A hoarse cough caught Niya and the Elder's attention. Caesar had once again spat out a mouthful of blood, struggling to prop himself up on one knee, his trembling body wavering as he stood.
Niya thought to herself, *"Such tenacity… This is nothing like the Baan Demon King I once faced!"*
The Elder sneered, "Heh… Baan, your unyielding spirit is indeed admirable. Even as your enemy, I almost want to take you under my command!"
Caesar, gasping for breath, managed a retort, "You? Don't make me laugh. You're not even worthy to shine my shoes…" But before he could finish, he faltered, collapsing again as the weight of the gravity-sealing spell bore down heavily. His hands braced against the ground, defiant to the last, unwilling to yield.
"Damn it—!" Caesar cried, only to cough up another pool of blood.
The Elder's expression twisted with disdain as he drove his foot into Caesar's abdomen, sending him rolling across the ground. He stepped forward slowly, his voice cold. "Out of respect for your defiance, I'll grant you a death with dignity." A greater explosion spell gathered in his hands, and with an icy glare, he spat, "Don't make the same mistakes in your next life. Now… go!"
At that moment, Caesar's eyes shot open. With a desperate surge, he raised his left hand and muttered, "Holy Light—Rebound!" In that fleeting instant, the Elder's eyes widened in horror—too late! His own explosive spell rebounded, erupting with a thunderous boom. Niya cried out in worry, "Elder!"
As the smoke dissipated, Caesar lay on the ground, his body ravaged with his left shoulder completely gone, yet he let out a hollow laugh. "Hah… now, who's laughing?"
Niya spotted the Elder, who had been thrown dozens of meters by the blast, gravely injured. She hurried to his side, whispering urgently, "Elder, hold on—I'll heal you right away…"
The Elder was unresponsive, slipping into unconsciousness. Niya swiftly chanted, "Holy Magic: Restoration," and a towering goddess figure appeared in the sky, showering the Elder in holy light. In mere seconds, his wounds began to close, and slowly, he opened his eyes.
Concerned, Niya asked, "Elder… are you all right? Any discomfort?"
Caesar, watching nearby, chuckled bitterly. "Hah! The old fool survived… the heavens truly have no eyes!"
The Elder, still shaken, leaned on Niya for support and muttered, "He is truly a demon… Baan, as long as he draws breath, he must never be underestimated… I was careless."
Niya's gaze hardened as she looked over at Caesar, lying prone on the ground. "Elder, step back. I'll deliver the final blow."
Without warning, the ground split open, and a colossal mouth lunged toward Niya and the Elder, who both leaped back just in time. Niya looked down and saw the creature—none other than the "Blue Dragon" that had escaped from the dungeon!
The Elder, too, noticed the dying dragon, now blazing with the last fires of life, seemingly fighting for its master's rescue. The Blue Dragon lunged at Caesar, scooping the unconscious Baan into its jaws before spreading its mighty wings and soaring toward the Misty Forest in the north.
At once, Niya and the Elder unleashed their magic—"Wind Magic: Scythe" and "Holy Magic: Luminous Sword"—two powerful strikes aimed at the dragon's back, but neither attack could halt its retreat. Furious, the Elder summoned another "Wind Magic: Scythe," this one even stronger. The great scythe cleaved into the dragon, severing its head from its body, and the Blue Dragon's remains plummeted into the Misty Forest below.
Just then, three mysterious figures appeared in the plaza. They exchanged glances before one of them murmured, "The hunt is over. It seems Baan is not likely to survive."
Another replied, "That's uncertain. Baan, as the mightiest among the dragon kin, has a tenacious life force. Unless we witness his final breath, we cannot declare him dead."
The cloaked figure nodded. "No, we won't pursue him. The Misty Forest is beyond our territory—it is not suited to us. This game ends here." With a wave of his hand toward the sky, he commanded, "Release!"
Instantly, the purple sealing magic circle in the sky began to fade, its restraint lifting.
Sensing the change, the Elder and Niya quickly returned, and the Elder demanded, "Why have you lifted the gravity seal?"
One of the mysterious figures responded coolly, "The hunt is over; our task is complete."
Outraged, the Elder insisted, "No! Baan still lives! Until his corpse lies before us, there is a chance he survives!"
With a resigned smile, another figure answered, "The Misty Forest is hostile to us. We will not risk entering." A third figure added softly, "Enough. No further words." And with that, all three vanished from Niya and the Elder's sight.
As the three mysterious figures faded into the distance, the Elder made no further comment. His aura gradually returned to normal, and with a wave, he directed Niya, "Withdraw. Later, send the guards to clear the battlefield and shelter the refugees." Niya nodded, signaling that she would take care of everything.
Thus, the surprise assault ended abruptly, with Baan's fate still unknown.
In the depths of the Misty Forest—
Caesar slowly dragged himself from the Blue Dragon's mouth. Alive, he looked around in disbelief. "I survived… Incredible."
Caesar murmured to himself, "If not for the Blue Dragon carrying me away from that magic circle, this body's healing ability would never have saved me. Truly fortunate…" His gaze fell upon the fallen dragon, and he sighed inwardly, "A pity, this brave dragon was cleaved in two."
Dragging his weary body, he slumped against a large tree, closed his eyes, and let his body heal. With the dragon's innate resilience, his wounds were gradually mending, even his severed left arm was beginning to regenerate.
He couldn't tell how long he had rested when he felt cold raindrops on his face. Opening his eyes, he muttered, "Rain…"
Though far from fully healed, he had regained a third of his strength. Looking at his regenerating left hand, he allowed himself a small, pleased smile. "This body… truly extraordinary."
In his mind, he called out, "Baan, are you there? Baan… we've escaped the magic circle. Are you there?"
But no matter how he called, his mind remained silent. Frowning, Caesar thought, Could Baan have been completely absorbed by that spell?
Worry gnawed at him, and then he noticed something strange—"Something's wrong… I've become weaker?"
Even outside the magic circle, his strength and magic hadn't returned. His face darkened as a disquieting thought struck him: Could that seal have a permanent effect? If so, things have turned dire…
A rustling from the bushes suddenly interrupted his thoughts, and two massive serpents, each dozens of meters long, slithered out, their cold eyes fixed on him. Caesar felt no fear; he was, after all, the Demon King Baan—the leader of these creatures. Yet, shock gripped him as both serpents suddenly launched a frenzied attack on him.
He recoiled, narrowly dodging the assault, puzzled. "What's going on? Why are they attacking me?"
More unsettling, he realized he could no longer hear the voices of the beasts. A sense of dread began to weigh upon him. "This body… what has changed? Everything seems to be going terribly wrong…"
Before he could fully grasp the situation, the serpents lunged at him again. Instinctively, Caesar dodged and countered with a swift side kick to one serpent's head. Yet, the attack barely registered—the serpent only swayed slightly.
This unexpected turn left Caesar's heart sinking—the situation was far graver than he had anticipated.