Chapter 122: Sucess
Heavenfall met the Drake's claw with a heavy metallic crack.
Xingluo's arms bent slightly beneath the force, but her feet remained planted. The Drake pushed forward for another instant before its claws scraped backward across the stone.
The impact still ran through both shoulders, but Xingluo smiled anyway.
The Drake pulled its forelimb back and snapped toward her with its jaws. Xingluo stepped inside the bite, turned Heavenfall across her body and struck toward the wound beneath its right wing.
The blade entered deeper than before.
The Drake twisted away and drove its tail across the basin.
Xingluo caught the sweep against Heavenfall instead of taking it directly. She turned with the force, let the weapon carry her around the Drake's flank, then drove one foot against the stone and cut upward through the already cracked scales.
Blood ran freely this time.
The Drake recoiled several steps.
At the basin's edge, Ruan Mei stopped while Xiaorou lowered her sword.
The Drake opened both wings and launched upward.
Xingluo followed its movement easily enough now to see the turn before it happened.
It circled once and dropped toward her left side.
She moved before the claws reached the ground.
The Drake landed, pivoted with one wing and sent its tail after her immediately.
Xingluo redirected the strike, stepped along the creature's side and drove Heavenfall toward the broken scales at its shoulder.
The blade struck bone beneath the wound.
The Drake roared and threw one wing toward her.
Xingluo ducked beneath the thick leading edge and cut across the underside of the same wing as it passed overhead.
Another line of blood opened.
The Drake jumped away.
Wuxia watched from beside Ruan Mei, keeping his hands at his sides.
You're getting used to it quickly.
Xingluo avoided another claw and answered through the Anchor Link.
I don't exactly have time to practice.
The Drake rushed again before he could reply.
Its first claw came high, followed immediately by the opposite wing. Xingluo blocked the claw, slipped beneath the wing and tried to attack the same wounded side.
This time the Drake folded its injured wing tightly against its ribs and turned its shoulder into the blade.
Heavenfall still broke two scales, but the angle was poor.
The Drake used the contact to shove her away.
Xingluo landed on both feet and slid several metres before stopping.
The boss advanced with its injured side protected. When Xingluo entered from the opposite flank, the tail followed immediately.
She jumped the sweep.
The Drake opened one wing during her landing and changed direction sharply.
Its claws cut across the side of Xingluo's armor before she could fully move away.
Several glowing lines flickered.
Blood appeared beneath the damaged section.
Xingluo struck back before retreating.
Heavenfall cut across the Drake's foreleg and broke another cluster of scales.
The beast answered with a wing strike that caught her shoulder.
Xingluo slid backward, rolled the injured shoulder once and raised Heavenfall again.
The Drake charged.
Xingluo moved toward it.
A claw struck Heavenfall and Xingluo turned it away. The jaws followed, so she stepped beneath the neck and cut across the chest.
The Drake twisted, and its tail caught the lower part of her armor, sending her sliding sideways.
Xingluo planted Heavenfall into the ground, stopped herself and pulled it free before the boss reached her again.
Xiaorou stared from the edge of the basin.
"Is that still the same talent?"
Ruan Mei kept her attention on Xingluo. "I don't know."
The Drake leapt.
Xingluo saw the shadow pass across the stone and rushed toward a raised section of broken rock instead of moving away.
She climbed two steps up the ridge and jumped as the Drake descended.
Heavenfall met the underside of its injured wing.
The blade cut through several scales and entered the supporting joint beneath them.
The Drake's body twisted in the air.
Its tail struck Xingluo across the ribs before she could pull the sword free.
She was thrown away.
This time she landed on one knee instead of crashing.
The earlier wound along her side opened again beneath the cracked armor.
The Drake landed badly with its injured wing folding unevenly, then tried to take off again.
One strong wingbeat lifted its front half from the stone, but the damaged right wing failed to match the left. The Drake dropped back down and stumbled across the basin.
Xingluo did not give it time to recover.
She rushed forward and attacked the same wing joint.
The Drake protected it with one claw.
Heavenfall struck the forelimb instead.
The impact forced the beast sideways.
Xingluo changed direction and cut across the shoulder wound.
The Drake snapped toward her.
She stepped away from the jaws and struck again.
The boss turned its injured side away and exposed its chest.
Xingluo drove Heavenfall into the thinner scales there.
