Death Ray Array

As the tail pulled back with Allen, the latter showed no signs of movement.

-pshew-

The dragon dropped the kid right in front of it, and examined him carefully. The beast didn't take Allen as a threat to it anymore.

It retracted the tail from Allen's body, now, there was a bloody hole on the chest of the kid. The tail of the dragon was always much tougher and sharper than steel, so it wasn't a surprise.

It noticed that the aura of the weapon was now unlocatable anywhere from his body.

"Where's that weapon?", the dragon asked. However, Allen didn't answer, or probably couldn't answer.

"I said, where is that weapon!?", the dragon roared that it shook the chamber. Nevertheless, Allen still didn't answer.

"Still not going to answer?", the dragon asked, this time, trying to hold back its fury.

"Nope.", Allen suddenly answered in a low ridiculing tone. It made the dragon furious and started to breathe in air.

"Die!", the dragon roared. 

-boom-

As the dragon was about to breathe out fire, a beam of light suddenly attacked its mouth, canceling the fire breathing process!

"Who, what?!", the beast looked towards where the beam came from, which was none other from Allen! 

There was some sort of a floating small rock coin with glowing patterns engraved on it floating over the kid. Allen tiredly looked at the floating coin, and recognized that it was the small coin that Vitomir gave them for protection from curses after they left the village!

"Puny object!", the dragon swiped down its claw towards the coin, also intending to kill Allen. However, an invisible shield appeared around the coin and the kid, protecting itself and the kid from the claws of the dragon.

The dragon widened its eyes in surprise and summoned the green fire spears around it, and attacked the shield with them while using its claws and tail.

-boom- -bam- -boom-

Explosions could be heard as dust rose in the area, when everything settled down, the dragon saw that the shield was still standing with Allen and the coin inside it!

"How could it...?!" Before the dragon finished its sentence, the coin flew out of the shield and attacked the beast again with the same beam of light from earlier!

-boom-

"Arrgh...", the dragon took several steps back as its face almost exploded into bits, but regenerated at a very fast rate.

Meanwhile, the coin vibrated and its glow became brighter. The same vibration could be felt from Kate's and Drake's pockets.

-whoosh-

The coins went out of their pockets and joined Allen's coin. Suddenly, the coins surrounded the dragon, making a transparent pyramid-shaped shield!

The cage encased the dragon within. The beast tried to attack the shield, but it was all in vain.

-phew-

Hundreds of beams of light came from the shield and attacked the dragon all around its body! The dragon couldn't do anything other than helplessly resist all the attacks.

A projection of an old man appeared below Allen's coin, and that old man was none other than the presiding leader of the village of the remnant barbarians that the trio visited earlier!

The old man looked around and saw the weak Allen with a bloody hole on his chest, it turned his gaze onto the knocked out Drake, and finally onto Kate.

"The dragon played with you kids before trying to kill you, hmph!", the old man snorted.

"Kate, isn't it?", the projection of the old man approached Kate and asked.

"Yes?", Kate responded.

"Can you move?", the old man asked.

"Kind of.", Kate answered.

"Alright, bring that kid over there, his name is Drake, isn't it? Towards Allen's location. Don't worry about the dragon, the array will take care of that filthy beast.", the old man said.

"Okay.", Kate nodded in response, slowly stood up, and went towards Drake.

Meanwhile, the projection of the old man walked back to Allen's location and sighed, "Looks like Vitomir forgot to tell about the coins' function." Afterwards, the old man went back under Allen's coin and looked towards the pitiful dragon, who was being attacked from all sides.

"Hmph, banes like you shouldn't exist in this world any longer.", the old man snorted again.

"I'll kill all of you! I'll kill all of you!", the dragon roared in fury.

"Creatures who will soon turn into dust won't be able to kill.", the old man calmly said. He then waited for a few moments for the dragon to suffer more under the barrage of the array's attacks.

"Looks like you've suffered enough." It might seem that the old man showed pity, but it was fact a ridiculing tone!

After a pause, he commanded, "Change to Death Ray array!"

The current attacks ceased, and the structure of the array on the floor below the dragon changed in an instant, then a powerful, dangerous aura then emanated from it.

The energy that the array gathered rapidly and its power per second, until the projection of the old man said, "Initiate power charging!"

Kate's and Drake's coins vibrated in response and a clone suddenly appeared beside each of them, after which, the clones went into formation and created another array shaped like a star.

-bzzt-

A buzzing sound could be heard as the clones of the coins slowly went towards each other. When the coin clones will combine, that's where the Death Ray array would be fully operational!

The dragon did all its best to break through the shield, but was all for a naught. The clones combined and the aura of the array reached its peak!

"Activate... Death Ray array!", the old man shouted.

-bzzt- -bzzt- -bzzt-

From the topmost point of the pyramid shield cage, a beam of light pierced down towards the dragon with a sharp sound.

"ROAR...!"

When the beam of light penetrated the dragon and created a burning hole through it, then the burn slowly spread out towards its whole body.

The dragon crazily tried to break through the shield with everything it got, but the shield seemed indestructible and burn spread all over its gigantic body.

A dragon, not just a simple dragon, but an undead dragon, died just like that under the array!

'The array still showed no signs of weakening even after a long time since the mountain was attacked.' The old man inwardly said, 'Is isn't fully activated yet.'

As the burn covered its whole body, the dragon collapsed into ashes.

The stone coins still maintained their original positions. At the same time, Kate already brought the unconscious Drake beside Allen, who was under the protection of a shield around its body which came from the Speed Amulet!

Allen's face became paler and paler at each second that passed by, which made Kate worry. The former wasn't even moving from his position, nor even moving his hands, it was as if he was a lifeless corpse.

"Mu guess was right, you three were going here, but why?", the projection of the old man approached them.

"We were trying to get the treasure in here.", Kate answered.

The old man kept quiet and didn't show any intentions to probe through the issue even deeper.

Kate asked, "Can you save them?"

The elder looked towards Allen and Drake then nodded, "They are still savable. Bring them a little closer to each other and stay there."

Kate did what the old man instructed, then the old man commanded the three stone coins to go and surround the three of them.

After which, another array was set up and was activated.

***

Meanwhile, back at Lord Levine's villa.

Mr. Sanchez was running downstairs in a hurry and went towards his room, he opened the door and saw the merchant opening a box full of crackers!

"I knew it! Somebody was tampering my box of crackers without my permission!", Mr. Sanchez angrily eyed the merchant.

"It's just a box of crackers, nothing valuable.", the merchant put in a whole cracker in his mouth and chewed it.

After swallowing, the merchant gave a satisfied smile and commented, "What a delicious cracker, where did you get these?"

"Oh, well... probably from a cheap source like King Santos III!", Mr. Sanchez sarcastically answered.

"Oh.", the merchant didn't seem to mind it and put an another cracker in his mouth.

"Why did you rush all the way down to your room?", Lord Levine approached Mr. Sanchez, then the former saw the box of crackers that the merchant was eating.

"Want some, Levine?", the merchant asked.

"Sure.", Lord Levine nodded. The merchant then threw a cracker to the feudal lord, after which, the latter ate the cracker.

"Mmm... what a tasty cracker! Give me another one.", Lord Levine said and ignored Mr. Sanchez who was beside him.

Mr. Sanchez face became gloomy, but then it suddenly changed from anger to seriousness as he looked towards the direction of Mount Watchtower.

Lord Levine and the merchant also sensed what happened.

"They did it.", Lord Levine said.

"Well then, that's one baneful creature gone.", the merchant said.

"It's a good thing nobody died.", Mr. Sanchez said with a sigh of relief.