Chapter 378: Falling Down

Noah stood atop the dragon as it soared through the night sky.

Unlike Akari’s dragon form, which was truly gigantic, this dragon was comparatively smaller. Nevertheless, its broad back was more than large enough for Noah to stand on comfortably.

Its icy scales shimmered beneath the silver moonlight, giving it a majestic and almost otherworldly appearance. Every beat of its enormous wings sent waves of freezing air through the sky, while a faint blue glow emanated from its body.

’The moonlight seems to be enhancing its strength as well.’

Noah could feel the difference through their connection. The dragon’s aura had grown noticeably stronger since entering the moonlight, and even its frosty flames seemed more powerful than before.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to investigate the phenomenon further.

Far behind them, the freezing flames had completely engulfed Tharlyssa.

Noah immediately focused his thoughts on the dragon.

’Let’s go down.’

The dragon responded to his command without hesitation, folding its wings slightly as it plunged toward the World Tree.

Noah had no intention of wasting time celebrating.

He didn’t believe Tharlyssa would die that easily.

And his instincts proved correct.

Where the freezing flames had consumed her, a motionless figure floated in the air.

Tharlyssa’s entire body was encased in a thick layer of ice. For several seconds, nothing happened.

CRACK!

A thin fracture appeared across the icy shell. Another followed. Within moments, countless cracks spread throughout the frozen prison.

BOOM!

The ice covering her exploded. Thousands of crystal fragments scattered through the sky as Tharlyssa emerged from within. Her clothes were damaged, and her pale skin was covered in frost, but she was still alive.

She slowly exhaled. A cloud of freezing mist escaped her mouth.

"Damn... That was colder than I expected."

Her expression twisted with fury as she looked toward the distant figure riding the dragon.

Unlike vampires, elves did not possess exceptional regenerative abilities. Although consuming blood could temporarily enhance her body’s recovery, it was nowhere near as effective as a vampire’s natural regeneration.

And the attack had inflicted considerable damage.

Her right eye throbbed painfully, while several wounds still covered her face. She could feel the freezing energy lingering inside her body, interfering with her mana circulation.

Yet the pain wasn’t what angered her most.

It was Noah.

That damn white-haired boy!

Her gaze followed the dragon as it descended toward the World Tree.

Then her expression changed.

"...Huh?"

She stared at their destination in disbelief.

The enormous crown of the World Tree stretched across several kilometers, its upper branches and leaves covered in blazing flames. Crimson fire spread over the ancient wood, consuming everything it touched while illuminating the entire capital.

Even the most powerful elven mages had failed to extinguish it.

Yet Noah was flying directly toward it.

More specifically, he was heading straight for the burning surface of the World Tree.

"T-That boy... Is he an idiot?!"

Tharlyssa couldn’t believe her eyes.

Did he seriously intend to land on those flames? Or was he trying to use his freezing flames against the fire covering the tree?

’Has he completely lost his mind?!’

"YOU IDIOT! STOP!"

She shot forward like a missile, her body enveloped in crimson mana.

She had no intention of letting Noah escape, especially after what he had done to her face.

If he wanted to throw his life away, she would gladly help him!

Meanwhile, Noah sensed her rapidly approaching.

’As expected. She’s still alive.’

He glanced down at the burning World Tree.

The flames stretched across the enormous surface, forming a seemingly endless sea of crimson fire. The heat rising from them was so intense that the surrounding air appeared distorted.

Yet Noah remained remarkably calm.

The reason was simple.

His passive ability, Heart of Absolute Frost, continuously regulated the temperature around his body. Even in extreme heat, his body remained cool, allowing him to withstand temperatures that would have been unbearable for ordinary people.

His dragon possessed an even stronger resistance to cold and heat, particularly under the moonlight.

However, Noah wasn’t foolish enough to assume that their resistance made them invincible.

’I’ll have to be careful.’

He continued descending.

The moment Tharlyssa came within range, she raised both hands.

Crimson mana erupted around her, rapidly condensing into enormous blood-red lances.

There were five of them. Each lance was more than fifteen meters long, their sharpened tips gleaming with sinister light.

"I WON’T LET YOU GO!"

With a furious scream, Tharlyssa thrust her hands forward.

The five enormous lances shot toward Noah and his dragon from different directions, tearing through the sky with terrifying speed.

Noah’s expression sharpened.

"Move!"

The dragon immediately twisted its body, beating its wings forcefully as it veered to the side.

The first lance narrowly missed its head. The second passed beneath its body.

The third swept past Noah so closely that the violent air pressure nearly threw him off its back.

But Tharlyssa had anticipated their movement. The remaining two lances changed direction in midair, pursuing the dragon from opposite sides.

"Tch!"

Noah dropped to one knee.

He slammed his palm against the dragon’s back, releasing a surge of mana through their connection. At the same time, frost spread from his hand, freezing the soles of his boots to the dragon’s icy scales.

He secured himself in place.

’Left! Then dive!’

The dragon reacted instantly. Its enormous wings folded against its body as it plunged downward.

The two lances collided above it.

BOOOOOOM!

A tremendous explosion shook the sky.

The shock wave struck the dragon’s back, forcing Noah to brace himself as fragments of blood-red mana scattered around them.

They had narrowly escaped.

However, Tharlyssa wasn’t finished.

Her crimson eyes burned with murderous intent as she accelerated, closing the distance between them.

"Stop running!"

Blood-red mana surged around her arms.

This time, she didn’t create another lance.

Instead, she condensed the mana into a massive, twisted spear that radiated an oppressive aura. Its surface pulsed like a living thing, and its sharpened tip glowed with concentrated blood magic.

She hurled it. The spear shot forward with far greater speed than the previous attacks.

Noah’s pupils contracted.

"Shit!"

He immediately commanded the dragon to dodge.

The dragon twisted sharply, attempting to avoid the incoming attack while simultaneously spreading its wings to stabilize its descent.

But the spear was too fast.

BOOM!

It struck the dragon’s left wing. And suddenly the blood weapon started to glow in red light and violent explosion erupted in midair.

The dragon roared as the impact tore through its icy scales. Fragments of frost scattered everywhere, and its left wing twisted at an unnatural angle.

At almost the same instant, the shock wave from the explosion slammed into Noah and with it a huge ice shard of his own dragon hit him hard.

"Ugh!"

The impact sent a sharp jolt of pain through his chest. His internal organs seemed to twist as the force struck him, disrupting his breathing and making his vision blur.

He felt as though an invisible hammer had smashed into his body.

"Kh—!"

Noah suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The crimson liquid splattered across the dragon’s icy back, standing out starkly against its pale blue scales.

He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to remain conscious as pain spread through his chest.

’Damn it... That attack was stronger than I expected.’

He quickly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and took a shallow breath.

His body had suffered internal injuries from the impact. Although his Heart of Absolute Frost protected him against extreme temperatures, it offered no protection against the sheer destructive force of an attack.

Nevertheless, Noah didn’t have time to worry about his injuries.

The dragon was badly damaged, and its flight had become unstable. Its enormous body began tilting toward the burning World Tree.

Noah could still feel their connection.

The dragon’s injuries didn’t directly affect his own body, but they were now in serious danger of falling.