Chapter 408: Epic Dragon (82K Bonus Chapter 206-207)

“Lord Herbert?!”

Joanna’s expression shifted slightly, her lip twitching as she whispered to Sophie nearby: “He just… did that on purpose, right? It wasn’t an accident, was it?”

On purpose? Or an accident?

“Probably… on purpose?”

Sophie hesitated, unsure what Herbert had actually done.

Just now, the blood-red figure that had effortlessly subdued the three Chimera suddenly suffered an anomaly, plummeting straight down to the ground.

Herbert believed he had landed with elegant grace—no splash at all upon hitting the water; even the strictest diving judge would award him a perfect score.

He used the mirror-like ice surface to return to the Penitentiary, but to outsiders, it looked entirely different.

To Sophie and the others, Herbert had suddenly fallen from the sky, plunging headfirst into the earth like a man ramming his head into the ground.

Swoosh—thud!

Had there been any loud crash, they might truly have suspected Herbert was now stuck headfirst in the earth like a turned-over radish, unable to pull himself out.

“Didn’t you see? That was just a way to hide from the Chimera’s line of sight,” Miser said, unimpressed by their alarm.

So what? Is that unusual?

Miser still held to her view—that Herbert wasn’t fighting seriously, he was playing.

He was outright mocking the enemy, not using even a fraction of his true strength.

Look at what he just did.

He didn’t summon Solar Holy Flame, didn’t use any other technique, didn’t even draw a decent weapon, and kept his power barely at the level of a newly minted Legend—refusing to add an ounce more.

What does that mean?

It means Herbert believes that even this level of power is enough to easily block—or even eliminate—this beast.

Fighting with such power is an outright insult to the Chimera; he’s treating it like helpless prey, playing with it at will.

This is blatant arrogance!

Beneath the surface calm, Miser’s heart was filled with dread.

Phew!

Thank goodness I obediently chose to follow him—that was the right decision.

Otherwise, it would be me being mocked and beaten by Herbert right now.

I made the right choice!

“Just wait and watch.”

Miser snorted, speaking with absolute certainty:

“When Herbert reappears, he’ll unleash far more terrifying power—he’s going to obliterate this Chimera in one blow!”

Sophie and Joanna exchanged glances, thought quickly, and nodded silently.

“Mm.”

They asked no further questions, for Miser’s earlier deductions had all proven correct, and their respect for her deepened.

Though they still harbored some doubt about whether the blood-red figure was truly Herbert, they chose to believe.

Moreover, if it really was Herbert, had he only recently broken through? Or had he been concealing his true strength all along?

This left them both silent as they carefully recalled every detail of their past interactions.

Though the three-headed Chimera still lived, Sophie and the others no longer feared the immediate danger.

With Herbert present, everything would naturally resolve itself.

Beyond them, the other residents of Ellda were also stunned.

They, too, had heard Miser’s words and realized the figure was their own lord.

The gray dwarves had also witnessed that figure—and were now utterly fanatical!

They prostrated themselves fully on the ground, bowing repeatedly toward the direction where Herbert had vanished, expressing their gratitude with the utmost reverence.

The priestesses gripped their weapons tightly, exhaling long, relieved breaths, feeling as if they’d narrowly escaped death.

Though the Legends were present, they likely wouldn’t face grave danger, but injuries were inevitable.

If luck ran even worse, they might have met sudden, terrible ends—it was too horrifying to contemplate.

Even if they could be saved, no one wanted to walk so close to death.

“Ohhh…”

The Goddess of Winter, inhabiting Yunir, nodded slightly, beginning to understand why little Teresa was so obsessed with Herbert.

He truly was charismatic.

Such bearing, such presence—undoubtedly fatally attractive to immature girls.

No, even those with mature minds would be swept away by this overwhelming charm.

This made her even more interested in Herbert.

Originally, Herbert had seemed to her merely an intriguing young man—daring enough to lure away her little kitten, someone she wanted to hug and ruffle his hair—put plainly, her maternal instincts had flared again.

But now, seeing the power Herbert displayed, the Frost Goddess’s attitude toward him shifted slightly.

That strength, that arrogance, silently proved—he was no longer merely a child to be toyed with. Not at all.

Herbert refused to remain beneath others.

He was steadily rising, evolving from a pawn that gods could manipulate into a player, charging forward with unstoppable momentum.

Though that future was still distant, with a long road ahead, the Goddess of Winter felt an inexplicable certainty in her heart—that it would happen.

