The Dragon of Despair (II)

A massive and pitch-black figure proudly hovered in the sky, casting a shadow that blocked out the sky.

With the overwhelming pressure akin to an avalanche, the legendary world-ending black dragon said to herald the twilight of the gods, known as Ragnarok, had reappeared after countless ages!

Feeling the overwhelming aura of death, even Karna, as the son of the sun god himself, couldn't help but show a grave expression at this moment.

A strong intuition warned him that if he let his guard down, he might genuinely meet his end here!

On the sky, Nidhogg lowered her head slightly, her pitch-black vertical pupils coldly staring at Karna's figure.

In the next moment, her monstrous maw suddenly opened wide, with inky black flames churning within.

Seeing this, Jeanne and Karna both tightened their grips on their weapons, their bodies tensing up like wound springs.

*WHOOOSH—!*

Endless black flames swept out like a burning cloud, vast and mighty as if intending to turn the entire world into a hellish inferno, ruthlessly crashing down to the ground.

Feeling the indescribable power of death, Jeanne's heart leaped to her throat. If these flames were allowed to fall, the land would be completely destroyed!

But at a time like this, even if she wanted to use noble phantasm or command spells, it was already too late.

*Whoosh—*

Suddenly, another massive surge of magical energy rose from the ground.

Karna narrowed his eyes, and soon, an ancient and deep chant echoed through the heavens and earth.

"Brahmastra Kundala!"

The surging magical energy continuously poured into Karna's god-slaying spear, the hot flames instantly covering the weapon.

*Swish—!*

A terrifying and immense aura spread out as if a meteor was thrown, turning into a crimson curtain that collided with the pitch-black burning flame.

*BOOOOOM—!!!*

A thunderous roar echoed through the entire area.

Black and red flames intertwined and clashed, evaporating everything within their coverage. The terrifying heat instantly rose, as if the entire world was turning into a scorching purgatory!

On one side was the black dragon that would end the age of gods, while on the other was the son of the sun god.

Watching the scene that surpassed their imagination, all those who witnessed couldn't help but feel a sense of surreal disbelief. For a moment, they even questioned if they had returned to the distant, ancient mythological era.

Seemingly displeased with Karna's resistance, the coldness in Nidhogg's eyes became even more intense.

She took a deep breath, and a fiercer black flame spewed forth, instantly gaining an overwhelming advantage, and pushing the crimson curtain backward at an astonishing speed.

Jeanne's grip on her flag alternated between tight and loose several times. After several repetitions, she finally sighed helplessly and chose to stand by and watch.

*WHOOOSH—!*

The pitch-black flames, carrying a potent power of death, ruthlessly swept down, covering Karna's figure and the surrounding hundred meters of land within.

It wasn't until two or three minutes later that the pitch-black flames gradually ceased their rampage.

As everyone looked ahead, the once sandy desert had turned into a lifeless scorched earth. Sparse white smoke wafted up, and the residual heat caused the space above this land to exhibit a distorted phenomenon.

Watching this scene, everyone couldn't help but inhale sharply.

The astonishing destructive power was likely enough to obliterate even a heavily fortified fortress in an instant.

"Hahh... Hahhh..."

Karna, with a spear in hand, knelt on one knee in the center of the scorched earth.

Despite appearing uninjured, the golden armor from the Sun God Surya showed distinct signs of distortion. The golden armor's dazzling radiance dimmed significantly, weakening Karna's aura considerably in the face of Nidhogg's ruthless attack.

Needless to say, even his golden armor couldn't entirely withstand her onslaught.

This wasn't just due to Nidhogg's immense power; it was primarily because of her significant bonus damage against gods, which meant bonus damage against anyone with 'Divinity'. Even a chief god would suffer considerable consequences under this particular attack, let alone a demigod like Karna.

With his golden armor breached, Karna was no longer a match for Nidhogg and Arkhan unless he was willing to sacrifice his armor and use his strongest Noble Phantasm, which could only be used once.

But the Red Faction couldn't continue to witness this scene unfold.

Inside the church, Shirou sighed regretfully.

"No choice, use a command spell to recall Karna..."

No other choice, Karna was one of their only two most powerful Servants, and they couldn't afford to lose him at this critical moment.

Watching the black-haired man on the screen, Shirou's eyes showed a hint of melancholy.

What was expected to be an easy victory turned into an unexpected challenge, facing an opponent so formidable that even the son of the sun god couldn't overcome. He wondered how the Black Faction could summon such a powerful being.

'We need to finish building the Hanging Gardens of Babylon quickly...' Shirou contemplated silently.

Even though they also had a powerful Rider, facing that black dragon who ended the age of gods required additional preparations.

Hearing her Master's order, Semiramis wisely refrained from arguing with him. She just nodded silently and casually snapped her fingers.

A mysterious power instantly enveloped Karna, an absolute command that caused his body to disintegrate into countless light particles, disappearing in an instant.

"Retreat, huh..." Arkhan raised an eyebrow slightly.

It didn't surprise him; after all, anyone with eyes could see that Karna was at a disadvantage. Continuing the fight wouldn't be a wise move.

Arkhan didn't mind, as he never intended to eliminate Karna in the first place.

The battle finally concluded, and all Masters who had been watching couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Even though they weren't present on the scene, witnessing this mythical battle still increased their stress.

Nidhogg's black vertical pupils scanned the surroundings coldly, and with a powerful flap of her wings, a fierce wind swept through, instantly annihilating all observing familiars around.

Losing connection with their familiars, every Master's face instantly stiffened, followed by a wry smile.

This dragon of despair indeed had a temper.

Little did they know, Nidhogg did this not out of anger but to prevent them from seeing what would happen next.

She landed steadily on the ground, her ferocious head slightly lowered. Looking at the familiar black-haired man in front of her, the icy coldness in her eyes gradually softened.

A dense black light erupted once again, and her massive dragon body shrank visibly at an eye-catching speed.

In a moment, the ancient and majestic dragon transformed into a cold and beautiful woman in a black knee-length dress.

Three thousand strands of black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her phoenix-like eyes seemed to contain a thousand charms, alluringly fixated on the man she longed for.