"This poisonous dragon is very strong. You're no match for it. You should run while you can," said Suiruzu Kirarze Gulan Elerialgranze, noticing the white-haired man before her. Though she didn't know who he was, it was clear he was human.
And while she didn't underestimate humans, she knew well the general level of human adventurers.
Although it sounded arrogant, she had rarely met human adventurers who could match her strength during her long time on the continent.
She struggled against the poisonous dragon as if it were a toy, so despite the man's apparent strength, she doubted he could handle the dragon.
"We won't know if I'm a match for it until I fight it. From what I've observed, aside from its poison breath, flight, and tough hide, it doesn't seem that formidable."
The elven girl's words made Gin smile. Despite facing a hopeless situation, she still worried about him and urged him to flee, indicating she wasn't a bad person, justifying his decision to help.
"Roar——————!"
The poisonous dragon, seemingly understanding Gin's words, felt its dignity trampled and roared in fury, diving toward Gin from the sky.
Even as a subspecies, it had dragon blood flowing through its veins and couldn't tolerate such insults from a mere human.
"Be careful, get out of the way..." the elven girl warned, but before she could finish, she was stunned by what happened next.
Instead of dodging, the white-haired man rushed towards the diving dragon, gripping his long sword. Even more astonishingly, despite the dragon's massive size and momentum, Gin didn't get knocked away. Instead, he blocked the dragon's horn with his sword.
"Clang, clang, clang———!"
The collision of the dragon's horn and Gin's sword produced a series of metallic clangs, sparks flying everywhere. Despite being pushed back several hundred meters, Gin managed to hold his ground, carving deep trenches in the scorched earth with his feet.
The sight shocked the elven girl. The dragon was over fifteen meters long. Even a subspecies, it was a formidable dragon-type beast, capable of easily crushing other beasts of its size with sheer physical might.
Yet here, a human had blocked its charge head-on... Was that man really human? When she fought the dragon, she relied on speed to avoid direct confrontations. Who in their right mind would choose to physically clash with a dragon?
"You're getting emotional over my comments? As I said, besides your size, foul breath, and corrosive poison, there's nothing impressive about you."
Gin's taunts infuriated the dragon further. It roared in rage, opening its maw to unleash a concentrated blast of its most potent poison breath directly at Gin.
With the dragon's horn still against his sword, Gin couldn't dodge. The corrosive poison, far more concentrated than before, would instantly eat through any magic shield, dissolving flesh and bone.
"Desire of the heavens, iron wall, dragon walk, lion roar, tiger howl, wolf run, sever the world before collapse. Bakudō #81: Dankū!"
Gin had anticipated the dragon's move and began chanting the spell. As the dragon's breath burst forth, he quickly completed the incantation, drawing a transparent barrier in the air with his hand.
The purple poison surged like a flood but stopped against the invisible wall. The corrosive breath, despite its potency, couldn't breach Gin's protective barrier.
Gin's reiatsu—now mana—was far stronger than the dragon's, and this was a fully chanted Bakudō #81, Dankū. The barrier held firm, separating Gin from the deadly poison.
The dragon, puzzled and shocked by the barrier's resistance, watched as Gin sheathed his sword, lowered his stance, and said, "Since you've shown your best move, it's time for you to experience my swordsmanship."
Mana coiled around Gin like a serpent, an invisible aura emanating from him. The dragon, an apex predator, sensed a deathly threat from Gin. It realized this human was unlike any it had encountered—a true danger.
Without hesitation, the dragon spread its wings and took to the sky, trying to escape from the lethal human.
"Trying to run now is a bit too late..."
(End of Chapter)