Badge in Azure Chapter 172

Chapter 172: How to Kill a Dragon (Part 1)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Master, what are you trying to do?” Nailisi asked worriedly as she followed behind Saleen. Saleen approached the dragon, causing Nailisi to become jittery. Given Saleen’s build and physique, a sneeze from the tiago would be enough to crush him. This was not a matter that was worth the risk. As long as they went around the dragon, they would be able to run to safety before the dragon recovered. Even if the tiago was fond of bearing grudges, it would not dare to create trouble in Alchemy City.
“The injuries on its body were left behind by grand swordmasters. If humans can cause harm to it…” Saleen did not finish his sentence and stopped at a distance thirty-five meters away from the dragon. Nailisi noticed that Saleen had brought out a bottle carved from a piece of obsidian, then used frost array to freeze a piece of hard earth. Thereafter, Saleen placed the bottle precariously onto the ground and opened its cap before retreating dozens of meters.
An almost transparent liquid floated out from the black bottle, forming droplets in midair. At the same time, Saleen cast black fog. The water droplets that exited the bottle dispersed and mixed with the black fog, then this mixture floated towards the body of the dragon.
“Master, poison might not be effective on a dragon, right?” Nailisi’s sight was not inferior to Saleen’s icy sight. She could tell straightaway that there was a certain kind of lethal poison in the black bottle. Once the liquid mixed with the black fog, it would seep into the dragon’s body via the injuries on its wings.
Black fog was not an offensive spell, so the calculation of magic resistance using magic formulae would not be applicable in this case. However, dragons and demons were the same in that they would not be harmed by any kind of poison.
Saleen ignored Nailisi’s grumbling. He had taken this poisonous liquid from the mysterious magic book which had been disguised as magic chord medicine. Even a level-9 magic beast would be poisoned to death immediately after consuming this. It was possible that the dragon would not die, but it would at least sustain some clear damage.
In the past, Saleen had given this poison to Decca to help him take out the bandit gang in the Ceylon City. Decca’s killing had been effortless. Once the poison took effect, it could not be detected anymore. Later on, Saleen had tried breaking down and analyzing this poison, but his results had not been conclusive. He only knew that the toxicity of this poison was the most complex one he had ever seen in his entire life.
Lex also watched Saleen anxiously, not knowing what his intentions were.
Saleen’s plan was very simple. There was transpired water vapor on the water shield over Saleen’s body which formed a robust airflow. Saleen’s Windspeed spell was comparable to Lex’s, and he could cover a distance of over ten meters within a second. However, the Windspeed spell of a mage was different from the run of a swordsman. While running, a swordsman could still attack freely, but a mage’s Windspeed spell could not be controlled that easily.
Saleen caressed the Ring of Gifts while doing some calculations in his mind. He was thirty-five meters away from the dragon. If Saleen boosted the Windspeed spell to its maximum intensity, he could rush next to the dragon within three seconds and take out his clan badge before casting a level-0 spell. The only uncertainty was whether or not the poison would be able to paralyze the dragon for three seconds.
The black fog engulfed the dragon. A blue light moved around in Saleen’s vision as Saleen looked past the black fog and observed the reactions from the dragon.
The injuries on the dragon’s wings were enormous and blood was gushing out, so the toxins within the black fog easily infiltrated the dragon’s body. Saleen was shocked to notice that the disorderly breaths of the dragon had suddenly stopped. Without any hesitation, Saleen charged forward.
The poison had taken effect, but the poison was not killing the dragon. Instead, it had created an opportunity for the dragon to recover. If Saleen did not take action now, the tiago would be able to regain part of its mobility very soon.
Saleen was extremely decisive. However, if he had not had the blessing of the Windspeed spell, his legs would have turned into jelly long ago. Saleen had no choice but to charge towards a dragon which could run rampant at anytime, and this feeling was worse than how he had felt while facing the white deacon.
After all, the white deacon had still been human, so Saleen had been able to communicate with him using common language. But what about the tiago? In the tiago’s eyes, Saleen might have just been a tiny bug that did not seem so palatable.
There were some things in life that simply needed to be done. Saleen had loved this phrase, but now, it simply felt like nonsense.
Some things in life should simply never be attempted, such as a grade-4 mage trying to kill a dragon.
Saleen charged into the midst of the black fog. The dragon twitched, so its tail naturally swayed and the tail headed straight towards Saleen. If the tail struck Saleen, the two layers of magic shields that Saleen had would be smashed, and his body was not as sturdy as that of a fully constructed puppet. Seeing this, Nailisi was heartbroken. Without waiting for Saleen to make his move, Nailisi rushed in from the other side.
If Saleen died, then she would be the unluckiest person alive.
Nailisi did not bother hiding her powers anymore. Black flames appeared on Nailisi’s fingertips, and she stuck close to the floor before lunging towards the dragon’s throat like an arrow launched from an alchemy crossbow. Nailisi hoped to distract the dragon, but the dragon was not able to control its body at all. The strike from its tail had only been a natural muscle reflex. Lex was dumbfounded as well. If Saleen was hit by the dragon’s tail, he would surely die.
Was Saleen going to die? Why was such a cautious mage acting so recklessly! Lex’s mood was extremely tense, and she witnessed the scene unfolding before her in a daze.
