The massive dragon and the petite girl standing on its head—the difference in their sizes made Fia’s pupils contract.
Instinctively, she used “Wind of Detection” to scan the deep purple dragon and the tiny girl’s mana.
The former was at least seventh rank, while the latter was barely at the second rank.
What puzzled Fia was that when she observed them with “Mana Vision,” neither of them showed the expected elemental reactions.
Their bodies were covered in a layer of black airflow, blocking the flow of elements.
Looking with the naked eye, she could also see a mass of chaos attached to the dragon’s heart, pulsing like an external heart—an oddly grotesque sight.
“It’s a Moon Dragon! Your Highness, we need to get out of here, now!”
“Damn it, why is a Moon Dragon in the temple’s underground? What are the church’s paladins even doing?” Anastasia stepped forward and grabbed Fia’s wrist, trying to pull her back from the edge of the cliff into the passage, while the two nobles kept retreating, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the Moon Dragon below.
On the World Tree Continent, dragons basically represented the pinnacle of what living creatures could achieve.
An adult dragon could easily surpass the fifth rank, and with their unique draconic magic, tough scales, and incredible vitality and physical strength, anyone wanting to take down an adult dragon would need to send in a thousand-strong army of magic casters—or face total annihilation.
If it weren’t for the fact that the routes among the Darkspawn were so divergent, and that most dragons were fiercely territorial, just the dragons alone would be enough to wipe out half of humanity’s nations.
And among all dragons, Moon Dragons were the most troublesome kind.
They were hailed as the embodiment of wisdom, with magical abilities surpassing their peers.
They could use traps and schemes like humans, and under certain circumstances, were even willing to lower themselves to form alliances with other dragons or even weaker beings.
In short, the appearance of a Moon Dragon always meant disaster, because a Moon Dragon would only act after making thorough preparations.
“Wait, Anastasia.” Fia didn’t let Anastasia pull her away, and explained in a low voice, “We’re not on the wrong path.
This thing has already destroyed all the routes leading to the surface.”
In other words, running was pointless.
If the temple’s underground was as complex as an ant nest, then the pit created by the Moon Dragon was like someone had dug out a huge chunk of it.
No matter which way you went, you’d have to pass through the pit.
She didn’t know why this dragon and girl looked like they were waiting for her, but what she had to do next was obvious.
Fia let go of Liti’s hand and instead took the longsword from Anastasia.
“Why are you afraid of fighting, elf princess? We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
The Moon Dragon’s low growl echoed through the underground hall, which was over a kilometer wide.
The voice sounded like an early, poorly synthesized AI effect.
Fia complained inwardly, ignored Anastasia and the others’ attempts to stop her, and leapt off the cliff.
No matter what, a Moon Dragon was a genuine seventh-rank monster.
Rather than having Anastasia help, it was simpler to handle it herself—Anastasia’s presence would only hold her back.
The howling wind in her ears quickly faded as Fia landed steadily on the ground.
She instinctively looked up at Anastasia and the others above.
Even after jumping from over a hundred meters up, her body felt nothing unusual—her physical abilities were just ridiculously strong.
“No wonder you’re the number one genius of the elf kingdom.
Even facing me, you don’t flinch.
We admire your courage.”
Seeing Fia land, the Moon Dragon raised its head, its house-sized eyes fixed on her.
Up close, the dragon’s massive size was truly intimidating.
Fia looked the Moon Dragon up and down.
It was almost exactly like the dragons described in fantasy stories—a body as big as a castle, wings covered in membranes and scales, powerful hind legs, and long horns like a ram.
All these features combined, just standing there in the hall, it radiated a sense of overwhelming might.
“Can we save the small talk for later? I don’t know you, and I have no intention of fighting you,” Fia paused, glancing up at her adorable little sister above.
As the admired big sister, she couldn’t afford to embarrass herself in the coming fight.
“But if you insist on making things difficult for me, I won’t hold back.”
“Hahaha! We’re here for you! The Darkspawn never need a reason to act.
These paladins are what you’ll look like soon!” With a deafening laugh, the Moon Dragon lifted its forelimb and pointed around the hall.
By torchlight, Fia could see countless paladins sprawled all over the floor by the walls.
“Wind of Detection” told her they were all still alive, but clearly had no strength left to fight.
Their armor was in tatters, and their weapons were bent and blunted.
Fia even spotted the red-robed cardinal she’d saved earlier, and the inquisitor she’d blasted with “Flame Storm” that morning.
Unlike the paladins tossed aside like trash, these two got special treatment—their heads were covered in chaos and they were tied to the wall, looking pretty ridiculous.
