Chapter 53: Kaiju Whispers... Apex Dragon Trap
The horse heaved heavily with each gallop, covering meters in mere seconds. Thankfully, these horses were trained by the kingdom to endure long-distance runs, so they were not a hindrance. Now, the only concern was the distance.
Kimara raised her head to gaze forward at the endless trees and bit her lip hard. She had just been informed by Spade Horus about Ruthar and his siblings' adventure to get him a cure for the nightmares.
The bad news about the journey was the suspicion that they would be ambushed in the Alchemist city. At first, the Royal House was unsure, but after sending a few messenger birds, they received reports of a full-fledged attack on the city by dragons.
'Hold on, Ruthar, Taraha, Troma... I am close!' she muttered, urging her horse to move even faster. Luckily, Kimara and her escort of three other Exorcists were just a few hours' ride from the city.
As time went on, a troubling thought flew into her mind, making her sigh.
'Could Ruthar be the target? Damn, if they get him, we'll all be in trouble.'
---
Troma sliced through the throat of another dragon, beheading it. He stopped in his tracks and grabbed his chin in silent introspection.
'Taraha tricked us into running to the escape routes. I figured that out shortly after leaving, but I can't track her down at all. Her mana output is totally hidden.'
He rolled his eyes around the vicinity, seeing multiple dragon corpses spread all over the ground.
'What do I do now?' Troma shifted his sight to the top of the nearest building, thinking he might be able to spot more from above.
He walked up to the building's base to jump onto it but paused as he sensed a bizarre energy originating not too far away.
'Something is watching me?'
"So you noticed me?"
A voice originated from behind, seemingly human but possessing a low gurgle that was absurd.
Troma turned in curiosity to the source of the voice. As he suspected, it was no human. The being had long legs and arms, a bald head with no eyes, long spike-filled arms, skin like scales, and a long red tail.
Troma tightened his grip around his sword, taking caution. "This is a first. I have never seen a Kaiju hybrid, but I have heard how powerful you are."
The dragon hybrid spread its arms. "Countless forced evolutions that many dragons cannot survive have birthed me, the mighty hybrid! Mother sent me to keep you busy."
Troma suspected this. A trap needed countless distractions to get the exact target. 'So they are trying to stall me because Sister Taraha is their target. Thank goodness Ruthar is far from here.'
Troma stretched out his sword, white energy whirling around him. "I accept being your opponent."
The dragon hybrid's lips peeled into a wrinkled grin. "How delightful."
As soon as the dragon hybrid finished speaking, Troma disappeared from his spot, leaving only the wind from his movements.
The dragon hybrid cautiously narrowed his eyes, struggling to find Troma. He saw nothing. "Where ar—"
The dragon hybrid's instinct kicked in with a sidestep, leaving the sharp end of Troma's blade to rip the skin of his flesh.
"Arrrggfhhh! So fast!" The dragon hybrid stretched forward his left hand, forming a shadow orb-like energy that gave a scorching aura just from being close to it.
The hybrid sent the orb soaring quickly at Troma.
'Too slow,' Troma thought, twisting his body to evade the orb by a foot. He continued his offense, swinging at the dragon hybrid's shoulder and slicing it off with one stroke.
The dragon hybrid screamed, unable to keep up with the lightning-fast attacks.
While still stunned, Troma kneed the dragon hybrid in the gut, causing him to stagger with a grunt.
The hybrid coughed up a load of blood, stumbling backward from the pain.
"Weak, you are not even worth me using my Exorcist soul," Troma said, placing his right foot forward as the white surges curled around his sword even more. 'I'll finish this with the family's sword art.'
The ground beneath his feet shattered as he thrust forward like a bullet, reaching the dragon hybrid in the next moment.
The dragon hybrid retaliated, swinging its fist to strike Troma on the skull.
Troma ducked the attack, raising his sword and slashing at the dragon hybrid's neck.
"No, I can't die like this. I didn't even lay a hit on this guy... I am stronger than five dragons combined. I can't..."
The head of the dragon hybrid spun off as Troma's sword made a clean slice through his throat.
"Sorry, but you already died!" Troma muttered, not yet finished with the dragon hybrid even after beheading it. He raised his sword high overhead and brought it down on the corpse, splitting it right down the middle.
'That was a letdown. I thought these things would be much stronger.'
"Hahahahaha! I win!"
Troma's eyes widened at the words the head of the dragon hybrid muttered as its skull hit the cold hard ground, turning red in an instant.
'Wait, had this all been a trick? He knew he could never win, so he... shit!' Troma got the message, but it was already too late to escape.
The cranium of the hybrid shattered with an explosion of fire that consumed Troma and the nearby houses within dozens of meters.
The flames rose to the skies, hotter than twice the heat of a furnace.
---
Ruthar halted his sprint as he watched the high walls of flames rise into the skies from far above. The noise from the explosion and the heat were unbearable even from where he was.
'That should be around Lord Troma's escape route. It's too far for me to check out. He must have really handled those dragons... Damn, he's powerful.'
He shifted his gaze back to his own journey, still with no idea where Taraha was. All he had was a good idea of where she would be headed.
From the rooftops where Ruthar ran, he could see a large dragon, much greater and more primordial than the others sent across the city.
'I have a feeling Taraha would be headed there... I hope I make it in time, because I have a bad feeling about this, not just me but...'
[System is reading a hazardous manifestation]