Chapter 377: Strike Back

As he approached the World Tree, Noah suddenly changed direction and soared higher into the sky, flying above the burning tree itself as fast as he could.

He had felt something during his fight with Tharlyssa.

And now, it was time to find out whether his suspicions were correct.

Noah continued ascending until he was high above the World Tree. There, he finally caught sight of the beautiful moon hanging in the night sky.

Its silver radiance bathed the entire city, casting an ethereal glow over the burning capital. The gentle moonlight washed over Noah, enveloping his body in its silvery brilliance.

He inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling.

’Let’s see if this works.’

Mana surged through his body, circulating at an astonishing speed. In the next instant, he turned toward his approaching enemy and dashed toward her.

Tharlyssa was still some distance away, rapidly closing the gap between them.

A sword materialized in Noah’s right hand from storage ring.

Seeing this, Tharlyssa’s lips curled into a delighted smile. She accelerated, shooting toward him with frightening speed.

Noah did the same.

His sword gleamed with a pure blue radiance. A layer of frost spread across its surface, while freezing mist continuously escaped from the blade.

Even his glacier-blue eyes began to shimmer with a faint, frosty hue.

And at that moment, Noah finally understood.

The slight increase in his strength. The enhanced power behind his attacks. The astonishing speed at which his mana circulated.

Even the fact that his mana was recovering faster than usual. All of it was connected to the moonlight!

’So that’s what it is...’

After carefully observing the changes in his body, he finally realized the truth.

The moonlight was enhancing his abilities.

Unfortunately, the boost was nowhere near enough to allow him to compete with someone like Tharlyssa on equal footing.

But still, ’It’s better than nothing.’

A snowstorm began to form around Noah while moving down toward Tharlyssa, swirling violently as freezing winds gathered around his body. Countless snowflakes and ice particles danced through the air, gradually transforming into a miniature blizzard.

At the same time, Noah dismissed the ice sword beneath his feet.

The sword shattered into countless fragments, which immediately joined the swirling blizzard around him.

Without his means of flight, gravity took over. His body plunged toward the earth at an even greater speed.

Yet Noah remained perfectly composed.

The blizzard and frost surrounding him trailed behind as he accelerated through the air, leaving a beautiful stream of snow and freezing mist in his wake.

Then, his sword moved.

A clean horizontal slash cut through the air.

[Second Petal — Still Surface Cut]

A wide huge crescent-shaped arc of translucent ice shot from the blade, its razor-sharp edge gleaming beneath the moonlight. The compressed mass of freezing ice carried an intense chill, leaving a trail of frost wherever it passed.

It tore through the sky toward Tharlyssa.

She smiled at the incoming attack.

A sword formed in her hand, its entire length forged from dark crimson blood. Blood-red mana surged around the weapon, intensifying its already vivid color until the blade seemed to burn with a sinister scarlet radiance.

Without hesitation, she swung it vertically.

CLANG!

Her blood sword cleaved through the crescent-shaped ice slash.

However, the moment the two attacks collided, something unexpected happened.

A thick layer of frost rapidly spread across her weapon. Before Tharlyssa could react, nearly half of her blood sword had frozen solid.

Her smile disappeared.

"...What?"

She frowned, she brought the sword near her face staring at her frozen weapon in disbelief and amusement at what Noah could do.

But Noah had already raised his free hand. He extended his palm toward her and slowly clenched his fingers.

CRACK!

The frozen portion of Tharlyssa’s sword shattered.

Countless tiny ice fragments burst apart, shooting directly toward her face at terrifying speed.

Tharlyssa’s eyes widened.

She attempted to dodge, but the distance was too short, and the fragments were too fast. Despite being stronger, she was not exactly fast and agile, and if was unexpected and surprised attack for her to react.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

The tiny shards pierced her pale skin.

Several embedded themselves in her cheeks, while others tore into her forehead and chin. One particularly sharp fragment struck her right eye, piercing deep into the delicate flesh.

"ARRRGHHHH!"

Her agonized scream tore through the sky.

Tharlyssa’s body jerked violently as she instinctively covered her face. One eye squeezed shut while the other remained open, blood streaming down her cheek.

Countless tiny ice shards were embedded in her flesh, turning her once-beautiful face into a gruesome sight.

"YOU LITTLE—!"

Gritting her teeth, she reached up and desperately pulled the fragment from her right eye.

Blood trickled between her fingers. Her expression twisted with pain and fury as she glared upward.

Noah was already close.

He had descended rapidly through the sky, his sword held firmly in his right hand and freezing mist swirling around his body.

Their eyes met.

Tharlyssa’s remaining eye burned with murderous intent. But before she could do anything, a massive shadow suddenly swept across the sky.

It passed over her, swallowing the silver moonlight.

Tharlyssa’s expression changed. Something enormous was approaching from behind Noah.

"ROOOOOAAAAARRRRRRR!"

An indescribably powerful roar shook the heavens.

The sound reverberated throughout the capital, overpowering even the distant crackling of the burning World Tree.

Tharlyssa froze. Her blood ran cold as she slowly raised her head.

A colossal creature emerged from the darkness behind Noah, its enormous wings spreading across the sky. Its massive body was covered in icy scales that gleamed beneath the silver moonlight, while an overwhelming aura of freezing cold radiated from its very existence.

Its gigantic shadow completely engulfed Tharlyssa.

"D-Dra... dragon?"

Tharlyssa forgot about Noah. Her body remained suspended in the air, utterly motionless.

There was shock and disbelief with some fear. All three emotions flashed across her face.

A dragon!

An actual dragon was flying through the skies above Lunathiel!

And judging by the overwhelming pressure radiating from its body, this was no ordinary creature.

Tharlyssa’s remaining eye trembled.

She wanted to flee. She desperately wanted to flee. But her body refused to move for the briefest of moments.

And that moment was all it took.

Noah, meanwhile, turned his head slightly to dragon and then back to her. There was no expression on his face, just indifference and coldness. Without any emotion he glared at her with those frost glowing eyes that somehow sends shivers down her spine.

The colossal dragon swept forward, easily catching up to him.

With a gentle movement of its enormous body, it positioned itself beneath Noah, allowing him to land securely on its broad back.

The moment his feet touched its icy scales, the dragon let out another thunderous roar.

Then it opened its enormous jaws. A brilliant blue light gathered deep within its throat.

Tharlyssa’s eyes widened in horror.

"No—!"

She immediately tried to fly sideways, desperately forcing mana into her body.

But she was already too late.

The dragon unleashed its breath.

A torrent of freezing blue flames erupted from its mouth, sweeping across the sky like a raging blizzard.

The flames possessed none of the warmth associated with ordinary fire. Instead, they carried an absolute, bone-chilling cold that threatened to freeze everything in their path.

The surrounding air crystallized. Frost spread through the sky.

And Tharlyssa she was swallowed whole by the torrent of blue flames.

Her horrified expression was the last thing visible before the freezing breath engulfed her completely, leaving no room for escape.

The sky trembled beneath the dragon’s mighty roar.

And upon its huge back, Noah stood calmly, his white hair fluttering in the freezing wind as he watched the brilliant blue flames consume his enemy.