This Moon Dragon was a battle maniac.
The only way to deal with someone like this was with fists.
That was Fia’s conclusion.
“Let me see how much power the so-called number one genius really has!” The Moon Dragon pointed its forelimb at Fia, gathering an ominous black orb in its claw.
A chant-like, inhuman sound echoed through the hall.
Fia didn’t know what spell the Moon Dragon was about to cast, but she knew one thing for sure—she couldn’t let its plan succeed.
“Psychic Shock.”
A flash of white light shot out, and a violent blast of air slammed into the Moon Dragon.
In an instant, the black orb in its claw dissipated, and the dragon’s body was thrown backward.
But only for a moment—the Moon Dragon straightened up again, its tone full of surprise.
“You actually interrupted my chant? Impressive soul power! Let’s see how many times you can do that—!”
Before it could finish, sparks flickered at the Moon Dragon’s feet.
A pillar of fire shot up, engulfing the dragon’s lower half.
The explosion sent shockwaves and gales through the hall, kicking up so much dust and sand it was hard to keep your eyes open.
If it were an ordinary human, they’d be blown to pieces by that blast.
But this was a Moon Dragon—Fia never expected a single “Flame Storm” to take it down.
No matter how strong “Flame Storm” was, it was still just a first-rank spell.
Expecting it to kill a seventh-rank monster was asking too much.
She needed to clear out the magic traps in the area first.
“Mana Vision” showed that the hall was full of magic circles set by the Moon Dragon.
If she didn’t get rid of them, she’d always be stuck trading spells from a distance.
Fia conjured as many wind blades and fireballs as she could and sent them scattering around the hall.
For a moment, magical lights flashed everywhere, and almost all the magic circles were triggered by the wind blades and fireballs, losing their effect.
“It’s been a while since I felt pain like this.
Reminds me of fighting the Ice Witch…” Along with a sigh, a deep, muffled chant sounded from within the dust—not from the Moon Dragon’s mouth, but its belly.
Ventriloquism? Too bad, no matter how you chant, as long as it requires thought, “Psychic Shock” can interrupt it.
Another blast of “Psychic Shock” swept through, and the Moon Dragon’s chanting stopped abruptly.
This time, Fia noticed something she hadn’t before.
Just before the shockwave hit, a layer of deep purple hexagonal film lit up on the Moon Dragon’s body.
Although it didn’t stop the “Psychic Shock,” the wave’s power was clearly reduced as it passed through.
To confirm her theory, Fia cast “Flame Storm” at the Moon Dragon’s feet again.
The result was the same—when the pillar of fire passed through the purple film, its force dropped sharply.
The film must have the effect of weakening magic.
That was Fia’s guess.
Since magic doesn’t work—
Fia poured strength into her legs, took a step forward, and charged at the dragon with her longsword.
“If you’re not going to use high-level magic and want to compete with a dragon in strength, you’re just reckless!” After having her chanting interrupted twice in a row, the moon dragon quickly learned her lesson.
She stopped trying to use chant-based magic right away and instead started with low-level spells that didn’t require chanting.
A boulder the size of a truck suddenly appeared above Fia’s head.
At the same time, the ground split open and a stone wall shot up in her path.
Rapid dragon language chanting echoed from behind the wall.
‘Psychic Shock’ couldn’t pass through obstacles, so the moon dragon was trying to buy time.
But a falling rock like this was nothing to Fia.
She blasted the stone wall apart with a fireball mixed with wind blades, and dodged the falling boulder above her head with pure speed.
However, when the smoke from the shattered wall cleared, what appeared in front of Fia wasn’t magic, but a massive black dragon claw filling her entire view.
Was the chanting just a distraction?
Fia didn’t panic at the sudden attack.
She reflexively dragged her longsword up and swung it from below.
The next second, the dragon claw collided head-on with Fia.
Bang! A faint collision sound.
The figure in the black dress was sent flying.
The huge difference in weight made it impossible for Fia to keep her balance.
Just before she crashed into the wall, Fia used ‘Torrent’ on the wall, and the recoil quickly slowed her flight until she came to a complete stop and landed on her feet.
“Tch.”
The numbness in her limbs made Fia click her tongue and steady herself.
It wasn’t that her strength was less than the moon dragon’s, but that the elven princess was just too light.
Who would’ve thought being ladylike would be a disadvantage at a time like this.
“You took a direct hit from me and didn’t get hurt at all… Are you sure you’re not the elven princess, but a star crystal beast in disguise?” The moon dragon looked down at her claw.
It seemed like Fia had been at a disadvantage, but in reality, the one who lost out was the moon dragon.
