Deep in the mine shaft, it was pitch black.
The air was thick with a stale smell of mold and the scent of earth.
"Kaka—"
From behind came the sound of freezing that set one's teeth on edge. It wasn't ordinary ice, but extreme cold frost carrying high-level magic, spreading rapidly along the rock walls—
The Terastalization light on Cecilia's body was completely extinguished.
That stylish crystal crown shattered into points of light and vanished. She plopped down on a pile of rubble, gasping for breath, and reverted to that plump little Silver Dragon.
"What do we do now?"
"Don't worry."
Caesar's voice rang out in the darkness, sounding exceptionally calm, even carrying a hint of amusement.
This place is good.
Narrow, enclosed, and full of earth and stone.
Caesar hadn't dared to fight before because they were in an open area where the opponent had air superiority and could call for reinforcements at any time.
Now that these three idiots had actually given up their greatest advantage and followed him into this narrow mine shaft... that was another matter entirely.
Fight, he had to fight back!
...At the entrance of the mine shaft.
Three figures passed through the frozen entrance and walked in slowly.
They were the three Frost Wyverns who had transformed into human forms.
Their leader, "Gan," had a cold expression.
In his hand, he held a ball of ghostly blue light, illuminating the pale surroundings.
With every step, a layer of thick ice formed on the Ground beneath his feet, and this ice continued to spread in all directions, turning the originally bumpy mine shaft smooth and even.
This was his Domain.
Here, wherever the ice covered was his home turf!
"Truly foolish."
Will, following behind, tossed her long silver hair, looking at the dirty rock walls around her with a face full of disgust.
Although she was also in human form, her eyes were vertical pupils, gleaming with a predator's light in the darkness.
"If they had just run away directly, they might have lived a few minutes longer, but they just had to crawl into this dead end..."
Will gave a light laugh, her tone full of contempt: "A Earth Dragon is just a Earth Dragon. No matter how big they grow, their instinct when facing danger is to burrow into holes, just like rats."
Cure, walking at the back, had a pale face, with a thick band of ice wrapped around his abdomen—a temporary blood-stanching measure Gan had made for him.
That previous Dragon Breath had almost pierced through his body.
"Be careful..." Cure spoke with difficulty, "This place is too narrow; it's better to be cautious."
The Sub-dragon Gan raised his hand, signaling for silence.
Ahead was a straight downward slope, with bottomless darkness.
"He's right."
Gan said indifferently, "The structure of this abandoned mine shaft is complex; be careful of an ambush. Will, you two take the sides and flank them. I'll take the middle."
"Understood."
Will shrugged, her figure flickering as she pressed against the left rock wall.
Her eyesight was excellent; with her dark vision activated, every stone here was crystal clear to her eyes.
"I see them!" the Frost Wyvern suddenly shouted.
Dozens of meters ahead, at the end of the darkness, two biological clusters were clearly visible.
They were two Young Dragons huddled in a corner.
"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?" Will let out a sharp, mocking laugh, her voice echoing in the narrow mine shaft. "Weren't you quite capable just now? Keep burrowing!"
However, responding to her was the sound of a deep intake of breath.
That sound was very strange.
It was like a giant bellows being forced open, with all the surrounding air sucked dry by this single breath.
Gan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Something's wrong!
That Earth Dragon didn't hide; he was standing in the middle of the path, facing them directly—
Caesar opened his mouth.
Deep in his throat, a reddish-purple light surged instantly...!
"Defend—!" Gan only had time to shout those two words.
"Boom—!!!"
It wasn't that kind of thin Dragon Breath ray at all.
This time, Caesar turned himself into a flamethrower once again.
Fan-shaped dragon fire gushed out overwhelmingly, filling the entire cross-section of the mine shaft!
"Zzzzzzt—!!!"
The scorching dragon fire and the extreme cold ice collided with a bang!
An unimaginable amount of white steam erupted instantly, completely filling the already narrow and dark mine shaft, and visibility dropped to zero in an instant!
And that wasn't all!
At the very moment the three Sub-dragons were stunned by their lost vision, Caesar's thick feet slammed onto the Ground!
The magic within his body surged frantically at an unprecedented speed, and a yellowish-brown energy shockwave exploded outward with him at the center!
Domain Skill—[Sandstorm]!
"Rumble—!!!"
The entire mine shaft shook violently!
Without the dilution of the vast sky, the power of the Sandstorm was concentrated to the extreme within this enclosed space!
Endless gravel and rubble were whipped up by the violent magic, forming a devastating, high-density underground storm!
The hard rock walls were scraped by the wild sand until sparks flew, and a pungent smell of ozone filled the air, as if the entire space was being relentlessly Ground and crushed by this force!
"What on earth is this?!"
"It's Rock-type magic! Hold steady! Activate shields!"
Amidst the steam and dust, the Sub-dragons' roars of shock and fury could be heard.
The frost shields they were so proud of were instantly deployed, but under the impact of the endless rock and gravel, the surfaces of the shields emitted a dense "crackling" sound, being worn down and consumed at a visible rate, shattering inch by inch!
What terrified them even more was that the properties of the Sandstorm were beginning to take effect.
As creatures that were not of the Rock, Ground, or Steel elements, they felt their vitality and magic being constantly weakened and suppressed by this Domain!
They were trapped!
"Trying to catch a turtle in a jar?"
A cold voice clearly reached the ears of every Sub-dragon.
Amidst the chaotic Sandstorm, Caesar's golden vertical pupils lit up, like a monarch ruling over this underground natural disaster.
"...You're not worthy!"
The Rock-type shockwave erupted a second time, and Caesar moved.
His dragon body was like a fish in water within this Sandstorm, appearing like a ghost behind the already injured "Cure" at the edge of the formation...!
Cure, who was struggling against the erosion of the sand flow, suddenly felt a fatal danger coming from behind!
Cure turned his head sharply, only to see a pair of cold, ruthless golden vertical pupils lighting up within the sand curtain!
In the next second, a sharp claw wrapped in jet-black energy tore through the dust and violently pierced through his chest!
[Shadow Claw]!!!
"Puchi—!"
The claw emerged from his back, bringing out a large spray of hot dragon blood, pinning his entire body to the rock wall.
Cure's pupils constricted suddenly, his face frozen in unbelievable terror.
Caesar didn't give him any chance to breathe; while piercing through his body, his other foot had already kicked out fiercely!
[Bulldoze]!
"Boom—!"
With a loud bang, Caesar's Bulldoze landed precisely on Cure's chest.
Under the terrifying impact, Cure's human form instantly collapsed, reverting to his massive Sub-dragon body. Scales shattered, bones made a tooth-aching cracking sound, and the Sub-dragon let out a wail as his massive body was immediately pinned against the rock wall of the mine shaft!