VIP Chapter 422: The First Time Stop
After the preliminary work was done, it was time to face Al.
According to Iaar’s previous experience, the Fire Dragon hid inside a “box” and usually stayed there to “conserve its strength,” not showing itself easily until the “challenge” began.
It was like a dragon sleeping in its own toy box, needing to be coaxed out.
“Alright—Al! Please… please come out and die!”
Iaar took a deep breath and looked up at the box containing the Fire Dragon above them.
It could even be said to be…
A “very polite” shout.
“Iaar, when you’re provoking it, don’t use polite language. Be fierce, like a wolf’s roar!”
“Because, because the Hysterm Family’s rule is… is to use polite language when speaking normally, no matter who you’re facing… that’s how it should be.”
“You’re no longer a maid of the Hysterm Family, so it’s fine to break Hysterm Family rules.”
“…That’s true, isn’t it?”
*Clang—*
However, while the two were still standing there chatting lively, Will heard the sound of flapping wings coming from in front of them.
“Wait, Young Master, those are Al’s wings…”
“The sound of flapping wings. And, in a completely different direction.”
Will was grateful for having adapted to life with his eyes covered for a while; otherwise, he would have found it difficult to judge the direction of sounds as he did before.
For example, he understood now.
With just one sound, he determined that the source was not from the box as Iaar had explained, but from—
Far above.
“Ice Array (Attack) · Shield Spread…”
Facing the incoming sound, Iaar suspected she had been tricked by the cunning Al once again.
Al wasn’t in the box at all. It had already prepared its attack, and the flapping wings were a declaration of war.
Therefore, she quickly brought up her shield and aimed it in the direction of the sky.
“…Huh?!”
As soon as Iaar spoke, a wave of heat suddenly emanated from her surroundings, like the scorching gas from a volcano, instantly obscuring her vision with mist.
It was a terrifying mist, essentially reducing visibility to only one to two meters.
…This was a Field Skill!
Why would Al suddenly unleash a Field Skill?!
In all their previous battles, Al had never seemed to use such a move.
Then, Iaar realized a blind spot. In all the previous battles against Al, including the records from the Adventurer’s Guild, it was usually ranged adventurers fighting it on the ground, setting up safe defenses.
But—
This didn’t mean it had no traps on the ground.
After all…
In the earlier levels of The End Ash, it had designed quite a few traps on the ground!
“This is bad. At this moment, could its target be the Young Master…”
Because the Young Master looked like the easiest to defeat, and with reduced visibility, it would certainly prioritize attacking the easiest target.
Even though Will hadn’t done anything on the battlefield yet.
“It’s… over.”
“!?”
Just as Iaar sensed something was wrong, a slightly hoarse girl’s voice, as if from a loudspeaker, came from behind her.
*Boom—*
It took only a few seconds.
The shadow of a giant dragon claw loomed over Iaar in the mist, and then it fiercely swiped down with a blow, without hesitation or thought!
The strong wind brought by the dragon’s claw, combined with the storm from Al’s wings as a “Fire Dragon,” instantly blew away all the surrounding mist.
The “smartest” dragon, the one that loved to maneuver in the sky and set up magic circles for control, was now standing on the ground, flapping its wings.
Its breath exhaled scorching smoke, and its molten-hot claws left not only deep impressions on the ground from its forceful strike.
But also scorch marks.
“Looks like this fight has already begun… Oh?”
A distorted voice from the “Fire Dragon” in front of them spoke, looking at the dissipating mist. Then, Al’s words paused.
As the mist gradually dispersed, only two figures remained.
It raised its claw, and beneath the claw-shaped pit, there was no “corpse” that it had almost certainly expected to have killed in one hit.
This time, it hadn’t held back.
It had gone all out, betting its very existence.
Before this, Al in The End Ash had been more like “playing a game with adventurers,” not with the intention of killing them.
Until now—
“Hoo… hoo…”
Iaar, holding her shield, stood within the dissipating mist.
She panted, and with the support of her shield, slowly straightened her body.
Then, with the cold air surrounding her, she cleared away the surrounding dust.
“It seems you’ve used up your strongest move from that ‘Ice Array (Attack)’ once. Fine, this sneak attack wasn’t a loss for me.”
Now, a person who was truly “confident” and capable of killing Al stood before it.
So…
Why shouldn’t it fight with all its might and enjoyment?
*Whoosh—*
A gust of wind from Al, while dispersing the mist, also carried it aloft, returning it to the sky it was most familiar with.
It didn’t give Iaar time to launch a second attack.
A new “tug-of-war” began with Iaar, who lacked aerial combat capabilities.
“You—how many more times do you have left? Want to try again?!”
Will was largely a spectator on the side. He hadn’t felt much when entering the mist, only suddenly noticing that the air around him had become a little hot.
And he could feel the storm kicked up by Al’s surprise attack on Iaar.
He carefully placed his hand in his pocket, ready to step in at any moment.
However…
When he felt a faint cold breeze brush past his neck, he understood that after being subjected to a sudden and well-prepared sneak attack…
Iaar had successfully dodged the fatal blow using the first “time stop” granted by the Ice Array (Attack).
Of course, he wasn’t the only one who understood this.
Al, standing opposite them as the “translator” of the “Ice Array (Attack)” book, also understood this perfectly.
“Young Master, it lied to us…”
“It was in the box just now. The sound of wings from the sky was ‘ear-deceiving’ it created with a recording.”
“From the beginning, it didn’t care about you… its target was always Iaar.”
Iaar panted, tilting her head back, letting the wind blowing from the front almost flip her ears.
This attack had only “startled” her a little; it hadn’t consumed or injured her.
And…
She had indeed realized that Al, the Fire Dragon that most cruelly struck down adventurers, was second to none in its ability to sneak attack, toy with, and even outwit the adventurers before it.
If they intended to play shallow mind games with it, they would be seen through at a glance.
The initial exchange had been a slight victory for Al.
For Al, its victory lay in whether it could deplete all of Iaar’s “time stop” uses.
“Another aerial battle? It’s fine…”
“If you want to come…”
Iaar took a step forward, breaking into a run. Realizing that its opponent only wanted to eliminate her, she intentionally created distance between herself and Will in the massive BOSS room.
“This isn’t Iaar’s first time either. It’s an encounter worth looking forward to.”