While others were stunned or lost in thought, Miss Teresa now appeared wildly enthusiastic.

Almost frenzied!

Like a star-chaser, she stared fixedly at the ice where Herbert had vanished, whispering over and over: “Lord Herbert! Lord Herbert! Lord Herbert! Lord Herbert…”

You really came to save me. You really came.

You’ve never once disappointed me.

Aaaahhhhh!

Her body trembled slightly as she screamed inwardly, struggling to suppress her emotions.

Don’t reveal it.

I absolutely cannot let anyone see my secret thoughts!

I must hold on—I’m a maiden, I must be composed!!!

Yet though the girl thought so naively, her flushed cheeks, ragged breathing, and trembling state… only she herself believed her secret feelings remained hidden.

…

Everyone’s thoughts differed.

But after witnessing Herbert’s destruction of the three-headed Chimera, most of their views had converged: the crisis was over.

Yet during the time Herbert had disappeared, the battlefield had changed again.

“Roar!!!”

After being blinded by the intense light in both pairs of eyes, the three-headed Chimera lost its precious vision and began wildly attacking in place, in agony.

After a bout of impotent rage, it finally realized the truth and froze in place.

No!

I’ve lost two pairs of eyes, but I still have one!

The ram’s head is dead, not blind.

Realizing this, the Chimera immediately channeled its life energy into the wounded ram’s head.

Sssss!

With reckless, full-force effort, the transformation occurred swiftly and astonishingly.

Within a few breaths, the ram’s head, previously pierced by Herbert, slowly lifted—its massive wound visibly regenerating fresh flesh.

The ram’s eyes snapped open, spewing searing flames.

It had regained vitality in such a short time!

Though it had lost over thirty percent of its energy, the three-headed Chimera had restored its ability to breathe fire and see.

Once vision returned, the Chimera’s first action was to scan the surroundings, searching for the culprit who had reduced it to such a state.

Where? Where is he?

The Chimera’s perception extended beyond sight—it had smell, magical sensing, and more.

Yet no matter how it used sight or other senses, it could not locate Herbert at all—as if the man had vanished from the world entirely.

Damn it!

Where the hell is he?!

The Chimera grew angrier, its eyes blazing with fury as it glared at Ellda, now appearing increasingly serene.

It’s all because of you!

Because of you damned creatures, I’ve been reduced to this state.

The beast’s furious killing intent surged across hundreds of meters into the town, instantly chilling the once-exuberant crowd.

Their smiles vanished; they realized the danger was far from over.

This truly was a monstrous creature, possessing such immense regenerative power.

“Don’t lower your guard—everyone, remain alert!”

Though Joanna held some hope and faith in Herbert, she still couldn’t neglect proper preparations.

If this beast sought revenge against Ellda, they must be ready to strike back.

At this moment, Sofiya also drew a special arrow, nocked it on her bowstring, and aimed it at the opponent’s skull—silently threatening: One step closer, and I’ll shoot!

“Roar!”

The three-headed beast slowly took heavy steps forward, toward the light in the darkness.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Just as everyone braced themselves, expecting the chimera to launch a desperate attack in retaliation, the chimera suddenly halted.

The central vulture head lifted and slammed hard into the goat head, jolting it awake.

Each of the chimera’s three heads possessed its own mind, each with a different temperament and style of action.

The hot-tempered goat head wanted to retaliate at all costs right now, but the cunning, treacherous vulture head chose to retreat for now.

Fight or flee?

“...Roar!”

After a moment of silence, the chimera let out an angry, resentful grunt, then twisted its body and bolted backward.

Just as Herbert had feared, the chimera was fleeing.

It was running away!

Under the threat of death, even the raging beast lowered its head and chose the most conservative option—escape.

Escape now, return later when prepared for revenge.

That sudden man had filled it with inexplicable unease; the vulture head’s heart grew cold, as if death itself were drawing near.

But could it really escape?

Some places aren’t ones you can come to whenever you please—and leave whenever you wish.

This road I opened, this tree I planted. If you want to pass, leave your toll.

Even if you pass the checkpoint, you still pay the toll.

You came all this way—don’t you think it’s improper to leave without leaving something behind?

For such an impolite guest, Herbert decided to teach it the most basic lesson in hospitality.

No gifts? Fine—leave yourself behind!

Just as the chimera turned to flee, a blood-red figure erupted from the ice beneath its feet.

Whoosh—

“Hehehe! I’m back, motherfucker!”

Once again, relying on a dishonorable ambush, Herbert drove his longsword deep into the chimera’s body.

