Chapter 736: Spire Ascension (VII)
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"Well, well..."
Cedric couldn’t help but smile subconsciously as he saw what kind of enemy he’d be facing from the 30th floor up to the 39th.
The first thing he noticed upon arriving was the battlefield generated for this fight. He was surrounded by gigantic dried-up wood vines covered in briar. Shaving off the briars will cause them to release a thick and viscous liquid, which seems to be toxic and acidic as well.
As he released his sensory domain, one of his eyebrows raised in surprise as he saw the full scale of the battlefield.
Because as it turns out, this circular battlefield he’s in looked more like a nest. It’s perched upon a branch of a gigantic tree whose leaves broke out of the atmosphere so that he couldn’t even see them.
He also saw a bunch of eggs at a distance. They looked pristine; the surface gleamed with a healthy sheen and was covered in mystical runes, which reminded him of something.
However, as soon as he laid eyes on the eggs, he heard a furious roar that shook the entire nest.
A protective domain appeared over the eggs, and suddenly, a massive shadow dropped from the skies, standing protectively over those eggs.
The creature had the body of a lizard with every inch of its skin covered in thick slabs of rocks, which seemed to be its scales. Its neck was long, it had two goat horns, a spiked tail, and a pair of massive bat-like wings growing out of its back. Its snout snorted out flames in fury, and its predatory eyes glared at him as if daring him to make a single move towards its incubating children.
’Dragons. I almost forgot that they exist out here too,’ Cedric mused to himself, wearing a fond and nostalgic smile.
Yes. From the 30th floor to the 39th, Cedric will be facing the Dragons of the Primitive Universe.
Seeing a dragon made him subconsciously compare them to the ones he knew.
Appearance-wise, there wasn’t really that much of a difference. If the Wise Dragons of his home were to see the one standing before him right now, they probably wouldn’t even sense a difference. However, they would wonder where it came from because every Wise Dragon knew each other, and this one would definitely be a stranger to them.
In terms of actual strength, though, the Wise Dragon Patriarch could be compared to a clumsy kid compared to this one.
Even as it only stood there, Cedric could feel the aura of a primordial beast emanating from this creature. It evoked a primal fear in him, which was only countered by his indomitable will.
The concept of laws bent over and bowed to this beast. Cedric had no doubt that if this creature wished to, the heavens themselves would fall down at its command.
Remember, we’re talking about the concept laws of the Primitive Universe here, not the incomplete ones of the Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm. That’s why the Wise Dragon Patriarch wouldn’t even be able to dream of being compared to this dragon.
Moreover, the Dragons of the Primitive Universe are true primordial beasts. Their existence pre-dates even some of the older creatures of the universe.
And unlike other beasts, the bloodline of the primordial beast remains rich in dragons. Meaning that they wield more strength than their actual strength level, making it difficult to fight or slay them.
Growl!
Cedric woke up from admiring the beast as it growled at him. From its body language, it’s clear that it did not appreciate his presence here and was trying to scare him away.
Had it been any other place, one of two things would have happened; first would have been an immediate confrontation. The dragon, upon sensing his presence, will immediately attack him with the intent to kill. Second was nothing. The dragon might see him as a pest and wouldn’t even bother itself with him. So long as he doesn’t attack it or disturb its rest, it won’t attack him.
The difference is that they’re in their nest right now and it has eggs.
In fear of affecting its incubating children, the dragon will instead choose to chase the enemy away first. The parent will always prioritize the safety of their children; it’s an age-old adage that remains true, especially for beasts like this dragon.
Alas...
"Look, I really didn’t mean to intrude upon your nest. They transported me out here; it’s not my fault."
Roar!
’Leave! ’It says.
This dragon doesn’t speak human nor any language he knew. To ignorant ears, it might sound just like any other beast out there; they might not even think that dragons are capable of understanding speech.
But to Cedric’s ears, it’s obviously different. This dragon was using a language. Probably something that’s created for themselves. Its words carried immense power as it thrummed the very fabrics of reality when it was spoken.
Cedric actually felt a force trying to push him out of the nest when the dragon commanded him to leave. This wasn’t just a strong wind pressure trying to push him back; it was the words spoken by the dragon invoking the very force of the world to obey. That’s a massive difference.
"Look, Lady! There’s an invisible wall preventing me from leaving, alright! I’m bound to your nest whether you like it or not. What are you going to do about it, huh!?"
Cedric wasn’t so stupid as to argue with a scenario. He hasn’t forgotten that he’s inside a space generated by the spire. This dragon, as lifelike as it is, isn’t real. It’s a very realistic simulation created to test the prowess of the ascenders.
He’s just having some fun banter while he’s at it. Besides, he’s excited. He’s really looking forward to seeing what the dragons of the primitive universe can do.
As if answering his curiosity, the dragon was provoked into action. It reared its head back and breathed out a stream of pure plasma at him.
Ftoom! Boom!
The laser pierced through the nest, barely missing Cedric. It continued flying out until it could no longer be seen. It left a trail of scorching flames in its wake, and its impact caused the entire nest to shake dangerously.
"Wow! Trying to end this as soon as it began, huh?"
The dragon certainly wasn’t taking chances. It attacked to kill. The idea of underestimating its opponent didn’t even cross its mind. The only reason why it missed was because Cedric avoided it at the very last moment.
’The strength of that thing reached the peak of the Great Law level, holy moly! ’
Indeed. This dragon could wield the power of Great Laws at its acme, a level that Cedric hasn’t reached yet. That plasma was created through the combination of the Great Law of Fire and Lightning. Only an idiot will stand still to take it head-on.
Roar!!
Seeing that it missed, the dragon was displeased. It reared its head and roared to the skies, screaming, "Rise!" ’
Then, from the depths of the nest, crystals of all shapes, sizes, and colors rose, forming mountains and rock formations everywhere.
These crystals not only looked beautiful and phantasmal, but they were also covered in runes that had an effect over the environment.
A wave of weakness suddenly struck Cedric, causing him to feel sluggish and ill. His feet felt heavy; he also felt like a large boulder was pressing down on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Then, he felt the effects worming their way deeper into his body. His original energy flow turned sluggish and chaotic too. Then, some kind of force was attempting to seal away his Inner World.
’Damn, how sinister! ’Cedric complained.
And it didn’t end there...
The dragon, assuming that its curses have bogged down the intruder, reared back its head again and fired off another stream of pure plasma at him.
Ftoom! Boom!
CLANG!
Unexpectedly, to the dragon’s horror and surprise, the small intruder summoned a piece of metal to redirect the plasma attack back to it.
The creature was caught off guard and was unable to react in time. As a result, it was injured badly by its own attack. A chunk of its flesh was torn; the attack also pierced a hole in its wing.
However, what truly terrified the dragon was the fact that the plasma stream struck the barrier protecting its eggs. It anxiously looked over and felt relieved that the barrier was intact and that its eggs were safe and secured.
In its fear, it forgot that the protective measure it deployed to protect the eggs was ancestral power. One that’s far stronger than whatever it could personally deploy. It would take more than just a pure plasma stream to break that barrier.
However, this relief didn’t last long, for it was then quickly replaced by cold and murderous fury.
The signs of its anger were reflected in reality. The clouds above the nest darkened, lightning and thunder hissed, a shroud of crimson red killing intent draped over the beast’s body, its eyes glowed fiercely with cold and murderous fury, and its fangs were fully bared at this foul intruder.
"Haha, oops!"