Chapter 362 The Confusion

The hill-sized dragon in his shiny armor, surrounded by ash and snow, faced the small blurry humanoid figure in the middle of the vast cave. The size difference was so vast that it looked like the dragon could win it just by sneezing.

However, the dragon remained focused, his mind and body ready to react at the moment of notice, 'Even a small thing can have a large kick.'

The dragon blinked, and the blurry figure was gone, leaving only a vacant and empty spot behind. No traces were left, not even a trace of mana or any other energy; it was as if the being was never there.

A strong headache erupted in his head, his recent memories twisting and becoming hazy. A strong feeling of Deja Vu flooded his body as new memories that felt distant and foggy as if they were just a dream, resurfaced.

They passed before his eyes, projecting images that felt familiar yet foreign.

He saw through his own eyes, but it felt foreign.

The dragon flapped his wings, and his huge body shot forwards, his claws shining and pulsating with energy as he descended at the blur as if an entire mountain was going to crash on it.

The sonic booms of his wings flapping echoed through the sprawling cave labyrinth.

The blurry being vanished only to reappear right by the dragon's neck, a long line of blurry light extending from its hand like a giant sword of energy, its bright shine perpetrating through the smoke.

Its green eyes flashed in a green light, and the giant blade of the distorted light crashed upon the dragon's armor, quickly widening and prolonging as it fell.

The dragon braced with his wings, quickly decelerating as his giant body moved and coiled as he reacted, his head already turning to face the being. The flames kindled in his throat, flashing and sparking within its depth.

'Teleportation?'

The barrier formed on the surface of the dragon's armored neck and collided with the upcoming energy blade. The bright light drowned everything, and the shaking from the impact sent ripples through the weird lake and clouds of smoke and ash, making the golden runes on his armor glow.

The slight pain stabbed the dragon over fifty times, always simultaneously in the same spot. The vibrations from the impacts stacked, creating micro-cracks in the dragon's armor only for them to repair in the blink of an eye.

The energy blade and the being became even more blurry after images stacking in one place, creating a surreal image of haze and flashing lights.

A strong confusion awakened within his mind, 'What the hell?!'

The waves of mana flowed through the dragon's veins and skeleton. The dragon's aura and the surface of his body burst into a storm of ice and fire, the purple and black flames bursting out, incinerating and freezing everything in their path, even the mana itself.

The air and the stone under his feet pulverized and turned into the sand as the wave of destruction blasted through the dungeon.

The blurry being disintegrated, its body falling apart under immense force as the ice, fire, and lightning washed over it.

'Gotcha...' Just a feeling of victory and pride filled the dragon. The being reappeared in the same spot, its hazy form without any visible damage.

Its green eyes stared at the dragon, making the flames around him intensify with rage.

At the same time, the lake of phosphorescent water rippled as if someone had thrown a handful of small pebbles into it.

"Are you mocking me?!"

The long horns crowning the dragon lit up, and the entire domain burst out, the clouds of fire, lightning, and snow forming under the black stone ceiling.

pαпdα`noνɐ1`сoМ The firestorm exploded from the depth of the dragon's gaping mouth, and the fire flooded the entire cave chamber, licking and pulverizing the stone. The bright light lit up the cave, making it even brighter than a day.

The lightning descended from the clouds, bombarding and raining upon everything, accompanied by thunders and flashes of light.

The blurry form vanished within the elemental onslaught, only its brightly shining eyes visible. They constantly flickered, vanished, and then reappeared.

'How can you regenerate from something like this? This is absolute nonsense! It is impossible to regenerate when nothing remains...'

Suddenly a massive wave rose in the surrounding glowing lake and rivers, rushing up the stream.

The next moment everything was gone, and the dragon stood in his original spot with the being gone. Even the clouds of his domain vanished as if the battle had never happened.

The dragon stood back in the reality, his eyes shining in confusion.

Then it hit him, and with rage, the dragon stomped the ground with a thunderous thud, and the entire cave shook, and the crystals on the ceiling rang.

'Petty tricks! Stupid, annoying mind magic!' He couldn't imagine anything more annoying than mind magic, his two dragon hearts twitching with disgust just thinking about it.

He didn't even know what was real and what was just some trick.

It was all the dragons hated, 'Nothing more than cowardly tricks! There is no elegance or power in it. It is not even physical and tangible. It is magic of weaklings and cowards!'

Vesuvius breathed out to calm himself down, 'At least now I know my weakness. My physical defenses are excellent, but I never invested in my mental ones beyond the effects of my stats and my draconic nature.'

With doubt, he looked around himself. Everything was back in its original place. Even the destroyed stone was cold and immaculate, without a crack. It was as if the battle was just some kind of dream.

The two sets of memories overlapped, causing an even stronger headache.

'Was it all just in my head? That would explain that nonsensical regeneration and the weird discrepancies... But, it feels like something else.'

A doubt surfaced in his mind, 'Are we dragons so vulnerable to something as childish as mind magic?'

Ding!

//

Quest accomplished!

Rating: C

Reward: Instant Level UP, 1000 x Golden Coin

//

'Well, as expected...'

Vesuvius looked at the lake again, something drawing him towards it.