Despite the healing magic circles engraved on his body, the all-encompassing flames had scorched over 50% of Wood's skin. The wounds that covered him were now charred black, and the blood that had once flowed from them had been completely dried out by the intense heat.
Yet, despite suffering such severe injuries, Wood continued to swing his twin swords mechanically. His vital areas and limbs, protected by the healing magic, had also endured the fire's fury but were barely holding together, allowing him to continue fighting.
What Wood hadn't expected was that, although the Nine-Headed Dragon should have had powerful magic resistance, it had suffered more from the flames than he had.
Having fought the Nine-Headed Dragon multiple times, Wood had already been impressed by its immense magic immunity and terrifying regenerative abilities. Previously, he had used King-level magic against it multiple times, but the results had been minimal.
Even the Emperor-level magic, powered by the Heart of God, had only managed to slightly injure the dragon.
If he could survive the baptism of flames, surely the Nine-Headed Dragon would fare better.
But to his surprise, the Nine-Headed Dragon let out an agonized roar as the flames engulfed it, a clear sign that the magic was dealing significant damage.
Upon closer observation, Wood finally discovered the reason. The Nine-Headed Dragon's strong magic resistance, much like the fire immunity that the Demon Wolf King had thanks to its fur, came from its metallic, gleaming scales.
However, the difference this time was that, after enduring Wood's relentless sword attacks, the dragon's scales were now in tatters.
Without the protection of its scales, the Nine-Headed Dragon had lost its vaunted magical resistance.
This was why it howled in pain under the fire's assault.
Upon further observation, Wood realized that the information the Demon Wolf King had overheard wasn't wrong after all. The Nine-Headed Dragon's weakness was indeed fire magic—or, to be more specific, without its scales to protect it, the dragon was particularly vulnerable to fire magic.
As the flames scorched its body, the dragon's troublesome regenerative abilities were also halted!
The continuous burning of its wounds completely prevented the regrowth of its flesh, leaving it charred and lifeless.
The reason the Nine-Headed Dragon had been nearly impossible to kill—whether by decapitation or by having its heart shredded—was because of its monstrous regenerative powers.
Now that Wood had discovered the weakness in its regeneration, the fight became far more straightforward.
Realizing this crucial weakness, Wood saw a glimmer of hope for victory. He no longer fought recklessly like a berserker.
"Soru!"
Despite the excruciating burns on his legs, Wood gritted his teeth and launched himself forward, shattering the ground beneath his feet as he appeared behind the Nine-Headed Dragon in an instant.
With a swift slash, one of the dragon's massive heads was severed cleanly from its body.
"Saint-Level Fire Magic: Scarlet Nova!"
This time, as the dragon's severed neck began writhing in an attempt to regenerate, Wood quickly followed up with a Saint-level fire magic attack.
As the fire consumed the regenerating flesh, the process came to a halt, and the severed head did not grow back.
"Geppo! Soru! Geppo! Soru!"
"Hyakki Yagyō Sword Style: Ittōryū—Kamaitachi! Kamaitachi! Kamaitachi!"
Using the combined techniques of Geppo and Soru, Wood continuously evaded the Nine-Headed Dragon's attacks. Relying on his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) to predict and avoid the dragon's breath attacks, he then used Kamaitachi to slice off more of its heads. Each time, he followed up with a Saint-level fire magic spell to prevent regeneration.
Though Wood had figured out the dragon's weakness, the outcome of the battle was still far from certain.
If Wood were in peak condition, he could have easily killed the dragon after learning of its weakness, even without using the Heart of God. It would have required more effort, but it was certainly within his abilities.
However, there was no "what if." Retreating from the room, regrouping, and coming back at full strength would have been the most sensible option.
But right now, Wood had no choice. He could likely escape on his own, but what about the unconscious Demon Wolf King and Zenith? He wasn't confident he could protect them while fleeing from the Nine-Headed Dragon's relentless pursuit.
Unwilling to abandon anyone, Wood had no choice but to fight the dragon to the bitter end, carefully calculating each move.
After using multiple spells—Emperor-level magic and the continuous healing from the magic circles inscribed on his body—his mana reserves were running dangerously low.
At this point, Wood couldn't even afford to use magic to block the dragon's breath attacks. Even with the dragon's weakness revealed, he had to conserve enough mana to finish the battle.
Fire magic was essential to halting the dragon's regeneration, and Saint-level magic was the minimum requirement to deal lasting damage.
With nine heads to decapitate, Wood needed to ensure he had enough mana left to cast at least nine Saint-level fire spells.
In order to conserve his mana, Wood relied on his Kenbunshoku Haki, Soru, and Geppo, pushing his agility and evasion to their absolute limits. He dodged every breath attack and lunge, and when there was no way to avoid an attack, he would shift his body to ensure that it didn't hit any vital areas, allowing him to keep fighting.
Eventually, to save his remaining mana, Wood even deactivated the healing magic circles on his body.
Without the constant healing, Wood's stamina for a prolonged battle was drastically reduced. Fortunately, as more of the dragon's heads were severed, its attacks and overall threat level gradually weakened.
"Hyakki Yagyō Sword Style: Nitōryū Ultimate Technique—Two-Faced Buddha!"
An ominous, spectral figure of a Shura appeared behind Wood. With his twin swords, he unleashed a devastating X-shaped slash, cutting through the remaining three heads and cleaving the dragon's body into several pieces.
Exhausted and battered, Wood finally collapsed onto the ground.
The overwhelming weakness from his injuries, the crippling fatigue, the mental strain from overexerting his mana, and the aftereffects of the Heart of God were all hitting him at once.
His body was completely drained.
But even as Wood lay on the ground, barely conscious, he bit down hard on his tongue, using the pain to stave off unconsciousness.
*******
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a
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