Lina was also drawn to Anya’s side, and when she saw Anya injure Tarik with magic, she couldn’t help but sneer, “Looks like your subordinates aren’t that strong after all, are they? She’s only at the second rank, you know.”
Kamila’s face darkened to the point that water could drip from it.
She probably hadn’t expected Tarik to fall to a second-rank mage either.
Gritting her teeth, she squeezed out, “Save your breath. The fight between us isn’t over yet.”
“You Dragonkin really are arrogant. Even now, you don’t get it?”
Lina shook her head, and then golden Douqi burst out around her.
“You can’t beat me, Kamila. And your subordinates haven’t gained the upper hand either.”
Kamila stared at the intimidating Douqi radiating from Lina, clearly troubled.
If the other party were just an ordinary swordsman, that would be one thing, but she was also a Swordmaster.
With both magic and Martial Techniques, Kamila simply couldn’t withstand it.
If she couldn’t gain the advantage herself, she’d have to rely on Tarik.
“You really underestimate my people.” She shot a glance at Tarik, her tone light and unruffled. “It’s not a good thing if you really force him to go berserk.”
“Oh? Then I’d better finish you off quickly.”
Lina hadn’t finished speaking before she took the initiative, first hurling a Fireball, then following up with a swing of her Heavy Sword—sending a Martial Technique surging forth.
Murray saw Tarik suddenly drop to one knee, his expression shifting slightly as he turned to Anya, his voice full of surprise. “Miss Anya, how did you spot his weakness?”
After all, Anya hadn’t figured it out herself, so she made up an excuse. “The Dragonscale on that part of his body was different from the rest. I guessed it might be a weak spot and tried attacking it. I didn’t expect it to really work.”
Tarik slowly pulled the Icicle embedded in his body out, the ripping pain twisting his features as his chest heaved violently, rage threatening to burst the sky.
“Lord Tarik is angry!”
A Dragonkin shouted first, though no one knew what he was excited about.
Murray looked at Tarik’s steadily rising aura and felt it was becoming a real problem.
“Judging by his look, he’s about to Half-Dragonize.” Iris shed her usual lazy demeanor, her expression suddenly serious.
“Half-Dragonization?” Anya was actually quite unfamiliar with Dragonkin. To her, they were just humans with dragon blood, stronger than ordinary people at most.
“It counts as an Awakening Talent,” Iris explained. “Literally, it means becoming closer to a true dragon. Their strength soars by a huge margin. In that state, they’re a real handful.”
Listening to Iris, Anya turned to look at Tarik.
She saw the Dragonscale on his body growing denser, a pair of sharp horns emerging from his head, his pupils narrowing into vertical slits like a snake’s, and his form swelling several sizes.
His hands turned into claws covered in scales, and the aura of oppression pouring from him was suffocating.
“He really did Half-Dragonize…” Murray’s pupils contracted, his expression becoming gravely serious.
The wound Anya had caused was now visibly healing, and in no time, only a faint, almost invisible mark remained.
“Lord Tarik! Lord Tarik!”
The Dragonkin erupted in excitement, shouting his name one after another, their charge growing even fiercer.
The Holy Knights on the other side quickly became overwhelmed, with several warriors falling first.
Anya’s attention was locked entirely on Tarik. That overwhelming pressure left her no room to cast magic to help her fallen comrades.
Tarik’s gaze was glued to Anya. Not long after, he stepped forward, his Dragon Claw slicing through the air as it struck toward her.
Murray knew very well that he might not be able to withstand the blow, but he still gripped his sword tightly, channeling all his strength into a Martial Technique to meet it head-on.
“He can’t block it. Cast Ice Shield for him and ease the impact,” Iris put away her usual lazy face.
Her own host was facing a deadly crisis. If she kept joking around and Anya died, she’d be doomed as well.
“Alright.”
Anya didn’t waste any words. She immediately formed an Ice Shield in front of Murray.
The shield shattered after only a moment, but it still absorbed part of the force.
Murray naturally knew this was Anya’s doing, and he used all his strength to block the attack.
He could have dodged, but Tarik’s target was now solely Anya. If he dodged, Anya would be finished.
“He’s buying you time. Can you use Ice Mist?” Iris asked urgently.
“Yes,” Anya responded quickly, though a bit puzzled.
“Cast Ice Mist, then make an Ice Sculpture in your place. Can you do it?”
Anya was stunned for a second, but immediately realized Iris’s plan and began following the instructions.
Iris’s meaning was obvious: have Anya cast Ice Mist, then leave an Ice Sculpture in her place, so she could escape the area and buy some time.
But this was only a stopgap measure. If Tarik noticed something was wrong, he’d definitely keep searching for her.
Whether they could last until the end depended on whether Lina could finish her fight quickly.
Anya glanced at Lina and Kamila’s battlefield, then rapidly chanted an incantation. Ice Mist activated instantly.
A thick blanket of Ice Mist spread, enveloping the area completely. Tarik and Murray’s vision was immediately blocked.
“What’s going on? Lord Tarik is gone?”
Everyone looked at the area shrouded in mist, their faces full of confusion.
What was this human mage trying to do?
Inside the mist, Tarik lost sight of Anya, snorted coldly, and casually swatted Murray out of the way.
Murray slammed hard into a Glacier, blood spurting from his mouth as his bones felt like they’d shattered.
“No, Miss Anya is in danger!” Murray fought to stay conscious, barely able to make out a blurry shape in the center of the mist—Tarik was sure to head that way.
Tarik let out a sinister laugh, cracking his knuckles as he walked toward the center of the mist.
“Little one, do you think blocking my sight is enough? We Dragonkin are sensitive to auras. Even if you hide in the mist, you can’t escape.”
Murray wanted to struggle to his feet, but his body simply wouldn’t obey.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Tarik moved toward Anya, his vision finally going black as he lost consciousness.
Anya’s impact on this battle was simply too great. Tarik had even given up on Murray to deal with her first.
One could imagine just how much influence a mage had on the battlefield.
“Everyone, I’ve found this human mage! This battle—victory belongs to us Dragonkin!” Tarik’s booming voice echoed from within the mist.
“Kill her, Lord Tarik!”
The Dragonkin erupted in cheers, showing just how much Anya’s magic had affected them.
“Everyone, don’t be pinned down!” Just then, a Holy Knight shouted, “This is a tough fight. Are we going to rely on Miss Anya forever? Follow me and fight back!”
These words seemed to awaken the others.
The Holy Knights regrouped, formed up, and began holding back the Dragonkin assault once more, finally stopping their collapse.
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