Asterion spun Ancalagon in the air as he passed dangerously between the two dragons, Catalonian Fireball and Hungarian Horntail, from the Japanese and Russian teams respectively. Flaming puffs tore the air around Patriarch Black as the flames blackened his clothes. His hair fluttered in the wind as sparks of flame lit up the night sky.
Asterion instantly donned the black armor with red eyes and shielded himself from the intense heat thrown at him. The Hungarian Horntail was particularly fast despite its nine-meter length. Its rider, Natasha from the Russian team, was not an easy woman to deal with either.
The Russian team's black dragon slid its slender, long neck through the air and instead of aiming at Ancalagon below Asterion, directed its huge mouth towards the cell where Asterion sat holding his wand.
Asterion hadn't expected this flying lizard to dare aim at him, so when the dragon's huge mouth came dangerously close, the Black patriarch could even see the flame building up at the bottom of the dragon's throat.
Without any hesitation, Asterion deflected an Expelliarmus that was thrown at him by the Russian team member and aimed inside the dragon's mouth.
"Bombarda!" He muttered then a red flash emerged from the tip of his wand and almost instantly hit the inside of the dragon's mouth.
RRGHGUAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
As a roar full of fury and wailing pain rang out in the sky, blood and flesh fell from the sky, staining the sandy ground with a layer of dark red.
Asterion found himself free for a moment and separated from the enemy duo, he looked at the Hungarian Horntail and saw the state that the lethal spell had made of the dragon.
The dragon was still flying through the air, its strong wings flapping to keep the creature aloft, it looked fine, but the same could not be said for the dragon's face, half of the draconic face had disappeared at this point. Blood dripped down half of the still intact face, Asterion could see the teeth or what was left of them, it was a horribly bloody wound.
Asterion didn't know if the dragon could live normally after the Tournament, but he found it hard to believe. Healing potions might work with humans, but with dragons it was a completely different matter.
Suddenly, a roar sounded next to Asterion and he saw Catalonian Fireball spraying a jet of flame at Ancalagon, Asterion's vision obscured by the flame covering his entire figure.
Ancalagon let out a pained roar, feeling his enemy's powerful flame melt his body and roast the dragon's own flesh and blood. Something the black and red dragon didn't take lightly, as he became even more furious. Without any hesitation on the part of the magical creature, Ancalagon crashed hard into the Catalonian Fireball, causing both creatures to once again become entangled in a barbaric and vicious fight.
But unlike the Hungarian Horntail, which could go head-to-head with Ancalagon because of its nine-meter size and extremely warlike temperament, the Catalonian Fireball didn't have these advantages. As well as being smaller, at around seven meters long, its temperament wasn't as voracious or aggressive as the Hungarian Horntail.
What followed was the purest violence and brutality from Ancalagon against the Catalonian Fireball dragon. The poor dragon, who was much smaller than his enemy, was torn apart as if he were nothing, his neck breaking under the cruel and brutal grip of Ancalagon's jaw.
Aiko Nakamura, the daughter of the Japanese Minister of Magic, Satoshi Nakamura, watched in shock as the dragon died. She raised her wand towards Asterion with the intention of casting a spell, but the Special Grade Wizard himself was even quicker than the girl.
Confundus!
Aiko felt her consciousness shatter and darkness took over in the next second, knocking her unconscious as she and the dragon fell to the ground dying together, or that would have been the case if it hadn't been for Asterion saving the young woman, and despite wanting to let the young woman die to make the Japanese Minister of Magic furious, he still saved her, but he wasn't at all gentle like the other two competitors he had already knocked to the sand, canceling the spell lethally ten meters before it hit the ground.
Ancalagon dived towards the desert, ready to start another round of attacks, but either he or Asterion were surprised to notice that they weren't attacked as they plummeted dangerously close to the sand dunes. Patriarch Black looked up and saw a small shadow gradually receding over the horizon, leaving him stunned for a moment.
After the surprise, Asterion's face was indifferent to the young Russian's escape, and if he thought about it, it was obvious that it was a very intelligent decision. Asterion and Ancalagon couldn't be defeated by four dragons, she alone would definitely suffer the same fate as the other three.
So, rather than make the Russian team even weaker by her loss, Natasha retreated without a second thought. You can call her a coward, but compared to victory, sacrificing her own reputation was no big deal in her eyes. Besides, she had discovered a lot about Asterion's dragon, information that she could use very well to make the mighty black and red dragon fall from the sky like a shooting star.
Seeing the figure of the Russian team member disappearing over the horizon in the opposite direction to the north, Asterion looked away and controlled Ancalagon to continue north with no intention of pursuing the young woman. The dragon let out a roar full of dissatisfaction and was still furious at being wounded by someone he considered weak.
Even so, he made a graceful turn in the air and headed north while the red eyes that resembled hot coals reflected a hidden rage in the gaze of the huge fifteen-meter-long creature.
Asterion couldn't help but notice the blood dripping from Ancalagon's neck, the black scales not only showed a puncture wound but were partially melted, many showing signs of breaking at any moment.
It was the Hungarian Horntail's flames that made the scales melt, while the puncture wound was the work of American team member David Williams' Romanian Longhorn. The green dragon's golden horns pierced Ancalagon's neck, and although it wasn't a particularly serious wound, blood was oozing out of the puncture.
Asterion frowned, but didn't order Ancalagon to stop to rest and tend to his wounds. The dragon possessed the blood of Morgan, the cursed spirit who had already begun the process of Divinization.
Ancalagon had abilities that he himself didn't know about, Asterion just wanted the dragon to learn on its own, just as a father would let his son fall and learn to get up on his own instead of asking for his mother's help.
And the next scene before him made Asterion's lips lift in a satisfied smile, he saw the flesh on Ancalagon's wound begin to expand and within moments, the wound was completely healed, only the scales were still melted and broken in many places, something that needed time to regenerate without haste.
"Good job, kid." With his hair fluttering in the wind and the strong sound of the wind breeze around him, Asterion stroked the beautiful creature's neck and spoke in a gentler tone, one he used for Baskerville.
A gentle, caressing trill sounded from the dragon's throat as it flapped its great wings, propelling itself upwards and sailing between the air currents.
Almost an hour into his flight, Asterion noticed an oasis again, and to his surprise, there was someone he knew very well.
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 204 - Golden Path (2), Chapter 205 - Golden Path (3), Chapter 206 - Battle in Desert City (1), Chapter 207 - Battle in Desert City (2), Chapter 208 - On the Night of the Storm (1), Chapter 209 - On the Night of the Storm (2), Chapter 210 - On the Night of the Storm (3), Chapter 211 - On the Night of the Storm (4), Chapter 212 - On the Night of the Storm (5), Chapter 213 -At the Highest Point of Heaven (END Dragon Race), Chapter 214 - The Spark of Chaos (1), Chapter 215 - The Spark of Chaos (2), Chapter 216 - The Spark of Chaos (3), Chapter 217 - The Spark of Chaos (4), Chapter 218 - Ancient Artifact (1), Chapter 219 - Ancient Artifact (2), Chapter 220 - The Last Moment Before Chaos (1).