Chapter 24: The Fleeing Enemy

"Cat's Grace!"

"Oil on the soles of my feet!"

As the Bluefoot Dragon-snake prepared its next Lightning Breath, Cassius cast several Acceleration Spells on himself.

His body became extraordinarily agile, leaping lightly several times in the cave to approach the Bluefoot Dragon-snake.

Though the Red Dragon's strength was far less than that of the Bluefoot Dragon-snake, and their sizes were vastly different, physical combat was not determined by these factors alone.

He had confidence in defeating his opponent in close combat.

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake spat out several bolts of lightning, but the Red Dragon was prepared, having anticipated its direction in advance, dodging to the left and right with ease.

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake realized Cassius's intention to engage in melee combat and laughed hoarsely, "Stupid dragon, daring to oppose me in this cave."

"Without the advantage of flight—"

"What are you really?"

Its twelve pairs of feet wriggled, moving on the rock wall as if on flat ground, its steps swift, even faster than the spell-enhanced Red Dragon.

It charged at the Red Dragon like a bolt of blue lightning.

"Bull's Strength!"

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake's charge played right into the Red Dragon's plan. He instantly cast the spell to enhance his strength, his muscular body bulging with veins, exuding waves of scorching steam as his strength surged.

"Act Before the Enemy!"

The Red Dragon's golden slit pupils emanated a purple magical aura as he stared intently at the Bluefoot Dragon-snake, attempting to discern its next move.

"Pathetic dragon,"

"You are as weak as the human mages, no match for me!"

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake saw the Red Dragon filled with spells but remained unflustered, opening its maw wide for a biting attack.

The Red Dragon foresaw this, dodging to the side and preparing to retaliate with claws and fangs.

But he didn't expect the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's bite to be a feint.

As the Red Dragon evaded, it twisted abruptly, launching itself like a lasso to encircle the Red Dragon with its massive body.

It was strangle!

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake slowly tightened its muscles, compressing any space for the Red Dragon's escape, initiating a suffocating constriction.

Its body was more than twice as long as the Red Dragon's, and far stronger. Once it successfully constricted, the outcome was decided.

Seeing the situation, the Red Dragon relentlessly attacked the exposed, scorched skin of the Bluefoot Dragon-snake with its sharp claws, causing flesh and blood to splatter.

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake let out a pained hiss but did not stop tightening its coils.

It knew releasing would mean defeat, while a successful constriction would sap the Red Dragon's strength.

But Cassius's attacks were not those of a barbarian; his sharp claws dug several feet deep into the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's flesh, tearing its skin apart.

"You are merely my prey!"

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake roared furiously.

Yet even though it was covered in wounds, its body moved swiftly, tightly encircling the Red Dragon.

"You are struggling in vain!"

It succeeded.

The Red Dragon was tightly wrapped by the long, massive body, trapped like a beast in a snare, unable to escape.

Even its claws were immobilized, weakened in its struggle, barely able to counterattack with its teeth.

On the verge of killing a Red Dragon.

This made the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's heart race wildly, making it forget the intense pain, tightening its muscles purely on instinct.

This was the horrifying power of ancient biological weapons, imprinted with hatred toward dragons.

However, in the next moment, the situation reversed dramatically.

"Misty Step!"

The Red Dragon, tightly constricted, recited a spell.

The combat caster's expertise allowed him to cast spells even while restrained.

Instantly, the Bluefoot Dragon-snake felt its coils empty; where its prey had been was now just silvery-white smoke.

And the Red Dragon had teleported to a cliff ten meters away.

"Oh no!"

It cried out in surprise.

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake, having exerted too much force, was now twisted into a tangled position, extremely awkward.

Cassius had actually been able to escape the moment the Bluefoot Dragon-snake began to constrict.

But he chose to play along, letting it believe he was trapped to further exhaust the opponent.

The Red Dragon let out a triumphant roar, leaping down directly at the Bluefoot Dragon-snake.

"Now, tell me—"

"Who is the prey?"

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake, still tangled, had no chance to evade, confronting Cassius in a panic.

It barely lifted its head to bite.

But at this moment, Cassius's agility far surpassed the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's.

The Red Dragon simply leapt lightly to the left, easily dodging the attack.

Taking advantage of the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's missed strike, he slipped behind it, biting down hard on its exposed, heavily injured body.

Blood splattered!

Warm blood sprayed into his mouth.

Teeth sank deep into the flesh, tearing muscle fibers, piercing deeper, this feeling invigorated the Red Dragon.

"Aargh—"

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake let out a deafening screech, thrashing wildly to escape.

But the Red Dragon not only clamped its jaws firmly but also, with muscles bulging, its claws plunged into its body, clawing recklessly.

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake rolled frantically, yet the Red Dragon wouldn't let go.

"Boom..."

Two giant beasts fought with primal rage, using the most savage techniques in their violent physical struggle.

The cave's rocks rumbled.

It felt as if the entire mine was shaking, trembling, with debris continuously falling from the ceiling.

"Aargh..."

At last, the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's strength seemed to fade, letting out a weak whimper.

Yet the Red Dragon did not relent; his strength was nearly spent. If this formidable foe had any tricks left, he was defenseless.

Was it finally over?

Cassius felt the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's body weaken, its struggles dimming.

A cloud of blue-green blood mist erupted suddenly.

"Bang!"

It escaped!

The Bluefoot Dragon-snake had torn off a significant portion of its own body to escape.

The remaining seven pairs of feet scrambled quickly across the rock wall.

Though severely injured, carrying less body weight made the Bluefoot Dragon-snake even faster.

"It still escaped."

The Red Dragon released its grip, laboriously pulling its claws from the remaining half of the body.

He watched the Bluefoot Dragon-snake disappear into the darkness.

There was no choice, after the intense struggle, his energy was largely spent, especially since this cave was the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's territory.

In the cave, the Red Dragon's flying advantage was nullified, making it difficult to catch up with the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's seven pairs of feet.

Dancing lights had faded, but the weak torchlight remained.

Cassius silently gazed, watching the Bluefoot Dragon-snake escape into the deep cave.

The reflective membrane behind the Red Dragon's eyes helped him see in the dim cave, making his eyes glow in the darkness.

However, his vision was monochrome at this moment.

"That direction is the Ashen Nest."

The Red Dragon's sense of direction was also very keen. Even in the dark cave, they could gather information from the environment to judge the approximate direction.

"Abyssal Pit?"

Cassius suddenly thought of something.