The bite marks on Wood's body were several centimeters deep. Though the Nine-Headed Dragon hadn't completely bitten through him, the wounds were still severe, causing him to bleed profusely.
Coupled with the final collision, Wood could feel that several bones in his body had been broken.
As Wood was sent flying by the Nine-Headed Dragon, the Demon Wolf King seized the opportunity to lunge at the same spot where Wood had previously attacked.
Wood's earlier strikes had already wounded the Nine-Headed Dragon, but in the short time that had passed, its wounds had begun regenerating.
But now, the Demon Wolf King had reached the beast's side and viciously tore into the spot Wood had struck, using its sharp claws to reopen the barely-healed wound.
With a painful howl, the Nine-Headed Dragon's beating heart was exposed to the air.
This was all part of the strategy Wood had devised before entering the room to confront the Nine-Headed Dragon.
Every living creature has a weak point, usually in either the head or the heart. Since the Nine-Headed Dragon had nine heads, Wood had first targeted one of them during their initial encounter. But even after severing one of the heads, it didn't deliver a fatal blow to the dragon.
From this, it was clear that the heads were not its weak point.
If its heads weren't the key to killing it, the heart was the only other possible weak spot.
Wood had used his wide-range attack, Jorōgumo, not to deal maximum damage but to pinpoint the dragon's heart.
With the combination of Moonwalk, Shave, and his unmatched swordsmanship, Wood had successfully completed his mission.
Although he had taken some serious injuries, nothing was beyond what they had anticipated.
The Demon Wolf King, having torn open the wound further, wasn't finished. Before the injury could heal again, it aimed another strike at the massive heart.
But this time, the Nine-Headed Dragon had recovered from the initial shock and slammed its head into the Demon Wolf King.
"Advanced Water Magic: Torrent Gate!"
As Zenith finished chanting, a powerful stream of water shot out from her staff, coiling around both herself and the Demon Wolf King like a protective serpent.
When the dragon's head collided with them, the swirling water acted as a shield, providing significant resistance.
Although this water magic had some offensive power, its primary purpose was defense.
Unfortunately, the Nine-Headed Dragon's scales were highly resistant to magic. If even King-Level Fire Magic could barely scratch it, there was no hope for Advanced-Level Water Magic to break through.
However, Zenith and the Demon Wolf King weren't counting on this magic to deal damage or even to fully block the dragon's attack.
The sole purpose of the magic was to buy the Demon Wolf King enough time to land another strike!
Seeing the dragon's exposed heart, the Demon Wolf King knew it had to act quickly. Summoning all its strength, it unleashed its sharp claws, aiming straight for the heart.
"Slash—!"
The sound of claws piercing flesh echoed through the room. Although the dragon's magical scales provided near-impenetrable defense, against the Demon Wolf King's claws, they were useless.
But just as Zenith's water magic stalled the dragon's attack, and the Demon Wolf King tore into its heart, something unexpected happened.
Sensing the threat to its heart, the Nine-Headed Dragon accelerated its regenerative ability, drawing even more magic to the wound.
With its already incredible regeneration speeding up, the heart wound began closing rapidly.
Realizing they were running out of time, the Demon Wolf King doubled down. With a furious roar, it used all its strength to tear the wound open even further, pulling it apart with its claws.
Then, without hesitation, the Demon Wolf King lunged forward and sank its teeth into the dragon's beating heart!
"Roar—!"
The Nine-Headed Dragon let out a scream more agonizing than any before, shaking the entire chamber.
Even with its heart shredded by the Demon Wolf King, the Nine-Headed Dragon didn't die immediately. Instead, driven by unbearable pain and rage, it began thrashing violently.
Vast amounts of magic surged from its body, and Zenith's water magic shield finally gave way as one of the dragon's heads slammed into it, shattering the defense. Zenith was knocked away, coughing blood and falling unconscious.
But the Nine-Headed Dragon wasn't done. Furious at the damage it had sustained, it quickly gathered magic in its mouth and launched a beam of dragon breath towards the falling Zenith.
Seeing the beam closing in on Zenith, Wood's eyes widened in horror. Covered in blood, he desperately used Shave repeatedly, trying to reach her.
But it was too late. The distance between them was too great, and the dragon's breath was too fast. No matter how fast Wood moved, he couldn't make it in time.
"Zenith!" he screamed.
Just as Wood was overcome with regret, blaming himself for pushing too hard to defeat the dragon, a red blur suddenly dashed in front of Zenith, shielding her from the dragon's breath with its massive body.
It was none other than the Demon Wolf King, who had been thrown aside by the enraged dragon earlier.
After tearing apart the dragon's heart, the Demon Wolf King had been knocked away by the creature's fury. But upon seeing Zenith become the target of the deadly breath, it had leaped into action, positioning itself between her and the attack.
The dragon's breath slammed into the Demon Wolf King. Though the wolf's fur had some resistance to fire, the sheer force of the breath was too much. The impact caused its internal organs to rupture, and blood poured from its mouth.
The fierce blast sent both Zenith and the Demon Wolf King flying across the chamber, crashing into the rocky walls and leaving deep craters where they landed.
Seeing both Zenith and the Demon Wolf King gravely injured, Wood's fury reached its breaking point. His chest, previously unmarked, now glowed with runes symbolizing the Heart of God, emitting a brilliant silver light.
*******
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a