The moment Little Black appeared, wild winds surged around Payne, sweeping him and Gray into the sky, fleeing.
As the enemy escaped, Little Black wanted to check Norris’s scales first.
“Little Black!” Lin Jun shouted through the Mycelial Network. “See that flying guy with horns? Smash him! All-you-can-eat Red Puffshrooms! Plus a huge shiny red crystal!”
“Shiny red crystal! Big one!” Little Black’s dragon eyes gleamed!
“Yup, massive!” Lin Jun’s promise was pure bait.
Norris wasn’t running, but a shiny red crystal was. Little Black’s clever brain spun three times, picking the prize.
Dragon wings snapped open, kicking up snow dust, and she shot like black lightning after the fleeing figures, leaving Norris coughing in the haze.
As the dust cleared, Norris crawled to the Jida with its head smashed by Gray, checking the yellow book on its chest.
The charred cover bore a clear fist mark with scorched edges, but the book itself was tough, undamaged.
“Phew… trusty senior,” Norris sighed, pocketing the book and rushing toward where Shòu was flung.
Meanwhile, facing Little Black’s rapid approach, Payne sized up the situation.
This dragonkin appeared now, meaning the enemy held back strength, maybe more tricks. No staying.
But escaping? Her speed was too fast.
Even ditching Gray, he couldn’t outrun her.
Maybe, low chance, she was only fast?
Worth a shot…
Mind racing, he flung Gray down—twenty meters wouldn’t hurt him!
Payne’s left hand drew a short sleek wand from his robe!
Right hand on his main staff, left on the backup, both glowed with clashing magic!
A massive fireball wrapped in blazing lightning formed fast!
Thunder and fire mixed, giving it speed beyond normal fireballs!
Locked by Payne’s mind, it tracked Little Black. Even as she swerved her wings, the energy’s edge slammed her!
A deafening blast erupted midair, black smoke and flames rolling. Little Black tumbled back.
But only ten meters out, she steadied, wings beating, tearing through smoke to charge again, fiercer!
“Such tough defense!” Payne muttered.
He dove to the ground. Wind magic was nimble, but against a dragonkin, air combat was clumsy.
Just landing, Payne tapped his staff!
Vicious water snakes of ice and liquid slithered from tundra cracks, coiling at Little Black.
At the same time, the ground bulged, sharp stone spears shaping and shooting at her with whistling force.
[Title: All-Class Mage (All magic types, shared magic level)]
This guy was a gem, snagging that title somewhere.
But despite his endless tricks, Payne’s face grew grim.
He used wind agility to retreat fast, raining low and mid-tier spells on Little Black like a storm, seemingly kiting the beast.
He knew most attacks bounced off her deep dragon scales, barely scratching!
Breaking her guard needed high-tier magic, long to cast and charge.
But with this black dragonkin chasing his tail, he couldn’t catch a breath, let alone cast!
Worse, pesky Puffshrooms kept popping from nearby holes, spraying acid, firing magic blasts, puffing toxic gas, even trying leg-hugging self-destructs!
Individually weak, they wrecked his casting rhythm and dodging space, maddening.
He could cast all magic types, but his mana was finite. More draining, and he was in trouble.
Payne schemed, tossing out decoy illusions.
Little Black, charging head-down, skidded to a stop, head swiveling in confusion.
Her [Magic Perception] saw through invisibility, but these illusions were pure magic constructs, all reading as real mana sources!
Eyeing six Paynes, she recalled the boss’s words: smash him for a shiny red crystal. Now, six crystals!
She lunged at one—it vanished.
Payne: !!!
Finding a way, Payne didn’t hesitate. More illusions bubbled up, turning the battlefield into a maze of fakes.
Both wands glowed, prepping two eighth-tier spells—Light Cage and Thunder Lance!
One to trap, one to pierce. Win or lose, it was now.
Little Black, clueless, spun in the illusion pile.
“Little Black, hit the one on your left!” A green Puffshroom cheated, pointing at the only Payne with a panel.
Little Black reacted fast, fist swinging with wind—at her… right!
“Damn it… wrong way! Other side!” Lin Jun’s voice nearly cracked.
Little Black snapped to, whipping her wings, the huge membranes slamming the real left.
Facing the sudden strike, Payne, spells nearly ready, had to abort.
The backflow of two high-tier spells churned in his chest, nauseating.
Luck? Coincidence?
More illusions poured out. Payne mixed in, stifling discomfort, restarting his spells.
“Little Black, straight ahead, charge!” Lin Jun yelled.
No mistake this time. As the dragonkin rushed, Payne couldn’t fathom why this creature, fooled by basic illusions at first, now pinpointed him in twenty-plus fakes.
Was she playing dumb from the start?!
No time for truth. He broke his spells again, retreating!
But on his path, blade-whipping Puffshrooms dove fearlessly, blocking him.
“Get lost!” Payne growled, staff flicking, an electric arc sweeping the Puffshrooms.
Two fell smoking, the arc hitting a third—
A Magic Shield flared on the third, blocking it!
Knight Puffshroom No. 3!
Point-blank, [Crystal Symbiosis] boosted, 200% power Mushroom Cannon!
“Damn…”
Payne barely countered with a shield, nullifying the blast, but his retreat halted.
Next moment, a dragon claw smashed his chest!
Payne felt like an iceberg hit him, flung like a burst ball!
Blood sprayed. If Gray hadn’t caught him midair, he’d be half-dead rolling on the ground.
“Yuneer! Hold her!” Payne coughed blood, shouting.
“Useless!” Yuneer snapped but flew over fast.
She’d been dominating Starfire and Louisa, but early on, she wasted time clearing blood-controlling Puffshrooms.
Fragile, she could kill a few or a dozen easily, then control all battlefield blood to crush the two.
But she didn’t expect more Puffshrooms to keep burrowing out, replacing the dead. Clearing them was pointless.
By the time she realized, Payne was crumbling.
Blood blades under her control slipped through Little Black’s scale gaps, dealing slight damage.
A sting hit. Little Black roared, spinning. Corrosive gray-black dragon breath wrapped the blood blades, eroding them, rushing back at Yuneer!
Seizing Yuneer’s brief distraction, Payne spawned decoys to blur sight. His staff glowed black!
A cold chaotic ominous aura spread, cloaking the area!
Seventh-tier Abyss Magic—Transfer Gate!
Abyss Magic!
The familiar vibe hit Lin Jun, recognizing the rare spell type!
All-Class Mage included Abyss Magic, of course!
No clue what spell, but Lin Jun wasn’t letting it fly. “Little Black, left front!”
Actually right front, but knowing Little Black’s smarts, Lin Jun adjusted.
Little Black roared, wings beating, charging… left front!
Lin Jun: “$%…&…(…!!!”
(End of Chapter)
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