I Ascend Alone-Chapter 127: The Birth of National Level Part VI

Mirae, still poised with her spear, stared at the dragon, her brow furrowed. "We're dealing with something far older than we thought."

But it wasn't just its regenerative power that took them off guard. No—what followed next shook them to the core.

A low, guttural growl rumbled from the depths of Pyraethrax's chest, and then, to the shock of every single person on the battlefield, the dragon spoke.

"You dare challenge me?" the voice echoed, deep and ancient, vibrating the very air. It was a guttural sound, almost as if the words were born from the depths of a volcano itself. "Mere humans... you think you can harm me?"

The dragon's molten eyes—glowing with an eerie, almost sentient malice—fixed on each of the S-Rank Hunters. The disdain in its voice was palpable, as if the very thought of these mortals facing it was laughable.

"You have no concept of what you face," it continued, its voice laced with centuries of arrogance. "Your weapons are no more than toys, your powers a fleeting ember compared to my eternal flame. You are ants to me."

Celestine, her expression hardened, took a step forward. "This arrogance of yours—"

"You are beneath me," Pyraethrax interrupted, its massive head lowering to meet her gaze. The dragon's molten breath steamed from its nostrils, scorching the air around them. "I have lived for millennia, and I will watch you burn like the insects you are. You think I fear you? Your kind cannot even comprehend the extent of my power."

Cain's lips curled into a vicious grin, but his eyes flickered with caution. "You've got a big mouth for something that's barely scratched the surface of its end. You're looking at the top of the food chain, beast. Don't get ahead of yourself."

Pyraethrax's wings flared out, blocking the sun for a split second as they cast a vast shadow over the group. The ground cracked beneath the pressure of its power, and the dragon's next words were laced with venom.

"You are nothing." The dragon's voice turned cold, colder than the depths of space. "I am a force of nature, born from the abyss itself. Your little tricks won't save you. You think you can defeat me? I will be your destruction."

Orion stepped forward, lowering his greatsword, his expression grim but determined. "We've killed worse than you before, beast. Don't make the mistake of underestimating us."

Pyraethrax laughed—a bone-shaking, terrifying sound that made the ground quake. "Your pride is what will destroy you. I will burn your pride to ashes."

The dragon's tail whipped through the air, and its molten eyes narrowed in cold calculation. The S-Ranks could feel the temperature rise even higher, a thick, suffocating heat crawling up their skin.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Despite the shock of hearing the dragon speak, despite the overwhelming force they were up against, the S-Rank Hunters stood their ground. The silence that followed was pregnant with the weight of their realization.

This was no longer just a battle of strength. It was a battle of survival.

"I'll show you that even pride has limits," Orion muttered, his grip on his sword tightening once more.

The dragon's eyes flicked toward me for a brief moment, and I could sense a deep, almost sinister recognition in them. But before it could voice whatever thought lingered there, it snarled at the group once more.

And then the battle resumed.

Pyraethrax lunged, its wings unfurling with terrifying speed. The ground beneath it cracked and buckled as it ascended, its massive form now blotting out the sun as it prepared for its next deadly move.

Leon's voice cut through the rising tension, his command clear and urgent. "Coordinated attack! We need to bring this thing down, together—we can't afford to waste energy on separate fronts!"

The dragon's enormous wings flapped, sending shockwaves of air that knocked loose debris and scorched the earth beneath them. The heat radiating from its body was unbearable, yet Leon's voice remained steady, unwavering.

"Celestine, you focus on suppression. Mirae, don't let it gain any height—target its wings! Cain, be on the lookout for openings. Orion, you're with me. We hit it hard and fast!"

The five S-Ranks exchanged quick glances, the shared understanding between them unspoken but absolute. They had fought together before, but this was different. This was an ancient terror, a being that defied their expectations in every way.

With a flash of light, Celestine raised her staff high, her robes shimmering as the arcane energies swirled around her. "Understood," she said, her voice calm but intense, before she unleashed a barrage of radiant magic toward the dragon's head.

Blinding beams of light, infused with raw energy, arced toward Pyraethrax's molten form, each one designed to weaken its magical core.

Mirae, with her spear held high, took a leap toward the dragon's towering body. "Forcing it down!" she shouted.

Her spear crackled with energy as she aimed for the dragon's wings. The glowing point of her weapon pulsed with enough force to shatter stone, and she drove it toward the creature's side with lethal intent.

Cain moved with a terrifying fluidity, his body nearly vanishing into the shadows. His eyes never left the dragon's every twitch, every move, calculating and anticipating.

The twin daggers in his hands gleamed as he vanished from sight and reappeared at the base of Pyraethrax's tail, looking for a vulnerable point to strike.

Orion and Leon stood side by side, their eyes locked on the dragon's massive head. With a grunt of effort, Orion swung the Obsidian Greatsword high, its weight making a deep groove in the air as he sent it toward Pyraethrax's exposed neck. The dragon's molten scales would be no match for the weight of the strike—but it was only the first blow in a much larger plan.

"Now!" Leon barked, his voice echoing as he lunged forward, his sword raised high. It glowed with an ethereal energy as he used his signature skill, Tempest Strike, creating a vortex of wind and light that surrounded his blade, making it crackle with sheer destructive power.

As he swung, the air around them seemed to distort, and the blade cut through the atmosphere with an almost deafening roar, aimed straight for the dragon's skull.