Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Just as Kaizen and Dhetha managed to split the Drowned District guards' line of defense, a deafening roar echoed through the underwater dome.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARR!!*

It was a sound that made everyone's blood run cold and their bones quake. Kaizen and Dhetha stopped fighting and looked up, searching for the source of the sound. What they saw was something they never expected to see: a huge sea creature swimming towards the dome. The creature had dark blue scales that shone like metal, eyes as red as blood, and teeth as sharp and long as swords, hundreds of them. This creature had two legs with huge claws, two membranous wings that allowed it to fly underwater, and a long, spiky tail that swung violently as it swam.

This creature passed through the barrier with great ease and fell on the city, causing an earthquake.

From a distance, Kaizen could see the creature spewing smoke from its nostrils and roaring with rage in a way that resembled a very famous specific type of creature, and the message that appeared in front of the psyker proved what he was thinking at that moment.

[You have initiated a battle against the main boss of the Drowned District in the City of Tears, Ancestral Sea Dragon.]

[Boss: Ancestral Sea Dragon

Level: ? | Attribute: Water | Nature: Mythical

HP: ? | MP: ?

Attack: Defense: ? Defense: ? Speed: ?

Strength: ? | Wisdom: ? | Resistance: ?

Resistance to spells of: ?]

They looked at the creature that stared at them with hate and hunger, with expressions of fear. They knew they would have to fight this thing if they wanted to get rid of these guards and get to Adohorn.

"What is that?" Dhetha asked, startled.

"A damn sea dragon..." Kaizen replied, looking at the creature as incredulously as she did.

"B-but how? I thought that kind of creature was extinct!"

"Well, I don't know what's going on. What's worse is that it seems to be controlled by the military mages." Kaizen pointed to the golden rings that adorned the dragon's neck and paws, not to mention its eyes, which were completely red and blinded with rage.

The rings were engraved with magical symbols and emitted an eerie light, and the fleet of mages on flying broomsticks that appeared wore several of these rings as well.

"Damn, this is cheating!" Dhetha complained.

"We don't have time to complain. We have to fight this head on." Kaizen said, determined and now smiling.

His two swords returned to him and began to hover near his back. At that moment, Kaizen realized that the Ancestral Sea Dragon was already staring at them, and he noticed from afar that the jaws of the Mythic Rank creature opened.

"Dhetha, behind me! Now!" shouted Kaizen.

Dhetha did not hesitate at the Psyker's command and ran to hide behind him. She knew he had realized something and trusted him.

Kaizen looked at the dragon and recognized the movement of its jaws opening. That was classic for a creature about to let something out of its mouth. And when the Ancestral Sea Dragon opened its mouth, it did indeed quickly generate a large amount of energy that seemed to be a mixture of fire and electricity. Surely, such an ability coming from a mythical creature would be able to melt even the hardest metal and topple even the best buildings.

Kaizen knew that he couldn't avoid this attack or resist it with <Telekinesis>, as it would consume all of his mana and might be useless. If he were alone, he could use his armor's ability to resist this thing without taking damage, but he would have to block it somehow.

Then he remembered the shield he was carrying. The Indomitable Shield, made from the bark of the Possessed Tree of the Woods, was a magical shield that could expand greatly and was very powerful.

I have never used this shield in battle before, and the first one has to be against a dragon? Kaizen thought, gritting his teeth. Still, he relied heavily on his own creation. And anyway, this was the perfect time to test it.

Kaizen raised the shield and placed it in front of him and Dhetha. The shield began to grow rapidly, like the branches of a magical tree, taking root in the ground to further withstand the impact of what was to come, until it reached the size of a wall.

"What is that?" Dhetha asked, impressed.

"That's why I've had this thing with me all this time." Kaizen said, praying.

The dragon finally unleashed a blast of bluish energy at the two heroes. The blast hit the shield hard, creating a bright and loud explosion capable of blinding anyone for a moment.

Kaizen felt the impact of the attack on his body as he held the Indomitable Shield, trying to hold it firmly in place by its roots. Apparently, the shield withstood the dragon's blow, but it too was slowly deteriorating.

"Dhetha! Get ready to counter!" Kaizen shouted.

"Right!" Dhetha replied.

She picked up her scythe and began to focus her ice magic on the tip. She waited for the right moment to step out from behind the shield and attack the dragon.

The dragon's blow lasted a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity to Kaizen and Dhetha. When it was finally over, they saw that the Indomitable Shield was almost completely melted, burned, and riddled with holes.

Kaizen wasted no time, pulling his shield back and throwing it forward, sending it flying toward the dragon. He hoped this would distract the monster for a moment.

"Now, Dhetha!"

Kaizen then grabbed his third sword from his inventory, the Snowy Limbo, and ran after the shield, following the same path he had taken.

Dhetha began to run as well, jumping to the opposite side of Kaizen. She spun her scythe in the air and threw a crescent-shaped blade of ice in the direction of the dragon to distract it as well. At that moment, she saw the mages on the broomsticks get in front of her magic and use fire spells to prevent the ice from hitting the dragon.

The dragon saw Kaizen's shield approaching and opened its mouth to release another blast of plasma out of reflex. However, it was surprised by a blade as thin as a needle, which suddenly tore through the joint of its left paw, causing it to be distracted by the pain.

Even from a distance, Kaizen reached forward and used <Telekinesis> to "punch" one of the sea dragon ancestor's legs, causing it to lose its balance by combining it with the cut he had made on one of its legs earlier. This caused the creature to fall face down to the ground.

Kaizen seized the opportunity and moved forward with even more speed, this time using <Giant's Lungs> to double his attributes. He had to finish this now, this was his chance.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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