章節 213: The stampede stands still
Ruby charges at me like a wild bull but I can see the slight angling of her giant axe. A feint?
I move in accordance with her expectation and when the real strike is about to be let loose I back off and fire seven energy fangs at her. Her giant axe meets my energy fangs and crushes all seven of them. Man, the power of that swing is probably enough to cut me in half.
Before I can even think about what to do next Ruby is charging at me again. This time she has let go of all tactics like feints and fancy maneuvers. All she's using now is pure brute force.
Since I can't take her hits and she has no feints I can take advantage of I'm forced to pitifully evade her swings. I'm already beginning to feel cornered when Ruby suddenly pauses her onslaught of swings.
I'm so confused by the sudden pause that my mind fails to function properly for a minute. By the time I realize that Ruby is running towards the metal bridge she is already halfway there. Shit!
I rush after her. Her speed would usually be much faster than mine but due to the tide of weak monsters rushing inside Ruby gets delayed. Despite being unable to deal any damage to her those monsters push her back with sheer numbers forcing her to swing her axe and clear a path. I on the other hand go unobstructed, the tide of monsters parting around me.
Ruby arrives on the bridge just when I am in reach. Ignoring me she raises her giant axe and prepares for a devastating strike that will surely bring the bridge down instantly. I only have one chance to stop her.
A simple attack won't cut it. With her current defenses, I can hardly even pierce her skin. Time for desperate measures!
I got this idea when I saw Ruby being pushed back by the tide of weak monsters. While attacks below a certain threshold barely have any effect on her now, physics and specifically momentum still do.
I don't slow down and launch myself at her like an arrow released from a bow's string. I don't know my exact current weight and even if I did I wouldn't disclose it but I have gotten pretty... big. I'd estimate my current weight to be comparable if not superior to an SUV.
I hit her with my full weight and we are both sent tumbling down the slightly slanted bridge. While Ruby seems disoriented I take the chance to coil myself around her to limit her movements.
The ball of human and lesser wyrm tumbles down the bridge sending many weak monsters falling to their deaths. After a dozen or so seconds we reach the end of the bridge. Unwilling to be torn apart I stop trying to constrict Ruby and back off while surveilling my surroundings. We are back on the spiral path but only a short distance away from the bridge.
Normally I'd hope that my opponent wouldn't want to destroy the bridge now since it would destroy their own path back into the city but this is Ruby. Even if her skill allows her to not sink into that mindless berserk state she's the type to do something like this even while clear-minded.
Suddenly I feel a presence appear that makes my blood freeze. I feel like a mouse that has been spotted by a cat. However, I see nothing that could elicit such a feeling. Strangely, Ruby seems to be reacting similarly to me.
<I have an inkling what this feeling of yours could be caused by. Look down a few levels of the spiral path.>
I slowly move my head while fighting the terror inside me that's telling me to just play dead. My gaze wanders downwards until it gets stuck on a giant head poking out of one of the larger cave entrances.
It's a dragon and the sheer size of it baffles me. Just the head of this colossus is larger than my entire body. It begins to move out of the cave entrance unhurriedly and with pronounced movements that emanate a brutal dominance. Every move of every muscle seems deliberate, radiating power and control.
Despite its large frame, its steps go unheard. I shudder at the mere thought of how easily this giant traveled here from the depths of the dungeon without being detected. If not for its presence that spread the moment it stepped out of the dungeon...
As the seconds tick by more of the dragon's body is revealed. Its scales are a bright red with a glossy sheen to them that makes me jealous. Large yellow eyes languidly take in the scene as if we aren't even worth a second of its attention.
No one moves. Not the humans, not the monsters, not even the wind seems to blow. For a few painfully long minutes the stampede has come to a complete halt. Just the mere presence of a dragon has such potent effects?
<Its a skill called intimidation and dragons in this dungeon have trained it abnormally high due to constant territorial disputes.>
Not all that helpful to know what it is when it is still giving me enough pressure to make my body freeze up in terror. Is there a skill against it?
<You can gain the mental resistance skill which defends against a broad multitude of effects that mainly target the mind but affect the body. Alternatively, getting the intimidation skill yourself will allow you to counter and resist influence from similar skills. Unfortunately, both skills would need to be of a higher level than you could reach in a short time.>
The dragon seems to have finished looking around. It roars with pure command and sends the stampede rushing towards the city with redoubled effort.
Subsequently, the dragon opens its maw even wider and I can feel the energy build in its throat. Since when does a dragon need to charge up its fire breath?
<That's not a fire breath attack it's charging up.>
A glowing beam of heat and light shoots from the dragon's mouth and instantly reaches the city. Since when do dragons shoot lasers from their mouths?
I expect the damage to be catastrophic but a purple glow covers the entire city moments before the laser hits.
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