Chapter 31: The Fall of a Mighty Dragon
As the dragon's sharp nail moved menacingly, a simple hand gesture halted it in its tracks, stunning Jasmine. Even an emperor-ranked dragon's attack was effortlessly stopped by this mysterious person with just a single gesture. The dragon itself couldn't fathom how a mere mortal could casually thwart its assault. As Jasmine listened, she heard a voice emanate from Yun Che's mouth, but it wasn't his usual voice; instead, it was a voice even more irritating. Jasmine immediately recognized this voice, the only one that echoed when he spoke.
"IMPOSSIBLE, A MERE ANT LIKE YOU STOPPED MY ATTACK???!!??? WHO ARE YOU???!!???" The dragon demanded of Yun Che.
"Who are you? Heh… I AIN'T GOT A NAME," replied Hoyuu, who had taken over Yun Che's body. Hoyuu's eyes were now entirely black with yellow pupils. His left eye, initially covered by a hollow mask, was gradually transforming into a larger portion.
The small hollow mask gradually began to change. It expanded slowly, stretching across Yun Che's face, spreading from his left eye, creeping along his skin. It gained more detail, forming intricate dark lines on his face. This transformation seemed deliberate, like a dormant power awakening. The once-hidden patterns on the mask became more visible, and it now covered a larger part of Yun Che's face, extending from his left eye to his cheek and forehead. It became a noticeable feature, a symbol of the hidden strength he possessed.
Hoyuu suddenly released the dragon's arm, retrieving Tensa Zangetsu from the ground. He swiftly carried Jasmine, slicing the dragon's right arm in the process, causing it to crash to the ground with a painful roar.
"WoooHoooo, HHAAAAAAAHAAAAA," Hoyuu exclaimed as he levitated in the air, taunting the wounded dragon. His mask began to grow.
"Nice to see you too, flower. Your body is small as always. Are your balloons started to grow, or is it still flat as this sword?" Hoyuu cheekily remarked to Jasmine, causing her considerable annoyance.
Hoyuu had a habit of picking fights with Jasmine at every opportunity, and it was something that often got on her nerves. She found his constant emphasis on her body and chest during their bickering particularly irksome, leaving her without a suitable retort. Dismissing his teasing, she turned her attention to the damage he had inflicted on the dragon. Jasmine recalled that Hoyuu possessed the power to easily defeat high-level cultivators, but his possession was limited to just three minutes per day. Yun Che had saved this trump card as a last resort to ensure his survival.
"Aww, someone's feeling sensitive," Hoyuu teased, unfazed by Jasmine's irritation.
"I am not. Can you focus on destroying that dragon instead of bickering? We have plenty of time for that," Jasmine retorted impatiently.
"MORTALS, I WILL HAVE YOUR HEADS!" The dragon ignored its severed arm and concentrated on attacking Hoyuu and Jasmine.
"PSsssHH, let me show you then. When a lizard's about to be sliced," Hoyuu declared. He began swinging his sword in a circular motion, generating a massive dark and red Getsuga that struck the dragon, causing deep wounds to appear.
He then leaped into the air, releasing another enormous Getsuga from above that struck the dragon's back, creating another significant injury. Hoyuu used Yun Che's learnt signature technique, the Broken Shadow Flash, creating several clones of himself and showering the dragon with Getsugas. Desperate, the dragon attempted to fly away, but Hoyuu teleported behind it and sent a giant Getsuga towards the wound, stabbing it with explosive force. This strike triggered an explosion of energy that obliterated the dragon's dantian.
With its powers diminished, the dragon reverted to an early stage of the Earth Profound Realm, crashing into the floor. Hoyuu stood at a distance, still holding Jasmine.
"MORTAL, YOUR AURA IS THE SAME AS THOSE WHITE MASKED BEAST. ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?" the dragon inquired.
"Heehee, Maybeee. Who knows? You're about to be sliced anyway," taunted Hoyuu as he spun Tensa Zangetsu, his mask now covering half of Yun Che's face.
"INSOLENT, IF THIS DRAGON IS GOING DOWN THEN YOU SHOULD DIE WITH ME," the dragon declared, channeling its remaining strength into a powerful fireball attack.
"PssHH, still wants to fight?!? Bring it on. You're not the only one who can do it," Hoyuu replied, pointing Tensa Zangetsu at the dragon.
"What are you doing?" Jasmine asked, concerned.
