Chapter 373 The Greed
The auras of death and life overlapped and canceled each other out. The dragon with the elegant, shiny armor of black metal, gold, and gems quietly flapped his wings.
Sparks of lightning, fire, shards of ice, and droplets of lava, acid, and water danced and orbited around him as if he was a center of a solar system composed of pure elemental energy.
The reaper hovered in the air without any movement, as if they stood on solid ground. Their black robes, covered in dust, fluttered in the wind, the atmosphere of gloom, death, and melancholy spreading out, making even the eyes of the monsters frozen within the crystals dim.
Streams of thoughts flowed through the dragon's mind as he carefully analyzed the entire situation, 'Chronomancy, orders of the god of death, high-ranking reaper... each of these is enough to complicate the situation on its own, but together, they are like a minefield.'
His greed and rationality fought against each other as his eyes darted toward the small brass ring on his claw, 'I can still steal one more ability. The question is if I should really attempt to do it. Stealing time-magic... risks are immeasurable, but at the same time, this is a rare opportunity. The chance of me ever again stumbling upon the opportunity to learn the forbidden magic is low.'
The small spark of greed quickly blazed into a giant, blazing hot flame that engulfed his mind, 'Yes, no one has to find I have it. The only reason the god of death even knows about it is most likely discrepancies in death caused by the effects of reversing time. Otherwise, other gods would also be knocking here, but they aren't.'
Vesuviuses's heartbeat sped up while his greedy plan slowly manifested in his head.
'So as long as I don't use it for something too large and noticeable, or just keep it as a secret hidden card I should be alright. Yes, I can't lose this opportunity... if I want to take space for myself then I can also take it even further. Time and space are a pair anyway.'
The dragon calmed his mind and pushed back all the excitement, "Reaper, I shall help you fulfill your order." his mouth opened wide in a small grin, "However, I will not act for free. I want all the treasures and a payment on top of that. I am a dragon lord; my services are not cheap."
'Haha, double profit. On top of that, it will perfectly mask my other motives!'
"As expected of a dragon... greedy as always. So be it, the material possessions have no value in a face of death."
'Will the dragon god find out? Maybe, but I doubt they will care too much if I don't do anything stupid. As long as I keep it for emergency or use it subtly, then they might look away.'
Vesuvius knew his importance for the dragon god's plans, so he was sure he could get away with much more than usual. Furthermore, he was a dragon, and dragons had the right to grab all the power they wanted.
The dragon flapped his wings and launched towards the tower.
The reaper turned into a haze of darkness and mist, following right behind him, their aura of death constantly chilling the dragon from behind.
POV Noob:
The single human trembled on the ground. His armor was covered in dents and scratches, and his cape was in tatters. Sweat flowed down his temple and forehead as the inferno of red flames surged around him, reflecting in the polished plates of his armor.
The rays of light and spear of fire flashed in the clouds above his head, and dead bodies of angels and demons fell like falling red and silver stars, their light and fire dimming down as they closed to the ground.
'I can't just die! I am no longer a noob! I must survive and prove it.'
Suddenly the air rippled above his head, and the next moment a bright blue ray of pure mana shot from a tear in the space.
'Ohhh...'
The ray hit the ground like a pillar of light, and his vision turned blue.
Ding!
//
You have been killed by a combo attack of bosses: Vesuvius, the dragon, and Mage, the time lord, across time and space.
//
'Again? What have I ever done to you?'
[+500XP]
[+420XP]
[+600XP]
...
Ding!
//
You are now level 36!
//
[+400XP]
[+520XP]
[+550XP]
...
POV The Knight:
Salvos of dozens of brightly glowing, blue bolts of mana launched again and again from far behind the horizon and rained upon the forest like artillery bombardment.
They silently glowed in the black night sky, looking like harmless flares. Golden, reverse-slitted eyes quietly watched them as they approached.
The blue lights flashed all over the forest, and the trees collapsed and exploded into splinters of wood as the mana orbs landed everywhere like bombs during carpet bombing.
The wind and flapping of wings reverberated through the night as the giant eagles of wind and armored draconic beasts clashed. The wind and fire collided, illuminating the entire sky.
"Hold the wall!" In his black and gold, richly decorated armor, the commander steadily stood on top of the cracked and collapsing walls without any fear.
Suddenly a giant wave of wind akin to a tsunami rose far in the forest, crashing everything in its path as it rolled straight at the wall. The trees, boulders, humans, and monsters were torn from the ground, accompanied by loud shrieks, bangs, and blender-like howling.
'Ohh my...' An immense force crashed into the wall and the knight. His feet lifted from the ground as he launched into the air as if he was shot from a cannon. Everything turned into a blur, pain submerging his entire body while his armor creaked and caved in.
The wind smashed the wall apart like a giant battering ram and the stone fragments flew everywhere, toppling and destroying trees in their path. The armored kobolds were launched into the air like small ragdolls, their golden eyes flashing with panic.
Fourteen muscular men with spinning vortexes of wind around them soared through the air, approaching like missiles amidst the barrages of blue mana bombs.