Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Chapter 196: Dragon Flames That Burn the Soul

In stark contrast to the previous crimson flames, azure flames surged out of the dragon's mouth in a fan shape, instantly covering the entire area in front of the dragon.

Sensing something was wrong, Shiranui Ran immediately activated her Substitution Jutsu. As the number of puppets in her pocket decreased, she leaped a distance through the air and appeared on the shoulder of the suspended dragon.

Miss Fox instinctively swung her ninja sword, preparing to bleed the dragon a little more. But she had barely made a move when a violent, irresistible pain surged from the depths of her heart, interrupting her honed slash.

This was simply unimaginable for someone who inherited the fire demon from Shiranui. For a ninja, enduring pain is a fundamental ability. Let alone being burned by flames, even being sliced ​​into a thousand pieces, Shiranui Ran was confident she could remain completely silent.

Besides, she wasn't burned!

But the pain she was experiencing was real; the burning sensation rising from the depths of her soul made it almost impossible for Miss Fox to move, let alone think, let alone fight back.

"Foolish mortal!" the dragon roared in his native tongue, swatting at the irritating fox on his shoulder with his claws. He controlled the force of his strike, intending to preserve Shiranui Ran's intact corpse, so his speed wasn't as swift as before. He needed to devour Shiranui Ran; such powerful flesh and soul would greatly benefit his injuries!

After devouring this foolish fox thief, and then that damned human warrior, he can regain a considerable amount of strength. Perhaps he can completely perfect this soul body, and then he can find a secluded place to slowly heal his wounds. Unfortunately, according to that human warrior, his previous partner is already dead.

Lost in thought, the dragon glanced at the raging flames below and wasn't surprised to see the human warrior kneeling in agony. This was normal; what he had just breathed out wasn't ordinary fire, but the dragonfire unique to him, the great black dragon Vortigern, specifically designed to burn and damage the soul!

Even the soul of a dragon was affected by this dragonfire.

Chapter 211

Even the most troubled creatures suffer uncontrollably, let alone mere humans... Oh, and foxes too.

If it weren't for the fact that using this would consume his own soul, he would never have lost to that damned red dragon!

Thinking of the damned enemy who had brought him to this state, Vortigern's rage grew even stronger. He turned his attention to Shiranui Ran, eager to devour this high-quality tonic.

As the dragon's claws gradually covered Shiranui Ran, who was kneeling on the ground in agony, Harunobu took a deep breath. The excruciating pain still filled his mind and stimulated his limbs. But compared to the initial intensity that almost made him unable to think, it had weakened considerably.

This wasn't because of any magical artifact; it was simply because he found himself quite used to this kind of pain. It was similar to when the system stuffed things into his brain, except the system was gentler and provided more organized information. This damned flame, on the other hand, seemed eager to burst him apart, cramming his brain with nothing but junk information.

But in any case, after skillfully digesting the junk information that had been forced into his body, he was able to continue controlling his body.

Thunder Breathing - First Form: Thunderclap Flash!

A thunderous roar erupted amidst the raging azure flames, and the reverse-blade sword slapped away the scorching wooden stake used as a substitute. Shiranui Ran instantly felt reborn, her feverish mind clearing instantly.

The materials used in a substitution spell have a soul connection with the caster, which is how it can replace certain attacks such as curses. But this time, the opposite happened, transmitting back the pain of being burned by the Vortigern dragonfire.

Shiranui Ran glanced at Harunobu's direction, her feelings complicated. But this was not the time to speak. She lightly touched the ground with her toes, transforming into a streak of blue and red light under the azure glow, escaping the reach of the dragon's claws.

The dragon's claw slammed heavily onto the dragon's shoulder, causing more blood to gush from the small wounds on its body. This blood, falling to the ground, fueled the flames that engulfed the area, making them burn even more fiercely.

Vortigern removed his left forepaw and roared repeatedly, "Impossible! How could a mortal like you withstand my dragonfire!"

"Of course it's because your dragonfire is too weak, not even half as strong as mine during training." Qingxin stood amidst the azure flames, raising his shallow sword horizontally. "Are you ready to die? Poor dragon."

"You will be the one who dies, human!"

