'These crazy fuckers… I didn't think they would come out aggressively this fast.'
They were now certain that the Zipfels kidnapped Lathry, but seeing their bravado for the misdeed baffled Jin.
Additionally, their brash attitude towards eliminating Quikantel without hesitation made it clear that the Zipfels' central forces definitely had a hand on any business related to Lathry or Enya.
'They just demanded for Quikantel to hand over Enya. They are definitely hunting down contractors outside of the Zipfel Clan and are either using or eliminating them.'
The fight was about to begin, so Jin and Murakan remained hidden.
'We strike when Ms. Quikantel gets into a dangerous position or when there is an opportunity for ambush.'
Andrei and Vyuretta still did not notice Jin and Murakan's presence, so observing the fight for now was a better idea.
[I'll be honest, I haven't really liked you ever since we met, Quikantel.]
Vyuretta shouted, spreading a massive pair of wings.
Mana flowed through the powerful winds, and the static tornados began to close in on the silver dragon.
Whooooooooosh…!
The tornados moved like huge snakes. As trees got torn away from the ground, Quikantel scoffed.
[I'm sure you aren't planning to do anything with wind like child's play.]
It was at least an 8-star spell—not something one would call 'child's play'.
However, it was not enough to pierce her exoskeleton. She didn't even dodge the attack and took the winds at full force. Not that she was underestimating the attack, but she genuinely believed that she had no need to.
Loud screeches echoed throughout the island as the cyclones made contact with her silver armor.
But that was all.
The cyclones died down, failing to affect even a single scale.
The surroundings were devastated, as if caused by a bombing. And yet, Quikantel stood in the same spot—in the same position.
Vyuretta was a little surprised, eyes slightly widening.
"Whoa…! Incredible!"
Andrei expressed his admiration with a shaky voice.
Quikantel didn't like his expressive attitude. Not one bit.
The 9-star grand magician, 'Wind King' Andrei Zipfel.
As the second-in-command, everyone knew how strong he was, but not many knew of his 'real' power. Simply due to the fact that everyone who fought him had died. People only could infer his combat power.
And as for Quikantel, she didn't know much about Andrei either.
[I guess Wind King isn't just a title. You filthy human. Show me your strength. After I begin my attack, you won't have any opportunity to show off.]
"I can finally use my full power. In that case, I will enjoy it, Silver Dragon of Time."
Andrei's staff began to glow.
Mana Expansion—a spell signifying the start of an attack.
'It's been a long time since I saw a 9-star Mana Expansion up close.'
In an instant, about 500 meters around them, the blue mana dyed their surroundings. It was not a common sight.
And because he was the contractor of the God of Wind, Andrei's magic was the pure essence of wind. Every movement of air around the island could potentially become Andrei's weapon.
Wind was invisible. Although the artificial compression and movement of wind was visible as it ripped through space, wind—at its purest—had no form.
Thus, Andrei's wind could become an invisible sword or a formless spear and pierce the enemy.
The space around the grand magician began to morph with the flow of wind. No one knew what would come out of the bending space.
"If I had one thing to say…"
Andrei smirked and extended his finger towards Quikantel.
"I am especially strong against dragons. So please be careful."
Hissss~
From Andrei's finger, wind in the form of a spike flew out.
Quikantel sensed the danger and spread her wings. She planned on flying upwards, dodging the attack and shooting her breath to counter him.
But there was a reason Andrei mentioned his strength against dragons.
'My flight… has been disabled?'
No matter how much she flapped her gigantic wings, no wind occurred. In fact, her wings felt heavier, as if she were swimming in water.
A technique that only Melzeyer's contractor could use—Windless Domain.
Inside the Mana Expansion, there was nothing that could fly without Andrei's permission. And losing the ability to fly was a great loss to a dragon's combat power.
Crackle!
Andrei's wind spikes hit Quikantel's chest. Some scales broke off and fell to the ground. Simultaneously, Vyuretta flew to the sky.
[These bastards…!]
[You are definitely strong, but you were too careless.]
Vyuretta's breath flew at many angles. Quikantel conjured a force field with her mana, but Andrei cast another spell.
This time, it wasn't an inherited spell from Melzeyer. Instead, it was the Zipfels' lightning-attributed spell, Lightning Storm. Blue chains crackled and gathered in Andrei's palm as his feet started lifting off the ground.
Just because he was Melzeyer's contractor didn't mean that he was limited to wind-attributed spells. Even Jin used spells of multiple attributes freely while using spiritual energy.
'This can be lethal. That cursed human…!'
Unable to attack, Quikantel felt as if she was being pushed into a corner.
'Do we go now?'
Jin exchanged looks with Murakan, and the black dragon shook his head.
"Quikantel was indeed acting cocky, but those guys are also underestimating her. Let's watch for a little longer. If we go now, then her pride is gonna get hurt."
