C27: Battling A 5th Grade Lightning Dragon (P2)

Even Lucy was dumbfounded when she saw Riza kissing the boy. 'Woah... She loves him?' She asked from herself, her cheeks going red when she saw the two kissing.

"I want a kiss from Riza too..." she murmured to herself, shyly, her face reddening.

"Sorry, Alan," Riza whispered to the boy once more, placing her hand on his chest. Alan was too busy staring at her glittering eyes and the seductive look on her face, that he overlooked her forceful push.

Suddenly, she pushed him and Alan fell.

'Wha — no-no! No!!'

Alan fell into the lake, sinking in the water.

***

"Ok, guys! Our weakness is out! I just don't want to see that beautiful boy die!" Riza said to the other two girls who were staring at her, dumbfounded.

"What? That was just a distraction!" She blushed while she said this.

Riza and Lucy stared at her, sweating and their mouths wide open.

"The dragon! Focus on the dragon!"

Riza turned around and gazed at the enormous dragon, flapping its wingspan and keeping its balance in midair.

And the noble boy who was being shielded by the charm hanging on his neck was staring at a view he had never experienced before.

His face overheated and his nose started to run.

For the first time in the boy's life, two waterfalls of blood shot out from his nostrils just for looking at a girl's half naked body. (Which he hasn't seen before... Except his mother once. That was the reason he was too scared to look at another woman's body.)

As blood ran from his nose, a single drop of blood fell upon the pendant in his necklace and the magical barrier gave off a bright red light, becoming stronger than anything there had ever been.

'Oh no! The upper-grade barrier had been activated! The charm! No! I — I didn't mean to activate it! Sir Harmont is going to kill me!' The little boy cried out, trying to cover the pendant to turn off the power of the charm.

But... it was too late.

Lucy was shocked when she sensed this immense mana coming from the boy. "Wha — what is that power!? What grade is that charm!?" She muttered, utterly astonished.

However, the dragon was not trying to kill the boy now, but its attention was on the 3 girls standing on the boat.

"Lucy! Give me a flash!" Riza muttered to Lucy, summoning her enormous double blade to her hands.

The double blade was made from combining the two hilts of broadswords, more ancient than the Grim Reaper itself.

It was one of the most powerful blades of the midlands. "Riana" was the name given to it.

"Roger that, boss!" Lucy pulled back her bow and targeted the dragon's eye limit. She was blind, yet the Qi in nature lead her to the exact place she wanted to shoot, which was the head.

She couldn't tell where it was, but when she came to the fittest direction, her body acted on its own.

"Flash arrow!!"

Swoosh! She released the arrow, and the arrow cut through the air towards the dragon's head.

FLASH! A bright flash fell upon the dragon, blinding its eyes for a moment.

RWAARR!! The dragon roared out, struggling to keep balance in the air. Its tail swished and whacked into the barrier, making a crack on the upper-grade barrier. The blinding light had too much effect on its wide-open eyes.

'Wha — this... This isn't possible!' The little boy's legs trembled and he fell back, looking at the crack. 'Just what was this dragon?'

Winry and Lucy stared at this with astonished expressions. Both of them were mages and they knew that the dragon couldn't break an unknown leveled barrier with just a swish with its tail... Unless it was cursed too.

'This is my chance...' Riza thought, standing at the edge of the boat. She held her double blade tight and closed her eyes, consuming all the mana around her.

"Riana...." she whispered the name, under her breath.

A memory flashed in her head for a split second, but she held it back, forgetting it and pushing behind, instantly. 'It is not time to thrive on the past.'

"RIANA! Grade 5, Flawless Slash!!!" She yelled as she spun her double blade at a furious speed. The two broad blades lit up with red fire, alongside her beautiful eyes.

She took a step back, and paced her jump, before leaping 40 feet into the air. The dragon couldn't stop her, even if it could, she was too fast to keep its target on the demon woman.

SLASH! Her double blade struck straight into the heart of the dragon, making it roar out in pain. It happened within a single second, and neither the dragon nor the others who were gazing at Riza could see her attack.

However, the dragon who was struck straight into the heart was still alive.

'What? H — how did this happen!?' She was frightened to death when she saw the dragon's wings still flapping.

[Mana: 100/200]

She still had enough mana to make herself useful. The dragon was not quite dead but giving another shot was an option.

Riza pulled out the double blade from the dragon's chest and lunged. "Wings of dark magic!" She muttered, falling towards the boat.

Suddenly, a long, dark wingspan appeared from her back ribs, giving her the ability to fly.

She flew into the air, holding the double blade in her hands. 'Dragon... With this shot, I'll guarantee your death.'

***

"A man like you should've never been born. There's nothing you could fight... There's no possible way for you to win! So... Die."

A man came towards the young Lucas with a large axe in his hand. The man raised it to launch it towards Lucas, but Lucas didn't want to die here.

He wanted to escape. But escaping forever isn't right...

"Step up for yourself! Do something on your own! Walk with your legs... Do that, and I'll let you call me your father." His father had said, long before he began his quest to reach the maximum level he could.

The axe came down on him, and Lucas gazed at the man's movement. There was one sword lying down right next to him on the floor.

'One swing... That's all it'll take. I can win my lost pride if I can defeat this man, right here, right now. Just one swing...' he muttered to himself, over and over again.

Swish! The axe came down and tore the wooden floor. Blood dripped down to the floor, and the tall man fell with a bloody gash on his chest.

Lucas looked down at the sword which was showered in blood. "I... I... killed him. I feel... So powerful." He whispered to himself, tightening the grip on his sword.

"I'm sorry..." Riza's voice echoed in Alan's mind.

Suddenly, he woke up from his dream as a hand-pulled him up. A soft hand grasped his arm and pulled him out of the water.

Alan got back to his senses, but somehow, he was able to breathe underwater.

[Underwater Breathing: Trait of Water Element]

The words appeared in front of him. Suddenly, it all made sense.

However, before the soft hand could pull him out of the water, something grabbed him from below. Something like a hand, bony and sharp.