"Heh, bet that bastard Yuuki didn't show you this before. Let me show you one of MY signature attacks," said Hoyuu. At the tip of Tensa Zangetsu, a red energy sphere began to spin, surrounded by lightning. It was a concentrated energy attack, heightened by Hoyuu's sinister energy, making it exceptionally potent. Jasmine, even with her strength, hesitated to face this attack.
"DIE MORTAL," the dragon shouted as it released its charged fireball. Instead of dodging, Hoyuu plunged straight into it.
"After you," Hoyuu quipped before unleashing the energy ball from his sword, which turned into a massive red beam that obliterated the dragon's fireball and overwhelmed the creature, slamming it into a nearby wall.
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[Ding…. Warning time reached. Returning to administrator control.]
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"Looks like my time's up, king, you can keep the mask. You bastard, HAHAHAA," Hoyuu chuckled as his left eye gradually returned to its normal black pupils.
"Thank you, Hoyuu. I'll take it from here," Yun Che said as he regained control of his body, greeted by a notification.
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[Ding…. Host's affinity with Hoyuu increased to 25.]
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[Acquired Hollow's half mask. Boosts the host's strength by 50%. Duration: 5 minutes.]
"System, how much time until the cultivators arrive?" Yun Che asked with a smile, grateful for Hoyuu's gift.
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[Ding…. Duration: 4 minutes and 32 seconds.]
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"Hoyuu's possession only lasts three minutes. It looks like I have five minutes left with this mask. Let's make the most of it," Yun Che said, composing himself to face the dragon. The remnants of Hoyuu's mask covered the left side of his face, allowing him to manifest half of the hollow mask. This gave him an extra 50% strength for five minutes, elevating his cultivation to the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm. It was still below the dragon's reduced cultivation, but it gave him an edge.
"Finally, you're back. I was getting impatient," Jasmine remarked, still holding onto his left arm. She had felt dizzy during Hoyuu's rapid maneuvers earlier but quickly adapted.
"Sorry about that. Now, let's finish this," Yun Che said, holding Jasmine as he used flash-step to approach the dragon. The dragon sensed danger and expanded its wings in an attempt to escape.
"ARRRGGHHH, YOU BASTARDS!" The dragon launched wind attacks, which Yun Che easily dodged. As they closed in, the dragon charged its final, more powerful fireball attack. Yun Che and Jasmine evaded the dragon's attacks as it intended to use the fireball as a diversion before flying away.
The dragon ascended higher into the sky, charging its fiery assault. Yun Che used flash-step to chase it above the clouds, with Jasmine by his side. Then, they dived straight at the dragon, which saw this as an opportunity.
"DIE, MORTALS!" the dragon roared as it launched the colossal fireball at them. Instead of avoiding it, Yun Che stabbed his sword into the fireball.
"Yun Che! What are you thinking?!" Jasmine shouted in his ear as she watched him diving toward the fireball.
"Something incredibly stupid!" He replied without hesitation, plunging his sword into the fireball.
"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" A black Getsuga erupted from his sword, annihilating the fireball before it plunged into the dragon's maw. The black and red energy, swirling and raging, tore through the dragon's insides. It was like a relentless storm, devouring everything in its path. The dragon writhed in agony, its once mighty form reduced to a trembling, tortured creature. Its roars echoed in vain as the energy continued its destructive rampage, dismantling the dragon's internal structure.
Bit by bit, the dragon's life force faded as the energy consumed it from within. In the end, all that remained was a lifeless shell, a stark testament to the overwhelming power of the black and red energy that had consumed it completely. The Getsuga continuously wreaked havoc inside the dragon's body, causing it to plummet from the sky.
With their bodies crashing to the ground, Yun Che and Jasmine used the dragon's carcass as a cushion to soften their fall. The impact, however, was too great, prompting Yun Che to activate the "Sealing Cloud Locking Sun," the second art of the Evil God, to protect them.
"Brace for impact!" he warned Jasmine before...
BOOM!
The dragon's massive body dropped to the ground like a falling rock. It struck with a thunderous crash, shaking the earth and creating a huge crater. The once-mighty dragon now lay still, defeated.
"Uuugghhh," Jasmine groaned as she woke up, greeted by Yun Che's smiling face. He still wore Hoyuu's mask, making his grin appear eerie. But what really embarrassed her was realizing she was sitting on top of him, her hands on his chest.
"Eheee, you're quite bold, aren't you?" Yun Che teased, seizing the opportunity to make her blush.
"You BLOCKHEAD!!!!" Jasmine yelled, her face flushed, before delivering a smack to his face.