As Murakan finished speaking, Andrei also finished casting his spell.
Violent chains of electricity charged towards Quikantel. Hundreds of sparks and crackles of electricity—enough to blind a man—mixed with Quikantel's breath.
Although they were pretty far away, Jin felt shocks throughout his body despite protecting himself with spiritual energy.
Power definitely worthy of being the Zipfel Clan's second-in-command.
However, despite its uncontested strength, the spell didn't hit its target and was rendered useless.
Quikantel activated her temporal powers and froze Andrei's spell.
As the grand magician ruled the wind as Melzeyer's contractor, Quikantel ruled time as one of Olta's dragons.
[That was a pretty neat trick.]
More and more crackling bolts of lightning froze in front of Quikantel.
Before them was an even match between two god-given powers.
Andrei lowered his staff and lowered to the ground. Strangely, avarice flickered in his eyes.
"A very coveted power… Hehehe. Seeing it with my own eyes, I can feel the blood vessels twitching inside my aged body."
Quikantel remained silent and stepped away from the frozen bolts of lightning.
[I guess it's my turn now.]
It may still be a situation where her ability to fly was incapacitated, but Quikantel was confident that she could still rule the skies.
[If you won't let me fly, then I will not let you move a single finger!]
Screeeeeeeeeeech!
A sharp sound echoed, and waves of energy emerged from Quikantel's forehead.
Ripples could be seen throughout space, as if a rock was thrown into water, and everything that the ripples touched lost its time.
Inside the frozen time, one would basically become a statue.
"That is the reason why you permanently become a mere plant if you don't get along with the dragons of time, kid. Get caught by it, and it's over."
"That's unspeakably overpowered!"
"Well, not really. Just don't make contact with it. Then it becomes easy. The spell itself is hard to sustain too."
As it was Vyuretta's and Andrei's first time fighting a dragon of time, they dodged the pulses by instinct. But they forgot one crucial fact.
If any part of the body gets caught—whether it was the tip of the toe or a strand of hair—then the entire body will freeze.
Andrei easily dodged with his small and nimble body, but that was not the case for Vyuretta.
Thoooom!
Quikantel blasted off the ground with her feet and charged at the wind dragon who was frozen still.
"Vyuretta!"
When she got close enough, she released the time prison and ripped Vyuretta's throat apart with her jaws. Screeching, Vyuretta fell with Quikantel.
Boom!
From Vyuretta's long neck spilled thick rivers of blood. With his neck in her jaws, Quikantel stood like a beast that caught its prey.
Every time the wind dragon moved, green scales, blood, and flesh splattered everywhere.
Andrei was furious, but he couldn't do anything. Any move he made could kill Vyuretta. In fact, if he tried to approach them, then Quikantel could recast her ultimate spell.
[Keuuuook!]
[Tastes like garbage. You said I'm cocky? Say that shit again!]
Chomp!
Quikantel bit off a chunk of Vyuretta's flesh and taunted her enemies. From Vyuretta's wound, the white of bone was visible, and the wounded dragon floundered to escape.
Reactivating her ability, Quikantel froze Vyuretta once more.
The silver dragon made an unbearable sight as she repeated the same process. Her brutal attacks instinctively made the spectators squint their eyes.
"Wow, I'm getting goosebumps. I also suffered from that attack before."
"From Ms. Quikantel?"
"Yeah, we fought a lot while we were in a relationship."
Two more times and Vyuretta would be decapitated. The wind dragon's consciousness was already gone. And even when his time wasn't frozen, his massive body only flinched a little.
"S-Stop, Silver Dragon!"
[Shut the fuck up and watch, Zipfel magician. You're next in line. And you're at a loss for words? Maybe you're scared of your impending doom.]
Despite her threatening words, Quikantel was also very exhausted at that point.
If she could infinitely use her temporal abilities, then the world's strongest being would not be Cyron Runcandel.
'I was able to claim victory due to Vyuretta's carelessness. I'll kill this bastard. As for the magician, I'll get help from Jin and Murakan…!'
Because she abused her ability, Quikantel's mana had depleted.
Huff, puff…
Breathing heavily, Quikantel was about to cut off Vyuretta's airway.
Yet, with a firm resolve, Andrei walked towards the two dragons.
"You have gone too far."
[Look who's talking.]
"That is only for the stronger one to say, Silver Dragon. You were born as a Silver Dragon of Time, declaring yourself and your god as strong. All this time, you probably thought of yourselves as rulers of the world…"
'…But that's a delusion. Everything will fall under the Zipfels' flag—all humans and gods.'
Andrei lowered his staff and pulled out something from his robe.
In his hand was an orb emitting an ominous black glow. The moment Murakan saw this, he exclaimed.
"The Orb of Origin…! No way!"
He transformed into his true form, and his torso broke through the spiritual energy, revealing a massive shadow unto the ground.
[Escape, Quikantel!]
—————