Because the chimera’s scales offered exceptionally high defense, Herbert chose to strike the weakest spot on its body for safety.

Herbert didn’t carve his own hole—he picked an existing one and shoved his lightblade straight in.

Weakness Insight... Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!

“Thousand-Year Kill!”

Ssshh—

The blade forged of holy light slid smoothly inside, then exploded instantly within.

Holy Light Explosion (Ass)!

Boom!

At that moment, all three heads of the chimera screamed simultaneously—the most horrific, pitiful shriek in its history.

“Ahh!!?”

“Oww!!?”

“Baa!!?”

The screams were piercing, furious, and utterly helpless.

The chimera had never imagined such an attack, never felt such pain—it couldn’t even comprehend what had happened.

Its hindquarters jerked violently upward, flailing in a bloody mess, trying to relieve its agony.

“Roar! Roar! Roar!”

But this only proved futile; the sight of its rear spurting blood made it look even more absurd—and faintly pitiful.

Among the Eldar crowd, silence fell. Everyone involuntarily drew in a sharp breath.

“...Ssshh!”

Many shifted their legs, unconsciously clenching their buttocks.

This... this is too brutal, isn’t it?

Everyone mentally complained, yet none thought Herbert’s action wrong—when facing a giant beast, targeting the lower body was standard practice.

But for a moment, everyone felt it themselves—their own rear ends throbbed with phantom pain.

As the chimera wailed helplessly, Herbert hovered in midair, smiling warmly, humming softly:

“Chrysanthemums wither, ground stained red—your smile has faded to yellow.”

He had already vanished after landing the strike, avoiding being drenched in ass-blood.

Herbert landed before the enraged chimera and taunted it: “How’s it feel? That’s anal hemorrhage therapy—I gave you a free trial. You’ll owe me big time.”

Thank you?

Thank you!!?

In that instant, the chimera lost all reason.

Caution? Temporary retreat? Future revenge?

All forgotten.

In that moment, its mind held only one thought—kill him. Kill him utterly!!

“Roar!”

Flame! Ice! Death breath!

A fusion of three powers surged toward Herbert, sworn to obliterate him.

But as it poured everything into slamming him to the ground, crushing and biting him to pieces—it failed to notice the shadow flickering beneath its feet.

It was a crimson vertical pupil, brimming with infinite rage.

It was furious!

Just as the chimera’s triple-element breath neared him, a colossal claw erupted from the ground!

“Get lost!!!”

The deadly, terrifying breaths scraped across the claw’s scales—leaving not a single mark.

The claw ignored everything, slamming the beast—still unaware of what had happened—straight into the air!

Boom!!

The terrifying crash made every heart leap.

What was that?

While everyone hesitated, the claw retracted swiftly—and the next second, a lithe figure burst from the ice.

Boom!!!

The red-haired figure with wings behind its back did not pursue the chimera after emerging; instead, it flared its wings and shot straight upward.

With a single beat of its dragon wings, a colossal wind surged behind it, scattering mist for hundreds of meters!

At that moment, even the perpetual fog shrouding the Mist Mountains lifted, letting starlight fall upon Elda’s land for the first time in ages.

But soon, the sky was shadowed again.

This time, however, the sky was not covered by mist.

It was covered by a pair of dragon wings.

After soaring high, Valentina fully revealed her true form.

A crimson dragon soared through the heavens, letting out a satisfied roar.

“Roar!!!”

For the first time, the world saw her colossal, despair-inducing body.

Even at peak legendary rank, Valentina’s body had stretched to a staggering hundred meters—only compressed to twenty-some meters by will.

Now... a hundred meters?

Too small.

Valentina’s true form now stretched over a thousand meters!

With wings spread, they truly blotted out the heavens.

Her scales, as if soaked in blood for countless ages, gleamed crimson; her vast wings shimmered with cold, ferocious luster beneath the dim moon.

Jagged, rough scales, tightly packed, formed an unbreakable armor.

Between the scales, faint threads of dark red light glowed—like the overflow of her endless vitality.

Her head resembled a small mountain; her enormous eyes blazed like molten furnaces, radiating hot, savage light.

When that brutal gaze swept over, even the bravest warriors felt an uncontrollable chill.

Most remarkable of all: vast runes covered her dragon wings—masterpieces carved by time and magic, ancient glyphs lost since the Dragon Age ended.

Though Valentina had ascended to Epic Dragon, it was no ordinary advancement—she received the oldest inheritance of the entire dragon bloodline.

