Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 249 - 247: A Brilliant Move

Some vampires have undergone martial arts training and possess battlefield experience. In this case, a vampire warrior dressed in plate armor and wielding a greatsword would have a challenge rating of 15. Additionally, some vampires were once followers of arcane secret techniques, which also increases their challenge rating.

Leon stared at Envis. From Envis’s complexion, he could tell that Envis was a vampire.

Looking closer, Envis was fully armed, wearing plate armor and holding a longsword, with the ability to control a Zombie Dragon. It was clear that Envis was a rare magic-and-martial dual cultivator vampire, not just skilled in combat but also a powerful spellcaster. Leon was sure that Envis was stronger than the Death Knight he had encountered before.

"Are you the lord of Moon Bay?" Leon didn’t act rashly. Moon Bay, a crossroads city on the sea, could never compare to a true Crossroads City, but it certainly had some strong foundations.

"Envis, Envis the Tyrant," Envis replied. "That’s what everyone calls me."

"I’ve heard people say you’re strong, and I’m in need of opponents like you," Envis continued. "I enjoy defeating and dominating. If you lose, I’ll kill you and turn you into my undead servant. Your red scales are beautiful—I like them."

"What if I win?" Leon asked curiously.

"What nonsense are you talking?" Envis scoffed.

"Enough chit-chat," Envis said. "A one-on-one, fair duel."

"You’re riding a Zombie Dragon, and I have nothing—how is that fair?" Leon mocked, his words sharp.

"Then I won’t ride it," Envis said as he stepped on the Zombie Dragon’s head, commanding it to crouch down. The huge head pressed against the ground as Envis slowly walked down. "Satisfied now?"

"Satisfied," Leon said, surprised that this vampire exhibited some knightly spirit.

"Since you’re satisfied, prepare yourself. I’m making my move," Envis said, closing his eyes, then abruptly opening them and glaring at Leon with a bizarre glow—using Hypnotic Gaze.

Hypnotic Gaze might work on "kids," but attempting it on Leon was overly optimistic. Similarly, Leon’s immobilization spell had no effect on Envis. Intimidating abilities that looked fierce but were ineffective, like the Soul Summoning Mantra, were not worth attempting either.

Seeing that Hypnotic Gaze failed, Envis raised his sword and charged at Leon, the Secret Silver Boots clicking crisply on the cobblestone dock.

Leon doubted his sharp teeth and claws could damage Envis; compared to his spellcasting, his melee skills were lackluster. Back in Danalan, fighting those elves without immobilization spells made hitting Elf Rangers a challenge, so he decisively raised his hand, spread his fingers, and fired a Hand Palm Bomb.

The Hand Palm Bomb tracks enemies, similar to Arcane Missiles. No matter how fast you move, you can only block it, not evade.

In fact, Envis never intended to dodge. Castanin hadn’t mentioned anything about the Red Dragon using Lightning Magic. Who would expect a Red Dragon to wield Lightning Magic under normal circumstances? He ran straight into the lightning from the Hand Palm Bomb. Since the bomb had bonus damage against undead creatures, Envis felt pain for the first time in ages and stopped.

"A Red Dragon can use Lightning Magic? This world is truly fascinating."

"Nice lightning—do you only have one shot?"

Two Hand Palm Bombs were enough to bring Castanin to the brink of death. But to harm Envis, who was far stronger than Castanin and more powerful than the Death Knight, was... The cautious look on Envis’s face suggested the damage from the Hand Palm Bomb was not as insignificant as he pretended.

Forget Samadhi True Fire or Downy Hairs. Sword Control Technique was out of the picture as his sword had been temporarily sealed. Forget thousands of tricks; one effective move was enough. Since Hand Palm Bomb worked, Leon decided not to switch spells, raising his hand again.

Learning from his mistake, Envis fixed his gaze on Leon’s actions. The Red Dragon’s hand raised, and he immediately stepped back, but there was no way he could dodge the Hand Palm Bomb. He forcibly swallowed the line he’d planned: "The same move won’t work on me."

The mana consumption for Hand Palm Bomb was high—at least for the old Leon. Now, Leon could fire the bombs continuously without worrying about exhausting his mana, forcing Envis to run in disorder.

"Enough. World, let time stop," Envis suddenly shouted, chanting, snapping his fingers. The world fell silent instantly.

Though dressed in plate armor, Envis’s expertise in spells was far superior—even capable of Nine-Ring Magic.

Time Stop allows you to briefly halt the time flow for all but yourself. The flow stops for all other creatures, but you can act and move freely during this period.

During Time Stop, you can’t impose effects on enemies; otherwise, the spell ends immediately.

