Chapter 363: The Reanimated Dragon

The wind howled across the sky as the Midnight Lord circled above them. Its wings—ragged, black, and leathery like burnt hide—beat with a heavy rhythm that made the air itself vibrate. Below, Luke and the others were crossing the bridge toward the looming castle when a vast shadow fell across them.

The beast landed with a dull, bone-rattling crash, shaking the very stones beneath their feet. It was enormous, its gray, rotted skin stretched tight over sinew and bone, reeking of decay. Its eyes burned with a dead, unholy light—cold, inhuman. When it roared, the sound seemed to come from a bottomless pit.

[Reanimated Wyvern (Midnight Lord) – Lvl 99]

Luke still held Allison in his arms. For a split second, he froze—just like everyone else—as the creature’s chest began to glow, pulsing with molten light.

Then it opened its mouth.

A torrent of fire tore through the air toward them.

Instinct took over. The group scattered, each running for whatever cover they could find among the trees surrounding the bridge. Luke pushed his body to the limit, burning stamina as he sprinted and threw himself behind a thick trunk. The flames swept past, devouring everything in their path and painting the world in red and orange.

Allison slipped from his arms, gasping for air.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, forcing herself upright.

Luke peeked around the trunk. The Wyvern stood on the bridge like a gatekeeper forged from nightmares, unmoving, guarding the path to the castle as if it had been born for that single purpose.

“Of all the things we thought this might be, this wasn’t on the list,” came Jack’s voice from somewhere nearby.

The team crouched low behind the trees, breath visible in the cold, minds racing.

“Well, staring at it isn’t going to make it die,” Erza shouted from somewhere to the right. “Rhiannon, got any wisdom to share? This thing isn’t a distant cousin of yours or something?”

Luke drew a long breath and slung the black bow off his back. From the pendant at his neck, he pulled an ultra-rare arrow, the mana thrumming against his skin like static. The Wyvern’s heavy steps shook the ground as it prowled, sniffing the air, scanning the shadows with those lifeless eyes.

Allison leaned against a nearby tree, studying it carefully.

“A dragon’s breath isn’t infinite,” she said.

“No kidding,” Erza shot back. “What’s next, you telling us it flies too?”

“I mean it has a cost,” Allison replied, her tone cutting through the tension. “Not just mana—physical strain too. Overuse it, and it’ll burn itself out. It won’t be able to breathe fire for a while.”

Luke’s mind flashed back to the Beast Lord, the way it had overused its acid breath until its body gave out. He remembered, too, how Allison had nearly collapsed after using her own dragon breath just minutes ago.

“This thing’s at the peak of Rank E,” Mason’s voice came through, tight and grim. “Its limit… isn’t just a few fire breaths.”

The ground trembled again. From deep within the forest came the sound of footsteps—and growls. Multiple. Four pairs of crimson eyes appeared in the darkness, each attached to a towering silhouette.

“Warden Generals,” Luke muttered under his breath.

“Girls!” Erza shouted to the maids. “Don’t let those things reach the Wyvern, or none of us are getting out of here alive!”

The maids didn’t answer. They simply nodded once and broke into motion, vanishing between the trees with weapons drawn.

A dark shape flickered beside Luke, and Evangeline emerged from the shadows, her arm badly burned. “Where’s Jack?”

“I—I’m here!” came his voice, breathless and panicked, from somewhere behind them.

Luke watched the dragon carefully. If he fired now, the creature would lock onto his position. He needed precision—and a plan. Charlie had been placed within his soul when he started running from the wyvern. He released her, and she appeared at his side.

“Think… think…” Luke muttered under his breath.

Allison broke the silence. “I’ll fight the wyvern. You head for the castle.”

“Oh, and let you take all the glory?” Erza teased, stepping into view with Anne.

“I’ve got the katana that helps me resist fire!” Allison shot back, turning as she ran.

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A cloud of white mist followed her, spreading through the trees as she sprinted down the trail. The wyvern let out a roar that rattled the forest, its jaws opening wide to unleash a torrent of flame. Allison countered with a volley of iceballs that hissed against the inferno. Luke bolted forward, drawing his bow. The moment the creature’s chest glowed with heat, he loosed an ultra-rare arrow. It sliced through the air and struck the wyvern’s neck. The sound that came out of it was a mix between a gurgle and a roar of rage.

Charlie ran alongside him.

“Get to the castle!” Erza shouted.

Evangeline followed with the doll maid, rushing to aid Allison, who was dodging the beast’s snapping jaws while launching more iceballs in rapid succession.