At this moment, Valentina did not fly merely by flapping her wings; these runes themselves granted her the power to soar the skies.

She was no longer the same.

She had become stronger.

……

All of Elda’s people had lost the ability to speak upon seeing the dragon in the sky.

A dragon.

An Epic Dragon!!!

The previous three chimerae had been considered great beasts, but before this dragon they appeared as tiny toys.

At this moment, even those who once prided themselves on bravery felt only their own insignificance and powerlessness before this crimson dragon.

Dragon slayer?

What manner of being could tower above this dragon?

They simply could not imagine.

“Is this Herbert’s trump card?” Mise trembled, a few spores falling from the mushroom cap on his head.

She had expected Herbert to reappear with thunderous force, but not this extravagantly.

Terrifying.

So fucking terrifying!!!

How many secrets does this man still hold?

That’s an Epic Dragon!

How on earth did he summon something like this?

Some spellcasters possess the ability to summon dragons, but that always requires signing a pact with them, paying vast wealth in exchange for their intervention.

Usually, such cases involve Legendary dragons; very few Epic dragons are willing to answer such summons.

“…”

Sophie also fell silent, taking a deep breath as she recalled the name Herbert had mentioned to her before—the other Mistress.

“This is Mistress Valentina…”

Elda was a location chosen jointly by Valentina and Herbert, where they laid the initial foundations, yet none of the people now living in Elda had ever seen her.

Among those still present, only Joanna had once heard a brief account from her friend Laila about the Crimson Wings…

But this doesn’t match what Laila described!!?

In her telling, the Crimson Wings were exceptionally powerful even among dragons, but not this extreme.

That’s an Epic Dragon!

Goddess above, isn’t this just a little too outrageous!!?

In the crowd, even the Goddess of Winter widened her eyes, staring intently several times before murmuring: “Tsk tsk tsk, this really is excessive…”

To command such a dragon, she grew even more curious about Herbert’s secrets.

And as everyone stood frozen, Herbert’s voice, laced with amusement, rang out through the night.

“Alright, alright, stop fooling around.”

He stood still, gazing up at the dragon in the sky, chuckling softly: “It’s the middle of the night—be mindful of your impact. Don’t disturb others.”

Then they witnessed a bizarre sight.

The once proud Epic Dragon instantly stiffened, freezing midair.

“…”

She took a deep breath, then cautiously ducked her head, glancing left and right, her massive form rapidly shrinking.

In the blink of an eye, Valentina shrank to the size of an ordinary dragon—thirty to forty meters long, still sizable, but now sufficiently modest and restrained.

She plummeted straight down, hurtling toward the ground; just before impact, her dragon wings flared, runes glowing, slowing her abruptly until she landed gently beside Herbert.

“Hmph!”

Miss Hungry Dragon pouted, lowered her head, and nudged Herbert with her snout, sending him tumbling several meters away.

Valentina knew Herbert was right, yet she was still dissatisfied.

Though she understood his words were correct.

If she drew the attention of that old bastard, even with her Epic power, she’d gain nothing from him.

But logic is logic, understanding is understanding—still, it left a sour taste.

I just advanced!

Why say something so depressing?

Let me vent a little, okay!?

“Want to vent?”

Herbert read her resentful gaze, smiled, and nodded toward the chimera, still reeling from the slap: “There’s your chance.”

Valentina blinked, then remembered the matter at hand, revealing a delighted and cruel smile.

“Oh! Right, there’s still this one! Haha!”

She turned her head, preparing to unleash all her fury upon the utterly bewildered three-headed chimera.

“...You?”

The instant Valentina’s gaze left Herbert, her eyes lost all amusement; fixed on the chimera, they held only boundless rage and cruelty.

“You dared to harm him!!?”

“How bold of you.”

“How bold!!”

At first, her voice was ordinary, but soon it swelled, growing louder and louder, thundering through the mist, numbing every body it touched.

“Roar...”

The chimera trembled, opening its mouth as if to speak—but before it could utter a sound, Valentina’s claw descended upon its head.

Plop.

Its once incredibly hard skull shattered like a watermelon smashed against concrete.

The gap in power.

The once arrogant beast now felt profound, soul-deep terror.

Death.

Death was drawing near!!!

“Roar!”

The remaining two heads let out piercing shrieks, abandoning all else, desperately fleeing into the mist’s depths.

“Hmph.”

Logically, it should never have escaped—but Valentina made no move to pursue, watching it vanish into the distance before turning her head to the boy beside her.

