The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 430: Volume 9: Phantom of the Ancient Castle, - 1: Singular Strike on the Flying Dragon_2

Chapter 430: Volume 9: Phantom of the Ancient Castle, Chapter 1: Singular Strike on the Flying Dragon_2

From the dark depths of the passage, two shadowy figures, one following the other, almost swept through the air tail to heel, lunging straight for Newman, who was still babbling on while swinging his rusty sword and skull baton. Their speed was so fast that it was nearly impossible to make out the attackers’ appearances.

The keen instincts of the two Dark Knights saved the poor Newman Mage’s life. Having been knocked to the ground by Solonberg’s volley and rolled continuously, Newman, covered in dust and ash, hadn’t even had the chance to react before his angry gaze turned towards the Dark Knights who had suddenly attacked. It was only then that he realized their gaze wasn’t on him at all; their eager eyes were staring past him. As he turned, Newman felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

The two objects hovering in the air looked more like skeletal monsters. Their frames did not seem large, closer in appearance to flying skeleton kangaroos. Their symmetrical, delicate tails appeared quite sturdy, composed of a series of gleaming black bone segments linked together in a chain, but the sharp, thorn-like spikes on the tail, stout and pointed, were clearly weapons designed for attack.

In fact, it was this very same ferocious whip that had just been used to attack Newman. Had it struck him, the totally unguarded Newman would have certainly met his demise.

The forelimbs were singular and exceedingly slender, yet a careful look would reveal that a grey-white bone needle flickered in and out of sight between the phalanges. The robust hind limbs were clearly the main means of locomotion on the ground; each shin bone was over three inches long—a strike or a stomp from those back legs was sure to be lethal even to an ordinary person. Yet, it was such a deformed creature that somehow managed to hover in midair, surrounded by a faint black mist in those skeletal crevices, giving the impression of an eerily ghostly presence.

The Paladin Vladimir Koff’s Knight Spear struck forcefully against the second flying skeleton monster, which had plunged to the ground and rolled over. The ’snap’ of the impact caused even the Dark Knight—who had swept away hundreds of skeletons without stepping back—to retreat three steps from the tail whip that struck the spearhead. Although it was a hasty defense that did not allow him to muster his full strength, the wave of warmth from the base of the palm made Vladimir Koff involuntarily glance at the blade of his ostensibly invincible Knight Spear.

There was a slight mark on the blade, insubstantial but for Vladimir Koff, unacceptable. The weapon that had been with him for over ten years was undoubtedly his second life. Such damage, which could even be considered an insult, was intolerable for Vladimir Koff.

A deep roar emanated from the depths of his throat as the black Dark Fighting Qi surged to its highest stage in an instant. Vladimir Koff’s entire body was shrouded in a layer of hellish dimness. Wave after wave of Fighting Qi amplified continuously, causing the Magicians’ robes around him to flutter wildly in the air. A trace of dark light rapidly spread from his hands, gripping the spear, to cover the entire spear shaft.

"Be careful, that’s the skeletal form of the One-spiked Flying Dragon from the foreign magical beasts; its original form is also one of the strongest among the Wind System magical beasts from the legendary foreign realms. It inherently possesses Wind Magic, allowing it to hover in midair, unaffected by gravity. Its tail is made up of Black Bone Beads strung together, not only casting wind magic but also incredibly hard, invincible!"

A rapid succession of words shot out of Newman’s mouth as he shrunk back to the base of the wall, having recognized the special forms of these two creatures. Seeing Vladimir Koff’s Fighting Qi peak, he had to quickly warn the Dark Knight who had saved his life.

The entire adventuring party was abuzz upon hearing that the creatures were skeletal forms of magical beasts from a foreign realm.

The "foreign world" typically refers to the dwellings of demons deep within the Blue Continent, and no one knows their exact location. Yet, the large-scale invasion of foreign magical beasts onto the Blue Continent five hundred years ago brought about the most tragic scene in the history of the Blue Continent.

Almost all races and forces joined together to hunt down these mysterious magical beasts that emerged from the depths of the Blue Continent, and the elites from all races and forces gave their lives in succession over those decades to eradicate the disaster caused by the magical beasts. Countless Mages and Paladins fell in this confrontation, and the Continent’s elite were almost completely annihilated.

The threat of the magical beasts was ultimately eliminated, with a large number of the most dangerous ones killed, while a considerable part of the less threatening ones escaped into the Continent’s various forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, swamps, and seas. Perhaps due to the influence of the land’s climate, the threats and lethal power of these beasts greatly diminished, and some even became prey for powerful individuals and Mages seeking to harvest special items from them.

"Newman, are you sure this is a beast from the foreign world?!" Almost simultaneously, Rebry and Mihailovich asked in unison, while the gazes of the Mysterious Magician and Komer also fell on the Thin and Dry Magician crouched against the wall, incessantly chanting protective Magic to bolster his passive defense abilities.

"Absolutely, no doubt about it! What else could levitate so effortlessly and yet have a skeleton form? Have any of you ever seen or heard of such a thing? No, neither have I, but it seems to be recorded in a personal legendary diary that I read in some of Prague’s old private libraries. Ah, yes, it was in ’Clement’s Travel Diary 1138-1142’ that I found the mention. The One-spiked Flying Dragon has powerful hind legs and claws sharp enough to easily tear apart a mammoth. Its forelimbs have only one claw, slim but, within it is a bone spur rumored to be extremely flexible, with a special elasticity akin to Magic Metal like Usteel, capable of shooting out more than ten feet in an instant, and the poison attached to the bone spur is extremely potent and fatal."

Even in such critical moments, Newman still didn’t forget to show off his knowledge.

Victor Clement was a renowned adventurer and Archmage with extraordinary legend and romance 230 years ago. Not only did he travel across the entire Blue Continent, but he also ventured deep into the Blue Continent twice, writing countless legendary essays that captivated many. The adventure maps of the Blue Continent he left behind have evolved into twelve versions and are still considered essential for adventurers venturing into the Blue Continent.

"No matter what it is, it must die today!" Infuriated and pained by the damage to his spear, Vladimir Koff’s eyes gleamed with a dark light that swept across a fan-shaped glimmer, slashing towards the two Skeleton Dragons still eyeing the group menacingly.

Clearly, including the Dark Knight, everyone had underestimated the two motionless Skeleton Dragons floating in the air. After all, the historical battles between humans and magical beasts were now too far in the past, and the records left of that period were vague and insufficient to comprehend clearly what had really happened then.

The dark fan-shaped aura suddenly enlarged as it approached the two Skeleton Dragons, expanding its coverage area to more than three times its original size. It was clear that Vladimir Koff was being extremely cautious as his Dark Fighting Qi scattered and the Fierce Wind it raised emitted a piercing howl.

The two Skeleton Dragons seemed to sense the immense power of the Dark Knight’s furious strike and smoothly performed a volley of the great shift. Without any warning, they drifted apart in two directions, three meters away, causing Vladimir Koff’s horizontal slash to miss its mark. With a forceful grunt, the Dark Knight’s body smoothly floated out following the thrust of his Knight Spear, and with a gentle push on the tail end of the spear, it surged towards the escaping Skeleton Dragon on the left like a roaring Black Dragon.