Vortigern spread his wings, and a fierce wind whipped up flames that engulfed his entire body. Shiranui Ran, who was about to stab him in the back, instantly leaped off him as if she'd seen a ghost, hiding far behind him in the fireless zone.

This stands in stark contrast to Harunobu, who still stands amidst the flames.

This was extremely embarrassing for the proud Miss Fox, but she wouldn't risk her life by rushing into the fire for such a petty act; that would be too foolish. She had many more meaningful things to do than engage in such pointless suicide.

Sheathing his ninja sword, the Fire Demon Lord in Shiranui shone with a deep, azure light.

Ninja Art: Water Release: Rainfall Technique!

Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall, landing on the azure sea of ​​fire and also on the slowly rising Voodoo, suppressing the flames.

"Roar!"

Vortigern let out a low growl, expressing both his displeasure and his mockery.

This little bit of rain can't extinguish his dragon flames!

Compared to the little bit of rainwater that contained purifying power, he was more surprised, and even slightly afraid, of Harunobu standing in the sea of ​​fire.

"Mortal, warrior." He slowly ascended, even passing through the rain clouds created by Shiranui Ran using ninjutsu. "Submit to me, and you can become the great Vortigern, the chief knight of the King of Britain!"

"Is that so?" Qingxin forced out a cold laugh. Although he could digest the junk information that Longyan brought, he couldn't withstand the constant stream of new information that Longyan kept feeding him.

My brain is about to explode.

But this was not the time to show weakness. Harunobu pointed the asagi at Vortigern: "But even the Knights of the Round Table have vanished. What good are Vortigern's knights? To become decorations on Queen Elizabeth's crown?"

"Roar!!!"

The fierce, angry roar sent a shockwave through the air, even extinguishing some of the dragon flames. It seemed to be just an ordinary roar.

But Qingxin, who had just absorbed a lot of garbage information from Vortigern, had a strange expression on his face. Then he slowly said, "Wow, is this the great Vortigern? Summoning servants to gang up on the enemy? And even pretending to be just roaring?"

Vortigern's roar was in dragon language, meaning he was calling upon his dragon servants to join the battle.

To put it more bluntly—he's calling for reinforcements.

The author says:

Author's note: Back to work, and as expected, a bunch of annoying things happened, plus general anesthesia.

Chapter 197: Vortigern's Victory

Vortigern, exposed on the spot by Harunobu, remained silent for a moment. His massive dragon head slowly lowered, looking down at Harunobu, who was engulfed in flames. A completely different expression appeared on his ferocious face, one that was either cunning and vicious or arrogant and conceited before.

Perhaps it could be called a surprise.

“A dragon speaker, appearing at this time.” A deep voice squeezed out of Vortigern’s throat, accompanied by a spark that scorched the already scorching air. “Fate is a damn bitch.”

"Dragon Speaker, what is that?"

Qingxin asked in confusion. Vortigern's eyes flickered slightly, his long kiss half-open, as if he intended to answer Qingxin's question. After all, he had just summoned people, so of course he needed to buy time for those demonized humans to arrive.

Harunobu thought to himself that the only people Voodoo could summon here were those mutated demons performing a youthful version of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. Of course, Harunobu couldn't just sit and wait for him to summon people, even though those mutated demons were no longer worth mentioning to him.

Because Harunobu didn't intend to be the camel that broke the camel's back. The strength of the mutated demons was indeed negligible on an individual level, but that was in terms of a group; it was hard to say what would happen if they gathered together.

Also, if the demonized humans come over, the guerrillas he ordered to eliminate them will most likely return as well, and it's a bit too early for them to face Vortigern.

Taking advantage of Vortigern's momentary lapse in concentration, Harunobu unleashed a powerful strike.

Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form, Modified!

Fire Thunder God - Overload!

Building upon the foundation of the Fire and Thunder God technique, he further pushed his still-excessive physical limits, unleashing the full power of his superhuman physique. Just like an ordinary person using the Fire and Thunder God technique, he disregarded the physical strain, focusing solely on the immense power he could unleash in an instant.

This can't even be called a modification, since the principle and effect are the same. But we still need to differentiate it from the ordinary Fire and Thunder God, which he almost uses as a basic attack.

