chapter 68

The battlefield in Galica was a maelstrom of chaos as General Agane's forces dwindled against the relentless onslaught of Warlord Halooween's child and her minions.

Agane's soldiers stood no chance against the siren's minions' ferocious attacks, yet none fled or retreated. Their resolve burned fierce, fighting to support their general, who now clashed hand-to-hand with the indomitable Xeo Juggernaut.

Each clash of their fists shook the earth, the sheer force of their blows reverberating through the air. Agane knew Juggernaut's body absorbed her strikes, her wind-based attacks leaving no mark on his impervious armor.

Her only hope was to outlast him, draining his energy to weaken his defenses. But doubt gnawed at her—could her own body endure the barrage of his counterattacks, and who would falter first?

Waiting for Juggernaut to tire was a gamble she couldn't afford. Time was slipping away, and her soldiers were falling to the other enemies. If she didn't find a way to defeat him, her forces would be annihilated.

Meanwhile, the siren, Katshira, prepared a massive magic circle to cast a devastating spell. "I'm running out of time," she declared.

"I'll have to destroy your entire town."

A colossal magic circle glowed on the ground, summoning a towering wall of water, twenty feet high, that morphed into a massive gate.

With a wave of her staff, the gate opened, and the ground trembled as thousands of Slenders—hulking, nine-inch-tall fish-like ocean beasts with muscular frames—marched out. The soldiers froze, terror gripping them as they recognized the savage strength of these creatures.

"You handle this," Katshira said, mounting a water stingray to depart toward the next town. "I need to find that human."

Agane spotted her escape and roared, "You think I'll let you leave?" Her aura surged, cracking the ground as she launched herself skyward. But before she could reach Katshira, Juggernaut's fist struck, sending her crashing into the rocks below, leaving a crater.

"Your fight is with me, not the princess," Juggernaut taunted, his voice booming.

The earth quaked as a massive tornado erupted from Agane's crater, swirling debris into a towering vortex.

"No one escapes the Wind Dragon!" she bellowed, raising her hand. "Tornado Strike!"

The tornado's tip surged toward Juggernaut, who grinned, unfazed, and met it with a single punch, radiating a fierce aura. The impact was cataclysmic, but Agane's attack overwhelmed his strike, dragging him backward until he was hurled across the battlefield.

Agane, panting, spread her wings, her aura still blazing. Wasting no time, she soared after Katshira. As a Wind Dragon, her speed in the sky was unmatched, and she quickly overtook the siren's stingray. "You're not getting away!"

Katshira sensed her approach and cast a magic circle, summoning a water barrier. Agane's fist slammed into it. "You can't stop me!" she roared, unleashing a whirlwind that shattered the shield, sending Katshira plummeting. Water cushioned her fall, gently lowering her to the ground.

"Her energy is overwhelming," Katshira thought. "Ordinary attacks won't stop her."

As Agane landed, striding forward cloaked in blue aura, she vowed, "My next strike will kill you." She lunged, her energy cracking the ground, but a black, slime-like substance from her shadow enveloped her arm, halting her.

"What is this?"

The siren's mage, Dugal, emerged from a shadow. "You're too ferocious. Rest in the world of darkness," he sneered.

The shadow formed a sphere, sinking like quicksand, trapping Agane in a strange dimension. She unleashed wind strikes, but they were absorbed, and she sank deeper. "This cage absorbs all attacks," Dugal laughed. "Surrender and await your death."

Agane smirked, undeterred. "You think this can defeat a dragon?" Blue lightning crackled around her, enveloping her body in a radiant glow. Dugal scoffed,

"Even if you attack, my Shadow Cage will drain your energy."

But the cage expanded, stretching to twenty feet, its surface cracking as blue sparks erupted. "Impossible," Dugal gasped.

The cage shattered, the explosion hurling him and everything nearby. A massive white dragon loomed before him, jaws wide. With a roar, it unleashed a Tornado Strike, obliterating Dugal's defenses and burying him in the earth.

As the dust settled, Agane reverted to her humanoid form. Katshira raised her staff, summoning a colossal magic circle in the sky. Hundreds of water sharks materialized, floating menacingly. Agane stared, unflinching, knowing only a supremely powerful mage could summon so many at once—a feat she hadn't expected from a siren.

Yet she grinned, her energy surging. "You still don't know the true power of a dragon like me. I'll make you regret challenging a Prime Dragon.

" Her eyes blazed as she took a deep breath. "Dragon Roar!"

A deafening tornado erupted from her mouth, dissolving the sharks and shattering the magic circle. Katshira barely escaped, landing safely to evade the storm. "She destroyed my white sharks with one attack," she muttered, stunned.

Unseen, Agane dove toward her. "She's too fast," Katshira thought, time slowing as the fist neared. She tried to cast a spell, but a black, slime-like shadow from her own form ensnared Agane's arm, stopping her again. "It halted my attack with just a shadow?" Agane gasped.

Dugal reappeared from the shadows. "I underestimated you. We shouldn't take you lightly." Agane struggled, breaking free and soaring skyward with her wings. "Shadow magic, huh? Impressive, but I know its limits. As long as I avoid your shadows, you can't touch me."

Dugal admired her insight but warned, "You can't escape shadows—they're part of everything." Black slime rose from the shadows of trees, rocks, and debris, coalescing into a thirty-foot-tall shadow beast named Darkness.

"Let's see you defeat my servant," Dugal taunted.

"A shadow beast? That's your trump card?" Agane fired wind strikes, but they vanished into Darkness's body. Perplexed, she attacked again, only for the beast to absorb each blow. "My attacks just sink into it," she thought.

Dugal mocked her, explaining that Darkness's body, like his shadow magic, absorbed attacks into another dimension—a rare ability connecting to alternate realms. Agane's instincts screamed danger.

If her wind strikes were useless, she'd waste energy fighting it. With no magic circle to disrupt, and having been trapped by Dugal's shadows before, she knew she had to be cautious.

"I could use Dragon Roar again, but transforming into my dragon form would drain too much energy," she thought, hesitant. With multiple enemies, such a move could leave her vulnerable.

A sudden explosion rocked the ground as Juggernaut descended from the sky, unscathed by her earlier attack. "It's been a while since I felt pain," he said, grinning eagerly.

"This fight's getting exciting."

Worry creased Agane's face. She knew this battle was far from easy, especially with the untapped strength her foes still held. "They're no ordinary warriors. I can't face them all alone," she admitted silently.

Yet her resolve didn't waver. She steeled herself for the possibility of death, her duty as Galica's general unwavering. "I'm ready to die for Galica and my queen," she declared, her aura forming a blue dragon silhouette. "Step forward if you want to die first," she said coldly, radiating defiance.