Chapter 112

Another roar of pain and anger echoed from the dragon as Grace drove her heel down on his body, cracking more of the crimson, amber, and ebony-colored scales on his serpentine form. "Had enough yet?" Grace taunted Enryu as she sprinted along the length of his massive body, deftly dodging a swipe of his obsidian claws. She moved with feline grace, weaving through his coiling form as he tried to strike her with his short, T-rex-esque arms.

"Don't think for a second that you'll get me with those stubby arms!" she continued to taunt, evading another swipe from his claws. She leapt into the air, executing a flawless handstand on his back, then sprang off with a powerful push, her body twisting in midair. Grace's foot connected with Enryu's head in a precise, forceful kick, drawing another roar that shook the skies.

Enryu's eyes burned with fury, his scaled hide rippling with tension as Grace landed nimbly on her feet, her movements fluid and controlled. She stayed light on her toes, ready to react to his next move, her taunts punctuated by her unwavering confidence in her agility and skill. The dragon's roars echoed, reverberating through the chaotic battlefield as Grace continued to dance around his attacks, always one step ahead, exploiting every opening with calculated precision.

Despite all this, Grace knew she couldn't truly beat Enryu. She ducked under another swipe of his obsidian claws, her body moving with the grace and fluidity of a dancer, then swiftly pivoted to avoid the snap of his terrifying maw. As his massive jaws closed inches from her, she felt the rush of wind and heat, but her reflexes kept her just out of reach.

Sure, she was landing attacks, and yes, she was extremely unlikely to get hit by Enryu. However, Grace picked up a tiny piece of a broken scale and hurled it high into the air. Right as Enryu was about to bite down on her, she snapped her fingers. Enryu's jaws clamped down on nothing but air as Grace reappeared high into the sky, using her magic to blink out of harm's way.

From her aerial vantage point, she dive-bombed with both heels aimed at the middle section of Enryu's serpentine body. She struck with force, breaking apart more of his scales and drawing yet another roar of pain from the dragon. But the damage was superficial, and Enryu remained largely unharmed. Grace clicked her tongue in frustration, "Tch."

*Still can't break through these damn scales, and I doubt my magic would work well against them,* she noted to herself. She realized that all she could truly do was stall the dragon, keeping it away from everyone below rather than defeating it. Her attacks, while precise and relentless, were merely distractions. Grace knew that her role was to buy time, to keep the mighty dragon occupied, and prevent it from unleashing its fury on those who couldn't defend themselves.

As she dodged another one of Enryu's swipes by leaping into the air, Grace noticed something from the corner of her eye and smirked. *So I wasn't just seeing things,* she thought to herself. Enryu unleashed a breath of pure hellfire, trying to incinerate her. But with a snap of her fingers, she blinked back onto his massive body. 

Having seen this pattern multiple times, Enryu immediately coiled around and opened his maw to bite down on her. Instead of seeing fear, shock, or surprise, he saw a smirk of bemusement on her face. She pointed to his left with her index finger. "Are you sure you should be focusing on me?" she asked.

Both heard a voice yell with excitement, "Super Powerful Punch!!!" The Wandering Calamity's punch landed on Enryu's elongated head with such force that it snapped to the side, shaking his entire body and causing scales to rattle.

Dash landed on top of Enryu's body close to Grace. "Wow! It didn't go down! It's really strong!" Dash exclaimed with joy and excitement, pumping his fist in the air.

"Could you not have left me on the ground before doing this!?" exclaimed Elanor, who was still within Dash's arms, looking both very scared and very angry.

**A few minutes earlier**

Dash and Elanor were approaching the mansion as Dash sprinted through the forest, weaving between trees and shrubbery with ease. "What do you think that thing was we saw from a distance?" Elanor asked, a hint of fear and uncertainty in his voice.

"I don't know! But I know it had to be strong to roar with so much power!" Dash replied, his voice filled with visible excitement. Elanor sighed, not sure what else he should have expected from the battle junky. Soon, the forest began to thin out, and they could see the back of the mansion coming into view through the trees.

"We're finally here," Elanor muttered, though he doubted his presence would mean much. "Hold on tight!" Dash instructed. Elanor clung tightly to him as Dash jumped down a cliff. 

Mid-air, time seemed to freeze. They saw the dragon looming above the mansion, its fiery serpentine body, its crimson, amber, and ebony-colored scales glistening menacingly. The dragon's terrifying maw unleashed hellfire, and they could see it all clearly. As they landed on the ground, Elanor's heart raced, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead just from the sight of this terrifying yet majestic creature.

Suddenly, Elanor noticed something. *No way,* he thought to himself. *Is he shaking?* The Wandering Calamity, Dash Ardent, was shaking. *I guess even The Wandering Calamity can feel fear,* Elanor thought as he switched his gaze back to the dragon. *I don't blame him.*

But Dash wasn't shaking with fear; he was shaking with pure excitement and joy. Without saying a single word, he crouched down. "What are you doing?" Elanor asked just as Dash leaped into the air, soaring toward the dragon with his fist reared back. 

"Super Powerful Punch!!!" Dash yelled as he collided with the dragon's elongated head. The force of the punch snapped the dragon's head to the side, shaking its entire body and rattling its scales. Dash Ardent (And Elanor) truly joined the chaos.