Chapter 338 – Crimson Edge (Part 1)
On a forgotten hillside within the battlefield, a wounded Silver Dragon lay gasping, her body barely clinging to life. Olivia’s eyes were tightly shut, her breaths ragged, punctuated by soft cries of pain and stifled groans. Her slender, over ten-meter-long frame curled tightly into a ball, Chaos Mist seeping from the wounds along her wings, spreading like poison through her flesh.
Suddenly, a beam of silver Radiance descended, banishing the Abyssal Energy. Then, golden light poured down from above, healing the wounds, coaxing new flesh to grow over torn muscle and bone. Kai Xiusu stood beside her, claws gripping the shard of Bahamut's Wind. He channeled the spell Dragon’s Resurgence, silent and still, a shadow of resolve.
After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"Why did you do it?"
Olivia forced her eyes open, her pale gray-blue irises blazing with stubborn defiance. "I made a vow… in my heart. I swore I would save you."
"I'm not some fool like you." Her voice was weak, fractured, yet unwavering. "Naive. Delusional. Playing savior—typical of your kind. All the stubbornness, the pride… the virtues of a Silver Dragon. But… honestly? You’re just stupidly endearing."
He stared at the young Silver Dragon—betrayed, broken, yet still stepping forward to protect him in his hour of need. His expression was complex, layered with something unreadable. His pale golden vertical pupils flickered faintly, reflecting the storm within.
Olivia’s eyelids trembled. She tried to lift her head, bending her neck just enough to glimpse the Red Dragon’s face—but her strength failed, and she collapsed back onto the ground.
"...Is it over?"
"Almost," Kai Xiusu replied, calm as a still lake.
Seeming satisfied, the Silver Dragon’s eyelids finally gave in. With one last shudder, they closed. Olivia sank into deep unconsciousness, her battered body rising and falling with shallow breaths. She was exhausted—utterly spent.
The Red Dragon lifted his wings once more, a cruel smirk flickering across his face.
"Though… first, I have a few mice to flush out of their holes."
---
In the fissure between the Prime Material Plane, a temporary Alternate Dimension forged by a spellcaster’s hand.
"You're insane!" a voice cried out. "Look closely! That Red Dragon fought and defeated the legendary Silver Wings Oszedro!"
"Ten thousand gold coins aren't worth dying for—especially when our beloved employer is already taken by a Deep Abyss Demon!"
The voice belonged to a curvaceous woman in white robes—Ingrid Galces, the legendary Light Priestess of Crimson Edge.
Dekks Flamegold gripped his Greatsword tightly, his eyes blazing with fervor. "Yes, he defeated Oszedro—but that doesn’t mean he still has that strength now!"
"That battle left him near exhaustion. This is our best chance to slay him!"
"Think of it! A dragon who bested Oszedro—the so-called Dragon Prince of Tiamat! If we cut off his head, our names will be etched in history! Crimson Edge will rise across the Feiansuo Continent… and beyond! We’ll be heroes of Justice. Even King Amanata himself will extend his hand to us!"
Dekks’s voice grew more urgent, more ecstatic—already tasting the glory of victory.
The other members of Crimson Edge peered through their Magical Images. And indeed, the Red Dragon looked broken—wounded, drained, his former terrifying aura diminished. He was no longer the force of nature he once was.
A towering, muscular man with a naked upper body and crimson tattoos covering his skin hefted his Battle Axe. His nostrils flared with hot breath—Rano, the legendary Barbarian.
"Leader, I’m with you!" Rano bellowed. "Big red dragon? Still just a dragon. I can kill it."
Ingrid’s brow furrowed. Doubt still gnawed at her. "Even if we succeed… how do we escape? There are thousands of Dragonline followers out there!"
Dekks smirked, confident. "We’ve got a legendary Spellcaster."
Klein, draped in a deep blue-black Long Robe, gently stroked his Crystal Ball of Truth. "The Red Dragon’s favored has no one capable of casting a Nine-Ring Spell. If I wish to leave, they cannot stop me. They cannot even catch Shadow."
A shadow rose from the floor, twisting into the silhouette of a lean, cloaked figure—Grum Dethsley, the legendary Ranger of Shadowrealm, the most mysterious member of Crimson Edge.
Dekks scanned the group, then turned to the hesitant Ingrid. "Well?"
"Join us. Take the risk."
"That Red Dragon has brought nothing but destruction and war. Now is the perfect time to end him."
The Avenger Knight’s gaze burned with purpose. Though mercenaries by trade, they still honored their oaths. And this—this was not just justice. It was fame. Fortune. Glory.
"You fools," Ingrid whispered at last, voice trembling. "Gamblers. Madmen."
Suddenly, her eyes widened. Her face drained of color. Her voice cracked.
"Y-you… look there."
She pointed a shaking finger at the Magical Image behind Grum.
The Red Dragon was smiling—a grotesque, fanged grin. His pale golden vertical pupils pierced through the veil of the dimension, locking onto her with unblinking, predatory focus.
She knew it.
That was the Hunter’s Gaze upon prey.
Dekks frowned, arms crossed. "Ingrid, are you overthinking this?"
Grum chuckled softly. "We’re in a dimension crafted by Klein. Even a legendary Spellcaster can’t perceive us. Let alone track us."
Then—suddenly—chaos erupted.
Boom—
A deafening roar split the air. A tearing sound, like cloth being ripped apart.
The members of Crimson Edge were caught off guard. Panic flared—but years of professional experience kicked in. They snapped into battle readiness in an instant.
Ingrid raised her staff, unleashing a blinding Radiance. Dekks spread wings of golden light, transforming into an Avenging Angel wreathed in holy aura. Rano roared, his body erupting with primal runes, becoming a Primordial Warrior. Grum’s form was swallowed by swirling shadows.
They looked up.
And froze.
The Red Dragon had torn through the fabric of reality itself. With a single claw, he had ripped open a jagged, massive fissure at the apex of the Alternate Dimension. And through it—emerged his colossal, monstrous head.
Overwhelming in height, his pale golden vertical pupils burned like embers, staring down at them.
"Hello," he said, voice low, cold, and dripping with menace.
"Long time no see… hunters."
(End of Chapter)
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