Chapter 31: Nouflex vs Dragon

Nouflex stood amidst the chaos of the battlefield, his eyes sharp for a threat.

The notification sound and the faint glow of the system's interface flickered in front of him. Three new missions appeared, each as unexpected as the next. He read through them quickly, his mind already working to analyze the implications of each.

[Ding! New generated missions!]

[Generated mission: Loot all the teleportation crystals from the dragon's treasure.

Reward: B-rank ability.]

[Generated mission: Loot the Dragon's mana core.

Reward: A rank summon,]

[Generated mission: Kill the first prince of Daloria.

Reward: B rank summon]

'Loot the dragon's place and take the crystals? Guess I can do that.' Nouflex thought, smirking under his breath. 'Transportation Crystals can be useful, and the B-rank summon's a nice bonus.' He rolled his neck, feeling the tension of the ongoing battle ease up just slightly.

'As for the dragon's mana core… that's trickier, but an A-rank Summon would be worth the risk. Definitely doable.'

Then his eyes lingered on the third mission.

To kill the prince.

Nouflex's smirk faded as he paused, considering the mission's worth. His gaze flicked to the prince, the general who was lying on the ground catching his breath from the near-death experience.

The battlefield was brutal, filled with death, blood, and the roar of the massive dragon, and everyone's mind and focus were on their fight. If there was a chance to kill the prince, this is the perfect moment.

'Should I Kill him?' He pondered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 'Tempting… But the reward's just a B-rank Summon. It's not exactly worth the trouble right now. Besides… keeping him alive is a crucial part of my plan sooooo...' Looking at the prince was a newfound smile, Nouflex said. "It's your lucky day."

"What?" The prince asked.

"Never mind, I will take you somewhere safe aight?" Without waiting for his response Nouflex grabbed the back of his collar and teleported to the far end of the clearing, delivering the prince to catch his breath the teleported back next to the dragon.

"What the hell was that..." Teleporting two times in less than a minute was a weird experience for the prince which made him dizzy, clutching his head.

Nouflex brought his communication device next to his mouth again. "Ringo, I will soon begin the second phase, are you ready?"

"I have multiple spy drones deployed in the vicinity monitoring everything going on, I'm more than ready!." She expressed cheerfully.

The echoing roars of the dragon loomed over the remaining adventurers and soldiers. Bloodied, exhausted, and beginning to lose hope. Nouflex eyes narrowed in focus, already anticipating the spectacle he needed to create.

'Alright, time to put on a show,' He thought, charging toward the dragon in a sudden, explosive burst of speed.

His dismantle technique lashed out, slicing through the air and striking the dragon's tough scales. The ground trembled beneath their clash, each strike echoing across the battlefield.

Nouflex jumped, ducked, and teleported, dancing around the beast in a way that drew the attention of everyone present. He was everywhere at once, an untouchable blur of speed.

Then, it happened.

With a roar that shook the sky, the dragon's massive tail swung like a whip. Nouflex moved to dodge, but this time, he wasn't fast enough, or at least this is what he made it seem.

The tail hit him with brutal force, and the impact sent him flying into the forest, crashing multiple times on the ground before stopping. Dust and debris shot up, clouding the view of the soldiers and adventurers who watched in horror.

When the dust settled, Nouflex lay there, gasping for air, his legs shattered and bent at unnatural angles. The pain was excruciating, but he didn't scream, he wouldn't give the dragon the satisfaction.

Instead, he grimaced, wincing as he pretended to struggle. 'Almost there… just a little more.' He thought to himself, ready for the next part of his plan.

Suddenly, before the dragon could follow up with a killing blow, a blur of motion appeared.

Ayanokoji sprinted in, faster than a normal human could easily track, sweeping Nouflex up and throwing him over his shoulder as they both bolted away from the dragon's strike.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nouflex groaned, wincing as his broken legs shifted painfully.

"Clearing the monsters is done. The dragon's the only one left." Ayanokoji replied calmly, sprinting effortlessly through the debris. "And Ringo already launched the missiles."

Nouflex's mind raced. 'Perfect timing.' He thought, deciding to sell the moment even more. His eyes widened, and he lifted both of his arms dramatically, pretending to channel the incoming missiles as if they were under his control.

"AAAAAAGGHHHH!"

He began to scream, a wild and powerful yell, but something caught his attention mid-cry. He noticed a faint, green, almost invisible barrier surrounding him and Ayanokoji. Nouflex blinked, momentarily confused, before his sharp gaze darted around.

Floating above them, Fubuki was flying, her arms outstretched as she focused on maintaining the protective barrier. 'She's protecting us.' Nouflex thought, surprised. 'So she can use barriers now? That's… impressive. She's really growing.'

His mind flashed back to her older sister, Tatsumaki, and how she could effortlessly create these psychic barriers in their original world. Fubuki could not do that before, she was becoming stronger, her powers evolving beyond the limits of her old world.

Before he could think any further, the sound of missiles roaring through the sky reached them.

His eyes widened again, this time in genuine awe as over 160 missiles rained down from the heavens, one after the other.

The entire battlefield froze as everyone, the adventurers, the soldiers, and even the remaining royal guards looked up, their eyes wide in disbelief. The air filled with overwhelming pressure as the missiles descended, faster and faster, before slamming into the ground with thunderous explosions.

BOOOM!