Her strike only knocked Fia back, but Fia’s slash had easily cut into the dragon’s palm.
If the sword had been longer, she could’ve chopped off a finger.
“So what if I am!”
“You talk too much!”
With the ground cracking beneath her, Fia leapt forward again.
Having suffered once, the moon dragon didn’t try to fight Fia head-on anymore, instead using all kinds of elemental magic to block her advance.
Light arrows, blue-violet orbs crackling with electricity, clouds of darkness, even ice spikes—anything that could stop Fia appeared in the hall.
Fia’s response was simple.
The moon dragon needed several seconds to cast multiple spells, but Fia only needed a thought to summon four or five times as many fireballs or wind blades.
Her incredible calculation ability let her fireballs and wind blades precisely target every spell the moon dragon cast.
In just one exchange, the wind blades glowing with green light and the fireballs trailing long tails of flame overwhelmed the moon dragon’s magic and shot straight at her.
“How can a star crystal beast’s magic surpass mine! What are you?!” Amid the chaotic explosions, the moon dragon shouted in disbelief.
But she didn’t have time to dwell on it.
Using the cover of the magical explosions, Fia leapt to the moon dragon’s feet, then jumped again, soaring above the dragon’s head.
Gripping her sword with both hands, she brought it down straight at the moon dragon’s skull.
Sensing danger, the moon dragon instinctively began chanting, but Fia interrupted her again with ‘Psychic Shock.’
“Despicable wretch!” The frustration of having her magic interrupted again and again boiled over.
The moon dragon raised her head and spewed blazing dragon breath at Fia as she came down.
But instead of dodging, Fia only put more force into her swing.
Among all her spells, she had one called ‘Flame Immunity.’ She’d tried sticking her hand into a fire before, and felt nothing but warmth—not even a hint of pain.
The effect even worked on her clothes.
Too bad her weapon wasn’t a poleaxe, or she could’ve chopped off the dragon’s tongue.
As that thought flashed through her mind, Fia suddenly noticed her sword was glowing red, almost melting.
Hey, does this breath destroy weapons too? The moon dragon was way too overpowered.
A nearly-melted weapon couldn’t hurt the dragon, so Fia just tossed it into the dragon’s mouth and used her most powerful ‘Torrent’ right at the open jaws.
A massive column of water blasted into the moon dragon’s mouth.
Using the force of ‘Torrent,’ Fia adjusted her angle, dodged the jaws, and landed on the dragon’s head.
The gray-haired girl who’d been standing on the dragon’s head was gone—ignoring that, Fia set her sights on the dragon’s right horn.
As she and the horn passed each other, she grabbed it with her left hand, spun her body around it, clenched her right fist, and punched the moon dragon’s head with all her might.
Boom! The dull thud echoed through the hall, making everyone’s heart skip a beat.
Scales and dragon blood flew from the moon dragon’s head.
It was like she’d been hit by a massive weight, her whole body sinking, and her mouth letting out an inhuman scream.
Her fist hurt a little.
Fia shook out her hand.
But seeing the moon dragon in even more pain, Fia immediately felt her right hand didn’t hurt at all.
Just keep up the momentum and beat the moon dragon into submission—
“Ahhh! Despicable child of the gods!!!”
See, I told you, you talk too much.
Black magical light flashed in the moon dragon’s mouth as she roared.
It looked like a full-power attack, the black magic skipping the chanting and firing out as a beam.
But Fia was on top of the dragon’s head, so there was no way the beam could hit her.
Still, the moon dragon at full power was terrifying.
Anything the black beam touched—rock walls, ceiling—vanished as if it had never existed.
As the moon dragon swung her head, the beam split the hall in two.
The ceiling was pierced, and moonlight streamed in.
Then, strange creaking sounds echoed in the hall as cracks spread across the ceiling and walls.
“Tch.”
The hall was about to collapse.
Frowning, Fia stomped on the dragon’s head, forcing her to shut her mouth, then used a point-blank ‘Psychic Shock’ to interrupt her magic.
Using the dragon’s head as a springboard, she leapt toward Anastasia and the others on the cliff.
“This place is going to collapse! Anastasia, get Count Elvin and Alfred out of here, use your ‘Flight’ magic!”
“Yes!”
With Anastasia’s reply, Fia immediately turned to Liti, who was a head shorter than her.
“Liti, hold on to me.”
“Eh?” Before Liti could respond, Fia scooped up Liti’s petite body in her arms. As Liti cried out in surprise and clung tightly to Fia’s neck, Fia leapt straight toward the hole in the ceiling.
In the blink of an eye, the vast land illuminated by countless stars filled their view.
