Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 177 - 176: The Trick Isn’t New

Chapter 177: Chapter 176: The Trick Isn’t New

Leon didn’t pull out the Catastrophe Blade. Having just obtained new equipment, he deliberately chose to use his sharp teeth and claws to experience the improvement brought by his new gear.

In short, Leon didn’t say a word and swiftly raised his claws for a strike.

In DND settings, there are no attributes like Dodge, Parry, or Block. Defensive aspects are primarily represented by Armor Class, which encompasses the aforementioned attributes.

Dexterous Wanderers and Rangers have high Armor Class, mainly reflected in their agility and agility-based evasion. Units like the heavily armored Death Knights mainly showcase their Armor Class through blocking, parrying, and armor resilience.

Facing the Red Dragon’s claw attack, the Death Knight’s response was to raise his shield.

The surface of Leon’s Tear Claw was coated with refined gold, but the Death Knight’s shield was no ordinary artifact. As a result, the curved blade did not penetrate the Death Knight’s shield to tear his flesh and bone. However, the heavy strike did drive the Death Knight’s legs deep into the mud.

According to the rulebook, Red Dragon attacks fall under the category of Multiple Attack, launching a total of three strikes—one bite and two claw attacks. Due to his human soul, Leon wasn’t accustomed to biting, but he never forgot his pair of foreclaws. After swiping out with his right claw, his left claw quickly followed up with another strike.

This time, the Death Knight failed to block the attack and directly took a hit from Leon’s claw. However, aside from his shield, he also wore sturdy plate armor, meaning the Tear Claw still couldn’t harm his body.

Leon hadn’t expected a simple claw strike to take down the Death Knight anyway. After all, this was the renowned Death Knight. The current situation was wholly within Leon’s expectations.

"Not bad. You’re stronger than I thought."

"A Red Dragon wearing equipment—this is a first for me."

"It’s my turn now, isn’t it?"

The Death Knight naturally wasn’t going to let himself get hit for free. With those words, he raised his sword and summoned eerie green souls of the dead to surround him. Subsequently, he wiped his palm over the sword blade. Under the effect of the Magic Elemental Weapon, the blade radiated a deep blue glow and chilling aura—naturally, freezing damage is the optimal counter to a Red Dragon.

Only fools would stand by idly while an enemy powers up. Seeing the Death Knight buffing himself, Leon immediately whipped his tail at him, sending the Death Knight flying and rolling across the ground.

Though struck squarely by the tail, the Death Knight climbed back up as if entirely unaffected.

Outside, he was encased in thick plate armor. Inside, he was a skeleton draped with flesh—no internal organs, no possibility of internal injuries. Unless the immense energy sustaining that body was entirely depleted, he wouldn’t die and wouldn’t even feel pain. This was a top-tier undead creature.

"What a durable fellow."

Leon muttered to himself, watching the Death Knight charge at him again. He swung out his right claw, striking the Death Knight’s sword with a resounding clang of metal upon metal. Then he extended his left claw, but to his surprise, the plate-armored Death Knight managed to leap and dodge his horizontal slash.

The Death Knight drew rapidly closer—now within striking distance—his empty eye sockets alight with two venomous flames... It seemed the Death Knight’s target was Leon’s chest. To be safe, Leon activated Gathering Form and Scattering Energy without hesitation.

Leon was self-aware. Physically, he was on par with a standard young dragon, which was decent considering his recently adolescent stage, but still insufficient against the Death Knight. The Catastrophe Blade could be set aside momentarily, but if he didn’t use his spells—a crucial element that had carried him this far—was he just asking to die slowly?

The Death Knight wasn’t a Sphinx and didn’t have True Vision, so he didn’t realize Leon had already scattered his form and moved away. The sword pierced an illusion of Leon, and only when the fake figure was blown apart by the ocean wind did the Death Knight realize he’d hit nothing but an illusion.

By that time, Leon had already reappeared behind him, seizing the opportunity to open his jaws for a Breaking Stealth Strike, biting the Death Knight with force while jerking his head violently.

A gear-equipped Red Dragon with weaponized bites layered with enhancements—such a deadly chomp exerted pressure on the Death Knight. If he didn’t act, he’d eventually be crushed.

Crisis breeds opportunity!

Ceasing resistance to the bite, the Death Knight raised his sword and stabbed it straight at the Red Dragon’s mouth.

Shock Slash!

Shock Slash inflicted more than just physical damage—it also delivered spiritual harm, known as mind damage. The intense pain forced Leon to release the Death Knight, clutching his mouth.

"Red Dragon, you’re injured." The Death Knight leveled his sword at Leon. "You are no match for me."

"Yes, I’m hurt. You’re formidable." Leon hated being injured—it had been a long time since he’d suffered an injury.

The Tear Claw and Dragon’s Jaw were decent, but they paled in comparison to the Catastrophe Blade. Using them for moments where swords couldn’t reach was fine, but as primary offensive tools, they fell short. With this in mind, Leon decided to go all out, announcing, "You forced me into this. Time to unleash my full strength."

"You never used all your might? Good thing, because neither did I." The Death Knight burst into laughter. "Let’s see which of us is stronger."

"If I win, you’ll tell me the location of the Impermanence Card. I won’t kill you or trouble you further." The Death Knight contemplated recruiting Leon as an agent of the Death Fear Punisher.

"If I win, I don’t want anything from you except your life." The injured Leon was visibly irritated.

