Chapter 68: Get Outta Here! |
Just a moment ago, she had witnessed with her own eyes that adult black dragon rising up into the sky amid an explosion.
In that instant, everyone had fallen into utter despair.
But so much time had passed, and that black dragon still hadn't shown up.
Why? Had reinforcements arrived?
So, in the midst of the fierce battle, Jaina's gaze swept into the distance, toward the direction of the harbor.
And then, she saw it.
That adult black dragon was circling, dive-bombing, and spewing flames over the harbor.
And on the ground, a lone figure was locked in a standoff with it. The reinforcements were just one person.
But she couldn't make out who that figure was.
Allen gasped for air, his eyes locked onto the black dragon circling overhead.
He was certain of one thing—he was no match for this dragon. He couldn't defeat it in a head-on confrontation.
It seemed there was only one option left.
The Command spell.
With Command, the difficulty of the target's saving throw depended on his own primary attribute—Charisma. The higher his primary attribute, the harder it was for the target to resist.
Allen took a deep breath and pulled up his system panel.
Now wasn't the time to be stingy.
He temporarily allocated four Free Attribute Points into Charisma.
「Charisma: 32 → Charisma: 36」
「Congratulations! Your Charisma attribute has exceeded 35. You have taken your first step toward godhood. You are about to touch the threshold of divinity. Side Quest Two: Path of Ascension has been unlocked.」
What the hell? What was this?
But Allen had no time to check the newly unlocked quest. He felt something within himself undergo a qualitative change.
He first raised the Tidal Charm he had looted from the Naga Prince and aimed it at Sabellian in the sky.
The Tidal Charm glowed with a deep blue light.
Sabellian was about to dive again when a sudden dizziness washed over him. It felt like an invisible giant wave had slammed down on his head, spinning the world around him and clouding his mind. His body wobbled, nearly plummeting from the sky.
Now!
Allen drew Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire and activated his Wild Warlock feature—Tides of Chaos.
【Tides of Chaos: Your next check is guaranteed to have advantage. However, your next spell is guaranteed to trigger a Wild Magic Surge.】
No time to worry about that.
He pointed a finger at the still-dazed black dragon in the sky and activated the Command spell.
In that very instant—
Something in the Void opened its eyes.
It was an incredibly evil, ancient shadow entity. It cast a single thread of its gaze through a crack in the Void, falling upon Sabellian.
That gaze was cold, greedy, and carried an indescribable sense of… familiarity.
It whispered, just like the murmurs Sabellian often heard flowing down from his father's bloodline.
The voice said:
"Flee!"
【Saving Throw: Failed】
【Target Number: 22】
【Roll: 18 (First Result: 19 points + 3 High Perception Bonus + 3 Black Dragon Bloodline Bonus - 2 Dizziness; Second Result: 14 + 3 High Perception Bonus + 3 Black Dragon Bloodline Bonus - 2 Dizziness; Disadvantage: Take the lower of the two roll results)】
【Where did that whisper come from? At first, it was like a murmur carried on the wind, distant and vague. Then it drew closer—it was rising from the depths of your mind, from the depths of your bloodline, from a corner of yourself you had long forgotten.】
【"Flee."】
【You sneered. You were an adult black dragon, a child of Deathwing, an ancient being who had lived for a thousand years. Why should a mere mortal's command make you obey?】
【"Flee."】
【The voice layered upon itself, starting as a distant murmur, like an undercurrent deep beneath the ocean; then becoming a whisper right beside you, as if breathing against your ear; and finally, it filled the entire world, omnipresent, inescapable.】
【"Fleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleefleeflee!"】
【Your pride has yielded.】
【Your reason has wavered.】
【Your instinct has taken over everything.】
Sabellian's mind went completely blank, and he beat his wings with all his might!
That massive body shot straight into the sky, moving at an astonishing speed, like a black meteor flying in reverse.
He didn't look back. He didn't hesitate. He didn't even spare another glance at that mere mortal. He just flew, flew with all his might, heading in the direction away from here, fleeing without looking back, fleeing from that terrifying mortal.
【Wild Magic Surge has been triggered!】
【Dice Result: 34】
【Triggered Effect: The power of your next damage-dealing spell will be doubled.】
---------------
On the main ship.
The battle was raging.
Tagar Bonebreaker, the chieftain of the Bonechewer Clan, swung his massive battle-axe, roaring as he charged toward the Kul Tiras sailors who had come to reinforce the main ship.
His muscles bulged, and a bloodthirsty light blazed in his eyes. With one swing of his axe, he cleaved a sailor's shield—and the sailor behind it—clean in two.
"For the Horde!" His roar was like thunder.
Fenris, the chieftain of the Thunderlord Clan, fired arrows, each one landing with deadly precision in a sailor's throat or heart.
Death Knight Ragnok stood by the ship's railing, ghostly green flames burning in his hollow eye sockets. He raised his runeblade, and the aura of death spread from the blade, filling the surrounding sailors with a bone-deep chill, sapping their strength, making them tremble.
"Kill them all!" His voice sounded like it came from a grave. "That ship is ours!"
Just then—
A massive black shadow streaked across the sky from the direction of the harbor, moving at an astonishing speed, vanishing into the distant night sky in the blink of an eye.
Was that… Sabellian?
That bastard ran?
Tagar Bonebreaker froze, his battle-axe hanging in mid-air.
Fenris cursed loudly, his voice filled with disbelief and fury. "That damn black dragon! What the hell is Sabellian doing?!"
Tagar Bonebreaker joined in the cursing. "And I thought Deathwing's son would be something special! Turns out he's just a coward! A spineless lizard!"