The blade entered several centimetres before the Drake tore itself backward.
Blood spread across its chest.
It stopped trying to create distance.
The Drake lowered its body and rushed her with its remaining strength.
One claw tore through the ground where Xingluo had stood. She moved outside it, blocked the opposite claw, then redirected the following tail strike with Heavenfall.
The Drake's jaws descended toward her shoulder.
Xingluo drove one forearm against the side of its head and forced the bite away.
They locked briefly before Xingluo pushed and forced the Drake backward, its claws carving lines through the stone.
Xingluo followed with Heavenfall.
The sword broke through the damaged scales near its shoulder and opened the wound farther toward the chest.
The Drake roared and struck her with its wing.
The blow landed across her armor and reopened the cut beneath her ribs.
Xingluo stumbled several steps.
She tasted blood.
The Drake was already turning.
Wuxia shifted slightly forward before stopping himself again.
Xingluo raised Heavenfall.
Its damaged wing dragged lower now, with blood running across the shoulder, chest and foreleg.
It still charged.
Xingluo watched the injured wing move during the first step.
She moved toward the opposite side. The Drake corrected, then turned harder when Xingluo changed direction again.
That was what she wanted.
Xingluo stepped across its front and forced the Drake to pivot on the damaged foreleg.
The limb buckled.
She struck immediately.
Heavenfall cut through the scales near the knee and drove the beast downward.
The Drake caught itself with the opposite claw and threw its tail toward her.
Xingluo jumped over it and brought Heavenfall down across the damaged wing joint.
The blade entered deep.
The Drake screamed and rolled its shoulder violently.
Xingluo pulled the sword free before being thrown away.
The right wing sagged against its side. When the Drake tried spreading it, the movement failed halfway.
Xingluo tightened her grip.
The Drake stopped circling and lowered its head.
Both forelegs spread slightly against the stone.
Its remaining wing opened as far as possible, while the damaged one dragged behind it.
Wuxia watched quietly while Ruan Mei and Xiaorou remained where they were.
The Drake scraped one claw across the ground, then charged.
There was no attempt to protect the wounded side this time.
Its claws struck hard enough to chip the stone, while the remaining wing beat once and forced the entire body forward.
Xingluo drew Star Energy through every glowing line across her armor.
The white strands of her hair lifted behind her.
Heavenfall brightened in both hands.
She ran toward the Drake.
The first claw came down. Xingluo shifted narrowly outside it, though the tips tore through part of her shoulder armor.
The Drake turned its head and snapped toward her.
Xingluo lowered Heavenfall, used the flat of the blade to guide the jaw past her and moved along the wounded side.
The tail came next, but Heavenfall caught it and the impact moved her only one step sideways.
Xingluo drove forward.
The broken scales beneath the Drake's right wing opened directly ahead of her.
Star Energy gathered along Heavenfall as the force of Ruin settled into the blade.
Xingluo thrust.
Heavenfall entered through the damaged scales and sank deep into the Drake's side.
The beast roared and twisted, dragging Xingluo several steps across the stone while the embedded blade stayed in place.
She forced more Star Energy through Heavenfall.
Ruin spread through the wound around the blade.
The Drake struck at her with one forelimb.
Xingluo released one hand, caught the limb against her armored forearm and shoved it aside.
She drove Heavenfall deeper.
The Drake shuddered and turned its jaws toward her again.
Xingluo ripped the sword free before the bite landed, stepped along the creature's chest and swung once more.
Heavenfall cut through the already broken scales at the base of the neck.
Blood sprayed across the stone.
The Drake staggered.
Xingluo did not follow recklessly.
She remained several metres away with Heavenfall raised while the boss tried to turn toward her.
The Drake managed two uneven steps while its damaged wing dragged across the ground.
It opened its jaws as if preparing to attack again.
Nothing came.
Its front legs folded, and the rest of its body crashed onto the basin floor.
Xingluo remained standing nearby, breathing hard while the glowing lines across her armor still burned with Star Energy.
The Drake's claws moved once against the stone.
Then they stopped.
Ruan Mei and Xiaorou started toward her.
Wuxia moved as well.
Before any of them reached Xingluo, several notifications appeared.
[Boss Defeated.]
[Dragon Lineage Creature Defeated.]
[Bloodline Concentration: High.]
[External Assistance: Null.]
[Transition Successful.]