Fully aware of Time Stop’s rules, Envis chose to use magic items to heal himself. Heaven knows why the Red Dragon’s lightning was so powerful. Then, he utilized Life Mimicry, followed by Soul Spirit Surround to summon the souls of the dead, and consecutively cast Fog Cloud, Mirror Image Technique, Greater Invisibility Technique, and finally concluded with Death Cloud.

Death Cloud summoned a poisonous yellow-green gas that affected Leon, ending Time Stop immediately.

Leon had never encountered Time Stop before and didn’t immediately react. In the blink of an eye, a whole swarm of chaotic spells was suddenly in play.

With his Vajra Body, Leon couldn’t be bothered to overthink the complications. Using Heavenly Eye Technique, he easily spotted Envis approaching. Envis launched a flurry of rapid attacks, sounding like metal clashing, as Leon retaliated with a tail swipe and another Hand Palm Bomb.

"How did you spot me? Do you have True Vision? Damn lightning!" Envis roared in anger after taking another blast of lightning. Frustrated, he exclaimed, "Black Flame, come to me!"

At Envis’s command, the Zombie Dragon moved, shielding him and blocking the successive lightning strikes.

"Didn’t you say this was a fair one-on-one?" Leon commented for once.

"We’re one entity," Envis retorted. "I’m a knight—I should have a mount."

Leon had initially thought of Envis as possessing knightly spirit, but now his impression plummeted. Sure, you could be evil, but you couldn’t be so low.

"Right, knights obviously need mounts," Leon scoffed, leaping onto the Zombie Dragon. Using both hands and feet—he couldn’t bring himself to bite rotting flesh—he dismantled the dragon in mere moments.

As Leon dismembered the Zombie Dragon, Envis flew into the air and cast Dissociation Technique, though it yielded no results.

Envis realized he should be dragging things out, uncovering the Red Dragon’s weakness before planning further, but the Red Dragon’s continuous lightning left no room for adjustment.

"You fools! Can’t you see your master is under attack?" Envis finally decided to summon his subordinates.

The White Night Guard—five male and five female vampires—rushed toward Leon upon hearing the command.

"Enjoy playing with my minions. I’m leaving for now."

Envis didn’t join the attack against Leon.

He transformed into a bat, appearing behind one of the bold pirates watching the fight from the dock. Returning to human form, he grabbed the pirate, bared his fangs, and sank them into the pirate’s neck, greedily drinking until the pirate was completely drained of blood.

After wiping his mouth, his injuries recovered substantially. Coupled with the vampire’s strong regeneration ability, Envis felt ready to continue.

Leon, with limited mana, wasn’t suited for prolonged battles. Focusing on Envis, he resolved to capture the leader first, but who would have thought Envis would run instead?

"Come and catch me—you can’t!" Envis transformed into a bat and flew away.

Leon sniffed the air and activated Gathering and Dispersing Energy, flying faster than Envis. A Breaking Stealth Strike pinned Envis to the ground, followed by Leon biting into him, flinging him skyward, and raising his hand to unleash a relentless barrage of Hand Palm Bombs.

"Yes, you’re strong, but do you think this is enough to kill me?" Envis laughed.

Envis had reason to laugh, as a powerful vampire was not easily killed. One hallmark ability of vampires is Fog Escape—

A vampire subjected to lethal damage outside its coffin can transform into mist unless exposed to running water or sunlight, remaining in this form for up to two hours unless destroyed or returning to its coffin.

Leon wouldn’t wait two hours. Opening his mouth, he unleashed Samadhi True Fire, incinerating the mist completely, leaving nothing behind—not even ashes.

This time, Envis had no words left.

...

...

"As expected of Envis the Tyrant, he’s so impressive."

"Why did he leave his mount? Is he really going one-on-one with the Red Dragon?"

"He got shocked by lightning and still looks fine—amazing."

"Why does the Red Dragon keep using Lightning Magic though...?"

"Time Stop—that must be the legendary Time Stop! This is my first time seeing it."

"I told you—knights must have mounts."

"How did the Zombie Dragon get dismantled so quickly?"

"The White Night Guard is moving in. This is righteous gang fighting."

"Oh no, he drained Ma’en’s blood. Will he come for us? My blood doesn’t taste good."

"The Red Dragon disappeared."

"The Red Dragon bit Envis and tossed him away."

"Again with the lightning! Is he a Red Dragon or a Blue Dragon?"

"Envis seems dead—did you see it?"

"The Red Dragon finally used Fire Breath—that’s what Red Dragons should do."

Haken and Castanin watched the entire time, all the way to the end.

"Well, Envis should really be dead... But it seems the Tyrant of the Mountains is stronger." Haken looked at Castanin, exchanging glances.

It seemed Envis was indeed dead.

"The Red Dragon is looking at us. Uh-oh." Haken swallowed nervously. "I don’t care. I’m kneeling first."