Harunobu thought to himself, and then leaped high into the air.

The trembling muscles merged into the deafening thunder. Strange, dark, mole-like patterns appeared on his forehead in the intense heat. Bright red blood rolled down from the wounds that had been ripped open by the immense force, falling into the azure sea of ​​fire that burned only his soul, staining the shattered floor red.

The warrior, reborn from the flames, soared into the sky as a streak of azure fire, crashing into the embrace of a dragon also clad in blue fire armor. His katana, gripped tightly in both hands, slashed across the dragon's drooping neck, the bloodstained blade tearing through the black scales beneath the blue flames and embedding itself into flesh.

Blood gushed out like a waterfall, pouring onto Qingxin's body and causing the azure flames to suddenly flare up.

Qingxin felt as if his brain had deliberately run into a battering ram; his head suddenly went blank, and he almost fell off. Fortunately, he was prepared; he had previously witnessed how Vortigern's blood made the blue dragon flames burn even more fiercely, so it was only a close call.

His mind was still foggy, but that didn't stop Harunobu from maintaining his strength and charging forward under the drive of the laws of physics.

A deep blue light shone in Voodoo's dim, vertical pupils.

Chapter 212

The firelight was colored.

"Dragon Speaker, obey me—"

Obscure and difficult syllables were spat out from the dragon's long snout, and the junk information stuffed into Qingxin's brain by the azure dragon flames quickly arranged itself like soldiers receiving orders—but that was all.

Qingxin wasn't a true dragon speaker; he merely relied on his powerful brain capacity and information processing ability, honed by the system, to absorb some of the junk information thrown at him by Vortigern. Aside from the earlier call for reinforcements, the only dragon language he knew was a single swear word.

So he didn't understand Vortigern's obscure dragon language at all, and naturally wasn't affected. Let the information in his mind be arranged as it is; the focus now is—to kill this damn big lizard!

Harunobu's movements didn't falter; the Asauchi blade continued its unstoppable advance, already crossing the center line of the cylinder, and its momentum showed no signs of diminishing. Even though it was constrained by the diameter of the dragon's neck, which was far thicker than the length of the Asauchi blade, it had to deviate from the center halfway through its flight.

Even if a fatal blow couldn't be delivered, a slash that cuts open half of the neck would definitely be fatal.

Besides, Miss Fox had been holding back for half a day while loading the bar.

With only half a neck remaining, Shiranui Ran should be able to handle it, right?

The above thoughts flashed through Qingxin's mind, but the next second he found that his charge had slowed down—no, he was being held back!

Without anyone noticing, the blue flames on his body had become much stronger, far stronger than before.

"Dragon Speaker, obey me—"

The obscure and difficult syllables rang out again, and this time, Harunobu felt as if he understood them.

……

Earlier, in the fireless area behind and to the side of Vortigern.

Shiranui Ran's hands were forming a peculiar hand seal that could break the fingers of a normal person, and her entire body was almost completely engulfed in a dazzling golden light, like the sun. If such a scene were to be revealed, it would likely cause most spellcasters to kneel and proclaim a miracle. This was not only due to the immense magical power she possessed, but also to the remarkable precision and stability with which she controlled such a vast amount of magical energy.

It was obvious that such a powerful spell was being cast, yet the dragon, which was practically within arm's reach, was completely unaware!

This was originally planned to be used to exorcise the demonic dragon; it's a secret technique specifically targeting spirits and is also the trump card of a fox demon who has lived for over two hundred years.

Ninja Amaterasu!

The secret technique, named after the head of the Three Princes, Daiichi no Mikoto, not only summons a nearly eternal flame, but also possesses extremely powerful exorcising and purifying effects. It is perfect for dealing with the spirit of the man-eating dragon.

The only downside is that this spell requires a very long casting time.

The original plan was that if the dragon couldn't be dealt with in the usual way, Harunobu would hold it back while Shiranui Ran secretly used her invisibility spell to finish it off.

It can be considered an achievement in some sense now.

Watching the samurai soar through the flames, Shiranui Ran's breathing became slightly heavier, and Amaterasu seemed about to burst forth. She could even see the scene after the mission was completed, and the hilarious sight of a lecherous samurai being so shocked by her secret technique that his jaw practically dropped.