"If you can kill me, feel free to take my life." The Death Knight replied. "I’ll only thank you for it."

Following complete destruction, Death Knights can return, bound by their fate as undead. Only by atoning for their sins or attaining salvation can they escape their undead torment and finally rest in peace. Death, to them, is a form of release.

As he spoke, the Death Knight raised his hand and cast a green ray towards Leon.

Withering Technique? Leon paid no attention to the green ray, letting the necromancy energy strike his chest—he had already activated Vajra Body.

With Vajra Body awakened, immune to all damage, Leon calmly remarked, "Not even a scratch. Try harder."

The Withering Technique was utterly ineffective. The Death Knight didn’t dwell on the matter, for he saw the Red Dragon pull out a sword seemingly out of nowhere, swinging it at him. He quickly raised his sword to block, then grabbed his weapon’s hilt with one hand and held its blade with the other, tilting it at an angle to deflect Leon’s attack to the ground.

Now was the time. The Death Knight seized the opportunity to close in, slicing at the Red Dragon’s leg, aiming for a weak spot in the scales. The strike was swift and clean—Shock Slash, delivered once more.

The blade hit the Red Dragon’s leg, ringing sharply as if striking steel.

That shouldn’t happen. His sword was supposed to shred through the Red Dragon’s fragile scales, delivering the freezing damage from the Elemental Weapon along with necromancy energy and the mind shock from Shock Slash... Something felt terribly off to the Death Knight. The flames in his eye sockets flickered in confusion.

This dragon—it seemed more like an impenetrable rock. A diamond?

Refusing to believe it, the Death Knight swung his sword again, with no better results.

"Had enough yet?" Thanks to his Dragon Form’s limitations, Leon had short limbs and struggled to swing his sword or claws when the Death Knight was close. Instead, he opted to wrap his tail around the knight’s leg and toss him away.

The Death Knight crawled back up, finally puzzled. "Invincibility?"

"You could think of it that way," Leon replied, pondering the Invincibility spell from the school of Nine Rings Protection—a spell granting Spellcasters immunity to all damage until the spell’s duration ended.

"So as long as I avoid you during the Invincibility period, I’ll be fine?" The Death Knight queried. "Is this your trump card?"

"Easier said than done. Go ahead and dodge even once for me to see. Where’s your nightmare steed? Your horse? Got no horse and still dreaming?" Leon raised his hand to cast an immobilization spell, predictably ineffective, followed by a sword strike. "What now? Can’t escape, can you... Compared to cavalry, guess I still prefer infantry. Haha."

It must be said—the Death Knight was indeed formidable. Focused entirely on defense, Leon’s sword proved ineffective against him. The Death Knight was akin to a stubborn, smelly stone dug out from a latrine—disgusting yet unyielding. However, disposing of the Death Knight’s Punishment Hunting Dog required little effort.

Whoosh!

Activating Vajra Body consumed considerable mana. After enjoying the advantage for a while, Leon decided to deactivate it.

"Has your Invincibility ended?" Judging from subtle signs, the Death Knight easily discerned Leon’s state.

"Yes." Leon replied. "My Invincibility is over."

"Then take this!" The Death Knight declared. He’d been preparing for this moment. Launching a magical fireball, he struck Leon’s chest.

It was a Hellfire Ball. Although the fire damage couldn’t harm fire-immune Leon, the Dark Erosion damage caused Leon’s heart to clench, his breathing turning ragged.

"You’re indeed strong—worthy of my flames." This couldn’t drag on any longer. Leon decided to finish the fight, taking a deep breath until his chest glowed with a heated smolder. Then, with a mighty roar, he unleashed Samadhi True Fire.

Seeing the Red Dragon open its jaws, the Death Knight chose not to evade, keeping his confidence in his agility and opting to brace behind his shield. His shield—a powerful artifact itself—started to crack under the Red Dragon’s flames. Something was wrong. The dragon’s fires felt... atypical.

Without hesitation, the Death Knight threw aside his shield and gripped his sword tightly, lunging it at the Red Dragon’s mouth.

Leon spotted the weapon flying toward him. Naturally, he dodged, closing his jaws while his forelimb knocked the sword aside.

"What tricks do you have left now?" Leon asked. "Your sword is in my hands."

"I have more than one sword." The Death Knight reached at his waist and produced another sword from his Dimension Bag—a trivial tool for a powerful Death Knight.

"This calls for something special." Leon nearly forgot—his Hand Palm Bomb was highly effective against undead creatures.

"What?" The Death Knight readied himself for the worst.

Leon raised both claws and struck the Death Knight with two Hand Palm Bombs. The tracking lightning was inescapable, proving far more effective than Leon’s earlier attacks against the Death Knight.

"Is he dead?" A Brass Dragon descended beside Leon.

"Not sure." Leon replied, raising a foot to stomp on the Death Knight. With a forceful press, he separated the knight’s helmet from his body, dislodging the skeleton from within. Its eye sockets dimmed. "Now he’s definitely dead."

The Brass Dragon observed Leon staring at the zombies summoned by the Death Knight and said, "Ignore them. Once the Death Knight falls, they’ll soon lose vitality."

"Got it." Leon nodded.

"Although I just thought of something," Leon suddenly turned reflective. "Could we utilize zombies and skeletons as labor?"

"Hmm?" The Brass Dragon quickly grasped Leon’s idea. "You really are a chaotic evil Red Dragon."