The first impact shook the earth, a massive shockwave knocking back the surrounding forces. Trees were uprooted, the ground cracked and shattered, and debris flew everywhere but Nouflex and Ayanokoji were protected by the barrier while adventurers stumbled, trying to keep their footing as each missile blasted the dragon with relentless fury.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The sounds were deafening and in the center of it all, the dragon roared in agony as it was pummeled by the barrage. Its left arm was clearly torn off in an explosion, its thick tail severed halfway as another missile struck.

The once-impenetrable scales, which had been the bane of everyone's attacks, now lay in tatters, ripped apart by the sheer force of the blasts.

Smoke and dust filled the air, and the battlefield seemed to fall silent for a brief moment.

The soldiers and adventurers stood there, stunned, their faces pale as they witnessed the destruction.

When the dust finally settled, the dragon was a broken, bleeding monster. Its left arm was gone, half of its tail missing, and its thick skin which was as hard as steel was now cracked, burnt, and oozing blood.

And in the midst of it all, Nouflex smirked, still on Ayanokoji's shoulder. 'Perfect.' He thought, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. 'Everyone saw that… Now they know.'

"I think you can put me down Koji." Nouflex said, and Koji placed him gently on the ground in order to not hurt his broken legs.

Nouflex's breathing slowed, his usual calm replaced by something darker, more primal.

His bloodlust started to rise, a black tattoo appeared above his left eyebrow and a sick grin spread across his face. The whole forest felt a change in the air, it became thicker and everyone found it hard to breathe and even move a muscle.

The sight of the weakened, broken dragon stirred something deep within him, a part he rarely let surface.

'This thing… thought it could stand against me?' His pupils dilated, and his muscles tensed. 'How pathetic.'

Even though the dragon could actually defeat him, the demon mode makes its user underestimate everyone and have a huge ego.

Nouflex legs healed instantly as if he was never hurt and he activated his shadow technique. Dark tendrils of energy extended from the ground, snaking up and around the dragon's massive frame, freezing it in place.

The dragon tried to roar, tried to thrash, but Nouflex had it completely locked. It couldn't move. I was already weakened from the missiles so it could not resist.

Nouflex let out a low, menacing chuckle. 'Before, I couldn't move while holding someone with this technique. But now… I can move just fine.' He flexed his fingers, savoring the feeling of control, then slowly began walking toward the dragon.

Fubuki hovered nearby, watching with a mixture of concern and curiosity, but she said nothing. She could feel the shift in Nouflex's demeanor. His bloodlust was palpable, thick in the air.

The dragon's eyes locked onto Nouflex. There was fear there, genuine terror and it only fueled Nouflex's growing madness. With a swift, violent motion, he ripped a spear from a fallen soldier, twirling it in his hand before teleporting directly onto the dragon's face.

Without a word, he jammed the spear into the dragon's left eye. A sickening squelch echoed as the tip pierced the soft tissue, followed by the dragon's ear-splitting pain roar. Blood gushed out, spraying Nouflex, but he didn't flinch. In fact, he laughed, a dark twisted sound that carried across the battlefield.

"Does it hurt?" Nouflex muttered, his voice low, mocking. "But who gives a fuck? Did you really think you stood a chance? You thought you were strong just because I let you play with me for a bit? Hilarious."

With brutality and arrogance, he snatched another spear and rammed it into the dragon's right eye, twisting it as he pushed deeper. More blood sprayed, and the dragon's body spasmed in pain, but it couldn't move. It was completely at Nouflex's mercy.

"HAha! Now you can't see! Drown into fear and despair even more! I fucking love it." Nouflex's expression kept getting weirder and more twisted.

But he was far from being done.

Teleporting back to the ground, Nouflex spotted two more spears discarded by soldiers who had fled in terror. Grabbing both, he teleported once more, appearing directly above the dragon's head.

He quickly shoved each spear deep into the dragon's nostrils, pushing with all his might until the spears scraped against the walls of the nasal cavity.

The dragon's body jerked violently as it tried to thrash against the pain, but it was still unable to move or react.

When the spears hit resistance deep within, Nouflex's eyes gleamed with sadistic delight. He lifted his foot and, with a sickening crack, slammed his heel down on the end of the spears, driving them further into the dragon's skull.

The spears punctured deeper, nicking the edges of the dragon's brain, and the creature let out a final, weak roar as it fell to the ground, dead.

Nouflex stood there, breathing heavily, his body drenched in the dragon's blood.

His gaze never wavered from the lifeless, mangled corpse at his feet as he went to his normal state making the tension and tattoo disappear. Satisfaction surged through him as he replayed every agonizing moment in his mind, the dragon's growing despair, its cries of pain, the way its roars weakened with each brutal attack he inflicted.

He had taken his time, savoring each moment, each shred of hope he ripped from the beast's eyes.

'It thought it could win…' He thought, a twisted grin spreading across his face. 'But I dragged it through hell. Made it realize, slowly, painfully, that victory was never within its reach.'

The memory of the dragon's tortured expressions as it lay helpless, pinned by his shadows, sent a rush of excitement through him. But Nouflex had given it none, no mercy. Only more pain, more suffering.

He crouched down, inspecting the lifeless creature's face, now frozen in an eternal mask of horror. 'I broke it.' He thought, his grin widening even further. 'It was beautiful…'

Then, as the realization of what he'd done fully sank in, a sickening thrill rushed through his veins, and a dark, disturbing whisper crossed his mind.

'Heh… all that blood, all that agony... made me hard.'

Nouflex now was... Erect.

TO BE CONTINUED--->