However, as the dragon uttered its tongue-twisting syllables, the warrior suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The Amaterasu flames, which were about to erupt, were forcibly brought under control, and Shiranui Ran stared ahead in shock. The blue flames that had originally occupied a considerable area of ​​the ground had all clung to Taira no Shinichi, like a burning iron chain attached to the ground, firmly holding back his attempt to soar into the sky.

……

Vortigern gazed admiringly at the markings that had appeared on Haruno's forehead, and even the pain from his severely injured neck lessened considerably. Of course, he didn't know what markings were; to him, they were proof of the awakening of the Dragon Speaker's talent, a unique symbol known as the Dragon Mark.

Once a Dragon Speaker awakens the Dragon Mark, he can learn Dragon Language and Dragon Magic just like he can learn any other language. As for physical abilities, given enough time and the willingness of a dragon to donate its own blood, it is entirely possible to create a Hercules capable of wrestling with dragons.

Furthermore, with just a simple soul-merging ritual, the dragon speaker will be absolutely loyal to their teacher, and the teacher will be equally loyal. In other words, a dragon with a dragon speaker can be considered as two perfectly synchronized dragons, or at least 1.5!

That damned red dragon was able to defeat the great Vortigern precisely because she found a damned dragon whisperer! Damn Merlin—

He could sense the portion of the dragon flame, that part of the soul, that belonged to him within Qingxin's mind. The inheritance and information contained within had been plundered by him, but the soul transformed into flames still obeyed the commands of its true master.

And he, the Dark King of Great Britain, the ravager of the Celts, the destroyer of the Saxons, the scourge of the North, the calamity of Victoria, the great Vortigern will bestow upon this young dragon whisperer a special honor.

That is to become his… (omitted)… the messenger of the great Vortigern! To rebuild the glory of the dragon!

Of course, the great Vortigern had no desire to share a soul with a foolish mortal; he only needed this foolish mortal to offer him everything.

And it's not difficult.

The dragon extended its right claw and touched Qingxin's forehead with the nail of its first toe.

"Obey me, Dragon Speaker—"

Chapter 198: Thoughts and Protection (4K2)

Amidst the shattered ruins, azure dragon flames roared, overshadowing the crimson glow of the setting sun and illuminating the upscale residential area littered with corpses. The demons who had miraculously survived Qingxin's attacks abandoned their nearby feast of flesh and blood, swarming towards their master's location. The unfortunate survivors, along with the "important figures" who had successfully kept the demons out using barriers and firearms, also turned their gazes to the undeniable spectacle in the distance.

A giant dragon, tens of meters long, hovered in the sky, lightly touching the figure in front of it with its toenails. The deep blue flames fluttered in the wind like flags or clothes, making it look mysterious and majestic, and undeniably magnificent!

Recalling the booming sound that seemed like the descent of Naruto, even though they couldn't see the figure's form or appearance, the residents of Asakusa still recognized the figure's true form.

This only made them seem more desperate.

If even Taira no Harunobu loses, how are ordinary people like them supposed to survive against that terrifying dragon? With the police, who normally don't even have guns? Or with the bureaucrats whose reaction speed is slower than a snail?

Oh, and the mages too! Priests, monks, foreign priests and nuns, whoever they are, hurry up and take care of that demonic dragon!

As residents of Asakusa Ward, a place steeped in religious atmosphere, they immediately thought of the numerous religious buildings that can be found everywhere. Whether it's the most famous Senso-ji Temple or other various shrines, these names became the subject of their constant murmurs.

However, ordinary people who know nothing about magic cannot understand this. Not every spellcaster possesses the immense magical power of Shiranui Ai, nor is every spellcaster willing to risk their life. Unlike samurai, spellcasters have no obligation to slay monsters, even if dragons ravage their lands.

The few spellcasters willing to confront Vortigern directly will face a soul-searching test of their ability to defeat him, and even if they pass, they cannot immediately appear here. The mutated humans roaming the streets are not easy to deal with; although these creatures are weak and can be easily dealt with with a couple of spells, if they fight their way through using magic, how much fighting power will they have left when they reach the dragon?

Magic power is not like physical strength; it cannot be quickly replenished.