**Chapter 60: 59. The Final Assassination**
The scent of lavender wafted through the air. Even at a distance from Raphael, Fisher could feel the intense steam coming at him like a heat wave. The beautiful Dragon before him gradually took on a serious expression, her demeanor shifting from that of an enchanting woman to a terrifying warrior.
Her claws spread wide, aimed directly at the expressionless Fisher in the distance.
This time, Fisher did not initiate the attack first but merely stepped back a little from the wagon behind him, standing still and waiting for Raphael.
In that case, let’s test the waters first.
Raphael inhaled sharply, then stomped the ground, causing a significant space to collapse in the lavender field, and she darted across the swaying flowers toward Fisher like lightning, launching her attack.
Her outstretched claws met Fisher’s calm gaze, and a familiar feeling surged in her heart. The next moment, her movements abruptly halted as she skidded to a stop before Fisher, but this time, no bright threads surged forth.
No traps set?
Fisher wasted no time in retaliation; seeing Raphael pause due to the psychological game, he swung his cleaver toward her head. Raphael sidestepped but still had some of her hair clipped by the blade.
Steam erupted from her, yet she did not exert full power. Instead, she turned and kicked at Fisher with her claws. The fierce strike landed heavily on his raised cleaver, producing a series of sounds like a giant hammer striking nails.
Fisher was indeed very strong; even faced with such a violent attack, he only slightly bent his body while simultaneously observing Raphael’s movements.
Sure enough, the next moment, he seized the opportunity during Raphael’s attack interval, suddenly shifting his stance from defense to a sidestep to avoid. This sudden change caught Raphael off guard, and her kick swept past Fisher’s body. The dodging human man then grasped her tail tightly and threw her away.
The immense force sent Raphael rolling far along the lavender field, but she sustained no injuries. Gritting her teeth, she regained her balance and lifted her head only to see Fisher approaching with his blade, exuding a thick aura of pressure.
“Clang, clang, clang, clang!”
Fisher raised the blade, emotionless as he began striking at Raphael. Her claws, sharpened to a point, transformed into makeshift blades to match his weapon in a flurry of clashes, producing crisp sounds. It was only when Fisher’s arms had turned numb from the impact that he realized his weapon had become riddled with cracks from Raphael’s claws.
The talons of the Dragon Race were exceptionally sharp; if she exerted her full strength against him, he could easily be torn in half.
The top predator of the Southern Continent was indeed so, and Fisher did not give her space, continually suppressing her with strike after strike. At the same time, in a place she could not see, the lines on his weapon grew brighter as he gathered magic in the time his offensive produced.
“Roar!”
But this time, Raphael realized what Fisher was doing. Her emerald eyes narrowed to slits as a mass of steam erupted around her, scalding hot and spraying outward. Fisher crossed his blade to defend, but he was still propelled backward.
The coalesced Dance of the Bees shot out invisibly in the air, but due to the angle, it was uncertain to which country it would fly.
Not only did she nullify my offensive, but she also disrupted my magic?
In mid-air, Fisher looked up at the sky, his head motionless, but suddenly he swung his knife downward as he heard the sound of Raphael’s approach. That strike was precisely met with her block, propelling Fisher further away from her.
This distance was enough.
This time, the emblem at the end of his cleaver, resembling dragon teeth, suddenly lit up. This was a fully realized Dragon Race magic, the power far greater than before. As he waved his weapon, flames danced alongside it. Because Raphael was still in the air, the fire did not affect the lavender field below.
The flames spread out like a substantial fire dragon, opening its gaping maw to devour Raphael whole. However, at that moment, the scales across her body began to glow.
She was going to use her full power.
“Boom!”
A violent roar echoed as her speed reached its peak, even piercing through the fire dragon like a falling star, hurtling toward Fisher with overwhelming steam.
Fisher could not dodge; he had to take the hit directly. This time, the sound of his blade striking was no longer crisp but a dull, almost disassembled wail.
If this continued, his weapon would soon slip from his hands, but at that moment, countless strands of threads began to wrap around Raphael’s body, binding her just like in their previous duel.
Yet this time, it was only the beginning of her peak period.
“Roar!!”
