled with holes.

“I’ll use magic to open Fafnir’s barrier in a moment. You run first; I’ll cover the retreat.”

During a lull in Fafnir’s attacks, Aldoran spoke to Qing Yu.

“But—”

“Obey!”

Fafnir had by now lunged forward once more. Aldoran did not parry with her spear; instead, she directly threw the weapon, striking Fafnir the instant she pounced and sending her flying backward. The immense impact carried Fafnir further back, smashing through one wall after another, pinning her deep within the tunnel.

Sleipnir, who had been waiting nearby, saw her chance. She immediately channeled her magic, shattering all the shackles on her body. Before Aldoran and her companion could react, Sleipnir leaped up, unleashing several light projectiles in quick succession towards Fafnir’s direction.

Amidst the green radiance being swallowed by darkness, several explosions echoed through the tunnel.

“You scoundrel—”

After the explosions, a white light burst forth instantly, and a surge of magical energy erupted, causing the cave to rumble violently. Gungnir pierced Sleipnir’s arm, and Fafnir followed closely, emerging unscathed, her sharp claws tearing through Sleipnir’s chest.

Fafnir did not stop. She pulled out the spear, flung Sleipnir with great force, slamming her against the wall, then flashed like a gust of wind to Aldoran’s side. Aldoran reacted instantly, raising her hand to block, but Fafnir swept a leg, and Aldoran was immediately kicked away, smashing into the wall.

“…”

Aldoran shook off the debris, rising from the ground. Just as she regained her senses, Fafnir was already upon her, her claws aimed directly at Aldoran’s heart.

“Sword of Wind!”

Sleipnir, disregarding her pain, hurled a sword-like beam of light, striking Fafnir and helping Aldoran evade the blow.

Fafnir must not be allowed to obtain Aldoran’s power!

Fafnir remained completely unharmed; Sleipnir’s attack had merely slowed her advance.

“I’ll kill you—”

A wind blade shot forth. Sleipnir flipped, barely dodging the attack. Above them, countless碎石 fell, and the cave began to tremble.

“The cave is collapsing! Run!”

Sleipnir roared at Aldoran. Enduring the pain, she rushed over, grabbed Aldoran and Qing Yu, and tried to escape. Fafnir, naturally, would not allow them to succeed. Black, sharp arrows materialized around Fafnir, and she watched Aldoran and her companions with gritted teeth, ready to unleash them and slaughter everyone at a single command.

“Hey! Don’t forget Brunhilde!”

Sleipnir, in a flash of quick thinking, turned back and yelled at Fafnir. As expected, upon hearing Brunhilde’s name, Fafnir instantly froze, and the arrows around her swiftly vanished.

She watched Aldoran and the others flee, trembling with rage.

“Mongrels!”