Chapter 95: I’m returning the favor!

"...Oh, shit."

Noir had barely finished saying that when the guardian lunged at Aster again.

The enormous stone figure plowed through several trees as its six eyes glowed with a bluish intensity. Aster was thrown back by the impact and rolled several meters across the ground before coming to a stop against a rock. For a few seconds, he didn’t move, but then his hand emerged from the dust, and he slowly got to his feet.

"That hurt more than I expected..."

Aster stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes as if she’d just tripped instead of having been struck by a gigantic creature.

Noir watched the scene from the camp. Despite the distance, his Draconic Senses let him see every movement clearly. The guardian was monstrously fast for its size, and its body seemed to have no obvious weak points. Aster, on the other hand, could withstand attacks that would have shattered any normal creature.

It was a rather strange combination... and a dangerous one.

"Arlene."

The woman turned toward him immediately.

"What?"

Noir kept his gaze fixed on the forest as he spoke. "Go with Uki and the demon princess. Get away from here."

Arlene’s eyes widened.

"What? What about you?"

"I’m staying."

"Noir, that thing almost killed us a few minutes ago."

"I know."

"Then why the hell do you want to stay?"

Noir finally looked away from the forest and looked at her.

"Because Aster is fighting that thing."

Arlene frowned.

"That doesn’t answer my question."

Noir sighed and explained:

"If that thing comes back at us, the three of you won’t be able to do anything. I’m not sure I can either, but at least I have a chance."

Arlene was about to answer, but she stopped when she heard a roar coming from the woods.

BOOOM!

A blue explosion lit up the rocks.

Flames shot up above the treetops, and a shock wave swept through the camp. The fire reached several meters away, causing the rocks to shake violently.

Uki looked up immediately.

The demon princess stopped playing.

Noir narrowed his eyes.

"You have to leave quickly."

"What about you?"

Noir flashed a huge smile; his eyes sparkled with curiosity. He didn’t want to miss this fight, so he spoke with ease:

"I’m going to help him."

Arlene looked at him for a few seconds. Her expression made it clear she disagreed, yet she didn’t seem to have a better alternative.

"You’re an idiot."

Noir bared his fangs slightly.

"I’ve heard that before."

Arlene took the little princess by the hand.

"Let’s go, Uki."

The white wolf rose reluctantly, though his ears remained pricked as he watched the rocks. He didn’t need anyone to tell him that the creature was dangerous.

The demon princess, however, looked at Noir.

"Isn’t Noir coming?"

"No."

"Why?"

Noir stepped closer and bowed his head slightly.

"Because I have something to do."

The girl pouted slightly.

"Are you going to fight?"

"Probably."

Arlene finally picked up the girl and began walking away with Uki. Noir waited until she was sure they were heading in the opposite direction before turning her attention back to the battlefield.

A new rumble shook the rocks.

Noir spread his wings. His claws dug lightly into the ground.

"Well... I guess now I’ll get a better view of this."

He propelled himself forward. His black wings spread wide, and the young dragon vanished among the trees.

***

Amid the dust and rocks, Aster got back to his feet. He had several cuts on his face, and one of his arms was hanging at an odd angle.

"This is starting to get annoying."

The guardian didn’t respond.

Aster lunged to the side just as a surge of blue energy swept through the spot where he had been standing.

BOOOOM!

The ground exploded.

Aster rolled across the stones and ended up behind one of the trees. He took a deep breath and looked at the creature.

"I definitely wasn’t exaggerating when I said it was a guardian."

Then he heard something behind him.

"Having fun?"

Aster froze. He slowly turned his head. Noir was standing on a rock, watching him with his red eyes.

Aster smiled.

"Look who decided to come back."

Noir remained suspended in the air with an amused expression:

"I couldn’t miss seeing that guardian tear your body apart."

"How considerate."

"Don’t get used to it."

Aster let out a soft laugh.

"I thought you were smarter."

Noir frowned.

Aster continued, still smiling:

"The last time we were here, you had a brilliant idea."

Noir’s eyes widened before he even had time to react.

Aster spun around and hurled the dragon straight into the center of the battlefield.

"ASTER, YOU SON OF...!"

Noir bolted.

The guardian immediately looked up. Its six eyes locked onto him.

Noir felt his whole body tense up.

"...Bitcht."

The creature roared.

ROOOAAAR!

Noir barely managed to spread his wings before one of the guardian’s enormous legs struck the ground.

BOOOM!

The ground rose beneath him.