Time seemed to slow down. Saleen’s white mage robe was lifted by the wind, and both his water shield and ice plate armor were destroyed in that instant. Lex felt her throat go dry, and thoughts of the time they had spent together in the past two years came flooding into her mind.
“Saleen!” Lex could not explain why, but she bellowed for Saleen and rushed forward as well. The god’s ring on her finger lit up and she disappeared.
There was still a layer of water vapor on the surface of Saleen’s body. The tail of the dragon moved at such a high speed that the wind element attack it had mustered had already been able to destroy Saleen’s double layered defense. The special attributes of the ice plate armor had caused Saleen’s magic chords to be fully depleted, and this had saved his life.
Before a person’s magic chords were completely depleted, the ice plate armor would never disappear completely. However, no mage masters had ever experienced a situation where their ice plate armor was depleted at such a terrifying speed. Within a second, Saleen’s magic chords had been completely drained.
The Windspeed spell did not actually disappear. Saleen executed a sudden turn while in midair and managed to dodge the attack from the dragon’s tail. At the same time, a thick badge appeared in Saleen’s hand, and he pressed it against the tail of the dragon.
Level-0 magic – Reading spell.
Lex landed on the dragon’s back, using a golden light which had appeared on her hands to exert pressure into a tiny injury on the dragon’s back. Meanwhile, Nailisi used her fingers with their black flames, hugging onto the neck of the dragon while tearing at it vigorously.
Peng!
The ten meter long tail slammed onto the ground. Saleen fell onto the dragon’s tail, several of his bones fractured by the impact.
Lex felt that an immense power had been emitted from the dragon’s body. Her family’s secret magic which had always worked had failed this time around. Lex was flung away and the elemental balance in her body was disrupted. Lex did not dare to prepare any spells. She simply slammed onto the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The dragon could barely move its neck. Nailisi was still at the bottom attacking ferociously, but no matter what she did, she could not tear the black fluff on the dragon’s neck. Then, the dragon’s neck slumped down, and Nailisi placed her fingers together and attacked upwards. With a boom, Nailisi was smashed into the ground and ceased moving altogether.
The dragon felt that the chaotic elemental power within its body had become stable again. The dragon flexed its wings and prepared to fly. At this point in time, the dragon felt that its tail had gone numb, as if someone had used a divine weapon to puncture a hole in its tail. The power within its body was gushing out explosively, similar to how a flood burst out after the breaking of a dam.
The tiago opened its massive mouth and tried to retaliate using sound waves, but felt excruciating pain at its throat. Even though that part of the dragon’s neck had not been damaged by Nailisi just now, the strange power that came with the black flame had injured its vocal cords. The dragon went limp and collapsed on its side.
Saleen, who was hugging the dragon’s tail, had already been exhausted long ago. His arm was trapped by the dragon’s tail but he gripped the badge tightly and pressed it against its skin. Saleen’s forearm might have been broken, but his left arm which had been transformed by the Gift of Life from the goddess could still be controlled using his remaining mental power.
“Nailisi!” Saleen used the last of his strength to holler. He knew that given the special attributes of the badge, he would need thirty minutes to recover fully. However, this dragon would potentially be able to get back onto its feet in the next two or three minutes.
Sika had arrived beside Saleen, wanting to drag him out from beneath the dragon’s tail.
“Don’t move it,” Saleen groaned. “Go and take a look at Lex.”
“No, I don’t care.” Sika clutched the dragon’s tail stubbornly as she tried to move it aside.
“You cannot move it.” Saleen’s strength was diminishing by the second, and Sika did not understand that once the badge lost contact with the dragon’s skin, the dragon would be able to regain its movement. When that happened, everyone would die together.
Nailisi crawled out of the soil like a ghost. Fortunately, this was not the mainland. The soil had softened after being soaked in the rainwater, and that was why her sturdy body had been able to survive the impact. When Nailisi heard the shout from Saleen, she jumped and landed on the back of the dragon. Nailisi noticed that Sika was trying to move the dragon’s tail, so Nailisi simply lifted her leg and kicked Sika’s rear. Sika yelped. That kick from Nailisi had caused her to fly and land on Lex.
“Kill,” Saleen said this single word with much effort.
Nailisi nodded and began crawling on the ground. Beneath the dragon’s tail, she found its anus. Without hesitation, Nailisi opened this weak part of the tiago and crawled in. Nailisi transformed back into her demonic form quickly. With her claws extended, she hooked onto the intestines of the dragon and crawled further in.
The dragon was currently in bad shape. The effects of the badge had been too terrifying for it. Since the tiago’s birth thousands of years ago, it had never experienced such intense pain before. The thorns on Nailisi’s back slashed its intestines, and this pain was still considered mild to the dragon.
Sika landed on the ground and watched this scene in astonishment. She thought of a type of magic wolf that was found back in her village. This wolf could use its razor sharp claws to pull out the intestines of high-grade magic beasts. Nailisi was scarier than those magic wolves as she went straight for the dragon’s heart.
No matter how powerful a creature was, it would lose all of its capabilities for retaliation and resistance once its heart was damaged. Even a supreme demon was no exception. The intestines of the dragon were harder to destroy than the scales of other types of magic beasts. However, there were weapons with unparalleled sharpness all over Nailisi’s demonic form. A tail which curled in front of Nailisi pierced into the dragon’s body. With every cut she made, Nailisi would use the claws on her hands to tear the hole even wider.