With a furious roar, Raphael’s body moved again, tugging at the threads that extended from the ground towards the sky. The ground connected by the threads was lifted, pulling up a significant chunk of soil which she gripped in her claws and hurled toward Fisher like a chain.
“Bang!”
Fisher sliced through the airborne soil while raising his cleaver, charging toward Raphael, who had also raised her claws to attack him.
Claw strikes—one, two; countless claws collided violently, the sound ringing out like a blacksmith’s forge, hammering away at the burning soul radiating like the sun.
“I hate it when others interrupt my speech, hence I had to resort to such means.”
“Think carefully about whether this assassination is a success or a failure.”
“If the so-called Dragon Race warrior is merely a little dragon dancing according to emotions, then it seems quite unjust for you to be caught.”
“This cannot be considered a punishment, right?”
“Arrogance is humanity’s original sin; it seems the Dragon Race cannot escape it either, can they?”
“In doing anything, even with a heart full of passion, one must remain calm and deliberate to take action.”
Clearly, it was so harsh; clearly, he was just a human. His wisdom, his teachings. That is why Raphael wanted to know more—why he treated her this way, why he was different from others, why he made her feel this way.
Strength was not the answer; that deep yet kind soul was the answer.
“Fisher!!”
In the midst of her fierce assault, Raphael’s twin horns suddenly radiated with a sunlight-like glow. All his words, his serious demeanor, his silhouette surged into her heart, coalescing into the most tangible, solid power and completely igniting Raphael’s soul.
In just an instant, a great power exploded from Raphael’s body, which shimmered like scales. A fierce wind raced from the mountains and oceans toward her direction, and the lavender along the way bowed down, eventually lying prostrate at her feet.
Such beauty and strength momentarily left Fisher speechless.
Perhaps it was not just that she was nearing that fated prophecy, the so-called Crimson Dragon Queen, but the glimmering tears dispersed alongside steam by her emerald eyes.
“Raphael, stop!”
In that instant, Fisher’s expression suddenly became “flustered,” as if he had grown wary of a next potential surge from Raphael and wanted her to halt her actions.
But Raphael’s gaze shifted, her body unyielding as she performed a somersault over him in mid-air. The next moment, Fisher’s right hand swung the blade toward her original position, as if any moment of hesitation from her would lead to her being struck.
Without pausing, Raphael executed a perfect flip in the air, lightly landing behind Fisher like a dance. Her claw, sharp as a steel knife, pressed against his back, capable of piercing him with just a step forward.
“Whoosh.”
The lavender stirred again with the gentle breeze, but the world suddenly quieted, seemingly only the sound of their breaths remained.
The “fluster” on Fisher’s face slowly faded as he felt the girl’s claws pressing against his body, and he regained his calm.
“This is the final test, Raphael. You have not wavered because of me; you completed this assassination perfectly.”
“…” The way Raphael held him resembled the threat of assassination, yet it could also be seen as a close embrace. Yet in her gaze, all she could see was Fisher’s back, unable to discern his expression. “Your acting is too fake. Even if you were flustered, you wouldn’t show such a face. If you had said those words with an emotionless face, I would have stopped.”
Fisher’s body was racked with intense pain; his wounds had opened up again from the recent battle, and because of Raphael’s speed, not all of her fast strikes had been blocked, adding new wounds on his left leg, right hand, and abdomen.
“This also shows you have a certain understanding of your enemy and made the correct judgment in the heat of the moment.”
His tone was relaxed, but the pain still caused a fluctuation in his voice.
“Why… do this to me?”
Raphael’s hand remained on him, this time even her face pressed against his back.
“…”
Fisher chuckled softly but did not answer. He lowered his head, seemingly feeling somewhat ill from loss of blood, but a faint smile remained on his face.
“I promised you that I wouldn’t let you harm any other humans until the game ended. And now, you won this game.”
In Raphael’s embrace, his body grew increasingly soft. At the last, he slowly spoke a compliment to her.
“Well done, Raphael.”
Fisher fell unconscious amidst the fragrant lavender field, the surrounding wind quieting down. Drops of hot tears fell onto the earth beside him, but unfortunately, at that moment, he could not know, only the ancient quiet land of the Southern Continent recorded this moment for him.
Please consider chasing and voting; it is very important to me. Thank you, everyone!