“Huh? Oh, go ahead and play.”

Herbert smiled, understanding what Valentina intended—she’d barely been let out, and wasn’t about to crush her prey so easily; she planned to toy with it like a cat with a mouse.

“Yay!”

The dragon let out a joyful cry, flapping her wings gently, stirring a gust of wind that sent the boy’s hair flying.

Herbert watched the dragon happily shaking her head and smiled.

Though Valentina had now reached a higher realm, she had not changed—she remained the same innocent, carefree Miss Hungry Dragon he knew.

He nodded softly: “Go play—but don’t play too long. I’ll wait for you.”

Yet after the boy spoke, the dragon did not move; instead, she lowered her head before him, bringing her mouth close to his face.

“Heh.”

The tiny boy blinked, looked up, and gently kissed the dragon’s snout, waving at her with a smile.

“Hehehe!”

After being kissed, Miss Dragon was even happier, whipping her tail rapidly and shattering several nearby giant trees.

Then, like a big dog, she trotted off with a carefree, unbothered gait into the mist.

Valentina followed leisurely, but Herbert did not follow.

There was no need to worry anymore—with Valentina present, the three-headed chimera would never see tomorrow’s sun.

He had other matters to attend to.

“I should go check on Sophie and the others.”

His wings stirred, swiftly crossing hundreds of meters to appear before the Elda group.

Before he had fully stopped, his wings and battle armor slowly dissolved, reabsorbing into his body as Sacred Marks.

Using forward momentum and gravity, he traced an elegant arc through the air, landing effortlessly before them.

Beneath the crimson armor lay a pure white cultivator’s robe, utterly unwrinkled, pristine even after battle.

The boy’s smile was warm, his demeanor elegant, radiating a gentle aura like spring breeze.

Combined with his tall, slender frame and snow-white hair, he stood in stark contrast to the earlier cruel crimson figure.

He didn’t even seem like the same person!

“Sorry I’m late.”

Herbert looked at the stunned crowd, smiled inwardly, then outwardly offered an apologetic smile, gently asking: “Did you get frightened? Are you hurt?”

He did not blame them, nor boast of his deeds—he expressed his regret.

Sorry, my abilities were insufficient—I failed to protect you all.

Is this an apology?

Of course not.

This was outright seeking credit, but done in a gentler way others would find more palatable.

Added to his eyes, which made everything seem heartfelt, and his handsome face, this combination was devastatingly effective.

At this moment, most of the residents of Elda Hold were women, and they had no resistance against Herbert’s display.

Thump! Thump!

Almost everyone’s heart leapt, feeling an unprecedented warmth, and they immediately spoke up.

“My lord! Please don’t say such things!”

“Lord Herbert! Thanks to you, we were saved!”

“Thank you! You saved us!”

Especially Teresa, who was nearly driven mad.

The girl’s face flushed bright red; she tried to speak, but gasped, collapsed straight into Yunier’s arms, and fainted from overwhelming emotion.

“Hehe, you needn’t thank me—if you must thank someone, thank Valentina. It was her…”

Just as Herbert was halfway through his sentence, a fierce wind suddenly surged behind him, and a figure appeared abruptly.

“Oh? Did you miss me?”

Everyone: ???

Herbert turned around in confusion and saw Valentina, back in her dragon-human form, staring at him with wide eyes, her face flushed red.

Huh?

Didn’t you go out to play?

“Hehehe.”

Valentina smiled shyly, said nothing, grabbed Herbert’s arm, and dragged him off, muttering: “Lucky for me, I missed you too.”

That three-headed lizard wasn’t fun at all—just two slaps and it was dead.

So boring!

Played enough. Pointless.

Nothing left to play with? Then the noble Dragoness should claim her rightful spoils.

A dragon like me helping others and taking a little interest—isn’t that reasonable?

‘Reasonable.’ The Sage in his mind said.

Exactly!

If even the Sage says so, it must be fine!

The hungry Dragoness tugged Herbert, muttering: “Since you missed me too, let’s go over there and chat!”

Come on, come inside with me!

“Hey hey hey—wait a minute, I haven’t finished speaking!”

The prince, forcibly dragged away by the dragon, wore a look of helplessness and shouted to the stunned Sophie and the others: “Wait for me a moment!”

“I’ll be back in a bit… uh, never mind, don’t wait!”

“I’ll be back before tomorrow night!”

A whole day should be enough, right?

Hmm… probably!

(End of Chapter)