Chapter 67: Heal The Dragon (Part 1)

The temple knight swung his sword at the fire elemental. Under normal circumstances, such an elemental creature would pose no threat to him. But now, his movements were slower than a turtle's. Though he could still swing his sword, the lack of fight spirit and speed meant his strikes did little damage to the elemental giant.

The sword sparked as it passed through the fire elemental's body. The elemental paused briefly, then embraced the temple knight as if holding a lover.

This embrace was truly "fiery." The fire elemental squeezed the temple knight into its body. Within the red and yellow flames, the knight's limbs convulsed, and his muffled screams echoed through the air, compressed by the immense force.

Another nearby temple knight tried to move closer to help, but a bolt of lightning from the minotaur priest's staff struck him down again. While the lightning spell couldn't deal significant damage, it was more than enough to hinder their movements.

The remaining temple knights roared in unison, their eyes bloodshot, on the verge of madness. But no matter how enraged they were, it was useless. In this gravity field, the tactics were almost tailor-made to counter them.

The screams gradually faded. The charred corpse of the temple knight fell from the fire elemental's embrace, and the elemental drifted toward the next knight.

The temple knights were terrified, but the minotaur priest wasn't faring much better. Beads of sweat dripped from his bull-like head. The gravity field wouldn't last long—only a few minutes at most. According to the plan, he should have been able to slaughter all the temple knights by now. But due to the dark elf reinforcements, the most powerful scrolls, Blazing Fireball and Thunderclap Bomb, had already been used, and precious time had been lost.

Using fire elementals alone was still effective, but far less efficient. Once the gravity field dissipated, the temple knights' reaction would be predictable. So the minotaur priest was also tense, perhaps even more so than the knights. He didn't dare send both fire elementals forward at once, as even though the Light Arrow spell wasn't particularly lethal, multiple hits could still be fatal.

The killers were more nervous than the ones being killed. In this cavern filled with flying rocks and blood, a strange scene unfolded.

At that moment, three black figures suddenly fell from above. With a loud crash, both the temple knights and the minotaur priest were momentarily stunned.

The cavern ceiling had been shedding rocks under the gravity field, but these three figures weren't rocks—they were people. One of them slowed his descent slightly, likely using a Feather Fall spell, while the other two crashed heavily onto the rocky ground, creating massive craters.

These were two nearly naked men. One was tall and muscular, his body resembling a fortress of muscle. Even the towering minotaur warriors paled in comparison to his sheer physical presence. The other was comparatively slender, though still well-built, with the physique of a perfectly proportioned young man.

However, their once-perfect bodies were now grotesquely twisted. Falling from such a height in this gravity field, even a statue of iron would have been deformed, let alone flesh and blood. Their limbs were bent at unnatural angles, bones protruding from broken limbs, muscles tearing through skin. The younger man's abdomen had been split open, his intestines spilling out.

But these two men didn't seem to care. They calmly straightened their twisted bones, pushed their mangled flesh back into place, and stood up. Their movements were as practiced as a skilled craftsman handling his tools.

The liquid oozing from their wounds wasn't red blood but a black, viscous fluid that emitted a strange odor, overpowering the stench of charred flesh and blood in the cavern. This black liquid was then reabsorbed into their bodies, and their wounds healed. With such abilities, these two could no longer be considered human.

Yet, these bizarre men didn't capture everyone's attention. Both the temple knights and the minotaur priest were focused on the third man.

This was the man who had used the Feather Fall spell during his descent, suggesting he was still human. He was shirtless, with a black sword and two pouches hanging at his waist.

When the temple knights saw his face, they gasped. Lancelote's face turned pale, his pupils contracting.

The man ignored Lancelote and the temple knights, walking straight toward the collapsed black dragon. White fight spirit glowed around him, and each step he took caused the ground to tremble, rocks flying. Even in the gravity field, his movements weren't too slow. In just a few steps, he reached Moriel's massive body. He placed his hand on the dying dragon, and a white magical light enveloped her.

If his earlier actions had only surprised everyone, what he did next filled them with terror—absolute terror.

"What are you doing? Stop!" Both the temple knights and the minotaur priest shouted in shock and panic.

After the white light faded, the massive wound on Moriel's shoulder began to slowly stop bleeding and close. Though the healing was minimal compared to the size of the wound, it was undeniably effective. The man's intentions were clear. This wasn't just white magic—it was at least a bishop-level healing spell.

Moriel had been lying there motionless, seemingly lifeless. Even if she wasn't completely dead, both the temple knights and the minotaur priest had considered her a corpse. But the man's white magic corrected their assumptions. Even the most advanced white magic was useless on a corpse—Moriel was still alive.

Then the man took a deep breath, and a green light appeared over Moriel's body. The green light merged with the white magic, seeping into the dragon's body. The healing of Moriel's wound accelerated, and everyone could hear a faint gasp from the dragon's mouth.

The temple knights and the minotaur priest outside the cavern heard that gasp. It felt as if the dragon's breath had scorched their hearts, their blood and nerves burning. It was proof of life, a sign of recovery.

And yet, the magical energy surging from the man's hands did not cease; instead, it continued to flow steadily into the dragon's massive body. It seemed that he was not merely trying to pull Moriel back from the brink of death—he intended to heal her completely.

This was unacceptable, no matter for which side. The fire elemental that had been approaching the temple knights suddenly turned and charged at the man. Even the fire elemental guarding the minotaur priest joined the attack, and a bolt of lightning shot from the priest's staff toward the man.

Seizing the opportunity, all the temple knights, including the fallen Welleskay, attacked. But their Light Arrow spells weren't aimed at the minotaur priest outside the cavern—they targeted the man beside the black dragon.

The only person who could appear here at this moment and do such a thing was Asa.

Combining the white magic Divine Grace with the natural magic Restoration, Asa's vibrant magical energy surged into Moriel's body, healing the massive wound caused by the Holy Light Cross Sword. He felt the dragon's nearly extinguished life force rekindle under his magic.

Asa sensed the attacks from behind but didn't dodge or retreat. He allowed the temple knights' Light Arrow spells to strike him. His white fight spirit flared, absorbing the three light arrows. He remained in place, his hand still on Moriel's massive body, continuously sending out magical energy. The minotaur priest's lightning spell also struck him, but against his fully unleashed fight spirit, such intermediate-level spells were ineffective.

The red fire elemental had now reached his back. In this gravity field, the elemental's agility was unmatched. Asa still didn't move, letting the fire elemental wrap its arms around him. The healing magic wasn't complete yet—he couldn't afford to move. Moriel's life force had been on the verge of extinction. If not for the dragon's immense vitality, she wouldn't have lasted this long.

The fire elemental's body was composed of the purest elemental fire. Though not as intensely hot as the concentrated flames of a Blazing Fireball, it was still capable of melting ordinary steel. Even the top-tier glory armor couldn't save the temple knight earlier, and Asa was shirtless.