Noir took a step back and watched as the enormous snake advanced slowly.
Its wounds were bleeding slowly, but that didn’t seem to hinder its movements much. On the contrary, the fury in its yellow eyes had only intensified.
The little dragon kept his distance, his senses on high alert.
’Why did that damn LED bulb have to celebrate victory before it was time?’
What was clear to him was that the size difference was still absurd and unfair. Even after the collapse, that creature could easily crush him if it managed to catch him.
But there was an even bigger problem... the poison.
Just remembering how it had melted the stone sent shivers down his spine.
’I can’t take a single direct hit.’
The snake seemed to have reached the same conclusion. It hadn’t launched a reckless attack, but was advancing slowly, waiting for Noir to make a mistake.
...Just like a true predator.
’Think—there has to be something I can use.’
The little black dragon’s red eyes darted around as he took in the shattered columns, the cracks in the floor, the bones, and... the reddish streaks running along the walls.
Small, glowing lines. Similar to the veins he had seen before meeting the golden dragon Chrysola. Only much brighter and much hotter.
’That... could be...’
Something in his Dragon Senses confirmed it, and a crazy idea began to take shape—an extremely dangerous one.
Unfortunately... it was the only one he had.
The snake struck again, slithering at high speed through the rubble and bones.
This time, Noir didn’t dodge to the side; instead, he repeated his strategy: he ran straight toward the wall.
Ssssssss!
He could hear the snake’s furious hissing close by, as its legs pounded against the rock again and again, trying to gain ground.
The wall was rapidly approaching the reddish veins and the intense heat.
The snake opened its mouth, its fangs filled with venom, and spat.
A green mass shot toward him, producing a faint hissing sound. Noir spun around abruptly and dodged the poison, which grazed his stone skin.
BOOOOM!
The rock exploded, sending glowing fragments flying, and for a moment, the entire cavern was lit.
Noir watched this with a smile; it seemed his instincts had been right and hadn’t failed him.
’This is perfect.’
The cracks glowed more brightly, and it was now clear that those veins didn’t simply contain material, but something resembling magma.
Then the temperature began to rise.
’I see, that’s why he was being so careful.’
Noir realized why the snake had been cautious around the columns—now reduced to rubble—earlier: it had been trying to prevent this from happening.
The snake halted its attack and, for the first time, showed hesitation, but it was too late.
The little dragon took a deep breath, feeling something in his chest begin to warm up, and mana flowed toward his throat, reminding him of a familiar sensation.
Much more stable than the first time, and much more controlled.
He opened his mouth, and a reddish flame with black sparks shot out at high speed; it wasn’t huge or particularly impressive.
...But it struck exactly where Noir wanted it to.
The damaged veins burst with a deafening roar, sending hundreds of rocks and bones flying.
KRAAAASH!
The entire wall cracked open. Streams of molten rock began to pour out of the fissures.
The temperature rose sharply.
The serpent retreated. Its instincts finally sensed the danger... but it was too large, and the wounds it had sustained earlier had slowed it down.
Everything Noir had done had finally paid off.
Part of the wall collapsed onto its body.
Magma poured over the serpent’s massive body as it struggled to escape its miserable fate.
The creature let out a heart-wrenching scream.
SssssSKREEEEEEE!
’Now’s the time!’
Noir seized the opportunity, sprinted forward, and all the caution he had shown vanished... because he knew this was his only chance to defeat the monster.
The snake writhed violently as the magma hissed, spurting in all directions and melting everything it touched; it tried to escape and free itself... but several tons of rock kept it trapped.
Noir leaped forward and activated his Draconic Claw ability; his front claws glowed and struck down with all the force he could muster.
SLASH!
The small green scales split open, and some flew off, covered in dark blood.
SssssSKREEEEEEE!
The snake roared in pain and rage.
Noir landed and attacked again.
SLASH!
And again.
SLASH!
Each blow deepened the wound further, while the magma continued to do its flawless work.
Feeling his mana running out, Noir knew the moment had come and found what he was looking for.
...The neck.
The monster’s most vulnerable spot.
The desperate snake tried to swallow him whole, spitting venom as it did so.
Noir saw the fangs up close—it was sickening—and leaped backward, the jaws snapping shut just inches from where he had been standing.
’Die now!’
The little dragon lunged again; this time, instead of using its claws, it opened its mouth. Its fangs sank deep into the gaping wound.
Blood flooded its senses; carried away by the sensation, it bit down harder and harder.
Then...
[The unique Skill Devourer has been activated.]
Noir felt a searing rush course through his body; it was incredibly addictive, which made him bite down even harder.
SssssSKREEEEEEE!
The snake thrashed violently, as much as it could, but the little dragon remained clinging to its neck, with no intention of letting go.
Energy, strength, and instincts began to flow into Noir, who continued to devour the food with all his might, like a homeless person given a five-star meal.
The creature struggled for several more minutes, as if refusing to die. But its movements began to weaken; it struggled less and less and grew slower and slower.
Until finally... it stopped.
The snake’s free body fell heavily to the ground, causing the rocks and bones to tremble slightly.
Silence returned to the cave, broken only by the bubbling sound of the magma.
Noir released his grip. His body fell heavily onto the rock.
He was exhausted.
Covered in blood, with several damaged scales, and his mana nearly depleted.
But he was still alive.
He had defeated a creature far stronger than himself.
Not by luck.
Not by chance.
But because he had fought, thought, and risked his life until the very end.
It was the first time since his reincarnation that he felt he was truly beginning to become a dragon.
The golden sphere began to spin merrily around him.
As if it had done all the work.
Noir let out a long sigh.
’Celebrate all you want, you damn spectator.’