Noir was hurled upward and used the momentum to change direction midair. A blue flame grazed his body.

"Why do I always end up in situations like this?!"

The guardian turned back toward him.

Noir descended rapidly and landed on a rock. His claws dug into the surface. His dragon’s heart began to pound.

"All right..."

The guardian began to approach.

Noir bared his fangs.

"You wanted to fight me, didn’t you?"

The creature responded with a roar.

Noir flexed his legs. Mana began to build up in his chest; this time, he wasn’t going to stand idly by.

"Then come on."

The guardian charged.

So did Noir.

They both crashed into the rocks.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact shook the nearby trees and sent up a cloud of dust.

Noir was sent flying backward, but managed to regain his balance in midair. He spun around and landed on all four legs.

Pain shot through his side. But it wasn’t enough to stop him.

Aster watched from a few meters away.

"That’s it. You can defeat him."

Noir glared at him furiously.

"When I’m done with that thing, I’m going to kill you!"

Aster burst out laughing.

"First, survive!"

The guardian raised one leg again.

Noir growled. His claws dug into the ground; his wings spread wide. His red eyes remained fixed on the creature’s six blue eyes.

The guardian lunged at him again. Noir leaped to the side just in time, and one of the creature’s enormous paws struck the rock where he had been just a moment earlier.

The impact sent stone fragments flying in all directions. Noir spread his wings to regain his balance and rose a few meters, keeping his gaze fixed on the creature as it raised its head once more.

"That was close."

The guardian opened its jaws, and a blue flame shot toward him. Noir spun in midair, and the stream of energy grazed his scales before continuing to crash into several trees.

The young dragon used the momentum to launch himself downward. His claws struck the guardian’s stone body with a loud metallic clang, but he barely managed to make it recoil. The surface was much tougher than he’d expected.

"What the hell?!"

Noir leaped backward just as one of the guardian’s legs swept past him. The blow shattered several rocks and sent up a cloud of dust that covered part of the ground. Noir kept moving, dodging one attack after another, while searching for an opening among the enormous stone slabs.

However, he couldn’t find one.

Every time he tried to get too close, the guardian responded with a force capable of sending him several meters backward. Its blue flames also forced him to keep moving, and the longer the exchange lasted, the clearer it became that facing it head-on would not be easy.

Noir landed on the ground and backed up a few meters. He was breathing heavily as he watched the guardian.

"I definitely need another strategy."

The creature roared again and began to approach. Noir bared his fangs, but then his gaze shifted to the side.

Aster.

The immortal stood a few meters away, watching the fight with a smile that Noir was beginning to find extremely annoying. Despite the blows he had taken, he seemed to be enjoying the situation.

Aster raised an eyebrow when she noticed the dragon’s gaze.

"¿What?"

Noir didn’t answer right away. He kept watching him as an idea took shape in his mind.

Aster narrowed his eyes.

"No."

A smile slowly spread across Noir’s face.

"Yes."

"Don’t even think about it."

"I already have."

Aster barely had time to react. Noir lunged toward him at full speed, and before he could step aside, one of the dragon’s claws caught on his clothes.

"Noir!"

The young dragon pulled him along as he charged forward.

"Don’t worry."

Aster immediately realized what was about to happen.

"Noir, wait!"

Noir spun around abruptly and used the momentum to hurl the immortal straight into the center of the battlefield.

"I’m returning the favor!"

"NOIR!"

Aster shot through the air and landed right in front of the guardian. The creature turned its head immediately, fixing its six blue eyes on him.

For a moment, Aster stood motionless. Then he slowly turned his head toward Noir.

"I’m going to kill you."

Noir was already backing away.

"When you’re done with that, we’ll talk."

The guardian roared and lunged at Aster. The immortal had to jump aside to dodge the first blow, as a massive paw slammed into the ground, causing the entire area to shake.

BOOOM!

Noir took advantage of that moment to pull away from the fight. He spread his wings wide and began to rise, creating a gust of wind that sent dust and leaves swirling around him.

He rose several meters.

Then a few more.

The Silent Stones began to shrink beneath his feet as Noir rose higher. From there, he could see the entire battlefield more clearly. Aster ran between the guardian’s enormous legs while dodging its attacks, and the creature continued to chase him without giving him a single second’s respite.

Noir took a deep breath as the cold air stung his scales.

"Perfect."

He continued to rise until he was high above it all. From that height, he could clearly see the guardian, Aster, and much of the terrain devastated by the battle.

His red eyes narrowed.

"Well, now let’s enjoy the show."